Week 8: Here Comes Peter Cottontail?

Hmm... interesting weekend. Where to begin? Friday I didn't have classes, as usual. My friend Heather and I went out to lunch in the Jewish Quarter and did a little browsing in the shops around there. The cafe.

Beautiful Praha.

The castle from across the river.

Of course, Friday counts as the weekend, so there were tourists everywhere and we split pretty quick. That afternoon I got caught up on LOST with Jeff and Malcolm, and then met up with Cousin Larry around 7 for some drinks. He showed me around a bit and we got caught up...

Saturday I went to Kutná Hora with a huge group of people. When we arrived from the train (about an hour outside of Prague) we were suprised to see there was a fair going on... probably due to easter. Gingerbread is a pretty big deal here around easter- you are supposed to give it to your mom. Here is an example of a typical booth.

Also, boys have to get their whipping sticks to beat the girls with. haha.

I liked the juxtaposition of the cathedral with this crazy fair ride... somehow they just don't seem to go together.

The Kostnice bone church is also in the town... a mass grave for 40,000 people. The bones were arranged rather artistically/creepily in the early 1900's (For more info check the link in the sidebar). Here is the chandelier, perhaps the most impressive piece. Every bone in the human body is represented there.

This is one of the massive bells where most of the bones are stored.

Oh come on, he was cute.

The whole group on the stairs down to the chapel.

After Kostinice we headed a few kms on foot to the actual town of Kutna Hora where the main cathedral is, the Cathedral of St. Barbara. On the way we saw lots of smaller churches, such as this.

This guy tried to steal my sunglasses. They look better on me.

Yummy berries.

Sweet view back at the town.

St. Barbara and FLYING BUTRESSES! (yeay architecture nerd!!!)

The beautiful interior.

Kev getting crazyily blurred at the metro station. I want to try this pic a few more times and get the person standing to come out really crisp with everything else blurring but the reflections.

So we got home from Kutna Hora around 6. I had some dinner, watched part of a movie with friends and went to bed. The next day, easter, I got up and went to mass... it was incredibly croweded, as usual on easter, but always welcomed despite having to stand. That night I went out for a fancy dinner with a friend of mine. Good times, as usual. We ate at the Lexus restaurant! Czechs don't celebrate easter until monday, so I was up early monday morning to take the 8 o'clock train to Pecky where Katerina's mother lives. Here is my breakfast of champions on the train: a chocolate left over from dessert last night and a diet coke.

Now let me tell you I was terrified about Easter, especially in a village. On easter they hit the girls with braided sticks (lightly, unless they are adolescents, and then they hit hard). It is supposed to bring you better health and keep you from "drying up" and no I am not kidding. They don't usually stop until the girls give them something, usually an egg or a shot. If it is after noon, the girls can throw buckets of water on the boys (who are always drunk by this point). Anyways, I digress.

When I arrived at the train station, my Dad's cousin Larry picked me up on his motorcycle and we headed back to the house. We had a little breakfast and then went out with his 2 and a half year old son Daniel who speaks Czech and English. Here is the family during our walk, Larry, Daniel, and Katerina. They are adorable.

Here is Daniel swinging at one of the houses we stopped at... he is so cute.

So, was I beaten with sticks? Yes, but just a little bit. Me and Katerina got off pretty easily. Only one boy really hit very hard, and he only got in a few good whacks before we ran away. One little old man dumped stiny cologne on us, a moravian tradition that doesn't normally make it so close to Prague. We also had to drink... a lot. One lady made me do 3 shots of Slivovice (plum vodka) in a row, saying when will you be in the Czech Republic again? She has a point. Another boy asked me point blank if I was married. Everyone was having a great time though. The weather was gorgous. They also fed us, to keep us from getting to intoxicated. Daniel got a TON of candy and eggs, which I of course reaped the benefits from.

After going around with Daniel, we had a little bar-b-que in the backyard.

Potato salad, a traditional Czech stuffing, vegetable salad, veal, and of course Gambrinus were all on the menu. It was a lovely lunch. After a bit of digesting we headed to a neighboring town called Cesky Brod to do some sightseeing while Daniel was napping. Katerina and I got some ice cream, and we stopped at a cafe for another pivo. The statue in this picture is really important to Larry because he has seen a photo from WW2 showing american troops in front of it, proving that they did pass Pilsen, but probably for political reasons turned back. In any case, its a cool statue.

After the pivo we headed to the castle to check out the exhibits. Here is the door handle... just gorgeous.

We did some more sightseeing and just hung out after that talking. Cesky Brod is a known spa town and is famous for its mineral water. People are lined up at the faucets trying to get some. They even have this special little room to serve it, but it was locked when we were there. I really liked the glass in the dome.

So after a bit we went and got Daniel and took off for Prague in their car. I also got to see their flat, very cool. It was Katerina's childhood home too, actually, but they have since totally redone it. Daniel was so hyper, and there was an ongoing debate about it being due to chocolate or just general excitement (hehe), but he was cute to watch play. I watched Larry and Katerina's wedding video and ate their chips before Larry walked me to the metro station and I went home for the night. What an awesome day. But seriously I was soo tired, and then I couldn't sleep because I am still sick and coughing, so I reached for the nyquil and the benadryl and knocked myself out for the evening. I am almost out of nyquil though... I don't know what I am going to do if I don't start getting better.

Tuesday I stayed in bed all day long to try to get better. Wednesday was spent similarly, minus an excursion to the post office and the grocery story, and of course attending the country presentation that evening. This morning I spent an hour and a half actually working on studio... I know, I'm getting crazy!

Tonight I leave for Krakow around 8 o'clock. I think I come back some time Sunday evening... eep! Maybe I should know these things. Oh well. Alas, if there is an emergency, people can always call my cell phone, as I will not be checking my email. Thanks for tunning in. :)