A big characteristic of Czech streets is the red roofs on the buildings and roads paved with embedded stones. Because it's not concrete but stones set into the ground, you really feel the artistry. Also, per capita beer consumption is the highest in the world.
Walking the streets of Prague
Whenever I go abroad, I always walk. I just walk a lot. I walk for no reason while listening to music.
You can't do that in Japan. You're used to it, and the buildings aren't particularly beautiful or romantic, so walking isn't enjoyable. But here, precisely because it's a foreign land, everything you encounter while walking feels new. Ah, there's this shop! There's a Starbucks nearby. Ah, that person from earlier was beautiful.
So by the time the trip in that country is ending, a mental map is completed, and when you come next time you already know where things are and which direction to go. I think that's really nice.
Walking around the city, there are things like the Dancing House where the building is distorted, and statues holding umbrellas hanging down. They look like they're about to fall, but in fact they're not that heavy. There are lots of interesting things like that in the Czech Republic.
Prague in the Czech Republic basically feels like this side or that side of the bridge. The place called the Royal Route is said to be the path the king used to walk when going to Prague Castle, and I actually walked down the middle feeling like a king myself. It felt really good.
An encounter at Starbucks
I had some project work, so I decided to work at Starbucks. When I ordered a cappuccino, the barista seemed really interested in me. They asked my name, and I said "Kota" and spelled it out.
I felt something. They were definitely interested. Not that I'm into them or anything, but I was really happy. That made me curious in return.
Asking for someone's Instagram takes a lot of courage. But I thought I want to have that American mindset where you can say it naturally.
When I left, they went out of their way to say "Bye!" and when I turned and replied "Bye!" they looked away. I hope I can go back to that Starbucks again.
Eating trdelník while walking around town
On the street, I would find a trdelník and buy it, eating it while walking. Trdelník (TRDELNÍK) is a sweet where ice cream is topped in a cup made of wheat dough. Usually, instead of a cone, the dough forms the cone, and it's dusted with cinnamon.
They cost roughly 80–140 CZK, about 480–840 yen. A bit pricey, but insanely delicious.
I ordered an ice cream with nothing on it. The moment I ate it, the cinnamon and vanilla ice cream melded perfectly, and the cold outside seemed to bring out the flavor. Warm dough and cold ice cream. The best taste. But the pastry is so big I might not finish it. It's quite filling.
I think it's precisely because it's a cold winter that it tastes so good.
Writing a diary in a café
I go into a café to write my diary. Costa Coffee is very famous here, and there's a Costa on nearly every corner. Their iced cappuccino is insanely good, and I think it's better than Starbucks. Starbucks' cappuccino is also really good, but the coffee here deserves praise.
Here, I sit and just write in my diary. Not so much a diary as things I think. It feels very calming. Listening to Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. That's it. A time I really like.
If I don't listen to music, I can hear people's conversations. That becomes music. Because it's not Japanese, it sounds all the more beautiful and lovely.
For example, Japanese is music to Europeans. And for us, French is music. Precisely because you can't hear it clearly, it becomes beautiful like music.
Music is wonderful, isn't it?
