Not a Vacation but Drenched

Exploring a city the second time around has more moments of deja vu than you'd expect. A few friends and I explored much of the city yesterday. It was like reliving a long lost dream. (I came here with Adam and Andrew Peeples May 1, 2004, the weekend the Czech Republic officially joined the EU). Prague is still beautiful, yet it is still VERY touristy and a little bit less exciting this time around because of a few things.

1. I'm WORKING here. Usually when I'm in a foreign city, I'm on vacation. Call me lazy, but after a 60 hour work week, I'm lacking some of the typical drive to be adventurous. Although, I think this is just the case for Prague because we've developed a daily routine. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. I find that I DO feel that energy and excitement when I contemplate visiting Barcelona, Vienna, Bruges, London, Budapest, or Germany. Also, I'm so glad that I've been to Prague and Europe prior to this trip. I'm already becoming a bit numb to some of the charm this city has to offer, and I'd hate for this to have been my first experience in Europe. This is Lisa's (a team member) first time in Europe so she wants to do all those backpacker-type things, yet she is working here and therefore already is developing a different perspective of the city. Also, she's with many of us who have already "been there, done that."

2. I'm here for (at least) 2 months. There's little sense of urgency right now. "Ehh, we'll go check that out next weekend; we're here for a couple months!"

3. It is SO touristy. I struggle to pick out the locals. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.

4. Cobblestones are cool, but they are cooler underneath the tires of my bicycle in Maastricht.

5. I'm here with coworkers. My team has quickly become my friends, but you also have to realize we work all day and eat dinner together everyday. I expected this, but there's not much opportunity to socialize outside of our team, let alone have private eWu time.

6. Meeting people outside of work is hard. We're not staying in a hostel where everyone is looking to meet fellow travelers.

That said, I'm still happy to be here. Check out the view from the PwC office! :)

We got caught in a summer downpour when walking back to the city from Prague Castle.

I'm not used to the rain anymore cause we had a dry winter in SF this year.

On a side note, there's a small casino connected to the hotel, and I've been playing blackjack the past three nights. Down a few hundred CZK, but it's fun and you get a free beer each time you go.