Coach Pav
The adventures of a wayward ski coach.
OST Culture Day- Prague
WRITEN BY ALEXANDRA SLOBODIAN AND SADIE WHITE
For the culture day this year we went to Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. Prague is by far one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Most of you know Pav. Now use your imagination and picture Pav waving a leafy treebranch, shouting in a [fake] German accent while leading a wild band of athletes through the narrow cobblestone streets of Prague. If you aren’t laughing, try picturing it again.
We had arrived at our hostel around 19 30 the previous night. En route he German speaking only GPS took us on a”scenic route” and we ended up in the very beautiful, very crowded and extremely narrow alleyways of Pragues Old Town square. Kieran Jones is an incredible driver. Some of the turns he made in the Cargo Van were unbelievable.
- This is not an ideal place to drive a windowless cargo van
After dinner at a Mexican/Czech resteraunt we head back to the hostel for a good night of restful sleep…not. Prague comes alive at night. The hostel itself was very clean, comfy but loud. We spent a good time of the night hanging out the window (don’t worry it was safe) watching the partiers that roamed the streets several stories below.
Thursday morning started with the most epic run. That’s right, we ran across the Charles Bridge.
Breakfast was at a little cafe on the side of a street. They had fresh juice which they made right in front of you. Literally the best I have ever had.
After seeing the oldest Jewish Synagogue in Europe (700 years old) and learning about the Golem stored in the attic, we proceeded to get lost, then climb a long-ass staircase which lead to the Prague Castle.
Luckily there was a Crepe Shop half way up the stairs where we stopped for Crepes and refueled for the last haul up the castle. Within the castle grounds we saw St. Vitus Cathedral, & climbed up a million steps (actually just 287) to get a bird’s eye view of Prague.
We finished off the epic day by running through a large crowds of Tourists to make our lunch reservation. By the end we had 20 minutes to shop before we head back to Oberhof.
Being in Prague had a much different feel then Oberhof. Due mainly to the large crowds of people, the pick pockets and hustle and bustle of the town. Throughout the day we constantly double checked our bags to make sure we had everything we came with. If you saw us, we basically had Tourist painted across our forehead. Pav’s yellow water belt was not very incognito.
I’m bringing it back!
There are lots of things you learn when you go to a new country. You learn about culture, history, architecture, crowd control, & perhaps most importantly, their driving habits.
It was a stressful drive, but when Pav and Kieran finally got us there, it was absolutely worth it.
Alex- reporting from the tower in Prague
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Wow, great story and great pics!
– Sizzle