My letter writing has been particularly bad this trip, as we have been continually feted by members of Toni’s family. I have eaten so much; Toni now rolls me to the train station.
The escape to Prague seemed like the perfect answer to get some rest and not have to keep up with the strain of being polite. We got to Prague last night, and this morning had the classical Czech experience: my wallet was stolen on the metro. This was preceded by everyone telling me about the pickpocket problem in Prague, and Toni reminding me minutes before to put my wallet in my coat pocket with a zipper.
So we spent the morning canceling credit cards and making police reports. I lost about $300 in cash, my driver’s license, medical insurance cards, etc., etc. And of course, the biggest loss was to my temper and sense of intelligence.
American Express is issuing a new credit card tomorrow at its Prague office, but I didn’t bring along the code for withdrawing cash. We still have some travelers cheques which should allow us to pay the hotel bill and eat, as long as we pick inexpensive restaurants. We can only hope that we will have enough money to bail the car out of the parking lot when we get home.
The city itself is very lovely, although my anger over my own stupidity has really tainted the experience. Prague formed the backdrop for the picture Amadeus. Tomorrow, we will visit Kafka’s house and the Jewish Museum.
