ever since I got back from Turkey, I've been in hyper-Prague mode trying to get in the "last" everything...
unfortunately, the professor who set up this program in Miami is here to visit and check up on everything, so we've had to meet with her a lot. i also have a ton of really terrible papers to write, so that is taking up too much time. but i still managed to:
Wednesday- USudu, the dungeon bar after my last alternative culture class
Thursday- disco at Radost- a very americanky yet fun night
Friday- fireworks for st. john nepomack on the Charles bridge
Saturday- lumindavy joe's, the most bizzare yet amazing czechs only disco in an old cinema
Sunday- brunch at Radost cafe with the girls then Puccini's "La Boheme" at the Statni Opera at night
such a good weekend, and i can't believe it was my last real one in Praha. boooooo.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
mmm... Turkey
Istanbul or Constantinople? Either way, it is by far the most "foreign" place I have visited in this trip, and also the first place I have visited that I would never want to live in. While it had some qualities that reminded me of Israel- especially Jerusalem- there are so many interesting cultural experiences that can only happen in a Muslim country. While we tried to be respectful of the culture and wear head scarves and everything, we still stood out and got heckled by nearly everyone. If was flattering at first, but it got old pretty quickly. It was such a huge adjustment to have to go everywhere with someone else, preferably a guy, just to deflect heckling. I had never even been in a mosque before, so this visit was really a learning experience for me. And as always, an eating experience...
Thursday we left Prague and arrived there really late so the city was really quiet. We went to our hotel, hotel Vezir, which is in Sultanmet, the more historical, traditional neighborhood. The hotel was really small and cute and quite Turkish and they had a delicious breakfast. After checking in, we took a quick walk around the area with our guide, Eva, because she wanted us to see the city without mobs of tourists around.
We started early Friday morning by visiting the Ayasofya, which is an extremely important building for both Christians and Muslims. We learned a lot of history and took photos of the architecture, which has influences from nearly every major religion that has lived in Turkey.
Next we visited the Blue Mosque, which is one of the largest in the world. The stained glass was really beautiful, but we didn't get to stay long because they were preparing for the next prayer service.
After a nice lunch of yummy kebabs, we headed to the Topaki Palace, which is absolutely massive. We saw the inner gardens, the harem, the treasury, and the robes of the sultans. it was all very glamorous.
In the evening, we went to a performance of Whirling Dervishes, which are a special religious order who do elaborate spinning dances. There was also a traditional Sufi music band to accompany the dancers. The performance took place in the main train station, which is where the famous "orient express" left from until the late 1900s.
On Saturday, we started at the Gran Bazar, which is one of the largest and most intimidating markets in the world. There are over 4,000 stalls, and it's all a huge maze. They have everything from carpets (presumably magic), to jewelry (presumably real), to spices (very tasty), and everything in between. You have to bargain for everything, and the sellers all know how to get the most Lyra out of you. Thankfully, since I knew none of them would know Czech, I just told them I was from Prague so I would get a better deal than a stupid American would. The whole process was pretty entertaining, but after a while being cat-called gets old.
When we finally found our way out of the maze, we made it to the sea! I haven't seen an ocean since I flew here, so it was nice to meet the Black Sea. We walked along the boardwalk and ate fresh fish on a roll, which was a delicacy considering the only fish in Prague is canned tuna. The boardwalk was filled with families and kids and all kids of food carts. Tim even paid a small child for the privilege to shoot cans into the see with a nail gun!
Saturday night we crossed the Straight of Bosphorus to Taxsim Square, which is the more modern part of the city. We walked along the huge shopping street and ate some nice dinner and Turkish delight. There were even a few discos- though we had been warned not to go into them- and fewer women with their heads covered, but we still stood out as tourists and got harassed by every shop we passed. When we got back to our neighborhood, we went to an out door hookah bar. By 9 pm, we were the only women out, and def the only women at a hookah cafe, which was very strange. There were lots of well-dressed, young Turkish men though, and when they heard us speaking English some of them offered to buy us tea in exchange for conversation. They were all very eager to know if we were enjoying their city and if we would go back to Prague and USA and say nice things.
Sunday we went to the Basilica Cistern, which is one of the oldest water systems in the world. The water system is all underground and it has been there since the 6th century. It is huge and very eerie. I made a wish on the Medusa heads, so lets hope I'm not cured instead. After that, we got some delicious street food and had to head to the airport.
Another country conquered!
Thursday we left Prague and arrived there really late so the city was really quiet. We went to our hotel, hotel Vezir, which is in Sultanmet, the more historical, traditional neighborhood. The hotel was really small and cute and quite Turkish and they had a delicious breakfast. After checking in, we took a quick walk around the area with our guide, Eva, because she wanted us to see the city without mobs of tourists around.
We started early Friday morning by visiting the Ayasofya, which is an extremely important building for both Christians and Muslims. We learned a lot of history and took photos of the architecture, which has influences from nearly every major religion that has lived in Turkey.
Next we visited the Blue Mosque, which is one of the largest in the world. The stained glass was really beautiful, but we didn't get to stay long because they were preparing for the next prayer service.
After a nice lunch of yummy kebabs, we headed to the Topaki Palace, which is absolutely massive. We saw the inner gardens, the harem, the treasury, and the robes of the sultans. it was all very glamorous.
In the evening, we went to a performance of Whirling Dervishes, which are a special religious order who do elaborate spinning dances. There was also a traditional Sufi music band to accompany the dancers. The performance took place in the main train station, which is where the famous "orient express" left from until the late 1900s.
On Saturday, we started at the Gran Bazar, which is one of the largest and most intimidating markets in the world. There are over 4,000 stalls, and it's all a huge maze. They have everything from carpets (presumably magic), to jewelry (presumably real), to spices (very tasty), and everything in between. You have to bargain for everything, and the sellers all know how to get the most Lyra out of you. Thankfully, since I knew none of them would know Czech, I just told them I was from Prague so I would get a better deal than a stupid American would. The whole process was pretty entertaining, but after a while being cat-called gets old.
When we finally found our way out of the maze, we made it to the sea! I haven't seen an ocean since I flew here, so it was nice to meet the Black Sea. We walked along the boardwalk and ate fresh fish on a roll, which was a delicacy considering the only fish in Prague is canned tuna. The boardwalk was filled with families and kids and all kids of food carts. Tim even paid a small child for the privilege to shoot cans into the see with a nail gun!
Saturday night we crossed the Straight of Bosphorus to Taxsim Square, which is the more modern part of the city. We walked along the huge shopping street and ate some nice dinner and Turkish delight. There were even a few discos- though we had been warned not to go into them- and fewer women with their heads covered, but we still stood out as tourists and got harassed by every shop we passed. When we got back to our neighborhood, we went to an out door hookah bar. By 9 pm, we were the only women out, and def the only women at a hookah cafe, which was very strange. There were lots of well-dressed, young Turkish men though, and when they heard us speaking English some of them offered to buy us tea in exchange for conversation. They were all very eager to know if we were enjoying their city and if we would go back to Prague and USA and say nice things.
Sunday we went to the Basilica Cistern, which is one of the oldest water systems in the world. The water system is all underground and it has been there since the 6th century. It is huge and very eerie. I made a wish on the Medusa heads, so lets hope I'm not cured instead. After that, we got some delicious street food and had to head to the airport.
Another country conquered!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
now is the month of may
a few interesting events in the past week...
#1 The Burning of the Witches.
another great Czech holiday tradition is the April 31 burning of the witches. this marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring and happens on hills throughout the country. in earlier times, they burned real witches, but this week it was just a fake witch made of straw. there was also beer. mam rad czech holidays.
#2 Cinco de Mayo... in Prague
so it turns out that there is a tiny population of Czechs who are incredible salsa dancers. they can be found at Jamm Cafe on tuesdays. we joined them but refused to be intimidated and salsaed the night away! my czech friends turned out to be pretty good at salsa, even though Ales prefers polka.
#3 Divorka Sarka Valley
coolest valley ever!
#4 UPrague T shirts
I was assigned to be "T Shirt Captain". They're going to be sweet, even if the boys keep grumbling.
and this afternoon i'm leaving for Istanbul!
#1 The Burning of the Witches.
another great Czech holiday tradition is the April 31 burning of the witches. this marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring and happens on hills throughout the country. in earlier times, they burned real witches, but this week it was just a fake witch made of straw. there was also beer. mam rad czech holidays.
#2 Cinco de Mayo... in Prague
so it turns out that there is a tiny population of Czechs who are incredible salsa dancers. they can be found at Jamm Cafe on tuesdays. we joined them but refused to be intimidated and salsaed the night away! my czech friends turned out to be pretty good at salsa, even though Ales prefers polka.
#3 Divorka Sarka Valley
coolest valley ever!
#4 UPrague T shirts
I was assigned to be "T Shirt Captain". They're going to be sweet, even if the boys keep grumbling.
and this afternoon i'm leaving for Istanbul!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
sunny skies
Another nice weekend spent in Prague and a few jaunts out of the city...
This past week was pretty good, aside from the fact that the professors have decided to add about 8,000 unnecessary and previously unannounced assignments to Blackboard. I have a too much silly busy work now because they forgot to assign discussion questions earlier. neat.
Tuesday my globalization class met with our 3 professors for drinks at a Pulp Fiction themed pub. it was awkward to say the least. However, as they had some pivos (beers), we learned some interesting facts. Dr. S has a small castle 28 minutes from Prague that has been in his family since the middle ages. It is surrounded by a small forest filled with wild board that he roasts over his home-made charcoal. He also has a small vineyard in Croatia where he and his brother make something that sounds a lot like moonshine. He is now actively counting the days until he can draw on his pension and reside in the castle. Dr. H is afraid of sharks and Dr. K still doesn't know enough English to be teaching this class, even when he's drunk.
Friday I went on a day trip to Cesky Raj, which is north of Prague. We went on a hike in "the Czech Eden", which is near the city of Turnov. The hike was really pretty and the view from the top was amazing. Next we went to the Czech garnet factory and saw all of the parts of the jewelry making process. The stones are really beautiful but it's a hell of a process to make anything out of the. We had lunch in Turnov and then went to a glass bead factory. Naturally, i was in craft heaven. At the end of the day we went to a castle on a cliff only to find that it doesn't open until May 1st. wamp wamp.
Friday night I had an interview on skype for UMTV. i didn't wear any pants.
Saturday I spent relaxing in Praha- I went to my special secret garden and to a very entertaining karaoke bar at night. There were about 12 songs in English so Erin and I entertained the drunks with "Hey Jude".
Today I went on another day trip to Lidice, which was a small village outside of Prague. The entire village was destroyed in 1942 by the Nazis in connection with the Czech paratroopers assassination of Hitler's right hand man, Heydrich. To get back at the Czechs, Hitler ordered the entire village to be destroyed. All of the men were shot on the spot and the women and children were sent to concentration camps. All of the homes were burned down and then the entire site was bulldozed. The Nazis even dug up the graves next to the church to destroy everything they could. The site is now a beautiful park and a museum, but the whole place is very haunting.
Now I have to haul ass to finish these papers and assignments so I can have fun in the lovely weather!
This past week was pretty good, aside from the fact that the professors have decided to add about 8,000 unnecessary and previously unannounced assignments to Blackboard. I have a too much silly busy work now because they forgot to assign discussion questions earlier. neat.
Tuesday my globalization class met with our 3 professors for drinks at a Pulp Fiction themed pub. it was awkward to say the least. However, as they had some pivos (beers), we learned some interesting facts. Dr. S has a small castle 28 minutes from Prague that has been in his family since the middle ages. It is surrounded by a small forest filled with wild board that he roasts over his home-made charcoal. He also has a small vineyard in Croatia where he and his brother make something that sounds a lot like moonshine. He is now actively counting the days until he can draw on his pension and reside in the castle. Dr. H is afraid of sharks and Dr. K still doesn't know enough English to be teaching this class, even when he's drunk.
Friday I went on a day trip to Cesky Raj, which is north of Prague. We went on a hike in "the Czech Eden", which is near the city of Turnov. The hike was really pretty and the view from the top was amazing. Next we went to the Czech garnet factory and saw all of the parts of the jewelry making process. The stones are really beautiful but it's a hell of a process to make anything out of the. We had lunch in Turnov and then went to a glass bead factory. Naturally, i was in craft heaven. At the end of the day we went to a castle on a cliff only to find that it doesn't open until May 1st. wamp wamp.
Friday night I had an interview on skype for UMTV. i didn't wear any pants.
Saturday I spent relaxing in Praha- I went to my special secret garden and to a very entertaining karaoke bar at night. There were about 12 songs in English so Erin and I entertained the drunks with "Hey Jude".
Today I went on another day trip to Lidice, which was a small village outside of Prague. The entire village was destroyed in 1942 by the Nazis in connection with the Czech paratroopers assassination of Hitler's right hand man, Heydrich. To get back at the Czechs, Hitler ordered the entire village to be destroyed. All of the men were shot on the spot and the women and children were sent to concentration camps. All of the homes were burned down and then the entire site was bulldozed. The Nazis even dug up the graves next to the church to destroy everything they could. The site is now a beautiful park and a museum, but the whole place is very haunting.
Now I have to haul ass to finish these papers and assignments so I can have fun in the lovely weather!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Easter= Whippin' Time
Since getting back from Budapest 2 weeks ago, there has been some sunlight in Prague. While that means all the vampires have disappeared, those of us with season affective disorder are faring far better.
Last weekend was Easter, which Czechs celebrate in a very special way. About 85% of the country is atheist, so Easter is more like a day off from work than a religious holiday. The special Czech traditions include painting eggs, eating sweets, and whipping women. Yes, whipping. On Easter Monday, the men of the Czech Republic make whips out of willow branches and colored ribbons (yes, very manly) and proceed to whip the women, who then supposedly have good luck. This practice is carried out by children and grown men alike. Petr, my Czech friend, said he had to go home to the mountains for the weekend to whip his mother. Professor Zaruba said he had a lovely holiday but his sister did not. She cannot sit down because their cousin whipped her all day!
Because I have been in Prague for the past few weekends, I’ve had some time to do day trips and loaf around the city. I went back to Zizchov to see the babies crawling up the TV tower on a clear day, and climbed a giant mountain to see the national monument to Jan Zizka. I also went to a flea market run by the Vietnamese mafia. They sell Gucci purses AND brass knuckles!
I also tried some sweet new restaurants and pubs. I found “the best falafel in Prague”, but it still doesn’t hold a candle to the falafel in Berlin. And I went to a secret pub in a converted cinema where they played a Czech cover of “Holding Out for a Hero” from Footloose and the entire Grease soundtrack. Czechs just love Grease.
Unfortunately, I actually have some real reading and paper-writing to do. Again, I find that the “study” aspect of “study abroad” is a burden.
Nascle!
Last weekend was Easter, which Czechs celebrate in a very special way. About 85% of the country is atheist, so Easter is more like a day off from work than a religious holiday. The special Czech traditions include painting eggs, eating sweets, and whipping women. Yes, whipping. On Easter Monday, the men of the Czech Republic make whips out of willow branches and colored ribbons (yes, very manly) and proceed to whip the women, who then supposedly have good luck. This practice is carried out by children and grown men alike. Petr, my Czech friend, said he had to go home to the mountains for the weekend to whip his mother. Professor Zaruba said he had a lovely holiday but his sister did not. She cannot sit down because their cousin whipped her all day!
Because I have been in Prague for the past few weekends, I’ve had some time to do day trips and loaf around the city. I went back to Zizchov to see the babies crawling up the TV tower on a clear day, and climbed a giant mountain to see the national monument to Jan Zizka. I also went to a flea market run by the Vietnamese mafia. They sell Gucci purses AND brass knuckles!
I also tried some sweet new restaurants and pubs. I found “the best falafel in Prague”, but it still doesn’t hold a candle to the falafel in Berlin. And I went to a secret pub in a converted cinema where they played a Czech cover of “Holding Out for a Hero” from Footloose and the entire Grease soundtrack. Czechs just love Grease.
Unfortunately, I actually have some real reading and paper-writing to do. Again, I find that the “study” aspect of “study abroad” is a burden.
Nascle!
tales from Budapest- long overdue..
Sorry it’s been a while- now that the sun appears daily I have a hard time sitting at my computer for any extended period of time.
Budapest was really, really great. I was traveling with my roomate Hannah and her parents who are here visiting, so it was a nice change from traveling with just students and I stayed in a real hotel! With a tv! And a shower! The weather was also absolutely incredible- perfect sunny skies and warm weather that was perfect for walking.
On Thursday we arrived in the city around noon and had some lunch before walking along the Danube. We stopped to sit right in front of the massive parliament building, and hearing us speak English, an Irish student came over to talk with us. He said he was studying architecture in Budapest and said it was funny that even though we just arrived we had decided to sit in front of the most important building in all of Eastern Europe. Of course we didn’t know yet it was the parliament and we were too embarrassed to ask him where we were, but it was nice to know that subconsciously we were drawn to the center of Hungary. After walking down the river, Hannah’s parents arrived and we ate dinner with them in a nice outdoor Hungarian restaurant right by St. Stephen’s cathedral. I have to say that overall, the food in Hungary was not very good compared to other trips we’ve taken.
Friday we started off early and after finding a local bakery with great fresh pasty, we got on the Hop-on-Hop-off tour bus. Usually I laugh at these tourist busses, but it was actually a good idea for Budapest. It did a big loop of all of the most important sights and gave some good historical background. We decided to “hop off” at the Hero’s Square, right in front of a big park. We wandered around there and then hopped off again on the Buda side to see the castles and Fisherman’s Bastion. Then we finished the loop back to the hotel. The whole city was much different than I imagined- it was a beautiful mix of old and new rather than just the old that I had pictured.
In the afternoon we went to the Turkish baths. It was so warm we were even able to swim in the outdoor pools. I don’t know if they really cured all ills like they claim, but it was really relaxing to sit in the pools and saunas after walking around all day. For dinner, we went to an Easter market to try some local street food. The desserts were definitely the best part.
Saturday we started off at the Museum of Terror, which is in the building that was used as Nazi headquarters in the 1940s. The museums itself was actually pretty poorly designed- it wasn’t in order and the audio guides did a poor job of explaining the historical background, but the overall effect was pretty deep. It showed the opposite of what we saw in the DDR museum in Berlin. While that showed that daily life in Communist Germany was pretty comfortable, this terror museum showed just how uncomfortable it was for anyone who wasn’t a loyal member of the party. The stories were all pretty gruesome.
After the museum we walked back over the river to Buda to see what we missed the previous day and to have some really good ice cream.
Sunday we just walked the main boulevards of the city soaking up the sun before we had to go back to Prague. We missed Obama’s speech by only a few hours!
Budapest was really, really great. I was traveling with my roomate Hannah and her parents who are here visiting, so it was a nice change from traveling with just students and I stayed in a real hotel! With a tv! And a shower! The weather was also absolutely incredible- perfect sunny skies and warm weather that was perfect for walking.
On Thursday we arrived in the city around noon and had some lunch before walking along the Danube. We stopped to sit right in front of the massive parliament building, and hearing us speak English, an Irish student came over to talk with us. He said he was studying architecture in Budapest and said it was funny that even though we just arrived we had decided to sit in front of the most important building in all of Eastern Europe. Of course we didn’t know yet it was the parliament and we were too embarrassed to ask him where we were, but it was nice to know that subconsciously we were drawn to the center of Hungary. After walking down the river, Hannah’s parents arrived and we ate dinner with them in a nice outdoor Hungarian restaurant right by St. Stephen’s cathedral. I have to say that overall, the food in Hungary was not very good compared to other trips we’ve taken.
Friday we started off early and after finding a local bakery with great fresh pasty, we got on the Hop-on-Hop-off tour bus. Usually I laugh at these tourist busses, but it was actually a good idea for Budapest. It did a big loop of all of the most important sights and gave some good historical background. We decided to “hop off” at the Hero’s Square, right in front of a big park. We wandered around there and then hopped off again on the Buda side to see the castles and Fisherman’s Bastion. Then we finished the loop back to the hotel. The whole city was much different than I imagined- it was a beautiful mix of old and new rather than just the old that I had pictured.
In the afternoon we went to the Turkish baths. It was so warm we were even able to swim in the outdoor pools. I don’t know if they really cured all ills like they claim, but it was really relaxing to sit in the pools and saunas after walking around all day. For dinner, we went to an Easter market to try some local street food. The desserts were definitely the best part.
Saturday we started off at the Museum of Terror, which is in the building that was used as Nazi headquarters in the 1940s. The museums itself was actually pretty poorly designed- it wasn’t in order and the audio guides did a poor job of explaining the historical background, but the overall effect was pretty deep. It showed the opposite of what we saw in the DDR museum in Berlin. While that showed that daily life in Communist Germany was pretty comfortable, this terror museum showed just how uncomfortable it was for anyone who wasn’t a loyal member of the party. The stories were all pretty gruesome.
After the museum we walked back over the river to Buda to see what we missed the previous day and to have some really good ice cream.
Sunday we just walked the main boulevards of the city soaking up the sun before we had to go back to Prague. We missed Obama’s speech by only a few hours!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Spring in Prague
it's spring in prague. not Prague Spring, because that was a political event in the late 1960s, but real Spring. all i had to do was go to Budapest and come back and it was 70 degrees. last week it was 40. i dont get it, but i like it.
more on Budapest later when i have time...
more on Budapest later when i have time...
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