Saying goodbye to Prague

 

With only three days left in Prague, I’m wondering where the month went! Two months of my 12 month adventure are gone and it reminds me how quickly time passes, whether we’re doing something we love or not.

 

I checked off all the tourist highlights in the first week so the next few weeks I looked for experiences off the beaten path.  My Uber driver told me I had to take a river cruise on the jazz boat to see the city at night and go for dinner or drinks at the TV Tower for stunning city views. He was right!

 

The jazz boat was amazing! We cruised along the river for three hours, listening to a live jazz band and taking in the sights, going under bridges and gazing at the lights sparkling on the water. It was a relaxing evening with great company and good food.

 

Dinner at the TV Tower was by far the best meal I’ve had in Prague! We made reservations for 7pm so we could watch the sunset. Four of us got dressed up and took the elevator 66 metres up to the restaurant. Our table gave us full views of the city but the meal was the highlight (beef carpaccio, truffle gnocchi and chocolate brownies). All of us are hoping to come back for the truffle gnocchi before we leave.

 

There’s a yoga studio around the corner from my apartment so I walked over and signed up for a 30 day unlimited pass. With all the walking I’ve been doing, taking some time to stretch seemed like a good idea.

 

My first class went well, although I didn’t realize it was hot yoga, but the instructor was from California and encouraged me to try any class, regardless if the instructor spoke English.

 

The next night I thought I’d try the 7:30pm class, thinking it would be a lovely restorative class before bed. I arrived five minutes early, unrolled my mat, laid down and closed my eyes while adjusting to the heated room.

 

At 7:30 pm, the lights flipped on and a woman strode to the front of the room speaking in rapid fire Czech. That should have been a sign that I was in over my head! My body said “run” but my head said “stay, it’s part of the adventure!”

 

Reminding myself to be open to new things, I decided to stay and see where things led.

 

It quickly went downhill.

 

The instructor spoke some English – “no, no” being her favourite. “No, no” as she grabbed my arms to straighten them, “no, no” as she grabbed be feet to bring them closer together, “no, no” as she tilted my head back further. She moved quickly from one pose to the next, yelling in Czech the whole time.

 

Where was the soft lighting? Where was the lovely yoga music? Where were the gentle words of listening to your body and showing gratitude? Nowhere to be seen or heard. I’m pretty sure I walked into a Czech boot camp disguised as yoga.

 

I tried my best to keep up but soon felt nauseous and thought it best to lie down. “No, no” she said, pulling my arms to get back up. “No, no” I responded and laid down – I was done. With ten minutes left in the class, I felt shavasana was appropriate and I closed my eyes.

 

Maybe they do yoga differently in Czech or maybe I went to a class beyond my abilities but I’m still glad I went. I did something a local would do and tried something outside my comfort zone!

 

Later that week I took a cooking class and made asparagus soup, an egg salad spread with mint and traditional fruit dumplings made with quark. I also toured the Skoda car manufacturing plant, where they produce 1,200 cars per day! I never thought I’d be excited about a car manufacturing plant but it was impressive!

 

A group of us headed to the Escape Room, where we divided into teams and had 60 minutes to try to “escape” from our scenario using clues found in the room. We made it out of the first two rooms but ran out of time in the final room. Still lots of fun and I’d definitely play again!

 

Then there was a side trip to Vienna which included a Mozart concert at the Opera Hall. And a day trip to Kutna Hora to see the Bone Church, decorated with the bones of over 40,000 people who died during the Black Plague and various wars in the area (thanks for the suggestion Vladi!).

 

Now I’m wrapping up my time exploring new spots for brunch, having cozy picnics in the park, finding view points to sit and write in my journal, and getting lost in a good book over a cup of tea.

 

I’m feeling like a local so it must be time to move on.

 

I’ve mastered the metro system, I have my regular vendors at the farmer’s market who greet me each day, and people stop me to ask directions. Yes, I’m ready for the next city. Prague has been lovely, full of history and charm, but I’m ready for the sunshine and warmth of Lisbon!

 

 

Have you been to Lisbon or Portugal? Any recommendations on things to do, see, eat?