Around 2.00 am, exactly 4 and 1/2 hours before my train to Košice, Slovakia, my heart started doing these crazy palpitations. I sat up and tried to gulp big mouthfuls of air then take slow, deep breaths. I know all too well by now what was happening. I was having another panic attack and the only way I could calm myself down, was tell it that we were not going. Maybe it was the road less traveled or the tricky transport connection, or the fear of doing it alone…I haven’t figured that one out but its a shame, I was really looking forward to hike the Slovenský Raj. Oh well.
https://www.instagram.com/p/1hZIigAlIS/?taken-by=maharishisharon
Next day, I rocked up to Keleti Station without a plan and hoped to get a refund on the Košice ticket. I could get a refund but because I bought it at Nyugati Station, I had to get the refund there. Wankers. So luggage in tow, I went to Nyugati (this time by Metro, thank God!) for a refund and sat there staring at the ticket booths for a while. Prague was next on the trip after Slovakia, so it became a default choice. As I sat in Mcdonald’s abusing their wifi and trying to book a last minute hostel, I got talking to this chick from UK who was also doing Central Europe and was confused as fuck where to go next. Ha. Its just not me then! Once I got my accommodation sorted, I went to buy my tickets. As I was waiting for my turn, I heard a conversation with the girls sitting next to me and one was trying to sell her ticket to Prague as she had found someone driving. After checking the dates and turing it around 500 times to make sure it was legit, I bought it off her for 20€. 29€ less than what I would have paid! Train was delayed so I arrived in Prague at 11.30 at night but Prague has really good inter-city transport connections so it wasn’t a problem. I stayed in the Vysočanská district which is only 10 minutes away from the city centre by metro.
Next day, I was exhausted. I just couldn’t bring myself to move even though I was in bloody Prague! It was like I had no motivation to travel anymore. I made a skype call home and chatted with my mother and sibling. It made me feel a bit better. They thought I should just take a day off and stay in the hostel and just chill. Mad or what! As I do, I googled and discovered I was actually suffering from ‘travel burnout‘! Wohoo! I mean great there was nothing wrong with me per se or that I was getting bored from traveling…I was just a bit..burnt out! I called them back to let them know of this…the only reply I got…’what did we just tell you?’ Right. Thanks then! I took it easy that day and went sight seeing in the afternoon and then the next day.
Now Prague is beautiful. Its got the grotesque charm and romance of dark Europe. I loved it. What I hated was the hoards and hoards of tourists. I went to walk the famous Charles Bridge and I tried to go back a few times but every bloody time, it was packed. I didn’t find the castle itself as enjoyable as the Golden Lane.
I loved the small cobbled streets of the old town, adored the beer and throughly enjoyed the roast duck I ate. While I am grateful to experience a little bit of Czech, I am going to add Prague back to my bucket list to visit again, one day. And definitely not in the tourist season.
…I am going to add Prague back to my bucket list to visit again, one day. And definitely not in the tourist season.
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