まだ肌寒いプラハ。
コペンハーゲンとベルリンの友人2人が会いに来てくれたので、8年前に訪れたレストランで夕食。
待ち合わせの駅の出口がたくさんあり過ぎて、会うのが難しく、一瞬会えないのかもと焦りましたが、お互いに走り回って探しあっているうちに会えて一安心。地図を片手にあまり観光客のいない、夜遅い時間の暗いプラハの街を、歩いてレストランへ向かいました。
席に着くと、ほっとしました。
プラハまでの長い道のりの後だったので、あたたかい食事が嬉しかったです。
チーズをかけて焼いたブロッコリーをスターターに、野菜のタイ風カレーを頂きました。
妊娠6ヶ月になるベルリンの友人はパイナップルとココナッツのジュースを飲んでいましたが、遠慮は無用ということで、コペンハーゲンの友人とカラフェの赤ワインを飲みました。
仕事の予定に都合を付けて来てくれたので、翌朝には発つ2人と朝食も一緒に。
旅先だということで、普段は食べないパンケーキ。
小さめに焼かれたパンケーキはぶ厚目で、ふわふわ。甘さが控えめで、ラズベリーソースとサワークリームがたっぷり。
ルイボスティーが良く合いました。
ほんの少しの時間でも、会った途端にまるで昨日も会っていたように感じるのは、大学の長い時間を共に過ごしたからでしょう。
お互いの未来のこと、仕事のこと、笑える昔話… もっと時間が欲しかったですが、こうして少しでも会えたことに感謝。
2人を見送ってから、街を歩いて回りました。
ヴィーガンの友人が喜びそうなレストラン併設の自然食品店は、プラハに来るたびにお世話になっています。ナッツやお茶を買いました。
郵便局で美しい柄の切手を買って、カフカ書店にてシュヴァンクマイエルの葉書を買ったりしました。
お昼すぎにホステルに戻り、スーパーマーケットへ行きました。
丸二日、ろくに横になっていなかった上に歩き回っていたので、流石にとても眠くなり、うとうとしましたが、寒かったので近くのベトナム料理店にてフォーを食べて暖まり、ホステルにてシャワーを浴び、早めにベッドにもぐり込みました。
頭の中がまだざわついていましたから、早寝早起きで翌日からのワークショップに備えることにしました。
Prague was slightly chilly.
A fried in Copenhagen and a friend in Berlin came over to Prague to meet me, so we went to a restaurant we once dined 8 years ago.
There were too many exits at the station we were meeting up, so it was so hard and I almost felt we were not going to meet, but after running around, searching, we finally found each other and I was so relieved. Maps in hands, we walked to the restaurant in the dark city of Prague where there weren't many tourists.
Once we sat down, I felt relaxed.
All the way to Prague from Osaka, I missed hot food.
I had a gratinate broccoli as a starter, and I had vegetable Thai coconut curry.
My fried from Berlin was six months pregnant and she was having pineapple and coconut juice, but she didn't want us to feel guilty, so I shared red wine in a carafe with a friend from Copenhagen.
Both of the girls managed their work schedule for this and they both had to leave in the next morning. So we decide to have breakfast together.
I ordered pancakes which I don't normally eat. As I'm on a trip so I can make the most of it.
Little pancakes were thick and fluffy. They were not as sweet as I thought they would be. They came in a pool of raspberry sauce and lots of sour cream on top.
Rooibos tea went well with them.
Only few hours catching-up, but we felt like we saw each other yesterday. It's maybe because we spent lots of time while we were in a university.
We talked about our future, work, and some funny old memories between us... We wished we had more time, but I was grateful enough to see them like this even for a short while.
After I saw them off, I walked around the old town.
A natural food shop and a restaurant, which my vegan friend would love to go, was one of the places I used to go every time I visited Prague. I bought some nuts and herbal tea.
I bought pretty stamps at a post office, and some Jan Švankmajer post card at the Kafka bookshop.
I went back to my hostel in the afternoon and did I some food shopping at a nearest supermarket.
For nearly two days, I hadn't been lying down properly and also I have been walking around a lot, so I got really sleepy and I was drowsy, but I felt a little cold, so I went to a nearest Vietnam restraint and had rice noodle to warm myself up. After I went back to the hostel, I took a shower and hit the pillow earlier than usual.
My mind was still busy, so I decided to go to bed early and wake up early.
