Ivana Trump, Becherovka and swine flu

Laura's here. And though her sleeping schedule is still a bit off, we've managed to do quite a bit already. Yesterday, we wandered around Old Town and peaked inside a few churches. On our way from the Jewish cemetery, I took her down Parizska street — what I refer to as the "5th Avenue of Prague." Lots of famous brands have shops there, like Dior, Prada, D&G, etc. We were walking in front of the Rolex shop and Laura noticed some strange activity. I, of course, have gotten to the point here where I don't really pay attention to the surroundings anymore, just focus on where I'm going.

Anyway, there was a guy standing around with a huge camera, and the store clerk was waiting in the doorway, looking very well dressed and a little anxious. Then there was a guy in a suit standing in the middle of an empty parking spot in front of the store, stopping people from parking there. "Let's see what happens!" Laura said. So we did, and we waited. Then up rolls this fancy, black SUV, and an entourage leads this woman in. She had blonde hair pulled back and up and she was dressed in a pantsuit, I think. She walked up to the store clerk and they kissed on both cheeks. That's when I said (quite loudly) "Oh, it's Ivana Trump!" And then she disappeared inside the Rolex store.

Laura and I both agreed she looks really, really good for her age. Later, we Wikipediaed her back home to discover she is, in fact, from the Czech Republic. But at the moment, walking back into the square, we discussed how cool it would be to be wealthy and have such a scene unfold just for you to buy a watch. Somehow all that talk about the good life may have brushed off, because we decided to "be the tourist" and take a seat at one of the outdoor cafes in the square for a drink or two. They're notorious for being expensive, and we learned this as we took the waiter's advice and ordered a shot of Becherovka with our beers.

It's kind of a traditional Czech liqueur and it tastes very cinnamony. I've had it before, but never with a pint of beer. Interesting combo. Also, not so cheap.

Anyway, I'm still very much enjoying my upper level class. And they may in fact enjoy me, because they still show up or haven't switched classes. I did a lesson yesterday on "The Haves and Have Nots," and, somehow, we started talking about the swine flu — mainly because we were discussing how poorer countries don't have good health care. I really enjoy being able to talk about current topics in the classroom, but it did get a little strange as I tried to include the topic in our grammar lesson on reported speech — "I have swine flu." "He said he has swine flu."

Eh, you work with what you've got.