Previously, George reflected on the painful loss of his wife Valeria while drinking a traditional cocktail at a legendary Los Angeles bar. Immersed in his lifelong love for the Beatles, he finalized his plans to fly to England to begin a therapeutic international pilgrimage. Read Chapter 13.
Chapter 14: Ari
Prague, Czech Republic– August 2025
Ari’s rainbow-colored backpack sagged from her shoulders, the straps digging into her collarbones. After cheering on the participants in the Prague PrideFest, she was out of energy. Her sixty-three-year old frame stumbled into the hostel. Younger guests lounging in bean bags eyed her. She glanced around, hoping some older hostelers might be around. Ari just wanted to open a beer, put her feet up, and relax. She’d been in seven archives in three years. Prague’s Society for Queer Memory would be the eighth. Whatever was in there, she’d find it tomorrow.
She opened Facebook and posted her picture at the LGTBQI parade. Immediately, the likes and loves buttons started counting approval from a community she helped build. She’d never married; she didn’t see the need. When she wanted companionship, she could always find it in this community that she loved.
She opened the Bolt app and searched for vegan food in Prague, ordered its specialty, a vegan potato goulash, and waited for its delivery. In her three years of full-time travel, she’d tried as many regional vegan foods as she could. Her favorite was the coconut curry vegetable dish of khao soi in Thailand. But she also adored the hummus of Turkiye and how the Turks served the spread with a million little dishes with olives, tapenades, and pickled carrots.
Ari opened her phone’s camera and took a picture. Old habits died hard. She’d spent a career scouting sets for English filmmakers. As a kid growing up in Liverpool, camera crews showed up everywhere, either filming for WWII scenes, Beatles history, or even the anger of the locals fighting the long arm of London politics. Her love for film peaked while roaming the backstreets of the UK in her beat-up Land Rover, looking for perfect settings. But when fake scenes could be created in a lab through CGI, she retired. She was no longer needed.
She titled the photo, “Grungy hostel scene, Prague.”
A chat message popped up on her phone. “Hey girl, where are you?” her friend Vicki asked.
She didn’t know Vicki in real life, but they had become friendly via their Nomad Life Facebook group. Occasionally they’d chat about ideas on where to travel. Since both were solo females and also full-time Nomads, they had tips to share.
“In Prague. Just enjoyed the parade. Thinking about heading to the Josefov Ghetto and then finishing the day at the astronomical clock. Have you been there?” asked Ari.
“The Jewish Quarter? Heavy stuff. You okay with that?”
