Prague
Over New Year's I took a much needed break from work and Turkey and headed to the Czech Republic. I spent New Year's in Prague (or Praha if you are a native). After months of deprivation, pretty much as we stepped off the plane, I headed to the Christmas market for the biggest piece of pork I could find. I was not disappointed in the land of 1001 ways to eat pork and was greeted with a giant bratwurst and a hot cup of mulled wine. After suffering through a Christmas-less holiday season in Turkey the sight of the giant Christmas tree in the Old Town Square was comforting. Brat in hand, soaking up the holiday atmosphere... I knew Prague and I would get along just fine.

The exchange rate was $1 to 21 crowns and after I got over the fun of getting 2000 crown bills out of the ATM I started my sightseeing...

Compared to the monstrosity that is Istanbul, Prague felt like a small town and I very much enjoyed the laid-back sleepy atmosphere. The old town square, known for it's gothic architecture, is charming and beautiful. One of my two favorite things in the old town square is the medieval astronomical clock and the other is the fairy tale castle across the square--it has the kind of towers that even Rapunsel would be proud of.




Cross the Charles Bridge, while listening to some musicians and buying some street art, and you can go to the Franz Kafka Museum and "distort your rational sensibilities". Kafka's work seems to be at odds with the charm of the city, but the museum is great.







Then, there is the Jewish quarter, where the most powerful landmark is in the heart of the ghetto--the cemetary. For several hundred years the Jews were not allowed to be buried in regular graveyards and so they a literally piled on top of one another in the Jewish cemetary. The graves are rumored to be 12 people deep and the headstones are literally on top of each other.

After jazz clubs, historic pub crawls, museums and interesting architecture (my favorite is this building that resembles a dancing couple) we took an hour train ride outside of the city to Kutna Hora where we saw the bizarre and disturbing church ever built (I'd put money on it). The inside is decorated with 40, 000 people's bones! There are garlands made of skulls and cross-bones and even bone chandeliers. (Don't you just love the little angels holding skulls? precious)


Finally, bellies laden with pork and mead we headed home to Turkey.