After an nasty procrastination streak, 16 hours of intense packing, a computer crash, two overweight bags, a broken bag, a $200 surcharge for the extra bag I had to bring, and a nearly missed connection in Zurich because Amber is a sketchy, sketchy terrorist, I'm in Prague.
Swiss Air is a house of lies. I was promised an aisle seat; Amanda and I were part of a sandwich. I was promised a vegetarian meal; I got chicken (and no, according to the flight attendant, I can't have anything else). I also got no sleep whatsoever on the outrageously uncomfortable seats on the plane, so I did get to see Mad Men, Flight of the Conchords, 30 Rock, and In the Loop... over and over and over.
After a fast run through Zurich customs to (a) get the Swiss passport stamp and (b) see snow, we came very close to missing our connecting flight, but we made it back and I got to sit next to a surly, PDA-happy German couple that hated me because I demanded the window seat to which I had been assigned. I had forgotten how sparse Central Europe is- flying into Prague including just seeing vast stretches of white nothingness. I got cheated at Travelex (par for the course) and survived a bus ride of other Americans discussing Jersey Shore and the obnoxious ringtones on their new phones. I'm glad I came to Prague to be surrounded by the same kind of people back in the States.
My room is absolutely massive double-as-single with its own bathroom and kitchen. It's kind of lonely, considering everyone else is in suites, but God forbid an onion crosses my path. Putting everything away is a huge work in progress, and true to form, I overpacked by a LOT.
We went to a pub for dinner afterward, where I discovered that I still can't stand beer and that the Czech national dish is a fried mozzarella stick. The onion thing shouldn't be too hard to avoid here but being vegetarian is going to be ridiculous. I obviously am not taking the semester off in that respect, but it's probably going to be Budapest redux in terms of only eating Special K bars.
We walked from our dorm to the pub and then across the Charles Bridge to Old Town. Prague is really, really gorgeous and old, but the cobblestones are a bitch and there's a decent shot I'll fracture something walking here. Also, Prague is a city of hills. The schlep back from the square was interminable but I clearly made it and subsequently passed out after my first overseas Skype session.
Today we have two meetings; Stephanie and I need to pick up our tickets for the Swell Season concert tomorrow and I think people are going to Tesco and Ikea. Of course I leave important things like a hairdryer and a toothbrush at home. And, of course, it's snowing again.
