Dateline, July 2, 2023

One year. One year since connecting flight from Dublin landed at Havel international airport. One year since I first set foot on the mainland of the European Continent. One year since this great adventure began.

I celebrated with a very casual afternoon at the Letná Beer Garden.. As I purchased my drinks, I reflected on how at first I fumbled through what little Czech I knew to order a beer (for example, saying ‘jeden pivo’ rather than ‘jedno pivo’) to order a beer, or getting the grammar right but the context completely wrong (saying ‘půl litre’ rather than simply ‘velké’), and how with authentic practice, I can now make such a maneuver with ease. Hey, I may not have mastered the seven Czech grammatical cases, but at least I can speak enough Czech to feed myself!

I also thought about going back to my favorite restaurant, but in a way that may seem counter-intuitive, I decided against it. I was surrounded by tourists in Letná who were snapping selfies and not even attempting to speak any amount of Czech. I felt almost outside of the experience, as if on the outside looking in. I wanted to something to reflect that I was a traveler and not a tourist.Thus, I decided that I want to celebrate in a way that would make me feel like I was of Prague rather than simply in Prague. So, since it was Sunday evening, I decided to head back to flat in Břevnov, and make a nice meal for myself.

I headed back towards Brevnov, but took time to enjoy a nice scenic walk through the shade of Lentá park’s many trees, rather then head out to the urban jungle of brick and concrete. The crowd was a little more mixed and I walked forward, and the collection of towards blended towards a mix of locals and foreigners by the time I reached the metronome.

I continued further towards the Letna Park’s western edge on my way to the tram when I saw a dog swimming in Letenské jezírko. Optimistically known officially as “Letenské Lake,” it’s really a small pond, man-made at that, and manicured to perfection to serve as a mildly majestic gateway to the park for those traveling by way east from Prague Castle. Quite beautiful, but no lake. Part of me wanted to hope in the water and swim with dog, but I knew I would have plenty of chances for swimming in more suitable waters at a later date.

Once home, I cooked one of my favorite meals, lemon chickpea broccoli pasta, and sat down with a nice bottle of Budvar, a.k.a. the real Budweiser. Unlike the fermented rice water that naïve Americans know as “the king of Beers,” this bohemian brew has the name that American merchants stole for marketing purchases but the actual taste to make it worthy of a crown. Drink one of these, and you will better understand and appreciate the phrase, “na zdraví” before sipping on fermented spring water from the mountains of southern Bohemia.

When I looked at my photo, I noticed that my sunblock-soaked hands had left quite a mark around my shirt-collar. Oh dear, good thing I’m pitching in the major leagues in this photo! Anyhow, it’s an reflection of my attempt to stop my Irish skin from frying in the Bohemian summer sun–of which I will be seeing plenty in the days and weeks to come.

Tomorrow is a new day . . .