The main destination for my trip was Pilsen, Czech Republic seeing as how the World Ball Hockey Championships were taking place here. The home of Pilsner Beer was now home for one week to the best ball hockey players in the world representing their nations.
Destination #3: Pilsen, Czech Republic
Upon arriving in Pilsen from Prague, it became clear that I was no longer in a major world city and had just entered a small locale with a small town mentality. The architecture and style of Pilsen gave me the same feeling as being in a city such as Kingston, Ontario – a nice place that really didn’t have enough to be more than what it was and was just a cut above from being a small town.
Nonetheless, I liked the place. It was my home for a week so we made the most of it. However, there were some drawbacks to the place. One was the lack of any halal food in the city but that was to be expected considering that there weren’t any Muslims really in the city – and very few in the country! – to begin with. Secondly, despite being home to the second largest synagogue in Europe, there weren’t any kosher restaurants around either. So it left us with little in terms of food options… one can only take so much of McDonald’s, Subway and a local pizzeria before starting to miss Indian food.
It was interesting to see gypsies around the city – a nomadic culture that had spread across Europe and was also now starting to take refuge in Canada – since I had heard much about them but didn’t really know much about them. I did some research and learned quite a bit about their culture… and was surprised to learn that many gypsies were Muslim. Good ol’ Wikipedia…
Nearby to where we were staying was Pilsen Square and at the center of the square was a large gothic church that served as tourist attraction instead. Climbing up the tower of the church was a challenge due to the narrow steps and extremely low ceilings – I bumped my head against a wooden support beam – but it was worth it. The view from the top was gorgeous as one could see all of Pilsen and parts beyond. The small city of Pilsen looked even smaller from the top of the church and it was a nice reminder of how small the world really is for as large as it may feel at times…
“Their love for it is the reason I have become this praised…”
- Lupe Fiasco (Put You On Game)
