Wednesday, May 28
My second day in Prague I'd planned to get in some real tourist adventures. Frankie and Sofia, who play Lorca and the Dancer in the show, were both interested in visiting the palace on the hill overlooking the town, and we made plans to leave around noon. However, following our long night, where nobody got to sleep till after 4:30, it wasn't until 11:00 that myself and some of the others started moving.
At that point I got a shower and attempted to eat some cereal, which I'd bought at the grocery store the previous day. Unfortunately, I'd done a poor job purchasing milk from the two full aisles allocated to that–there were another two just for yogurt. They all looked pretty much the same to me, although I knew they must have been different, and I when I poured it into my cereal I discovered I'd gotten something that more closely resembled runny yogurt or buttermilk.
Thoroughly bummed out, I dashed out to another local grocery two blocks away and was more successful this go-round in purchasing something I wanted. It did make it easier that there were only two options at the little local market.
By 12:30 I was ready to go, but Frankie was still taking his time, and while we waited for a little while, eventually he just told Sofia and I to take off without him and he'd check out the palace complex another day.
While I spent the past several months being diligent in my research of destinations and activities for the latter half of the trip with my mom, I had done hardly any tourist reading about Prague, so I had no idea what to expect. After climbing the gentle staircase up the hill for some 1/4 mile–I imagine this might have slowed down any rebellions back in the day–we got to enjoy the brilliant view overlooking the city for a brief moment before it started raining, which got people to scatter for various indoor locations. With no particular destination in mind, we just followed the herds and ended up at St. Vitus Cathedral.
I've visited enough of these majestic palaces to god through my previous excursions that I don't think I'm as overwhelmed as I once was walking in or feel the need to spend too much time investigating, but it was gorgeous nonetheless. It'll never get old seeing what craftsmanship when into these grand edifices, from the soaring arched hallways to the intricate stained glass windows and unique gargoyles spitting water from the sides of the building.
Our visit was also shortened by the fact that 2/3 of the cathedral was roped off to ticketed viewers only, and we didn't feel compelled to spend the fee. This was true of most other buildings we saw atop the hill, and while I was prepared to buy a ticket, nothing was so apparently moving as to make us want to buy one. Instead, we stopped at a cafe, where Sofia could get some tea to soothe her soar throat, and we trekked further up to the top of the hill, walking back through the great park around Petřín Hill to the apartment.
There is only one set of keys to each of the two apartments we're sharing, and we knew we'd gotten back before the others would be, so we decided to grab some late lunch/early dinner at a nearby restaurant. Sofia had suggested soup, and I recommended we get some Goulash, one of the popular local dishes, which was just perfect for our cool damp day. By the time we finished, it was time to head back to the apartment to prepare for the show, and we ran into the key-holding members of our party on the street just as we were walking up to the place.
Night two of the show went even better than night one. I felt like we had little spots we'd wanted to fix, and being attentive to them, we were able to put on a crisper performance. I heard after the show that we'd run a few minutes longer, which is of some concern at the festival given the strict timing for all the shows using the shared theater space, but we were able to strike our set even faster than the previous night. We were out of the space in no time. As Frankie said after the show, there was more acting going on, so the piece was breathing with us, and that will often lead to stretching the pace.
Following the show, we went back to the apartment briefly to eat dinner before heading out to a bar. It was the company's intention to hit some gay clubs this evening. I was the only straight male in our crew, which comprised four gay men and two women, one of whom was Sofia, who chose to stay at home and rest. I can't say I was up for very much, but I didn't want to miss out on any great experiences or stories in Prague, so I tagged along.
Of course, it took a tram, a subway, and a short walk to do so, but we eventually ended up at a small smokey bar, which we'd been tipped off about by someone who came to see the show. Said man was there and congratulated us again on a great performance, and we did a little promotion with the other patrons, whom he'd already convinced to see the show. After one beer, I was ready to go home though, and as the rest of the crew prepared to hit up the gay clubs, I took directions and a key back to the apartment. However, when I approached the subway station, I found it was locked. I wasn't surprised. It was 1:30AM after all, but I was suddenly stranded in an unfamiliar location in a country where I didn't speak the language.
I racked my mind for ideas. I wondered if I could find a map to orient myself and walk it back. I didn't see any though, and while I'd heard taxis are notoriously overpriced here, I felt that was my best option. I quickly found one and asked to head towards one of the tourist locations near our apartment, figuring I'd walk another five minutes or so from there. When he crossed the bridge in front of Frank Gehry's Dancing House, I was re-oriented though, and I redirected him to just leave me at the foot of the next bridge down river, Most Legií, which was a short block from the apartment.
I made it back just fine, and needless to say, I was happy to be "home" after my unintentional adventure. It did make things interesting though, and the cab, which cost about $10 with tip, was definitely worth it to save me from any further adventure.
Walking through the park.
A tram up the hill.
Prague...
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