What a whirlwind Prague was! Even though my time there was brief, only one full day to explore the city, I feel like I made the most of it. The excruciating Absinthe-induced hangover I endured all day in transit to Milan is testament to that! 

How can Prague be explained…let's just put it this way: were I to write an inspirational self-help book, I'd want to live in Barcelona while I was writing it. It's easy to be upbeat and positive in Barcelona, for reasons I've already explained. The book I'd write if I was living in Prague though, it would tell a story of tragic, poignant heartbreak, or maybe it would be a murder mystery. Prague is beautiful in a dark and brooding way and it's also very romantic…which only adds to a feeling of heaviness one experiences when visiting it alone.

Partially because of the city's moody vibe, and partially because I was at this point going on 20 days of traveling, an overwhelming sense of homesickness enveloped me. The sensation of being totally and completely alone, thousands of miles away from my life, an awkward, fumbling outsider everywhere I went started to get to me. It made me want to hide in my room all day- it happens when you're traveling for an extended period of time, trust me. But my room wasn't that great, and it's not every day I'm in Prague, so I bundled up and headed out to explore.

As with the rest of my trip, in Prague I engaged in what I've termed "guerrilla sightseeing". It basically entails me wandering around with a very loose concept of where I'm going, stopping to look at places or things that catch my eye, and piecing together the story behind them on the way or afterwards. It's not the most efficient or educational way to see the world, but it's fun and relaxing. My trip, my rules (or lack thereof). It was in this way that I wandered through Old Town Prague, across Charles' Bridge, and found my way to the monastery and castle.

Here's a quick rundown on Prague's history: Prague used to be part of what was called "Bohemia" in Central Europe. The term "Bohemian" actually originated in France, in reference to freewheeling nomad/hippie types who were thought to have come from Bohemia. At one point Prague was capital of the Holy Roman Empire, and at another it was occupied by Nazis; for a while it was under Communist rule, and then in the late eighties there was a revolution and that was overthrown. After that, Prague became the cool place for young, radical Americans to move for a period, and now it seems focused on being a top tourist destination. In any case, all of that history makes for lots to see and do. 

Luckily for my homesick, lonely self, I had a friend in Prague, Kamila…a new friend who I'd recently been introduced to with the intention of our meeting up on this trip. She's Czech, but lives partially in San Francisco and partially in Prague. She returned to Prague only a couple weeks before I arrived, and she was a great host. We met up that night and bar-hopped, taking too many shots of aforementioned Absinthe (it's disgusting, by the way, like Fernet but burns more-it does the trick though!), laughed at the local celebrities she pointed out (DJs and rappers that clearly thought they had their pick of any women in the place), and talked about everything and anything.

There's something about having company after being deprived of it, especially when in foreign surroundings, and especially when that company represents a little slice of home-it inspires a new appreciation for connection and conversation that can easily be overlooked in day-to-day routine. Same with the friends that I saw in London and Barcelona…it added a lot to my trip, to be able to take a night off here and there from being the independent solo traveler and enjoy a night out with someone I felt comfortable with, regardless of how long I'd known them.

Inevitably, my time in beloved Barcelona has come to an end. This morning, before my flight, I woke up early to squeeze in one last adventure…the Sagrada Familia (that huge, beautiful church, Gaudi's most famed creation). And wow, did I save the best for last. Keep in mind I'm not a religious person (spiritual, thanks very much), but when I walked in, after waiting a relatively short 40 minutes in line, I was OVERCOME. Otherworldly is the only word I can use to describe this place.

Take a look at my pictures, but as always, they don't do the Sagrada Familia justice. I mean, when Gaudi does religion, he does religion. It truly blows my mind that the church is still under construction, meaning they must be working off plans that the great man himself put together (or models, I suppose, since we know that Gaudi didn't do plans). In any case, it was a great sendoff, and I rushed back to the hotel to grab my bags and catch my flight to Prague.

I suppose the real sendoff was my creepy cab driver, who I initially thought just wanted to help me practice my Spanish. Mid-conversation, I realized he was trying to convince me to pull over and get a beer with him, since I had two hours until my flight. That was awkward…it's only the second time on this trip, traveling alone as a woman, that I've felt uncomfortable. 

The first was walking up the hill at Montjuic Parc to the castle…a man parked his car, got out, and stopped me. He started speaking to me in Spanish, then English, and informed me that he was from Brazil and practices energy reading, and noticed some negative energy on my left shoulder. He wanted me to let him do a reading on me. Being the hippie that I am, I was of course curious, but I heard my best friend's voice in my head scolding me ("JESSICA…"), so I turned him down and walked away. Quickly.

In any case, made it to the airport, which to my delight was fantastic like everything else in Barcelona (great shopping). Some Euros down the drain later-oops!-I boarded my flight to Prague. It was bittersweet leaving, of course. If I thought I was falling in love with New York two weeks ago, well, Barcelona may just be the love of my life. But you know what they say…if you can't be with the one you love, hope and pray that someday you'll be rich enough to own a timeshare. Or something.

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Barcelona, city #3 recap:

Weather: Sunny, warm bliss

Favorite place(s) visited: The beach cafe, Barri Gotic (really cute, fun area with lots of bars and restaurants), Sagrada Familia

Best meal: Tapas are cool and all, but I didn't have any that BLEW my mind. Food wasn't really the focus of my Barcelona experience. I did have some incredible fried, cheese-filled jalapeños at a Mexican-ish restaurant, weirdly enough

Street style: Edgy, tailored, body-hugging, lots of leather jackets 

Stand-out features: Attractive people, anything Gaudi, pristine beaches, SO MUCH TO DO

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After a two hour Czech Airlines flight over some lovely snow-capped mountain ranges (including the Dolomites, if that rings a bell), I arrived in Prague. With, of course, no clue how I was going to get to my hotel. I was SO OVER cab drivers, and needed to be a bit more economical, so I hit up a BUS-TRAIN-TRAM info booth at the airport. A very nice man who reminded me of Alexsandr Petrovsky from Sex and the City (the old Russian guy Carrie got with right before she got back with Mr. Big-SPOILER ALERT!) broke it down for me.

I'm honestly amazed by European public transportation. It's so easy, so fast, and so frequent! All I had to do was hop onto a bus that picked up directly outside the baggage claim, then transfer to the metro which took me essentially straight to my hotel. I know hearing me blabber about public transportation probably isn't that interesting, but I just have to stress it because it's made my trip so much easier. It's also empowering, in a way, to navigate the metro in a strange city. At least for me.

So, Prague. I emerged from the metro a little disoriented, because I truly felt as though I'd stepped into a different world. I found myself in a plaza, surrounded by serious, Gothic-looking buildings. It was dusk and the air was extremely crisp…here it really is Fall, unlike sunny Spain. I was looking for a street called "Hybernska", where the Best Western Plus I booked two days ago was located. Luckily, I've learned to read a paper map (Dad, take note) over the past two weeks, and Alexsandr had circled my destination for me. 

The girl at the front desk was a sweetheart, and we laughed about how completely unprepared I was (did i have any sightseeing destinations planned out  yet? No, of course not). She gave me another map of Prague (now the third that I had obtained since leaving the airport) and lots of great tips. She also mentioned a "wine restaurant" downstairs, and because I hadn't eaten since a quick breakfast on-the-go from the Sagrada Familia Starbucks, I decided to check it out. After dropping my bags and freshening up in my decidedly no-frills but cozy nonetheless room, I headed down.

What I've come to love most about traveling is the unexpected delights and surprises at every turn. I'm a Best Western, for God's sake…I was expecting a standard, run-of-the mill dining room. Instead I walked into a dimly lit CAVE, the tables set in full fine dining regalia, with Medieval-looking lances and shields proudly displayed on the wall. Dramatic, ominous music played in the background. I was the only guest. Naturally, I sat down and ordered a glass of wine and a steak.

What a day! What a MONTH this has been so far…I realized I've now been away from home for 20 days. In some ways I feel like a satellite, bouncing around in space, sending out information to you all in waves. More significantly, though, I'm learning that a combination of self-determination and an open mind can get me further than I ever thought possible. In Barcelona, it felt like any time I needed something, the universe presented it to me- as long as I remained calm and didn't get frustrated. There is a deep, deep lesson in that, and it's one that I'll process through when I'm not so FREAKING tired.

Always in all ways,