I had a late arrival in Prague, but managed to find my way to the hostel I had booked with the aid of a google maps screenshot on my camera. The whole hostel was really social, and we went out clubbing with the staff, who were totally legit and got us sweet hookups. I managed to meet up with 2 Californias, Rob and Fabio, (among 5 I would end up meeting during my time in Prague) who were happy to hang out with me for the night since none of us knew any Czech.
The next day I set off solo to do a massive walking tour of the city, which is really the only way to get your bearings in a huge new place. I found my way to a big mural dedicated to John Lennon. Checked out the famous “old square” which is pretty big but is packed day and night with tourists from everywhere, which can be a bit exhausting. I managed to get a few miles off the beaten path, and after climbing a few walls, found myself in a huge park overlooking the city. That night the hostel came together again for another night of partying, and the hostel staff managed to get us all some free shots at the first bar! I ended up separated from the big group with an Englishman named Jan, and we had a good adventure through Prague in the middle of the night finding our way back. Read More →
Having stayed up the entire night previously, I was a bit tired on my train to Utrecht, or rather my train past Utrecht, since I fell asleep before we got there, and woke up a few stations past my destination. After that extra hour and half of travel, I had to wander for Internet in the streets at 9am to download directions to where my former flatmate from San Diego lived.
I finally made it to Stefan’s house (aka Papi Wittens lair) at about 10am, and was greeted at the door by one of Steffy’s housemates that was unaware of my impending visit. She was trusting enough to let me in the house anyways, and I almost immediately proceeded to fall asleep until Stefan would return later in the evening from a big road trip with his girlfriend Gina. The next day my sleep cycle was still out of whack, but I managed to meet Steffy’s roommates and learn a great card game that has a very forgettable name. I was also treated to a meal of dutch mussels which tasted great but unfortunately for some reason led to an upset stomach. Read More →
I was set to meet Matt Hager (my roommate from University) and our couchsurfing host in the main train station, but my efforts were frustrated by ticket machines that don’t accept cash or American credit and debit cards. Our host Sanne took Matt and I to meet some of her friends for dinner at a little restaurant called Skek, where we say in a secret little upstairs cubby with really low ceilings. It was a pretty legit little spot the Dutch girls had carved out for us.
We did a short walking tour through the city, meandered through the red light distract (which made me really uncomfortable the first time), and eventually made it back to Sanne’s apartment. Read More →
After a full day on busses from Edinburgh, I made it to Manchester where I was going to meet up with Jake Cook, another I-House Alum. I was met by Kat, Jake’s girlfriend, a couple blocks away from their apartment, and she showed me the way in. I took a massive nap after having a big night out while Kat prepped us a delicious pasta bake.
After waking up, Jake had us on a mission for another night out on the town. We had some drinks and met up with a bunch of Jake’s work friends before heading to a club. We got VIP treatment at the club because Jake’s girlfriend works there, and we had a good night out. On the way home though, near disaster struck.
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I flew into Edinburgh airport at night got a bus to a big train station where Elliot McDonald met me for the train ride back to his hometown of Kirkcaldy. Elliot had been my flatmate in San Diego for almost a half-year, and it was great to be see him in his native environment.
We got in kind of late so we just cooked up some food and chatted for a bit before heading out to pick up Elliot’s girlfriend Joanne from the local nightclub, Kitty’s. We got there just after closing and despite Kirkcaldy being such a small town, the club had a decent flood of people in the streets, to the point that police were directing traffic around the club.
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