"How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?"

                                             
                                                            Hurray for Grandmas!
   
This is from several days ago, but the internet was being dumb so here it is now. :)

     Today was our second full day in Prague, and it has been such a blessed time! Unfortunately Rosalie finally came down with a fairly bad cold/fever that she's felt coming on for a few days, so she wasn't able to join us for our city explorations today, and Joseph has a feeling tomorrow may be the same for him. So Rosie and I locked them up in their respective rooms, figuring a few days on bread and water and no contact with us should cure them of their irresponsible ideas of getting sick on vacation. (Not quite all of that is true.)
     Saturday in Poland was the "pilgrimage to the vigil site," which was just about like it sounds! We walked about seven miles to a giant field where we had a vigil with the Pope. There were so many policemen along the way; when a spot got too backed up they would form a wall and not let anybody pass for a little while. They looked super cool and serious in their uniforms and funny hats, and it's really neat having so many people working together to keep everybody safe.

On our way! Rosalie took us a slightly longer,
but prettier way by the water. 

     Most people stayed overnight at the vigil site, but we came back to our airbnb because we had to leave the next morning. The vigil was really beautiful; we got to hear beautiful music and some testimonies from people around the world. One woman was from Syria and asked for prayers, sharing a little about the orphanage she works at there and what their life is like, and emphasizing how their trust in God is what keeps them going. Joseph found out how we could listen to the radio from our phones so we could hear the translation of the talks, and so this time we were able to understand the Pope and his message.

Near the end they passed out candles to the entire crowd and then sang the Chaplet of Mercy, each decade in a different language. Also, now we know how to say "Jesus, I trust in you" in Polish: "Jezu, ufam tobie." We sang that a lot, too. It was a little sad to have to leave before the vigil was over, but to comfort ourselves Rosie and I carried our lit candles with us as long as they lasted and threw balls of wax at Joseph on the way. I'm sure that comforted him, too.

      We arrived here in Prague Sunday afternoon. We weren't able to go to the final Mass with the Pope because our bus left at about the same time, but that also meant travelling here was smooth and not crowded--I'm sure it would have been a nightmare trying to leave at the same time as all the other pilgrims. We successfully caught our bus AND train without any difficulty, and had a lovely train trip through the Czech Republic to Prague. It rained off and on all the way, and was raining and cool when we arrived (a happy change from muggy/hot/rainy Poland.) We left some baggage at the train station and walked about the city a little bit, found dinner (a slightly less cheerful place than we were used to from our week in Poland, but still good,) and bought some ice-cream--always a necessary first move when getting used to a new country. After that we waited in a mall, (amusing ourselves by either exploring, reading, or knitting a hat,) and then met up with our wonderful friend from TAC, Misha. Misha is fluent in Czech and is spending part of her summer, as usual, with her grandma in Prague. Misha and her grandma have made a world of difference for us clueless Americans. As Joseph put it while we were sitting outside in the beautiful fresh weather, in their large, well-tended garden (where Misha's grandma, Eva, grows all the vegetables and fruit that make up every meal,) "Guys, it seems we have traveled to Europe, found a European house and a European grandma who wants to cook all our meals for us. I think we're well taken care of." In all our searches for "authentic--(enter country)--food," I think this wins the prize. We had plum dumplings for lunch yesterday, from the plum tree right outside our door.

     Besides wonderful hospitality, comfy beds, and delicious food, we also have a free tour guide. Misha has spent much of her life here in Prague and so knows her way about and has all sorts of fun, interesting historical facts to share about the city.  Following her lead we've been able to see much, much more (with a lot less walking because of her ease using the metro) than we were able to in Poland. Thank God for Misha! We've also been able to catch up on sleep (desperately needed,) and still have time for peaceful and beautiful walks with magnificent views of the city, and to see lots of beautiful and famous buildings and churches. (But not so many that it's overwhelming!) All that, and time to be back for meals and relaxing. I find that I manage to forget rather quickly exactly where we went and when, but some highlights were the walks I mentioned--today we spent some time in a rose garden above the city-- Mass at the church with the Infant of Prague on Monday, and Mass this evening at the Norbertine Abby nearby. We also got to cross the Charles bridge and watch the astronomical clock ring and change (I don't really know what it was doing... just that it does it every hour, and people come to see. ) Of course we made snarky comments the whole time and thoroughly enjoyed it. Misha says that the man who built it had his eyes poked out because the people of Prague liked it so much they didn't want him to build anything like it anywhere else. So after it finished moving, dinging and crowing... (I didn't notice the golden rooster crow but apparently it did,) Joseph said, "Yup. Definitely worth the eye-poking." I"m not so sure. But it was fun to watch!

On top of the St. Nicholas Tower
Joseph found the perfect Rosie catcher.

     Rosie and I have been practicing the Czech word for ice-cream, and we've almost gotten to the point where we can say it without ANY hints. Zmrzlina. I think that's it. Anyway, every hour or so Rosie informs us that it's time to get more of it, so I'm certain that by the end of our trip we'll have no trouble.

We found the narrowest street in Prague!

     One of my favorite things about being in Europe so far is the cobblestone streets. They make me feel like I'm in a Dickens story or something, and they look so beautiful, especially in the rain. Joseph, Rosie and I found our way to the Charles bridge again today, walked across it in the rain and then met Misha at a coffee shop on the other side. We got to walk for a while on a rainy, cheerful, narrow street full of people and fun shops on the way. We stopped to get some postcards, and the man who was selling them to us randomly gave us some for free (because of our beautiful smiles...or something like that.) That was a fun--and perhaps, as Rosie would say, creepy--little surprise!

     Tomorrow,  (Wednesday), we're going to get up early (for the first time since we got here) and go to Mass at the Prague Castle, and we're praying that Rosalie and Joseph will feel up to joining us after that for some more adventures.