Prague...Czech it out!

(Ok, I came up with this blog title BEFORE I saw the same cheesy logo on a T-shirt!)

Maybe it is just my Czech roots but I felt a deep connection to Prague. It was cold and rainy the whole weekend...I can't imagine how beautiful it must be on a sunny day! It was amazing, even in the gray, rainy weather. Now, to say Prague is amazing is like saying a Renoir is a 'nice painting'; I don't think words (or even pictures) can really do Prague justice. There is so much intricacy and detail that it is hard to know what to point your camera at. My camera broke the second day, but I am kind of glad because it gave me a chance to stop looking through the camera and just absorb the city. I went to Charles Bridge, St Vitus Cathedral (unbelievable), the Loreta (they don't let you take pictures there), Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock (large crowds gather to see the saints come out on the clock on the hour), Powder Gate, St. Wenceslas Square (no pics, camera was broken at this time). I definitely didn't get to see or do all that I wanted...but at least I got to visit a city I have always wanted to see and definitely want to go back to.

The buildings in part of Prague still have their original identifiers (they weren't numbered until much later) so it was fun finding and 'collecting' all the different signs: two suns, the red lamb, the golden key, a golden panther and many others (I never did see the green lobster though).

The food was unbelievable in Prague...not exactly a capital of healthy cuisine though. I ordered a traditional Czech dish, Smažený Sýr (fried cheese), for dinner my first night. Now, lest you think this is just cheese sticks like you would get at your local TGI Friday's let me set the record straight: this is a meal consisting of 3 or 4 different types of big wedges of fried cheeses...and it comes with a side of tartar sauce and french fries. It is meant to be enjoyed without thinking about calorie content or cholesterol! Needless to say, I wanted something a little lighter my second day...but I did get to try a few local pastries...some kind of nut pastry was really good!

I did some souvenir shopping during the heavier bouts of rain and got my Dad a Father's Day present (or two). Also had to buy a new camera because I have one month and a few more trips before I come home. On Sunday morning when getting ready to leave Prague I saw on CNN Interational: Orlando Magic made it to the NBA Finals! It is so cool to see good news about your home town when you are in a foreign country.