Chumbawumba

I think during my last five days in Prague I hit a bit of a tipping point: I think I am finally really starting to feel the burn of travel. I realized that the five days I spent in Sir Toby's Hostel (a superb one if you are ever in Prague) was the most time I had spent in one place since London more than a month before, with a lot of train travel, packed days, late nights and early mornings mixed in. More so than anywhere else, Europe is burning me out.

That's not to say that I didn't have a great time in Prague. I did. While it isn't as spectacular as I had hoped it would be (it is so touristy), it did have a lot of greatness (and fun hidden spots as well). Some of my highlights included one day getting up at 6 am so I could see and experience the main sights without roughly 462,000 people around me (definitely the way to see Prague), the Letna and Vitkov Hill areas that were more local and gave a lot of great views, winning a pub quiz on my last night (trivia champion of two continents!), and the "no umbrella" walking tour I took on the last day there, which primarily featured lots of Prague history and lesser known sections of the city that were pretty much amazing (it helped that the Czech man named Richard who ran the tour told me I was the funniest person he has ever had on the tour in 12 years - ego boost!).

In a lot of ways, it was like existing in a fairy tale land. Untouched by World War II and still capturing the gothic and baroque based architectural majesty it always has had, this is a pristine and exciting city.

But I think part of my drag comes from the fact that at this point I want my evenings to be me, my iPad and some good natured web surfing, and all of the people on the traveling trails are the party folk doing the Europe track looking for the best place to drink until 5 am until they can do the same the next day - and Prague is the hot place to do that due to cheap beer and ample amounts of smoke filled clubs (SO MUCH SMOKING IN PRAGUE!).

As a person who has a genuine interest in experiencing local culture and what a city is all about, it is very disconcerting to have conversations with people about the places I go and them respond to me with crooked faces and inquisitive looks until they ask "where is that at?"

In Prague. The place we have been for the past few days.

People act like I am some sort of wunderkind because I know how to find the train station or eat where the locals eat or I know the spot in the city that lets you see all of the bridges in succession. I can tell you that I am not anything of the sort. All I do is ask questions and retain knowledge. I'm not just pissing the night away like I am some sort of tub thumper.

That just happened.

So maybe I am not tired of traveling so much as I am tired of the people I am forced to travel with. Every once in a while you find like minded individuals and you get a lot of joy out of that, but at this point - with Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam and Brugge ahead of me - I am most excited to go to Heidelberg, Germany again (to see my friend Kerstin) and to go back to London (to spend time with the Sobolik's and feel like I am at a home again).

I have been trying fairly hard to always book hostels that emphasize words like "not a party hostel" or "chill" or "place for travelers," but you never really know what you are actually going to get. Here's hoping I find places that are actually like that, because I need a break from party people who think that drinking with strangers and acting completely different from the way you do at home (because you can!) constitutes traveling.

Music of the day: Sufjan Stevens - "Too Much" (Fun fact: I have picked up the habit of walking around and mouthing the words to this song while listening to it and dancing - Czech Republic likely thinks I am weird)