Month of May(hem)

What a month!

Because it has been so long, I have two full trips to upload, plus the end of our semester here in Prague!

Yes, you read that correctly. School has officially ended, and I finally have the time to sit down and finish with some posts to update on the last month, and what a crazy month it has been! In the next few posts, I will update on: our trip to Amsterdam, Brussels, and Bruges; our trip to Zagreb (Croatia), Plitvice Lakes (Croatia), and Ljubljana (Slovenia); my parents coming in to visit; packing; and finally, a glimpse to what this weekend has in store for us. Hope you enjoy reading, because there is sure to be a lot of material in these next few posts!

I tried to post these in order, so read the bottom (Amsterdam, Brussels, and Bruges) first. Then Zagreb, Plitvice, and Ljubljana. Finally, Family in Prague!

Amsterdam, Brussels, and Bruges

Leaving Prague at 8:30 AM, our train headed north to Dresden. From Dresden, we headed southwest to Frankfurt airport. The airport may have been our favorite train station because we were able to get some dinner there. Hillary and I both grabbed some pasta and meatballs from a gourmet gas station, where we heated our meals and headed back to the platform for our connection. While there (about an hour and a half), we got wi-fi to Skype Hillary's mom, I got a Vanilla Coke (my first of the trip!), and Hillary got some Jelly Belly's (her favorite). Overall, this leg of the trip was fairly easy.

Next was the connection to Amsterdam. About an hour in to the trip, we got kicked off the train (with everyone else) to switch trains at Koln. We only had to wait about 10 minutes, but because we did not speak the language, we were VERY confused! Getting in around 10 PM, we walked the pretty short walk to our hostel.

Located very close to the red light district, our hostel was attached to a bar/club. Being a Thursday night, the place was packed and very very loud. After dropping our things, we took a quick 20 minute walk around the area. Our walk ended quickly as we could not stomach the sight of the prostitutes accompanied with the very strong scent of marijuana coming from just about every direction. Exhausted, we got ready for bed and passed out.

The next morning, I had registration for my SENIOR fall semester... Talk about time flying! Even though I was supposed to register at 5:45 AM (8:45 PM in California), I was not able to get wifi until close to 10 AM after an unsuccessful attempt at Starbucks. Luckily, I got into all the classes I needed, and decided to take an extra one to make the spring a little easier.

The Starbucks that we visited was the largest one in Europe and advertised their entirely green store, which really was very neat. We grabbed some breakfast and did some sightseeing. The oudekirke, neuekirke, red light district, opera house, and Margere Bruge (Skinny Bridge), Anne Frank House, and some other really neat sights. Hillary and I both decided that we enjoyed the city much better in the day time, but we could not find enough to do to keep us occupied. At around 1 PM we headed back to our hostel (to pick up our bags) and go to lunch. We found a cool Asian place called Wok to Walk, and tried some really funky combinations of noodles, meat, and sauce.

Our train to Brussels took about two hours and put us in around 4 PM. After getting lost and ending up in the main square, we found some wifi and got directions to our hostel. We managed to hike to the hostel (about 3.5 kilometers away) after making our way past the EU building (headquartered in Brussels), the Royal Palace, and some other cool monuments to important Belgians. Once at the hostel we laid down for a rest before trying to find dinner. Dinner was at a famous place called Maison Antoinette. Known for their French Fries (Pommes Frites), Hillary ordered some stew and frites, and I got a huge meatball with frites. We carried our food back to the hostel and devoured it before finding a recap of the NFL draft on ESPN and eventually calling it a night.

The next morning, we planned out a quick walking tour of the city. From our hostel, we walked to the Military History Museum, which had some beautiful gardens. From there, we wandered through the EU complex and headed to Mary's Chocolate. Mary's, known for being approved by Belgian royalty was a beautiful chocolate shop, and with our purchases, we got sample truffles. The big cathedral in Brussels was a nice sight, but nothing compares to St. Vitus in Prague.

Next on our list of sights was old town square, where we visited another chocolate shop (Neuhaus). Getting a bit lost, we eventually found the street leading to the famous Peeing Boy Statue (Manneken Pis). The Peeing Boy is a traditional site in Belgium, and is often dressed up in odd costumes. The day we visited, he was wearing a military outfit, and the statue was packed with tourists. Near the statue, we visited our last chocolate store (Leonidas) and got some Belgian waffles. Mine had nutella, banana, and whipped cream. Hillary's had fresh strawberries and whipped cream. The strawberries were super fresh and reminded me of going to the strawberry market in California with my mom.

Making our way up the main street, we were accosted by the sounds of a motorcycle parade with more motorcycles than I have seen in my life. Obnoxiously loud, and disobeying every traffic law, the parade passed us as we passed the Bourse and the Opera House. Across the street, we found another famous church and a portion of the medieval wall that had protected Belgium. Walking back toward the city center, we decided we had seen the city, stopping at a McDonald's for my mom's placemat.

Being fairly early in the afternoon, Hillary and I decided we had nothing to lose by trying to travel toward the coast and to Bruges. The hour train ride passed quickly, but the rain put a little damper on our adventurous spirits. Once off the train in Bruges, it began pouring, so we donned rain jackets and began our quick tour of the city... without a map.

A glance at the map, I noticed some windmills on the outskirts that I thought would be fun to see. Before I knew it, we were distracted by the quaint ivy covered brick walls. Just like an ivy league school, the architecture distracted us, carrying us away from things we may have wanted to see toward some gorgeous buildings. We eventually found an amazing store: To Be in Brugge. Here, they sell every Belgian beer imaginable, which fills more shelves than I knew possible. I carefully selected one with a re-sealable lid, and Hillary found some really neat cups.

Making our way to the edge of the city to try and find the windmills, it became a torrential downpour. Walking under the cover of some trees in a little park, we looked for the windmills, finding none. Feeling a bit lost, we spotted a huge ferris wheel near the train station. Making our way between the buildings, we finally made it back. Feeling demoralized by the rain and our utter confusion at the lay out of the city, we hopped on a train back to Brussels. Bruges was hands-down my favorite surprise of the trip. I had expected very little, but was blown away by how beautiful and quiet the city was.

That night, battling the imminent downpour in Brussels, we headed back to the same restaurant for more pommes frites.

Sunday morning, we packed up, and hiked back to the train station for our long return journey. With the tightest train connection of the trip (3 minutes) we managed to make it back to Frankfurt, then to Dresden, then Prague by 11.23 PM.

The next day at 6 PM, we had to do a presentation. We hadn't started. After a grueling six hours straight of work, we finished, presented, and did a great job! The teacher (a university of Michigan graduate) stopped us after class and thanked us for taking on the project with a different mindset than most students. If only he knew that we had done the project that day...

Zagreb, Croatia, the Plitvice Lakes, and Ljubljana, Slovenia

The last trip of the semester, but what a trip it was.

Tuesday, May 8 is a national holiday in the Czech Republic. This means no school. Taking advantage of our extra two days of weekend (we had one day of classes that week), we decided to head out on an extended trip to the South.

Heading from Prague via Vienna, our 12 hour train ride brought us into Zagreb around 10.30 PM. Our hostel was quite a walk from the city center (and train station), but we managed to find it fairly easily. Checking in, we put away our bags and fell asleep on the very used, but comfortable mattresses.

Wednesday morning, the heat was apparent before we even left the hostel. Finally wearing shorts and t-shirts, before noon, the temperature was over 90 degrees, and we were dying. Our tour of the city led us back to the city center. Walking past the botanical gardens, we used a handy tourism book to guide us through the city. We visited the Opera House which was oddly surrounded by groups of teenagers at 10 AM. Our next stop was the main square of Zagreb, which led us up a hill toward their big Cathedral. Full of history, we walked around the church before heading further north, up hills, toward a big park. The park led us to a main street with a lot of little shops and outdoor restaurants. Heading inside a small monastery, we observed some beautiful architecture with royal blue ceilings with gold decoration. Up some more hills, we passed through the Stone Gate, which is actually a chapel inside of a tunnel. At the top of a hill overlooking the city, we found the Priest's Tower and a gorgeous view of the city. Hot and tired, we headed down the hill and got lunch: the biggest and best slices of pizza ever. For 10 Kuna each, I had to have two slices as we wandered through more green space in the middle of the city. Taking a break on a park bench, we just watched people and enjoyed the shade (some brief respite from the extreme heat). Taking pictures along the way, rain started to fall, so we ducked inside a sweets store and bought some gelato. As the rain passed, we walked back to the hostel to relax.

By dinner time, were ready to go again, heading back to old town square for dinner. Finding nothing very appealing, I found a McDonald's to get my mom a placemat, and we went back to the pizza place for more slices. That night was uneventful as we packed up to head to the lakes the next morning.

Making our way to the main bus terminal, we bought our tickets to the lakes and hopped on our bus. A two and a half hour ride on the bus was highlighted by beautiful green country side and lots and lots of trees. We departed the bus at our stop (Mukinje) and walked up some deserted streets (like Abilene) to our hostel- inside a random apartment complex in the middle of the national forest.

For dinner, we visited the local (and only) tiny grocery store to get some pasta, sauce and meat for spaghetti. We passed the time by streaming the San Francisco Giants game, and some TV shows on the computer as we cooked.

I had hardly read about the lakes, but was trusting Hillary and her mom's judgement, I was pretty excited for the next day's adventure. Another classmate had been to the lakes and said he needed about 5 hours to see everything. While the idea of hiking for 5 hours did not excite me, Hillary and I carefully measured back 6 hours (to be on the safe side) from when the last bus left the lakes back to Zagreb so we could catch our train to Ljubljana.

Words cannot describe the beauty of the lakes. I constantly make fun of my dad for how he says "Man, isn't this beautiful" at anything in nature. At the lakes, I felt like my dad, as every other word out of my mouth was "wow" or "amazing." I think UNESCO finally got one right by making this one of their national heritage sights. Hillary and I got up early and hit the lakes, traveling to the upper lakes first.

The lakes, the waterfalls, the forests, even the rock formations were all just gorgeous. Time passed quickly as we made our way up and around the big lakes and down toward the lower lakes. On the way, we got some of the most amazing pictures and views I have ever seen. We even managed to photograph a lizard and lots of fish in the incredibly clear water.

The lower lakes were even more gorgeous than the upper ones, with more greenery, cooler rock formations (lots of caves), and really fun wooden walkways. Unfortunately, at this point, we got stuck behind a huge tour group of very old people, who did not handle the stairs very well. After what felt like a lifetime of being stuck behind them, we managed to get around and made our way to the ferry that crosses the biggest lake. Once on the other side, we hiked to the biggest waterfall in the park, which offered some amazing views over the whole area, which was like the Grand Canyon. Not quite as big, the scenery was incredibly green, and simply breathtaking. Our hike from there led us to a really cool cave-like structure. Inside the cave was another cave. This smaller cave was dark and scary, so I tried to head inside. Without a flashlight, it was not easy to find my way. Guided by the flash from Hillary's camera, I made it about 15 feet in before deciding that it was not worth it to push any further.

The walk back was almost bittersweet. Munching on ham and cheese sandwiches, we took a bus back to the Entrance 2 (where we had entered the park) and grabbed our belongings. About 30 minutes early to the bus stop, we sat and waited. Within a few minutes, a taxi driver had gathered a group of 8-primarily english speaking tourists all heading to Zagreb. Offering to get us back in an hour and a half (instead of two and a half hours) at the same price as the bus, we all piled in to his bus and headed out.

I fell asleep in the back seat next to a couple from Switzerland, originally from Poland. Hillary occupied her time in the front seat talking to a really nice couple from Australia, who asked our guidance on how/what to see in Vienna and discussed the odd selection of American songs playing on the cab driver's CD.

Back about two hours before we had anticipated, Hillary and I bought some cheap and quick dinner to take on the train with us (using the last of our Croatian money). We bought 3 calzones. A coke, a fanta, a water, and a powerade, and two ice cream bars...

Well fed, and hydrated, our train got to Ljubljana around 9 PM and we found our hostel with ease. An original villa with over 140 years of history. That night was a total crash. The second I laid down, I was out.

Friday morning, Hillary and I took a unique approach to the city. Armed with our maps, we decided that we would only pull them out if absolutely necessary, opting to take an aimless stroll through the streets of the city, we found Ljubljana's castle and the funicular to the top of the hill. For only 5 euros, the trip to the castle was well worth it. We spent a good number of hours exploring each exhibit, though my favorite was a virtual history of the castle, from nearly prehistoric times to its current use as the city's way to bring culture together. The remodeling inside the castle was a really interesting fusion of modern and industrial architecture with the medieval appearance of a castle. Heading to the top of the tower, we got a 360 degree glimpse of the city, which helped us plan our trip around the city.

Descending the hill, we entered the big basilica. The most notable feature of the church were the metal doors with scenes inscribed on them. From here, we wandered a Farmer's market to the main square and to lunch: McDonald's. From McDonald's we finally pulled out a map. After lunch, we walked up a street known for its Art Nouveau architecture, followed by a misguided trip to the dragon bridge, which we finally found. Feeling the afternoon heat, we bought some ice cream and sat inside the publicly provided covered benches overlooking the river running through the center of the city.

Having seen everything there was to see by about 2 PM, Hillary and I headed back to the hostel to work on our next presentation. For a few hours, we worked hard, and took a dinner break at Da Bu Da for some asian fusion- I got Pad Thai (my new favorite). After dinner, was time for some more project research and packing.

Sunday morning, we headed out. Just as the rain started to fall, we made our way to the train station. Our train to Salzburg was a bit late, and an hour in to the ride, everyone was removed and put on a single bus to another no-name Slovenian train station. Scared that we would not make our tight connection at Salzburg, Hillary and I were a little worried. At one point, we were thirty minutes behind schedule.

Arriving at Salzburg, we were about one minute ahead of schedule and made our connection to Linz easily. At Linz, we found our train to Prague and were home by 8.40 PM!

At night, we did massive loads of laundry and prepared for our next week of school.

Family in Prague!

Thursday, May 17th was jointly one of the saddest and one of the happiest days of my life. It was sad because it marked the end of our three month period of being able to use our unlimited Eurail passes. It was incredibly happy because my parents were finally here to see MY city!

After a pretty tough week of school, capped of with a final in my class on investments and finance, I was ready for a relaxed weekend in the city. Around 5 on Thursday, Hillary and I headed to my parent's hotel near the castle. After retrieving them, exchanging important presents (all of the placemats (more than 15!)), and having them finally meet Hillary in person, we decided on a quick walk.

That night we spent up near the castle, vowing to return as we strolled down through Mala Strana past our school and across the Charles Bridge. By 8, we were ready for dinner and sat down at a place near Malostranske Namesti for goulash and beer.

We parted ways around 10 and Hillary and I headed back to her place to watch the Giants game.

Friday, we met in Old Town, walked around a bit before trying to go the castle. Unfortunately, it closed at 4, and we got there at 3.45. So we made our way to the Old Jewish Cemetery. From the cemetery, we headed to Karlovo Namesti (Charles Square) to see Frank Gehry's The Dancing House (Fred and Ginger). To kill more time, we caught the tram to my apartment. My parents were somewhat impressed before dinner at Las Adelitas, an amazing Mexican food restaurant a short walk from my place. After dinner, we said our goodbyes and I headed to Hillary's to bake some cookies and watch another Giants game.

Saturday, may parents visited Dresden, so Hillary and I spent all day working on a presentation and paper. The paper ended up being 61 pages! The project was supposed to be a 5 member presentation. Our group failed to contribute in a helpful manner, so Hillary and I put the entire thing together with a lot of stress along the way.

Sunday was a sad day because it was my parents last night in Prague. We started at the castle, spending time seeing the inside of St. Vitus, the Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, and the Golden Lane. From the castle, we went to our favorite grocery store for my parents to stock up on snacks and ended up at Modry Zub, my favorite restaurant in the city (Thai food). Taking my parents to the train station was sad, but I know that they had a lot of really cool things to see in Krakow (their next destination).

Monday, we spent all day studying for our Operations Management final at 6.30.

Tuesday, we finished our presentation, gave our presentation, and began packing to leave. It is scary how quickly time flies.

Wednesday, I spent all day at Hillary's house trying to even out the weight of our bags (23 kgs max) so we could take them home. At 5 PM, we had to leave the premises. Carrying my camping backpack with 40 lbs on my back, Hillary's school backpack with 20 lbs on my chest, and my protective bag with odds and ends (60 lbs) on two trams, Hillary and I struggled to make our way to our hostel. Hillary was stuck with her camping backpack, while wheeling two huge suitcases full of stuff and extra bags of food we plan to eat before leaving.

After some confusion with finding the hostel, we checked in, relaxed, and headed back to Los Adelitas for Mexican food. (try the nachos).

Today, Thursday, May 24, we headed out early in the morning on some errands.

WOW! What a relief it is to actually be able to be like a tourist in such an amazing city. With no stress to worry about, Hillary and I went about our errands while being able to really enjoy the city and a leisurely pace. Having lived somewhere for four months with your nose to the grindstone, you rarely get time to really notice all of the little things. Souvenir shopping for Hillary's siblings and our old roommate, we visited the big touristy areas, but were able to see them as tourists, which is an amazing feeling. Forced inside by 2 because of the heat, I am excited to finally have the time to catch up on my blog, and start reading a book my mom brought to me.

Tonight, we are walking to Modry Zub for a Thai dinner, and have no plans. Such a relief.

Before we leave, we hope to get to the church at Vysehrad, the Zoo, and Letna Park. Saturday, we arranged a taxi trip to our last hostel (at the airport) so we won't have to worry about hassling with our bags on public transportation anymore.

More updates to come, with a reflection on the semester once I am home on Sunday, May 27!

Hamburg, Copenhagen, and Sweden

Leaving at 8.30 AM and arriving at 10.30 PM is something you cannot prepare for enough. Despite the number of layovers or their length, traveling for that long takes its toll.

We rode the train to Usti (Czech Republic), where we learned that the tracks were undergoing construction and we needed a bus to get to Dresden. An hour bus ride and we were in Dresden with enough time to board the train headed for Berlin. Our final German destination was Hamburg, and after some asking and research, we found that our train went straight to Hamburg. An hour in Hamburg and we boarded for Copenhagen. Two hours into the ride to Copenhagen and we were asked to disembark (we were on a massive ferry). Forty-five very cold minutes on the ferry to Denmark, and we re-boarded the train. Another two hours and it was 10 PM and we had arrived in Copenhagen.

Temperatures were in the low 50s, though they felt colder, and a slight drizzle was falling. We walked three kilometers on dark streets and found our hostel in the inner courtyard of a graffiti defaced building. The hostel itself was immaculate. Brand new, and the cheapest in the city by a long shot, I felt like I was entering an IKEA showroom. Everything was very clean, and very small. Our room for the next three nights was a two bunk-bed set up with barely enough space to fit in between and very little room for luggage storage. That night, I was asleep in no time.

The next morning, we set out with no map, looking to explore the city as we saw it. After some delicious breakfast pastries, we wandered into old town and found the Round Tower. We paid the $5 entrance fee and climbed the spiral ramp to the top. The round tower is the oldest observatory in Denmark, and was used in its heyday by Astronomer Tycho Brahe! Attached to the tower was a very neat art exhibition with some very interesting art, art that I actually liked!

Wandering the main arteries of the city, we purchased some candy at the Candy Megastore and snacked our way past the Rathaus and past Tivoli Gardens toward the train station. Tivoli was a 20 dollar entrance fee, plus a fee for riding rides, so we opted for an external tour of the grounds, admiring the several entrance gates. Armed with our Eurail passes, we boarded a train to Sweden (only 30 minutes). After a very brief stint at the airport for Starbucks, we ended up in Malmo, a small city just across the border. Wandering the three squares of the city, there was not much to see, so we snapped a few pictures to prove our presence, and meandered back for the most exciting part of our entire trip. Two stops down, we disembarked (still in Sweden) at the Hyllie stop. Walking along what may or may not have been considered side-walks, we made our way past a sketchy neighborhood to the parking lot of a real life Swedish IKEA.

Walking through what looked the same as a typical American IKEA, we began to feel hunger pangs. Luckily, IKEA has a cafeteria and to top off the irony, we each ordered Swedish meatballs. Got all that? In an IKEA in Sweden eating Swedish meatballs. What is more Scandinavian than that?

On the train, we picked up some maps and headed back to our hostel to plan our attack on Copenhagen. From Rosenberg Palace toward the Nyhavn Canal, we made our way up the river through pouring rain and plenty of fog. The Opera House was an impressive modern building on the river directly across from Amalie Park and the Amalienborg Palace. Walking through the courtyard of the Palace, we found all the tourists hiding under umbrellas taking pictures of the Palace guards. We then found our way to the Frederikskierk, or Marble Church only to find it closed and under construction. As we walked north, we made our way through the Kastellet (the oldest fortifications in Denmark), which was somewhat structured like Fort McHenry in the states. As we exited the Northern Gates, we made a short walk to the Little Mermaid Statue. Nothing impressive, the statue was situated on some rocks about five feet into the river and was crawling with tourists. The only real significance of the statue is to commemorate Danish author Hans Christian Anderson’s book that was adopted by Disney.

Our walk back South through the city put us back near the main arteries where we grabbed a quick dinner and rested for a bit.

The trip was a blur. Two hours into the trip, we were back on the ferry. Two hours later we were in Hamburg. Another hour and we were on the train to Berlin. Two hours and we were headed back to Prague. Exhausted, we arrived around midnight and my mind was already spinning on trying to plan our next trip to Amsterdam and Brussels. 

Paris, France

Thursday was a LONG day of travel, to put things mildly. With our reserved seats on the night train, we hopped on the train to Munich for a six-hour layover. Having just been in Munich, we felt comfortable with the city and simply meandered the rainy streets, ducking in for lunch at Pizza Hut and some lackluster shopping in the German equivalent of FAO Schwatrz. Needless to say, I was in Playmobil heaven! There were so many cool toys that we ended up spending over an hour perusing the model cars, board games, trains, and toys.

By 10 PM, we were ready to board the train and I was ready for some sleep. We found our compartment and seats on the train with relative ease. Sitting in a 6-person compartment that was nearly full and trying to sleep is really not very easy. The seats do not recline, everyone has luggage, so space is cramped. Foreigners smell bad and do not understand the concept of the “personal bubble.” After a couple of half hour naps, I was tired of being on the train. Too bad it was only 2 AM.

One of the things that I missed on my first tour of Paris was the confusing maze of underground tunnels that makes up the transportation system of the city. Consulting several maps, we finally found the stop nearest our hostel and made it there after two changes on the metro. Dropping off our bags and grabbing some actual maps (we had been using the ones on our phones), we headed off to explore.

First on the list was the enormous and serene (for an urban location) was the Montmarte Cemetery and the Basilica of Sacre Couer (Sacred Heart). Unfortunately, the Basilica was PACKED, it was Good Friday, after all. The rest of the day was spent wandering the city, checking off major sites until we made our way to the Louvre for free admission and extended hours.

It is simple to get lost on the stairways, wings, and limited exhibitions of the museum. We managed to get lost at least once on the way to find the bulletproofed Mona Lisa. Two hours into our visit, we were tired, loopy and ready for a break, but did not want to waste our time in the museum. To combat the fatigue, we invented a game: Caption the art. Filling the rest of our time with jokes about art, we finally found our way out around closing time ready for a good night of rest.

Saturday morning, we walked up to Sacre Coure past Monet’s home, buying a delicious nutella and banana crepe. This time, we managed to walk through the Basilica, despite the area still being incredibly crowded. The rest of the day was filled with delicious baguette sandwiches, the Eiffel Tower, the State Opera House (Phantom of the Opera), some brief shopping.

Sunday was more of the same hallmark Paris sightseeing. From the Champs-de-Elysses, the Arc de Triomphe, the Trocadero Square, the Eiffel Tower, Hotel d’Invalides, the Tuilerie Gardens. While the sights were impressive, I enjoyed simply walking the city away from the sites more than seeing the sights themselves. The city has the typical hustle and bustle of a big city with the feel of a European city. While the residents are cold and a bit rude, they are generally helpful.

Monday (we didn’t have school), we took our time getting out to Versailles. Arriving, we found the lines filling the square in front of the palace, with estimated time of entrance being about four hours from the time we got there… just in time for closing. Disappointed, but not too sad, we explored the rest of the neighborhood and called it a day, heading back to Paris for our night train home via Berlin.

On the night train home, we were in a similar situation as the train there with a cramped compartment (though not nearly as bad). Tired from the walking and sightseeing of the week, I fell asleep almost immediately. Our arrival in Berlin brought me some relief, knowing that I was almost home.

I have found that travel is more work than school. Going to school three days per week is not that difficult, no matter what classes you take. Trying to plan a vacation around train schedules; hostel availability, location and prices; sites to see; and imbibing the culture is not very easy. After our ten-day spring break and this five-day trip to France, I am thoroughly exhausted. The Tuesday after we arrived back in Prague, it was time for a break. Instead of pushing to go somewhere big, we opted to stay in Prague and plan our trip to Denmark. Laying in bed and getting ahead on projects, I am starting to get homesick.

Being in Prague the last two and a half months has been amazing, but I am mentally preparing for the transition back to the states. I miss the dollar, American coins, driving, Mexican food, video games, being able to exercise (other than massive amounts of walking), normal weather, no trains, and food that I recognize.

Paris was an amazing city, and I am so thankful that I was able to re-visit so many great sites. While the city was very tourist oriented, I felt more comfortable in a city that big, with so many things to fill our days. We had (at this point) three more weekend trips before we hunker down for finals. I am excited for our new destinations, but ready to be home, too.

Only a few more weeks until my parents get here, which should be a welcome break from the monotony of the three-day school week. 

Vienna, Austria

Nearly home.

After some deliberation about directions, we managed to find our hostel just as rain started to pour from the skies. After getting settled and deciding a plan of action, we headed to McDonald's for our Austrian placemat. Over dinner, we planned our attack on the city...

We walked out of McDonald's full of energy only to find it pouring. Down pouring. So in a moment of decision, we jogged back to the hostel to use the internet and really plan out everything we could. That night of relaxation was much needed and made us all feel refreshed for our last day of travel before the break was over.

The next morning, we figured out the public transportation system which dropped us off near old town. As we walked past some impressive and ornate buildings, I began to realize how much I missed Prague.

I think at this point, the most exciting part of spring break happened as we made our way toward the Rathaus and found the Red Bull Big Air Bike Competition going on! There were a few dirt ramps, some free give aways, and lots of bikes! Molly was in heaven and we spent over an hour wandering the booths collecting freebies and even ride what Molly called "freak bikes."

We wandered through Museums Quarter and the Hofburg Palace before finding the Sacher Deli, home of the famous Sacher Tort (really rich chocolate cake). We bought two types to be eaten later and continued exploring. Walking through the big cathedral was awkward because it was the middle of a church service on Sunday morning, but luckily it did not really compare with St. Vitus in Prague. From the Cathedral, we boarded the metro to head out to see the Wiener Reisenrad. This giant ferris wheel has been the trademark of Vienna for quite some time, and has even been included in some of the greatest movies ever (James Bond's The Living Daylights).

From the amusement park, we made our way back to the city. Meandering south, we found some lunch and a Starbucks (for Hillary). Trying to find some memorable places, we walked past the Opera house (not impressive) to some churches (not too impressive) to the rundown Schwarzenburg Palace (really eerie). Boarding the metro again, we rode out to the major tourist trap of Schloss Schonbrunn (think mini-Versailles). Overrun with tourists, we decided it was not worth trying to fight the crowds.

Heading back to the hostel, I was sad that Spring Break was ending so soon, but ready for a good night of sleep in my own bed. After a restful night, Monday was a busy day, full of planning our trip to Paris for the next weekend!