Czech us out!

Okay, okay... so that's been the inside joke all day long, and I'm proud to have snagged the computer first so I could use the phrase. Whenever anyone says, "I don't know, we'll have to check," one by one we all start laughing at the irony.

I'm in Prague, the capitol city of the Czech Republic and I'm loving it. I don't know why that comes as any surprise, as I'm loving every city we've been to, but I really am! Grandma reminded me that my great-great-grandparents are from the Czech Republic, so it's been fun to see the city through more appreciative eyes!

We left Maastricht last night (Monday) around 8:00, had a few stops along the way, and then got on an overnight train to Prague in Wuppertal, Germany. Since the ride was going to be 11+ hours, we decided to get a "couchette," which is one of those sleeping cabins with the fold down beds. There were 8 of us, so we had to split up 6 and 2. We boarded the train, tried to open our cabin door and laughed at our failed attempts, wondering why we couldn't get it open! Finally the conductor came down the hall and unlocked it for us... we felt like fools.

The other couchette for our extra 2 already had people in it who smelled of alcohol and body odor, so guess who bunked with the other six of us? That's right, we fit 8 people in a cabin that was 6 feet by 7 feet. It was quite hilarious and have no fear, we did take plenty of photos to document the feat! There were 3 bunks on either side of the cabin; two girls shared a bed and Chris, the only boy on the trip, slept on the floor. Most people had a hard time falling asleep, but I only woke up once during the night.

We arrived in Prague a little after 9:00 this morning. One thing I love about Prague is the simple transportation system. One 24 hour pass gets you on to the buses, trams, and metro and there are only 3 metro lines. Finding our hostel was a breeze, and we are all loving it! We're staying at Hostel Elf, this eclectic place with "self-inflicted" graffiti, free tea and coffee all day long, free internet, and a 10 person dorm room we were able to have all to ourselves! After settling in, we went to an authentic Czech restaurant nearby called Sklep where I enjoyed potato dumplings with sweet ham and gravy - delicious!

After lunch we went to see the Prague Castle, which to our dismay was closed for renovations. We were able to see St. Vitus Cathedral (Roman Catholic) near the castle and saw the outside of St. George's Basillica. Then, we walked a little further and were all delighed to see the BEST view of Prague we could have ever imagined!! We could see the entire city, and I kept thinking "wow, this is exactly how I always pictured it."

Tonight was amazing, to say the least. I saw a brochure at our hostel about a restaurant called Red, Hot & Blues with live music every night. Being Fat Tuesday, they had Mardi Gras specials and a hillbilly blues band called "The Lazy Pigs," so we decided to check it out. Best experience ever!

It was a reminder that God is so big, but sometimes this world can feel so small when you meet people with whom you find common ground. The restaurant is owned by a woman from Houston, our waitress was from California, and the lead singer of the band was from Lake Charles, LA! We all ordered Mexican food, which was actually quite spicy!! Dad, I put it to your test - my sinuses were definitely cleared, haha! The chicken enchiladas were excellent and we were all on cloud nine when we ordered "American" Iced Tea with FREE REFILLS! For dessert I had all-American apple pie with vanilla ice cream, and then we all sat for another 45 minutes enjoying the live music and lots of laughs!

My favorite story of the night is about the people sitting at the table next to us. Earlier in the night, I smiled when I saw them pray over their meal, and I praised God for little reminders of brothers and sisters around the world. The lead singer of the band was wearing a Longhorn t-shirt, so being from Austin I asked where he was from. That led to the Louisiana conversation, when the girl next to us chimed in "I'm from Houston!" Come to find out, she graduated from Mary-Hardin Baylor with a degree in Journalism and PR! She was there with a big group of students, and after chatting for a few minutes I learned that they were all living in Prague with a mission team. I gave her my e-mail address so we could stay in contact, and I told them that I'd keep them in my prayers for all the work they're doing in this city.

We left the restaurant feeling so comforted and at home. It was definitely the perfect way to celebrate the "one month" anniversary of being foreigners, with little bits and pieces of home!!

Love you and miss you all! Czech ya' later!