PRAHA!

First off, Prague is awesome.  However, it didn’t start out so hot…

When we got in last night and were leaving the airport (last minute adjustment since the train ride with layovers was going to be 23 hrs!).  So we’re trying to find the right subway and we couldn’t figure out how to purchase a ticket.  It was totally confusing, and they don’t use the euro either, but we bought SOMETHING from a machine at the airport.  It was a much different system than Paris.  Jared was looking at a map and I was just looking around because I noticed there were no gates.  But I saw these weird machines and for some reason I put my ticket up to a light and it made a noise but I couldn’t really tell what happened.  Jared figured out where we needed to go and we both ran and got on the next subway car.  It seemed strange up to this point that there were no gates or anything to stop people from boarding but there wasn’t a soul in sight to help us either, just some tumbling weeds in the dark.  FINALLY we get to our stop, haul our luggage up 3 flights of stairs only to be met by a bunch of guys in black jackets flashing these badges.  They stopped Jared and he said, “No thanks” thinking they were selling their badges or something, but they were the Transit Gestapo waiting to see everyone’s tickets.  Whatever I did to my ticket validated it, but Jared’s was not.  Their little sting operation had caught us!  You know us, always trying to get a free ride on the Czech subway system.  Obviously this was a racket to get new tourists money.  They asked to see our Passports and I was really scared because they treated Jared like he was a criminal.  I thought they were going to take him to jail, broke down palace style.  When they said we had to pay a fine, Jared was furious, but I was just glad that’s all they wanted.  It was 700 Czech crowns which we later realized was about 50 dollars.  So lame!  Besides that Prague is wonderful.

Its around 70 degrees which is just about what Paris was when we left.  Apparently that’s about 15 degrees higher than the average for this time of year.  Thank you global warming!  This city seems like it hasn’t changed since medieval times, I love it!  I feel like Jared should have tights and boots on and I’d probably look good with just the top of my head shaved like Friar Tuck.  Every building and street has a very gothic feel to it!  And get this!  What we paid for a meal in Paris, you can eat like a king here.  The beer is CHEAP and delicious!  The restaurants charge $2-3 bucks a beer but in the mini-marts the exact same beer, but a huge bottle, is around 65 cents!  We’re going to have to drink a lot of beer to make up for them fining us $50 dollars.  We’ll show them!  The food here is similar to Germany with kielbasa, cabbage, schlotzkies and heivenschnites.  We went to this one place and ate different cheeses, veggies, nuts, beef soup and a loaf of bread.  All stuff Robin Hood ate!  I’m pretty sure the food here is meant to pair perfectly with beer, cuz it does!  Oh and the people are super friendly and have a great sense of humor.

               We went through this cathedral today that took 600 years to build!  Yeah, it’s butt old.  It’s hard to believe these structures were built so long ago and people can still be in awe over them.  I guess that’s what they were built for though.  Making sure people didn’t question all the crap the Catholic Church was getting away with!  Every time I see one of these things I think of Mel Brooks, “The Inquisition!"