Let me start off with a highight from the weekend before we went to Prague. It was a very special day at our church last as we had a potluck lunch and then a baptism service! Now in case my Pastor, Mark, is reading this I want to be clear that every Sunday at Trinity is awesome! But last Sunday was particularly great due to the potluck and baptism service. As all of you who know me well are aware of - I love to eat - so potlucks are one of my favorite things in the WORLD! And church potlucks are particularly fantastic because people go all out. And baptism services are always so special - like usual I shed some tears and rejoiced with the people who have had their lives changed. So here are some pics to document this special day:
In the late afternoon on Sunday I went back home, grabbed my suitcase and headed to the airport to catch my flight to Prague! When I got to the airport and found my departure gate I recognized a few of my fellow passengers as Dave's ISU professors. It worked out that three of them were staying at the same hotel as the students (and me) so I was able to share a taxi with them to the hotel upon arrival! I had planned on taking the much cheaper route to the hotel - by bus and then subway, but it was dark and rainy by the time we arrived in Prague and it would have taken me about an hour to get there - so this was a much better option. And in the end they paid for the taxi for me. So a faster and cheaper method of getting to the hotel and I had the bonus of interesting conversation on the way there!
Dave was waiting for me at the hotel when I arrived and we spent the night in as it was already quite late. Some of the other students had gone out exploring the city - some taking in a ghost tour and some finding an absinth bar! Never a dull moment with that crew, let me tell you!
The next morning Dave was up early and on his way to the IAC conference for the day. I slept in, had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then went to downtown Prague to start exploring. I spent the day walking around the historic/touristy parts of the city - seeing Old Town Square, walking over Charles Bridge, going up to Prague Castle and wandering through Lesser Town. I usually like to spend my first day in a new city doing this - just walking around seeing what there is and then deciding what I want to do for my remaining time there. The day was perfect except for the weather - the whole time we were in Prague it was cold and rainy. But it did not stop me! I just put lots of layers on and took my umbrella!
Dave also had a pretty good day - there was an opening ceremony at the conference that showcased Czech culture with dance, music, etc. But the highlight of his day definitely came when he saw that Bill Nye the Science guy at the conference!!!! I got a text in the middle of the day from him excitedly wanting to share this information! It was very cute and nerdy...but it turns out he is in good company as all the ISU students I talked to at the end of the day were equally thrilled to have seen him! And I must admit I was really jealous I had not seen him - he is so cute! A couple of the girls even sat next to him at the conference and talked to him! (Thank you Diana for sharing your pic and also to Michele and Karina for agreeing to make an appearance in the blog!)
After Dave was done at the conference and I was done exploring we met up at the hotel in the evening. Dave was tired from a full day of activities and just cumulative exhaustion so he went to bed so he would be able to get up early the next morning. I ended up going out with a group of ISU students to a local Czech pub for some drinks - thanks guys for inviting me out with you! After being alone all day wandering the city I was ready for some socializing!
On Tuesday I went on a tour of the old Jewish Ghetto in Prague. This was a walking tour that lasted about three hours. We visited multiple syagogues and memorials and the Old Jewish Cemetary. The guide offerred a really good insight to the history of the area and the history of Czech Jews. I must say it was not a tour you left feeling warm and fuzzy about - the history was obviously sad and tragic, but I think it is something that is so important to learn about and remember. One of the things that struck me the most was children`s artwork displayed in one of the synagogues that was collected from a concentration camp about 60km outside of Prague. There was such sadness, hope, darkness and colour in the artwork and really testified to both the horrific reality these children went through and also to the hope and strength that the human spirit has.
The next day I continued my education on the dark parts of Prague`s history by visiting the Communist Museum. This is another period of history that fascinates me and that I wanted to learn more about. Thankfully the museum was really well put together and I came away with a newfound realization of what the Czech population lived through during the Communist regime. In some ways it is hard for me to believe that the fall of the iron curtain occurred only 20 years ago - it seems like such a distant part of history now. But then I think: if I had been born in Prague, my first 7-8 years would have been lived under the Communist regime and I would have had my first school years learning the doctrines of Communism.....what a different experience to the one I had! Really it was not so long ago....
And of course one day Dave and I managed to squeeze in some time together to see the sights of Prague. Dave took a few hours off one afternoon from the conference and we did the typical Prague sights! It was fun to be out traveling with him and to take advantage of some of the photo "opps" that we came across. And I was glad that Dave did not end up leaving Prague only seeing the inside of a hotel and conference centre - although since he got to see Bill Nye, the conference centre not too shabby in his mind!
On our last day in Prague Dave left on the bus around 10 am and I flew out around 5 pm. I enjoyed my time in that beautiful city but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was looking forward to going back to Strasbourg, back to our home. Its been two months since we moved here and it is starting to feel like home. Of course it is not the same as Canada and to be perfect Strasbourg would have my family and friends in it - but for now, for this year and for this time I feel that it is home after all - thanks to the many great people that we have met here.
Back in Strasbourg for the weekend, we went to the second ISU hosted movie night - meaning it takes place at ISU but is put on by the students who take responsibility for it. There was chips, chocolate bars, popcorn and pizza - needless to say I had a good night even without the movie! It was fun to just sit back and eat and relax!
On Sunday Dave and I took advantage of the fact that the museums in France are free on the first Sunday of the month. We climbed all the way up to the top of the Strasbourg Cathedral (also something that is free on this day). The climb entailed lots of lots of stairs!!!! But it was worth all the sweat and wheezing, the view was amazing and it was really cool to see the city from that height. We then went to the Alsatian archeaology museum and saw some interesting remains that were dug up in the area - Dave is always fascinated by skeletons so he was happy! It was a nice Sunday afternoon and good to have Dave all to myself for a few hours as he is usually studying during the day on the weekends.
Love Dave & Heather
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