I want that Camel.

ONLY 11 DAYS UNTIL I RETURN HOME!!

I'm getting really exciting about sorority recruitment and having a piano again and being able to fall asleep with my doggy cuddled into my stomach... there are some things that just can't be replaced.

While I wait to return, we've been traveling places after work (since we usually get off around 10 a.m.) since we've maxed out all the places of entertainment in Liberec.

Thus, I present to you our trip to Praha... and the delights and adventures we found there (besides FINALLY being able to see "Wanted" in a cinema in ENGLISH.)

Courtney and I jumped on a bus to Prague sometime in the morning and made the one hour trip to Prague. There's a shuttle bus straight to IKEA from the bus station, and although I was tempting to spend half the day sauntering down the aisles of my favorite store for the greater part of my lifetime (after K.B. Toys in my infancy, of course; and PacSun in that awkward middle school stage), I took Courtney's feelings into account and we caught the subway swiftly into town.

With no Wikipedia research to guide our footsteps, and no maps to help us make our way, we checked a small information booth in the subway terminal and confidently went in the direction of the astronomical clock. (A clock from the medieval times located in Old Town Prague that shows astronomical things such as the relative positions of the sun, moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets. - Wikipedia).

We got lost once on the way there, tried to sit down for breakfast only to end up eating a hard pretzel and come Subway cookies, and were entranced by a toy shop filled with marionettes (famous in Prague), wooden toys, 3 person chess sets, and endless baby nursery decorations. I even found the PERFECT gift for a friend's 21st birthday (and no Ash, it isn't you, sorry), and HARRY POTTER PUPPETS! It was pretty cool.

For you, Dad.

The biggest nose I've ever seen on a tiny wooden creature. Also for you, Dad.

Courtney in awe.

But we finally did find the clock, complete with at least 1000 people anxiously looking up at it's ancient faces - an action which left Courtney and I perplexed and led me to actually, for once (gasp), tap on a person's shoulder and ask for help. Everyone knows I hate to do that. But I found this cute old guy in the crowd who looked pretty harmless and asked him what was going on, and although he didn't speak English (he was from France), his lovely wife explained to us that at noon something special was going to happen and that's what everyone was waiting for. So, just liked animate puppets, we followed everyone elses' lead and stared up at the clock, camera zoomed in and ready for whatever wonderful thing was sure to take place.

The astronomical clock tower... and clouds.

I still cannot...

... comprehend the sheer...

... volume of people that were there to see the clock strike noon.

It turns out it was just like a giant Cuckoo clock, with doors that opened and a random moving skeleton on the outside... which quite frankly was lame. But we saw it; we experienced; mark the astronomical clock off of our "To Do Before We Die" lists.

We somehow pushed through that insane crowd and got front row, dead center seats to the show.

There is the funniest story behind this picture. We had to ask four different people to take our picture in front of the clock, and finally... the man who took this one... was an old guy who didn't speak a word of english and clearly did not know how to operate a digital camera. He looked down at the LSD screen/view finder and saw us through it, then tried to hold it half an inch from his face and LOOK THROUGH the screen. It was really quite amusing to watch, although I stifled my laugh and tried to use sign language to show him which button to press. He was... adorable.

After that we spent the rest of the day ambling around... getting lost once on the tram (thanks to my wonderful intuition), checking out a retro/vintage party, and getting well acquainted with every street in Prague that includes the letter "K." Which is nearly every single one. 

She said the Lion was doing the Heisman Trophy pose so I made her show me.

Random dancing festival we happened upon.

The most adorable show in Prague. I want that camel.

AND.. even cooler, all of the toys and stuffed animals are safe for our asthmatic and highly allergic to EVERYTHING friends (i.e. Miss Courtney Meghan Styres).

I would have to say the most remarkable thing all day long were the clouds. After the constant rain in Liberec for the past three weeks, it was wonderful to see blue skies and gorgeous puffy white clouds again.

Clouds.

Pretty flowers at a subway stop.