1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,240
Welcome to the Once Upon a Trip podcast,

2
00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,940
where we dive deep into sharing everything crazy travel stories,

3
00:00:06,940 --> 00:00:11,440
dating adventures, culture fusions, and plenty of takeaways

4
00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:16,140
to entertain and feed your inner curiosity and travel bug.

5
00:00:16,140 --> 00:00:18,540
I'm your host, Mary Grace Crawford,

6
00:00:18,540 --> 00:00:22,960
travel enthusiast, content creator, ex-digital nomad,

7
00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:27,260
avid storyteller, and lover of all things Europe,

8
00:00:27,260 --> 00:00:30,160
based now in Atlanta, Georgia.

9
00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:37,300
I'll start this off by saying good morning, good evening,

10
00:00:37,300 --> 00:00:40,400
good afternoon, whatever time of the day it is right now

11
00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:42,540
when you're listening or watching this.

12
00:00:42,540 --> 00:00:45,540
I chose this Christmas themed episode to share,

13
00:00:45,540 --> 00:00:48,220
not just because it is exactly 10 years

14
00:00:48,220 --> 00:00:53,060
since 19-year-old Mary Grace was naive and running around Prague

15
00:00:53,060 --> 00:00:55,460
with a guy who she had a crush on

16
00:00:55,460 --> 00:00:58,020
and was experiencing Christmas for the first time,

17
00:00:58,020 --> 00:01:02,220
but also because I think that it's quite funny and important

18
00:01:02,220 --> 00:01:06,700
in a lot of ways for us to laugh at our past naive selves.

19
00:01:06,700 --> 00:01:10,300
When I was 19, I hadn't really understood

20
00:01:10,300 --> 00:01:14,900
what it meant to have a crush on somebody or to be in love.

21
00:01:14,900 --> 00:01:17,700
I had never been to Europe at Christmas time.

22
00:01:17,700 --> 00:01:20,380
I didn't know what a Christmas market was.

23
00:01:20,380 --> 00:01:22,040
I didn't know anything.

24
00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:26,580
This story involves a guy who I'm going to be calling Liam.

25
00:01:26,580 --> 00:01:28,980
This is not his name in real life,

26
00:01:28,980 --> 00:01:34,800
as well as briefly another guy who I'm going to be calling Matthew.

27
00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:39,600
So we have Matthew and the main center of the story,

28
00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,940
the crush of Prague around Christmas time, Liam.

29
00:01:43,940 --> 00:01:47,780
It doesn't necessarily have a happy ending,

30
00:01:47,780 --> 00:01:51,040
as you would imagine in a lot of Hallmark movies

31
00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,840
or at least a lot of the romance movies,

32
00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,180
but at the same time, I do think that the actual ending

33
00:01:57,180 --> 00:02:00,420
turned out being long-term, the better one.

34
00:02:00,420 --> 00:02:05,120
There are details in this story that I think will make you crack up.

35
00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:09,620
I know when I look back on it, I definitely laugh at myself,

36
00:02:09,620 --> 00:02:12,000
even though at the time it was embarrassing.

37
00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,700
I hope that this episode inspires you or encourages you,

38
00:02:15,700 --> 00:02:19,300
at least a little bit, to just make a little bit more of a move,

39
00:02:19,300 --> 00:02:21,840
to be more audacious, to be brave,

40
00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,380
and to say what you feel in the moment.

41
00:02:24,380 --> 00:02:26,780
I'm very glad I at least did.

42
00:02:26,780 --> 00:02:32,080
So without further ado, let's go ahead and jump straight into the episode.

43
00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:33,380
I hope you enjoy.

44
00:02:33,380 --> 00:02:37,560
This story took place in late December 2014.

45
00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:39,660
I was 19 at the time,

46
00:02:39,660 --> 00:02:44,120
and I was in my very first year at the University of Georgia.

47
00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:48,960
I had gone to Europe for the very first time in summer of 2014.

48
00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:53,500
So a few months earlier than the setting of this Prague story,

49
00:02:53,500 --> 00:02:56,240
and I remember my very first time in Europe.

50
00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:58,980
I remember going to France and Belgium,

51
00:02:58,980 --> 00:03:03,640
and I really fell head over heels for the idea of being in Europe,

52
00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:06,180
because I had never experienced that before.

53
00:03:06,180 --> 00:03:08,980
The special thing about this Prague trip is

54
00:03:08,980 --> 00:03:13,080
it was my very first winter experience in Europe.

55
00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:16,160
It was the first time I discovered what a Christmas market was.

56
00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:18,520
It was the first time for a lot of things.

57
00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:21,400
So it really is a chapter marker that is hard to forget.

58
00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:25,100
In 2014, my dad was working for Delta Airlines,

59
00:03:25,100 --> 00:03:28,240
which is one of the major airline companies here,

60
00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,340
if you are not aware.

61
00:03:30,340 --> 00:03:32,680
Because of my dad's job in the airlines,

62
00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:38,380
we were able to get heavily discounted or even free Delta flights to Europe.

63
00:03:38,380 --> 00:03:42,080
So I'm being transparent here when I say that

64
00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:46,080
in the very, very, very beginning stages of my traveling,

65
00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:48,020
which this is really, really the beginning,

66
00:03:48,020 --> 00:03:51,860
I was able to have a shortcut flight wise going to Europe

67
00:03:51,860 --> 00:03:54,200
through my dad and his benefits.

68
00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,260
This is one of the very few trips that I have taken abroad

69
00:03:57,260 --> 00:03:59,700
where I did not pay for the flight.

70
00:03:59,700 --> 00:04:03,060
This didn't last very long, but more on that later.

71
00:04:03,060 --> 00:04:06,900
We were able to have standby benefits for flying.

72
00:04:06,900 --> 00:04:10,340
If you are a flight attendant or you have worked in the airlines,

73
00:04:10,340 --> 00:04:15,840
you know just how difficult it is to try to get on a standby flight,

74
00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:17,920
especially at Christmas time.

75
00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:19,920
You don't even know if you will make the flight.

76
00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:22,960
You don't know if you'll be sleeping on the airport ground that night.

77
00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:27,260
And you don't even know if you're going to go at all to your destination.

78
00:04:27,260 --> 00:04:29,660
So it was extremely stressful.

79
00:04:29,660 --> 00:04:34,700
I had mentioned to my dad that I really wanted to go to Prague at Christmas time.

80
00:04:34,700 --> 00:04:36,940
So, of course, I wanted to see Prague.

81
00:04:36,940 --> 00:04:39,240
I wanted to see the beauty of Christmas.

82
00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:41,300
I wanted to see the decorations.

83
00:04:41,300 --> 00:04:43,800
Of course, I wanted to see it for those reasons.

84
00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:44,900
But let's be real.

85
00:04:44,900 --> 00:04:53,180
The number one reason why I wanted to go was because I wanted to meet my online check crush in person.

86
00:04:53,180 --> 00:04:57,260
Here's a little bit of background on Liam and how we met,

87
00:04:57,260 --> 00:05:00,260
just so that this story makes a little bit more sense.

88
00:05:00,260 --> 00:05:08,600
Liam and I met on Twitter slash X in 2012 through an online connections post.

89
00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:13,700
The online connection I had at the time was a high school friend of his,

90
00:05:13,700 --> 00:05:18,380
and I had met this other connection on a pen pal website.

91
00:05:18,380 --> 00:05:23,220
So became kind of friends with him, started following each other on Twitter slash X.

92
00:05:23,220 --> 00:05:31,680
And then Liam comes into the picture because he comments on this post that this online connection leaves.

93
00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:37,000
I don't remember why or how we started talking, but we started talking after that.

94
00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:42,160
We started sending DMS on Twitter and then eventually we started emailing each other.

95
00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:47,880
And I think that went on for a couple of years, 2012 to 2014.

96
00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:54,980
And over the course of that time, I had developed this infatuation slash crush on Liam.

97
00:05:54,980 --> 00:05:56,720
I think it was around November.

98
00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:01,420
I told my dad that I really would love to go to Prague if possible.

99
00:06:01,420 --> 00:06:11,780
And come early December, he decided, yes, we are able to make that happen with his work schedule and all that was going on during the holidays.

100
00:06:11,780 --> 00:06:16,220
The catch was, though, we were going to be going via standby flights.

101
00:06:16,220 --> 00:06:24,640
And like I just mentioned a little bit earlier, standby flights don't guarantee that they will get you to your destination.

102
00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:29,040
So there was a whole lot of uncertainty in getting to Prague.

103
00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:37,780
Liam had mentioned to me at some point that if I ever came to Prague, that he'd be very happy to give me a tour and to act as a host.

104
00:06:37,780 --> 00:06:48,220
I actually remember this one detail Liam had told me that it would be OK for me to stay with him in his apartment and he could host me.

105
00:06:48,220 --> 00:06:56,240
But then I mentioned that my dad was also coming and at the time we were emailing, it was back and forth.

106
00:06:56,240 --> 00:07:01,840
And he told me in a very awkward way, which is understandable in this situation.

107
00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:05,120
Oh, I thought it was just you.

108
00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:09,960
My roommate and I don't have enough space for more than one other person.

109
00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:13,120
Oh, this is awkward. I'm sorry.

110
00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:18,480
So I did not stay with Liam because my dad was there, which is OK.

111
00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:23,200
I mean, being in that situation, I think I would have reacted the same way, too.

112
00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:31,840
Honestly, we left for Prague on the 20th of December 2014 and we had to leave Prague on the 23rd of December

113
00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:36,600
because my dad at the time had to work on Christmas Eve and couldn't get out of it.

114
00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:48,720
I think it's really wild to think, oh, why would you go from America to Prague or Europe in general for like two days, two and a half, three days even, and come back?

115
00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:54,480
People in the airline industry really have the leverage to pull a whole lot of strings to make that happen.

116
00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:56,680
So we didn't have a lot of time in Prague.

117
00:07:56,680 --> 00:08:05,360
I remember my dad originally, I think, had to route us from Atlanta to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Prague.

118
00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,960
But I think at the last minute he had to reroute us.

119
00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:12,440
I think at some point we had like five alternative routes.

120
00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:16,720
It was really crazy. In the end, I think we went through Amsterdam.

121
00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:23,480
I remember being in Amsterdam and the immigration line in Amsterdam was just insane.

122
00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:30,400
I really was so scared and stressed that entire time because, you know, all I'm thinking is I want to meet my crush.

123
00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:32,960
I want to go to Prague and I want to meet my crush.

124
00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,840
And this damn immigration line is too long.

125
00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:37,960
And, oh, it was just a mess.

126
00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:43,400
But my dad finagled some strings or did something to get us through that line.

127
00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:46,560
And we barely made the flight.

128
00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:53,080
I think if we had been in immigration just a little bit longer, we would not have made it to Prague.

129
00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:57,480
So thank you, Lord. We leave Amsterdam. We get to Prague.

130
00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:03,640
I think we get there at about 10 in the morning, got off the flight, went through baggage claim.

131
00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:07,400
And I don't think that we saw Liam immediately.

132
00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:10,440
But once we did, I was just in awe.

133
00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:16,800
I was just having such a surreal moment thinking, oh, my gosh, you're a real person.

134
00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:22,480
I can like touch you because, you know, we had been talking online for two years at that point.

135
00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:29,080
So to see that person in front of you in real life form is just a whole other level of emotions.

136
00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:34,480
It was very cool. It was very weird, but also really, really exciting.

137
00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:40,840
My other friend in Prague, Matthew, had also texted around the time that we landed.

138
00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:49,440
Matthew and I met earlier that year in 2014 on this same pen pal website that I had met the online connection

139
00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:56,960
that connected Liam and me. And he had mentioned that he also wanted us to meet during our short time in Prague.

140
00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:04,800
I told him that time was really tight and we were mainly going to be with Liam because that was the plan all along.

141
00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:07,880
But that I still would really love to see him even briefly.

142
00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:13,560
When we landed in Prague, he texted me and said, I welcome you and your dad to Prague.

143
00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:18,480
We left the airport. We started going to this hotel that my dad had booked.

144
00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:21,320
It was either in the old town or it was a little bit outside.

145
00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:25,880
We went to this hotel my dad had booked. And I remember Liam was with us.

146
00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:36,320
I remember when we got to the hotel, Liam had kind of looked around the hotel and I don't think it was a very fancy hotel at all,

147
00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:39,880
or at least not that I remember. It wasn't anything special.

148
00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:48,320
And he looked really perplexed, like really just blown away by the small decorations.

149
00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:55,760
And he said, oh, this is a nice hotel. He almost looked embarrassed and I didn't know why.

150
00:10:55,760 --> 00:11:00,960
So my dad, I think, asked him, oh, have you ever stayed in a similar hotel?

151
00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:15,240
And again, this is not a fancy hotel at all. Again, he looked a little embarrassed and he said, no, all the places I ever stayed in were quite hostile.

152
00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:26,160
Hostile? What? Like bad? I have no idea what stories he has of his accommodations in traveling, but oh, that's not good.

153
00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:34,160
Anyway, it's not that big of a deal. I just thought that that little detail and different perspective were quite interesting.

154
00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:39,600
My dad checks us in. My dad and I go upstairs and I think just empty our bags.

155
00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:47,000
Liam goes home for a little while because his apartment was only about a 15 minute walk from where we were staying.

156
00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:53,480
During the time that Liam was gone, Matthew comes and stops by the hotel because I gave him the address.

157
00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:58,520
And I remember meeting him outside and he was walking towards me on the street.

158
00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:05,880
I just remember how happy he looked. He was smiling and beaming and he had his arms wide open like this.

159
00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:10,360
He just gave me like the warmest hug and it was so tight and so nice.

160
00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:24,000
It was really my first time in Eastern Europe and the impression of Eastern Europeans often is that they don't smile and they're grumpy and they're cold and a lot of details like this.

161
00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:29,240
But when Matthew approached me on the street, I didn't get that vibe.

162
00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:33,080
It was really so nice and so different.

163
00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:38,120
So we hug each other. Matthew and I go into the hotel. We meet my dad up in the room.

164
00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:46,680
He gives us these Czech wafers, which are very popular and famous in Prague and in the Czech Republic.

165
00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:52,760
They are everywhere and very traditional, very delicious, very good.

166
00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:57,080
We took a couple of pictures, which I don't know where they are now.

167
00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:01,080
I would have to look in my archives again to maybe locate that picture.

168
00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:05,240
He talked to me and my dad for some time and my dad was really impressed with him.

169
00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:15,160
I remember my dad said he is such a nice gentleman. He's very well mannered and Mary Grace, he really seems to take an interest in you.

170
00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:21,280
And of course, I'm thinking, but I like Liam. I don't like Matthew. I like Liam.

171
00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:28,640
Yes, Matthew is warm and yeah, he's showing interest, but I don't like him.

172
00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:33,840
I think we can all relate to this situation. I don't know. I just didn't like him like that.

173
00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:44,000
But anyway, he made a good impression. We didn't get a lot of time together because again, when we spend only two or two and a half days in Prague, we don't have time.

174
00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:54,320
So that made me a little bit sad. But seeing him at all was just wonderful and a really, really, really nice addition to the very first time I ever went to Prague.

175
00:13:54,320 --> 00:14:05,400
He hung around the hotel for some time and eventually he left because we had to go on a free walking tour that I believe Liam had found for us to take.

176
00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:11,160
Liam joined on that tour. It was still the first day. We took a three hour free walking tour.

177
00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:19,280
This was my first introduction to free walking tours around Europe. I had no idea what a free walking tour was.

178
00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:27,840
You can give whatever tip money you want to the tour guide. I don't really know if the US has very many of those.

179
00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:34,040
It is not so widespread like Europe. So this was a nice discovery. Went on this walking tour.

180
00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:38,160
It was interesting. Went around the old town, saw the sights.

181
00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:45,800
And I believe it was the first day that for lunch, my dad and I and Liam went to McDonald's.

182
00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:52,000
I don't know why we go all the way to Prague to go to McDonald's. We can get that in the US.

183
00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:57,800
But anyway, we went to McDonald's. I remember my dad bought lunch for me and Liam.

184
00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:05,200
I don't even remember what we had. Chicken nuggets, fries, just usual stuff. We felt like kids.

185
00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:12,200
So we had our happy meal McDonald's lunch. And then eventually we make our way to the old town again.

186
00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:16,720
And we experienced the magical, wonderful Christmas market.

187
00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:23,200
As I had mentioned, this was my very first Christmas market in Europe that I ever experienced.

188
00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:29,400
So I didn't know what to expect. I was just following along. So we go to the Christmas market.

189
00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:36,160
I immediately fall in love with this place. I remember seeing this really massive, beautiful Christmas tree

190
00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:42,760
in the main square of Prague in the old town in front of the teen church.

191
00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:49,360
I remember the stalls. I remember seeing decorations on all the stalls. I remember everything.

192
00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:53,680
I remember the lights. I remember that feeling in the air.

193
00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:59,560
I remember what it was like to discover mulled wine or grue vine for the very first time.

194
00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:06,160
I hadn't had a clue what that was. Hot mulled wine. Whoever invented that is a genius.

195
00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:12,920
I remember this was also the time that I learned what tredelnik was, which in English is chimney cake.

196
00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:19,960
So I remember the hot mulled wine. I remember the tredelnik, the smell of chimney cake in the air.

197
00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:28,920
I just remember it being very crowded, understandably, because it was a really beautiful, fun, delicious filled place.

198
00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:35,080
So we experienced the Christmas market for that first night. And I think we just parted ways.

199
00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:44,640
It was not that special, but it's more so the second day and the second night that gets more intense, which will be getting too soon.

200
00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:51,160
On the second day, Liam came to our hotel again, met my dad and me. We just did more sightseeing.

201
00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:58,040
We went and saw the astronomical clock, which if you have been to Prague or you are in Prague,

202
00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:02,760
it's just something that you need to see. Then we went out for lunch somewhere again.

203
00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:08,320
I don't remember where, but as the day goes on, we want to go to the Christmas market again.

204
00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:13,360
My dad at this point was really exhausted, really tired.

205
00:17:13,360 --> 00:17:20,920
He was really, really tired because of the stress in finagling the flights on standby to get us to Prague,

206
00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:30,120
along probably with the time difference and along with just the entire effort of being able to again, make it to Prague in the first place.

207
00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:36,800
On that second night, he did not want to come to the Christmas market. He wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep.

208
00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:42,040
So he told me, yes, you can go with Liam by yourself. That's OK.

209
00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:48,160
I mean, I was 19. It's not like I was 10 years old. But again, it's a foreign country. You never know.

210
00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:51,840
So my dad went back to the hotel and this is where the fun starts.

211
00:17:51,840 --> 00:18:01,120
I think it was this second night that I wore this ridiculous outfit all around Prague and I got left at Forest.

212
00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:07,480
But we'll get to that in a minute. Liam and I go to the Christmas market, do the same thing basically as the day before,

213
00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:12,040
got hot mulled wine, got trére le nique, good stuff.

214
00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:17,320
At some point it got late and Liam asked me if I wanted to see his apartment,

215
00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:20,880
which again, it was not that far from the old town.

216
00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:26,200
And yeah, I wanted to steal all the time I could with this crush of mine.

217
00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:30,160
So, yes, please. Yes, I would love to see your place.

218
00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:38,840
So we start walking out of the old town. I remember as we were walking out, he started laughing and I'm looking over.

219
00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:42,480
And of course, I'm wondering what is so funny.

220
00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:46,840
So I asked him, what are you laughing at? What's so funny?

221
00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:54,120
And he at first didn't look at me and he kind of did something like, oh, nothing, nothing, no, nothing, nothing.

222
00:18:54,120 --> 00:18:57,840
He's like smiling as he's saying, nothing, nothing, nothing.

223
00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:00,000
I mean, not like that, but you understand.

224
00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:07,600
And of course, if you tell a girl, especially nothing, that's not going to be the end of the conversation.

225
00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:12,000
So I asked him again, no, what was so funny? Tell me.

226
00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:22,720
And then he says, well, there was a group of Czech girls that just passed us and they were laughing at you and your Santa hat.

227
00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:29,520
This is one of those moments where I was really an oblivious American walking around Prague,

228
00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:35,920
thinking that I look so cute and that I'm in Christmas colors and look at me, I'm so flashy.

229
00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:40,880
No, that was not a good idea. That was really embarrassing.

230
00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:51,640
I was basically wearing a red coat with red gloves and a Santa hat and this red and green and white scarf.

231
00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:57,320
Like, really, I was a fucking Santa Christmas elf. It was horrible.

232
00:19:57,320 --> 00:19:59,760
Of course, now I'm not offended. It's OK.

233
00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:03,240
Honestly, looking at me, I would have laughed at me, too.

234
00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:05,120
I didn't even notice the girls.

235
00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:08,440
Honestly, the girls laughing at me didn't bother me.

236
00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:16,200
What bothered me was here I am in the middle of Prague and I'm here with my crush and my crush is fucking laughing at me

237
00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:23,800
because I'm wearing a damn Santa hat and I'm looking like a fucking Christmas elf walking around this damn city.

238
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:28,040
Like, here I am. My crush is laughing at me. Stop laughing at me.

239
00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:36,880
I am pretty sure at the time I took that Santa hat and I found a garbage can somewhere in the old town as we were leaving.

240
00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:40,320
And I threw that Santa hat in the trash.

241
00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:43,920
I never wore a Santa hat anywhere again.

242
00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:51,840
Getting laughed at for being dressed like a Christmas Santa elf was not on my list of to do's for Prague.

243
00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,320
It's a funny story now, but at the time I was not laughing.

244
00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:58,800
We walked back to Liam's apartment. We go up some stairs.

245
00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:04,680
His roommate is in their apartment because he at the time he shared his apartment with his roommate.

246
00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:09,280
He didn't introduce us, but that's fine. His roommate was busy doing other stuff.

247
00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:13,720
So Liam and I went to his room and Liam had a little present for me.

248
00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:18,240
He gave me this beautiful Prague souvenir mug.

249
00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:28,520
I unfortunately don't have that mug to this day because that same night I ended up dropping it and breaking it on stairs.

250
00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:34,240
My crush gave me this beautiful mug and I broke it.

251
00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:38,520
Woo. After he gave me the mug, I thought that was really sweet.

252
00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:42,440
I noticed he had a guitar in the corner of his room.

253
00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:49,320
In the past, he had been in a band and so I think I asked if he would play something and I think he did.

254
00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:55,480
I think it made me like him even more thinking, oh, you can really play guitar.

255
00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:57,960
So I got the mug. He played guitar.

256
00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:04,640
We just sat on his bed and we just talked and at some point he laid down.

257
00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:08,440
I was thinking, OK, well, I'm sitting here on the edge of the bed.

258
00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:10,880
I kind of want to lay down with him, too.

259
00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:16,600
I laid down with him like we were we were on our stomachs and I don't remember what conversation we had.

260
00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:21,000
But I think it was at that point that I wanted to kiss him.

261
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:25,880
I think I was pretty audacious. I think I even said to his face, I want to kiss you.

262
00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:29,360
I wanted to kiss him if I didn't say it, then my body language said it.

263
00:22:29,360 --> 00:22:33,160
I don't think he did anything at first.

264
00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:36,240
I think that he wasn't feeling it.

265
00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:40,240
But eventually he did kiss me and I was so thrilled.

266
00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:44,560
I was thinking, yes, I'm in Prague and I got my crush to kiss me.

267
00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:47,640
And it's Christmas time. This is so romantic.

268
00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:52,080
Oh, like in my head, I was just coming up with this fairy tale of my own.

269
00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:54,800
I stayed with Liam for some hours.

270
00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:58,120
No, nothing promiscuous happened.

271
00:22:58,120 --> 00:23:02,520
But we did get very physically close, like it was really cold outside.

272
00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:06,200
And we got under his covers and we just snuggled and talked.

273
00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:11,760
And I told Liam how much I didn't want to leave Prague, how I just wanted to stay there with him.

274
00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:14,400
I didn't want to go back to Georgia.

275
00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:21,960
I just remember being in his bed and I remember just thinking this is the coolest thing ever.

276
00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:25,720
I never could have imagined that it would be this good.

277
00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:29,960
And again, nothing risque, nothing promiscuous happened.

278
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:39,800
I was literally just cuddling with this crush of mine in this tiny cozy apartment in Prague right before Christmas.

279
00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:43,240
Why would I have wanted to leave that behind?

280
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:50,520
I didn't. It was actually the night before my dad and I were supposed to leave to come back to the US.

281
00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:59,360
The original plan was for my dad and I to catch a 9 a.m. flight from Prague to I don't even remember where.

282
00:23:59,360 --> 00:24:04,760
Prague to somewhere and then from Frankfurt to go to Georgia.

283
00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:07,120
Well, that's not what happened.

284
00:24:07,120 --> 00:24:11,080
There I am with Liam. I think it's like one in the morning at this point.

285
00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:16,160
I like a lot of time had just gone by and we just it passed so fast.

286
00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:21,800
And we were just cuddling and just talking and kissing and like very innocent stuff.

287
00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:29,920
My dad text me at one something in the morning and says, Mary Grace, we need to change our flights.

288
00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:34,520
You need to come back now as soon and as fast as you can.

289
00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:43,160
We have to take a 6 a.m. flight now from Prague to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to New York, New York to Atlanta.

290
00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:48,640
We will not be able to get home if we don't take the 6 a.m. flight.

291
00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:52,160
So you need to come back to the hotel now.

292
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:58,120
And of course, I'm thinking, oh, no, my fairy tale is ending.

293
00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:01,960
I don't want to leave like this is my fairy tale.

294
00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:04,760
Why is it being snatched from me?

295
00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:11,440
So I told Liam the situation I said, I have to go back to the hotel.

296
00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:15,840
My dad says we have a 6 a.m. flight. We have to take it.

297
00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:21,040
My dad has to work on Christmas Eve so we can't postpone.

298
00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:26,760
And he understood, I think at the time, or at least by that point, he was feeling the same as me.

299
00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:30,960
I don't think he really wanted me to necessarily leave either.

300
00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:32,880
So we left his apartment.

301
00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:36,240
This is the time when I dropped the damn bug.

302
00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:39,040
And unfortunately, yeah, that mug went bye bye.

303
00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:45,040
Never again. We got on a streetcar that was very close to Liam's apartment.

304
00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:49,560
It was deserted outside like no body.

305
00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:52,040
I mean, it was two in the morning at this point.

306
00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:53,640
We were walking around Prague.

307
00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:57,280
We eventually walked in the old town again.

308
00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:00,680
And I just remember seeing the Prague Castle at night.

309
00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:03,080
It was just all lit up in gold.

310
00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:08,280
And I remember just seeing the entire landscape of the city all lit up.

311
00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:11,320
Nobody around except me and Liam, my crush.

312
00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,000
You could not get more romantic than this.

313
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:18,960
Anyway, got on the streetcar. Liam took me back to the hotel.

314
00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,920
I remember getting off the streetcar and it was freezing cold.

315
00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:28,760
And I remember standing in front of the hotel with Liam and having to say goodbye.

316
00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:33,640
And that was so difficult to do. That was heart wrenching.

317
00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:37,320
I almost wanted to cry. I think at that point, I was just like,

318
00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:39,360
I'm not going to see you tomorrow.

319
00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:42,040
I'm not going to see you next week or next month.

320
00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:44,840
I don't live anywhere close to Prague.

321
00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:46,640
I'm so far away.

322
00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:50,680
And of course, I had no idea if I would even see him ever again.

323
00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:54,680
So you can imagine the emotions are high, very intense.

324
00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:57,560
I was feeling all sorts of ways.

325
00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:01,880
I just stood there in the cold with Liam outside of this hotel.

326
00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:04,040
I was just trying to stall.

327
00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:09,320
I was trying to push the time as far as I could to not lose any of it.

328
00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:11,520
I didn't want to. I just didn't want to leave.

329
00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:16,120
So Liam and I were standing in front of the hotel and I think I said goodbye

330
00:27:16,120 --> 00:27:20,040
maybe 10 times and I gave him this very tight hug.

331
00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:23,480
And he gave me a tight hug back, several of them.

332
00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:27,600
And I remember he kissed me a few times on my forehead

333
00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:29,520
because he was quite a bit taller than me.

334
00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:32,480
I think I was probably up to about his shoulder.

335
00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:37,560
And eventually we did say goodbye and it really was the last goodbye.

336
00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:41,040
I went in the hotel. It was like two something.

337
00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:46,760
The flight was at 6 a.m. to Amsterdam and I wasn't going to go to sleep.

338
00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:52,160
I don't think I could go to sleep with all of the high emotions and intense

339
00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:57,720
everything that I was feeling on top of the limited and very condensed time crunch.

340
00:27:57,720 --> 00:27:59,000
I just couldn't sleep.

341
00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:00,680
So I don't think I slept.

342
00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:06,000
And I think at three o'clock my dad and I started hauling ass to the airport

343
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:08,840
because it was two days before Christmas.

344
00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:14,480
And we were, of course, having to fight all sorts of standby chaos at airports.

345
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:17,560
We got to the airport. We flew to Amsterdam.

346
00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:23,000
I think I probably slept on that flight because I had a little bit of opportunity.

347
00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:30,400
I don't remember that flight specifically, but what I do remember is the flight from Amsterdam to New York.

348
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:38,560
And that is when my feelings of heartbreak and this long distance shit really started hitting the fan.

349
00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:42,960
And I really was starting to feel all of these very sad emotions.

350
00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:45,840
I remember on the flight, I was trying not to cry.

351
00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:51,960
I was trying to like turn my head so that my dad wouldn't see me cry or wouldn't see me tear up.

352
00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,440
But I was just so deep in my emotions.

353
00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:58,040
I'm young, but I was really young at the time.

354
00:28:58,040 --> 00:28:59,440
I was 19.

355
00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:08,040
I hadn't really had a lot of experience with any sort of love or any sort of intimacy, any sort of relationship stuff.

356
00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:14,160
So when you get cut for the very first time, of course, it's going to sting like hell.

357
00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,200
You've never been cut before.

358
00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:18,160
And that's kind of what this felt like.

359
00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:28,480
I also just remember that Amsterdam to New York flight, listening to Ed Sheeran's thinking out loud over and over and over again,

360
00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:31,920
because I think 2014 was the year that that song came out.

361
00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:37,520
But that song was stuck on repeat and it was inducing all sorts of tears.

362
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,160
And I was just like, oh, no.

363
00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:42,320
So, yeah, that flight was rough.

364
00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:45,960
And then when I got to Atlanta, I spent the next few days.

365
00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:48,760
I mean, it was Christmas Eve, then Christmas Day.

366
00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:52,280
And then after Christmas Day, I did talk to Liam again.

367
00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:54,760
I think it was on Facebook Messenger.

368
00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:58,280
I told him, Liam, I really like you.

369
00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:00,520
You know, I wish we could have a relationship.

370
00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:03,520
I would love to at least try it.

371
00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:11,720
And he seemed kind of distant or at least he I didn't feel he was putting in that same energy that I was.

372
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:20,360
And then he told me after that, oh, I'm sorry, I'm just I'm still just getting over my ex from earlier this year

373
00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:24,840
because he had broken up with another girl just months before I came to Prague.

374
00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:29,680
And then eventually the reality came along not too long after.

375
00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:33,040
And he told me, I don't want to do long distance.

376
00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:42,080
I want to be with somebody who I can be close to physically, who I can wake up in the morning and see first thing.

377
00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:47,840
I want to be with somebody who I can watch movies with, who I can go out with.

378
00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:51,600
But with us, we can only talk.

379
00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:53,760
We can only talk.

380
00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:57,400
That's it. And I knew deep down that he was right.

381
00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,040
But I didn't want to see that reality, though.

382
00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:06,720
I wanted him to have some sort of resilience, some sort of hope, some sort of desire to try.

383
00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:08,000
But he didn't have that.

384
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:15,800
There is a good five thousand miles of land or ocean between us.

385
00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,840
How the hell was I going to manage that?

386
00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:22,960
And I know that you may be thinking, well, your dad had flight benefits.

387
00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:25,080
You could have just went to see him.

388
00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:31,520
That never happened because my dad actually, unfortunately, lost his job with Delta,

389
00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:34,120
I think, a month after this Prague story happened.

390
00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:35,840
All of his benefits were lost.

391
00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:39,280
And as a byproduct, I essentially lost the benefits.

392
00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:41,520
The beginning of 2015 was rough.

393
00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:46,320
Twenty fifteen. I was also losing some friends at the beginning of that year.

394
00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:52,920
I had a roommate in college who hated me, which, yeah, that's another story for another day.

395
00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:58,200
I had this crush who was on the other side of the world and I couldn't even go see him.

396
00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:01,320
My dad had lost his job. Like it was just everything.

397
00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:06,400
I wanted some sort of outlet, some sort of hope to see Liam again.

398
00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:10,320
I didn't get that. In the end, we remained friends.

399
00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:12,560
We still know each other to this day.

400
00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:17,000
I have no idea if he is going to see or listen to this podcast.

401
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:22,560
I'm really happy that things didn't go above the level of friendship,

402
00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:25,880
because I don't think we would be friends today.

403
00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:29,480
I don't think we would talk at all if something had happened.

404
00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:35,320
I also look back on that time and I realize that, OK, had we been together,

405
00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:40,120
I don't think it would have worked out knowing what I know now.

406
00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:46,800
Me not being 19 anymore, me not being in my feelings and being infatuated with this cute guy

407
00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:50,200
who I think is so interesting and cool.

408
00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:56,320
I don't think it would have worked because we actually met seven years later in 2021

409
00:32:56,320 --> 00:33:00,240
just for the purpose of brevity. We met briefly in 2021.

410
00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:04,760
I realized after meeting him that things would not have worked even if we had tried.

411
00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:10,800
I don't think that with his personality and my personality that we would have given each other

412
00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:13,560
what we needed in terms of a relationship.

413
00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:17,440
He didn't have this same curiosity of the world as I did.

414
00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:20,320
And also the language barrier in Prague.

415
00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:26,360
Like I would have had to learn Czech, which is OK, but it would have been very difficult.

416
00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:31,040
There are just so many things now when I look back that, yeah,

417
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:36,760
I did not know that at the time when I was 19, even though Liam and I did not end up together.

418
00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:39,760
I am so happy that I tried.

419
00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:45,000
I'm so happy that I was audacious, that I took a chance,

420
00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:50,120
that I said what I felt in the moment, and it didn't destroy me.

421
00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:56,120
That just gets you one step closer to finding somebody who will reciprocate those feelings,

422
00:33:56,120 --> 00:34:00,320
who will appreciate you and give you what you need. All of those things.

423
00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:07,160
In the years after this story happened, I have always tried to apply this same mentality to traveling,

424
00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:10,360
discovering the world, meeting people, job opportunities.

425
00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:18,880
I really tried to incorporate this, do this for today moment because you don't know what's happening tomorrow kind of thing.

426
00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:23,720
And I think for the most part, this has fared well in the last 10 years.

427
00:34:23,720 --> 00:34:31,040
I've gotten to see many beautiful countries because of this attitude and mindset of, oh, what if there is no tomorrow?

428
00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:36,920
What if I don't have that chance later in life? What if, what if, what if I really love Prague?

429
00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:40,880
I really would love to go back at Christmas time one day.

430
00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:48,480
So if you are single and it's Christmas time when you're seeing this and you have a love interest or you have a crush,

431
00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:55,280
go and talk to that person, go and ask that person to grab coffee with you, go for a walk somewhere,

432
00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:59,200
go to the mall and go out for lunch or whatever.

433
00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:02,480
You really never know where in the world that is going to take you.

434
00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:13,560
And it's with these words that I'm going to end this and start wrapping up our episode today of my little mini Christmas Prague fairy tale 10 years ago.

435
00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:22,200
If you have a Christmas crush or love story that you'd really like to share, please message me on Instagram at once upon a trip dot PC.

436
00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:28,320
Or you can message me directly on my host Instagram account at Mary Grace Crawford.

437
00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:31,080
I really would love to hear your story.

438
00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:37,400
I think it's always fascinating to hear about what many people around the holidays experience.

439
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:41,720
Please don't be shy. Please send me a message. I would really love to hear from you.

440
00:35:41,720 --> 00:35:49,000
Please give this show a five star review. If you have not done so already, that would really mean a great deal to me as well.

441
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:55,200
Thank you so much for tuning in today and for sticking through to this point in the episode.

442
00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:59,960
If you are still here, I wish you a Merry Christmas. Happy holidays.

443
00:35:59,960 --> 00:36:08,200
Happy Hanukkah. If you are celebrating Hanukkah, happy holidays in general and be brave this holiday season.

444
00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:13,400
I believe in you. You can do it. I hope you enjoyed and I hope you took something away.

445
00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:23,080
I hope you were entertained. I look forward to being back here with you next Tuesday for another fun, adventurous trip of an episode.

446
00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:30,120
I will tune in with you again next week.