I am SO over cobblestones...
Yes, they're so quaint and lovely - and they really communicate that you're not in Kansas anymore. But the number of cobblestones in any given quaint European city is in direct proportion with the amount of schlepping you will do in that city. And they are hell to walk on for any length of time - especially if you're not wearing shoes/boots with a very thick sole. Even if you are, they're so uneven and easy to trip over, you (read: me) are constantly staring down at the ground to make sure where your feet are going, that you miss a lot of quaint views that are above ground level. Love to look at them...hate to walk on them. And they're everywhere.
So, maybe you will have guessed that I'm back from Prague - a truly lovely city, with fairy tale castles and other lovely sights. And cobblestones from one end of the city to the other. See? What can I say? This is simply what happens to Americans. The lawyers and risk management people have long since gotten rid of anything potentially 'dangerous' and this would include most of the walking areas I've encountered thus far in Europe. Even on my own work campus here, there are hazards everywhere, and for those of us who have been rendered clueless by all the lawyers, these are things you must learn to look out for, or they'll get you every time. Many doorways here have a raised threshhold, usually only an inch high or so (but some as high as three inches) - and they're in places where you'd never expect them (trust me, if you're an American like I'm an American, you too would not expect these - and you'd trip all the time too. Yes, you would!). If I haven't tripped at least once on any given day, it's only because I never left my house (although I have tripped across the threshhold at the front door there a time or two as well - sheesh). It's great to feel so graceful and elegant all the time...
But back to Prague - such a lovely place. It's the American ideal of a European city - not destroyed by WWII, and full of the kind of vistas that make you go, 'ahhhh' and pull your camera out again and again. I highly recommend a visit there. Next year, the same congress I just attended will be in Copenhagen, so I'll tell you all about it when the time comes. Presumably, I will have other locales to talk about between then and now, but just in case I never feel like walking on cobblestones again anytime soon...
Hey, my ship has come in - how many of you can say that? Our ship has indeed come in, and all our worldly goods will be delivered on Tuesday at 07.30. I am very much looking forward to reacquainting myself with my beloved bed, as well as perhaps rediscovering some comfortable footwear amongst my collection of shoes. And some warmer clothing. Scott will be very happy to get his tools and bike stuff, as well as shoes, warmer clothing, etc. Dogs and cat already have everything their little hearts desire, as usual.
We're currently trying to figure out what kind of car to buy - we're thinking something we couldn't get in the states would be fun...but many of those are slightly scary from a reliability standpoint (eg, Renault, Citroen, Fiat, etc.). Scott wants to get another Subaru, but I am leaning toward at least buying a European car (eg, a VW Golf - I know, how exotic!!). Any suggestions are welcome.
Well, I had all sorts of things stored up to say here - but naturally, I've forgotten most of them already, so I'll come back and write more later if I recover anything from my tired memory banks. Tchuss!
So, maybe you will have guessed that I'm back from Prague - a truly lovely city, with fairy tale castles and other lovely sights. And cobblestones from one end of the city to the other. See? What can I say? This is simply what happens to Americans. The lawyers and risk management people have long since gotten rid of anything potentially 'dangerous' and this would include most of the walking areas I've encountered thus far in Europe. Even on my own work campus here, there are hazards everywhere, and for those of us who have been rendered clueless by all the lawyers, these are things you must learn to look out for, or they'll get you every time. Many doorways here have a raised threshhold, usually only an inch high or so (but some as high as three inches) - and they're in places where you'd never expect them (trust me, if you're an American like I'm an American, you too would not expect these - and you'd trip all the time too. Yes, you would!). If I haven't tripped at least once on any given day, it's only because I never left my house (although I have tripped across the threshhold at the front door there a time or two as well - sheesh). It's great to feel so graceful and elegant all the time...
But back to Prague - such a lovely place. It's the American ideal of a European city - not destroyed by WWII, and full of the kind of vistas that make you go, 'ahhhh' and pull your camera out again and again. I highly recommend a visit there. Next year, the same congress I just attended will be in Copenhagen, so I'll tell you all about it when the time comes. Presumably, I will have other locales to talk about between then and now, but just in case I never feel like walking on cobblestones again anytime soon...
Hey, my ship has come in - how many of you can say that? Our ship has indeed come in, and all our worldly goods will be delivered on Tuesday at 07.30. I am very much looking forward to reacquainting myself with my beloved bed, as well as perhaps rediscovering some comfortable footwear amongst my collection of shoes. And some warmer clothing. Scott will be very happy to get his tools and bike stuff, as well as shoes, warmer clothing, etc. Dogs and cat already have everything their little hearts desire, as usual.
We're currently trying to figure out what kind of car to buy - we're thinking something we couldn't get in the states would be fun...but many of those are slightly scary from a reliability standpoint (eg, Renault, Citroen, Fiat, etc.). Scott wants to get another Subaru, but I am leaning toward at least buying a European car (eg, a VW Golf - I know, how exotic!!). Any suggestions are welcome.
Well, I had all sorts of things stored up to say here - but naturally, I've forgotten most of them already, so I'll come back and write more later if I recover anything from my tired memory banks. Tchuss!
posted by Swizzies at 13:54
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