Prague and a Hot BudaPest

Yerno Pivo Prossim! (One beer please)

  The train from Berlin to Prague had a broken a/c unit so it was a warm ride to say the least. However, I had packed some cold beers and insulated them well in my backpack with my hoodie and they were a welcomed relief. There was a nice woman who sat next to me on the train and we got talking through our commiseration of the hot train. Her name is Anna and she is from Melbourne, Australia. She is on a quite long Eurotrip and we compared notes on places we'd been to and where we were planning on going.

We both had similar mindsets about traveling so at the end of the journey, we exchanged info so we could meet in the city and explore it together. I found my hostel with ease and checked in. I was quite anxious and nervous because it was my first time ever staying in a hostel but as soon as I walked into the room, I was met with smiling faces and words of welcome.  After I locked up my stuff and took a much-needed shower, a few of my roommates, Connor, Duvonte, Ryan and Eisuke all joined me for a couple pints at the hostel bar as I taught them Toepen, the Dutch card game I learned from Folkert. They were quite good after a few rounds and we decided to go get a proper meal.

We got a recommendation from the hostel on a good place to eat and headed out. We grabbed a table amidst a room full of clapping patrons with an accordion player leading the charge. We ordered liters of Pilsner Urquell, the nation's most popular beer. Over mugs of beer, we told our stories of where we were from, where we had been and where we were going. I had recently been in contact with an old middle school acquaintance who spent a lot of time in Prague and she gave me some wonderful tips on things to eat and drink. I ordered Veprova as per her suggestion which was a few different types of roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut. A few of the guys followed suit and it was amazingly delicious, especially the sauerkraut. When the food arrived, apparently Eisuke had either a miscommunication with the server or wasn't paying enough attention to the menu because they placed an entire roast pig in front of him. We couldn't control our laughter and we kept giving him grief but he put down a lot of it and shared it with us.

photo credit to Ryan Shearer

As we had about 10 pounds of leftovers being packed up in to go containers, we talked about what to do in the evening and decided on a bar to get some beers. Anna reached out to me about meeting up to experience the nightlife so after a few beers with the guys, I headed out to the old town area to see what I could get into.

As I was looking for a WiFi hot spot to connect to, I made a comment to a night concierge at a boutique hotel that it was HOT! He agreed with me and asked me where I was from. After our formalities, I told him I was just looking for WiFi to stay in contact with a friend and he invited me into the hotel to use their WiFi. He asked me to sit down so I could relax and he poured me a beer to boot! His name is Richard and he was so incredibly nice. He started telling me the recent history of the Czech Republic and it was fascinating to hear about as there was so much information I was completely oblivious to about the recent events of the country.

Anna met me in the hotel lobby and the three of us chatted for another half hour or more which was a wonderful experience. Once we said our goodbyes, Anna and I headed out to explore. Soon after, she jumped into a conversation she overheard and by chance it was between a few young people who lived in Prague. They said they were going to a local hot spot and so we followed suit. We ended up in a bar/club which had decent drinks, music and a dance floor. We tore it up for several hours and then one of the local transplants told us not to get tired because we were going to watch the sunrise on a boat. We got another drink and kept the party going.

Around 5am, a group of 6 of us took off and started walking for the river. There was a party boat that was open and we all hopped on and kept the party rolling. We all talked and had some drinks and before we knew it, the sun was rising over the rustic city of Prague. What a sight it was! At 7:30 am or so, I was ready to sleep where I stood so I took a quick cab back to the hostel and called it quits.

I awoke around noon along with all of the others who had had a crazy night as well, and we contemplated a daily agenda. I headed out for an espresso and lunch to get back in the game. I went to a restaurant and ordered another recommended dish, svickova which consisted of beef in a creamy vegetable sauce with bread dumplings and cranberry sauce. It was so tasty but probably not the best dish for the amazingly hot and humid weather. However, a couple of cold pints did pretty well to wash it down and keep me cool on the hot day.

I went to meet up with Anna for another round of sightseeing and I hopped on a subway to reach old town. The escalators to get to the subway must have been 4-5 stories in height and it gave me an incredible sense of vertigo. I had to hold onto the handrail and the journey down honestly took at least 60 seconds. After Anna and I met up, we walked to the old town square to see the buildings as well as the Charles Bridge. We had a good time walking around and then I headed back to hang with the fellas. I grabbed a dinner of gulas which is beef stew in a dark sauce with dumplings, red onions and spicy peppers. It was an array of flavors that awakened the palette and left a burning sensation on my tongue.

Back at the hostel, we played a couple rounds of Toepen and then went to the room to hang for a few. I got my guitar out and started jamming a couple songs for the fun of it. My roommates were enjoying it so I played on and because it was so hot in the room, I moved to sitting on the windowsill which faced a street. As I jammed a few more, several groups of people walked by and because I was on the second floor, they stopped to listen and record and say hi. It was fun and we met a few people staying in the hostel.  We decided to head out for a few drinks and take it easy... little did we know what was coming up.

We were in a bar enjoying some Krusovice beer and Toepen when the bartender came up and asked us if we wanted to do a, "happy trolley" shot. Once he explained it, we only ordered two; one for Ryan and one for the rest of us to try.

A few minutes later, the bartender comes back with two miniature red wagons each holding four shot glasses filled with a variety of shots of different colors. The first was black, followed by gold, blue and finally red. "The way it works," he said is to "drink one shot when we stop drumming on the table." With the rules clearly laid out, he started drumming on the table and we followed suit. Bam! He slapped the table one last time and Ryan downed the first shot. Digga Digga Digga came the sounds of us beating the table again until the abrupt stop came and Ryan downed another shot. After two more rounds, the shot glasses were empty and Ryan sat there, wide-eyed and a hand on his chest.

In order, he had just done a shot of Jaeger, tequila, vodka-caracao, and 70% absinthe in 30 seconds. We were astonished. The rest of us just sipped at the shots to try them and even just a sip of the absinthe made my chest light on fire. The bartenders were amazed at how staunch and resolute Ryan was after taking them all. We took off with Ryan standing on his own and headed back to sleep in anticipation of our departures the next day.

I have to say that all of my apprehensions and anxiety disappeared after this first time in a hostel and I had a new appreciation for the experience. We exchanged goodbyes as quick as we had said hellos and with that, we all went our separate ways with memories that will live on forever. I headed to the train station, made friends with two really nice Scots, and chatted and read my way through the seven hour train ride to Budapest.

It's funny how being in a certain situation can make you feel like you've known people your whole life. I experienced it in China and it was very similar in Prague.

I'm just going to quickly mention Budapest here. It was dreadfully hot and humid when I got in after a seven hour train ride and the hostel was not quite as nice as the one in Prague. I could barely do anything the first night as I was so tired and the humidity doesn't let the heat disappear with the sun. When I awoke the next day, I decided to switch to an apartment for only about 25 dollars more than the hostel and I had it all to myself.

I walked around the city checking out the castle, the parliament, some parks, bridges and a beautiful river splitting the city into two sides. It took me maybe four or five hours to get around most of the city and the views were stunning, it was just unbearably hot and humid. I feel like I probably missed out on a couple of things as I had not researched it beforehand and I didn't have much insider knowledge. If I make it back in the future, I'll definitely have to spend more time there with someone who knows what's what. I was glad to be on a train to Milan the next day and even though it took 16 hours, it was a good time and I met some friendly people.

My blog about Italy will hopefully be up soon!

Good relationships are everything.

Tony G

Mr Gorbachev! The remainder of your wall is a reminder to us all

Hallo!

Berlin was honestly one of the coolest cities I've seen yet. Right when I got in, it was extremely easy to navigate the train station as well as the trams. I got to my friend Maddie's place which is a really really awesome flat that her fiancé, Jens (pronounced, Yence) rents. It was located right in between an ice cream shop and a restaurant and I almost missed it because it's just a door that leads to a staircase with the flats.

I'd met Jens before when he was in Colorado visiting and he is such a nice guy. Maddie ran out to meet a friend and Jens and I hit a beer garden. We got some good pints to start and then I went in for a bratwurst which was absolutely delicious. We went for another pint or two and I grabbed another bratwurst as well since I hadn't eaten much during the train ride in.

After the beer garden, we went to a smaller bar with a big selection of beers and they actually had a really good one I like, Duchese De Bourgogne, on tap. After another beer or two, Jens took me to a bar where they sell micro brews which is becoming quite popular as of late in Berlin. I saw that Stone brewing is opening up a brewery just outside Berlin next year as well. Should be great for the beer culture to introduce their hoppy stuff.

We ran into a couple of Jens' friends at the joint and I met them. They were cool people and shortly after, Maddie met up with us there to haverify a drink. After a beer or two, we went home and hit the hay.

I awoke to Jens' roommate, Johannes greeting me and he was a super nice guy. Maddie and Jens had breakfast plans, so I got a recommendation on a cafe and headed out. I met an interesting American who owned the cafe and he and I chatted a bit as I sipped my coffee. When it was time to settle up, he gave me a free chilled coffee shot which was really cool of him.

I headed out in search of a baked good to fill my stomach and I found a bakery so I walked in. I started looking at what they have and a lady walked in to peruse as well. I motioned for her to go in front of me and she said something back in German. I just smiled and nodded, then she looked around for another 10 seconds and left. The clerk behind the desk said something in German I can only imagine was about her walking in without leaving with a baked good, so I just smiled and nodded. I then picked out what I wanted and said, "eine bitte" (one please). He grabbed it said how much it was and I gave him the money, then he said something else and I felt the only thing to do was smile and nod; it'll get you places.

That day, Maddie took me out to see the city and it was an incredible place to see. We first went to a memorial that was strongly recommended to me by several people. It's a memorial for all of the people of the Jewish faith who perished during the second world war. It is a site to see and something that you can't really get the whole experience with unless you walk through it. There are large stones placed all over in rows and columns and they get larger or smaller as you walk through and they sometimes tower over you. The light scheme plays into it along with the acoustics and everything. Maddie described it well saying that it's really subject to interpretation which I completely agree with.

Underneath the memorial is a museum where they have a time line throughout the war and what was happening along with snippets from diaries, journals and post cards or letters. It was a heavy experience but the purpose is very clear: we as humans can't let this happen again. One fact that surprised me is that 50% of the perished were from Poland. I had no idea it was that drastic. When we left, we saw the Brandenburg gate and then hopped on the metro.

We decided that we needed to get a drink and we found a place that has a dish Maddie introduced me too which is green papaya salad. It had shaved green papaya, shrimp, lettuce, sprouts and other things with a spicy kick. It was served cold which was great to beat the heat with. We also grabbed some delicious ice cream afterward which also helped. We headed out to check out some sites and I tried a Czech Budweiser which was actually amazingly different and quite a lot better than the Budweiser back home.

We went down to Kreuzberg and checked out some remaining columns of the Berlin Wall called the East Berlin Gallery. Some artists had been commissioned to paint murals on them and some were truly great but unfortunately, all of them had been defaced in one way or another with writing which was a bummer.  There a nice river there as well and Maddie and I sat on some grass near it and just enjoyed the view of a well-known bridge.

We grabbed a kebab dinner and I had some falafel. I forgot to mention that while walking home from the bar on the first night, we stopped for a "Duner kebab" and I got this thing that was essentially a chicken gyro wrapped in a pizza not pita bread. Some of the flavors in that were unlike any I had ever tried in my entire life. It honestly blew my mind and that has got to be some of the best food I've ever had.

After our dinner, we went to a bar which is modeled after an American dive bar. It didn't quite feel like a dive bar, but it had a good vibe and we were digging it. I asked if they ever have musicians play there and they said they sometimes do, but not often. I sensed an opportunity but was feeling coy, so my new friend, Igor that I met through Jens went up and asked if I could play a set. They agreed to it so we went back to get the guitar and then when I got back, they just told me to stand on a table and play so I obliged them.  It was a lot of fun and people who walked by would see me and have such an inquisitive look.

I played for about 30 minutes and then the staff put the music back on and I talked with a few people at the bar who had been singing along and clapping. It truly was a great time and I played my heart out. I'm really digging this whole musician thing.

We headed home before too long and I awoke to a nice breakfast. It was time to say my goodbyes as I was leaving for Prague that afternoon so I headed out but felt happy because Maddie will be back in Denver when I get back, and Jens will be following as well. They are both great people and I was so happy to have them to take me around in Berlin.

I'm currently on a train to Budapest from Prague so I'm getting behind on my blog entries. I must be having fun or something. Hope your 4th was splendid!

Tchuss

Tony G

Amsterdamn! It's Hot!

Huy!

Arriving in Amsterdam was just what the soul needed. After a night outside with an early morning start and a long wait for a ride to Amsterdam, walking into a sandwich shop and being warmly greeted and joked about with by a funny waitress was exactly what I needed to get my head back on straight.

Sean and I got some sandwiches as well as a Heineken and we felt much better after our long day. By this time, we already needed to get going to meet up with my old buddy Folkert that I met several years ago. We were online gaming friends and then seven years ago, my family went to visit Amsterdam since one of my sisters was studying in a city nearby. I met up with Folkert and he and I have been in contact ever since. Here's a picture of us 7 years ago.

I think we have both changed a little bit since then...

After a quick shower, Folkert, his girlfriend Else, Sean and myself all went to get some dinner at one of their favorite Indonesian joints. You get some really good Indonesian food in the Netherlands because of colonization in the past and such.  We all ordered a dish which comes with about eight different varieties so that you can try several flavors, and it was absolutely wonderful. We washed it down with some cold beer then we set out to their local park which has some bars in it. We found a seat and started drinking some local beers which are becoming more and more popular, and we also stuck with good old fashioned Heineken which is always great.

They sometimes have live music at the bar we went to but that night, they just had a DJ. However, he was laying down some sweet remixes of good songs and everybody hopped on the dance floor and got grooving. Sean and I needed no further motivation so we got up there with Else and started shakin' it juse lIke in the days of old. We had a lot of fun but then realized how tired we were and so we called it a night. 

The next day, Else and Folkert treated us to a wonderful Dutch breakfast of sandwiches and of course, stroopwafel. Afterward, we met up with my friend, Tina from Shanghai. She is Shanghainese and showed me around the city and introduced me to great local cuisine while I was living in Shanghai. She is currently studying in the Hague and she wanted to see Amsterdam. With Folkert as our guide, the five of us went for a stroll around the city center with Folkert pointing out things about the canals, pictures above doors and hooks at the top of houses. He used to live right near one of the main canals which seemed like an amazing place to live. We all jumped on a canal cruise and it was just like I remember seven years ago and was quite scenic.

We went out for some bitter ballin which is like a fried ball filled with ground meat and wheat or something of the sort. I'm not really sure but it was fried and delicious with mustard and beer washes it down quite nicely so it doesn't really matter. After the appetizer, we went to get some food at a local place where they make dishes that "your Dutch grandmother would be proud of" said Folkert and Else. We had a dish called stammpot which is basically mashed potatoes mixed with andive, bacon and spices served with gravy and either meatball or sausage on the side. It was delicious!

We went to a beer bar after dinner and then took a, "cheeky goosey gander" as Sean would say around the red light district. Looked a lot like it did seven years ago... anyway, we called it a night shortly after and headed home for some rest before a big Sunday at the beach.

We took a drive out to the beach to meet up with some friends of Else's and on the way, we took a small detour to go to the windmills. It was pretty neat to see them all and Folkert as well as Else admitted to never actually going there, so it was cool to experience something new with the Netherland natives. We just looked around for a bit then headed out to the beach passing the tulip fields, but unfortunately they had already all been cut and taken so we just saw a few remnants.

The beach was nice and it was good to see the North Sea. The water was too cold to go in, but that didn't stop us from having a good time on the beach and we had brought beer and a guitar. I gave a little impromptu concert and we all chatted and had a nice relaxing day. We went and had pannenkoeken for dinner then drove back and learned how to play this awesome card game named, "Toepen." It's kind of like hearts in a way where you try to win tricks based on suits, but you can up the ante by saying, "toep" when you have a strong hand or are bluffing. This makes your opponents think about whether or not to continue at higher stakes or bow out. It's lots of fun and I will definitely be teaching it to my friends back home.

After sleeping in, Sean and I got up, hit a coffeeshop and then went to a park armed with munchies, beer and a guitar. We just laid out and chilled for several hours in the hot sun and did some people watching and guitar playing. We headed back to Folkert and Else's place for dinner then later, met up with a friend who by chance was also in Amsterdam at that time. Sean and I knew Cat from our Shanghai days and I ran into her in Miami awhile back, but it's always good to see her. Here's a picture of the three of us from Shanghai and then in Amsterdam. I did my best to recreate it.

Oh how time changes us.

On our final day in Amsterdam, Sean and I went to the sky lounge in the local Hilton and got a few pints with Cat. The view is glorious and even though it was a bit expensive, sitting in comfy chairs with great friends, great views and good pints was all worth it.  Cat took off to get ready for her new job she started this week and Sean and I grabbed a bite to eat before hitting the road back home. Sean had a bus scheduled that night, but due to a strike in Calais, it was cancelled so he had to catch a flight in the morning. He got home safe to his family though, so that's wonderful. He and I had a killer time hanging together and we can't wait for the reunion of the Unlikely Trio in Denver, 2017.

I took a train down to the Hague where Tina lives and she showed me around the main city center along with the Parliament building which is cool because when I worked for CCAI, we always had to follow Hague regulations and so it was fun to be in the place where they made all that legislation.

Tina and I met up with one of her friends, grabbed some takeout and headed for the beach. The sun was setting as we ate and drank and chatted. I took out the guitar again and Tina's friend played it a bit. She had a lovely voice and her guitar playing complimented it very nicely. She passed the guitar to me and I played the first song that came to my mind and people around started clapping and saying encouraging things so I played a few more. Some people sang along, some moved closer and others moved their heads or feet to it. It was really, really encouraging and it reaffirms my feelings that I bring happiness to all types of people through music. The sunset was really something else as well.

Tina let me crash at her place and the next morning I caught a few trains in succession to Berlin. I didn't have a seat the whole time, but it was nothing compared to the 18 hour ride in China with a no-seat ticket haha. I met some cool people who were also sitting in the compartments between cars and we bonded through commiseration. It was fun though and only lasted two hours or so.

I'm currently in Berlin staying with a friend from DCIS Montello and the weather out here is phenomenal. I leave tomorrow but I'll make a short blog post about it when I leave.

Enjoy the 4th of July weekend my friends and family. I'll be on a train drinking a beer and humming the Star Spangled Banner.

Doei!

Tony G