Parisian Thanksgiving and Weekend in Prague

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Well, we successfully brought Thanksgiving to Paris. As I got off the metro to head to dinner it was already cold and dark, but I saw a movie crew sweeping up fake snow under the lights of the movie set on the bridge Pont Marie. It was a beautiful night in Paris. We did most of the cooking before arriving at the restaurant, complete with stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes, peas, and pumpkin pies! Our friends at the restaurant provided the turkey for us and let us set up our feast there. The restaurant is small and cozy and it felt like our little American hide-out in Paris. Amongst the nine of us we managed to finish 4 bottles of wine, 2 bottles of champagne, but only half of one pie 😊
On Saturday, I woke up at 5:30am to catch a plane to Prague! It's amazing how easy travel in Europe is, only a few hours later Dani picked me up in the airport in Prague. Our hostel, the "Czech Inn" (hoot!) was essentially a hotel. Dani and I ate a cheap, tasty, pizza feast, (1000 czech = $50) so things (especially beer) were ridiculously cheap. It was the first day of the Christmas markets so we walked around bundled up and browsed all the little toys, the artwork, and the crafty ornaments. In the main square we stopped with our hot wine to listen to a girls choir sing Christmas carols and tried to pick out the melodies we recognized. Afterwards, we crossed the pedestrian only, Charles Bridge, which has statues and art vendors along both sides. Underneath the bridge there is a graffiti wall dedicated to John Lennon. The day he died an artist came and painted a memorial to him and ever since people add artwork and quotes everyday.
Saturday night we celebrated a friend of Dani's 21st birthday. We were in the downstairs of this old building with cool stone walls and decorations. The next morning, I did a tour of the city and walked up to the castle and the church which sits on a hill across the bridge. The views of all the red-roofed houses were incredible and I crossed back over Charles Bridge just as the sun was setting.
I think Prague might be my favorite city so far. It was a big city, but compared to Paris, very manageable. Dani and I found the metro especially amusing. Three lines, A, B,C which are color coded and all meet at one central station. So different than Paris!
I can't wait to go back to Eastern Europe with my mom in two weeks! We are going to Budapest! It's a rainy day in Paris today, but it reminds me of Seattle, and I'm alright with that 😊
Happy December!
Love,
Kaitlin

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Photos

Thanksgiving Dinner
Our table!

Alex and I
Trying not to eat all the frosting before we get to the restaurant

eeks..
Prague stations had the longest escalators ever!

Welp...Dani and I
Dani punched me in the eye, that's why it's bloody. Tensions were getting high.

Market yummies
These were all over. The dough is cooked over the coals and then rolled in cinnamon and sugar and almonds. So tasty!

JL Wall
Important to remember

Imagine
This was the main art on the wall

Comments

[Maman]

Just your mom Czech in in after you Czech'd it out!
I can see why you loved Prague!

[Brittany]

Hey Kaitilin....
I love reading your blog entries and your photos are amazing!! Hope you are enjoying yourself and have fun when your mom gets out there.

[Kaitlin Bailey]

Thanks!
Thanks Britt! Say Hi to the family over Christmas!