Czech us out

The Czech Republic has a lot to offer, including cheap eats, good beer, a nasty language, and charming cities. The biggest and best of these cities is Prague, the aggressively capitalistic capital that is making up for 45 years of communist oppression with the sales of shirts that shamelessly read, "Czech Mate," "reality Czech," or "Will you take a Czech?" Barf.

Bad puns aside, with rolling green hills and unspoiled forests encircling the "City of a thousand spires," Prague is awesome. Rick Steves says its his favorite place to take a stroll. Kate says she hates Rick Steves. But both agree that it's definitely worth a revisit - any takers?


On this trip we met up with Chicagoans Sarah Barnes and Paul Bhasin, a musical couple who were touring the towns in this small Eastern European country because of brass performances Paul was putting on. Their accompaniment (pun) was great and exciting and really allowed us focus on exploring for the sake of exploration, no strings attached.

Their visit didn't end on a high note, unfortunately, as Paul probably broke one of those small bones on his foot when he overestimated the adroitness of my balance. Yup, after we were both talking about how we each have put on a few pounds in the last couple months, Paul saw a grassy field and decided that he wanted to do some calisthenics - specifically, he wanted to imitate the circus performance of muscular and poised gymnasts by having me stand on his shoulders while he walked around.

Well, as you can see, flabbery will get you no where. I fell and the full force of my 180 lb. frame landed solely on the sole of his foot, bending it in an unnatural position and causing him tremendous pain for the remainder of his trip. Sorry, man. Next time we'll have to play chess or something.

OK, so getting back to Prague.... Known as Praha to the beer-drinking locals, Prague is possibly the most confusing town to navigate because of its small streets, masses of gawking tourists obscuring your view of street signs, and boisterous groups of Brits celebrating a Stag party in the rowdiest fashion. But, if you can make your way through it all and manage to abide by all the rules (like this sign that says, "no hackey-sacking!") then you'll find the beautiful sites that you're looking for.

One thing we were wary of was the artistry - the con artistry, that is. With capitalism came entrepreneurial con artists with inexplicable math skills who work at exchange booths and or who work as ordinary waiters that double charge your credit card. Although we think we survived unscathed, there were probably a couple times that danger, in one form or another, lurked ominously near - like in this picture where an unsuspecting Kate and Paul are oblivious to the danger of the imposing, carnivorous cathedral peaking over the facades of nearby buildings, ready to pounce and devour its favorite prey: young, lost, American tourists.

But despite all these dangers, Kate said she'd love to go back. Especially so she too can take advantage of the galleries, cafes, boutiques, and gawking tourists.

Below are some more pics of our weekend adventure. In one of these, my cocky self-assuredness and attempt to be cool gets in the way of my sight, as I somehow am blind to the fact my belly and underwear are both showing. Nice. Another one shows more proof of the smallness of my shirt.

The others are just too cute to exclude.