On the train to Prague...

Today is a day of mostly travel. It turns out that this train is the milk-run that eventually ends in Prague, so a 4 hour trip is what we're looking at. Already, simply transitioning from Germany to the Czech Republic, I can see a difference in the architecture and certainly the condition of the train station/train. It's not as bad as it could be, but it's grimy.

I'm being a little antisocial on this ride, so I shut the curtains to our cabin. It doesn't mean people can't join us, but it has deterred company so far... plus the train has only about one cars worth of people taking up 8 cars, so I don't feel like I'm accruing any real bad karma from it all... yet...

Rothenburg was a lovely stop for us. As quaint as I remember. The food was good, the sights were beautiful, and even though the room had the toilet down the hall, it wasn't much further that it would be in most homes. We were ironically only one street further than where our family stayed 15 years ago when my parents brought Carmen and I there. I even showed Jon the garage door that I was amazed had space for 8+ cars under the building.

I can imagine that the place would be SO much busier in the summer. There were Zimmer's Frei (free rooms) everywhere we looked, and we could have easily stayed out of the walled area and saved $20+/night, but the Adams Family atmosphere of the Raidel guesthouse we were in certainly helped make a memory or two. I'd ask for a room on the back of the house next time, as horses and cars going by echoed perfectly into our room amplifying the sound as it bounced it's way up to our third floor window.

Arrival in Prague...

Jon got it right – the countryside is a lot more bleak than it seems to be in the city. There is one thing that was neat to look for in particular though... there are little 'cabins' of sorts called chatas, which look to be generally no bigger than one small room. These are apparently a tradition of Praguers so they can have a project to work on, a way to express themselves, a place to garden or even mushroom hunt (according to wikitravel.org anyways). This tradition started long enough ago that many are pieced together and will be anything from a shack to a multi-story dwelling. I guess some people even take to living in them for longer amounts of time so they can rent out their city flats to people who can afford to pay inflated prices.

These little huts are so darned cool! Like a grown-ups playhouse of sorts. They were the highlight of the trip here.

I'm guessing that all the windows we see are actually the windows of offices and stores, as 95% of them are dark right now. The stained glass structure looks like a series of vertical windows topped off with a geometric dome. It's lit, and if it stays on all night will serve as a bit of a nightlight in our flat.

This apartment, by the way, rocks. It's newly renovated, has satellite TV (we have yet to find anything in English, mind you) a little stereo/cd deck, coffee maker, kettle, two burners, inset counter fridge (2x3), hair dryer (YES!), tub, futon, and an ikeaish bed/furniture set. It's awesome. The elevator is one that would scare Mom, and the 40 stairs may be necessary if someone is in it... I did indeed refuse to go in it WITH Jon and all our bags, and cursed him as he left the door open which means it wouldn't come back down. He learned.

We are no less than 50 steps from Old Town Square. It's amazing. The spires, statues, astronomical clock, churches – all mashed into one large square. Then, it's only a short block to Wencesles Square, which is more of a long rectangle, which has some great window shopping, clubs, eateries, finer restaurants, and souvenir shops. I already want tons of the jewelery, but will have to restrain myself.

Our tour temptation: 3 hour Segway Tour of Prague. Oh yeah. Jon would be SO giddy. It's worth the $100 each, right?

Also, maybe a massage. I could totally write that off with the part of my health care that accomodates massages etc, I'm sure. I'm so sore from lifting the backpack up onto my body (carrying it is fine, it's the off/on process that's killing me) and my wrists/hands feel like they are in full carpel tunnel – I thought not being at work would cure me of my ever constant tendency to carpel tunnel, but NO. I'm WORKING on this vacation – it's my body doing the work dammit. Thank goodness I'm in Europe or I'd be all whiney ;-)

This is a city where stores/clubs/restaurants recruit their business. It seems already that a solid (stereotype?) trend is that this recruitment is carried out by, likely underpaid, Eastern African men. We were invited to a club with no cover (still! You think I'd pay!?) and to a Karaoke bar, and then Jon had some flowers shoved in his face so he could be all romantic for me – he told the guy I hated flowers. There were others too – so we've decided to come up with witty but not nasty retorts and to make it a bit of a challenge this week.

Jon's improved retort for the flower guy (of course thought of later) was that I would eat them and because of that the purchase would be a waste. I think the two+ beer helped him come up with that one. I'm sure we'll get to try it out again.

I can tell I'm going to enjoy Prague. It's just stunning – and hopefully continues to be even though it is threatening to rain. Off to bed now!