just breathe On my last day in Prague, after my walk up to the National Museum, I walked back down Wenceslas Sqaure (it's really massive) and grabbed a hot dog from a street vendor. Then I sat down on a cold bench and just breathed in the sights and sounds while enjoying my lunch. From there I headed east into the "new town" section that we had not explored all that much. I actually walked quite a distance, and found myself up on a hill in a park across from a school.

Despite the chilly temperatures, there wasn't a lot of snow - just a few inches or so. But some kids were playing in the park, sliding down a small hill on these mini plastic discs, shrieking and yelling, while their mothers sat nearby chatting on a bench. Again I sat there a long time, absorbing it all. It's a cool realization when you notice that despite being in a foreign country halfway around the world, people are really just the same. In Prague they're surrounded by tremendous history, and the remnants of communism are still fading, but superficially their lives resemble ours quite a bit.

Actually I think these people are tougher than we are. We think we handle the cold pretty well here in Canada, but it was damn cold there, and people just bundle up (lots of scarves and toques) and deal with it. It was impressive. They're also very slim and trendy (not sure how that relates, but wanted to throw it in).

I think that when I travel, those are some of my favourite memories: when you stop rushing around trying to see and do everything, and just stop and reflect, and truly appreciate being there.
  | ¶ 7:22 a.m.