Prague - The city changing your attitude in just 5 days

Dobry den from the beautiful city of Prague!

It is a great pleasure to be able to go out of your town and get away from everything and everyone loves you and bothers you again... This time, i went to Prague for 6 days and hopefully, i could visit most of the places i wanted to. Besides, i learned more stuff about the Prague life. Enjoy reading.

Why am i travelling to somewhere i have been to recently although i barely do that?

The reason is that, -besides the Istanbul life being unnecessarily stressful- i had to face 4 problems and they all came to me at the same time. It was in the middle of February and i had decided to postpone them continuously till the summer in order to focus on my obligations and my comrades, my hobbies etc. , i needed to find myself again and i needed this so much. I will talk about it later on.

In the beginning of May, i had 5 cities in mind; Lisbon, Paris, Prague, Berlin and Venice. I wanted to go to Lisbon in the beginning of April but i had the longest sickness period of my life and i had to cancel both flight and Airbnb reservations. I wanted to try again but i felt like it was not the right time for me to go there. Besides, flight tickets to Lisbon definitely hit the ceiling while you can go to Paris for the half price. My friend in Paris would not be available and one night, my mum could not sleep and kindly asked me to tell one of my trips. In fact, she picked Prague off the beaten track. I told her and while i was doing that, i realized how i actually loved this city. Therefore, the flight ticket and Airbnb were reserved just in a couple of minutes.

One of my friends from school, who has already traveled to Prague with her boyfriend in February recommended me to find a place nearby Namesti Miru. So, i took her advice and on my arrival day, it turned out that my apartment was located just 50m away (5 minutes away to Krymska stop) from my friend who lives in Prague when i saw the name of her street. Glad that i chose here because Krymska has this whereas Lipanska does not:

Day 1

Took off the plane, headed to the custom where the officers were snail-paced. The officer took my passport and checked both faces while giggling and saying: "No... It does not look like you. You are handsomer" (i'm already aware of that it is grammatically wrong). I was smiling back to her but actually, i was glad to be able to get out of this sultry airport. Then, headed to exchange office and had to translate the officer to a Turkish lady who cannot even understand: "I can't convert 50 euros directly. You should give more." and respond.

Anyway, all i did till the sunset was heading to my apartment, having a shower and do some shopping. But i found out something you should keep in mind: you should simplify the words you use and speak with an American accent so that the Czech sales(wo)men can understand what you are saying. For example, when i headed to the apartment, my host wanted to tell me how the electric stove works. That's simple; you should tag the plug or plug it in, turn it up and when you are done, you should pull the plug or plug it out. But instead, i watched a demonstration with: "You should do this. Then do this. Then do this.".

Saint Ludmila Church in Namesti Miru (Peace Square in Czech)

During the sunset, took some Americano from Starbucks and enjoyed the church's beauty in Namesti Miru by smoking Captain Black with cherry and Gauloises.

After a couple of hours, i went to a random bar close to the tram stop, took a pint and went out for a smoke. Surprisingly, there were 3 people on the right talking about Turkey. I involved to the conversation out of nowhere and found out that one of them (he is from Spain) had recently gone to south west of Turkey for his Erasmus + internship and he loved there so much. He imitated the way the salesmen (whom i dislike because i believe that they damage the country's image) speak down there. Also, he and some others demonstrated their Turkish skills:

Czech and Spanish fellows

And even, he showed Pamukkale travertines to the others and brought them in! As a Turk, i was super flattered but i felt a little bit guilty because i have never been there before... Anyway, i hope next time, you like Istanbul too Tomas! :) Later that night, i met with an American, a Slovakian lady whom he was flirting with, Tomas' other friends from Slovakia and Romania... I heard: "Eyvallah birader" from them... (Actually, it is a vulgar way to say: "Thanks bro")

Aaand, last but not least:

Epic Fez Guy

Day 2

Woke up around 6:30 AM due to my wake up call service. In general, five star hotels have a reception desk to do it. But Prague is cute and modest, they let the pigeons do for free. After taking a shower and having my breakfast, i went for a morning coffee to La Bohème...

Ça voulait dire... While i was enjoying my coffee in the place which i visited on a Friday morning again, all i thought about was making the places i had never been to, my priority. And, finding a solution these 3-4 interdependent problems as soon as possible. But now, our topic is Prague. I could go to Havlickovy Sady (or Grebovka) afterwards as it was the closest one. But i was clever and i took a look at the weather forecast. It would be raining for 3 hours. Besides, i needed some cash and i had to go 3 tram stops the closest exchange office with an acceptable currency ratio.

So, i went to the Old Town Square.

In November, the square was so empty that i thought the ones there, were the whole 2% of the unemployed in the whole Czech Republic. And this time, i witness a touristic catastrophe. Yelling people, bermudas, colorful t-shirts, bum bags, the ones who wear lame clothes and carry a professional cam which they don't even know how to use... The right thing to do as a Prague admirer was simple: find a bench, light up a cigarette and play violin while the city burns.

In November, they were restoring the clock. It was the 1st of June and the situation was still the same. And, according to the official website of Prague, the clock will not be able to offer her beauty until October 2018.

Meanwhile, i saw some people on top of the Astronomical Clock Tower and decided to go for it right after i finish my cigarette. Besides, the rain was about to start. So, even if it was not my tension, i had to find some place to hide! haha

If you follow some pages on Instagram about the photos with top quality which are taken in a certain city or a country, you wonder the point where they are taken. So did i and i was glad that i could find one of them no matter how small the balcony was or how tight the window bars were. For entry, you get into the tourist office, take the lift up to the 3rd floor and stand on the line. Here are the entrance fees:

• Adults        250 CZK
• Reduced    150  CZK
• Family        500 CZK
• mTicket      210  CZK

Originally, it is named as Old Town Hall with Astronomical Clock and usually people enter the hall and then, go up. But i did vice versa. You can either choose to go up by the spiral road or take the lift with fancy lights below. I may recommend you going for the road. The lift is too tight and slow.

I took so many pictures when i was on top. Eventually, my phone died up there. That is why i could not take any pictures when i was in the hall. Unfortunately, the eastern wing of the hall was destroyed during the Czech rebellion in 1945. So, what you will run into is a relatively small but enough picturesque piece of it.

Normally, i was planning to go to Prague Castle but i had to get back home to charge it. After spending almost 3 hours at home, the sun was shining again, my phone's battery was shining again and i was shining again. 

It was around 5:30 PM and late to go to the castle as it would be open until 7 PM. Besides, Prague looks small on the map but actually, it is not flat like the Western Europe so, going out makes you tired even if you go to the grocery.

This is where i found myself in a couple of minutes: Havlickovy Sady (Grebovka):

It is a medium sized, small park located between Prague 10 and Prague 4 where you can run, have a picnic, grab some beer and smoke or visit the garden café down there. It is closer to the tram stop between Krymska and Namesti Miru but i recommend Krymska because the way is less exhausting. It is a place where a small café and a playground with happy children welcome you in the entrance, a pavilion in the middle and behind it, a magnificent view with a wine yard, rest of the park, basketball fields and colourful buildings in the background reminding you the ones you used to draw when you were in kindergarten.

If you get in through the gate where Kozacka and Rybalkova streets cross, just go straight for a while and go right. There, you will find picturesque paths, water cascades, small lakes and statues which are inspired by the Italian Renaissance.

After staying there a couple of hours in search of internal peace and relaxation, it was time to drink and dance. And the first place in mind was a night club called Duplex. Went back to Namesti Miru and took the green line (metro A) towards Mustek. However, the thing i saw was not something to give me goosebumps... The club was going to be close from the 1st June until the 5th. In other words, during my entire holiday (Lay down - Try Not To Cry - Cry A Lot haha). So, i decided to search for another.

While i was searching the other bar my friend already recommended, a bar with comic book theme drew my attention. Because the idea was so lame but the bar was crowded than the others and people obviously were not lame... I just got in and i found out that there was an event of the Pub Crawl in Prague where they were giving free shots away.

Around 30 minutes later, while i was smoking a cigarillo and drinking my Vodka-RedBull, an American girl was chit chatting with a guy from the crawl. The girl asked where he was from but i could not hear the guy. Then, the girl started to ask some questions being the region close to the Muslim countries etc. And i approached him by asking: "Excuse me. Are you from Turkey?". "Oh yeah man! Come here!" he said and i joined the conversation. After the girl left, we started to talk and i found out that he has been living in Prague for 9 months. Also, he knows everything about the city. During my trip, he helped me a lot.

Then, i thought that these guys know the nightlife in Prague much better than me for sure and i decided to join them. So, later that night, we went here:

Karlovy Lazne is probably the most well known night club in Prague among the locals and the tourists. It is a night club with 5 floors where you can find a robotic arm DJ on the 2nd floor, a lame floodlit dance floor on the 3rd floor, the atmosphere of the 2nd floor but with a real DJ and a stripper on the 4th floor and nothing on the last floor!

But the thing is, it is so cheezy and not hygenic at all.

Day 3

We already had an agreement to have a breakfast with my Polish friend whom it visited last time. I was expecting her to get ready around 7-9 AM but she could get ready at 12 so, due to our so-called brunch, i could visit only 2 places. That day, I was planning to go to Prague Castle and Letna Park for the sunset. But, because of her adorable <3 (!) punctuality, i had to cancel Prague Castle again. So, i asked for an advice and she recommended me Valdstejnska Zahrada. I went there but that was honestly the worst advice i have ever taken.

The thing is, i got out of the club at 03:30. I wanted to call a Uber but there was a malfunction and i was super drunk to fix it. So, i had to walk the 2,4 km way back home for an hour. Even the sun was rising when i headed to Namesti Miru. I slept only 2 hours just to keep my breakfast promise which actually started at 12:00... I was bored and i was resentful because of the garden. Simply, i was having a terrible day and i was so tired that i was not able to be reasonable. And, all i was thinking was: "I need food. I need to watch the sunset. I have to get back home and aalll of them is hap-pe-ning to-night!" So, i had to skip Letna Park again and went to Riegrovy Sady:

I was lucky that it was close to my home (in fact, it turned out to be nearby the café we went in the noon). While i was studying for my exams before my holiday, i used to check out some places in Prague on Instagram like: "Absolutely go." or "It's not worth it." during the breaks. I ran into here and i noted without thinking. Do you know why? Because it was offering a small and smooth hill where people have a picnic and watch a lovely sunset. I grabbed 2 beers and did the same! :) Also, i called a friend who lives in Toronto and whom i missed a lot. Besides, i could fix my Uber at last!

As a matter of fact, i am a little glad that i did not go to Letna instead of Riegrovy Sady because i still cannot be sure if i would be hit by another tourist strike down there whereas i could find some peace here.

The clock was emphasizing me that it was 9 PM. "I need some food" my stomach said. Me? "Let's take some kebab and gyros and compare them." I responded. Luckily, i had both in my district. One bite of the kebab and another bite of gyros... All of a sudden, my brain stopped working. And whispered: "There is no difference except the meat.". "How is that possible?" i asked curiously. But wise the brain was: "Oh daarrrling, kebab contains beef. Whereas gyros contains ham. That's it...". It ended up with a loud high five...

Until then, i had already drunken 5 beers but -even though i had not drunk alcohol for around 1,5 months to lose weight- i was still sober and i needed to dance to eject that toxic frustration. Therefore, i decided to push my limits and then, dance. About pushing my limits, i went to a bar i was willing to give a shot.

I loved everything about this place and honestly, if i lived and worked in Prague and if a beloved friend of me came to visit me, i would definitely invite him here. Yet, i was not out of my budget:

5 beers + Martini + tequila + Vodka & Redbull + Jagermeister + Olmeca...

And when i drank Olmeca, it felt so hot that i took myself out and lighted a cigarette. I started to relieve but there was yet no tension to throw up. But there was another... Tension to dance and get rid of your stress. As you know, Duplex would be close until my return (and i am still crying about that) and i went to its substitute again.

Day 4

Next morning, all i remember was that i drank 2 Desperados over the others, this story:

Plus, a female whose service was not needed anymore. It took me a while to kick her out tough... It was the time when i decided to end my nightlife in Prague.

• Cheesiness.
• In Nice, i could meet with a girl around 11 PM - 12 AM and grab her around 1-2 AM. But the nightlife in Prague starts while i am taking the girl to my place in Nice.
• There is always a guy in bars and nightclubs who is lame, extremely self-confident and tries to dance with every female in the place, even with the female cockroach he sees in the toilet. Last but not least, he always carries the same bottle of beer for 6 hours. And i have had enough of seeing that guy.
• New addition to my stay away list: Stay away from Bachelor's Party girls. Reason: "She's my cousin and she gets married at 26 but i am almost 30 and idk when i will find the one...".

I got prepared and went out around 11 AM, had a breakfast and morning coffee. Then, i decided to improvise the day as i was so tired.

When i got to Namesti Miru, 2 attracting things drove my attention. First, the church's gates were open whereas they are usually closed. So, i checked it out and they were holding their Sunday ceremony. Second, there was a Jewish festival in the square. In 10 minutes i spent there, i planned the next two things i was going to do: visiting Tyn Church (The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn) and enjoying Trdelnik with ice cream. My brain was warning me all the time: "Don't walk too much! Your feet are blistered and get back home asap!"

This one is called Paris and contains chocolate ice cream and strawberry.

Unfortunately, i missed the open hours by around 30 minutes or 1 hour. So, the next stop was going to be Good Food. In fact, i found here by chance while i was surfing on Instagram because people usually post their Trdelnik with ice cream on Instagram/Facebook as if it is so common.

The route to Good Food had also taken me to another touristic spot in Prague. It was the bridge which i crossed in November with my friend from Nice at first and the day after, with my Polish friend. This time, Charles Bridge was going to offer her beauty in a different way...

 In Turkish, various sarcastic sayings can be found. And for 3 days, the beautiful city of Prague seemed to me like she had been trying to prove me one of them: 

"A guest does not want the other guest but the host does not want them both."

The thing what i am trying to say can be understood when the bridge is hardly noticed on the picture. I already mentioned the history of the Charles Bridge in my last article about Prague, so i will add only one thing and move on:

Do not forget to pat the dog for some good luck.

My height is 1.79 m but apparently the photographer had a problem with it! haha

After i crossed the bridge, i wanted to go all the way up to the roof of the Panoramic Tower. The way up is steep and the stairs are made of wooden. It offers you the best view of Charles Bridge which is as magnificent as the views of the Astronomical Clock Tower and Petrin Tower. Besides, the entry is just 20 CZK (80 cents) and there were only 3 people including me no matter how crowded the bridge is all the time. It's totally worth it. Next, i took a walk until Malostranske Namesti tram stop and turned back to the end of the bridge.

So far, you have read the bad part of my holiday. But now, the things start to change. How come?

If you clicked the link above, probably you noticed a bunch of trees with faded leaves, with a footnote: "If fall in Prague is this lovely, i cannot imagine the spring". However, in the beginning of June, what i witnessed (what happened) was this:

Seems like that dog had just started to work his magic, huh? :) 

I already told the Lennon Wall and the only difference between November and today was lying on grass in Kampa Island for 2 hours. So, i will just put this slideshow here and skip the rest of the day.

Day 5

After accepting that my main problem has already happened, it is the past now and i have to look beyond; i was finally ready for a fresh day start. I wanted to reward myself for it and went to Paul by tram to take some croissants, chocolat au pains and various little cakes away. The dog was still chasing me and it seemed like it will be chasing me for a while...

That morning, i descended to metro A as usual. I would take off in Staromestska (Old Town Square) stop but i missed it and took off at Malostranska (Prague Castle, Letna Park and Valdstejnska Zahrada) stop. At last, i surprisingly had a date for the night...

Okay, enough of my private life. I went back to the Old Town Square to get some Czech crowns and then, i started to wait the beginning of the Free Walking Tour until 12.

By joining Free Walking Tour,

• You can get informed about the history of Tyn Church, National Gallery & Old Town Hall.
• You can hop on and hop off the unceasing lift of the New Town Hall.
• The importance of Jan Hus, Jan Zizka and Charles IV in the Czech history.
• The religious conflicts and the defenestration culture during the dark ages.
• Superstitions towards the Swedish.
• The triangle of Rolling Stones, Vaclav Havel and Prague Castle.
• When the WW2 started according to the Czech and WW2 history of Prague.
• Josefov District.

In addition to Josefov district, it is the Jewish district of Prague where you can spot a big clock in Hebrew, a Jewish graveyard looking like a block of flats (because their areas were restricted and it is the solution they could find to bury their death) and an ancient synagogue. Also, when you enter there, you will not be able to neglect the existence of creme de la creme vehicles and stores everywhere. Moreover, it offers you the half of the finest bars and restaurants in Prague.

The tour was finished and i needed 2 things: new clothes and a nice place. After I kindly asked my tour guide (and that guy was a-ma-zing.) to recommend a nice place for a date, i hit the road to Palladium for new clothes.

Bugger off! I am not going to share her pic after i did that mistake once.

Café Louvre is probably the most ancient one of its kind which started his business life in 1902. That epoch, it was the regular meeting point of many well-known people such as Franz Kafka, Albert Einstein when he was doing his professorship in Prague, and Karel Capek. Excluding the dead period of 1948-1992, it is still keeping the spirit of its era ever since.

I should thank the tour guide. We spent a lovely one and a half hour up there. Everything was delicious but whatever you eat for the main course, never leave without eating an Apfelstrudel for desert.

After leaving there, we strolled along Vltava up to Dancing Houses. Unfortunately, due to her early Cesky Krumlov trip next morning, she could not stay any longer and had to leave. Then, i sat by the river and gave a serene smile for keeping everything on track again.

On the 6th day, my legs were killing me so much that i could even barely go to the grocery. I took the day off and a perfect rest until 5 PM. At 5, i went to Bageterie Boulevard and took a "Brussels". Then, i went to that grocery store that sells wine as a substitute for happiness and grabbed 2 beers, potato chips and some chocolate. And enjoyed my last day in Prague in Grebovka.

Last night, my Polish friend had wanted to meet me either later that night or the next day for dinner when i was about to go to my meeting. I said i would think about the dinner. In the noon, i texted her and accepted her dinner invitation for 7-8 PM because after meeting with her, i could prepare my bag and meet with the Turkish friend i met there. However, she forgot that other people also have a life and i knew that she would be irresponsibly late again. So, i had to cancel the second meeting in my mind (i explained him the situation next day) to have a serious conversation of which the necessity was not negligible anymore with her. She came to my place and said that she had just 20 minutes even though i was promised for a dinner. Hearing that was annoying but, she had given me the home advantage (and i am super glad about it) and 20 minutes were enough for me.

After the conversation, i was starving and i had a great desire to dance. Next stop was James Dean Café & Bar. It was again recommended by my tour guide the day before for their cocktails and handmade burgers. I could not find a better place to have my promised dinner! :) Frankly, i still cannot decide whether it is my luck or bad luck that i found my Wayne's Bar in Prague on my last night... Because i spent many hours there and the only two differences were the live music at Wayne's and the more beautiful decoration in here. I bumped into "that lame guy" again but they gave me a sweet lighter when i bought a packet of cigarettes.

And next and the last day, i saw you know who for 5 minutes, gave the keys back, had a breakfast in the French style, took some Americano from a portable coffee shop on Namesti Miru and the cute barista taught me some Czech and i taught her some Turkish and French in exchange, thanked Namesti Miru for being my home for 6 days, headed to the meeting i had already arranged with "the date" in Globe Bookstore & Café to say her goodbye and to turn that place to my "last day in Prague" tradition. Again, it was hard to leave and again, i was about to miss the flight.

To conclude

As you read, most of the things happened to me either came all of a sudden or were not something i was not expecting at all. I have had a less pleasing holiday than i expected. Some unexpected people made me sad whereas some unexpected people or things really cheered me up... That is why it is hard to evaluate my holiday. But in the end, i certainly got what i wanted and i am glad about it.

No matter how long is your trip, please spend half of a day in Petrin Hill and the other half in Prague Castle. Take a walk in Letna Park. Party like there is no tomorrow in Duplex. I liked and enjoyed every place i visited except the garden you know who recommended me and i am not so sure about Karlovy Lazne... But as a person who went to Prague two times and stayed there 10 days in total, i can strongly recommend Petrin Tower, Astronomical Clock Tower, Café Louvre, James Dean and Riegrovy Sady. People were also recommending me another place called Hany Bany but i have never been there. Check it out and share your thoughts with me!

Visiting Old Friends: Paris

Bonjour à tous!

Now, I'm really glad that i can write the article i have been waiting for ever since i came to Nice.

Normally, i explain why i visited the city i am writing about in the second paragraph but frankly, it is not necessary to have a reason to go to Paris. However, i had two reasons which i can gather in just one: -as i have already said on the title- visiting old friends. But who are them? First one is my sister's friend who is like a brother to me and whom i had not seen for ages (i have already mentioned him in this article). Second one, Paris itself.

My first visit to Paris was 10 years ago. I was a child and my father and i had gone for a window manufacturing fair. Our levels of English was close (in other words, terrible) and although we did not have much time to walk around, i barely remember that we went to the Eiffel Tower and Disneyland. Before then, i was so afraid of height that i could only make it till the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. No matter how my dad insisted on me to go up till the third floor, i was stubborn and freaked out.

- "I can go upstairs next time..."

+ "What if you do not come to Paris again?"

- "Of course i will!"

Then, we got out to eat pancake with Nutella and banana. And then, i got on the carousel. I still can not believe how could i be so sure. If this conversation happened today, i definitely would not be this sure because the more you age, the more suspicious you get and the more luxurious it gets to fail.

When the person i spent most of my time with in Prague saw this photo, she texted me: "So jealous!". Because she has been dreaming of living in Paris since she was 5 years old. And said that i would sent her a postcard. Actually, i was kidding but she took it serious and in the end, she will receive a surprise ;)

I had already been fascinated by the brightness of the city while i was looking through the window of the plane. It was the brightest city i had ever seen and i was sure it would remain. Suddenly, i smiled and said: "Hello old friend, it has been a while...". When you go somewhere, recall a memory, eat, hear or smell something from your infancy, you also recall how you felt at that moment, you act like you are still the same person and you get childish. That's why i "ran" off the plane when they opened the door.

Seeing the two things you have not seen for ages at the same is just amazing. On one side, a city in which you could not spend a lot of time and on the other side, a friend you are extremely glad to know but you haven't seen for 4-5 years... Probably for this reason that it was one of the several times that i really felt home when we hugged each other.

Afterwards, we went to pick up her wife's nephew and then, her (who is French with Turkish descent) from her office. While she was introducing me to her colleague, she also asked me some questions in Turkish to be sure. And i said: "Je te comprends. Pas de problème..." (I get you. No problem...). Probably they thought that my French was not good enough but it is okay because they are much older than me and as they were my hosts, they were willing to help me as much as they could. On the other hand, we all spoke French and because of that, we were extremely relax when it came to the lingua franca. Anyway, they found out my French level the first time i responded in French: "Non, parce que la plupart des Niçois, ils sont nuls. Parce que quand je parle...".

Okay, at this point, i will intervene myself. To be honest, i think Nice is one of the nicest cities on earth but i hate the Niçois because probably Nice is the only city in France when you speak French, they respond you in English at one point no matter how good your French or your accent is. They might try to help or be welcoming but actually, this attitude from the people who says À Revoir instead of Au Revoir, véleu instead of vélo, "La trente-ceinq!" instead of "La Trente-cinq!" is so offending, annoying and ridiculous. Just because they cannot admit that their accent is silly and harder to understand (and they talk like their tongues are stupefied), they treat you like you can only say bonjour, merci and au revoir. This is why i had lost my self confidence as the time went by. This is why i yell at them like: "JE COMPRENDS!" (I UNDERSTAND!), "JE PARLE FRANÇAIS!" (I SPEAK FRENCH!) or "ON EST EN FRANCE, ON DOIT PARLER FRANÇAIS!" (WE ARE IN FRANCE, WE HAVE TO SPEAK FRENCH!) as a reflex when they suddenly switch to English for no reason. -I know that the concept of French language nationalism by a non-French sounds odd but when you treated like this for five months, you eventually freak out- And this was the third reason that i needed this trip. I had to let it all hang out and regain my self confidence.

I do not claim that i rock when it comes to French but surely i spoke better than they had expected. Which felt really good...

Later that night, we went to a fish restaurant which was next to Seine river. We took a walk around the river and in the end, we went to Place de la Republique to see the monument, Opera building and to drink some hot chocolate in a café called Le Bastille which is an attribution to the neighborhood and also to the prison which has a great importance in French history. The café was one of their favorite places to go out because they love drinking hot chocolate during the winter. So according to them, it is one of the rare places in Paris in which they make hot chocolate of real chocolate.

Pont des Arts

My wish was clear. When he asked me where i wanted to go, i said: "First of all, the Eiffel Tower. Then, the rest will arrive.". We took his wife to meet with her friend who was also there for touristic purpose. Then, we left them and we took metro 1 (which is built under most of the touristic places of Paris) to go to Tulieries stop. We crossed Jardin des Tulieries but later, we crossed which bridge by accident?

There was also the same concept next to the Charles Bridge but my unluckiness... In both of them, i had neither a lock nor a pen.

We strolled along Seine and we stopped next to Pont Alexandre III.

And this is the famous... Wait, i do not have to mention what it is! Anyway, we waited in the queue for one and a half hour but unfortunately, the guide said that the third floor had been closed due to the strong wind. When we asked whether it would be open the next day: "Probably." he said. So, we decided to come back the next day.

Really, we waited so long in the queue. While we were leaving, an American couple asked us to take their picture. At first, they looked at the tower. In the second one, they looked each other in the eye. And in the third one, they kissed each other. They reminded me the time i spent in front of John Lennon Wall in Prague and how i missed that fairytale.

Aux Champs-Elysées... Champs-Elysées Avenue is surely the most beautiful avenue in the world. Sidewalks are wide like the road. It offers you to take a look at the shop windows of Gucci, Dolce Gabbana, Peugeot, Mercedes etc., numerous cafés, cinemas and so on... As the song says: There is everything you need. Every year, they install lights on trees for the Christmas which look like chandelier . Also, they set up a Christmas market all the way but this year, they did not due to "security" issues. This was my second misfortune in Paris among all my three tiny and not so important misfortunes.

If you are interested in France, this song comes to your mind when you visit Champs-Elysées. Shame is not on you. It's so catchy. But alongside that song, one other song came to my mind too. Normally, i hate rap but as the French find it extremely silly, it got my attention and it got catchier. I cannot blame them. Of course it seems silly when you are straight out of Harlem and just saying: "I love taking a walk on Champs-Elysées! I love taking a walk on Champs-Elysées! I say i love taking a walk on Champs-Elysées!" for 4 minutes. :)

I was surprised when the lights of Arc de Triomphe were off. Even, i asked why all the time. But later that night, my brother's wife told us that the New Year celebration usually takes place around the Eiffel Tower but this year, they decided to move it to Arc de Triomphe.

“The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.”

— Wikipedia

After we left there, we went to Place de la Concorde. But, while we were walking down the road, we found out how hungry we were and we bought two pancakes. Mine was the same with i ate ten years ago, pancake with Nutella and banana... Of course it was not the same place but when i took a bite, my dad and that carousel swam before my eyes. In  fact, when you recall a childhood memory, two things happen. Either you get childish or you feel really old no matter how young you are. And that moment, i felt the second one.

After we finished our pancakes, we went to Grande Roue de Paris (in Concorde square). Hopefully, when we got there, the queue was short. According to my friend, it is run by Romanians. The entrance fee is 12€ and you can pay it either cash or by credit card. As it is Paris, it is a bit less cheap but it is worth to pay that amount because it offers you a magnificent panoramic view of Paris with Eiffel Tower and Seine river.

Our last destination that day was Louvre museum. But before that, when we took off the metro, a tall and brunette guy ran by me. After him, two Asian girls... When the security blew his whistle, -bizarrely- all of them stopped and one of the girls yelled: "This guy stole her purse!". Meanwhile, the other girl was crying. But the security was so lazy that he started to run again... The rest of the story is not something i would like to tell (Do not worry. We are not robbed.)... And this was my third and last unlucky moment during my trip.

Next day, we woke up late because we wanted to enjoy a sunday lunch with French-Turkish meal. On one side, there is croissant, chocolat au pain, honey, nutella etc. whereas on the other side, there is fresh tomato, cucumber, red pepper filled with curd cheese... Long story short, sweet vs. salty. However, it was an interesting experience.

As we had already planned the day before, we went back to the Eiffel Tower but this time, we took of at Bir-Hakeim station. He was totally prepared this time (and i just could wow): a thermos full of brewed tea, plastic cups, professional camera, small cakes and biscuits. He really wanted to smoke while we are looking at the view of the third floor. But, it was closed again. "What do we do now?" he asked and: "There is nothing we can do... We have been waiting on the line for so long and it will be so sad unless we go up...". We waited 40 minutes more and finally, we could take the lift. As the top floor was closed, the elevators were taking you directly to the second floor.

The wind on the second floor was so strong that we were really thankful that the top floor was closed. Because, i could even fly if i lifted my arms! But no matter how strong the wind was, we had a great time. We drank our teas, ate the cakes and biscuits while we were watching the view. It was really peaceful.

After we spent there two hours, we crossed the bridge to see the tower as a whole. As it was the last day of 2017, those famous stairs which see the Eiffel Tower directly was full of people. Tourists and dancers. Some of them were watching their show whereas some of them were posing with the tower in the background.

Frankly, i was used to go to Christmas market almost everyday when i was in Nice but i could not feel like the new year had been approaching even though i heard All I Want For Christmas Is You all the time (and i am really sick and tired of it). Until when i saw a sapin in front of Notre-Dame de Paris... I was smoking my cigar while we were waiting in the queue. That moment, i realized this was the first time i have ever spent the New Year's Eve in abroad and i was not in just a random city. I was in a city which meant a lot to me and i was with somebody whom i fully respect. That moment... It was my renaissance.

Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) is known as one of the best examples of the French Gothic Architecture. Also, It is one of the biggest cathedrals in France. As many churches do, it offers you exclusive sculptures and paintings you can observe, the biggest organ i have ever seen, donation boxes and candles to light and make a wish. On the other hand, it was the second religious place i saw which has a security.

Our next stop that day was Shakespeare and Company bookshop (which is right across the river). As i adore bookshops and as it was this close, i did not care how cold it was and how tired we were. As a matter of fact, i did not want to go in because the shop seemed so small and it was so crowded (as you see, mostly by the adolescents).

Get ready for a surprising fact: It is not the original one. The original one was opened by an American lady after the 1st World War and between the two world wars, it was the center of the British-American culture visited by many famous authors such as Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Scott Fitzgerald. However, it closed in 1941 as the German occupied France. In 1951, an American gentleman George Whitman opened a new bookshop under the name of Le Mistral. It started to carry the flag this time. When the founder of the initial Shakespeare and Company passed away in 1962, he decided to change the name as Shakespeare and Company as a dedication to her.

Now, i will leave just two tips about the last night of 2017. ;)

And on our last day, we went to Montmartre. We had a new member this time, my friend's wife's nephew. Our first stop was Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart).  The basilic is located on top of Montmartre hill and you get there in three ways: stairs, funicular or by car (which i do not recommend at all). We preferred stairs and i am really glad we did. Because each floor of the stairs offers you a panoramic view of Paris (without Eiffel Tower) and surely it is the second most beautiful view of Paris. It was so crowded in front of the basilic. Probably as crowded as the Eiffel Tower. That is why we had to wait. No, no, no... We did not wait, we sneaked (by the way, there is also security but they did not realize us).

The whole history of the structure is a little bit complicated so, i will explain it briefly. The construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It is dedicated to 58.000 people who lost their lives during 1870 Franco-Prussian War because France lost it and the public believed that the loss was a "divine punishment". Anyway, later that year, the Third Republic was proclaimed. However, the sculpture on the left side represents Louis IX of France whereas the one on the right side represents Jeanne d'Arc.

Our next stop was Le Mur des Je T'aime (The wall of I Love You's) -which i was really wondering to see-. It is just 7-8 minutes away on foot from Sacré-Coeur. I found the ones in English, French, Italian, Serbian, Polish, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Finnish, Czech, even in Azerbaijani. But i could not find the one in Turkish. When i could not find it, i was really sad and angry. I screwed him about his racism all the time. But today, i found it (it is at 10 o'clock). Sorry dude...

“In 1992, Frédéric Baron dreamed of a world tour consecrated to the lovers. But he did this voyage during the meetings on the streets of Paris. At first, he asked his brother and then, to his foreign neighbours to write these words of love in their languages. In the end, he collects 1000 written “I love you”s in more than 300 languages and dialects of the entire world.
With the contest of the calligraphe Claire Kitto, he assembles all those writings and imagines reproducing them on a wall. He then entrusted the realization of the work to an artist specializing in painted walls. Paris, the city of lovers by excellence, could not dream better than Montmartre for such a place to meet!”

— Official Tourism Office of Montmartre

At last, i will recommend you a Chocolatier which my brother recommended me. It offers you various types of chocolates, cookies, biscuits, macarons and frankly, they are delicious! Also, you can find some icons of Paris made of chocolate such as Notre-Dame de Paris, Arc de Triomphe and La Tour Eiffel.

Conclusion

As i said at the beginning, i had three purposes to go to Paris: i had missed my brother a lot, i had also missed Paris and lack of confidence on language, Besides, it would be my last trip before i get back to Turkey and i wanted to make a grand final.

1. Missing my friend: First of all, he is one of the nicest people i have ever met. He and her wife was so welcoming, helpful and great hosts. They did anything they could, we went everywhere we could in 3 days and we had amazing time. There is nothing i regret about this trip thanks to them and i hope i did not do them anything wrong.
2. Missing Paris: Checked. Because when i left Paris 10 years ago, i was dreaming of me coming back to Paris when i am much older, speaking perfect English and French and going on top of that tower. Well, i could not do the last one but i do not know how, deep inside i feel like our paths will cross again. Third floor in the third trip... Sounds like a nice story, doesn't it? :) Maybe i can move there. Either alone or with my wife or my future wife will be living in Paris or she will move to Paris like i will have done. Who knows?
3. Lack of confidence on language: Proudly checked. As i have been living in a city where people speak an "extraordinary" (and vulgar) French, Parisian French sounded me as clear as my mother tongue. I had been getting positive feedbacks on my French in Nice either but the percentage of it in Paris was much higher. And it seems like i had to go to Paris to realize how different l'accent du sud is. Now, i still don't like the way the Niçois talk but i became more rude when they switch to English for no reason instead of talking more clearly. Because now, i know that it is definitely not my fault.

Repose en paix...

Romantic Prague - Cliché or Fairytale?

Ahoj!

As a matter of fact, i started to think about this article on my third day in Prague. I was planning to write only: "WHAT HAPPENS IN PRAGUE, STAYS IN PRAGUE" and leave it. Because i wanted the time i spent there to be something precious that i do not want to share with anybody. However, one of the most important people to me said that she would look forward to it and here we are...

I already know i travel a lot recently but this one... This one had a reasonable purpose. One of my Turkish friends in Nice offered me to go an event in Prague between 15-19th November about a week before my flight to Brussels. I rejected him because: "I'm going to start my Brussels-Amsterdam voyage in a week and i don't know how much i'll spend there. Even if i don't spend that much, wouldn't it be so luxury to visit 3 different cities in just a month?!".

2 weeks passed, some private stuff came out and he still had been insisting on it. I accepted his offer on his 5th attend due to those private reasons (and you will find them in the end of the article).

In the previous week, I was as indecisive as a Gemini about going to Prague or not due to my little poor budget. I probably changed my decision 5-6 times in just 5 days. But in the end, i said to myself: "It is better to regret going to Prague than not going.". At first, we had to go to Milan by Ouibus.

That day in Milan was horrible actually. Why?

• As i said, i was sleepless at all.
• The ticket machines were extremely slow.
• The transportation system (including the buses you have to pay 5€ to get to the airport) is terrible.
• Street vendors stick to you.

And also, we had to wait 4 more hours at the airport due to a malfunction on our plane so that when we landed to Prague, we called a Uber because there were no public transportation at 11 PM and the cab drivers were giving the same price to everyone: 35€ (Considering the price level of Prague, it is so expensive). Uber driver was a Uzbek speaking neither English nor Turkish! He thought that i automatically understand Russian when i speak Serbian (?!) so that he spoke Russian all the way. Moreover, my friend said me that he wanted to smoke with him because he loved him. When i heard it, i was like: "Wuuuuut?! You don't even understand him!"

As in Amsterdam, i had no plans at all. So next day, i woke up and searched for the places to visit. Then, we decided to go to the Old Town Square as it was the closest one. While we were going on foot, we found Prašná Brána (Powder Tower) which has a couple of features. At first, it is the entrance from the New Town to the Old Town which was formerly used as a gunpowder store. Also, it was the starting point of the Royal Route to Prague Castle.

Old Town Square

When you go straight from the Powder Tower, you'll reach to the Old Town Square which offers you to listen to Prague's heart beats. The square witnessed many events throughout the history such as the execution of 27 protestant Czech lords by the Austrian Catholic House of Habsburg in 1621.

We wanted to see the astronomical clock as well but unfortunately, it was under restoration.

It was 4 degrees on that day and we already knew that it would feel much colder on the riverside. However, we had just a couple of days and we decided not to care and to go to Charles Bridge.

If autumn in Prague is this lovely, i cannot imagine the spring

The thing is, Charles Bridge (Karlův most) is 615 years old and it was built to replace Judith Bridge which had been extremely damaged by a flood in 1342. The construction began by the order of King Charles IV in 1357 and finished in 1402. Previously, it is called as Stone Bridge or Prague Bridge. However, it is officially named as Charles Bridge in 1870.

I was so tired (still Milan+Prague) while the sun was going down. And my friend was arranging a meeting with a Czech girl. That's why, we decided go back. When i say: "while the sun was going down...", it may seem like it was around 7-8 PM but it was actually 5 PM and i had a very important meeting the next day. So, i needed some rest.

Screw you guys! I'm goin' home...

-Beddy Cartman

Next day, i was so nervous that the time was not passing at all! We're supposed to meet at 11 AM in a café which had taken 30 minutes on foot but hopefully, she was not that late. We spent a nice hour in that café and then, we decided to go to the Old Town square again.

Later on, while were going down to the tube, i was standing below her on the escalator (and it was the only time when i did not have to look down to see her little blue eyes :P) and she asked me the reason: "Are you going to ask the question?". So, i asked (!) the question and she said: "Yes!". Then, we started to arrange (!) our wedding! The ring, the wedding dress, the tuxedo, the ceremony, the guests...

Well, when it is 4 degrees and windy, you cannot dare to open your eyes... We got lost in the streets and we took a walk next to the river while drinking hot wine from one glass.

The thing is, when she posted this image on Facebook, i received 15: "Good Luck!" messages, 7 of them saying how cute we are. Even, my ex neighbour asked me when we get married.

And then, we went to Lennon Wall. The interesting thing is, John Lennon had never been to Prague but there is a huge wall in Prague dedicated to him. Also in 1988, it was a irritation source to the communist regime of Gustav Husak. Tough, it became a symbol to the local youth. Hopefully, there is a wall up there and hopefully, they fill it with graffiti. :)

I was quite lucky that day because i did not know that 17th November was the national holiday of Czech Republic (I should have estimated it when she said she had friday off... Sometimes i can be a daydreamer). The Czech celebrate two events on this day: International Students' Day and the debut of Velvet Revolution. Because of that, the central tram line was off and i had to take her to the metro by myself. I don't know about her but i am glad that it was off.

Next day, she had already promised her friend to go to an exhibition and my roommate had stayed over in... You may guess where. So, i went out alone. My plan was ready. At first, i would go to Dancing House (Tančící Dům) which is inspired by the famous film couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The glass building represents Ginger Rogers whereas the stone building represents Fred Astaire. It was designed by the architects Vlado Milunić and Frank O. Gehry in 1996.

When i took of the bus. I was surrounded with the stadium of Sparta Praha and this view. A view with a divine light calling me to heaven...

Then, i took the advice of one of my Czech friends in Nice (she really saved my trip and i already thanked her in person!) and i went to Petrin Hill. It is the hill left side of Vltava river and it takes almost 20 minutes to get there. If you want to go to Petrin from Dancing House, you have to take the bus numbered 176. You can also use the finicular line but i did not try it so i can not say anything on it.

I looked around for five minutes and i started to consider why i had come here. Because there were only the stadium, this view and the buildings which were yelling at me: "Welcome to Eastern Europe!". There were nobody as well. However, when i was about to lose my hope, i saw a little group of tourists and i decided to chase them. Hopefully i decided because i found Petrin gardens and the Eiffel Tower!

Well, it is not the Eiffel Tower but it a nice resemblance. It is Petrin Tower which offers you the best view in Prague. Until that moment, i had thought that Prague had been more empty than Nice but that moment... I found out that all Prague was there! That's why you have to be careful with the long queue and the cold. Over there, it was so cold that my hands became purple immediately!

For the students (and it is the thing i love most when you are a student), entrance fee for Petrin Tower is 80 CZK (3.20€) whereas it is 70 CZK (2.80€) for the Museum of Mirrors.

Remember, the price of hot wine is the same in every corner of Prague: 50 CZK / 2€. There is no fraud in it because 50 CZK exactly makes 2€.

My last destination was Prague Castle which was founded in the 9th century. I could not walk around that much because i was extremely tired and i had to get ready for the night. Entrance is free but if you wish to see some specific parts (even in the church), they sell 3 kinds of packages and you can pick one of them depending on what you would like to see.

This was absolutely the most hilarious part of my trip. While i was going to the tram station, i saw something on my left which was shining and the crowd over there was laughing all the time. A statue with a golden penis... And the weird thing was, no matter what their sexes were, all of them were posing while holding the penis. Afterwards, some of them pushed me to hold it (no photos - i have to save my dignity) and then i started to feel happy about my life, had a nice evening with K... later on etc.

However, there were no explanation about the statue. So last night, i asked my Czech friend what its feature was and she said me: "Well, according to the story, if you hold the penis, it makes you happy. Probably that's why you are happy right now! :D". In fact, it makes sense because me and my roommate were so exhausted on our last day but we seemed like this:

Or maybe the happiness was because of the chocolate :D

What do i think about Prague?

Frankly, i did not visit Prague for touristic purposes. I went there to see somebody. Somebody who is important to me... There were also some negative sides of our trip of course. The cold, my anxiety on Friday, the Asian working in groceries who don't speak English at all (but they are your only option if you want to buy two bottles of wine after 9 PM:) )... Even, my roommate unfortunately could not enjoy Prague as much as i did. He did not say it out loud but i could understand when i looked in his eyes. I definitely owe him a Thank You because no matter how i invited him to spend time with us and no matter how she asked where he was, he knew my purpose to go to Prague and he chose to leave us alone.

But no worries, Prague is a lovely city. Vltava River, hot wine, everything being in order, gothique architecture (which i adore), Lennon Wall (especially the wall! :D)...

Ever since i left Prague, i have been in a point where i reconsider how the things go in our lives. Me, i was used to believe that we create our own miracles either to be successful or to be happy. And i have lots of experiences proving it. But sometimes, i think god shows us the path we have to pass and expects us pass it. Maybe it is the first one, maybe it is the second. Or maybe, the god wants us to do the first one via the second one. We will see.

I met with somebody in Nice and even though we did not spent much time together, i did not know her. She was saying that she had actually been a bad person but deep inside, i knew that she was not as bad as she thinks due to a couple of things she made that night (i will explain to her when she asks). I am never wrong when it comes to estimations on people’s personalities. That’s why i went to Prague. To verify i was right one more time and thankfully, she did not let me down. At first, she made me have a fantastic night. Then, she mad my trip so remarkable. I saw how the real optimism works and she saw that i was not as bad as she was afraid of. Seems like i owe her twice...

I might not be that "old" but i know what kind of person i am, with what kind of people i can get along and how the things work in my life. Probably i am much better than most of my friends in it. And whenever a bunch of coincidences happen in a short period, it means that soon or later, i will find a milestone in my life and ever since Amsterdam, i have been feeling like i am about to find that milestone and i do not want to stop till i find. No matter how good or how bad it is... 

Going to Prague when i was on a right tight budget was an enormous risk to take but in the end, i took it and i have not regretted even for a minute. In fact, she proposed the title of this article and i said her that it would be easy to answer. "Really?" she asked and "Really :)" i said. My opinion has not changed and i hope you know the answer now.