New Years in Prague

We arrived in the Czech Republic’s capital city of Prague on New Year’s eve! The streets were decorated with lights, there was champagne for sale on every corner and the atmosphere was very festive. We checked into our hotel, which was centrally located in the heart of all of the activity, bundled up and wandered around. There were bands and dance floors, vendors selling hot wine and hot chocolate, stalls selling food and souvenirs and lots of fireworks. At midnight everyone corked their champagne and let their fireworks fly. It was unorganized and perhaps a bit dangerous but very exciting. I am sure the party went strong all night and morning!

Prague is a really beautiful city with stunning architecture, charming town squares and quaint cobblestone streets. There aren’t a ton of sites to see in Prague but it is a very enjoyable and lovely place to spend a few days. We strolled across the Charles Bridge, wandered around the Castle, visited the Christmas market, saw the astronomical clock, tasted local beers at a Pub and checked out the city. One of TJ’s highlights of Prague was seeing the Codex. The Codex is an exact copy of the bible written in perfect Latin penmanship and it is the largest existing ancient medieval document. There are different beliefs as to who created the Codex and how. One legend is that it was written by a priest in a single night, with the help of the devil. This would explain the large drawing of the devil occupying an entire page towards the end of the Codex. Another theory is that the book was written over 20 years by a scribe.

Unfortunately, Carrie was sick the entire time we were in Prague and spent part of the time in 2 different hospitals. To make a very long story short, they tested her for everything and we still don’t know what is wrong with her. I will think twice about complaining about any of our hospitals or health care system in the US after seeing what Carrie experienced in the Czech Republic. She is feeling a little better now but it is still a mystery why she got so sick.