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.
The next day I managed to team up with a young British couple, Alex & Kate, for a day of sightseeing. At first we went to a huge old military fort pretty far south of the city, and after about an hour of that we decided to get a bus out of Prague to a small town about an hour away that is famous for a church decorated with the bones from its graveyard. We ended up meeting some South African dudes on the bus who could speak a little bit of Zulu, which has badass clicks and pops. After checking out the bone church, we all managed to hop on a tour bus full of American Study-Abroad students to get back to the city, which was much more comfortable and cheap than the public bus. I chatted it up with a girl from Boston who was just starting her study abroad experience. She seemed really cool, just as my British friends Alex and Kate were cool, but like nearly always when travelling, a budding friendship was quickly shackled to the limits of facebook updates.
Alex, Kate and I took the wrong tram back towards our hostel, and managed to witness someone doing heroine in the subway. After getting put back on track by a very friendly old Czech woman, we started cooking dinner. We managed to cook up a seriously epic barbecue dinner including chicken, sausages, corn on the cob, salad, breads, potatoes, and more. All of that, and 3 half-litre beers cost me only $5. The price of the Czech currency is pretty low, and as a result EVERYTHING is dirt cheap. We all had another massive night out, and the next morning I got a bus to Budapest on a whim. When visiting the bus station to see Jan, my English buddy from a couple nights earlier, off to Poland or wherever he was headed, I discovered the the bus journey only cost about $20. Budapest here I come!