Prague

Well I took a Friday off and flew to Prague for a long weekend. I am so glad I did. It really helped with the winter doldrums.

Prague is a beautiful city that was restored after communism fell. Also Pragues was not bombed out during WWII. I think it is probably the most beautiful city that I have seen in Europe. I visited several breath-taking churches. The inside of these churches are very rich in history. I walked over the St. Charles Bridge which is now a pedestrian walkway but for several centuries it was the only way to cross the river in Prague.

I went up to Prague Castle Hill. The Cathedral with gargoyles is located here as is a castle from the Hapsburgs. In the Castle there is a hall that allowed jousting to occur indoors. The steps were made such that horses could climb them.

I also did a Jewish synagogue tour. This was very profound for me. First two stops talked about the History of the Jewish community in Prague. The third stop was a synagogue that had writing on the walls. It was the name birthdate and last date known alive of the people who perished in the concentration camps. The fourth stop was the cemetary. Only a few places could the Jewish people be buried so it is like one on top of another. The fifth stop was an explanation of their burial tradition. The final stop was an explanation of the religion and their special days. To me, it was like here is our history, here is our tragedy, here is how we prefer to treat death, to here is our religion and we continue.

If you ever have a weekend that is unplanned in Europe. I highly recommend Prague.

Athens

Sorry it has been so long. I think I have had a mental block about blogging about Athens. It wasn't the easiest trip. I mean traveling was fine. But the feelings. Very alone in a lot of ways. Even more than I had planned with the break up. I tried to acknowledge those feelings.

Oh well I spent the whole week in Athens. If someone was traveling to it now I would say 3 days if you did not stay at the beach. I saw the Acropylis, Temple of Zeus, Hadrian's gate, Lycattos Hill, Panhellinic Stadium (home of 1st modern Olympics in 1896), and the Botannical gardens.

I did some awesome shopping. I bought some worry beads which are almost like a rosary to the Greeks. A cute hoochie mama shirt from Marks and Spencers was purchased. It is a black cami underneath a lace overtop. Really cute and it makes me look skinny. I also purchased a really stylish black handbag from Longchamp. Pink one would be proud.

For Christmas and Boxing Day I hung out at the Botannical Gardens with some romance novels. I tried not to hide in my hotel room. Overall good experience and I am glad I went to a place I always wanted to go too.

Last weekend, I went to a borrel (drink) going away party for someone leaving the company, but the company paid for it. Then I had a good dinner with a new group of people. It was really nice. The weather was gorgeous and Ifinally located a yarn shop somewhere near to me in the town of Goes. I met a lady from work and she took me to the store. 2 sleeveless shells and sock yarn later we grabbed some vino and sat on a terrace enjoying the sun. On Sunday I biked 6-7 miles to Veere which is a quant little town which my boss lives. I walked for a while. It was so nice to get out and feel the sun on my face. Then I ate at the site manager's that night. I am getting a little concerned about the daughter. This maybe selfish of me, but I am starting to make a life here and some friends which I do not think should always include her. I think she needs to create her own life which she is not doing.

I will try and blog later in the week about this weekend and Prague. I think I will be caught up then with my adventures.

P.S. I am glad I dated the Brit. It made me feel that I was still datable. I feel sorry for him, but I can't solve his confusion. There is a couple possibilities here, but we will see.