The rumors are true. My family came and went from Central Europe without any arrests or serious injuries. High five!
What? Those weren't the rumors you were thinking of? Let me clarify: I did not mean to make you think that that girl was pregnant, or that that couple broke up, or that we all secretly talk about how we don't like you when you're still in the room by referring to you as "Cindy" instead of your real name. Those are all just rumors (gahhhh Cindy is sooo paranoid...).
In Budapest we toured churches, synagogues, and national monuments. We went to a wine tasting and sampled local specialties. My favorite part, however, was swimming in the famous Szechenyi baths. Essentially large outdoor pools, the baths are kept full by nearby thermal springs. Locals and tourists come to socialize, play chess, and enjoy the warm water. 5 members of my family really liked the baths. 1 of us wasn't too happy...let's take a trip back to that night and listen to some of the conversation, shall we?
Caroline: This is fun! Look at those old guys playing chess.
Mama: I just loooove being so warm. It is bitter here y'all. But this is niiiice.
Caroline: I wonder if I should go ask to play
Mark: Tillman don't splash me.
Tillman splashes Mark
Mama: Mmmm so hot. I'll tell you somethin', if I lived in Hungaria, I would come here every day.
Mark: It's called Hungary, Mama.
Mallie: Tillman! If you're going to splash him don't get it near me.
Caroline: Me either. And hey, I don't really know how to play chess, one of y'all should go ask to play with those old people.
Dad: This is the most disgusting thing we've ever done.
Perhaps you've read a previous post of mine "Emotions with Dad." If so, you already know that my father can be like a used butter knife: blunt (does that metaphor work? Yeah, it worked. It totally did). Something you may not know however, is that he's not the biggest fan of germs or large masses of people.
Now remember that we were in a warm pool full of hairy European men wearing speedos.
Other quotes from Papa Drew include:
"I feel like I'm catching diseases standing in this."
"Caroline, tell your mom you want to leave."
"Why would people come to this thing?"
"Alright gang, time to go." (said after 5 minutes in the bath)
Don't worry, we stayed for an hour and a half. Thanks Dad!!
Even better than exploring Budapest was having my family in Prague. Getting to share this city with them meant a lot to me, but because you'd rather hear about our weirdness than my sappy emotions (whatever, I don't want to know about your feelings either) I'll focus on that.
Tillman bought a sword. A full length sword. He thought it would fit in his suitcase. Guess what? That thing wouldn't fit in a golf bag. Now I get to figure out how to ship the weapon home. Which means I get to walk through Prague with a sword. Fear me peasants!!
I took my family to NYU open mic night where we all got to feel bad about how non-musically inclined we all are. One of the acts wasn't musical, though. It was my friend Nathan doing stand up and he was great. He was also pretty...colorful at times. My mother's response: "I thought he was cute! But I didn't get all of it. I'm going to have to ask your dad what some of that stuff meant later."
The boys ditched their khakis, sperries and polos for dark jeans, converse-esque shoes, and hoodies. My dad, on the other hand, sported his ever fabulous snap-away pants. You know, the kind that can become shorts with just a tug on the lower leg? Sorry for being a fashionable family.
I really should get back to studying and if I write my Goodbye Prague post right now I'll get tears in my hot chocolate. And you know what they say: "There's no use crying into good chocolate*."
They used to say "There's no use crying over spilled milk," but realized this was an erroneous statement unless you're some fancy rich person who buys milk in bulk. "Did you see Dave's fridge? Packed with milk. He must be doing well."
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