Of course I'd rather be with my family, but the airlines know this and so doubled the cost of flights, making it unaffordable. But while I was despairing at flights across the pond, the British Airways web site showed me I could go anywhere within a 2 hour radius for only 9,000 frequent flier miles (and £27). And the furthest I could go was Prague.
The capital of the Czech Republic (and what was Czechoslovakia before Slovakia became a separate state) came out from the iron curtain in 1989, looking very much like Miss Haversham in her 50-year-old wedding dress. (Dicken's Great Expectations--this being England, I've been pummeled with Dickens over the past two weeks.) What was once the proud capital of a thriving European country had been reduced to a drab and grey little town. However, over the past 20 years the grey has given way to pastel, tourism is thriving, and because it's not part of the European Union yet, everything is dirt cheap.
In addition to the £27 flight, I'm paying £24/night for a 3-star hotel, including breakfast, in the middle of town! The bus from the airport costs 90p, and food won't cost anything because it's eastern European, so all they will serve is meat. I suspect I will be eating eggs every day for a week.
But I can't wait to visit the Jewish Quarter, the castle, the art galleries and museums. I plan to dress warm and walk everywhere, especially along the river. I just hope there is snow.
But what is really interesting is that it will be the first time I've ever traveled by myself. All of my trips have either been with someone, or to see someone, or for work. I'd never taken a gap year, and I've always been in relationships.
In Judaism, there is a blessing for the first time you do something (in your life or in a season), called the Shehechiyanu. It translates to:
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
It is one of my favorite prayers (right up there with the prayer on seeing a rainbow) because it is a recognition of all the wonderful experiences all around us. I said it for the first time earlier this month, as part of the conversion ritual. I will say it again when I land in Prague, partly because it will be my first visit to the city, partly because as a Reagan child I never thought I'd see Eastern Europe in my lifetime, and partly because it will be my first trip on my own.
But mostly I'll say it because I'll be happy to get off the airplane. Who knows what kind of World War II bucket I'll get for 9,000 frequent flier miles?
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