One Week, Two Fairy-tale Towns.

It was another whirlwind of a week here in Europe. A week ago I was preparing for an early morning train ride to Strasbourg, France and now I am preparing to calling it an early night after by 4:15 am wake up to catch my plane back from Prague this morning!

Strasbourg.

Strasbourg was wonderful. It is a magical little town, even more due to the fact that it is beginning to be filled with Christmas cheer (it is the Christmas capital of France)! I spent most of the time at the European Parliament building there, which is quite swanky - pretty crazy for a building that only gets used for one week of every month. The week was similar to work in Brussels, except with a few more meetings, more interactions with Professor Panayotov, and lots of bonding time with Diane. I crashed an Irish meet and greet with Diane and Prof., ate spatzle at a cute little restaurant in Le Petite France with Diane and a fun group of other MEP assistants (mostly S&D Brits), and also got the chance to explore a little bit of the town including the many Christmas shops and the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral.

European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Pretty fall leaves at Republic. 

It's Christmas time in the city...

Living up to its title as the Christmas capital of France. 

Praha.

I got in from Strasbourg at 8 pm Thursday night, unpacked my bag, repacked my bag, slept a bit, and left for the next adventure at 6 am on Friday morning. By 10 am I was with Tierney and Brendan in the Czech Republic! I can't even begin to put into words how incredible it was to be exploring the fabulous city of Prague with two of the funniest people I know. The weekend was filled with laughter, card games, standing in awe of Cathedrals and sweeping city views, wandering in the freezing cold, and taking in some of the most incredible architecture I've ever seen (which is a pretty big statement). We dined on goulash and dumplings, drank beer brewed by monks, and grabbed sweet bread rolls from street vendors. We climbed the astronomical clock, walked across the Charles Bridge, dredged through the waterside forest near the Charles Bridge (aka Brendan's short cut), wandered through Prague Castle, and took in the crazy architecture of both Old Town and New Town Square.

Praha.

Welcome to Europe, Brendan!

Old Town Square.

View of Old Town Square from the Astronomical Clock Tower. 

Another view from the clock tower. 

So happy to be exploring the city together. 

MJ Marionette doll, naturally.  

Outside Prague Castle. 

Prague Castle Cathedral.

Forging a path to the Charles Bridge.

The John Lennon Wall.

New Town Square.

Night time view of Prague. 

This entire trip is flying by, but this weekend may have been the quickest one yet. Still it was wonderful to spend it with Tierney and Brendan, even if the time felt too short. I think I can safely say that siblings make the best travel companions.

All in all my time in festive Strasbourg and with my siblings in Prague has made me excited for Christmas!