I am sitting here in my hotel room in Prague humbly munching on a cheese sandwich and chocolate-banana-muesli bar. This deceptively tasty package was left on the empty seat next to me by the eternally gracious people of Lufthansa while I snored and drooled on the flight here from Frankfurt. Seriously- I need to pick up about a case of these musliriegel schoko-bananes. They are a the same aromatic, full body banana experience that I typically associate with fruity Mardi Gras drinks and candy runts.
A few weeks ago, I was in Barnes and Noble and picked up a book about Prague. I am here teaching, but there will likely be some kind of free time on Friday while I wait for the EDT people to wake up, so I figured I should know what to see. Also, there were these delicious little city books in the moleskine section and I just couldn’t resist. It was tidy and smooth, had a whole bunch of maps inside and places to write my notes as I muse on the bridge over the river… And besides its the official journal of Hemingway. Or something like that.
So these two little books sat on my desk waiting to be read, or at least flipped through. I got busy writing the papers for the classes, then had some deadlines to meet before I left, and a demo to prepare for the users event in Kassel that I did today…. and so the books got packed, but never read. This was a bad idea.
When I landed here tonight, I was just overcome with how wonderful this intra-EU travel has become. Once you go through customs in your entry country, there really isn’t much to deal with. Just breeze in! Move freely! Heck, even the money is the same!** What a concept.
I don’t really have great luck with cabs. I typically get into a cab and assume they take credit cards (when they don’t) or think that it will cost about $20 (more like $50), or not have any idea of the address where I am headed (you know, the Hampton Inn.)
So right as I am about to get into a cab, I decide to be proactive! Use technology to get some answers. I count my money and wonder if it is enough. I pull out my blackberry and ping Jess, who manages the creation of the country kits. She’ll remember approximately how much the cab ride is to the hotel near the office. Here I am halfway across the world, and I can ping Jess! Ask her a question! Get an answer in real time! What a concept. I’m so clever I could explode with cleverness.
Jess confirms that a cab ride is roughly $30US, so I’m good. I hop into a cab, show him the address of the hotel, and we’re in business. Plenty of time for a shower and some relaxing before getting a short but good night’s sleep. To kill time, I start flipping through some tourist leaflet from the airport, and I notice that the prices large numbers, like 100, 500, 1000… and that there isn’t the euro sign, but czk. Oh… no.
I consult the virtual posse via blackberry, and suddenly, they remember. Oh yeah. Not euros, but czech crowns. What a headsmack of a moment. How could I not have known this? I marveled at how these tidy little books fit into my purse and looked so adorable, but to actually read them? Pshaw.
Ok, easy fix. I ask the cabby to take me to a bank. He begins to look worried, but happily obliges. Phew, right? Easy peasy. Except when the bank machine EATS MY CARD. “Unauthorized Use. Retaining Card.” Fraud control. What a concept.
So I skulk back to the car and try to explain to the cabby that once again I have no money, but surely the hotel will be able to change my euros into czech crowns and all will be OK. We’re just a few blocks from the hotel. But when we get there… turns out they don’t have a room for me. The very lovely man at the counter tells me that my new hotel will be more than happy to change my money. I nearly burst into tears. PLEASE. PLEASE change my money so that I can show this cab driver I am not a total loser. So he did.
I finally make it here to a hotel that does have a room for me, which is very nice even if it took me about 15 minutes to figure out how to turn on the lights (apparently you have to stick your room key in some magic slot?). And I pay the cabby and thank him many times and tip him probably way more than I should partly because I have no idea how much a czech crown is worth but mostly because I am really sorry for making such a rookie travel mistake.
So as I sit here sulking and taking sips of wasser mit sprudel, I finally decided to open up my moleskine city book and made the first note.
**apparently not
Notes: Lufthansa is amazing- wait until you hear how bad I fucked up on the return trip and how they saved my ass. While I love Air New Zealand’s feeling of coach-as-first-class, Lufthansa is still my number one favorite. My original reservation in Prague was at the Hotel Josef, and I wound up staying at the Maximilian Hotel.
Be less of a jackass by reading: Moleskine City Notebook Praha (Prague)
, Prague (City Guide)
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