Last day in Berlin and Prague

The last day in Berlin was by far the hardest day of my trip as of yet. After 4 days of fantastic company and so many funny in-jokes and anecdotes that just wouldn't make sense if I recounted them here, it was time to head off alone again. I had to mentally drag myself to the train station because I just wanted to stay, but I've got along way to go still and its way too early to cop out just yet.

We had breakfast in the hostel in the morning, then the 4 of us walked to the museum island. There was something very specific Sach wanted to see in one of the museums and I probably should have gone with him for a bit more culture, but I wanted to enjoy the sun as much as possible before my 4 and a half hour train to Prague, so Amy, Sara and I sat on the grass by the cathedral. After so little sleep, my brain didn't have the capacity to make conversation anymore, but that was OK, it was nice to just sit in such lovely company.

I'd put it off for as long as possible, but I couldn't wait any longer, as I had to go get my bag and then get to the station with very little time to spare. Saying goodbye to everyone was heartbreaking, especially as I was just about to be thrust way out of my comfort zone again, but I'm sure it won't be long before I see Sach again and I get the feeling we'll both be keeping in touch with Amy and Sara. I really think we've made some friends there.

It was hard to be enthusiastic about a train journey that I've been told is absolutely beautiful when you hardly have the energy to turn your head to look out of the window. The train follows the river Elbe for much of the way, and on a better day I'd have really taken in the cliff-faced sandstone valley the river runs through, the Bastei and its Middle Earth-like bridge, the picturesque villages lining the river (that a month ago had to be evacuated when the river breached its banks) and the massive mountain-top castle that no one had a clue what it was. The German part of the Elbe valley is known as 'Saxon-Switzerland' while the Czech part is known as 'Bohemian-Switzerland', even though, as far as I can tell, neither are actually in Switzerland. I don't have time for this nonsense.

The train was delayed by quite a while, so I already had the arseache by the time I had to haul my massive rucksack to the hostel that wasn't as close to the station as they'd made out. My plan was to just get there and go to sleep immediately to catch up on my rest, but they had a laundry and I was (almost) in desperate need of clean clothes, so instead I stayed up until midnight washing and drying my stuff. While I was waiting, I sat in the hostel bar for a couple of beers and watched Middlesex beat Sussex in some t20 cricket match. I don't know why they had it on, but it was the most random sporting event I've watched on my travels so far.

Near sunset in Prague

I'd planned to set off to explore Prague as early as possible, as I was getting the sleeper train to Krakow later in the evening. However, when I went down to reception to check what to do with my linen, there was a massive power cut in the area and all my stuff was trapped upstairs, with the dorm room floors only accessible by elevator. By the time I was able to set off, it was nearly 11. I wandered through the shopping district first, finding a comic book-themed bar to check out, before heading up to the old town, over the Charles Bridge and up to the castle to walk through the gardens and get a view of the city from above. I went into a medieval themed pub called the Tavern of Seven Witches, that was almost pitch black apart from candle light. I felt a little guilty asking if there was a place I could sit where I could plug my phone in to charge, but they had wifi so I guess they weren't strictly authentic. Back outside, I spotted the menu board of the Old Star Hotel next to the castle and had to go in for dinner; I had smoked pork with white dumplings and pickled cabbage And. It. Was. Incredible.

Definitely better than the menu at Andy's

A thing in Prague

From the castle

I had time to wander back to the old town and have one more drink before realising, soon after buying one, that I didn't have time at all and had a frantic dash to find a cab, scarce in the pedestrianised cobbled streets of the old town, to take me to the station. Word of advice; don't get cabs in Prague, they are a rip off.

The castle in the evening

Having had my exploring time cut short by the power cut, I avoided spending time inside churches and museums and instead tried to see as much of the city as possible. I know I didn't leave myself anywhere near as enough time to really see the city properly, but I have a few deadlines to hit and I spent a few more days in Berlin than I planned to at the start of this trip. Prague is an incredibly beautiful place though and I will most definitely visit it again, hopefully with a companion and plenty of time to experience the culture and social scene in equal measure.