I must be feeling better. Things are fascinating and amusing once again. Our three most bizarre stories from Prague:
Feet Eating Fish
Have you heard of garra rufa fish? Apparently they eat dead human skin, and Melissa was just too tempted. So, into the window she went, feet in the fish bowl and . . . 25 minutes later she had incredibly soft feet.
Melissa's feet as the garra rufa fish remove the dead skin.
The crowd watching Melissa and the feet eating fish
Severed Hands
Near the entrance to St. James church hanging on a chain from the ceiling is a severed hand from the 14th century. The legend tells of a thief who caught around the wrist by the Virgin Mary statue. The only way to release the thief was to severe the hand, so now it serves a reminder to others.
Other than that bit of grossness by the door, the church is considered to be on of the most beautiful Catholic churches in the world.
Shiny Boy Bits
Another legend has us rub one of the statues as we crossed the Charles Bridge, which ultimately resulted in a very shiny statue parts. Later that day we walked by a very dark statue of a naked boy whose bits were quite shiny. This resulted in one of my girls quietly whispering to me a joke – “Are people rubbing that part mum?”
Can you see how shiny the shiny bits are?
Turns out to be true. A quick aside, one of the things we have noticed so far on our trip to cross cultures is that the butt of most jokes seems to be people from neighboring countries. So, when our guide saw us giggling about it he said, “It’s cause the Russian and Polish women all have to touch it.”
And sure enough, along came a women who posed with penis in hand and our guide said, see she’s Russian.
All photos on this page © Rhonda Albom 2012
Travel Counter: We are in week 8 of our 250 day overseas adventure.
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Travel with us as we laugh our way around the globe. I am Rhonda Albom, wife, mom, photographer and blogger, sharing the lighter side of our traveling family's life with two teens. 
So you’re Russian too. Glad you’re feeling better, Rhonder.
Joyce recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: Time to Take the Keys
LOL- I guess I deserve that comment. I just couldn’t resist taking the photo too, plus I was kinda embarrassed to photo a stranger and put her on my blog as the “Russian women holding the penis statue”
Quite exciting activity for family bonding. Thanks for hosting. The pictures are great!
Carol recently posted..moving rates
Thanks Carol, and yes we are getting quite a bit of family boding time.
The garufa fish pedicures have been quite a fad in the UK in the last year or so. I think it’s fading a bit. I just wonder what other feet have been in the same water as yours…
The shiny boy bits is classic, loved it
Yes all countries make fun of others. In England we make fun of the Irish, in Indiana they make fun of the Polish, and in Hispanic countries they make fun of the Galicians (from Galicia in Spain). One evening in a hotel in El Salvador where a group of us were drinking and jokes were being told in Spanish, with my limited Spanish I was sure I recognised the joke, and it was an Irish joke I knew being told about Galicians. Yes the same old jokes do circle the world…
Tony Payne recently posted..A Rather Amazing Story
LOL – Tony, I was thinking that about the fish water AFTER I let her stick her feet in the water! Good news, no rash
Thanks for sharing!