i heart wien... and praha

after a far-too-short weekend in vienna, i'm back in prague. quote of the day, typed from me to morrison: "sometimes i think karen is a little crazy, that she loves vienna a little too much. but no, she was right all along." being in vienna felt so comfortable. everything was familiar, i still remembered how to get to all my favorite restaurants, churches, city sights, etc. and it felt natural to walk into a store and say "gruss gott," to bump into someone on the U4 metro and say "enschuldigung," to respond with "bitte" and "danke," and to say "auf wiedersehn" on the way out. (that's about the extent of my german, but it still felt good to use!) when the train last night pulled in, i felt like i loved prague just a little less than i had a few days prior.

there will always be a part of my heart in vienna. but today i'm back in prague, back in class, and back to loving this city too. not in the same way, and certainly less than i love vienna. but it sure is beautiful here. and thanks to a poetic writing assignment from class today, here's a little bit of why.

Things To Do Around Prague

Everywhere you go, look
up—notice cherubs and
gargoyles guarding churches
and souvenir shops. Trip
on cobblestones. Toss small
coins into musicians hats
on Charles Bridge and pet
their dogs. Walk. Pick stones
from the soles of your flipflops
and skip them across
the Vltava. Touch
the walls. Visit Old
Town Square at noon
and midnight. If it rains,
close your umbrella
and dance.