Getting There

It's 8 am in Geneva and we have a five hour lay over until our next flight to Prague. Nico and I head out to find public transit so that we can begin our exploration of the city. After a confusing search for where the bus departs, we found the #10 bus and headed downtown. It was early so the business folk were just making their way into town. Once we saw the lake, we knew to get off and search for some cafe overlooking the water. We stumbled upon a boardwalk and found a quaint cottage. Coincidentally named the Cottage Cafe, we ordered some small espresso shots and honey toast. The cottage faced a small garden with a beautiful fountain statue that was silhouetted in the morning sun. Two stone lions guarded the entrance to the garden facing the lake. After our oooohs and aahhhhs over the mountain of crème brulees that they had set out to cool, we paid our bill and gave our waiter a warm thank you (in French of course).

After walking around the downtown area while watching the store owner’s prep their storefronts we stopped for a moment to listen to a jazz drummer who was firing up some green eggs and ham and truly giving Geneva a morning wake up call. We immediately thought of Jimbo and strode on. Our next encounter with the locals came when we had no change for the bus to get back to the airport. We stumbled into a bakery and the woman sneered at us when we asked for change, especially because the request was in English. Nonetheless, we got the change and were able to get back to the airport in time. So overall we thought it was worth the trek and better than sitting at the airport for 5 hours.

Our flight from Geneva to Prague was delayed 45 minutes but we would wait until Prague to satisfy our hunger. After sleeping the entire flight to Prague we gathered our bags and exchanged money for the taxi. David as well as Roger suggested we take the AAA taxi as the other cabbies are known to take advantage of tourists. After giving the cabby our destination we were set and made it to the U Pisecke Brany Restaurant where we would meet with David around 5 30 pm. After a Pilsner Urquell, a coke, and some delicious potato pancakes, Prague’s first impression was certainly a good one.

David strolled in after we finished and we sat for a while to get reacquainted. David was the first to tell us how hard the Czech language is to speak. He studied for eight months before starting his work at the embassy. He had been there for six weeks prior to our arrival so when it came to paying the bill we looked for some advice on the routine for restaurant manners. It turns out that the wait staff and bartenders do not expect a standard tip. Its more of a rounding up to the nearest hundred korun. We left and went across the street to his apartment and our new temporary home. We dropped our bags off and went in search for our first Czech meal. After taking the metro to the Malastrana we walked across the bridge towards old town and nico’s new school. We walked towards the Charles bridge but the crowds were heavy as the typically are and we walked instead towards the famous Old Town square Staromestska Namnesti. We arrived just a hair to late to see the astrological clock display its hourly beauty. The history behind this clock is that when the king saw it completed he thought it was so beautiful that he blinded the maker so that it could never be replicated. This square is also famous for its pickpockets and its beautiful churches.

We found ourselves in the Jewish quarter just north of the square at Café Kafka. We ordered a round a of waters and I had a Budvar ( yes the same company who claims that Budweiser stole its name), but it turned out the kitchen had closed. We took a few more steps past a pizzeria joint and ended up in Schweik’s. We all ordered types of dumplings (potato, bread and Bohemian style). David and Nico reminisced about El Salvador while I sat back to enjoy their stories. Turns out Nico loved to put on dance shows for everyone to see. She and her friends would practice to the top hits of the day and force everyone to watch their dance routines. “Good info to know” I thought to myself. We walked back across the river and took a tram back up the hill to David’s. Step one: journey to Prague complete.