Not exactly a "you go, we go" kind of guy, part deux

(Tim) Well, the journey is wrapping up its Prague portion. Last I left you we were done with the dreamy Bruges trip. Did I forget to mention that we even stopped to watch some swans frolic near the river? On a related note, I'm starting to have suspicions about my travel companion. The Bruges deal was fine by itself, but yesterday as we strolled through Prague, we came upon a building and wondered what it was, so we went in for a closer look. It turned out to be a concert hall. So as I'm ready to move along, a poster for the Czech Philharmonic catches Tom's eye. Tom then has to talk to the ticket lady for the next ten minutes to see if they are playing the following night. Really Tom? This trip needs a date to the symphony? Do I have a gondola ride to look forward to in Venice? Perhaps a mariachi band during dinner in Seville? Only time will tell. I'll be sure to cross my fingers. And toes.
Anyway, we kind of blew through Brussels, and I think we're no worse for the wear. We did sample the mussels, of which Brussels is allegedly known for. I wasn't real impressed, but now I can say I did it. Not something that was on the checklist of life, but hey, either was watching swans with another man. We did run into our first, and as of yet only, Euroasshole in Brussels. The guy working at the desk could not be bothered to do his job. I was ready to tell him what I thought, but I remembered that I used my credit card to pay, and feared his wrath. Eurodicks 1, Tim 0.
After spending just one day in Brussels, the following morning we packed our things, mentally told the front desk guy to go to hell, and boarded a plane to Prague. It was a short trip and our bage came out right away. Upon grabbing my bag, I noticed it was buzzing. I looked at Tom and told him to feel it and mentioned that I cannot figure out what it is. So I proceed to open the bag and find that it's my electric razor that I forgot I had. I look up and say Don't worry Tom, it's jus-" Hmm, Tom? Oh there he is. About thirty yards away. I could just make out his face. As he peeked around the giant pillar he was hiding behind. Thanks, man. As a doctor who's taken physics and chemistry, even an actual bomb-making class, he has faith that somehow he'll be saved from the blast by the pillar. Headline: "Bomb in Prague airport kills everyone within a thousand yards, except guy behind pillar." This logic brought to mind Tom's solution had he been aboard the Titanic: simply jump onto the iceberg.
So, we have really enjoyed Prague. We attempted to go see Karlstejn castle today, per Kit's suggestion, but ended up walking all the way up a residential mountain to find nothing. Perhaps the problem lie in the fact that we didn't have any idea what Karlstejn was. Kit's picture showed a castle, but we weren't sure that if the name of the town was Karlstejn or what. We got to the train station near the place and asked some locals, who spoke no English; "Karlstejn?" Somehow, laughter ensued. As we walked away, we began to think that maybe we were in Karlstejn and ad just pulled the equivalent of walking into the Sears Tower and asking "Chicago? Chicago?" So we meandered up the damn mountain to find nothing, and then walked back down to return to the heart of Prague. Only then did I decide to consult our travel book to find directions on what Karlsejn is and how to get there. Why look at it before? That makes no sense. In summary, I hope that Karlstejn castle is a big disappointment, so I don't feel so stupid for missing it.
Sidebar: I just read Tom's version of the bomb scare. I think we all know what an incredible tall-tale teller Tom is when it comes to telling stories. So, I have no concern that anyone will take his version seriously. The chickens is comin' home to roost, y'all.
That's about it for now, I think. Prague was more of a sightseeing trip for us, so our pictures will likely tell the real story. We did experience some Prague nightlife for the past two nights, and are paying for it today. The beer here is quite tasty. Pilsner Urquell is the beer of pride, but I prefer the Krusovice, which is the cheapest beer in town. It's nice when things like that happen. They do however pour their beer like a bunch of clowns. Pouring from the rafters would not produce any more head. At dinner two nights ago the waiter brought out beers with glasses and proceeded to pour it directly into the middle of the glass from a good foot above it. Ten minutes later, we were enjoying our beers once the sea of foam had diminished. But they do it on purpose, so there must be a good reason. Last night we also had our best meal yet. It was basically a stir fry with various meats, cheeses, and onions. I know things about onions, and these were real, and they were spectacular. Well, we must be off to our first overnight train en route to Budapest. It actually continues on to Bucharest, so based on these blogs, you can be sure there's a good chance I'll be writing about life in Romania. Again, thanks to those of you who have posted comments. They are as entertaining to read as this blog is to write.