The Trip

You know what? I have always wanted to go to Prague. You know what else? Mike made it possible. With a jaunt to Munich and Venice to boot!

We both have big birthdays coming up in November, and I suppose in a pre-mid-life-crisis move, I craved a big blast. One last hoo-rah, throw-down, wake up not knowing where (or who) you are, caution thrown to the wind, why not we're still young, watch-out-there's-the-Carabinieri time.

So we did. We lived. In the words of Auntie Mame, "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death." But we pulled right up to the buffet and ate 'till we couldn't stand it. We ate 'till it hurt. And then we took a deep breath, dove back in, and ate some more.

And then we had dessert.

And you know what? We're full. And it is so nice.

We learned about and experienced even more about each other and the world around us. I can't recommend highly enough to young married couples to have an early second honeymoon. The first honeymoon is too new. You're so worn out from the wedding, the marriage is still a novel idea, and you're just getting to know each other. You're still being polite and not sure if you can laugh hysterically at bathroom noises.

But three years into it, I know how Mike likes his sandwiches made every day. He knows my impatience (I've earned the nickname "Imp."). We know each other's quirks, likes, and dislikes, and we revelled in experiencing new things together. Before leaving, we never really called this trip a honeymoon: everyone we met just assumed we were newlyweds because of how we treat each other. That was nice. We couldn't wait to show the other what was around the next bend.

I know it's mushy, but damn, it was good.

The first stop was Prague.

It suprised us in its beauty. It suprised us in its changes in altitude. This Mississippi flatlander never imagined a place with such steep slopes. There are two directions in Prague: up the hill and down the hill. A right corner on the streets is nonexistent, as the roads were built up on the natural paths taken by peolple living there centuries and millenia ago. So when we asked someone for directions, the locals would point either up or down, and that was enough: the streets intertwine in such a way that you'll get where you're going without becoming easily lost.

Relatively speaking, the Czech Republic was only recently opened to the world for tourism, so people working in the tourist industry are very friendly and accommodating. The exchange rate is good - the Czech Republic is part of the EU, but they don't use the Euro as currency - they use the kouran, or kc.

But the beauty. Wow.