Prague

Dec. 21, 2000

First off, I want to say a big thank-you to Robby and Mila, my two tour guides who organized a great trip to the Czech Republic. I guess you could call it a birthday present, considering that we went on my Birthday and all. We took the bus, leaving Strasbourg at 1am, after having finished our TP1 the week before, our exams on the 19th and 20th and a night out drinking to celebrate. The bus was packed; every seat was full, and we were the only three people not carrying Czech or Slovak passports. And it arrived at 9am in Prague. Flashbacks of Toulouse, anyone?

Robby had found an amazing apartment up the hill near the castle, with a huge bedroom, a dining nook, and a great, fully equipped kitchen. We moved right in, had a nap, then went for a day on the town. First things - Czech is cheap - about a fifth of  what things cost anywhere else (beer is a dollar, groceries cost incredibly little, and so on). Second - there's tonnes of food - and it's all fatty, starchy and very yummy. This place was excellent. Throw in old buildings, most of the things that I was missing in Strasbourg (including kneidlach, latkes, and such), and we were grooving.

Zdar Nad Sazavou

Dec. 22 and 23, 2000
 

After only a day to get settled, Mila escorted us via train to the town in which she used to teach English. After an early wakeup, and a mad dash for the train, we got the tour of Zdar, a quaint little town off in the highlands two hours East of Prague. The carp sold on the sides of the streets, and the beauty/window dressing school were some of the highlights, as well as some nice churches and people playing hockey on thepond. To be honest, all of the sightseeing paled in comparison to the hospitality shown us by Mila's friends, who fed us everywhere we went (including a great meal at an old mill/restaurant), then supplied us with adequate amounts of beer, liquer, and the like. Brunch, for example, lasted about 3 hours, and introduced me to halushky, which I instantly became a fan of. Thanks also go to our Zdar hosts. The pictures are of Zelena Hora.

Prague, Part Deux

Dec. 23-26, 2000

Back in Praha, we became tourists, checking out the Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square (left), Wenceslas Square, the Jewish Quarter, and much more. The castle, which was right around the corner from us, was absolutely gorgeous, and fully decked out in  colour, including voluptuous pink. It was really nice to get out and walking, and there was no better place to do it. It was also nice to be able to come back to our nice, warm apartment and veg, cook, and such. This vegitating was fully aided by Mila's tortillas, and a huge X-mas turkey. What a great way to unwind and prepare myself for a week with the fam in London.