We were blessed with reserved seats on the way to Prague and enjoyed comfortable compartment seats for the five-hour train ride. Our moods were through the roof, and I even danced in the cabin when the other passengers debarked. We had had Dunkin’ Donuts for breakfast and it was a craving that was finally fulfilled after a month-long wait. The view along the way was quite picturesque. We journeyed through forests, mountains, and old Germanic villages.

We got off the train and looked around. My first utterance was a simple, “Hmm.” Leah then said, “Well, that’s one word to describe it.” Having been exposed to immaculate and bustling stations, this was definitely a change of pace. Praha-Holsovice was a desolate and run-down station to those seen in the movie Hostel. After exchanging our money, we ventured out to find our hostel, which was supposed to be only minutes away. It took us three hours to get there. The directions and address they provided were vague, misleading, and ultimately wrong. We walked in the decrepit streets of Prague, burdened with luggage, for so long that we eventually found solace in maniacal laughter. At first I was afraid of being robbed of all my belongings, but the farther we walked, the more concerned I was about being abducted. Sheer frustration led us to a friendly-looking sports bar and restaurant. We ordered drinks, food, and tried our best to compose ourselves. Then we resolved to walk all the way back and start over. I picked up a loose rock off the street, just to feel safe.

Alas, we passed underneath a bridge suitable for the homeless and saw a dark building labeled “Hostel.” The funny thing is that Leah said, “There’s no possible way that can be it. That building is abandoned.”

We turned to walk away, but then saw a billboard advertising that it was, indeed, the correct address. My first instinct was to turn the other way and fall back on my credit cards. We pressed on and walked quickly through the barbed-wire enclosure. Smoky, dingy, and sketchy are just a few of the adjectives to describe this place. There were fake bugs on the blinds in the reception room/closet, a telltale sign of good things to come. Our saving grace was the fact that there was free wireless internet. Neither of us left the room without the other for any reason and we religiously locked our door. Luckily, it was just the two of us. We pushed our twin beds together and watched a comedy skit to lighten the mood. The next morning we slept without an alarm and then walked a few miles to the city center. It was cold, almost freezing, and sunshine was intermittent.

To say the very least, Prague is an enchanting city. It is the former capital of the Holy Roman Empire and its grandeur has not faded through the centuries. The buildings are well-preserved and it is difficult not to block the sidewalk whilst gawking . The Centrum is sprinkled with many synagogues and cathedrals. We happened across the market in the town square and bought some lunch from vending stands, then continued to explore. At one point, Leah was trying to navigate and tripped with full force. I was walking parallel to her on the other side of the street and only saw a flash of her hair go down behind a car. I walked over and saw her sprawling on the sidewalk. I couldn’t help but laugh once I saw she wasn’t hurt and preceded to whip out my video camera. We both laughed at her misfortune and carried on. I bought some gloves at a small shop and then we crossed a bridge that was built in 1357.

It started to rain at this point. Hundreds of stone steps did their best to intimidate us, but somehow we managed to find ourselves at the climax of a mountain and the best view of the entire city. We stood in awe for several minutes. The Prague Castle was a few meters to the left, so we did a circle around it and ducked inside a souvenir and toy shop. I purchased a Prague pin, a new tradition I’ve started at each

destination. After a brief debate, we decided to go back to the hostel. The rain, cold, and wind were an unmatchable trifecta. We hopped on a cable car and rode it for forty minutes before discovering we were going in the opposite direction of where we needed to be, something my intuition had told me but I unfortunately ignored.

Not soon enough, we found ourselves in our cozy hostel bed. We dried off and decided to watch Hostel just for kicks. I got up and double-checked the lock on the door about halfway through the movie, since it was all too similar and foreboding to our own situation. We got dinner then headed back to watch Hostel II, which happened to be even more similar since it directly referenced Prague.

The next morning, we checked out and explored a little more of the city before our train’s departure at 5pm. I bought a new cabbie hat and a temporary camera. I also ended up buying a hardback journal, something I was inspired to do by Leah. So here I am now, on the train to Munich and drinking a Cherry Coke. Life is good.