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Shauna's HomeEurope 2007Burning Witches and Partying!

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Europe 2007

Burning Witches and Partying! |

It's been a few weeks since I've done an entry and so much has gone on! I won't be able to explain everything that I've done because it has been such a whirl wind.

I have taken two trips out of the city. The first one was to a small town called Kutna Hora. It's about an hour train ride from Prague. Sheila and I went there because we heard there was a bone mueseum where everything inside is made of bones. Apparently, plagues attacked the area in the fifteenth or so century so they were running out of places to put the bodies. So a blind monk decided to build with them! It was slightly creepy but cool nonetheless.

The second place I went was on a 70 mile bicycle trip through the Czech countryside. Whatever you imagine a European countryside to look like you are probably imagining correctly. It was absolutely beautiful! Czech Republic is apparently known for growing Canola for Canola oil so there were fields and fields of yellow flowers everywhere. The area we were riding is also famous for a lot of man made lakes. They began being made in the 15th century as a way to have available fish (I think the main fish was Carp). We rode through everything from ancient forests to tiny little one street towns. The first day of the trip was brutal and I almost didn’t continue on the second. It was a lot more rigorous than I anticipated (i.e. mountain biking) and was not what I considered fun. Luckily I chose to stay on the second day (even though it was raining buckets) because I experienced beauty I’ve never experienced before. Oh yeah, and I learned how to use my gears the second day so the hills were MUCH easier .

In between my trips I’ve just spent my time lounging and partying. April 30th was a social holiday called “Burning of the Witches”. I’m not quite sure what the holiday is for but it consists of lotss of bonfires and lot’s of drinking. We started our night out at Petrin Hill which is a park that overlooks all of Prague. It is BEAUTIFUL! Picture it being dark, 6 bottles of wine, and the city spread out in front of you. To our left was the castle, straight ahead was Charles Bridge. I almost had to pinch myself to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming. People never see what I have seen, it’s hard to believe that it’s happening to me. After we had a little bit of a buzz we headed out to look for a bonfire. We ended up at a bar on the river where we found cheap tequila shots and hung out there for about an hour. Around midnight or so (from what I can remember) we headed towards the river. When we got there the guys got the clever idea to strip to their boxers and jump in the Vltava River. It was a stupid and dangerous idea but it was a great one. I was having fun watching them when a girlfriend of mine decided it would be the best idea if we did it too. I only live once and I only have one opportunity to jump in the Vltava on the Burning of the Witches night. So there we were, in our bra and underwear, dreamily drunk of tequila, swimming in one of the dirtiest rivers in Europe! After our rendevouz with grime we found a bonfire on the banks of the Vltava with a hundred or more people laughing it up. It was by far one of the most amazing evenings of my life.

There have been other random nights of fun, but everything is turning into a blur so I can not tell about each one. I am having a more amazing experience than I ever thought possible. The amount of self-satisfaction and accomplishment I feel goes beyond words. The experiences I am having right now are shaping who I am and are giving me a sense of fulfillment. After this trip I will feel ready to tackle anything that comes my way. It has given me even more excitement at the thought of the rest of my life: kids, husband, career, etc. This is a milestone in my growth as a human being and I am embracing it with all my might……

Well this will be my only entry for another week or two. I leave to Germany on Monday morning and will make an entry when I get back. Hope you guys are enjoying my blogs and I will see you all in 4 weeks!!!

Locations Visited: Prague


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