Gratitude List: Prague (May 31 – June 10)

The next few Gratitude Lists are arranged by locations rather than dates. We have and will be traveling a lot this summer. This list is about our trip to Prague, where I presented on DUNE at the 15th Conference on Flavor Physics and CP Violation.

1. Ride to the airport on the first leg of our trip to Prague
2. On time flight from RAP to MSP
3. Our next scheduled flight from MSP to Amsterdam was cancelled due to an oil leak in an engine and other issues. I am not grateful for this; in fact, I am annoyed that Delta did not have better contingency plans in case of a problem like this. I am grateful that our original plans had us arriving in Prague two days before the conference and thus that after our delay, we still had time for some sightseeing and I could attend the entire conference. Also, I am grateful that…
4. …we were rerouted through JFK and lost less than a day of our trip
5. …Delta paid for a hotel room for the night we were stuck in Minneapolis
6. …Delta gave us pizza while we were waiting for our hotel and re-booking information.
7. …Delta gave me extra frequent flyer miles for my trouble
8. Seeing an ad for my institution in the MSP airport
9. Finally arriving in Prague! (June 3)
   

   The view from our hotel window.

10. The excellent public transit (bus, train, tram) in Prague
11. Beautiful moonrise from hour hotel window
12. Good food and conversations at the conference dinner
13. Musicians performing in the Old Town Square 
14. Seeing the famous astronomical clock perform on the hour
    

    If I understand correctly, the clock is here indicating the time is just past 10 am (an hour off due to daylight saving time); the moon is waxing gibbous and in the constellation Libra, and the sun is in Gemini.

15. We packed our umbrellas and thus were prepared for the rain
16. Bubble performance in the Old Town Square
17. We saw the Museum of Asian, African, and American Cultures, although the attire of Sitting Bull was not on display.
18. Beautiful mural on the floor of the museum
19. Tasty doughnuts!
    

    We both agreed that the mixed berry (left) was better.

20. Beautiful views of the Vltava River, which flows through the center of Prague, and the ducks in it.
21. Our accidental find of the museum of Bedřich Smetana, who is one of the great Czech composers. 
22. A truly astonishing (in scale and quality) hotel buffet breakfast
23. Crossing the famous Charles Bridge.
24. The beautiful artwork and views on the bridge
25. A crucifix with Hebrew writing
26. Some of my colleagues at the conference were from Israel and thus could read the writing. They told us the individual words were correct, but they were out of order.
27. Vertical flags outside of our hotel.
28. Giant, delicious macarons 
29. The panorama function of Google Photos Assistant
30. Our tour of the Jewish Quarter, including the oldest synagogue in Prague 
31. The The Church of Mother of God before Týn on the Old Town Square
32. Seeing remnants of ancient stone buildings. I don’t remember the era.
33. Beautiful view of the Prague Castle
34. The narrowest alley in Prague
35. A guided tour that was part of the conference registration
36. A concert in the gorgeous Smetana Hall: “Gershwin & Jazz Mass.” The title made it sound light and fun, but it was musically perfect and more moving than many church services I have attended. We were truly astonished by this concert’s power and quality.
37. Pretty flowers in a box outside of a hotel
38. Lots of tasty traditional Czech food
39. A relaxing cruise along the river
40. Drinks and a fake fireplace after our guided tour
41. Beautiful and peaceful Jewish Cemetery across the street from our hotel
42. Our hotel room was clean, quiet, and comfortable.
43. Delicious desserts overall
44. Our flight from Prague to Amsterdam, while early, was on time and safe.
45. We passed through passport control (out of the Schengen Area) quickly and easily
46. The long flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis went smoothly. I even watched a movie.
47. We passed through customs and back through security without incident
48. We made use of the nap pads at MSP
49. Our flight from MSP to Rapid City was short, punctual, and safe
50. We made it home before midnight
51. I was able to talk to many colleagues at the conference, including one I had not seen in many years
52. My talk went well. It was within time, and the audience asked several questions.
53. Since the majority of the speakers at the conference were from other subfields within particle physics, I learned a lot about those areas.