daring adventures & public transit fines

Two incredibly smooth flights on Monday/Tuesday (Toronto - Paris; Paris - Prague) taught me that my fear of flying is relative, and also possibly subsiding!  Normally the experience of flying includes quite a bit of dread beforehand, as I imagine worst-possible-scenarios, etc (terribly helpful, I know). During the drive to Pearson Airport on Monday, I realized that the fact that I was about to get on a plane had hardly even crossed my mind, as my focus had been so wrapped up in the trip itself.  Aside from needing a hand to squeeze during takeoff (thanks, Sarah! I should note here that my fabulous friend Sarah is travelling with me for the first 2 weeks of this journey), I was a remarkably relaxed version of myself throughout both flights- it seems the prospect of backpacking Europe on my own had made flying seem like a walk in the park.

We took a city bus from the airport to downtown Prague, and for some reason, I couldn't get the machine that stamped my bus ticket to work.  Feeling flustered and self-conscious, I returned to my seat with a ticket that I feared was not valid (though I had paid for it), as I felt too silly to try to explain my situation to the bus driver who did not speak any English. We transferred from the bus to the subway, and of course, a ticket inspector soon showed us his badge and asked to see our stamped tickets.  A rude inspector and a substantial fine greeted me to Prague, and reminded me that my self-consciousness does not serve me. :)

Our hostel is friendly, down-to-earth, quiet at night, and clean! Our jet-lagged attempt to resist napping was short lived, and a night walk to the Prague Castle, organized by the hostel, was the perfect (and only, let's be honest) reason to get out of bed. It was a beautiful thing to see many of the major sights of the city by night, before seeing them by day.  At night, the streets were quiet and still, and the view of the city from the Castle area, all lit up, was gorgeous.  Sarah and I then re-traced these steps during the day today - now bustling with tourists, street vendors - and enjoyed wandering the streets of the Old Downtown section somewhat aimlessly.  We savoured coffee at a lovely cafe, tasted our first Czech beer (the Czech people drink more beer per capita than anywhere else in the world), were awed by the stained glass inside of St. Vitus Cathedral, took in a stunning view of the city from the Strahov Monastery, saw an unusual giant statue of a metronome (fully functional), and stood with reverence at the old Jewish Cemetery (in a Jewish area of town that Hitler was hoping would one day be only a museum).  This evening we climbed to the top of the Petrin Lookout Tower (a small replica of the Eiffel Tower) to see another lovely nighttime view of the entire city.  Prague is beautiful, romantic, and proud, but not without its reminders of a past filled with struggle. An eerie monument this evening which paid tribute to those killed and imprisoned during the communist regime was another reminder of this.   

Tomorrow, we are off with two new friends from Holland to Kutna Hora - a town about an hour away - to see a variety of sights, including "The Sedlec Ossuary" -also known as "The Bone Chapel" (human bones, yes...)

And, we have opera tickets for the Prague State Opera for Friday night!  (La Traviata - although, we have since learned/been reminded that Don Giovanni is really the opera one should see in Prague, as Mozart wrote it specifically for this city)

Before I left, my dear friend Melissa gave me a series of sealed letters, one for each week of my trip.  Opening up letter #1 today was a beautiful reminder of the love that exists in my life, and I am so grateful for the support that I have received in so many forms from so many people.  I will finish off with a quote that Melissa shared with me (which, when she wrote it her letter, I don't think she knew was already posted in my kitchen):

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." Helen Keller

I love this reminder to live with courage and adventure. Although for me right now, "adventure" is backpacking across Europe, I also believe that we are courageous and adventurous whenever we step out of something that feels safe and comfortable, when we take a risk to try something new, think something new, feel something new...adventure can exist anywhere...

And, the Helen Keller quote made me think of another favourite of mine, which also seems fitting for this moment (12:30am at a hostel in Prague!):

"If there is a fear of falling, the only safety is in deliberately jumping" - Carl Jung