By Hannah Gordon
Czech Correspondent
In the last installment of “Bohemian Rhapsody” I mentioned feeling obligated to take in every moment of being abroad. I think I took that sentiment to another level this week.
The Easter market started on Sunday, which means that Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, the two most popular squares in Praha, transformed into carnivals of sorts. Brightly colored ribbons and hand-painted eggs hung from tree branches. Chains of flowers were wrapped around the edges of red-roofed huts where merchants peddled tourist souvenirs, Moravian wines, artisan eggshells decorated in the Czech tradition and much more.
All of the vendors and decorations will be in the squares until the weekend after Easter, yet when I visited Sunday, I felt compelled to stay as long as possible and visit both squares that day. Old Town Square, the bigger of the two marketplaces, is a five-minute walk from the main building of my school, so I could easily go any day of the week.
My stubbornness quickly became a problem when I felt my stomach begin to churn. I suddenly felt sick walking through the first of the two squares. I wouldn’t let myself believe I was sick. No, not me! We hadn’t even gotten through one Easter market, let alone the artists’ market near the national theater.
One of my friends mentioned I looked pale. I dismissed the remark. I pushed on walking to the next market. I spent about 10 minutes wandering around before I had to pay 10 crowns, equivalent to a little less than 50 cents, to do something I have never done and hopefully will never do again: vomit in a public restroom. I’ll spare the gory details, but it wasn’t exactly the highlight of my trip.
Even after my trip to the restroom, I still forced myself to go to the artists’ market. When I finally got home, I spent the rest of the day miserable in bed. I made a doctor’s appointment for Monday. The doctor told me I either had food poisoning or the stomach flu, which seemed a little vague to me, but I took the medication he offered and went home and back to bed.
By Tuesday evening, I was feeling a little bit better, but I definitely learned another lesson this week. Sometimes it’s okay, better even, to stay home rather than be out on the town. Some experiences can afford to wait.
I leave for Vienna, Austria this Friday, so next week The Bona Venture will offer a much less gross story of my Bohemian adventures.
gordonhr13@bonaventure.edu
