Chapter Fourteen
I wake up to the sound of church bells ringing out from somewhere in the distance and realise how Christmassy I feel. I never believed it would happen, but Prague has awoken my Christmas spirit, something I thought had been lost forever. I feel like a child waiting for Santa as I know that today I will finally visit the real-life castle from my snow globe. It seems Dewi was right, as usual, and that the best things are worth waiting for, even if I have been impatient.
Tomas meets me immediately after breakfast to take me to the castle. He has already made me aware that he has to be home in the afternoon to prepare the Christmas feast for this evening, so it seems I will have to spend the afternoon sightseeing alone. I am getting quite used to his company now and can’t help but feel slightly disappointed that I’ll be alone. But the sight of the castle soon makes me forget about any disappointment as it comes into full view when we walk through the sixteenth-century gardens and then further along to what Tomas calls ‘Powder Bridge’, which he says has something to do with it being where they kept the gunpowder. It is so handy having someone with me who knows everything. My own personal tour guide.
Two guards stand to attention as we head into the courtyard.
‘Wow, they look like wooden Christmas nutcracker figures,’ I say.
‘Oh, that reminds me. I have something for you,’ says Tomas. He goes into his pocket and pulls something out. He hands me a ticket.
‘What’s this?’
‘Well, I’ll be busy this afternoon, so I thought you may like it.’
I read the ticket and see that it is for a ballet at the Broadway Theatre. They are performingThe Nutcracker! Well, that certainly wasn’t on Dewi’s itinerary.
‘No way? A ballet on Christmas Eve?’
‘I hope you like ballet?’
‘Oh, Tomas, my aunt always took me to see a ballet at Christmas when I was young. It’s like you knew. This is such a precious gift.’
I hold the ticket tightly in my hand, terrified that it will blow away. It feels as cherished as a Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.
Instinctively, I lean over to hug him and give him a kiss on his cheek. He leans in, and I feel something in my heart that I never thought I would again. I realise that I am becoming a little too fond of Tomas. This mustn’t happen, so I quickly step back, look away and try to return to being more formal with him.
‘Wow, this is an amazing gift. Thank you very much.’
Looking up to the sky, I can see the clouds have turned darker, and the air seems to have warmed up a little. I think of Aunt Grace’s words about it not snowing when it is too cold. Then, a wet blob lands on my cheek, followed by another as I look up. When I look at Tomas, he has something on his eyelash. I lift my hand to brush it away. It is a little snowflake!
‘It’s snowing!’
‘Wonderful, isn’t it,’ says Tomas.
In the castle courtyard, I dance around with my head facing up towards the sky, waiting for the snowflakes to land on my face. It feels as though the snow globe has come alive!
‘So, do you want to do the tour or shall we dance in the snow?’ asks Tomas.
I look around and notice that people are trying to get to the next part of the castle grounds as I dance about, oblivious to everything surrounding me.
‘Ooh, sorry. I got a bit carried away then. I’ve always been a sucker for snow.’
Inside the Old Royal Palace, Tomas tells me it is one of the oldest places in Prague. I look up at the Gothic vaulted ceiling in the hall in amazement. I use my imagination to picture the lavish banquets that must have been held in here.
As we move along, we arrive at the cathedral within the grounds. With all the excitement of today, I find myself struggling to concentrate as Tomas tells me a snippet of information about the carving on the front of the building, honouring some bankers who financed the completion of the cathedral. Perhaps I should have offered something like that as a conciliatory gesture back at the mill to pacify the electrical supplier if things were to get worse. Then Tomas points out a magnificent stained-glass window with the bank’s emblem. Somehow, I don’t think my local branch would take that instead of collateral. We then walk up the almost 300 steps to the cathedral’s tower and look across at snow-tipped spires across the city. The view is worth the workout on my thighs, and I vow to never complain about the steps to Albert’s again.
The snow has stopped by the time we get back down and walk a little further where we come across cute little houses that soldiers used to live in. They are pink and blue and such pretty colours that they remind me of a main street near where I live, in a place called Llandeilo. It once again occurs to me that I haven’t thought half as much about home as I thought I would. There are only forty-eight hours until I am due to fly home, and as I look across to Tomas, I realise I am no longer in any hurry to leave. Before I can think further about how fond I have grown of him, Tomas looks at his watch and says we must leave right away.
‘Yes, of course,’ I smile, even though I am slightly disappointed that we have to rush off.
‘Come, we have to get to the main gate quickly.’
I rush behind Tomas, realising that he has to get home and try to keep up with his power walk.
When we get to the main gate, he stops amidst crowds of people standing around.
‘What’s everyone waiting for?’ I ask.
