Quiet Easter and Karlovy Vary

Let me take this moment to say, today is SO beautiful. I have my window open at work, and the sun is shining through and the birds are singing...

Yesterday, Kendra and I took a day tour to Karlovy Vary -- the city of peace and calm, the spa town, the glass factory-- also known as Karlsbad. Only 2 hours from Prague, and 15 km from the German border, Karlovy Vary ("Charles' Spa") is a beautiful little luxury location literally built on the river and amongst rolling hills. Kendra and I tried the famous healing mineral water (which tasted like salt and sulphur) straight from the springs, and then again in the form of "Becherovka"-- mixed with a sweet alchohol (which altogether tasted like sugared Listerine), and then immediately bought some "platky" (flavoured spa wafers they eat to get rid of the taste of the water). They gather and drink this water (which doctors here prescribe) out of these special porcelain cups whose handle acts as a straw, which we of course had to get as souveniers. We walked through the springs, geysers and collonades, snapping away at the beautiful architecture with all our might (pictures coming soon!). We visited the Moser Glass factory, where they showed the process of making the handmade "symbols of wealth, propriety, class, etc" (blech). We went swimming in Elizabeth spa, and relaxed in the sauna before running back to town to get more souveniers. Our guide was a nice old man, who spoke fluent English and Russian, but decided I was "fluent in Czech" (cough, choke) and so spoke to me in Czech for the rest of the tour...He gave me his card and I think he offered me free tickets...or maybe he just told me not to lose mine...I really don't know:)

Anyway, Kendra leaves tomorrow and is taking Raph and I out to my favourite restaurant tonight before our flamenco class. I hope she had a good time! And while I have a feeling I am going to be addicted to Karlovy Vary, I have the same feeling she will be addicted to Budapest;)