index, month 17

Airplane meals consumed: 5

Days of vacation without precipitation, out of 21: 2

Lowest temperature displayed by the rental car’s thermometer, in degrees Celsius: 2

Castles visited: 5

Steps climbed in a cathedral tower’s spiral staircase for a 360° view of Prague: 287

Slices of cheesecake eaten: 3

Brands of Czech beer sampled: 4

Percentage of my checked luggage weight limit consisting of granola cereal on my return to Senegal: 15

I had a fantastic vacation (I’m working on a description that goes beyond “It was cold. Soooo wonderfully cold.”) and, despite three weeks of worrying that I wouldn’t be able to convince myself that I was happy to return to Senegal, here I am, moderately refreshed and ready for my last six months.

(Some photos are up, but if anyone has suggestions about how to recover photos from a corrupted memory card, please share. My entire first week is currently held hostage.)