Prologue
Prague, October 2004
The group sat around discussing just how great their stay in Prague had been. We all wanted to do it all again, and soon, so the discussion moved onto the subject of when we’ll come back. The purpose of our trip had been to celebrate the stag night(s) of Giles. What we required was another sacrifice to the great god Wedlock. Suggestions were made, fingers pointed, but nobody was willing to commit. We needed a groom-to-be, nothing else could justify a debauched weekend to the collection of wives and girlfriends waiting back in Blighty.
It struck us that some of our group only knew each other from previous stag nights, and that wives and girlfriends didn’t know them from Adam, or as it transpired…Deano.
We invented Deano. The plan was to slowly work into conversations with our other halves, that Deano was a great guy, a friend and comrade. Eventually we’d bring news that Deano was getting married, and that the Stag night had been organised. We hadn’t planned on what story we’d tell to excuse the fact that no marriage would ever happen, we’d wing that after the event.
Prague, Last week
Well, it’s four years later and the core of the group revisited Prague. Deano, even the pretext of Deano didn’t come with us. Neither did Giles, who’d relocated to New Zealand two years earlier, and was also quite busy. Jason, Paul, John and myself, stayed in an apartment on Navratilova street, about 10 minutes walk from the Old Town Square. The apartment was functional, except for the lack of towels. I ALWAYS take a towel, the world is too dangerous a place to be without one.
We found Prague to be as beautiful as ever. Scaffolding that had shrowded the statue of St. Wencle, when we’d last been here, had been moved onto a section of Charles Bridge. The density of beautiful women is unfathomable, and must break some law of the universe, although this time Jason didn’t spot Claudia Shaffer, or, infact, any other registered supermodels.
After getting set up in the apartment, we went out for a coffee. Four expressos came to about £16, which is quite blinkin expensive. Later we bought eight pints of larger for less than £10. We agreed that it was going to be prohibitively expensive to stay sober in this city.
During our one full day we walkted to Petrin Park and climbed to the top of the observation tower. Had the weather not been dominated by drizzle and grey, we’d have been greatly rewarded for the climb.
In the evening we proved the myth that Europe has universal all-night drinking. After midnight the only way you’d get a drink is by going going to a casino or lap-dance club. Fortunately I spotted a Rock bar that was open till 2am. We entered and walked down into the beer cellar, ignoring the sign that said “private party”. We eventually managed to get served, and sat in a corner keeping quiet. It might have been a freshers party, as the attendees of the party were predominantly girls, between the age of 18 and 20. In situations like this, I realise how old I am. In my head, I’m not really any different from the 20 year old Mark, but when I see 20 year olds at play, I’m forced to look into the ‘chasm’.
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Great site about reality:
http://www.ipod.org.uk/reality/reality_small_world.asp
Elegant explanations about why the universe appears the way that it does.
Posted by lucasdigital as Uncategorized at 9:01 AM BST