1/26/2011

Dobry den from Prague!

I have now been in the country for a week and a half. I have to say it has been a lovely departure from New York. Don't get me wrong, I love New York. I love so much about that city: the 24 hour food, the night life, the man vomiting on my stoop, and the A train (the stereotypical exp). But after experiencing Prague for even the short time I've been here, I have to say I have fallen in love with the city. It is stunning. The snow falls differently here. It gently falls and wafts towards the ground. That's as poetic as I will get.

I live in Holesvice, which is in Prague 7. The dorm is gorgeous and the space is huge. I live in a double that was supposed to be a triple, so we have a lot of space. The kitchen is basically an IKEA ad, except for the jolly Swede holding a mug of whatever. And here is the big thing, we have a towel warming rack. It's kind of a big deal and lovely. And the neighborhood is lovely and quiet, while still having quite a bit of nice restaurants and bars.

I have to take a tram to and from the city center. And the public transportation makes me never want to go back to New York again. It's reliable and it has student discounts for monthly users. One problem is that it goes quiet after 11pm. It seems it is the custom to start drinking early and be home by 11. And while we are on that subject, beer is literally cheaper than water. I bought a round the other night of Pilsner Urquell (the Czech National brand) and I paid 100 crowns for 4 pints. That is 6 dollars. So much is cheaper here than in New York. Than even the local Wawa. I usually pay only about 10 dollars for a good dinner and a few beers. Lunches are about 5. It has been nice not to have to worry about depleting money on the essentials like food and drink. But I digress.

I saw my first Czech hockey game this past Sunday. It didn't take me long to get to one! I sat near the ice for 6 dollars and had a few cheap beers and saw one of Prague's two teams, Slavia, take on the Vitovice Steel from Moravia. Slavia won in an exciting game and it was really interesting to see the difference in fan behavior at the game, than from say a typical Flyers game. Each team had a corresponding fan club at each end of the ice behind the the net and they stood the entire game. They sang and chanted and were lead by drummers as the game progressed. Then I guess everyone in the middle section was a "more casual" kind of fan. I think I'd enjoy a game like that if Flyers fans were like that instead of just being obnoxious Philadelphians. There is no real notable difference in how the game is played here. No they are not NHL level but the skill is very apparent. However, many of the goals came from just "throwin the puck at the net," Dornhoefer would be proud. You can tell that the goalies are the ones who don't have the NHL skill and often are holding on for dear life. But that might just have been an exception in this one game I saw. One note about the ice and the jerseys; they are covered with ads, head to toe. admittedly, it is easy to lose track of the puck sometimes because of the bright green car ads.

Well that's it for now! Hopefully I will post again later this week and let you know what's happening!

From Prague Castle... looks like a Decemberists album cover

Na shledanou!

N