Sometimes it's hard to believe that I actually live in this city. It's just BEAUTIFUL - really, just absolutely gorgeous. I can't believe that people live in a city like this and walk by castles and centuries-old monasteries and churches and so on. You're on the tram and it's like hey, there's a castle, no big deal or anything. But it is kind of a big deal, because I come from Florida, which is a wasteland. Sometimes I wonder just what I'm doing in Prague, because it's just so different from any place I've ever been before.
Living here's getting easier. I've kind of mastered the metro if not the tram, and I can at least get myself to Wenceslas Square and back without too much effort. I've had to go to the main branch of a bank to set up an account because my traveler's checks are absolutely worthless (and because I know you're reading this, THANKS MOM)and then go get my public transportation pass, and pick up my tickets for the Swell Season, AND see the Swell Season, so if nothing else I can get to Wenceslas Square.
The Swell Season were AMAZING live. I'm not that familiar with too many of their songs but it was so easy to get into, and I think I nearly had a conniption when they played "Falling Slowly," but they were just great all around. I couldn't believe that I'm standing at the back of a concert hall in freaking Prague watching an incredible band perform. Like, really, I'm in Prague, not Coral Gables and certainly not Coral Springs.
Yesterday we went to Terezin. I ran into a boy who had also gone on the March from Dallas, and it was very nice to see a familiar face. Terezin was definitely heavy- a much smaller camp than Auschwitz and Majdanek (I think?) but it's hard to compare them. Going to the camps never gets easier, though I never thought it would, or even that it should. It still never feels real, and that's a little weird- if it doesn't feel real it becomes easier to deny, which is horrible. Almost had an onion attack, definitely not fun.
Today we went to Lidice, which was a village that the Nazis razed (and whose inhabitants the Nazis murdered) in retaliation for the assassination of Heydrich. It was very intense and elicited kind of conflicting emotions. I mean, thank God Heydrich was killed, but the horrible cost... thousands of people were killed just because of it. It was cool to see the crypt where the assassins hid out (right by Frank Gehry's Dancing Building in Prague 5) and the village of Lidice was beautiful-- really bright sun, really deep snow, and just open space. It's weird to think of a town once being there but it was really very interesting. I'm very glad I went.
I can't wait to meet new people. I love the Miami people but I'd love to just meet new people, Czechs, expats, whatever. I'm kind of concerned I'm going to just stay in the bubble or become a loner, but whatever. I'm perfectly comfortable with walking around by myself if I know where I'm going so whatever, that's cool. I just wish I could pet some of the dogs here. THERE ARE SO MANY DOGS. They're on leashes, they're off, they go on the metro and trams and into restaurants and stores and they're SO WELL TRAINED. I miss Jake terribly and I just want to get my ya-yas out and play with a dog but it's not kosher to just go up and ask someone if I can pet their dog, prosim.
I really want to go to the theatre here but unfortunately nearly everything is in Czech, and considering my vocabulary's limited to thanks and no onions, that's kind of out. Maybe I'll go to an opera or something. I'm probably staying in Prague this weekend since I'm not sure if I'm okay with traveling by myself to Munich but we'll see.
I'm reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being and I love it. I'm such a cliche.
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