One ends, another begins...

After splitting from the group, I had plenty of time to myself for reflection... From Auckland, I had a 10.5 hour flight to Hong Kong, where I had a 2 hour layover, then a 13.5 hour flight to London. Due to a late arrival, I practically had to run for the next 2 hours to catch the chunnel to Paris. I was literally escorted to the train by 5 different people and was the last passenger to board. I felt like my brother for a minute. ;)

The next morning, we had some DELICIOUS crepes at a creperie next to the Centre Pompidou, then walked around for the rest of the day. Sunday, we took a train to a town called Angers about 1.5 hours southwest of Paris to see a symphony that Yoel Levi was conducting (Dvorak & Ravel). Monday, we spent a few hours in the Louvre looking at Greek and Roman statues, huge French paintings, and other artifacts we came across while journeying through the museum. That place is huge, but we walked briskly and covered a lot of ground. That night, we met up with Simone & Charlotte - two of Eric's friends who spent some time in Savannah 10 years ago - and some of their friends for dinner.

Tuesday, we caught a flight to Prague. This city is so gorgeous, with gothic architecture, towers, castles, a central river, bridges, and super cheap! Meals are usually ~$6 US and beers ~2. We've checked out a medieval torture device museum, a classical organ concert, and the Prague Castle (the largest castle complex in the world). Thursday night, we listened to a jazz trio and ate a nice dinner while riding down the Vltava River.