Still Catching Up

Phew! Exhausted from long day of Paris adventures so figured its a good time to sit down and do this thing. Back to Prague; So after seven rather uncomfortable hours, only a few of which were spent sleeping, we arrived very early in Prague. My first impression of the city was that it was not just beautiful, it was surreal. Gorgeous buildings with old style shutters and intricate designs house supermarkets, dirty looking bars or KFC; It was like the modern world came crashing down on top of all this history and, instead of covering it up, just filled in the hole, it was very bizzare.  It was great to see Adela and all of her family again but we all decided that after such an early morning a power nap was in order. Feeling revived we strapped on our walking shoes and hit the city. Thank goodness Ani and Adela were there to show us around, Czech is much harder to decipher than German! Starting from the opera house, we crossed Charles Bridge and walked all the way through the oldest part of the city, stopping at noon to watch the famous clock in Pragues main square; on the hour the doors around the clock open up and you see little figures of the apostles poking their heads out while characters  below them act out different sins. It is amazing how old this thing is, and the fact that it is still fully functional is mind blowing. The legend goes that the clocks designer had his eyes gouged out after it was finished so he couldnt make any reproductions...yuck. We heard lots more stories on our way up the hill, which was quite a hike as it is all cobblestone and the sun was trying to melt us. At the very top, overlooking the whole city, was a cafe where we met the rest of Adelas family for lunch. The view from our outdoor table was spectacular, the food and wine was delicious, and everyone was in a good mood. We sat there for hours, just talking and eating and creeping on all the gorgeous servers. After a while it was decided that Alex and I should be taken to see a uniquely czech experience; a sort of circus performed at the national theatre that combines film, comedia, and ballet that has been running since the 1970s. It was one of the oddest things I have ever seen in my life but I have to say I enjoyed it. There was no speaking so everyone could understand what was going on, but the plot wasnt even that important, it was more the spectacle of the whole thing. The show focused on two clowns and the ups and downs of their life as they chase a beautiful girl who began as Venus but kept changing costumes and characters throughout; a gypsy, a fairy, a show girl, a peasant, etc. The performers would often disappear beneath the curtain at the back, onto which the film was projected, and then <appear> on the screen. It really is the kind of thing you have to see to understand.
We didnt get back to the apartment until after midnight but went straight to bed, despite the spectacular thunderstorm that rolled in. It was a little difficult to get ourselves up the next morning but we managed to see the castle and cathedral before Alex and I had to get back on the bus and leave. But before we said goodbye we were treated to a feast cooked by Adelas family; fried caauliflower, a sort of crispy corn bread, plum dumplings, and banana cake. It was delicious and after so much walking we had no problem polishing it all off.
It was hard to have to leave the city so soon after arriving but we managed to see so much that I dont feel anything was really missed out. The history in that place is just so amazing; parts of it feel very sad and you can tell it has been through a great deal of trial and turmoil in such a short period of time, and yet that is overshadowed by the sheer beauty of it all. The long bus trips were definitely worth it!
Thank you so much Wilsons and co.!