10/8/90
I guess I’ll write in this while I wait for my chance to order dinner. I’m in Prague. Billy and Rich are on their way to Vienna and maybe then, Gyor.
O.K., I ordered. (I’m in a restaurant that serves food after 9:00pm! I don’t care that it takes 25 minutes to get a waiter’s attention.)
I have some catching up to do.
(10/4/90) I went out that night to a disco. Watched the people there dance 70′s style to all sorts of different music. From Sinead O’Connor to Pink Floyd and Queen. I bought 2 vodka + orange juice and just watched. The last bus leaves from the metro station at 12:32. I got off the metro station at 12:25 and got lost. At exactly 12:32 I found the bus and jumped on just as the doors closed. If I had missed it I would have had to wait 3 hours for the next one. But I made it.
(10/5/90) So, I slept in.
Found a girl who teaches english (from California). She took us to a place to get gyros – pretty good. Also she told us that U2 is coming to Prague on 10/21. Big news but she seemed a little unsure and I haven’t heard that U2 is touring. So she said she could confirm it that night at the American Embassy – there was to be a party there.
Then we went to Charles Bridge. It really is beautiful – if you can see it through the tourists. There are vendors selling everything there too. Rich bought a great crystal whiskey set for 300 dreadlocks ($13.00). I think it was stolen or something – things are cheap, but not that cheap.
Then we found out that Joe Cocker is going to play for free on Sunday night and that some lesser stars were going to play on Saturday night. Fun.
We went back to the place – with no hard money – and Dr. Apartment Owner was there. We told him we only had dreadlocks and that we’ll leave if he didn’t want them. He took 1,500 total for all three of us for Friday, Saturday and Sunday night and Monday and Tuesday night of me. Great! (About 6-7 dollars each per night.)
We rested and then left to eat – good dinner – dumplings and meat in gravy. Rich didn’t like it.
Then we left for the embassy. Stupid party there and the girl still only said that the U2 rumor was only that – a rumor. So we left.
Went to a disco. Had a few too many and found out the metro closed while we were there. So we took a cab – 300 dreadlocks. (5 dollars each)
OK. I’ve left the restaurant – cost 81 dreadlocks – $3.80 or so. I’m waiting for a bus to go back to the flat so I don’t know how much I’ll be able to write.
None. I’m on the bus now.
(10/6/1990) On Sat., 10/6, we slept in. I got up first at about 11:30, showered, got dressed and was sitting there quietly when Billy said, “I thought we were going to sleep in!”. Kinda mad. I said, “I did – it’s after 12:00.” He was surprised.
So they got up slowly got ready and we headed for the castles – there are a whole bunch here just 30 minutes away – we got to the bus station but couldn’t figure out which bus to take and it was already 3:30 so we went to the bridge again and then to the place that the music was supposed to happen later that day.
That’s where we met Don. He is a very friendly person who meets everybody. We hung out with Don and his friend Brian for the rest of the night.
We also met some girls – locals – sat with them for awhile.
We were in a square – Starometska – to see the bands surrounded by old churches and buildings.
I’ve never seen such a spectacular setting for a concert. San Francisco was on the right, Transylvania in front behind the stage, a 10th century building left front and a church who’s bell is rung by a skeleton every hour.
So we listened to Czech, Italian and other music people. Some runners from Paris to Prague came. It was a fest!
We ate, walked around and at about 10:00 decided to leave. But I looked up on the stage and saw Joe Cocker walking around! So we stayed. He did a sound check and sang 5 songs to about 200 people. Great Great Great time! I really like Joe Cocker.
My hand is doing strange things – I can’t write. It keeps jerking in strange directions. Hmmm. (It’s 10/9 now about 2:00. I am at a restaurant.)
(10/7/90) Then on 10/7, Sunday, I got up at about 9:00, showered, dressed and left a note that I’d meet Billy and Rich at 4:00 at the square.
I shopped and looked around – found a back alley that had been roped off and an alternative artists gallery set up. Industrial music played and the pictures were great. I wanted to buy a painting but 10,000 dreadlocks is too much for a budget traveler.
So I found Billy and Rich, Don and Bryan (Don bought a piece of art – a tapestry like thing – 6,000 dreadlocks) and we sat around with a bunch of local kids. One guy had his son there – little kid (boy) with a pierced ear. Cute kid but he drank all of my Pepsi.
Joe Cocker sang the same songs as the night before. Good – but not as good as the night before.
(10/8/1990) Next day – it’s 10/9 as I write this.
We got up at 10:00 – well Rich and Billy did – I had already showered – and left to get our Hungarian visas. Rich and Billy got theirs back while I was filling out the form (only one pen) and the it took 1/2 hour to get mine. They left in the meantime to go pack and get ready to leave for Vienna.
While I was waiting the tall gorgeous girl with the blue blue eyes started talking to me. We ended up going to see a great view of Prague together (and her friend Jenny).
She was leaving for Innsbruck that night – I wanted to get to know her better but I had to get back to our flat so Rich and Billy would take some stuff back to Hungary for me. I almost went to Innsbruck again to maybe run into her. Her name was Megan Meyer – she’s coming to Salt Lake this year and promised to look me up. I like tall blonds.
I saw the other two off and then went shopping and looking for Megan.
I came back to the flat and was relaxing – the first time in 6 weeks that I’ve been completely by myself and I was enjoying it. Then the buzzer at the door buzzed. It was the nice, kinda smelly man who rented the flat to us. He said that I could stay and asked if he could sleep here too. He tried to speak to me for 2 hours – I just nodded my head and say “oh?”, “yes”, and “Hmmm” – never understanding a word.
So I left.
Ate at the restaurant I mentioned a few pages back – interesting thing about that restaurant: Pizza Pizza is written all over the inside and outside but when asked if they serve pizza the waiters say “NO!” and look puzzled at the question.
