prague

clockwise from top left: st vitus' cathedral, bryan eating pig's knee, view of prague castle from charles bridge, st agnes' convent, wallenstein gardens, aidan and franta fighting over the "missile launcher"

prague is a very cool city, and we have spent a fantastic four days here with bryan's cousin matt, his wife olivia, and their two boys, aged 6 and 8. they lead the kind of life that we aspire to - no car, top-floor apartment in a historic building in the central city, raising their kids to be comfortable in a foreign culture. it's immensely attractive and a lot of fun to be able to experience their lifestyle for a few days.

in the time that we've been here, we've learned that the hearty czech cuisine need not be bland (delicious goulash and the huge hunk of meat that is pig's knee are proof of this), we've seen evidence of the arts and culture scene that's been thriving here for hundreds of years, we've gotten sunburned while paddleboating on the vltava river, and we've been impressed countless times by the public transport system, which has never been overcrowded, even at the peak of the tourist season. will write more later - this is just a glimpse of a city that we're absolutely loving. leaving today for berlin...by train :)

-rachel