First we walked into the monkey house, where the monkeys literally could have swung on to my head. I mean everything was open and barely gated off. Not that I minded seeing the gorillas up close and personal, but I was a little concerned, considering my huge fear of land animals. Then we came upon a door that read: "Beware of the Twilight Zone". We proceeded into a dark room with lots of possums running around, behind glass thankfully. Just when I thought I was safe though, bats starting flying through the room. Yes, real live bats. They were flying, un-caged around the zoo room. I screamed, more like shrieked, and ran through the hall to escape them. First though, I had to pass through the area they were flying in and out of. My heart beat increases to about a zillion beats per minute, but I escaped before one got stuck in my scarf.
Later we perused the strange bird section, see below.
Finally, we arrived at the main event. We turned the corner from the random birds and saw the horses. They were three horses, two of which were making babies. Yes, there were horses in the zoo, in the open, "going at it". It was all I could do not to laugh, cry, cover my eyes, stare all at the same time. I mean there were children there and who wants to have that talk with their four year old in the middle of the Prague zoo! I was shocked. Emma had mentioned that the Czech animals were rowdy, and now we had proof, besides the bats. Needless to say, I was horrified.
We continued through the normal parts of the zoo.... The lions, the elephants, the mountain goats. By that time though it had rained And my cute banana republic sweater was damp so I wanted to get back on to public transportation. We wandered around until we found the exit and boarded the bus back to the metro. I got off at Mustek and headed outdoors, back into the raw cold. It wasn't long before I found a stand that sold fried cheese. Yes, breaded cheese that they toss in a frylator and serve for two bucks on the street in a hamburger bun. Now, I don't know why McDonalds has not capitalize on this meal. It is freakishly delicious. It also probably has abut 1000 calories, but after my first one I was ready for another one.
I wandered up the main drag in old town through a little festival that was celebrating Czech National Day. There were old school knights and lady maidens dancing around. They also had food stands set up selling pork basically off the pig thigh and these delicious little cinnamon sugar rolls. I walked up the street, which is where the main protests occurred during 1989. I wandered through the streets of Prague, attempting to find the river. Instead I found some beautiful buildings including opera houses, theaters and churches. Yes, every building is beautifully designed and decorated here. Luckily it wasn't bombed like Berlin or other cities in Eastern Europe, so the old buildings have been preserved. I encountered the river and realized I was a good walk from the bridge, but who minds a walk down the river?
I walked over the St. Charles again, this time looking for the Lennon Wall. Let me explain the Lennon Wall. It is a graffitied wall in New Town with lots of lyrics from The Beatles and quotes about love and happiness. This was basically in protest to the violence from the secret police and all those issues in the 1980s. Now, it has been painted over so many times, so graffiti disappears and reappears very quickly. I loved it. There was something about being around it that made me have butterflies inside and be very, very happy.
Really... How could you not smile?
To walk back I had to cross Lovers' Lock Bridge. Also great! This is a trend that has been going on all over the world and has been banned in several cities. Lovers lock bike locks on the rails of the bridge and throw the keys into the water. It's like promising their love together. I mean how romantic is this? They had them in Florence too on the road by the Ponte Rialto, but I didn't know the story behind it.
Anyways, I returned late to the dorms and cooked up some pasta and hit the hay. I needed to prepare for a long Wednesday!
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