**PLEASE!!!*** Read this post after reading the one from Brno and Budapest (Playing Catch Up)- It will not make sense otherwise. Thanks and enjoy!
Three hours into our return journey from Budapest and I was antsy to stretch my legs. "Now pulling into Bratislava, Slovakia"- How perfect!
In order to have visited a state (in my family's mind) you have to eat there, drink there, and use the restroom there. I have thus adapted it to work for countries as well, and using this theory am hoping to get to as many countries as possible while also seeing everything that I can in every city.
Luckily, about two hours was all that was needed in Bratislava anyway. We got off the train and walked the 15 minutes to Old Town. Old town was very charming. We snapped a ton of photos of narrow streets, picturesque alleyways, and brightly painted buildings. Most remarkable things we saw were St. Mark's Cathedral, the UFO bridge (built in the 1970's), Hlavne Namestie, Grassalkovich Palace, Old Town Hall, Matthew's Gate, and Bratislava Castle.
We also saw St. Clare's Church and the Roland Fountain. After we had walked around, we decided we had seen enough in the last few days and hit all the highlights in Bratislava, so we walked back up the hill to the train station. Getting on the 4:09 train, we passed the rest of the time on the train talking about and planning future trips, but were very excited to be home in Prague.
As the train pulled in around 8:45, I cannot describe the feeling I felt. I was exhausted and hungry, but most of all, I was glad to be home. Yes, I said it: home. I feel more at home in Prague after only one month that I have ever felt in any city in America. I have developed some form of pride in Prague, too. Maybe it is the fact that I have been able to do this all on my own or the fact that Prague is simply amazing, but regardless, Prague is my home now, and I love the feeling. As I explained to Hillary: "It's like how I used to feel with the Orioles (she is a huge Giants fan and can understand my baseball references), I cannot explain it, but it is just right to be so proud of something."
Clearly, I am loving my time here. And while I love Prague, I love being able to travel. As you may have noticed in the chronology, it was Saturday when we returned. Tomorrow's adventure: Day trip to Plzen and the Pilsner Urquell Brewery.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Brno, Czech Republic
This post is late and out of order, please ignore my tardiness. This is from Saturday, February 18.
Having received our Eurail passes, Hillary and I were anxious to test them and to leave the city for a little bit. This morning, we packed up with Hillary's roommate Cynthia (from Chicago) and hopped on train 275 to Brno (bound for Budapest) at 9:42 AM.
A short two and a half hours later, we disembarked disoriented and with no plans. Immediately, we started walking. In the wrong direction. Luckily, we asked someone who spoke nearly perfect English who helped us out and pointed us toward the main square of Brno. I was shocked at how quiet and clean the city was. A bit of a change from the bustling metropolis of Prague, Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, with a population around 600,000.
In the city square we snapped some pictures, but I was focused on how the architecture in the square varied from modern office buildings to gothic dwellings. After studying the map for a bit, we headed to a church (forgot the name) that was designed by the Brothers Grimm. We stumbled upon the new town hall and Brno Dragon (a crocodile). Making our way north, we also stumbled upon Spilberk Castle. Hiking up the snowy and icy pathway to the castle was somewhat difficult, and absolutely not worth it. At the top, we found nothing worth seeing, especially because all of the views that normally would have been beautiful were blocked by tree branches. Starving and already tired of the tiny city, we snapped a few pictures of some important landmarks before finally settling on McDonald's for a cheap lunch. We studied the map a little more, finding that we really had missed very little in the city despite seeing very little. After lunch we headed toward a secondary square in the city with some interesting statues. From the square we spotted the spires of the largest and most remarkable landmark in Brno: The cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul (Petr and Pavla). The church was remarkable and I really like the ribbed vaulting in the nave. Photos were not allowed, but I may have snuck one on the way out because of how much I like the interior.
Deciding we had seen what there was to see, we headed to the train station and hopped on a train back to Prague.
While it was not the most exciting or largest city in the world, it was really nice to get out of Prague for a day and just explore by ourselves with no plans or any obligations. I loved the freedom of the Eurail Pass and loved picking out what we wanted to see while reading about it on the walk. I am really looking forward to bigger and more extravagant adventures. Next week: Budapest, Hungary (If all goes according to plan).
Having received our Eurail passes, Hillary and I were anxious to test them and to leave the city for a little bit. This morning, we packed up with Hillary's roommate Cynthia (from Chicago) and hopped on train 275 to Brno (bound for Budapest) at 9:42 AM.
A short two and a half hours later, we disembarked disoriented and with no plans. Immediately, we started walking. In the wrong direction. Luckily, we asked someone who spoke nearly perfect English who helped us out and pointed us toward the main square of Brno. I was shocked at how quiet and clean the city was. A bit of a change from the bustling metropolis of Prague, Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, with a population around 600,000.
In the city square we snapped some pictures, but I was focused on how the architecture in the square varied from modern office buildings to gothic dwellings. After studying the map for a bit, we headed to a church (forgot the name) that was designed by the Brothers Grimm. We stumbled upon the new town hall and Brno Dragon (a crocodile). Making our way north, we also stumbled upon Spilberk Castle. Hiking up the snowy and icy pathway to the castle was somewhat difficult, and absolutely not worth it. At the top, we found nothing worth seeing, especially because all of the views that normally would have been beautiful were blocked by tree branches. Starving and already tired of the tiny city, we snapped a few pictures of some important landmarks before finally settling on McDonald's for a cheap lunch. We studied the map a little more, finding that we really had missed very little in the city despite seeing very little. After lunch we headed toward a secondary square in the city with some interesting statues. From the square we spotted the spires of the largest and most remarkable landmark in Brno: The cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul (Petr and Pavla). The church was remarkable and I really like the ribbed vaulting in the nave. Photos were not allowed, but I may have snuck one on the way out because of how much I like the interior.
Deciding we had seen what there was to see, we headed to the train station and hopped on a train back to Prague.
While it was not the most exciting or largest city in the world, it was really nice to get out of Prague for a day and just explore by ourselves with no plans or any obligations. I loved the freedom of the Eurail Pass and loved picking out what we wanted to see while reading about it on the walk. I am really looking forward to bigger and more extravagant adventures. Next week: Budapest, Hungary (If all goes according to plan).
Playing Catch Up
Wow... Where to start? Clearly it has been a while since I have had time to sit down and write down everything that I have seen and done. At this point, my memory is hazy on some parts of the timeline and sights, but I will do my best to recount everything.
Since my last blog post, which was forever ago, I have been to and seen a lot of things, I will skip the boring details of school, so with that said, we will start last Tuesday, the 21 of February. After getting out of my Human Resources Management class, Hillary, her roommate Cynthia, and I were excited to be heading to a Czech hockey game. It was Cynthia's first time to a hockey game, despite living in Chicago (where the best hockey team is- because the Red Wings are no good), so we had a lot to talk about at the game. We got off the tram and snapped some photos walking into the arena. They had some legit security set up and it felt almost like going through the airport. The arena was small and nearly empty (apparently the home team was not so good). The first thing that struck me in watching the game was the number of ads in the arena. The boards were decked out, as well as the ice, as well as the jerseys of the players. It all seemed like a bit much to me. The next thing that hit me was that I could have played for these teams. I felt like I was watching two high school teams play each other. At the end of the first period, the score was 4-0 in favor of the visitors. Fed up, and hungry Hillary and I left our seats to grab food. I had the most delicious hot dog of my life (sorry, Varsity). Hillary got a beer with the meal and made me try a sip. I was disgusted and glad that I had my hot dog to chase it.
We returned to our seats to watch the second period. While the period flew by, the amateur hockey was still very present, as the score was evened 4-4. I felt like I was in the filming of a Disney channel movie where the underdog always comes back miraculously. After two periods, we had seen enough, and later learned we had made the right decision. On the way out, I bought an HC Slavia (the home team) scarf as a memento.
In the end, HC Slavia won in a really long shootout, 5-4.
Wednesday was school as usual, though on the way I made a detour to buy a hooded sweatshirt as the weather had warmed to 40 and my pea coat seemed a bit heavy for the weather. Along the detour, Hillary and I decided to sample Czech fare from Vaclavske Namesti (Pronounced Vot-slov-skee). I had a traditional sausage on a bun with curry ketchup and Hillary tried some nasty (though she liked it) seasoned kolbasa.
Thursday morning- TRAVEL DAY! After last weekend's testing of our Eurail Pass (just realized I forgot to post about Brno... Look for a separate post on that).
At 9:42 AM, our train headed out. Armed with enough food to feed an army, we carefully chose some spacious seats with a table for our 7.5 hour journey south and east to Budapest, Hungary! The ride was rather uneventful, though I enjoyed the scenery and the food we had packed.
Around 4 PM, our train pulled into Keleti Palyaudvar, one of two main train stations in Budapest. Immediately, we hit the ground running, turning to head to a mall that we had seen from the train to get some wifi and reserve our hostel for the night as well as look at a map to figure out what in the world we were doing. The mall was one of the biggest I have ever been in, and it was a really interesting experience. We found out that Pizza Hut is a sit down restaurant in Hungary, that McDonald's is good no matter where you are, and that I had a massive hole in the crotch of my pants. Embarrassing. Good thing I was wearing thermal underwear so no skin was shown. After some half hearted shopping, we parked it at Starbucks to reserve our room at Tiger Tim's Place (our hostel) and to look at the map to figure out how to walk there.
After that, we took off walking. Luckily, it was warm, because without knowing, we had planned an 8 kilometer walk! We walked down the street to the Danube River. From there, we saw the Freedom Memorial and the Citadella (never visited them, though) and the Inner City Parish Church. From there, we turned north in the direction of Tiger Tim's. Immediately we spotted the Royal Palace (unique because the royal family never lived there) and the Old Castle District. Because it was dark, the view of Obuda across the river was enchanting. I was in awe of the beauty of seeing the three major churches along Fo Utca lit up in the shadows of The Castle, Fisherman's Bastion, and Matthias Church.
Our walk led us in front of several famous buildings to the Chain Bridge, a famous bridge in Budapest. From the chain bridge, we turned away from the water a bit and ended up running into the most massive building I think I have ever seen- Hungarian Parliament. It was a beautiful gothic structure that takes up an enormous amount of space but is truly gorgeous in the daylight. Without meaning to, this building took up a lot of my photos because it truly was unavoidable. After the awe of Parliament, nothing else stood out much, except the excruciating pain from every step (we both forgot to bring our tennis shoes).
Tiger Tim's Place- Sketchiest facade of a building I may have ever seen. Graffiti everywhere gave the impression that the building was all but rundown. We rang the buzzer, and Tim, an Ireland native gave us instructions on how to get into the hostel. We entered the courtyard and were buzzed through another door to the smallest and honestly scariest elevator I have ever seen (Molly, you would have died, and Dad you would have had a claustrophobic breakdown). After stepping inside, we closed the doors and pushed the floor button. The elevator moved, then stopped. Normally, I wouldnt have been too worried, but due to the appearance of the elevator, I was sure we were doomed. Finally the elevator dropped back down and we tried to push the door open to get out. But couldn't. Freaked out, we closed the doors once more and pressed the floor button. Holding our breath so the elevator wouldn't stop working, we finally made it to the 3 floor and exited as hurriedly as possible. From there, we walked to Tiger Tim's across some more shabby courtyards. As we removed our shoes, we were introduced to Nina from Finland. Climbing the stairs, we met: "Team Argentina", Ruben from Brussels, Unnamed man from Ireland, and an obese mute man. We later found out that Nina, Ruben, and obese were to be roommates of ours in our 6-bed mixed dorm. The rest of the night passed rather uneventfully and we both passed out immediately from our over 5 mile walk.
Friday was our full day in Budapest, so we got up and out around 10. After sampling some Hungarian pastries (not as good as I was led to believe), we walked across Margaret Bridge and hiked up to the tomb of Gul Baba (patron saint of the city). Nothing much to see there, but it was a nice view of the city. We strolled down Fo Utca, the main road in Obuda on the Danube toward the castle. Along the way, we stopped at the Presbyterian church, the Calvinist church and another church (so many churches some of the names escape me). We paid for a funicular ride and headed up to the top of Castle Hill, snapping some pictures on the way. At the top, we took in some spectacular views before heading toward Old Town. Visiting the Old Castle and church ruins (destroyed 1686), we got a feeling for how beautiful Budapest was, despite its initially dirty appearance. Heading through Old Town, we hit a market to get some real Hungarian Paprika. I bought some pizza flavored Cheetos (no good, as you may expect) and a Sprite: Total cost $1.35. From the market, we strolled to The St. Matthew Fountain and church of St. Matthew. The building was a gorgeous white with a really cool and colorfully patterned roof. Situated right in front of Fisherman's Bastion (a portion of wall built and defended by the Fisherman's guild), we spent a lot of time taking pictures and walking the fortified walls of the bastion. With some beautiful views, we headed north toward the gate to old town and National Archives Building. From here, we saw Mary Magdalene tower (remnants of a 13th century church destroyed by bombing. Was never rebuilt, nor converted to a mosque despite Muslim rule (a rare feat in these areas)). Strolling down the nearly empty streets of the Castle district, I found myself thinking about how cool it was to be able to travel to Budapest and see these things.
As we marched south, we headed to the Royal Palace (really just museums) and snapped pictures of several statues and fountains as well as ruins of the old castle. From the outcropping of wall, we got a decent view of the Freedom Monument and Citadella again. Deciding our time was done, we headed back down and across the chain bridge to St. Stephen's Basilica. The dome was remarkable, and though we could not figure out how to get inside, all we missed was seeing the mummified hand of St. Stephen (gross!). As we walked the main street toward Heroes' Square, we snapped some pictures of the State Opera House. Worn out from all of our walking, we headed home, grabbing some dinner at Tesco. That night, we did some research on what we missed to see if an early morning excursion was necessary. This is what we found:
On the list of 1000 places to see before you die: Gerbeaud Chocolate Cafe. Saturday morning we hit the streets and walked the 20 minutes to the factory. There, we got a piece of famous Stopos cake and a few chocolate bars (one for momma). With some time to spare before the train, we hopped on the Hungarian metro (sketchy!!!) and rode back to Keleti Palyaudvar to kill some time with the golden arches. I had some McGriddles (served without meat, but with honey). After spending the last of our Forints on food for the road, we hopped on the train, ready for our next excursion: Bratislava, Slovakia!
Since my last blog post, which was forever ago, I have been to and seen a lot of things, I will skip the boring details of school, so with that said, we will start last Tuesday, the 21 of February. After getting out of my Human Resources Management class, Hillary, her roommate Cynthia, and I were excited to be heading to a Czech hockey game. It was Cynthia's first time to a hockey game, despite living in Chicago (where the best hockey team is- because the Red Wings are no good), so we had a lot to talk about at the game. We got off the tram and snapped some photos walking into the arena. They had some legit security set up and it felt almost like going through the airport. The arena was small and nearly empty (apparently the home team was not so good). The first thing that struck me in watching the game was the number of ads in the arena. The boards were decked out, as well as the ice, as well as the jerseys of the players. It all seemed like a bit much to me. The next thing that hit me was that I could have played for these teams. I felt like I was watching two high school teams play each other. At the end of the first period, the score was 4-0 in favor of the visitors. Fed up, and hungry Hillary and I left our seats to grab food. I had the most delicious hot dog of my life (sorry, Varsity). Hillary got a beer with the meal and made me try a sip. I was disgusted and glad that I had my hot dog to chase it.
We returned to our seats to watch the second period. While the period flew by, the amateur hockey was still very present, as the score was evened 4-4. I felt like I was in the filming of a Disney channel movie where the underdog always comes back miraculously. After two periods, we had seen enough, and later learned we had made the right decision. On the way out, I bought an HC Slavia (the home team) scarf as a memento.
In the end, HC Slavia won in a really long shootout, 5-4.
Wednesday was school as usual, though on the way I made a detour to buy a hooded sweatshirt as the weather had warmed to 40 and my pea coat seemed a bit heavy for the weather. Along the detour, Hillary and I decided to sample Czech fare from Vaclavske Namesti (Pronounced Vot-slov-skee). I had a traditional sausage on a bun with curry ketchup and Hillary tried some nasty (though she liked it) seasoned kolbasa.
Thursday morning- TRAVEL DAY! After last weekend's testing of our Eurail Pass (just realized I forgot to post about Brno... Look for a separate post on that).
At 9:42 AM, our train headed out. Armed with enough food to feed an army, we carefully chose some spacious seats with a table for our 7.5 hour journey south and east to Budapest, Hungary! The ride was rather uneventful, though I enjoyed the scenery and the food we had packed.
Around 4 PM, our train pulled into Keleti Palyaudvar, one of two main train stations in Budapest. Immediately, we hit the ground running, turning to head to a mall that we had seen from the train to get some wifi and reserve our hostel for the night as well as look at a map to figure out what in the world we were doing. The mall was one of the biggest I have ever been in, and it was a really interesting experience. We found out that Pizza Hut is a sit down restaurant in Hungary, that McDonald's is good no matter where you are, and that I had a massive hole in the crotch of my pants. Embarrassing. Good thing I was wearing thermal underwear so no skin was shown. After some half hearted shopping, we parked it at Starbucks to reserve our room at Tiger Tim's Place (our hostel) and to look at the map to figure out how to walk there.
After that, we took off walking. Luckily, it was warm, because without knowing, we had planned an 8 kilometer walk! We walked down the street to the Danube River. From there, we saw the Freedom Memorial and the Citadella (never visited them, though) and the Inner City Parish Church. From there, we turned north in the direction of Tiger Tim's. Immediately we spotted the Royal Palace (unique because the royal family never lived there) and the Old Castle District. Because it was dark, the view of Obuda across the river was enchanting. I was in awe of the beauty of seeing the three major churches along Fo Utca lit up in the shadows of The Castle, Fisherman's Bastion, and Matthias Church.
Our walk led us in front of several famous buildings to the Chain Bridge, a famous bridge in Budapest. From the chain bridge, we turned away from the water a bit and ended up running into the most massive building I think I have ever seen- Hungarian Parliament. It was a beautiful gothic structure that takes up an enormous amount of space but is truly gorgeous in the daylight. Without meaning to, this building took up a lot of my photos because it truly was unavoidable. After the awe of Parliament, nothing else stood out much, except the excruciating pain from every step (we both forgot to bring our tennis shoes).
Tiger Tim's Place- Sketchiest facade of a building I may have ever seen. Graffiti everywhere gave the impression that the building was all but rundown. We rang the buzzer, and Tim, an Ireland native gave us instructions on how to get into the hostel. We entered the courtyard and were buzzed through another door to the smallest and honestly scariest elevator I have ever seen (Molly, you would have died, and Dad you would have had a claustrophobic breakdown). After stepping inside, we closed the doors and pushed the floor button. The elevator moved, then stopped. Normally, I wouldnt have been too worried, but due to the appearance of the elevator, I was sure we were doomed. Finally the elevator dropped back down and we tried to push the door open to get out. But couldn't. Freaked out, we closed the doors once more and pressed the floor button. Holding our breath so the elevator wouldn't stop working, we finally made it to the 3 floor and exited as hurriedly as possible. From there, we walked to Tiger Tim's across some more shabby courtyards. As we removed our shoes, we were introduced to Nina from Finland. Climbing the stairs, we met: "Team Argentina", Ruben from Brussels, Unnamed man from Ireland, and an obese mute man. We later found out that Nina, Ruben, and obese were to be roommates of ours in our 6-bed mixed dorm. The rest of the night passed rather uneventfully and we both passed out immediately from our over 5 mile walk.
Friday was our full day in Budapest, so we got up and out around 10. After sampling some Hungarian pastries (not as good as I was led to believe), we walked across Margaret Bridge and hiked up to the tomb of Gul Baba (patron saint of the city). Nothing much to see there, but it was a nice view of the city. We strolled down Fo Utca, the main road in Obuda on the Danube toward the castle. Along the way, we stopped at the Presbyterian church, the Calvinist church and another church (so many churches some of the names escape me). We paid for a funicular ride and headed up to the top of Castle Hill, snapping some pictures on the way. At the top, we took in some spectacular views before heading toward Old Town. Visiting the Old Castle and church ruins (destroyed 1686), we got a feeling for how beautiful Budapest was, despite its initially dirty appearance. Heading through Old Town, we hit a market to get some real Hungarian Paprika. I bought some pizza flavored Cheetos (no good, as you may expect) and a Sprite: Total cost $1.35. From the market, we strolled to The St. Matthew Fountain and church of St. Matthew. The building was a gorgeous white with a really cool and colorfully patterned roof. Situated right in front of Fisherman's Bastion (a portion of wall built and defended by the Fisherman's guild), we spent a lot of time taking pictures and walking the fortified walls of the bastion. With some beautiful views, we headed north toward the gate to old town and National Archives Building. From here, we saw Mary Magdalene tower (remnants of a 13th century church destroyed by bombing. Was never rebuilt, nor converted to a mosque despite Muslim rule (a rare feat in these areas)). Strolling down the nearly empty streets of the Castle district, I found myself thinking about how cool it was to be able to travel to Budapest and see these things.
As we marched south, we headed to the Royal Palace (really just museums) and snapped pictures of several statues and fountains as well as ruins of the old castle. From the outcropping of wall, we got a decent view of the Freedom Monument and Citadella again. Deciding our time was done, we headed back down and across the chain bridge to St. Stephen's Basilica. The dome was remarkable, and though we could not figure out how to get inside, all we missed was seeing the mummified hand of St. Stephen (gross!). As we walked the main street toward Heroes' Square, we snapped some pictures of the State Opera House. Worn out from all of our walking, we headed home, grabbing some dinner at Tesco. That night, we did some research on what we missed to see if an early morning excursion was necessary. This is what we found:
On the list of 1000 places to see before you die: Gerbeaud Chocolate Cafe. Saturday morning we hit the streets and walked the 20 minutes to the factory. There, we got a piece of famous Stopos cake and a few chocolate bars (one for momma). With some time to spare before the train, we hopped on the Hungarian metro (sketchy!!!) and rode back to Keleti Palyaudvar to kill some time with the golden arches. I had some McGriddles (served without meat, but with honey). After spending the last of our Forints on food for the road, we hopped on the train, ready for our next excursion: Bratislava, Slovakia!
Friday, February 17, 2012
Week 2!
As you all can tell, I have been very busy, and am finally finding the time to sit down and write something. As I update this blog, I must admit that, yet again, I am stealing a page out of Hillary's book- and doing a Top and Not Top 5 for the week instead of doing details and boring you all out of your minds. I have to note, however, that the credit for the idea, really belongs to Hillary's dad, Rob.
TOP 5 (in no particular order)
1. Cooking for myself (with Hillary doing most of the work)
This week has reached an all time high for adventurous cooking escapades. While we fell back on our default meal of nachos once, we also experimented with Spaghetti Carbonara complete with garlic and pepper chicken. We tried asian food on Valentine's Day- making a form of Pad Thai Chicken on jasmine rice. Today, we even made cheesy eggs and bacon for brunch. If I do not come home 15 pounds huskier (for you, Glo), I will be very surprised.
2. Goulash
I finally splurged and got some traditional Czech goulash with bread dumplings. While the meat reminded me of my mom's pork barbecue from home, mixed with a completely different sauce and paired with some thick dumplings, goulash may be my favorite Czech meal- with the exception of fried cheese- but I guess that is not a huge surprise to those who know my eating habits.
3. Exploring
Every day, Hillary and I find an excuse to walk in the city. Whether we are exploring a part of the city that we did not know about or a part we have already seen, the ability to just walk the streets is amazing. I am loving being able to explore with no strings attached. Luckily, our school schedule is not very tenuous, and we have found plenty of time to walk around the city and our local neighborhoods seeing all sorts of really fun and exciting things. Our adventurous spirit coupled with number four on my top ten is sure to make this trip an amazing one.
4. Eurail Passes!
Tired of trying to find the cheapest rates to get to tourist destinations, we finally decided to go all out and buy our Eurail passes. Covering 23 countries and lasting 3 months, Hillary and I are all geared up to go out and travel with almost no strings attached. The passes even came in the mail super quickly, and we are looking forward to testing them out tomorrow on our way to Brno (the second largest city in the Czech Republic). On our list of destinations for the semester are Budapest, Ljubljana, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Munich, Berlin, Bratislava, Geneva (all of Austria and Switzerland with my sister for Spring Break), London, and Dubrovnik/Split. Armed with our passes, we are ready to conquer Europe and really see as much of the continent as we can. Because our classes end at 5:30 on Wednesday, we have most of the week to go out and explore! Even train trips of 24 hours will not hold us back because we still have two days of exploration even taking out time for travel home!
5. Warming weather
If you have seen any of the pictures, or apparently followed any of the news, you probably know how incredibly cold it has been in Prague the last few weeks. While I knew the temperature would be cold, I was not expecting the bitter chills of negative temperatures Fahrenheit. We have dealt with a few days of snow and ice, and obviously bitter cold. This week, however, the temperature has promised to climb back to more tolerable numbers (like the 30s). Today, as we trammed to my house to make brunch, we both remarked on how nice it felt today- thinking it may be shorts weather- only to find it was only 33 degrees out... It was also raining a bit. Tomorrow may even hit 40, and the shorts are seriously threatening to make an appearance.
NOT TOP 5 (in no particular order)
1. Getting kicked off the tram for eating ice cream
Like the typical tourist, I didnt know the rules of the tram and hopped on eating an ice cream bar that I had just bought at the grocery store. Within two minutes, the conductor asked me to get off. I followed his orders, and threw my ice cream away before trying to get back on the tram. As I turned back to board, the conductor shut the doors. I had to wait a few minutes for the next tram, and Hillary had to wait on the other end for me to finally arrive.
2. Always just missing the tram
Like the story above, Hillary and I like to joke that every time we walk to the tram stop, we watch it pull away. What started as a joke is now a reality. No matter what time of day, or what stop we try to board, it always happens.
3. Laundry
Not only do I not like doing laundry because I am a lazy boy, but the machines here are all in another language, and are incredibly small. This means that I have to do laundry more often, and with smaller loads than usual. Which really is not that bad, it just takes some adjusting to.
4. Breaking strings
I know this title sounds weird- but listen. Within two days I have had two different strings on articles of clothing break. One was my shoelace. Which was incredibly frustrating, because I had to go for a few days with no shoelaces before I thought to improvise and use my dress shoe shoelaces, because I have not found an opportunity to wear my dress shoes yet. The day before, the elastic band on my fleece (the inner lining of my winter jacket) broke. This one really shocked me. I had never even tightened the string, though I probably should have to prevent gusts of wind from getting through. Anyway, one day, on the tram, I reached down, and felt the string dangling from my jacket. Really not a big deal, but odd nonetheless.
5. My inability to hold things in the kitchen
While this last week has presented many opportunities to cook and try new things, I am also finding that I have a lot of trouble holding on to things. The night of the asian food, I dropped half a bowl of rice into the sink- which was okay- I had made 6 servings of rice on accident. The next day when we were making carbonara, I dropped the bowl of sauce on the ground just before we needed to add it to the pasta. The pasta ended up being good even without a lot of the sauce- but I am learning to let Hillary do the things that require transportation within the kitchen.
Honorable Mention:
Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral
The remnants of Carneval in Old Town Square
Finally seeing the astronomical clock go off
Church of St. Nicholas in Old Town
Museum of the City of Prague
Shopping centers (Palladiums)
Shopping at the grocery store (Tesco)
What to look for next week:
Our day trip to Brno
Trip to the end of the line (to be explained later)
Hockey game at O2 Arena
Day Trip to Pilsen
Hopeful trip to Budapest
More cooking adventures (comment if you have easy ideas)
TOP 5 (in no particular order)
1. Cooking for myself (with Hillary doing most of the work)
This week has reached an all time high for adventurous cooking escapades. While we fell back on our default meal of nachos once, we also experimented with Spaghetti Carbonara complete with garlic and pepper chicken. We tried asian food on Valentine's Day- making a form of Pad Thai Chicken on jasmine rice. Today, we even made cheesy eggs and bacon for brunch. If I do not come home 15 pounds huskier (for you, Glo), I will be very surprised.
2. Goulash
I finally splurged and got some traditional Czech goulash with bread dumplings. While the meat reminded me of my mom's pork barbecue from home, mixed with a completely different sauce and paired with some thick dumplings, goulash may be my favorite Czech meal- with the exception of fried cheese- but I guess that is not a huge surprise to those who know my eating habits.
3. Exploring
Every day, Hillary and I find an excuse to walk in the city. Whether we are exploring a part of the city that we did not know about or a part we have already seen, the ability to just walk the streets is amazing. I am loving being able to explore with no strings attached. Luckily, our school schedule is not very tenuous, and we have found plenty of time to walk around the city and our local neighborhoods seeing all sorts of really fun and exciting things. Our adventurous spirit coupled with number four on my top ten is sure to make this trip an amazing one.
4. Eurail Passes!
Tired of trying to find the cheapest rates to get to tourist destinations, we finally decided to go all out and buy our Eurail passes. Covering 23 countries and lasting 3 months, Hillary and I are all geared up to go out and travel with almost no strings attached. The passes even came in the mail super quickly, and we are looking forward to testing them out tomorrow on our way to Brno (the second largest city in the Czech Republic). On our list of destinations for the semester are Budapest, Ljubljana, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Munich, Berlin, Bratislava, Geneva (all of Austria and Switzerland with my sister for Spring Break), London, and Dubrovnik/Split. Armed with our passes, we are ready to conquer Europe and really see as much of the continent as we can. Because our classes end at 5:30 on Wednesday, we have most of the week to go out and explore! Even train trips of 24 hours will not hold us back because we still have two days of exploration even taking out time for travel home!
5. Warming weather
If you have seen any of the pictures, or apparently followed any of the news, you probably know how incredibly cold it has been in Prague the last few weeks. While I knew the temperature would be cold, I was not expecting the bitter chills of negative temperatures Fahrenheit. We have dealt with a few days of snow and ice, and obviously bitter cold. This week, however, the temperature has promised to climb back to more tolerable numbers (like the 30s). Today, as we trammed to my house to make brunch, we both remarked on how nice it felt today- thinking it may be shorts weather- only to find it was only 33 degrees out... It was also raining a bit. Tomorrow may even hit 40, and the shorts are seriously threatening to make an appearance.
NOT TOP 5 (in no particular order)
1. Getting kicked off the tram for eating ice cream
Like the typical tourist, I didnt know the rules of the tram and hopped on eating an ice cream bar that I had just bought at the grocery store. Within two minutes, the conductor asked me to get off. I followed his orders, and threw my ice cream away before trying to get back on the tram. As I turned back to board, the conductor shut the doors. I had to wait a few minutes for the next tram, and Hillary had to wait on the other end for me to finally arrive.
2. Always just missing the tram
Like the story above, Hillary and I like to joke that every time we walk to the tram stop, we watch it pull away. What started as a joke is now a reality. No matter what time of day, or what stop we try to board, it always happens.
3. Laundry
Not only do I not like doing laundry because I am a lazy boy, but the machines here are all in another language, and are incredibly small. This means that I have to do laundry more often, and with smaller loads than usual. Which really is not that bad, it just takes some adjusting to.
4. Breaking strings
I know this title sounds weird- but listen. Within two days I have had two different strings on articles of clothing break. One was my shoelace. Which was incredibly frustrating, because I had to go for a few days with no shoelaces before I thought to improvise and use my dress shoe shoelaces, because I have not found an opportunity to wear my dress shoes yet. The day before, the elastic band on my fleece (the inner lining of my winter jacket) broke. This one really shocked me. I had never even tightened the string, though I probably should have to prevent gusts of wind from getting through. Anyway, one day, on the tram, I reached down, and felt the string dangling from my jacket. Really not a big deal, but odd nonetheless.
5. My inability to hold things in the kitchen
While this last week has presented many opportunities to cook and try new things, I am also finding that I have a lot of trouble holding on to things. The night of the asian food, I dropped half a bowl of rice into the sink- which was okay- I had made 6 servings of rice on accident. The next day when we were making carbonara, I dropped the bowl of sauce on the ground just before we needed to add it to the pasta. The pasta ended up being good even without a lot of the sauce- but I am learning to let Hillary do the things that require transportation within the kitchen.
Honorable Mention:
Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral
The remnants of Carneval in Old Town Square
Finally seeing the astronomical clock go off
Church of St. Nicholas in Old Town
Museum of the City of Prague
Shopping centers (Palladiums)
Shopping at the grocery store (Tesco)
What to look for next week:
Our day trip to Brno
Trip to the end of the line (to be explained later)
Hockey game at O2 Arena
Day Trip to Pilsen
Hopeful trip to Budapest
More cooking adventures (comment if you have easy ideas)
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Catching Up
Wow! What a week. I have been so busy with classes, exploring, and trying everything new that I have not had time to sit down and post on the blog.
Due to time constraints, this post is going to be a brief overview of the last few days.
Saturday:
I rode the metro (equivalent of MARTA) for the first time to a big shopping center, then to the first day of orientation. I met a bunch of really cool people with the program, then lost them going in to the building because I held the door open for everyone else. After orientation, Hillary, her roommate Zoie, and I walked to see the John Lennon Wall and read some of the history associated with it. From there, we walked across the Charles Bridge and took a very brief tour of the Jewish Quarter. A lot was closed down because it was a Saturday.
That night for dinner, Hillary and I did not feel like going out. Instead, we went to a big grocery store and bought pasta and meatballs. They were amazing! We even tried some of the traditional Czech alcohol! Budvar, the original Budweiser, was awful. Krusovice, a traditional Czech beer, was also awful. So we tried Becherovka. A spiced hard alcohol that my roommate Matt thinks tastes like apple pie. It too was disgusting. In the end, I feel like not liking the alcohol of all things is probably not such a bad thing...
Sunday:
To get out, Hillary and I went to Wenceslas Square and got some coffee at Starbucks- I actually found a drink that I like! Because it was bitter cold, we headed to my apartment where the internet still works (hers was down). I made some more European sandwiches for lunch, then had a peanut butter banana one because I was still hungry- and American food always tastes good.
That night for dinner, we tried a pizza joint (dad) down the street called Pizza Einstein. The pizza was good, but their Focaccia was really odd- still good. That night we watched some Fringe to try and stay awake for the Super Bowl. As time grew closer, we found out that I could not stream the game on the internet, so I would have to miss it! That was the first Super Bowl I have missed in ages!
Monday:
I had to go to the Foreign Police Station- dont worry, I was not in trouble- to get my Visa checked. After a little miscommunication and the assistance of a translator, my visa was okayed. Apparently, there was a problem with the fact that we drove in to the country, but it was resolved. On the way back, I met two other guys from my apartment complex that live two floors down. Both go to University of Michigan.
We decided we were hungry and walked around the neighborhood for a while finally finding a traditional Czech place. I tried goulash soup and fried eidam cheese. Both were amazing!
From there, I headed to school to meet Hillary and straighten out some issues with our new email addresses through the school.
Once there, we found out that the IT guy would not be back until Wednesday. During the time we had set aside, Hillary and I walked through Mala Strana to find a decent restaurant before class. We found a place and got a salami pizza and pasta carbonara. I think I found my new favorite restaurant. The food was amazing, not to mention that the pizza came with hot peppers, which made me very happy.
Class that night, operations management, was boring. The professor was from Michigan- everyone here seems to be from Michigan or New Jersey, it is ridiculous.
Tuesday:
We had our art and architecture in Prague class. After walking through parts of town that Hillary and I had already seen, the class settled in to a cafe. The class did a little getting to know each other before heading our separate ways. Hillary and I grabbed some food before heading to our next class- Human Resources Management. The professor was from Germany and a tad hard to understand, but the class seems like it should be fine overall.
Because the rest of the week went by so quickly- and they all kind of blend together- this is an overview of everything else that has happened.
I made garlic cheeseburgers on the stove with white cheddar cheese on some rolls we found at the store.
We bought some butter (President butter)- which is now Hillary's favorite food.
I am having trouble adjusting to the fact that the lowest percent fat milk that is offered is 1/2%.
The other night, we made nachos with sharp cheddar cheese and some really good salsa. We even made some cuba libres (coke and rum with a lot of lime juice) to go with it.
I skyped Ryan at South Carolina. I skyped friends in California.
We went back to Casa Latina- the place we had good Mexican food the first night, and it was just as good.
It snowed! a TON!
Friday, because it was snowing so much, Hillary and I walked down the Vltava River toward the Castle, then back through Old Town Square so that we could get new pictures of things that looked cooler in the snow.
I have gotten very well adjusted to the city, and now feel comfortable on any public transportation and in most restaurants despite only knowing the very basics. Dva= two. Voda= water. Prosim= please. Dekuje (like de kwi)= thank you.
Two of my roommates moved out- to live with their girlfriends, so now there is plenty of space in our apartment. One of my roommates, Justin, who is 28, spent over 600 on a guitar. He plays non stop. The guitar is always out of tune.
Life is good; homework is not bad. I am excited for this next week.
Four day weekends may be too long for me.
Due to time constraints, this post is going to be a brief overview of the last few days.
Saturday:
I rode the metro (equivalent of MARTA) for the first time to a big shopping center, then to the first day of orientation. I met a bunch of really cool people with the program, then lost them going in to the building because I held the door open for everyone else. After orientation, Hillary, her roommate Zoie, and I walked to see the John Lennon Wall and read some of the history associated with it. From there, we walked across the Charles Bridge and took a very brief tour of the Jewish Quarter. A lot was closed down because it was a Saturday.
That night for dinner, Hillary and I did not feel like going out. Instead, we went to a big grocery store and bought pasta and meatballs. They were amazing! We even tried some of the traditional Czech alcohol! Budvar, the original Budweiser, was awful. Krusovice, a traditional Czech beer, was also awful. So we tried Becherovka. A spiced hard alcohol that my roommate Matt thinks tastes like apple pie. It too was disgusting. In the end, I feel like not liking the alcohol of all things is probably not such a bad thing...
Sunday:
To get out, Hillary and I went to Wenceslas Square and got some coffee at Starbucks- I actually found a drink that I like! Because it was bitter cold, we headed to my apartment where the internet still works (hers was down). I made some more European sandwiches for lunch, then had a peanut butter banana one because I was still hungry- and American food always tastes good.
That night for dinner, we tried a pizza joint (dad) down the street called Pizza Einstein. The pizza was good, but their Focaccia was really odd- still good. That night we watched some Fringe to try and stay awake for the Super Bowl. As time grew closer, we found out that I could not stream the game on the internet, so I would have to miss it! That was the first Super Bowl I have missed in ages!
Monday:
I had to go to the Foreign Police Station- dont worry, I was not in trouble- to get my Visa checked. After a little miscommunication and the assistance of a translator, my visa was okayed. Apparently, there was a problem with the fact that we drove in to the country, but it was resolved. On the way back, I met two other guys from my apartment complex that live two floors down. Both go to University of Michigan.
We decided we were hungry and walked around the neighborhood for a while finally finding a traditional Czech place. I tried goulash soup and fried eidam cheese. Both were amazing!
From there, I headed to school to meet Hillary and straighten out some issues with our new email addresses through the school.
Once there, we found out that the IT guy would not be back until Wednesday. During the time we had set aside, Hillary and I walked through Mala Strana to find a decent restaurant before class. We found a place and got a salami pizza and pasta carbonara. I think I found my new favorite restaurant. The food was amazing, not to mention that the pizza came with hot peppers, which made me very happy.
Class that night, operations management, was boring. The professor was from Michigan- everyone here seems to be from Michigan or New Jersey, it is ridiculous.
Tuesday:
We had our art and architecture in Prague class. After walking through parts of town that Hillary and I had already seen, the class settled in to a cafe. The class did a little getting to know each other before heading our separate ways. Hillary and I grabbed some food before heading to our next class- Human Resources Management. The professor was from Germany and a tad hard to understand, but the class seems like it should be fine overall.
Because the rest of the week went by so quickly- and they all kind of blend together- this is an overview of everything else that has happened.
I made garlic cheeseburgers on the stove with white cheddar cheese on some rolls we found at the store.
We bought some butter (President butter)- which is now Hillary's favorite food.
I am having trouble adjusting to the fact that the lowest percent fat milk that is offered is 1/2%.
The other night, we made nachos with sharp cheddar cheese and some really good salsa. We even made some cuba libres (coke and rum with a lot of lime juice) to go with it.
I skyped Ryan at South Carolina. I skyped friends in California.
We went back to Casa Latina- the place we had good Mexican food the first night, and it was just as good.
It snowed! a TON!
Friday, because it was snowing so much, Hillary and I walked down the Vltava River toward the Castle, then back through Old Town Square so that we could get new pictures of things that looked cooler in the snow.
I have gotten very well adjusted to the city, and now feel comfortable on any public transportation and in most restaurants despite only knowing the very basics. Dva= two. Voda= water. Prosim= please. Dekuje (like de kwi)= thank you.
Two of my roommates moved out- to live with their girlfriends, so now there is plenty of space in our apartment. One of my roommates, Justin, who is 28, spent over 600 on a guitar. He plays non stop. The guitar is always out of tune.
Life is good; homework is not bad. I am excited for this next week.
Four day weekends may be too long for me.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Friday- Orientation Day One
Thursday night when I got home, I met my new actual
roommate, Matthew LaBelle from Wisconsin. A history major who is interested in
1800 politics of Europe, but plans on becoming a pharmacist once he graduates.
Matt is insanely nice, and I could not have asked for a more respectful and
kind roommate. He, unlike the majority of students here, puts the experience
here and school ahead of getting drunk and being stupid.
Friday morning Matt and I both just slept. He was dealing
with jet lag and I was dealing with the exhaustion of walking so much in the
cold. By noon the whole apartment was up (minus the last student who was in
America, sick, but would join on Saturday) and ready to experience Czech public
transportation for the first time. As an apartment, we bundled up and headed to
the tram station. Hopping on the 22 at Jana Masaryka, we rode to the
Malestranska Namesti station that dropped us off about a quarter of a mile
behind the Charles Bridge in Mala Strana. At the Starbucks next to the tram
stop, a huge group of CEA (the program we are with) students were gathering and
gossiping about how drunk they got the night before (reminding me how thankful
I am that I was raised so differently from these people).
After a very boring orientation session, I guided a group of
nearly 20 students from the University’s library to the Charles Bridge and
through to Old Town. It was really odd to be guiding students my age, but after
having been in the city for a day more than them, I felt comfortable with the
city and surrounding areas. By the time we reached the end of Wenceslas Square,
the group had given up and ducked inside a café for coffee. Feeling like they
were fine on their own, after describing to them how to use the map of the city
(it was ridiculous how incapable some of the people were), I met up with
Hillary and we walked to the welcome dinner that CEA put on for us. The program
gave us drink vouchers for beer or wine, and Hillary and I were the only two
not to use ours… if that gives you any indication of the students here. We
sampled some Czech food before deciding that we did not want to be in the crowd
of students that was entering their third round of beers.
Heading out of the bar, Hillary and I walked back toward my
apartment following the tramlines. Neither of us had tram tickets, nor could we
find where to purchase them, so we just followed the lines all the way back.
The walk took us about 45 minutes, and we got lost a few times (we followed the
wrong lines at least once). Finally making it back to my place, we sat down to
warm up and look up how to get to Hillary’s. After being home about five
minutes, Matt walks in (he had been at the bar but had not partaken as heartily
as most) talking about how nice and warm the trams are at night (Hillary and I
felt kind of stupid for not having ridden the trams).
Around 11, Hillary and I left my apartment and walked the
1.7-kilometer walk to her apartment through a park. The walk took just over 20
minutes, and was very manageable, especially given that we decided to do it at
one of the coldest points of the night. We sat around and talked a bit about
our expectations for the semester, semi-planning our excursions, discussing
what we hoped to take back, and how we needed to stay together to make it
through the semester. At this point, we coined our phrase “reverse
culture-shock.” This phrase refers to the fact that we had and would continue
to adjust quite easily to the European style of life, while we were more
culture shocked by the other participants in our program. For the first time
ever, we felt ashamed to be Americans in a foreign country, especially given
the stereotypes that have been earned by our generation as being avid partiers
who get belligerently drunk and are super loud and obnoxious. Hillary had had
and extremely rough night with one of her roommates and the two of us were
feeling out of place as the responsible ones among a crowd of clowns.
We talked for about two hours and I came away feeling much
more comforted knowing that I would always have her to be a sane person to do
new and exciting things with. I walked back to my apartment that night at
around 2 AM and was shocked by how quiet and safe I felt on the streets of the
city. Every path was very well lit, and Prague has actually been proven safer
than the majority of US cities. (Parents and Grandparents please do not worry
about me walking in the city alone).
During the walk home, I realized how amazing of an
opportunity I have right now for the rest of my life. I think back to the days
when I contemplated not studying abroad to run for our school’s Student
Government Presidency, and cannot even believe that the thought of not studying
abroad crossed my mind. I am so thankful to be in this amazing city getting to
have the time of my life. I have not even been in the city for a week, but feel
like I have been here forever. I love this city, and some of the people I have
met here. I know that I will never have another chance to live and immerse
myself in another culture. Thank to my parents, my grand parents, all my
relatives, and all of my friends for being so supportive of me. I cannot even
describe how lucky I feel to have you all not only allowing me to do this, but
urging me to do it. Your support means the world to me. Thank you all. I love
you.
Move in Day!
The day had finally come to move in to my new apartment in
the heart of Prague and really immerse myself in Czech life and culture. By
8:45, I was standing on the stoop of my new place in Praha 2 (the city is
divided into over 20 sections, so to be in Prague 2 is really great), Zahrebska
37. The apartment is a two-bedroom suite style apartment. One room has three
beds and the other one has two. We have a full bath, a half bath, and fully
furnished kitchen and bedrooms.
After going over the necessities with my coordinator, Iva, a
student intern at AAU, I began unpacking some things into my new room (the one
with two beds). Before long, Karen and Hillary came to get me so we could run
into the city and do some last minute necessity shopping, like buying thermal
underwear and gloves. The place we shopped, called the Palladium, was a massive
six floor structure with two floors of parking beneath, and a grocery store
attached. So, before leaving, we did a little grocery shopping. I got all the
necessities like bread, salami, eidam cheese, milk, and eggs. But I also bought
some comfort foods, like twix and oreos.
I dropped off my groceries at the apartment, running into
two of my new roommates, who were severely jet lagged. Matt (we call him
Kissler) and Eric, are from New Jersey and go to school at Syracuse. They both
moved in to the room with three beds.
After meeting them briefly, Karen drove us back to Hillary’s
to drop off the groceries and say goodbye (she was heading back to Wattenheim
after leaving her cell phone on her nightstand at home).
Hillary and I met her new roommate Zoie from Boston and
planned out a walking tour of the city. It wasn’t an hour before we were out
and about. We trekked the twenty minutes from her apartment to Winceslas
Square. Once there, we took a few photos and walked the entire length of the
square. We meandered through the surrounding area, heading northwest toward Old
Town and the river. After deciding we had been out in the cold long enough, we
headed into Starbucks to grab something to warm us up as we rested for a bit.
The walk back took even longer than the walk there because we were so tired,
and in all, our exploration had us outside for over two and a half hours in
weather below twenty degrees Fahrenheit still.
Determined to explore more, Hillary and I headed back out in
search of dinner. We walked nearly one mile before deciding that the first
restaurant that we had passed looked the best. It was a Mexican restaurant. A
little suspicious of having Latin food in the Czech Republic, we headed inside
Casa Latina. As we entered, a man was getting set up to play some live Latin
music. We chose a seat near the wall (it was apparently reserved, but we still
got the table) and scoured the menu. I chose a chicken quesadilla and ordered a
cuba libre (my first legal alcoholic drink that I have ever purchased). Hillary
got a chicken skewer with bell peppers and a raspberry mojito. As we sat and
enjoyed our drinks, we listened to the amazing guitar player sing us typical
tunes in Spanish. The food was REALLY good, and this decision was based on the
fact that we both got meals, drinks, and a side of some awesome rice and beans
for around $15 USD, not to mention the live music we had too!
Being able to explore so much and have so much fun without a
definitive plan made me so excited for the next day, and to see what else
Prague had to offer.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Praha!
Yesterday morning Hillary, Karen, and I crammed into Karen's two door Honda for the five hour drive from Wattenheim to the heart of Prague.
After stopping at McDonald's for lunch and a few Esso gas stations to fill up, we got our first glances of the Czech country side, some of Plzen from the highway, and Prague.
The first glimpses of Prague were reticent of the old world Eastern Bloc. Large gray buildings built like ambiguous boring prisons began popping up in groups along the highway as we moved toward the city. Apparently, when the city was first built, it was not intended to grow to its current size, or really any size worthy of noting. This fact becomes extremely apparent as the cars all crawl in line toward the city on the one road to enter from the west.
As the Eastern Bloc housing began to break up, we saw our first sights of what looked like any other American city- dirty, crowded, cold (think New York). This freaked me out. Luckily, as we pushed more toward the river, we saw the fabled old century architecture that everyone had been raving about. We found the Hotel and dropped off our bags, bundling up for the frigid night ahead of us.
We hopped in a taxi and got a real quick taste of what Czech driving is all about. All stick shift; no courtesy. Getting out at Winceslas Square, we headed to T-Mobile to get our cell phones. Jan, the man working helped us change the language settings (thank goodness) and adjust our phones to work in Prague.
Heading in the cold, we walked through old town square for a view of the famous astronomical clock. Snapping a few pictures, the sun began to drop, and the temperature did as well. Down to below -11 degrees Celsius (about 5 Fahrenheit). The three of us trekked across the Charles Bridge taking in views of the famous Prague Castle and Mala Strana district between vaporized breaths in the freezing air.
I always used to make fun of my dad for having a big nose. Often, after runs, he would be dripping snot from the end of it because his nose was so numb to the feeling. I guess what goes around comes around. Genetics certainly had it out for me as I realized about 10 minutes into our walk that my nose, thank you McDaniel family, was too far from my face to stay warm, and was leaking like a faucet all down my new jacket. Gross I know, but it was THAT cold.
We crossed over the bridge and walked to Anglo-American University (where Hillary and I will be studying this semester). The University is located perfectly about 500 meters (check out that metric system use!) from the foot of the bridge, which is an incredibly beautiful location. I cannot wait to start studying there on monday!
From the school, we headed back across the river into a pub to grab an appetizer. We had a "Czech" sampler plate- and I tried everything on the plate. It included some black forest ham, salami, cheese covered with carmelized onion, bruschetta (i loved it, even though it had tomatoes), some form of pepperoni type meat, some peppered cream cheese stuff, and rye bread (never again). We left the pub after warming up and tried to find some real dinner. As we walked back toward the old town square, we met a man standing outside advertising his restaurant. Karen jokingly said, "I will eat here if you give me a discount." The man replied with "It's a deal!" and led us into the building.
Tucked away in the heart of old town, we were led town two flights of stairs underground, into this beautiful converted wine cellar that was now an Italian restaurant. I ordered penne carbonara (only 149 CZK- about 7 dollars for a huge bowl of pasta). When we were done eating, the check was presented... With a 5% discount, as promised. For three of us to eat, the check came to something in the ball park of $15 USD including a huge carafe of water.
The taxi had us home in no time. Hillary and I uploaded the photos from Karen's camera and watched Czech news (none of which could we understand) before heading to sleep, getting ready to move in to our apartments and meet our roommates the next day!
*** I realized in writing this, that I totally missed our last day/night in Wattenheim. Please
After stopping at McDonald's for lunch and a few Esso gas stations to fill up, we got our first glances of the Czech country side, some of Plzen from the highway, and Prague.
The first glimpses of Prague were reticent of the old world Eastern Bloc. Large gray buildings built like ambiguous boring prisons began popping up in groups along the highway as we moved toward the city. Apparently, when the city was first built, it was not intended to grow to its current size, or really any size worthy of noting. This fact becomes extremely apparent as the cars all crawl in line toward the city on the one road to enter from the west.
As the Eastern Bloc housing began to break up, we saw our first sights of what looked like any other American city- dirty, crowded, cold (think New York). This freaked me out. Luckily, as we pushed more toward the river, we saw the fabled old century architecture that everyone had been raving about. We found the Hotel and dropped off our bags, bundling up for the frigid night ahead of us.
We hopped in a taxi and got a real quick taste of what Czech driving is all about. All stick shift; no courtesy. Getting out at Winceslas Square, we headed to T-Mobile to get our cell phones. Jan, the man working helped us change the language settings (thank goodness) and adjust our phones to work in Prague.
Heading in the cold, we walked through old town square for a view of the famous astronomical clock. Snapping a few pictures, the sun began to drop, and the temperature did as well. Down to below -11 degrees Celsius (about 5 Fahrenheit). The three of us trekked across the Charles Bridge taking in views of the famous Prague Castle and Mala Strana district between vaporized breaths in the freezing air.
I always used to make fun of my dad for having a big nose. Often, after runs, he would be dripping snot from the end of it because his nose was so numb to the feeling. I guess what goes around comes around. Genetics certainly had it out for me as I realized about 10 minutes into our walk that my nose, thank you McDaniel family, was too far from my face to stay warm, and was leaking like a faucet all down my new jacket. Gross I know, but it was THAT cold.
We crossed over the bridge and walked to Anglo-American University (where Hillary and I will be studying this semester). The University is located perfectly about 500 meters (check out that metric system use!) from the foot of the bridge, which is an incredibly beautiful location. I cannot wait to start studying there on monday!
From the school, we headed back across the river into a pub to grab an appetizer. We had a "Czech" sampler plate- and I tried everything on the plate. It included some black forest ham, salami, cheese covered with carmelized onion, bruschetta (i loved it, even though it had tomatoes), some form of pepperoni type meat, some peppered cream cheese stuff, and rye bread (never again). We left the pub after warming up and tried to find some real dinner. As we walked back toward the old town square, we met a man standing outside advertising his restaurant. Karen jokingly said, "I will eat here if you give me a discount." The man replied with "It's a deal!" and led us into the building.
Tucked away in the heart of old town, we were led town two flights of stairs underground, into this beautiful converted wine cellar that was now an Italian restaurant. I ordered penne carbonara (only 149 CZK- about 7 dollars for a huge bowl of pasta). When we were done eating, the check was presented... With a 5% discount, as promised. For three of us to eat, the check came to something in the ball park of $15 USD including a huge carafe of water.
The taxi had us home in no time. Hillary and I uploaded the photos from Karen's camera and watched Czech news (none of which could we understand) before heading to sleep, getting ready to move in to our apartments and meet our roommates the next day!
*** I realized in writing this, that I totally missed our last day/night in Wattenheim. Please
Last Night in Wattenheim
Parting is such sweet sorrow. One beginning is just some other beginning's end... all those other cliched phrases.
Well, there it was; Our last day and night in Germany. While I was incredibly sad to be leaving Germany, because I have more than enjoyed my time there, I am also very excited for the new adventures yet to be had in Prague. A huge thank you to Karen and Gary Daniels, if they see this! You both have been so kind and generous in helping Hillary and I prepare for our semester in Prague. I am more thankful than you could ever know for all the trouble and expense you went to in order to make my experience the best it could be.
Our last day in Wattenheim. Or, our last day in the areas surrounding Wattenehim, really. Karen, Hillary, and I hopped in the car and drove to find the Rhine river Valley at what Karen kept calling "its least boring parts."Our first stop was in a sleepy mountain town just on the edge of the river and nestled into the hills. The town, Bacharach (like Burt) was a beautiful quiet town that truly showcased the architecture of the 11th and 12th centuries. While walking the streets, I often felt as if I was walking crooked because the homes had begun to slant so much in the settling process. At one point, we came across an alley way, that was clearly well traveled. However, the traveling must have been done by someone not nearly as big as myself because I had some trouble squeezing between the buildings. Our stop lasted just long enough for Hillary and Karen to grab some pretzels before we hit the road again.
The next stop was Rheinfels. This town is most noted for the incredible and immense castle built on the hill overlooking the river valley. We headed up to the castle in hopes of finding some soup for a mid day meal. Finding nothing in the way of food, we did, however, find amazing views of the valley, the tiny towns and villages nestled in the hills, and the numerous castles along the way (apparently built in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period through tax money raised off tariffs from ships). On the way out of Rheinfels, we stumbled upon the world's largest beer stein seller. Some of the steins were three feet tall and cost 1700 Euro (over 2000 American!). The collection was incredible.
After a spinny ferry ride across the Rhine, we arrived in our last destination of the day: Rudesheim. At this point in the day, the wind was cutting off the river and really chilled the air. Almost every shop in the entire town had signs up reading "gone until March." While disappointed, Rudesheim was more of a tourist area, and while having some very quaint sights, was probably not worth spending any money or significant time there.
That night, Hillary and I were in for a treat. Gary and Karen hopped us in the car as we travelled to the next town over for a nice dinner at Burgschanke Neuleniningen (no, that's not a typo). The restaurant was in an 11th Century castle shell- here I say shell because all that was left of the castle were some wall remnants and an underground cellar (the restaurant). The cellar was a dimly lit stone room where dinner moved at a slow pace- much more enjoyable for conversing. I had a garlic steak (the only words I even remotely recognized from the menu). As we chatted, I tried some cabernet sauvignon. Still not to my liking. The steak was amazing, but the garlic stuck with me and Hillary had a difficult time talking to me later that night due to the smell.
After dinner, we attempted to see the lit walls of the castle, but realized that it was much too cold to be outside at that time of night, especially because we had not planned on being outside for very long.
That night, we watched our last episode of Fringe (the TV show) with brownies and ice cream before doing some preliminary packing to prepare for our early morning flight from the country.
On to Praha!!!
Well, there it was; Our last day and night in Germany. While I was incredibly sad to be leaving Germany, because I have more than enjoyed my time there, I am also very excited for the new adventures yet to be had in Prague. A huge thank you to Karen and Gary Daniels, if they see this! You both have been so kind and generous in helping Hillary and I prepare for our semester in Prague. I am more thankful than you could ever know for all the trouble and expense you went to in order to make my experience the best it could be.
Our last day in Wattenheim. Or, our last day in the areas surrounding Wattenehim, really. Karen, Hillary, and I hopped in the car and drove to find the Rhine river Valley at what Karen kept calling "its least boring parts."Our first stop was in a sleepy mountain town just on the edge of the river and nestled into the hills. The town, Bacharach (like Burt) was a beautiful quiet town that truly showcased the architecture of the 11th and 12th centuries. While walking the streets, I often felt as if I was walking crooked because the homes had begun to slant so much in the settling process. At one point, we came across an alley way, that was clearly well traveled. However, the traveling must have been done by someone not nearly as big as myself because I had some trouble squeezing between the buildings. Our stop lasted just long enough for Hillary and Karen to grab some pretzels before we hit the road again.
The next stop was Rheinfels. This town is most noted for the incredible and immense castle built on the hill overlooking the river valley. We headed up to the castle in hopes of finding some soup for a mid day meal. Finding nothing in the way of food, we did, however, find amazing views of the valley, the tiny towns and villages nestled in the hills, and the numerous castles along the way (apparently built in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period through tax money raised off tariffs from ships). On the way out of Rheinfels, we stumbled upon the world's largest beer stein seller. Some of the steins were three feet tall and cost 1700 Euro (over 2000 American!). The collection was incredible.
After a spinny ferry ride across the Rhine, we arrived in our last destination of the day: Rudesheim. At this point in the day, the wind was cutting off the river and really chilled the air. Almost every shop in the entire town had signs up reading "gone until March." While disappointed, Rudesheim was more of a tourist area, and while having some very quaint sights, was probably not worth spending any money or significant time there.
That night, Hillary and I were in for a treat. Gary and Karen hopped us in the car as we travelled to the next town over for a nice dinner at Burgschanke Neuleniningen (no, that's not a typo). The restaurant was in an 11th Century castle shell- here I say shell because all that was left of the castle were some wall remnants and an underground cellar (the restaurant). The cellar was a dimly lit stone room where dinner moved at a slow pace- much more enjoyable for conversing. I had a garlic steak (the only words I even remotely recognized from the menu). As we chatted, I tried some cabernet sauvignon. Still not to my liking. The steak was amazing, but the garlic stuck with me and Hillary had a difficult time talking to me later that night due to the smell.
After dinner, we attempted to see the lit walls of the castle, but realized that it was much too cold to be outside at that time of night, especially because we had not planned on being outside for very long.
That night, we watched our last episode of Fringe (the TV show) with brownies and ice cream before doing some preliminary packing to prepare for our early morning flight from the country.
On to Praha!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)