Pondelí

Well you can completely disregard my last post because I found a way to upload photos to Flickr. This fills me with such great joy, equivalent to the sun coming out here in Prague. But for the next few days, I will be playing catch up on the photos I've taken thus far on the trip.

Pondělí means Monday in Czech. As I go on this journey through Prague, I'm attempting to put together bits and pieces of the language. It's not going too well though. But as I type this blog post from the Bohemia Bagel, a cafe here in Prague 7, I chose to make a fool of myself by ordering my bagel and hot chocolate in the local tongue. Foolish as I completely butchered the words, but hopefully this endears me to my waiter and the Czech. I genuinely want to learn this language, I want to compliment fellow passengers on the train. I do not want to pass the next few weeks in this city as a mere tourist. I want to become local and call Prague home.


On pondělí, Prague held up to its first impressions by choosing to be wet, grey, and chilly. But even in shades of gray, this city kind of glistens. Granted that may sound cliché, but I feel that there are secrets and stories and histories beckoning from each corner of the city.

This is my soul mate (soul frand) Lana, and Lana loves sunshine. Finally, the sun has begun to peek behind curtains and layers of clouds. We were eager to escape the classroom, soak up some vitamin D, and frolic in the sun. Yes, frolic. With our cameras. In the sunshine.

L-R: More of my lovely Prague friends: Madison, Caitlin, and Shaina. I really value they way that many of us have formed fast friendships, some of which are incredibly meaningful.

I bought some white Keds for Europe, to be more European. And to be hip. This is what they look like at the start of the trip. I think they will serve as an excellent tool to gauge my trip. Dirty adventure shoes.

Lana (left) and Irma. Life of a documentary photographer.

This is the site of the gas explosion that occurred in Prague earlier in May. The building is used by schools including Charles University and the Academy of Performing Arts' film and TV school. 35 individuals were hurt during the accidental explosion. Ironically, I find this alley, a site of previous destruction, kind of idyllic with the lighting and color contrasts.

Then we walked across the bridge, and then up a winding hill path, in order to reach our hilltop destination--our welcome dinner at a local brewery.

Cheers!
The first day was spent accumulating ourselves to the city, undergoing a minor orientation at CET, and finally concluded with a bit of Czech cuisine and some beer at a local restaurant. The promise of sunshine and warmer days to come improved everyone's general mood, and we began to witness each other's quirks during city walkabouts.