My final days in Prague were even more difficult that my final days at work. Work had at least provided me the comfort of other people and tasks to focus on. Once I left on Friday, my only task was to pack and prepare for my return. I think it may have actually been easier to have departed on Saturday to return, but that is something to keep in mind for my next extended stay outside of the country.
Friday evening I did laundry and focused on getting everything together that weren’t clothes, to hopefully make the packing process easier. This was when I also decided what I would not be bringing back with me, to save on space. Saturday continued this trend, as I spent the day in my dorm doing more laundry and packing everything. I ended both these evenings watching films in my dorm and staying close to Strahov. My heavy heart on leaving this place I had been so attached to this summer made it difficult to convince myself to leave.
Sunday, I had to get some fresh air though. While I had accomplished everything in the city that I wanted to, I knew I had to see it one last time before I left. I took the very familiar path to Petřin and took one last walk through the park taking in the place of it all. Upon recommendation of a colleague, I did set out to find Ferdinand beer, a brew I had not come across in my time in the city. I ate at Restaurant Ferdinanda, near Prague Castle, and took my time, taking in everything, before I decided to make the climb back up to the castle and Strahov Monastery, where I finally tried their blueberry beer.
I spent the day slowly taking in the city one last time, enjoying the place I had spent the summer, and reminding myself that I would return sometime in the future to take it all in again. I ended the evening reading in my dorm, fully packed and ready to travel the 16 hours back home the following day. As is often the case before I travel, I did not sleep well that evening, and was ready to leave around 6am.
I did hit a few snags returning my keys, ID, and bedding at the dorms, but I finished my checkout from Strahov around 7am and made my way to the airport, by bus. Of course, I arrived extremely early, as I am known to do, so I had to wait to check my bags and again to go through security. My flight to Philadelphia ran pretty much on time, and I was only delayed slightly for my trip back into Miami, though I did hit some snags in getting my luggage at my final destination. All-in-all, the return home ran smoothly, and the final days in Miami before returning to Ann Arbor were full of family and laughter. It is the coming weeks, as I catch up from being gone all summer and work on preparing for the coming semester that things will get hectic again.
There is one great thing I must always keep in mind though: the end of a journey just means you are that much closer to your next adventure.
Raven K 