I'm sorry, everybody knows you can't break me with your gutter prose

--česky krumlov--

After having breakfast with one of the newest additions to my list of australian roommates, i found myself saying, "Well, i'm gonna go up to the castle to check my email." one of the more interesting phrases i've uttered while on my journey...

My first night i found myself in the downstairs pub surrounded by australians. One guy was trying to get rid of his spare crowns as he was off to Austria the next day, so he generously bought everyone beer. A new addition to the table took his gratefully, smiled at me and said, "it's the only way to get over my hangover." "your hangover?" my incredulous voice rose over the din of the crowded pub. it was only about nine p.m. "yeah, we floated down the river today, and every couple meters there's a bar trying to sell you beer." i had also heard the rumor that a bottle of rum was included in the price of boat rental. I made mental notes and hoped the rainy weather cleared up so i could take my own excursion.

The next morning i bumped into my only other female roommate (australian, of course) and went to the bakery down the street for a quick breakfast. i complained about the rainy weather's affect on my original plans, and she told me to just slow down. i didn't have to "do" anything. and this was completely true- so i went and got a book at the english book store, signed up for a massage, and ate a large lunch of gulas and beer- the perfect rainy day kind of food. my massage was amusing as the whole time a CD that i can only assumed was entitled "slow jamz '86" was playing. such songs as the police's "i'll be watching you" and "i'll stand by you" kept me company for the duration of the thirty minute back rub.

i came back to discover a new roommate- Georgia, and we went out to dinner at an interesting vegetarian restaurant where the staff was most likely high on more than life. over the course of my stay in the hostel, Georgia imparted several fun Australian phrases to me, such as "fair dinkums", "in bed with my dunna", and "wanna cuppa?" meaning, do i want a cup of tea. ah tea. its rather interesting to see what people pack in their bags, because after all, in your bag are only the bare essentials- and it was surprising to see how many people had included tea within their packs. Tea? really. trying to get in the spirit of europe, i tried the tea house down the road and decided once and for all that its never going to be a particularly loved beverage of mine, though its nice to relax over a cuppa with friends. :p

a day or so into my stay, a Frenchman joined our room. he and i walked through the castle gardens on a slow afternoon, and i think my favorite part of that walk was running into a small frog. when he tried to coax it toward him, it hopped away as fast as its little legs could go. "He runs because he know i am French."

that evening i found myself in a pizzeria with four australians and then to a pub where a barfly attached himself to our table. He grabbed my hand when i wasnt paying attention and tapped my ring finger with a leer. i quickly scooted away from him and hissed, "jsem lesbinička."

--Kutná Hora--

Not long after our night out, I hopped on a bus from Cesky Krumlov to Prague and then another to Kutna Hora. I arrived to find a family of four living in their own personal castle. they had three large floors: one for a lodger and Ivana's dental practice, one for their personal apartment, and the third floor apartment was used solely for visitors such as myself. so i found myself movin' on up from the hostel life to my own personal flat, with a large garden to run around in as well. Pretty nice for someone living out of a bag.

Anna, age 8, didn't know much english, but she quickly learned, "Liz, come here." and i quickly learned, "but i'm eating-tired-sleeping" in czech. she had a lot of things to show and give me, and she certainly had a lot of games for me to play. i ran around with her in the evenings, and during the day i explored the town.¨ Its pretty small- i could walk the span of it in about thirty minutes- but full of sights. There was the Italian Court, several cathedrals, the underground remnants of the silver mines, and my personal favorite, the Ossuary, which was a church decorated with 40,000 human skeletons- including a skeleton chandelier. dont worry, i have plenty of pictures. Why decorate with human skeletons? the question you should be asking is, why not?

One night, the 19 year old Markéta took me out to a pub. on our way home, she gave me a small tour that led us to a hedgehog snuffling in the street. Obviously a bleeding heart, Markéta picked the animal up with the aid of a potato chip packet because "it would be much better off in a garden." the hedgehog curled into a ball and glared at us from his new cellophane home.

While we were searching for the proper place to deposit him, we ran into Markéta's friend Misha. "come join us for one small drink," she said. "I'll take care of the hedgehog." and she was off to who knows where, and we found ourselves in the local student pub where oddly enough, rammestein was blaring. We met an interesting assortment of people, celebrated the birth of some guy's son, and enjoyed a quiet walk back to the castle.

I'll have to continue with Jihlava and Brno another time- I've stopped off in Brno because its a good stopping place, inbetween Olomouc and Mikulov, and near my ultimate destination, Vienna. so more later, and keep on keepin' on.