After a peaceful stay in Budapest, which is tied for my favorite city (with Odou), we gather our absurdly heavy things one last time and board the train. A mixture of sadness and relief sweep over me. It's over. It's beginning.
I start to reflect on our trip - it has been an incredible two weeks. I have experienced a whirlwind of culture, cuisine, beauty, and love. The memories Meg and I have created together are precious, invaluable. I'm overcome with thankfulness, and am starting to realize that we get to share a lifetime of these types of moments. The thought makes me smile as the Czech countryside rolls by: We are going to live in Prague.
*Side note: If you are ever traveling from Budapest to Prague, I would recommend doing a little research before buying a ticket. Although the train was fairly empty and we had plenty of space, there was basically no food or drink for the 7 plus hour ride. Not cool, man.
As the train eases to a halt, we tussle with our luggage and manage to de-board. Our feet touch the ground, and we glance up to take in the moment. We immediately recognize two people that we have never met in person: Our hosts, Jan & Emma. The first thing that Meg and I notice is that Jan has a strong resemblance to my brother, Ben. As a matter of fact, he looks exactly like him. Thank you, Prague, I already feel at home.
This picture does not capture how massive this church is - this is what we see when we walk out of our door.
After Jan and Emma get us settled into the apartment (they picked us up from the train station and drove us there - they didn't have to, they offered), they invite us to have dinner and pivo (beer) next door. The restaurant has a cozy, comfortable feel to it - Meg and I can't stop smiling. Emma, who is from France, orders us both a half liter of pilsner. We clink our glasses together with anticipation, as we are about to have our first taste of the world famous Czech pivo. It does not disappoint.
The golden ale is light, smooth, and drinkable. It differs from the American style in several ways, but most notably in variety. There are basically three types of beer served in Czech breweries: Light, dark, and a mixture of the two. Most of the beer served in breweries is "tank" style, meaning that it is not pasteurized. As a result, it only stays fresh for about 5 days. Luckily, the Czech Republic has the highest beer consumption per capita in the world - so finishing a batch is rarely an issue.
But I digress... while enjoying one to four large beers, we learn a little about our hosts. As I previously stated, Emma is from France - she speaks three languages (French, English, and Czech), and has lived with Jan in Prague for nearly 5 years. Jan is originally from a small village in the Czech countryside - he also speaks three languages, so they are constantly switching back and forth during conversation (super cool). He studied agriculture in the U.S. for a year at Kansas State and studied business in France, which is where he met Emma. In summation, they are kind, friendly, and incredibly interesting.
I feel my story meandering again... I think I'm trying to showcase my enjoyment of beer on my first night in Prague. So, after a lovely time, Jan and Emma (who insisted that they pay for our meal) drive us to another bar where we are meeting our TEFL classmates for the first time. Good thing we are sober!
After meeting our fantastic fellow students (I'll let Meg tell you more about them in the next post), we head home and collapse into bed. The dream begins.
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