after vienna came prague, and with it a completely different experience. we arrived at night, and what better time than a full moon to go on an evening tour of the city with a witch. don't ask me what we were thinking, hours of travel and our undying hope that our hogwarts letters got lost in the mail caught up with us. so, in short, we can credit some cracked out, 50 Cent loving slovakian for orienting us with the city. entertaining to say the least. 

typical touristy things followed, with the requisite church visit and castle exploration. mom, you taught me well.

then, it was off to topshop to stimulate the czech economy and find miss chelsea a foxy little number to wear for her big 21st birthday celebration that night. there's only one topshop in the us, conveniently located half a block down from my internship this summer, which spells disaster for my bank account but glory and glamour for my wardrobe. i'll admit, it was the most beautiful thing i saw all week. i'm in looooove.

anyways, what better way to top off a shopping extravaganza than a birthday rage! it was a night of champagne bubbles and blaring house, fog machines and dancing girls, an anticlimactic introduction to absinthe and some other juicy things i'll leave to your imaginations.

other than the breathtaking sight of a store full of perfection, the john lennon wall was by far the highlight of prague for me. there's something about the mess of graffiti and how it manages to look and feel harmonious all the same that really does make the world feel like less of a vast unknown and more of small, unified place.  which was comforting, given that my creative interpretation of the czech language left me feeling like an alien most of the time.