Walking Around Some Squares

I am a day or two behind on this so here goes.

Thursday at work was fine, uneventful really. That night Moff and I were both feeling like just taking it easy, so we went to a restaurant we went to with Naima and Tiago before that we knew had an English menu. We were seated at the same table as a Czech couple, right next to them, since apparently they do that here. We were both a little uncomfortable so we just got a drink and went to an Italian place across the street. It was pretty good. Went back to the hotel, ran through my UAT presentation a couple times, and went to bed.

Friday was busy but good - work was good but I was nervous for my presentation. I was ready, though - unfortunately the whole Ariba Prague internet went down (if you disconnected your computer, which I did to go into a conference room) and couldn't get online - we had to cancel for that, but it turned out that a lot of people who had to be there didn't attend anyway, so it might have happened anyway. I was devastated, though, and angry and nervous. I left work pretty quickly so as not to freak out on anyone, came back to my room and calmed down with some Are You Afraid of the Dark action. :)

I met Dan around 7:30pm and we took a tram down a few stops and waited at that stop for Leila and Tiago. We were standing in front of a restaurant/bar, when all of a sudden, out walks Marzio. "I don't believe my eyes!" he exclaimed as he saw us - definitely a coincidence. He said he was just there with his friend, and that we should come join them for a drink. Then Farid came back from the bathroom. Why Marzio didn't just say he was with Farid (rather than "a friend") is still a funny mystery to us :) We had a few drinks and eventually Leila and Tiago joined. After a bit we migrated down to a Croatian restaurant, minus Farid and Marzio.

The food was incredible, the music was lovely, the company was even better than both. I have so much fun with them, and I feel so comfortable with Leila. She feels like my friends back home, we have the same sense of humor and spend most of our time together laughing. I feel the same way about Tiago.. it's so nice to have that in a place where I would othewise be pretty much alone.

After dinner we walked all around the old part of town, across the Charles Bridge and through a bunch of little streets. I've never heard so many different languages in one city - it's heaven. We ended at a little bar/club called Aloha, where we danced and drank and I - get this - drank absinthe for the first time. :)

Absinthe tastes a little like gasoline and hell. It smells trickingly nice, you think, "This won't be so bad," but after you drink it it's like pouring fire down your throat. Either way I'd totally do it again because it was kind fun how it made me warm from my head to my stomach all at once. :)

After that we went back to the Andel's area to Rincon Latino, the little salsa club that Leila and I went last weekend. Moff and Tiago actually danced a little salsa! I saw Carlos, my new Peruvian friend, and at the end of the night we exchanged numbers so that we can maybe go dancing next weekend with some of his friends. He's incredibly nice and friendly and really knows his way around here. He's older but totally not being creepy or hitting on me at all, I'm a champ at knowing these things since in Pittsburgh, I get all kinds of creepy oldheads talking to me. :) Very cool guy, and I'm looking forward to meeting all his latino friends.

Moff left us around 4, and then Tiago, Leila and I left around 6-something when it was closing. I was in bed by 6:30 with the sun coming up, and I let myself sleep until whenever I felt like it (which was 1:30pm). It felt so good.

Today Moff and I went to lunch around 2 (we woke up around the same time, I called him pretty much right when I opened my eyes because I was scared I missed half the day). We went to eat at a nice place and I had a great gourmet kinda burger on special bread, and onion rings (yes, Jose, be very very jealous!! haha). We met up with Farid a little while after and spent today walking allllll around Prague, and met up with Leila as well shortly after. We went to a bar right on the river, walked across the bridge again (this time while it was still light out:), walked up to the castle - totally uphill and then up about a million stairs. We were dying. :)

After my head stopped beating after all those stairs, I could appreciate how beautiful it was - it's like nothing I've ever seen. It's really hitting me, finally, after two weeks, that I am in Prague. It didn't feel real until I looked out over the city from the castle. I am really loving this city.

We went to a little place afterward to have a drink, called "Steak Bar - el Pablo". I read the sign wrong and said, "Steak barrel Pablo". Moff made fun of me a little, but it's okay because he doesn't know how to spell "beak". :)

I've got to go get ready, I'm hitting a club with Leila tonight. A demain!

Bisous!!