I woke up feeling energized after a good night’s sleep. Andrej was still sleeping like a baby. I glanced at him and couldn't help but notice how good he looked even in his sleep. I smiled to myself. I thought it would be wise to use the bathroom and get ready for the day before he woke up as I sometimes can take a while to get ready but I decided to stay in bed and lay next to him till he awoke. It felt a little strange to be sharing bed with another person but also comforting to be waking up next to him. The last time we slept on the same bed was in the summer of 2007. We were strangers then, more or less. But this time, I didn’t look at him that way. I saw him as someone I had known my whole life but also someone I had still much to learn about. I thought it would be best to leave aside perplexing thoughts and simply enjoy the moment such as this. When he woke up, we got ready for breakfast and went down to the restaurant. The place was small but the décor was charming with star-shaped yellow lamps affixed on the walls. I am usually a big eater at breakfast time which also happens to be my favorite meal of the day. I wanted to try out everything that was laid out on the table for us by the hotel staff. I had my plate full of salami, egg, fruits, croissant, butter, marmalade and yogurt with a cup of coffee and Andrej only ate a piece of bread! This guy never ceases to amaze me because one would expect a professional athlete to be mindful of what they eat and perhaps maybe consume more but I noticed that he hardly cares and has a negligible appetite.
We rested for a short while in our hotel room before heading out to explore all that Prague had to offer. I felt like Andrej and I were in consonant with our excitement about Prague. He had been here before and told me about how much he likes the city. This was comforting for me because I didn’t want to stay, or, be at a place with him that he didn’t like or feel comfortable in. By the time we headed out of the hotel, it was lunch time and we agreed to savor some Czech lunch at a typically local restaurant that tourists would normally not frequent. The place was under a cave-like basement and I felt like we were walking into a catacomb! It did look pretty good nonetheless. We sat across two women and I noticed one of them could not lay her eyes off of us. She either found us beautiful or repulsive I thought and couldn’t care less. Andrej ordered for some beef goulash and I went for an eggplant meal with mozzarella balls. And we drank some Ferdinand beer. I tried the goulash and thought it tasted quite similar to one of the beef stews we prepare at home in Manipur. After lunch, I wanted to check out some souvenirs at a grocery shop. The Asian lady shopkeeper welcomed us with the brightest smile. I asked her for some chocolates but she did not understand my English, so I thought I’d try French and said “chocolat” and she got it. I asked her for some Czech products but she handed me a packet of Milka. Andrej insisted that the bar was Swiss and far from being a Czech produce, the lady got extremely annoyed at him and shot back, “100% Czech!” Before pissing her off further we bought the good and left.
After this, we walked towards Prague Castle. On the way up to the Castle, Andrej spotted a cute little street pastry shop and couldn't hold himself back from eating a trdelnik being the sweet-tooth boy! I could literally smell the fresh baked goodies from the shop and more and more people began to form a line outside the tiny shop to get a taste of the wondrous smelling pastries. We reached the Castle but did not go inside and took some pictures of the palace. After walking around for some time we sat down at a café for some ice cream. The café was very small but the terrace offered us a beautiful view of the city with each and every house flaunting red roofs uniformly. An elegant middle-aged couple with American accents asked us to take pictures of them with the view of the city in the background. Before they left, they offered to take a picture of Andrej and me. I was so touched by their gesture because life has taught me that such nice and considerate strangers like these two are rare and hard to come by. After the castle, we went to check out St. Vitus Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop of Prague and located within the Prague Castle complex. I was as usual awestruck by the grandiose architecture and interiors of the cathedral. I felt awfully happy to witness the first ever gothic architecture in my life. After having soaked in the beauty of the cathedral, Andrej and I decided to go to Charles Bridge. We sat down for some beers at a restaurant overlooking the Vltava River and the Bridge. It was such a bright and beautiful day! I also talked with Dad and Mom for the first time since arriving in Europe. Andrej was very thoughtful for recharging Skype on his phone so I could call my parents. I told them what an incredible time I was having and that they needn’t worry about my safety or whereabouts at all, and that I was in safe hands. I remember trying to speak softly so Andrej wouldn’t hear the conversation which was in my mother-tongue, the Thadou-Kuki dialect but being the attentive and curious bloke, he apparently heard everything even if he didn’t understand it.
We then walked around the narrow lanes of the city. We visited the Kafka museum store and checked out the souvenirs that were on sale. I picked up a mug specifically created for those that think and live by literature. After our visit to the Kafka store, we were enticed by a couple of guys selling tickets for a classical concert. One of the guys asked us where we came from. After telling him I’m Indian, he tried to impress me with the little Hindi words he knew and said he would give us both discounted rates for the tickets in exchange for some local Indian rupees. Andrej and I were tempted by the offer and decided to go check out the concert. The program was held inside of what I thought was music hall. Andrej later corrected me that the venue was actually a church. I felt embarrassed realizing I may have said and done things unbefitting for a sacred place like this. The concert lasted for about an hour from 6-7 PM and the musicians, four violinists and an organist played pieces from Vivaldi. It was truly a heart-warming, or should I say a sensual experience, although I became a bit drowsy in between maybe because the music was so soothing to the senses. Andrej later told me he too felt a bit sleepy in between. So I didn’t feel ashamed of my sluggish behavior while attending a lovely classical concert. There was so much more to do in downtown Prague but we were getting a little tired from all the walking and sightseeing so we headed back to our hotel. The city looked even more beautiful at night as we walked back and the River Vltava looked all dreamy with reflections of the city lights on its surface. Charles Bridge was not lit up even on our second night in Prague so Andrej was a bit disappointed with that.
It was getting dark and we deliberated whether to go clubbing in the night or stay in our hotel and rest. I was really looking forward to going out and partying the night away with Andrej as we had never gone clubbing before together. We decided to stay in but only on one condition—that he would have to go drink beer with me at the nearby bar or I’d go there by myself. He said he wouldn't let me go alone so he agreed to go. I was grateful that he eventually caved in to my demands, keeping in mind how stubborn of a boy he can be. We had Czech Budweiser known as “Budvar.” I was informed by Andrej that the Czechs are the original makers of what Americans popularly call Budweiser, which also happens to be one of my favorite beers regardless of the amount of flak it receives from people that consider it as a bad beer. Although at first I was a bit disappointed from not clubbing in Prague, after the little bar outing, my evening was made and I was thankful to Andrej for being understanding and cooperative. I went to bed recollecting the amount of fun I had in Prague and wished we could have stayed in the city for at least a week more!
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