Goulash

Monday.

It was a very cold day today. The three brass monkeys set off trying to discover Prague. The street signs and maps caused real problems because the names bore no relation to the guide book translations. We staggered from cobbled street and pavement to cobbled street and pavement and eventually staggered into a bar for food and hot coffee.

It was at this point that we discovered the excellent Czech Goulash and dumplings. Mmmmn "Dumplings." It wasn't until the evening that we realised that Raul had developed a severe case of Goulash addiction. Restaurants were rejected because Goulash did not appear on the menu. Finally we dragged him, protesting, in through a doorway and he discovered that you could request Goulash and dumplings even when it didn't show on the menu.

A guy played his accordian while we ate and drank and ate and drank. Eventually we left him to his carousing and went in search of more beer and free toilets.

I remember the last bar we were in having unbelievably high stools. Once mounted you were stuck there until you fell off. At one point I must have fallen off because I found myself in the toilet at the same time as the barman who had served us. He was vomiting in the wash basin but seemed fine when he reappeared in the bar. Needless to say we avoided placing orders with him. There was also a sticker on the wall reading "Caution - Racism Free Zone" fine, no problem there but next to it was one reading "Be kind to your local Nazi", time to fall off the stool again and leave!

We had to get reception to unlock the hotel door. They go to bed very early in Prague!