Eastern Bloc

As I am only living in Paris for one year--or at least that's the current plan, ask me again in a few years--we are trying to take advantage of our European proximity and visit other amazing cities. I never did the "backpack around Europe" thing after college, so now's the chance. The latest stop on our European Vacation was Prague, Czechoslovakia.

What an amazing city! The highlight of Prague is undoubtedly the city itself, which is like walking through a museum. A little touristy in some areas, no doubt, but Claire and I still managed to find walks through some public parks which were away from the hordes.

The photos I took on this trip will serve as useful blog fodder over the days to come. We'll begin with some shots of the Prague Orloj, a huge astronomical clock which is mounted on the Old Town City Hall in a central square. Every hour on the hour the two blue windows at the top open up and little mechanical figurines parade through the window, while the skeletal figure (representing Death) rings the hour with his hand-held bell.

And don't think that just because we'll be talking Czech over the next few days that we'll be neglecting our daily French lessons! Pas de tout! French for the Day: a great expression to describe when your in a mess is "dans la merde." Literally, it means, "in the shit," and is probably most akin to the English phrase "up shit creek," which I think you'll admit has some charm of its own...