I felt a little immature for saying this, but my goals always include exploring corners, new cities, meet people and eat their food too! Disclaimer: suitable for 18yrs and older or if you’re bold like me.
I had a fair share amount of beer with the locals on my last night in Prague and yes it was the best beer I tasted! No one can really deny that the Czechs are the largest consumers of Beer in the whole world. See wikipedia for the beer consumption figures per country.
So it’s easy to say that they really must love their beer that much that they drink regardless of time or day it is. I was told they even drink on lunch breaks at work. Clearly I’m overreacting to my father for drinking once a week when some parts of the world drink beer more like water.
So it was my last night in Prague, having spent my 2 days in mostly all the tourist attractions which is, by the way, is like walking into a set of a fairy-tale movie. I gotta be honest, it’s beyond description I can possibly think of. Perhaps it’s one of those countries Anthony Bourdain’s would try to avoid – the clean, orderly without massive social problems type. But something in me wants to know Prague in a much deeper sense, amidst all the beauty around, a cultural thing and by that, I mean meeting with the locals. So then I remember an app called Couchsurfing wherein you get to meet with locals or even get a free-lodging for those on a tight budget. So then that’s where I met Vojta. He proposed to introduce me to the most Czech thing to do in Prague – drink beer. Yes, I felt wise and old enough for this kind of invites. After all I’ll be 29 in a few days time.
So I went to meet him in Wenceslas Square after his work, introduced ourselves a little and off we go. New’s Flash: It’s my first time meeting locals alone so ofcourse I had to convince myself a lot prior to going. Luckily he looks like a nice descent guy and in-fact works in one of the biggest banks in Prague. I told him the only place I’ve never ticked-off yet is Malá Strana or the Lesser Town. So then we wonder off the cobbled streets of the Old Town. I didn’t know at the time that I can reach everything by foot from the Old Town, locals knew better for sure.
We walked for more like an hour, went past John Lennon’s wall and some charming neighborhoods of Malá Strana while talking just about anything.
We then reached into this traditional pub called “Lokal” where it’s like been tested by time by how it looks.
We seated outside sharing with other’s table which I find very casual for them. A few minutes later came in the glorified Pilsner Urquell and came to know that this is the World’s first Pale lager or beer. What I know is that it goes up on the alley amongst the best beer and most popular in Czech Republic. It has that smooth and that well-rounded bitterness just leaved me wanting more. Ok I’m not gonna overanalyze what it taste but I wasn’t deprived either of some good beer in my formative years. (insert San Miguel Pilsen) Did I mention that it’s ridiculously cheaper than water? For 2-4EUR you can enjoy a classic beer without shedding your cold-hard euros.
Two pints over, he called two other friends Peter & Adam to join us. We then moved inside as the night sets in. There I found more locals with flushed red faces and having a good laugh. Half of what delights me is the people I see. After some usual “nationality talks” like ethnicity background with a little bit slurring, now on our 4th pint, apparently, the Czechs liked my fake British accent which usually comes out if I surpassed my alcohol limit. Also a reminder to myself.
After I came back from the washroom, we then decided to move elsewhere,another bar somewhere . My curious self still persuades in so we jump off to the next underground Bar. This time they wanted some hard liquor and but I am certain I had enough for that night already. Couldn’t pass this one-shot, we raised our glasses to the air cheering “Na zdravi” meaning “to your health” and they have a saying that if you don’t do that you’ll have bad luck for 7yrs or 7yrs of bad sexlife! Lol. I felt quite lucky that the ambiance is quite dark inside, I secretly splashed the liquor to the floor. (I’m sorry if you’re reading this).I felt so relieved I managed to scape that. We danced like 18yr-olds in the dance floor with the crowd. Quarter past 3 AM, I knew I had to end this night already. So I excused myself to the washroom, but actually went out for some air and hastily called for an Uber to get myself out. Adam then came out and told him that I have my Uber waiting in the corner street and that I needed to get back to my hotel as I have an early train to catch the next morning at 08 AM to Berlin. He then walked me and hugged each others like some old friend I’ve known for years!
I had to capped off the night because like it or not, us women have different concerns while traveling, especially when alone. (Yes, after all that!) But regardless, any place in the world can be dangerous and it’s up to us how we look at the situation.
But one thing I learned from this trip, that no matter how much I wanted to push for my limits, our freedom is limited by our own choices. But have I chosen to limit myself with this type of experiences, life wouldn’t be interesting.
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