Prague, Day 1
It’s nearly 1:00 am, and I should be in bed, but the last 36 or so hours have been so exciting, it’s hard to convince myself to go to sleep.
Our flight to Prague went about as smoothly as that kind of flight could go, I suppose, and we arrived here at about 9:00 a.m. It’s a six-hour difference between Prague and Pittsburgh.
After a short nap and a shower, Arielle and I took a walk around the neighborhood where Rob, our host, lives. It’s a garden-style neighborhood dotted with Communist-era panelky, which have been cleaned up and painted bright colors so as to dull the drab, mass-produced concrete aura they create. I find the buildings quite intriguing, though Rob assures me that the interior is not at well-kept as the exterior.
I took two pictures from Rob’s balcony that give an idea of what we see when we look out of his windows. The view is quite amazing.
Later, we all went into the heart of the city and ate dinner. Transportation to and from our meal was flawless and left me further despondent over the sorry state of mass transit in Pittsburgh.
There are so many good things here that we would do well to duplicate in America. As Rob said over dinner, although the Communist era left a lot to be desired, it instilled a sense of disciplined thrift that other countries (read: the U.S.) lack.
Perhaps as America’s financial markets continue to reveal their charlatan ways and Wal-Mart’s warehouse on wheels runs out of steam, we will be forced to deal with economic hardships unseen in the short history of our country. It won’t be pretty, but it’s about time, I say.
Thankfully, there are other places that already get it, and they are planning for a far better future. I just hope we don’t ruin it for them.
A few thoughts
A random collection of things worth mentioning:
Arielle and I, along with others, have taken quite a liking to Ken Jennings, the undisputed heavyweight Jeopardy champion of the world. His proclamation last night, “Sometimes it pays to be a nerd, Alex” was a watershed moment for the geeks of the world. The Mormon thing aside, he should be a hero to kids everywhere.
I just finished reading Land Circle by Linda Hasselstrom. I had previously read her book Going Over East in my freshman English class in college, and it was a pleasure to read some more of her stuff. She really evokes strong feelings for the Midwest in me, and her take on corporate farming, wasteful consumerism, and self-reliance is dead-on. It is of my opinion that she and James Kunstler should meet up and run for the White House together. One’s a crazy rancher, the other is a crazy urbanist, and I think together they’d be the best thing our country has seen for a long time.
Our summer travels have brought us thus far to New York (Buffalo, Albany, and NYC) and, most recently, North Carolina. I have a bunch of pictures from the New York trip just waiting to be posted. Soon.
North Carolina, where Arielle’s grandparents live, was a great trip. We camped in West Virgina on our way down there in the Monongahela National Forest. At $8 a night with all the fresh air one can breathe, it’s a hard bargain to beat. Passing through the Virginias, Tennessee, and North Carolina was a scenic experience. The Appalachian mountains are far more green and lush than I would have ever imagined.
A couple of interesting sub-notes on the southern experience: * Mountain music is quite enjoyable. * There’s a Dairy Queen in every town. * In southern dialect, ‘shopping carts’ are called ‘buggies.’ Be prepared.
Live from New York
I’m at the corner of 42nd and 6th in NYC, having seen the Olympic Torch just pass by for the second time. Internet access is being graciously provided by the Bryant Park Wireless Network. We’re having a great time on our trip; Grand Champeen has once again proven themselves to be the best and most passionate rock-and-roll band in the history of the world.
This is too much fun.
