Waking up late always bothers me. Waking up late in a strange country, and missing my travel companions who set off for their day believing I didn't want to accompany them provided a little more stress than the normal waking up late angst. How to proceed?
After grabbing an apple from the front desk of the hotel, I wandered toward the castle the group had planned to tour. After climbing a steep hill, I found an athletic complex, but no castle. A little dizzy from a measly apple breakfast, I headed back down the hill and decided on a new approach to the day.
I would explore Prague on my own, beginning with a fabulous breakfast somewhere. I found a small cafe with an outdoor porch and ordered their breakfast special, which consisted of bread, ham, mustard, horseradish, a pickled pepper and a gherkin, along with a small cup of coffee.
I loved the minimalist presentation, and even though I detest pickles, I ate mine in the spirit of sucking all the marrow from my day.
As I watched Buddhist monks, tourist groups and others make their way along the street, I relaxed into a voyeuristic stupor, listening to the multitude of languages, observing the various types of dress. Prague in summer is a beautiful tourist trap, and instead of being part of the throng, I peacefully sat on the periphery. Eventually the group I had lost by oversleeping wandered by, and instead of rushing to meet back up with them, I just waved casually from my breakfast nook.
