prague is beyond amazing, i couldn't even begin to put it into words. it is indeed as magical and enchanting as it's rumored to be. and it's even more incredible at night. walking through the city is like walking through ancient ruins. it somehow escaped world war II intact. even the so-called new city was built in the 18th century, the old in the 12th. the architecture is a mix of renaissance, baroque, rococo, gothic, neoclassicism and some medieval. and yet is all melds beautifully. again, not an ugly street exists here. i'm completely stunned by it all. and it is much cheaper than the rest of europe. it's joining the EU and euro next year so prices are bound to rise, but for now we can get great meals for two for under 15 bucks -- and that's splurging. the people are friendly and most understand english, and i've been able to flex my russian skills with the ones who don't. we've been buying plenty of gifts with the extra money we've saved and taking plenty of pictures, some of which might make their way up here if pabs can figure out how to upload them onto the hotel's computers. otherwise, we're off to eat dinner in the old jewish quarter, which claims to house the oldest synagogue in europe. more sightseeing continues tomorrow until we board the overnight train to budapest.