On Thursday, our final day in Prague, we woke up and left the hotel in our workshop groups. Nate’s group went to the Communist Cafe and Natalie’s group went to a quaint cafe near the hotel (after discovering, much to our disappointment, that the Cat Cafe was closed). Over coffees and a few sweet treats, we worked on the pieces for the final reading and met one-on-one with Natalie and B.J. to discuss final edits.  In the afternoon, the groups came together at the Astronomical Clock tower in the Old Town Square for one final chance to soak up the city and shop at the nearby stores.

In the evening, all 17 of us walked the streets of Prague, final pieces in hand. We arrived at the Franz Kafka Society to find the room decorated with bright streamers and glowing candles (Natalie, Olivia, and Elodie had arrived early to decorate the space). The support and interest for each piece made the night one we will never forget. As a special treat, the leaders had arranged for our final dinner to be at the restaurant Eska, one of our favorite stops on the food tour. When we arrived at the hip location, we were surprised to see Jan (who runs the Taste of Prague food tour and led one of the two groups last week). We said our goodbyes to Jan and went upstairs to the dining area. After listening to and reciting our work, we were all excited for the seven course meal that awaited us. Many of us tried new food such as beef tartar, fermented corn lemonade, roasted pumpkin, chicken in corn puree, vegetables in anchovy sauce, and a curd dish (definitely my least favorite, but some girls enjoyed it!). We ended our meal with some delicious ice cream. Our community meeting that night was bittersweet as we discussed travel plans for the next day. A group hug at the end of the night was a perfect conclusion to our trip. The thought of leaving our friends was hard, but many of us were already discussing times when we can visit each other. And many of us are excited to get back home to our friends, family, and pets.

—Morgan Held

The last day of our trip of a lifetime, Putney’s Writing in Prague 2016, was spent writing, eating, and laughing. During the earlier parts of the day, we were feverishly scrambling to comb out the snarls in our final reading pieces (while still sneaking in good food and coffee in between). Finally, we emailed them to our leaders to be printed, and took our final break in Old Town Square. After getting our full, we headed back to the hotel to make ourselves look “final reading ready”.

The final reading took place in the Kafka Society Library, and as Kafka’s portrait stared at us down from its place between the bookshelves, I could have sworn I saw a satisfied expression on his black-and-white face as we read our pieces. So, as this trip comes to its end, I would like to say (as I stand up on a desk), “O captain(s), my captain(s).” Thank you, Natalie, Nate, and BJ for making this trip one to remember.

—Emma Hincher