Home Sweet Home

"There's no place like home". I am a true believer of that statement and I always find it refreshing coming home after being away for a while. I'm heading back home to Vancouver tomorrow morning and I'm in dire need of a mom massage and some of her magic, all-curing ginger soup. I hope she reads this before I arrive ;) - Mom, that's a hint!

Dad and I are staying at the Sheraton CDG Hotel tonight so it should be a breeze to catch our flights in the morning. I fly from Charles de Gaulle to Amsterdam and then from Amsterdam to Vancouver. Dad is catching a flight at a similar time straight to Thailand, where he will spend the next leg of his trip before heading down to New Zealand, Australia and finally Hawaii. Dad, it's been great having you here! Enjoy the rest of your trip!

I'm excited to get my tooth fixed so that I can enjoy the last stretch of my trip in Italy and Greece without having to worry about an inflamed jaw or rushing to emergency to get a procedure with poorly trained surgeons that will bankrupt me (sorry for the stereotype). First thing's first, though, root canal on Wednesday and a follow up appointment on Monday. I have a week back in Vancouver so I hope I will be able to see a couple of friends and hang out with Mom a bit. Then back to Paris next week.

I'll do my best to keep you updated on how I'm doing while I'm in Vancouver.

Wish me luck!

xoxo
Alexis

Happy Birthday, Dad!

It's our last weekend in Paris before Dad leaves for Bangkok and I head down to Barcelona. On Saturday we met up with Mark at his apartment. I'm sure you can guess where we found him - snuggled up in bed, not very happy with me coming in and waking him up. We got him out of bed pretty easily though and then we went for brunch at Cafe de l'Industrie.

We then went back to the apartment to do some more packing//laundry before heading back to the hotel to catch the France vs England game of the Six Nations Cup. There was a packed English bar right next to our hotel and the fans went wild when on the streets of Paris when England won 17-9 over France.  After the game I went to use the computer in the hallway. As I was going about my business, in comes Little BowWow and his crew. He was doing a radio tour and they set up scene right beside me. Can't say I'm a fan of his, but cool to listen to the interviews anyway.

Tomorrow we're going to the Arab Museum close to Mark's apt and then having a nice dinner out for Dad's birthday. We're going to a Moroccan restaurant in the 3rd arrondissement that my friend once took me to. It has a very nice ambiance and delicious food!

My tooth isn't getting any better so it looks like I'll have to go home for a week to get it all dealt with. I'll be missing out on Spain, but it's probably for the best because this way I will be able to really enjoy the rest of my trip. I fly home on Tuesday morning and will be back in Paris on the 8th if all goes to plan. Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

xoxo
Alexis

Tooth Pains :(

My tooth has gotten significantly worse so today (Friday) we hopped on a flight back to Paris and headed straight to the American Hospital of Paris to get me some antibiotics. I thought everything would be fine and dandy as long as I got some meds, but since this will be my third dose of antibiotics - all for the same reoccurring infection - the doctor told me that my body is getting use to them and will not be able to fight off the infection for much longer. The only options are either to wait it out until the end of my trip and hope it doesn’t come back (although it probably will) or get a root canal as soon as I can. I didn’t want to make any rash decision so I went to the pharmacy to get my prescription and weighed my options carefully.

I spent the afternoon is Mark’s apartment doing laundry and packing for my upcoming trips while Dad caught up on his sleep at the hotel. All three of us then met up at the hotel for dinner and drinks while listening to the live Blues Rock act that was performing that night. After a long day of all of us, we decided to call it a night. Mark went back to his apartment and Dad and I went upstairs. I climbed into bed and fell asleep hoping that my body will soon fix itself up and I won’t have to cut my trip short.


Xoxo
Alexis

A Small Slice of a BIG Pie

I've been having some troubles with my tooth again - Ayia! So in order to get that dealt with, we decided to go on the free walking tour instead of the day-long tour. We still get to see all the major sights so it's not too big of a deal. Plus, it's free!

Last night Dad and I went out on the town for a few drinks and to see what the Berlin nightlife is all about. We first went to a local jazz club and then had a couple of pints in a lavish USSR themed bar decked out in hanging boar heads, provocative female statues and dark red lights. It was 50s night so there was a group who came in dressed very 50s-like and started rockin' and rollin' on the dance floor. It was like a scene out of a movie. We met a a couple of nice people one of whom (a Swiss guy) recently spent a few weeks in Vancouver and was quite excited to have us there. He even had a picture of False Creek as his display picture on his phone.

This morning Dad and I had breakfast at one of the cafes around our hostel. We're now waiting for the dentist office to open up so we can get that done before joining the walking tour at 1PM with our tour guide, Matt (the coolest Leeds born hipster you’ll ever meet). We'll get all of the major sights done, but I have a feeling we're only hitting the tip of the iceberg. The list includes: the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag, Hitler's Bunker, the Brandenburg Gate, and many more. This city seems massive and there are so many small alleys and corners that are overlooked but add so much depth to the city. I'll have to come back one day - though next time I'll make sure to come during the summer months!

xoxo



Alexis

Tours with Terry

After a very interesting talk last night with Terry, Dad and I decided to go on one of his day tours called "Tours with Terry – Berlin Unknown”, a tour that will bring us to cool parts of Berlin that most tourists don't know about. As I mentioned yesterday, Terry has been around Berlin for a long time. He knows everything there is the know about Berlin’s history, as well as very interesting facts about WWII and the Cold War because he lived through it – a perfect tour guide in my opinion!

Our first stop was the 1936 Olympic Stadium (the Olympiastadion). When the Nazis came to power in Germany (1933), they decided to use the Olympic Games for propaganda purposes. With these plans in mind, Hitler ordered the construction of a great sports complex in Grunewald named the "Reichssportfeld" with a totally new Olympiastadion (there was one already there from the 1912 Olympic Games). The stadium was beautiful and could seat as many as 11,000 spectators around the main field alone.

We then went to the WWII Memorial Cemetery for British and Commonwealth servicemen killed in the war. I find it interesting that when you hear about people dying in wars, you don’t feel the same sympathy towards them we often look at them as a whole. It’s not until you see their actual graves and read the messages that their families left for them that you attach a soul to their names and you feel really hurt and sympathy.

Up next was a trip to a fortress and a little town called Spandow, where Terry brought us to his favorite donor place for EUR2.00 donors. They were massive and he was thoroughly enjoying himself - I on the other hand didn’t quite fancy it much.

All in all it was a good day. It was interesting spending the day with Terry and listening to all he had to say about Berlin then and now. We walked through the real streets of Berlin, away from all the tourists and attractions. Tomorrow we’re planning on taking it easy and checking out the area around our hostel.

Love,
Alexis

BERLIN!

Something's gotta be said about Germans and the impeccable way they run things. As soon as you walk off the plane, you can tell that there is structure and organization in everything they do. That is something I admire about the Germans.

Berlin is a very interesting city. It doesn't have the quaint canals or Bohemian architecture that you often associate with being "European", but it's rich history gives the city a unique vibe that takes you back in history. You can see the Russian influence in some of the buildings in East Berlin, and although they may not be very visually appealing (a very no frill, block form and simple style), you can imagine what it must have been like living there at that time during the Russian occupation.

We took the public bus from the airport to the city center, passing many of the main attractions including the Reichstag, Alexanderplatz, Unter den Linden and Fernsehturm. We then got a quick bite to eat and tried to get our barrings straight before making our way through the freezing cold to our hostel. Funny enough we started talking with the guy at the front desk who was very impressed by Dad's German. Turns out that he went to the same school that Dad taught at years ago when he spent six months in Germany teaching English.

Tonight the staff at EastSeven Hostel made us a free vegetarian dinner! It was a great opportunity for Dad and I to meet some other travelers staying with us for the week. We got to talking with this mother and daughter visiting from Australia, Lynn and Sophie. Lynn grew up in a town just outside of Woywoy, where Aunt Rika now lives. It's cool how you can be so far away from home and still meet people that you share common ground with.

The most interesting part of the night, for me, was when the main keeper of the hostel, Terry, came and sat with us. Youth hostels often carry a good number of youths (go figure), so I think it was refreshing for him to have Dad and Lynn there to converse with. Terry is a Brit in his late seventies and moved to Berlin in '57 with the Royal Army. He stayed until '64 when he was then transferred to different locations for the next twenty or so years. In '88 he got transferred back to Berlin and worked for the Secret Service spying on the East Berliners for the Allied Forces. During that time he made quite a few friends on the East that he still has to this day. Another interesting thing he talked about was his family. His daughter had converted to Islam and he told us how his son-in-law has officially been declared dead in Iraq because Saddam Hussein and his men were on the lookout for him. Crazy!

Tomorrow we’re going on a day tour, led by Terry himself. His eccentricity and sarcastic personality will make for a very interesting day, I’m sure.

Love you all!
xxx
Alexis

Half Way There :)

I've been in Europe for seven and a half weeks now, and although the first few weeks went by quite slowly (partly due to the fact that I stayed put in Paris and partly due to being homesick) I have no doubt that the next half will fly by.

This morning we made our way to Mark's apartment only to find him lying in bed sleeping - poor lad must be exhausted! The weather quickly turned for the worst so we decided to stay in to get a few things done. We first sorted out our accommodation in Berlin for next week and did some laundry. I went to the grocery store to get some stuff to make us breakfast and then I took a couple of hours to update the blog and reply to a bunch of emails I got during the week. 

We went for dinner at one of Mark's favorite Chinese restaurants, Deux Fois Plus de Piment, for some really spicy fish soup. Mark likes going there because it's always filled with asian students from around the area and it eases his homesickness a bit everytime he goes. FUN FACT: As we walked towards the restaurant we passed by the Paris Circus and the Circus Cafe, and Mark informed me of this interesting fact: when clowns are traveling, they get their clown mail in each city by going into the Circus Cafe that is usually located next to the circus. Hmmm...I don't know how credible his source is. Anyway, we finished our meal off with ice cream at Amorino's and will be heading back to the hotel soon to get a drink at the jazz bar and listen to some good music before bed. 

xoxo

Alexis

FAM JAM - Day 2

After a very nice and successful reunion yesterday, I could tell that Dad's nerves had gone. We were both very excited to meet Aunt Ann and her family!

Aunt Ann picked us up from our hotel in the morning and took us back to her place in Leende. Dad and her were busy catching up, and I was, again, really enjoying listening to their stories and was trying to put the puzzle back together piece by piece. We were greeted at the door by Ann's second son, Tuen, and their adorable boxer dog. Tuen is just a year younger than I am. He is currently working four days a week at a restaurant and studying one day a week at culinary school. Joost, Ann's oldest son, came home shortly after we had arrived and we all spent the afternoon in their home trying to update each other on our lives and what we had been up to for the past few decades - I know, way to much to tell in just a few hours but it was a nice start. Joost is my age and currently works as one the greenskeepers at the golf course. They were both awesome, and I'm really excited to get to know them better in the future. Hopefully they will be able to come over to Canada at some point. I promised them I'd take them out and introduce them to all my girlfriends haha.

Ann made us a delicious lunch and during that time we were able to catch Ann's partner, Rob, on Skype all the way from Malaysia. It's amazing how easy it is these days to stay in touch with people who are half way across the world. It was lovely meeting him though. He was very friendly and had a big smile on his face the whole time :)

After a few hours, Ann drove us back to the city. I immediately told Dad how happy I was to have met them all, and I'm sure he shared the same sentiments.

It was a beautiful day, so Dad and I took the train to Utrecht, an ancient city centre featuring many buildings and structures from the early middle-ages. There are a couple of really nice canals lined by cafes and shops. We walked around the city and got dinner at a quaint little cafe overlooking the canal before heading back into Eindhoven for our last night.

All in all it was an amazing week in Brussels and around the Netherlands!

Up next is Berlin! (after the weekend in Paris)

Love you all!
xoxo
Alexis

FAM JAM - Day 1

We're off to see the family today! Dad hasn't seen his step siblings for more than forty years so you can imagine his excitement and nervousness. I'm sure it will be great for them to reconnect and for me to meet my aunts and uncle for the first time!

Uncle Tony picked us up at the hotel this afternoon with his partner, Andrea. We went down to the hotel bar a little early to get a coffee and to make sure we didn't keep them waiting. I guess they had the same idea because when we walked into the bar they were sitting right there! At first we didn't recognize them because we weren't expecting them for another half hour, but then when we took a second look there was no doubt at all - Tony and Dad look very much alike! As you can imagine, it was all smiles and excitement. After forty years, all anyone could really say is "It's about time!".

As Dad and Tony were catching up, Andrea and I were enjoying listening to their stories. Andrea is a beautifully warm hearted Hungarian who has lived in the Netherlands for over twelve years now. She was very welcoming, but unfortunately her and I don't speak each others languages very well. I can barely understand Dutch, and her English speaking isn't very good yet but her listening is pretty good so we ended up speaking half English and half sign language haha - I considered it a bonding moment between the two of us.

We first made a stop at the Jackson family golf course in Leende. Grandpa started this golf course over forty years ago (if I'm not mistaken). People called him crazy for thinking he could build a golf course on that land because 1) the land is quite acid so they were skeptical that trees would grow and 2) golf wasn't a very popular sport at that time. Grandpa being the entrepreneurial Englishman he was knew that it would take off, and turns out he was right! It is now a very successful course that attracts players from all over the Netherlands and even from Belgium! We took a tour of the course and then had a couple beers at the Club House. Andrea brought me around and introduced me to a few of the regulars who were all very nice.

We then made our way to Tony and Andrea's home for tea and some delicious Hungarian cuisine made by Andrea. We met Andrea's brother and their two dogs and had a wonderful afternoon hanging out at their place. Earlier Dad had mentioned to them that I was looking to try pannekoek (Dutch pancakes). Fortunately for me, there was a restaurant in their area that specializes in over a hundred different kinds of pannekoek. The place is generally a good place to bring your three year old child for his/her birthday - but being the kid that I am I convinced them to take me there for dinner hahaha (I would, right?). Anyway we ended up having a delicious pannekoek dinner among the company of a girl's birthday party and a party ball room (you know those rooms filled with different color balls that you play in - what are those called again?).

They drove us back into Eidhoven and we got a drink at the hotel before saying bye. It was a wonderful day though and a really exciting time for all of us I think. It's great finding out that your family is actually much bigger than you had ever known.

Tomorrow we're going to see my Aunt Ann and her family. Her two boys are exactly my age so I'm really looking forward to meeting them, as well.

With love from Eindhoven,
xoxo
Alexis

Back to the Homeland

Arrived in Eidhoven this morning! A few things have changed, but generally it's exactly the same as it was 11 years ago when I first visited. Dad was excited to back to the city where he grew up and I was excited for a few other things - namely fries & Dutch mayo, the PSV Stadium, biking and going to the soccer field where Mark and I used to juggle soccer balls. First thing's first, though, get a coffee and snack at the train station restaurant.

Although Eidhoven isn't very well known outside of the Netherlands, it is actually a fair size city and has quite a bustling night life. Our hotel was located in the Marketplace, which is where all the action happens. I knew that we were going to have a busy week, though, and I really wanted to get at least a bit of biking in so Dad and I dropped off our bags at the hotel and made our way to the bike rental shop to get a couple of bikes for the afternoon.

We did a biking tour of the neighborhood where Dad grew up, passing the PSV Stadium then making our way to Sportlaan where Grandma used to live and where Mark and I use to play soccer and where we once helped the PSV team get a stuck ball out from a tree haha...it's funny the little things you remember from your childhood. We visited Dad's old friend, Jan Roos, who invited us in for coffee and showed us around his very interesting house. He collects scrap metal and makes all sorts of things by hand, including toy trucks and full-size four wheelers for his grandchildren. It was amazing! We then biked for about an hour past windmills and farmland to the town of Veldhoven (a Jackson family tradition) to go to the small friterie next to the church for fries and mayo.

After that we made our way back into Eidhoven and caught the late show of True Grit and went to a true Dutch bar for a couple drinks. I love Dutch bars - they have so much character and are always filled with friendly people.

K time for bed,

xoxo
Alexis

Valentine's Day in BRUSSELS! xo

Brussels is known for a few things: waffles, capital of the EU, moules frites, and the Manneken Pis. But above all Brussels (well all of Belgium) is known for their chocolate! It is therefore quite appropriate that we spent Valentine's Day in the chocolate capital of the world.

We took the train from Paris early this morning into Brussels. Our hotel room wasn't ready yet so we left our bags with the concierge and explored the city a bit. We passed by shop after shop of chocolate filled wonderlands so we couldn't help but stop in to get a few for ourselves; after all, it is Valentine's Day! We then walked through the streets and got to the Grand Place to take pictures of the gothic style buildings and courtyard and meandered through the streets to a tea house that specialized in making Belgian waffles. That was a must-stop! We walked in and there was a gush of sweet waffle smell, along with chocolate, cakes, cookies and ice-cream. We took a seat upstairs and enjoyed our Belgian waffles along with a cup of mint tea. I got the advocaat and ice cream waffle (advocaat is the most delicious liqueur I've ever tasted - it is thick and creamy like a custard but very strong in alcohol!), and dad got the stewed cherries with ice cream waffle. OMNOMNOM...NOM!

We continued our walking tour for a few hours, checking out churches, cathedrals, antique shops and government buildings with the occasional stop-over at a pub for a good Belgian beer and then decided to get an early dinner in the city. We got the classic moules frites, since Brussels is known to have amazing mussels and "French fries" actually originated in Belgium. The mussels were good, but the fries were nothing special.

We ended the day back at the hotel with our chocolates we bought this morning, a cup of tea and CNN on the television. All in all it was a nice day spent in Brussels and a successful Valentine's Day filled with chocolate and dessert.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alexis

Saint-Germain en Laye

There are many small day trips you can take from Paris, including some really cute towns in the suburbs of the city. Today we took the train about a 45 minute ride outside of Paris to a place called Saint-Germain en Laye. With its elegantly tree-lined streets, terrace cafes and the Chateau Fort, it is one of the more wealthy suburbs of Paris and the town where Louis XIV was born.

One thing that you instantly notice when you leave the city centre is how approachable and friendly the locals are. Parisians are known to be quite stuck-up and rude, but I think that only really applied to Parisians who grew up in the heart of the city and who have never left. Besides that exception, I find Parisians warm and welcoming.

We arrived in Saint-Germain en Laye at around noon after a nice breakfast at Cafe Francaise in Paris. The streets of Saint-Germain en Laye are filled with old French style buildings, cobblestones and people who say 'Bonjour!' to you as you walk by. We took a nice strole along the gardens where we enjoyed a panoramic view of Paris and got in some exercise for the day and then checked out the archeological museum before getting our afternoon tea at the local teahouse.

We then made our way back into the city in time to buy our train tickets to Brussels for Monday. We ended the day showing dad around the bustling streets of Bastille on a Saturday night and making us a mom salad with steamed salmon. Mark and I are now on his couch watching the Jungle Book streamed off of YouTube and eating gelato. Mmmm Mmmm! :D

Tomorrow we have plans to go to Montmartre to get dad to try some macaroons and bring him to the Sacre Coeur where Mark and I often frequent on Sunday afternoons. That's it for today - check back next week for updates on our trip to Brussels and the Netherlands!

xoxo

Alexis

Kutna Hora and the Human Bone Church

As beautiful as Prague is, there isn't a whole lot to do besides oo-ing and ah-ing at all the pretty buildings that make up the city, unless of course you know a local who knows where to go. Unfortunately we did not. Having done the sightseeing stuff the first two days we decided to get out of the city today and visit one of the local areas surrounding Prague, namely Kutna Hora.
Kutna Hora is a medieval town popular as a day trip from Prague because it is small enough to be seen in a single day at a brisk pace. It grew fantastically rich from the silver deposits beneath it, but it's main draw with visitors today is the St. Barbara's Cathedral, which has been on the UNESCO list for more than 10 years and the macabre Bone Church (Kostnice) that is a church fully decorated with human bones from the 14th century plague and 15th century battles. We walked into the church and the temperature dropped about ten degrees. There were skulls lining the walls, built into chandeliers, pilled up and stuffed into every corner. You couldn't turn your head without having one stare you in the face. They say there is about 40,000 skeletons in there. I lasted about ten minutes in there and then had to get out - way too creepy!
After the church we checked out the St. Barbara's Cathedral (similar to other cathedrals I've seen in other parts of Europe) and then went into the small village town to one of their local museums that was once the Italian Court that made coins for trade back in the day. It was there that the origin of the dollar comes from.
We took a rest at the local cafe/pizzeria for a tea and a bite to eat and then headed back into the city just as the sun was setting. We leave super early tomorrow for Paris so it'll be an early night for us. All in all though, Prague was great! The friendly people, the rich culture, the delicious/cheap food and the beautiful bohemian architecture distinguishes Prague from other cities in Europe and if any of you get a chance to visit, I highly recommend it!

Love,
Alexis

A History Lesson: Prague 101

Moms always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If there is one thing that I know it's that moms are almost always right.

We started our day with the breakfast buffet at the hotel. There was a full egg and omelet bar, as well as all the usual fruits, breads, yogurts, cheeses, smoked salmon/meats, fresh juice bar, etc. A lovely start to the day and a good energy booster for the day of walking ahead. Our first stop was to the National Museum - a beautifully detailed building that houses almost 14 million items from the area of natural history, history, arts, music and librarianship, with a current exhibition on modern Czech legends. My favorite part of the museum was the zoological exhibition. It was an entire floor dedicated to the amazing species you can find in the animal kingdom of land, air and water. Some of my favorite include the elephant, the whale skeleton and the ten foot ostrich.

After touring the museum for a couple of hours, we made our way to the Old Town to see the Astrological Clock and City Hall. Both are located in the Old Town Square that is lined with cafes, restaurants and crystal shops. We decided to grab a seat on one of the patios to recharge our batteries and enjoy the scenery over a glass of mulled wine. It's nice when you have a few days in a city because you can take your time to enjoy the little pleasures instead of having the rush around to get everything done in time.

Our next stop was to the Charles Bridge. The Charles Bridge is a 14th century stone bridge linking the two sides of Prague and a place where you can enjoy fairytale views of the Prague skyline. This magnificent structure is one of the city's finest attractions, and is the main pedestrian route connecting the Old Town with the Lesser Town and Prague Castle. We got to the other side of the bridge and started our climb up the hill to the Castle and President's House. We got a stunning view of the city from the top and a good look inside a church with some of the most beautiful stainglass I've seen yet. Each piece of glass was so small compared to modern stain glass windows so it allows for much more detail in the image. You can see the difference between the two because some windows were redone after the Cold War (probably some bombs shattered some windows). The new windows had much larger pieces of glass but were still beautifully done.

We walked back down trying to go a different way then the way we came in order to see as much as we could. We passed the government district, over the bridge, into the Prague Ghetto and finally back to the Old Town for some traditional Czech cuisine: beef goulash with dumplings. Yum!

Tonight we went to an Irish Bar to watch part of the football match over a pint. Dad told me stories about his childhood and the crazy things they use to do during the war. For example, him and his "gang" (apparently he was the gang leader haha) once hung a boy by his feet to teach him a lesson for doing something they didn't like. They made a tree fort and hung him from the top of the tree. The boy's mother saw this from afar and came running across the field the save her son as dad and his boys ran off. What trouble makers! Fortunate for dad, the boy's dad was an employee of grandad at the time so the family really couldn't make too big of a fuss out of it haha....funny!

We then stopped at the jazz club to get dad's jazz fix for the week. The group was good but the club was pretty empty so we stayed for a drink and then went back to the hotel.
Long, but great day. I reckon tomorrow will be a bit more relazing. I plan on sleeping in until at least 10 :)

Goodnight! xoxo
Alexis

The Beautiful Lights of Prague

I've heard many great things about Prague. From its Baroque Palaces to cobbled squares to Pilsner beer, Prague attracts touritst of all walks of life to come see the beauty of the city for themselves. So when Dad put forth the option to visit, I almost instinctively said yes.

We arrived in Prague this afternoon after a surprisingly smooth trip from Paris. The first thing I noticed (or should I say realized) when we landed what that I didn't know a single word of Czech. On all my other trips I've been able to either speak English or French to get around, but not only was their language completely foreign to me, a good majority of the population doesn't speak English either. So we resorted to our trusted sign language and a few helpful locals who knew English.

We took public transport into the city then walked to our hotel. We're staying at the Sheraton Prague - it is absolutely lovely. We got one of the two rooms with a balcony overlooking the city and they greeted us with snacks, chocolate and a phone call to see if the room was to our liking. I give them an A+ on making their guests feel welcome.

Once we dropped off our bags, dad stayed in to rest (he was exhausted from not sleeping last night!) and I took the map and did a self guided walking tour around the Old Town. I now understand what people are talking about when they say Prague is breathtaking. The buildings here are nothing like I've seen before. While the city centre is a mélange of stunning architecture, from Gothic, Renaissance and baroque to neoclassical, art nouveau and cubist, beyond the medieval lanes of the Old Town and the Castle District, there’s an entire other cosmopolitan city to explore, including riverside parks, lively bars and beer gardens, music clubs, museums and art galleries. I only had a couple of hours so I just did a brief walk by to scout out the area but we'll be sure to check out the sights in more detail as the week progresses.

I made it back to the hotel after using my hands as a means to communicate with a man that I was lost and was looking for Zitna Street, and then had a delicious dinner at the hotel restaurant. Their fellowfin tuna tartar with lime truffle oil and avocado was the star of the meal - I'll definitely order that again.

Tonight is going to be a calm night with tea and my book. I need to rest of feet for tomorrow :)

xoxo
Alexis