Addendum and Harmony

The pictures I wanted to put up before but was unable.

This is Mira, our guide in Brno, discussing... something with Spencer. It looks very important, doesn't it? To those who have met Kat Bula, Mira reminds me of a czech speaking Kat who shaves her hair less, but also plays less music.


The jewish graveyard I mentioned.

Brno. Spencer thinks this church looks very dark. I am inclined to agree with him. He has shots of it at night that look downright menacing.

This was by far the worst of the wounds suffered during our paintball bout last sunday. The victim´s name, I believe, was Stephen. Looking at this picture makes me miss Austria.

This is a restruant we saw in Prague. Perhaps twenty years ago this would have been okay, but... don't the owners keep up with current events?

I am not all that pleased with Prague. It is as touristy as we heard it would be, but not nearly as awe-inspiring. Not so memorable. Hopefully Wroclaw, our next step, will be more fulfilling.

This month of vacationing feels different. It feels like the trip is slowing down in pace, even though the days are passing with greater rapidity. Does that make any sense? Spence and I have both decided that we are now enjoying the lazy tempo that small towns have to offer, where the suprised awe that big cities once brought us now bores us. Are we bored of big-city europe?

If we are, there isn't a better time for it. All of the Baltic nations have tiny populations, and, of the 4 major cities that we intend to visit, Krakow is the largest by far. But Wroclaw, Rig, Vilnius, and Tallin all have pretty modest populations. Wikipedia put Tallinn at a modest 300,000 people, which can't be right. Even still, we are beggining a portion of the trip the promises to be more relaxed, peaceful. We want bike rides in the country, long conversations in coffee shops, parks. Also, I have noticed in myself (I can't speak for Spence), less of an interest in making friends than I used to be. I feel more like keeping the friends I already have than making new ones. But perhaps I am just being lazy.

We sent a package home today, August 3rd, containing all our un-needed things, so, Mom and Dad, you should be getting that soonish, I hope.

Hello Jules! Nice to hear from you again. We miss you all too. Have you ever had Kofola before?

Oh, harmony, right! I wanted to mention this. My dad will be pleased by it. In Brno, we hung out with Mira's Canadian college friends, one of whom was a fantastic guitar player. There were about seven of us, all sitting around, singing what we knew, drinking cokes, doing other completely legal and responsible things. I suggested to him that we sing Elie the Barrow-Boy, by the Decembrists, and he knew it, even though no one else did. He and I sang together and, low and behold, I could carry a tune well enough to harmonize with him. I was so pleased! We sounded so good that a couple considered us pleasing enough to use as make out music. They were about ten feet away. That was pretty weird...

They thanked us for the tunes when we were done though, so that was nice...