Praha

When someone tells you to “Get Lost,” they are actually saying in a brisk way “hey, you should go to Prague. You’re really going to enjoy it!” The city was constructed long before there was a “civil engineering” major as there appears to be no rationale to the random spray of the streets. The cobblestone roads don’t make for the best running trail and the towering walls lining the street limit the view… so you can imagine the surprise by the concierge when I inquired about the best running route.

Undaunted, I went for a run early in the morning before must of the city woke from their slumber. The panorama from the Prague Castle and then from the petrinksa was overwhelming… like seriously overwhelming… just one of those moments in life where all the axons are spontaneously firing. The lack of sleep or any other slight issues that had been dogging me just seemed so trivial up there.

Lots of the cities we’ve visited have amazing rivers coursing right through their heart. Prague also has a river… but it seems more like a stagnant lake under the Charles bridge. We were about to play a game of Pooh Sticks before we realized that we might be stuck there for the entire afternoon to determine a winner. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poohsticks)

I’m finding it quite difficult to find an opportunity to drink water on this leg of the trip. The beers here are half the cost of water (and they don’t serve free tap water) and less expensive than soda. So what did I have for breakfast? An omelet with a half liter of beer. For lunch? Pasta with gnocci and salmon with a couple half liters of beer. Oh, and our patented cheese plate or deep fried camembert or brie. For dinner? Hmmm, I think goulash, along with a couple more handles of beer. Saving money and intoxicated without drinking 40’s! Since we were so thrifty during the day, I figured I could splurge on a nice aperitif, absinthe. They say it is legal and not a hallucinogenic, but I haven’t had dreams this screwed up since watching the movie Kids.