Day Fourteen (and Fifteen really): A Marathon Finish
July 9, 2008
It’s crazy to think this is the last European extravaganza post. It’s also crazy to think it’s taken me two days since returning to write it! But what can I say – we got back Sunday afternoon and not only did I have work Monday morning, I also have been feeling a bit yucky (still!!)
But no excuses, no excuses! It’s time to let you know how it all ended. And, you’ll be happy to know, we took loads of videos.
So we woke up (late) with a fairly simple plan: shop. Leslie had lots of stuff she wanted to buy and, since we failed to ever put away any real time for shopping in the past, she was entitled to some.
And so we shopped. We walked and walked from one side of Prague to the other in search of things she could get. Now, most of the getting was in the name of others (as in, she was buying presents for her roommates and Anthony primarily) but I did help talk her into spending a little bit of time getting something special for herself. And boy did she heed the advice! The Czech Republic is known for its garnet (among other things… obviously) so it seemed fitting for her to get a garnet necklace. So, after some price checking and chit-chatting, Leslie became the proud owner of a very pretty necklace at a very very good price (especially give how friggin insane Prague pricing is). Doesn’t she look so pretty?!
Other than that I’d say there were two other highlights of our day:
First, we stopped by an art nouveau looking store (since I wanted magnets!) and Leslie realized that there’s actually a Mucha/Art Nouveau museum in Prague! This got me all excited so we detoured from shopping in the name of one last art museum experience. Yay! I was wondering why so much Mucha was being sold in Prague considering the fact that I’d only seen one thing by the guy (and that one thing was one of the stained glass windows in St.Vitus’ Cathedral that I mentioned in my last post). So highlight one: Mucha museum
Second, Leslie wanted to revisit some marionette shops and in our attempt to return to the awesome one from yesterday, we stumbled upon another (perhaps even more?!) insanely awesome and magical one! This new one was pricier but had some of the neatest looking little marionettes I’ve ever seen. Let’s just say, if I had a LOT more money, I would have spent a LOT of money in there. Leslie and I must have roamed the place for an hour… just in awe of how wonderful their creations were. So highlight two: more marionette magic
Other than those two “big goods” it was also nice to:
stop by the synagogue again to look around without the bigger tour group
see some more live music as we were racing from shop to shop!
Eventually, after the dust settled on the zillions of bags of stuff Leslie got, we had to high-tail it to the airport! We determined that the best way to get there was by shuttle from a nearby hotel. And oh goodness! I felt like royalty – I mean a shuttle taking me directly from where I am to where I want to go?! Hellllooo bourgeois living!
Once at the airport Leslie and I made it through all the lines without delay. But one weird thing: they don’t do a security check at the start. Instead, they have a security check at each gate. So you can imagine getting through LAX where they first check your ID and plane ticket – so now you have access to all the food on the inside… but you still haven’t had your bags screened. Basically you wait to do that until the last possible second.
So, since we had time to burn and we didn’t feel like going through security super early and then sitting in a waiting area with nothing to do, we decided to find a way to spend the rest of Leslie’s Prague money. So, we got ridiculously expensive airport food and beer (mixed with Sprite) and hung out. The main food was pickled brie… it was pretty dang tasty!
Eventually we got on our plane and made our way to Dublin (not before taking a video, of course!) If I remember correctly, we successfully slept (and no doubt drooled) for the majority of the three hour flight.
Once in Dublin… well… I’ll let the videos explain all that.
And then! we got on a plane in Dublin about twelve hours later and headed to San Francisco. I have to say, getting home took a lot longer (in terms of perceived time) than getting there. On the way there Leslie and I chatted a lot but while on the way home we were both so tired (yet couldn’t properly sleep) and so crammed next to strangers that talking didn’t happen as much. But at least this time I got food with sodium in it!
Once back Anthony ended up picking us up! Originally I was just going to take the BART home and let Anthony and Leslie have their lovey-dovey moments but Anthony insisted and there’s no way I was going to deny a ride directly to my place. So, in return, I took a zillion pictures of them together and captured them both on the Flip!
Once home I went straight to bed and laid there… not quite asleep but definitely lacking the energy to do anything else. A little while later I looked over this very blog a bit and I have to say, it’s pretty jam-packed with awesome-ness!
Except while reviewing it I wasn’t happy as much as spaced out and a bit melancholic. Our trip was so immensely wonderful – unlike anything I’ve ever done before. It’s weird coming back. Perhaps because I’m returning not to my apartment in LA but to my new place in San Francisco, where I don’t feel as grounded. Hard to say. Either way, after spending some time with friends, seeing people at work, and spending a night with my sister, I lay here now… typing when I should be sleeping… knowing that the trip is over but itching to get out there and explore some more! Whose with me?!
So this is not the end of my extravaganza-ness, nor is it a fermata. Instead, I view this trip as a short powerful lucid movement in an ongoing piece. Now, upon my return, I’ve transitioned into another one- one that includes a new house in a new city with the building of new relationships and places of value. And this should be pretty exciting, too!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this adventure! It’s been so great hearing from some of you. I know Leslie and I both really treasure each and every comment! We love you guys! In fact, our final video is a big tribute to our biggest fans!
And, for the last time, to see all the pictures from the end, click here.
Lots and lots of love, Heather
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Hells yeah! #1 fan!!!