Day 23 – Prague First Day – Friday June 15th

We woke up at about 9:30 and had breakfast. It wasn’t anything special, but it did the job. We mostly just waited for Brent, Greg, and three other girls to come from London to meet us to tour the city. I had some more laundry done and went to an internet cafe. They came right around lunch time. It was great to see Greg, who I hadn’t seen since he left for London, and Brent, who hadn’t come to visit since Interlaken. We ate at the town square with the huge astronomical clock that moved during its hourly chime. I again ordered ribs, but these were exceptional compared to the ones from the day before.

We watched the chiming of the city clock, but it really wasn’t too special. Some carved figures circled the top, and a figure of Death next to a musician danced next to the clock. We decided to climb the clock tower next. While buying tickets, however, we had yet another experience where not having small change was an issue. I don’t understand how a change-based company cannot supply enough change to break larger bills. We made it to the top at any rate. It really looked almost Italian from the top. The castle was in clear view at the top, and we decided to head in that direction the next day. We did walk to the Charles Bridge. It was beautiful at the bridge, but it was not overwhelming or anything. I think after seeing the beauty of Western Europe and Krakow, nothing in Prague could really stand up against the competition.

It began to pour on the way back. During the storm, some of us made it into a bar, some made it into a souvenir shop, and Greg and I made it into a grocery store. Eventually the hailstorm let up, and I picked up my laundry and updated my blog.

I went to get ready for the opera Carmen in the evening. Dr. Turkett, Peter, Jocelyn, and I left for the opera at 6:30. It was a wonderful show with a beautiful rotating stage. Carmen was beautiful and had a marvelous voice. The toreador was a little too stiff to seem like a natural, but he still did very well. I was as blown away by the live music in this production as I was by the music in Budapest. It was just perfect. I had seen the show in Atlanta, but it was much better here. Once the show was over, I thought it was a bit too late to go out, so I had a small dinner with Dr. Turkett, went to my room, and went to bed.