Familiar faces, unfamiliar places

If it seems like it's been a while since I've written, it's only because I've had a week-long encounter with a mysterious someone from my past. For the past week, we laughed, we talked, we ate, we drank. Oh, yeah, and we slept in the same bed.

Intrigued yet? Teehee :)

For those who don't know -- my dear friend Melissa made her first venture across the Atlantic to visit me during my stint in the Old Country! It was a complete blast - it was soooo great to catch up with an old and honored friend! Of course, I also got to play tour guide for a large part of the week, a role that (as many of you know) I've always enjoyed. We covered a good bit of ground the first day, hitting the major tourist sights (Charles Bridge, Stare Mesto, Mala Strana and the like). The evening was spent at U Sudu, a medieval wine cellar bar in Karlovo Namesti, followed by dancing at Lucerna Music Bar, where they have their weekly retro party night. My little-seen "club-goer" persona came out in full force. Melissa wound up enjoying the company of a British stag in town for the weekend. I couldn't have been happier for her!

Unfortunately on Sunday, we had to forgo our planned venture to Kutna Hora because of timing (neither of us is exactly the most punctual) and inclement weather (a late-season snowstorm...would've made travel tough...ugh). So instead we grabbed the great brunch at Fraktal, a tour of Strahov Monastery and the Czech Literature Museum. I dragged her to see "Brokeback" -- which I've nicknamed "Gay-tanic." It was my second screening, her first. Incidentally, the only other times I'd ever seen a film more than once in the cinema was for Kate and Leonardo and the famous sinking boat. Oh, yeah, and "Chicago." What can I say...once a sap, always a sap!

Given my new super-busy teaching schedule, she was on her own for sightseeing for most of the week, but that didn't stop us from hitting some of my favorite restaurants and pubs around town. However, on Saturday we made our weekend venture to Cesky Krumlov, one of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen on the planet. One the one hand, it's sort of a living testament to the Nazi regime...it came under German rule shortly before World War II and remained a part of Germany until 1945. From the food to the morale, a strong German influence remains throughout. On the flip side, however, it's one of Europe's best-preserved medieval towns, with gorgeous baroque and gothic architecture and an amazing fairy-tale castle atop a craggy bluff overlooking the city. We couldn't help making up medieval-themed fantasies involving courtiers and unlaced peasant garb (I'll just leave it at that). We spent the weekend in an amazing hostel (one of the best I've experienced) and bar-hopped about town in the evening. Two of the more memorable stops: the Horor Bar (done up like a medieval dungeon, right up my alley) and a Gypsy bar with fantastic live music. The food was fantastic as well. In keeping with the medieval theme, we sampled an Old Bohemian feast the first night and then a grilled meat platter for lunch. I can't recommend this place enough!

Better than any of the sightseeing, however, was just spending time with a familiar face and cherished friend of many years. It didn't feel different, but so many things have changed since we last saw each other. She had just moved and was just getting re-established in Florida; I had remained but was barely treading water emotionally/socially/financially in New York. Now the tides have shifted somewhat, but we still have as much in common as ever. Of course I miss having her around all the time, but I think each of us is happier with our current circumstances. Being abroad, I've started to worry a bit about that whole "out of sight, out of mind" mentality that seems to happen with people you'd once thought you'd be friends with forever. There's no sense in complaining about it because it's just a natural cycle of life - it already happened at the end of high school and at the end of college...sadly, I can already feel it happening with several friends of mine in the States. I think it is necessary to sometimes be taken away from the things you are most comfortable with to see if they are truly worth your time. Those that are truly worth the effort survive, and those that aren't...well, go figure.