It's April!

Hi!

My week in Vienna wrapped up nicely with another trip to the Naschmarkt. I loaded up on some spices from my favorite stall, where the prices are excellent and the spices are sold in nice, reusable plastic containers. It is hard to find good spices in the Czech Republic. I also bought a huge half loaf of delicious freshly baked wholegrain bread, which I've been eating all week. I didn't think it was possible to have a falafel wrap more delicious than the ones Marissa and I enjoyed on our last trip to the market, but lo and behold, I found one. The falafel wrap I got this time had multi-colored marinated peppers and sun-dried tomatoes on it, and was wrapped in a freshly made pita with plenty of tzatziki sauce. Incredible.

It was a rather dangerous day to go to the market - it was extremely windy, and in the flea market area I was hit by some flying projectiles blowing from one of the stands. The day was peppered with the sound of glass breaking as the gusts blew through the market and the vendors struggled to keep their tents and wares from blowing away. I even saw an Italian man who was sitting in a chair at the outskirts of the market with a red-stained cloth to his head, blood dripping down his shoulders onto the ground. Some of his companions were calling an ambulance which arrived shortly after. I'm not sure what happened to him, but perhaps he was struck by some sort of wayward antiquity caught in the wind. I haggled with one dealer and scored a bunch of old metal key tags from a Viennese hotel. They are simple, round brass discs stamped with numbers, and I will use them to make pendants.

I am not sure if I mentioned on here that a couple of months ago I had looked up jewelry studios here in Prague. I found one where they offer metal-working classes, and had emailed the owner to see about possibly coming to her studio to work on my jewelry. She returned my email and said she would be happy to have me, but we had trouble scheduling a meeting at the time. We subsequently lost touch with one another as my life became all crazy with job hunting and moving. Last week, however, she texted me and asked if I would like to come and see the studio. I met her at her studio, and we agreed that I would sort of rent the use of the studio for a few hours a week - she has all of the tools and materials I need to continue the metalworking I was learning in Ohio. I went to the studio to work for the first time yesterday. The studio is in a really beautiful area right across from a park. It was great to get all of my materials out and figure out what I wanted to work on. Having the time set aside each week will keep me focused on making progress with starting my Etsy store and making new pieces. I gathered the materials I will use for a couple of necklaces, and will work on those this weekend - I started the first one last night.

This week is turning out to be a very easy one - the schools in the Czech Republic have Easter break from Thursday through Monday, so there are no classes. I am planning on getting together with friends and perhaps going to an Opera or a marionette show this weekend. I really wish I could see my family for Easter, though...