Rainy and refreshing

Most of the time we've been here, the city has been hot, hot, hot! Temperatures are fairly balmy in the morning, but then the sun hits the urban center and the cobblestones literally bake, emitting lots 'o heat. We've resorted to dressing in layers and peeling them off as the day goes on. The Czechs have the right idea when they're napping and picnicking in the shade of Prague's public green spaces. If you spy a patch of grass, you can bet it will contain a horizontal Czech body.

Fleeing the heat

Yesterday, however, there were hours of cool rain showers, and the effect it had on the city aesthetic was bewitching. Fat, inky clouds cast a bluish glaze over everything and the hectic metropolitan pace seemed to decelerate under the refreshing drizzle.

Czech novelist, playwright and historian Alois Jirasek gets a wash

A thundercloud blanket in the sky

The Letenske Sady beer garden begins to refill after the rain...

...and a rainbow pegs the Communist TV Tower in Zizkov, which is northeast of where we live

Enjoying an evening of natural air conditioning

On an unrelated note, we just had lunch with our landlord, Mr. Can'tprounouncehislastname, and helped him book hotels and a rental car for his upcoming trip to... da da da da... America! He and a couple of friends are going to Boston, Lake Champlain, Washington D.C., Atlantic City, Philadelphia and New York City for 2.5 weeks. So if you're out East and see a tall Czech dude with a buzz-cut, wearing a floorball league t-shirt, be sure to say hello!