Thursday, September 28, 2006
A Cobblestone Type of Hell

Just a quick update before I go to bed- we have a very early morning tomorrow for our trip to Karlstejn...

For the record, I have learned I cannot under any circumstances ever visit another city that is paved solely in cobblestone.

Yesterday, I hurt so much, I thought I was going to just sit down in the street and cry. Has anyone ever tried to walk on streets of these things? Downhill? Uphill? They are murder on the joints, the back, knees, hips, everything. I feel like everything from the neck down is dislocated. My bottle of painkillers? Nearly finished. I can usually suck up a certain amount of pain if I have to because I've always had to, but this has really pushed me to my limits. They say Prague is a walking city. I have been able to walk about half my normal amount here because there is no steady, even ground anywhere in the city center, and I have to be wary of eating it on the sidewalk at ALL TIMES. If I look up for a second, that "thunk" you hear is me falling flat on my face. I've learned to hold onto the sides of buildings when I go anywhere. It is even taxing to several memebers of our group who are in better health. They are tired and whiny and they have blisters. So, I'm not the only one.

Ah, but lest my whining make it sound like Prague is some sort of Cobblestone Purgatory (which...yeah.), I will say that overall, I have had a fabulous time so far. Prague truly is one of the most beautiful cities- it puts London to shame and then some. Everything about it makes you want to take pictures, and there's no shortage of interesting things. Yesterday, I went to the very top of a clock tower that was so tall I had to look at the floor at one point to keep from hyperventilating. And they have horses! Sweet.

Today I visited a Jewish Graveyard that is over 700 years old. There are people buried 12 DEEP there. Prague has an amazingly picturesque Jewish Quarter. I had no idea. Also, shiny jewelry! Yay! I love shiny things. I ate in the only Chinese restaurant in the Jewish Quarter. It was good. And in Prague there is beer. Lots and lots and lots of beer.

I'll save my stories of the rest of my trip for another day, probably when I get home.