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...
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Obama v Praze
nooooooo! i'm missing Obama in Praha! it was finally announced today that he'll be speaking at Prasky Hrad (prague castle.. which is 4 blocks from my apt) on sunday at 10 am! too bad i'll still be in Budapest! but the czech media coverage is pretty sweet- they ousted thier own PM just last week, but they're obsessed with ours. and they just cant get enough of michelle obmamova. i stole a sweet poster from my school today too...
but budapest will be sweet!
but budapest will be sweet!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
mmm.. Vienna
Vienna was absolutely fantastically beautiful! It’s true what they say- Vienna is a smaller, fancier Prague!
We started off really early on Friday morning and took a lovely, relaxing train ride through the countryside. I slept, but I’m sure there were at least a few cows and goats passed.
When we arrived in Vienna, we checked in to our hostel, the West End City Hostel, which was very clean but a little cramped. 8 girls on bunks in one room…eeek. After we checked in and ate at a very cute café (Viennese coffee= soooo good), we went for a walk through the city center with our fearless leader, Professor Holub, who bears a striking resemblance to Professor Lupin. We walked down Maria Hilfer Straβe, which is the “5th Avenue of Vienna”, which I would say is an accurate description if 5th Ave had more stores selling Mozart balls. Then professor took us to the historic city center, where we saw giant, beautiful buildings, museums, and a statue to commemorate the Black Death. It was actually gorgeous and gold. Speaking of gold, Vienna is populated by more costumed characters than is necessary for such a tiny place. Everywhere you look there are gold Mozarts, caped guys selling concert tickets, CLOWNS, and all other sorts of unnecessary creepers. They molest tourists then ask them for money. It’s really not cute at all. After Professor wandered away, we went to see Stephansdom, which is a giant, very shiny Gothic-style church. There happened to be a concert that day, and we got there just in time to hear Shalon Havarim- it was a very interesting rendition.
Then we hit up Centraal Café, on Zuzana’s recommendation. Centraal Café is one of the historic landmarks of café culture and it is very elegant. There is a piano player, velvet couches, plenty of coffee, and most importantly, STUDEL. The most amazing strudel in the world, actually.
After strudel, we wandered the streets for a while until we discovered Barfin, which was a great little hookah bar with a very friendly waiter eager to practice English. He recommended some great white wine and even played Britney Spears music in our honor. Austrians seem to like American tourists as much as Czechs hate them.
Post- hookah bar, we grabbed some street falafel and called it a night.
Saturday morning we woke up super early to tour the government area with Professor. This was also an epic day in terms of weather as it was 60 DEGEES AND SUNNY. Note facebook photos for evidence that I took off my jacket outside! After a long walk and discussion about architecture, we found a lovely Easter market and had a lunch time smörgåsbord of homemade treats: cheese, bread, beer, pastry, etc.
Then we jumped on the metro to see the Shoenbrunn palace, former home of Maria Teresa, Emperor Franz Josef, and entourage. The palace has 2,000 rooms, one of which Sisi used for the sole purpose of brushing her ankle-length hair. Just one tidbit from the tour. After seeing just a tiny fraction of the palace, we went outside to stroll the beautiful gardens and lay in the grass to soak up the sun. Unfortuantly, a very angry Austrian came riding through on his bike pointing at a sign that implied sitting on the grass is not allowed… the ultimate BIKE COP!
Saturday night we went to a really delicious italian restaurant called Vipiano, which was like a gourmet dining hall on crack! They gave you a swipe card and then you went to the counter of your choice and swiped to order. When the food and wine magically appeared, it was delicious! After dinner we went to hear some quailty live jazz and passed out from walking exhaustion.
Sunday we woke up for some museum hopping and rain-trudging. It rained the entire day and was absolutely freezing, but Professor still wanted us to see lots of architecture that was very, very out of the way. Then we went to two of the best museums in Europe: the Belvedere and the Kunst. Both had incredible art and even a mummified crocodile! After more rain trudging, it was confirmed that absolutely everything is closed on Sundays in Vienna, so we had more falafel before getting back on the train to Prague.
This week, I have only 3 days in Prague to get all my work done before I leave for Budapest Thursday morning. I’m also battling a cold, which is really making me feel gross and icky. However, I finally won the battle with the printing system at school today and I am finally able to print! 1 point for Jo!
We started off really early on Friday morning and took a lovely, relaxing train ride through the countryside. I slept, but I’m sure there were at least a few cows and goats passed.
When we arrived in Vienna, we checked in to our hostel, the West End City Hostel, which was very clean but a little cramped. 8 girls on bunks in one room…eeek. After we checked in and ate at a very cute café (Viennese coffee= soooo good), we went for a walk through the city center with our fearless leader, Professor Holub, who bears a striking resemblance to Professor Lupin. We walked down Maria Hilfer Straβe, which is the “5th Avenue of Vienna”, which I would say is an accurate description if 5th Ave had more stores selling Mozart balls. Then professor took us to the historic city center, where we saw giant, beautiful buildings, museums, and a statue to commemorate the Black Death. It was actually gorgeous and gold. Speaking of gold, Vienna is populated by more costumed characters than is necessary for such a tiny place. Everywhere you look there are gold Mozarts, caped guys selling concert tickets, CLOWNS, and all other sorts of unnecessary creepers. They molest tourists then ask them for money. It’s really not cute at all. After Professor wandered away, we went to see Stephansdom, which is a giant, very shiny Gothic-style church. There happened to be a concert that day, and we got there just in time to hear Shalon Havarim- it was a very interesting rendition.
Then we hit up Centraal Café, on Zuzana’s recommendation. Centraal Café is one of the historic landmarks of café culture and it is very elegant. There is a piano player, velvet couches, plenty of coffee, and most importantly, STUDEL. The most amazing strudel in the world, actually.
After strudel, we wandered the streets for a while until we discovered Barfin, which was a great little hookah bar with a very friendly waiter eager to practice English. He recommended some great white wine and even played Britney Spears music in our honor. Austrians seem to like American tourists as much as Czechs hate them.
Post- hookah bar, we grabbed some street falafel and called it a night.
Saturday morning we woke up super early to tour the government area with Professor. This was also an epic day in terms of weather as it was 60 DEGEES AND SUNNY. Note facebook photos for evidence that I took off my jacket outside! After a long walk and discussion about architecture, we found a lovely Easter market and had a lunch time smörgåsbord of homemade treats: cheese, bread, beer, pastry, etc.
Then we jumped on the metro to see the Shoenbrunn palace, former home of Maria Teresa, Emperor Franz Josef, and entourage. The palace has 2,000 rooms, one of which Sisi used for the sole purpose of brushing her ankle-length hair. Just one tidbit from the tour. After seeing just a tiny fraction of the palace, we went outside to stroll the beautiful gardens and lay in the grass to soak up the sun. Unfortuantly, a very angry Austrian came riding through on his bike pointing at a sign that implied sitting on the grass is not allowed… the ultimate BIKE COP!
Saturday night we went to a really delicious italian restaurant called Vipiano, which was like a gourmet dining hall on crack! They gave you a swipe card and then you went to the counter of your choice and swiped to order. When the food and wine magically appeared, it was delicious! After dinner we went to hear some quailty live jazz and passed out from walking exhaustion.
Sunday we woke up for some museum hopping and rain-trudging. It rained the entire day and was absolutely freezing, but Professor still wanted us to see lots of architecture that was very, very out of the way. Then we went to two of the best museums in Europe: the Belvedere and the Kunst. Both had incredible art and even a mummified crocodile! After more rain trudging, it was confirmed that absolutely everything is closed on Sundays in Vienna, so we had more falafel before getting back on the train to Prague.
This week, I have only 3 days in Prague to get all my work done before I leave for Budapest Thursday morning. I’m also battling a cold, which is really making me feel gross and icky. However, I finally won the battle with the printing system at school today and I am finally able to print! 1 point for Jo!
Monday, March 23, 2009
There is a Dunkin Donuts in Berlin
Just got back from Berlin last night after a really busy week.
I had Judd here visiting so I got to play tour guide again and we did some good sight seeing and some excellent eating. We also went to a Sparta Praha futbol game- Prague kicked Brno’s ass!
Wednesday night, my Alternative Literature and Underground Culture class went to see a mini concert by The Plastic People of the Universe, Czech Republic’s most popular rock band… of the 1960s. We had a Q&A with the bass player and saxophone player who both confirmed the stereotype that Czechs value women and beer above all else.
I also had my first tutoring English lessons both at the high school near my dorm and with my one-on-one student, Sarah. We discussed antonyms and the politically correct way to distinguish between dot-Indians and feather-Indians.
And then I went to Berlin really really super early on Friday morning. When we arrived, we checked into our hostel which was a really cool converted factory building in the Turkish neighborhood of Kriesburg. Then we had a guided walking tour of the city center from a very tall Brit named Neil. He filled us in on Berlin’s history and pointed out a few key facts: Berlin is the 3rd gay-est city in the world (after San Francisco and Sydney, Australia) and the 3rd bridge-iest city in Europe (after Amsterdam and Hamburg). He took us to Bebelplatz, the square next to the city library and university where the Nazis staged massive book burnings, the remaining section of the Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charlie in the former American sector, the site of Hitler’s secret bunker, the Holocaust memorial, the Brandenburg gate, and lots of other cool shit. Later, after some quality German food and grapefruit beer, we went to the Checkpoint Charlie museum, which tells the story of what lengths East Berliners went through to try to make it to the other side. In true tourist trap fashion, they also have a “Charlie” soldier dressed up in the street who will stamp your passport with the old East Berlin stamp. Then we had some drinks and called it a night.
On Saturday, we drove to Potsdam, which is about an hour outside the city. We took a tour through the palace where the Big 3 met to discuss the Treaty of Potsdam after the end of WWII. Then we headed back to Berlin and went to the Story of Berlin museum. The museum also included a tour of a nuclear fall-out shelter built in the 1970s under a parking garage. It was super creepy. We then proceeded to walk approx 800 km through the zoo and Tiergarten to see “Chick on a Stick”, which is what Berliners affectionately call the giant victory memorial in the center of Berlin. The chick is really shiny. After that, I had the most delicious falafel ever before visiting the dome of the Reichstag, the German parliament building. Given some of the shady politcs that happened there before, all government buildings that were re-built after WWII are now all glass as a symbol for transparency of governemnt. The dome of the parliament building had a great view of the entire city, and you could really see the mix of old, communist, and new architecture.
Sunday, we spent some time on Museum Island, seeing as this is the only part of the city actually open on Sundays. We went to the DDR museum, which is a really fun, interactive museum about life in East Germany during communism. There were lots of things to touch and open so obviously I liked this museum a lot. I learned that communist coffee is awful, the jeans were made of plastic, and garden gnomes were totally hip. They also had a display of a typical communist flat, complete with a bathroom that is identitcal to the one I have in my dorm here in Prague. Then I had Dunkin Donuts coffee, and I was very very very happy.
On the way back from Berlin, we stopped in Dresden, which is the capital of Saxony. In Dresden, the neo-Nazi party is so strong that they actually have seats in the state parliament. Scary shit. We didn’t see any neo-nazis, but we did see some beautiful old churches and an opera house that supposedly has the best acoustics anywhere in the world. After dinner, we headed back to Prague where I shall do nothing but school work for the next week.
I had Judd here visiting so I got to play tour guide again and we did some good sight seeing and some excellent eating. We also went to a Sparta Praha futbol game- Prague kicked Brno’s ass!
Wednesday night, my Alternative Literature and Underground Culture class went to see a mini concert by The Plastic People of the Universe, Czech Republic’s most popular rock band… of the 1960s. We had a Q&A with the bass player and saxophone player who both confirmed the stereotype that Czechs value women and beer above all else.
I also had my first tutoring English lessons both at the high school near my dorm and with my one-on-one student, Sarah. We discussed antonyms and the politically correct way to distinguish between dot-Indians and feather-Indians.
And then I went to Berlin really really super early on Friday morning. When we arrived, we checked into our hostel which was a really cool converted factory building in the Turkish neighborhood of Kriesburg. Then we had a guided walking tour of the city center from a very tall Brit named Neil. He filled us in on Berlin’s history and pointed out a few key facts: Berlin is the 3rd gay-est city in the world (after San Francisco and Sydney, Australia) and the 3rd bridge-iest city in Europe (after Amsterdam and Hamburg). He took us to Bebelplatz, the square next to the city library and university where the Nazis staged massive book burnings, the remaining section of the Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charlie in the former American sector, the site of Hitler’s secret bunker, the Holocaust memorial, the Brandenburg gate, and lots of other cool shit. Later, after some quality German food and grapefruit beer, we went to the Checkpoint Charlie museum, which tells the story of what lengths East Berliners went through to try to make it to the other side. In true tourist trap fashion, they also have a “Charlie” soldier dressed up in the street who will stamp your passport with the old East Berlin stamp. Then we had some drinks and called it a night.
On Saturday, we drove to Potsdam, which is about an hour outside the city. We took a tour through the palace where the Big 3 met to discuss the Treaty of Potsdam after the end of WWII. Then we headed back to Berlin and went to the Story of Berlin museum. The museum also included a tour of a nuclear fall-out shelter built in the 1970s under a parking garage. It was super creepy. We then proceeded to walk approx 800 km through the zoo and Tiergarten to see “Chick on a Stick”, which is what Berliners affectionately call the giant victory memorial in the center of Berlin. The chick is really shiny. After that, I had the most delicious falafel ever before visiting the dome of the Reichstag, the German parliament building. Given some of the shady politcs that happened there before, all government buildings that were re-built after WWII are now all glass as a symbol for transparency of governemnt. The dome of the parliament building had a great view of the entire city, and you could really see the mix of old, communist, and new architecture.
Sunday, we spent some time on Museum Island, seeing as this is the only part of the city actually open on Sundays. We went to the DDR museum, which is a really fun, interactive museum about life in East Germany during communism. There were lots of things to touch and open so obviously I liked this museum a lot. I learned that communist coffee is awful, the jeans were made of plastic, and garden gnomes were totally hip. They also had a display of a typical communist flat, complete with a bathroom that is identitcal to the one I have in my dorm here in Prague. Then I had Dunkin Donuts coffee, and I was very very very happy.
On the way back from Berlin, we stopped in Dresden, which is the capital of Saxony. In Dresden, the neo-Nazi party is so strong that they actually have seats in the state parliament. Scary shit. We didn’t see any neo-nazis, but we did see some beautiful old churches and an opera house that supposedly has the best acoustics anywhere in the world. After dinner, we headed back to Prague where I shall do nothing but school work for the next week.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
A Very Czech-y Day
Today I realized just how valuable accent-less English is.
This afternoon I went to a meet a high school student who I am going to be tutoring in English. Sarah is the daughter of Zuzana’s friend and is trying to transfer to an English-speaking high school so she can go to Harvard like her brother. She is a very smart Czech cookie and we’re going to practice reading comprehension and such every Thursday in her fancy family flat. And I get paid in apple cake and krowns. Bam!
After meeting Sarah, I went to meet up with some friends who just happen to be Czech military officers. To backtrack, last week I randomly met Carl, a Czech air force IT specialist in a pub. He told us about an intensive English class he is taking with a bunch of other military officers. Then he facebooked my friend and invited us to a party tonight. 5 American girls to practice English with- what could be better!
So English is a marketable skill, but no one will practice Czech with me…
This afternoon I went to a meet a high school student who I am going to be tutoring in English. Sarah is the daughter of Zuzana’s friend and is trying to transfer to an English-speaking high school so she can go to Harvard like her brother. She is a very smart Czech cookie and we’re going to practice reading comprehension and such every Thursday in her fancy family flat. And I get paid in apple cake and krowns. Bam!
After meeting Sarah, I went to meet up with some friends who just happen to be Czech military officers. To backtrack, last week I randomly met Carl, a Czech air force IT specialist in a pub. He told us about an intensive English class he is taking with a bunch of other military officers. Then he facebooked my friend and invited us to a party tonight. 5 American girls to practice English with- what could be better!
So English is a marketable skill, but no one will practice Czech with me…
Monday, March 9, 2009
Mozart's Balls and Skiing the Alps
Just got back from an EPIC WEEKED in Austria!
I was originally signed up to go to Linz and Salzburg with a school tour this weekend, but they cancelled it on Wednesday because they suck. So a few of the girls in my apartment and I decided we were still going to go, and we were going to do it even better. After assigning appropriate Captain duties (train captain, snack captain, hostel captain, etc), we did research and decided to conquer Salzburg and Innsbruck.
We left the kolej in Prague at the ripe hour of 5 am on Friday and arrived in Salzburg in the afternoon after 6 hours on a train reminiscent of the Hogwart’s express. Salzburg is the 4th largest city in Austria, which makes it pretty damn small. But they have a few claims to fame that they exploit shamelessly. One of these is Mozart. We visited his birthplace and museum, and heard his music everywhere. We also sampled his balls. According to a guidebook, “Mozart first requested to have his balls dipped in chocolate at Café Tomacelli”…. Now there are these delicious round candies all over the city with his face stamped on the foil wrapper. They are the best candy ever.
After having many Mozart balls and hiking up to an intense castle on Friday afternoon, we retired to the excellent Hotel Turnuit just outside the city center. It smelled much nicer than my dorm in Prague and it very nice and very cheap so I was very happy to stay there.
On Saturday we got up at 5 am again to take a train to Innsbruck, which is a town in the Alps. We arrived with the intention to ski, but had no idea how to actually execute this idea. Thankfully, Austrians are 10000 times nicer than Czechs. Everyone from waiters to train conductors to dirty teenager skiers were very helpful in helping us to find our way. Three of us decided to go up to the ski mountain so we took a bus to Axums, which was one of the sites for the 1968 Winter Olympics. We rented skis and got passes and then hoped on the closest lift. (Side note about my skiing skills: I have been skiing approximately twice. The last time was in the 8th grade and it was in Maine, where the mountains are significantly smaller than the fucking Alps.) This lift took us up past the cloud line to what the sick Austrian ski maps call an “intermediate trail”. I would rename it “the steepest ski trial in the universe”. But I made it down with only a few epic falls as I tried to remember how to ski. I spent the rest of the day both terrified of plummeting to my death and also extremely proud of myself for being adventurous. I even took a covered lift to one of the trails used for the Olympics that was at a height of over a mile. The clouds were so thick that I couldn’t even see 10 feet in front of me- I just watched my own feet and skied blindly into the abyss…
After being very ballsy in Innsbruck on Saturday, we returned to Salzburg on Sunday for some good ol’ musical fun- aka The Sound of Music Tour. Our guide Carlos led my group in a little red van for about 4 hours of sing-alongs and sightseeing. It was awesome. We saw all the houses, castles, and mountains used in the film and also saw the lakes of Salzburg which are just really beautiful. Mam rada The Sound of Music.
After all of that touring and waking up early, we took the 6 hour train back to Prague with lots of Austrian beer and snacks to keep us happy. When we got back to Prague, we got on the Metro from the main train station, where a gypsy proceeded to take my money out of my bag in the hubbub of the busy station where everyone had luggage. Said gypsy took 4000 CZK, which is $200 US, which was my eating money for the rest of the month. FML.
I was originally signed up to go to Linz and Salzburg with a school tour this weekend, but they cancelled it on Wednesday because they suck. So a few of the girls in my apartment and I decided we were still going to go, and we were going to do it even better. After assigning appropriate Captain duties (train captain, snack captain, hostel captain, etc), we did research and decided to conquer Salzburg and Innsbruck.
We left the kolej in Prague at the ripe hour of 5 am on Friday and arrived in Salzburg in the afternoon after 6 hours on a train reminiscent of the Hogwart’s express. Salzburg is the 4th largest city in Austria, which makes it pretty damn small. But they have a few claims to fame that they exploit shamelessly. One of these is Mozart. We visited his birthplace and museum, and heard his music everywhere. We also sampled his balls. According to a guidebook, “Mozart first requested to have his balls dipped in chocolate at Café Tomacelli”…. Now there are these delicious round candies all over the city with his face stamped on the foil wrapper. They are the best candy ever.
After having many Mozart balls and hiking up to an intense castle on Friday afternoon, we retired to the excellent Hotel Turnuit just outside the city center. It smelled much nicer than my dorm in Prague and it very nice and very cheap so I was very happy to stay there.
On Saturday we got up at 5 am again to take a train to Innsbruck, which is a town in the Alps. We arrived with the intention to ski, but had no idea how to actually execute this idea. Thankfully, Austrians are 10000 times nicer than Czechs. Everyone from waiters to train conductors to dirty teenager skiers were very helpful in helping us to find our way. Three of us decided to go up to the ski mountain so we took a bus to Axums, which was one of the sites for the 1968 Winter Olympics. We rented skis and got passes and then hoped on the closest lift. (Side note about my skiing skills: I have been skiing approximately twice. The last time was in the 8th grade and it was in Maine, where the mountains are significantly smaller than the fucking Alps.) This lift took us up past the cloud line to what the sick Austrian ski maps call an “intermediate trail”. I would rename it “the steepest ski trial in the universe”. But I made it down with only a few epic falls as I tried to remember how to ski. I spent the rest of the day both terrified of plummeting to my death and also extremely proud of myself for being adventurous. I even took a covered lift to one of the trails used for the Olympics that was at a height of over a mile. The clouds were so thick that I couldn’t even see 10 feet in front of me- I just watched my own feet and skied blindly into the abyss…
After being very ballsy in Innsbruck on Saturday, we returned to Salzburg on Sunday for some good ol’ musical fun- aka The Sound of Music Tour. Our guide Carlos led my group in a little red van for about 4 hours of sing-alongs and sightseeing. It was awesome. We saw all the houses, castles, and mountains used in the film and also saw the lakes of Salzburg which are just really beautiful. Mam rada The Sound of Music.
After all of that touring and waking up early, we took the 6 hour train back to Prague with lots of Austrian beer and snacks to keep us happy. When we got back to Prague, we got on the Metro from the main train station, where a gypsy proceeded to take my money out of my bag in the hubbub of the busy station where everyone had luggage. Said gypsy took 4000 CZK, which is $200 US, which was my eating money for the rest of the month. FML.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
1 month
So now that I’ve been in Prague for a whole month, I am completely fluent in Czech.
My sister Audrey and her friend Nisha arrived on Thursday so I had fun being their tour guide and taking them to all of my favorite places to eat (yes, I ate at Bohemia Bagel twice this weekend). We also had tickets to a Laterna Magika show called “Grafitti”. The show combines modern dance, video projection, lights, and screens that make an overall really trippy and amazing show. They have other shows too so I really want to go back and see more from this company.
On Saturday after I shipped Audrey off to Vienna, my friends and I took a day trip to Melnik, which is a small town about an hour outside of Prague. We climbed a church steeple all the way up to the belfry and had an incredible view of the rivers and countryside. We also took a tour of a Castle that has been recently restored. Owing to the fact that it was a disgusting, rainy, freezing February day in Czech Republic, no one else was in the castle except for us which was nice. We also had a wine tasting included in our ticket so we walked around the wine cellars and saw the giant barrels. For the actual wine tasting, I kind of expected a little explanation and taste of each of the wines they make at the vineyard. Instead, we were sent into a cellar where there were 10 bottles of wine. Then the woman from the ticket desk said “30 minutes, ok?” and we proceeded to drink as much as we could in thirty minutes. It was swell.
Today was a chill Sunday- grocery shopping, running, Bohemia Bagel and finally schoolwork. Ech. I don’t really like this having to read and write papers so much, but I guess its worth it to be in Prague.
Tonight we also had a meeting with Zuzana about being English tutors at the high school near our dorm. I hope I’ll be able to fit it in my schedule and do some quality Jr. Drama games with trendy Czech teens. I think they’ll like woosh.
This was my last weekend in Prague for a while… next weekend I’ll be in Austria!
My sister Audrey and her friend Nisha arrived on Thursday so I had fun being their tour guide and taking them to all of my favorite places to eat (yes, I ate at Bohemia Bagel twice this weekend). We also had tickets to a Laterna Magika show called “Grafitti”. The show combines modern dance, video projection, lights, and screens that make an overall really trippy and amazing show. They have other shows too so I really want to go back and see more from this company.
On Saturday after I shipped Audrey off to Vienna, my friends and I took a day trip to Melnik, which is a small town about an hour outside of Prague. We climbed a church steeple all the way up to the belfry and had an incredible view of the rivers and countryside. We also took a tour of a Castle that has been recently restored. Owing to the fact that it was a disgusting, rainy, freezing February day in Czech Republic, no one else was in the castle except for us which was nice. We also had a wine tasting included in our ticket so we walked around the wine cellars and saw the giant barrels. For the actual wine tasting, I kind of expected a little explanation and taste of each of the wines they make at the vineyard. Instead, we were sent into a cellar where there were 10 bottles of wine. Then the woman from the ticket desk said “30 minutes, ok?” and we proceeded to drink as much as we could in thirty minutes. It was swell.
Today was a chill Sunday- grocery shopping, running, Bohemia Bagel and finally schoolwork. Ech. I don’t really like this having to read and write papers so much, but I guess its worth it to be in Prague.
Tonight we also had a meeting with Zuzana about being English tutors at the high school near our dorm. I hope I’ll be able to fit it in my schedule and do some quality Jr. Drama games with trendy Czech teens. I think they’ll like woosh.
This was my last weekend in Prague for a while… next weekend I’ll be in Austria!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
2 new classes and a job (?)
I had “Prague and the World” (not to be confused with “World in Prague”) for a whopping 3 hour period. The professor spoke about fifteen different topics, and I don’t really understand any of them. Thus is Czech. A major difference between teaching styles seems to be emerging. In America, when a professor asks a question and there are fewer than 40 students in the class, he or she expects the students to try to answer it in an attempt to get them to think. In Czech Republic, when a teacher asks a question, he answers it himself to show how knowledgeable he is on the subject. But somehow every professor here is terrified of Dr. Kubalkova, who coordinated the program from Miami, and she convinced them to give us blog assignments instead of actual tests.
My “Czech Underground and Alternative Culture” class was much more interesting, although it occupies 6-9 pm on Wednesdays. The professor is the Czech version of Carrie Wheat, who taught my “American Counter Culture of the 1960s” class last year. Pavla was in a successful underground rock band and freely discussed how much her son likes E and where to buy pot. The class involves a fair amount of actual work however, so I quickly see my Vacation Abroad turning into an actual Study Abroad.
Between my classes today I was wondering around and came across a really unique boutique with a sewing shop next to it. It was filled with really super interesting and unique clothes and bags made out of all sorts of recycled materials so I asked if they want an unpaid intern to do their bidding (hemming, ironing, making coffee, etc.). The assistant thought my idea of an intern/slave (maybe it didn’t really translate) sounded great so I’m going to try to convince the owner to also hire me for free. This is the link to the shop- it’s in Czech but you can get an idea of just how cool their designs are. http://www.harddecore.cz/page.php?reference_name=home
My sister and her friend arrive tomorrow so i can pretend to be a real Czech and not get lost...
My “Czech Underground and Alternative Culture” class was much more interesting, although it occupies 6-9 pm on Wednesdays. The professor is the Czech version of Carrie Wheat, who taught my “American Counter Culture of the 1960s” class last year. Pavla was in a successful underground rock band and freely discussed how much her son likes E and where to buy pot. The class involves a fair amount of actual work however, so I quickly see my Vacation Abroad turning into an actual Study Abroad.
Between my classes today I was wondering around and came across a really unique boutique with a sewing shop next to it. It was filled with really super interesting and unique clothes and bags made out of all sorts of recycled materials so I asked if they want an unpaid intern to do their bidding (hemming, ironing, making coffee, etc.). The assistant thought my idea of an intern/slave (maybe it didn’t really translate) sounded great so I’m going to try to convince the owner to also hire me for free. This is the link to the shop- it’s in Czech but you can get an idea of just how cool their designs are. http://www.harddecore.cz/page.php?reference_name=home
My sister and her friend arrive tomorrow so i can pretend to be a real Czech and not get lost...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Two Awesome Prague Nights:
Last night the Globe Café was very cozy and artsy and they showed Frederico Fellini’s 8 ½ and the cake was really good. Good cake is beginning to become a theme in Prague.
Tonight I went to a CD release party at Club Roxy for a Czech band called The Roads. They actually invited us personally on Saturday when they were making the rounds at the Mexican restaurant. It turned out to be a really good show; they have an indie-rock-popish-Beatles vibe and they even sing in English! I had one of those “holy shit I’m in Prague at the best concert ever and this is just a typical Monday night” moments and it really made me happy. They even signed a CD and we got pictures! If you go look them up on Facebook, you will fall in love immediately!
On a less awesome note, I did have my first two classes today. My first class was supposed to be “Jews in Christian and Moslem Europe: Judaic Studies in Central Europe”. But the professor sat in front of us for 2 hours reading from a lecture she had typed up. Somewhere in hour two, after she incorrectly named the 5 Book of Moses and then tried to write Hebrew characters from left to right, I decided I would like to drop this class.
My second class was “Prague in the World”, which is one of two required core classes for the Miami students. We covered approximately five centuries of history in 2 hours. But the professor is good and I think I can handle this one.
Czech anecdote of the day: After searching for peanut butter in Tesco for a solid 15 minutes today, I finally found it in the International foods aisle. Weird.
Off to bed!
Tonight I went to a CD release party at Club Roxy for a Czech band called The Roads. They actually invited us personally on Saturday when they were making the rounds at the Mexican restaurant. It turned out to be a really good show; they have an indie-rock-popish-Beatles vibe and they even sing in English! I had one of those “holy shit I’m in Prague at the best concert ever and this is just a typical Monday night” moments and it really made me happy. They even signed a CD and we got pictures! If you go look them up on Facebook, you will fall in love immediately!
On a less awesome note, I did have my first two classes today. My first class was supposed to be “Jews in Christian and Moslem Europe: Judaic Studies in Central Europe”. But the professor sat in front of us for 2 hours reading from a lecture she had typed up. Somewhere in hour two, after she incorrectly named the 5 Book of Moses and then tried to write Hebrew characters from left to right, I decided I would like to drop this class.
My second class was “Prague in the World”, which is one of two required core classes for the Miami students. We covered approximately five centuries of history in 2 hours. But the professor is good and I think I can handle this one.
Czech anecdote of the day: After searching for peanut butter in Tesco for a solid 15 minutes today, I finally found it in the International foods aisle. Weird.
Off to bed!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Laundryday Sunday... again.
Another great Prauge weekend that ends at the Cyber Laundromat. On Friday I had my last day of Czech class. Profesorka Jitka made us do dialogues then read our grades allowed. (I guess the Czechs don’t really care about grade privacy and related feelings of self-worth). But at least she gave everyone As for trying! Then she took us on a trip to the Jewish Quarter where we saw the cemetery and six synagogues, all of which are decorated differently and now feature different museum exhibits about Bohemian Jews through history. The irony of being an American Jew in Prague is that there are lots of Jewish things to see, but no actual Jews.
Friday night I went to see Swan Lake (this time I actually knew it was going to be a ballet) at the National Theatre and it was excellent. Afterwards we went to Café Lourve, which is a really important café where Einstein and Kafka hung out. It is one of the few real cafes to survive communism and now it’s where all the trendsetters and intellectuals in Prague go for cake. SOOO GOOD.
Saturday I visited the Toy Museum which was cool but a bit torturous for me because you’re not allowed to touch anything. You can’t even touch when no one is looking because everything was behind glass! But there was a huge exhibit on the history of Barbie so obviously that made me happy. I also ran into Erica Lundgren of SHS 06 fame. She is in Barcelona for the semester but came up to Prague for a break.
Saturday night was a very entertaining experience. We started at Casa Blů, which is supposedly the best Mexican in Prague. I just ate before though and had lovely Mexican drinks because we all know how I feel about burritos. After I met a Long Lake friend who was in Prague for the week on vacation and we went to U Suku, which is a really authentic, non-touristy (but still a tad Američanky) dungeon bar. It seriously had 5 levels below ground and really cheap pivo. Here, we met a cast of characters including Viki, a huge middle aged Czech who wanted to practice English but was too drunk to remember any, a group of Southern Architecture majors who are doing a grad project on the communist apartment buildings, and a very large, very rowdy group of Englishmen in town to celebrate a birthday. One of them looked like a cross between Aldus Snow and Johnny Depp (Facebook photos to follow soon) and kept trying to pet my head. Really, overall a very special night that ended back in the Kojel with Nutella snacks for all.
Tonight I’m going to the Globe Café, which is also a big name in Prague café culture. They show foreign films on Sunday night and everyone drinks coffee and acts exceptionally intellectual and artsy.
And finally tomorrow I actually start “real class”. Blech.
Friday night I went to see Swan Lake (this time I actually knew it was going to be a ballet) at the National Theatre and it was excellent. Afterwards we went to Café Lourve, which is a really important café where Einstein and Kafka hung out. It is one of the few real cafes to survive communism and now it’s where all the trendsetters and intellectuals in Prague go for cake. SOOO GOOD.
Saturday I visited the Toy Museum which was cool but a bit torturous for me because you’re not allowed to touch anything. You can’t even touch when no one is looking because everything was behind glass! But there was a huge exhibit on the history of Barbie so obviously that made me happy. I also ran into Erica Lundgren of SHS 06 fame. She is in Barcelona for the semester but came up to Prague for a break.
Saturday night was a very entertaining experience. We started at Casa Blů, which is supposedly the best Mexican in Prague. I just ate before though and had lovely Mexican drinks because we all know how I feel about burritos. After I met a Long Lake friend who was in Prague for the week on vacation and we went to U Suku, which is a really authentic, non-touristy (but still a tad Američanky) dungeon bar. It seriously had 5 levels below ground and really cheap pivo. Here, we met a cast of characters including Viki, a huge middle aged Czech who wanted to practice English but was too drunk to remember any, a group of Southern Architecture majors who are doing a grad project on the communist apartment buildings, and a very large, very rowdy group of Englishmen in town to celebrate a birthday. One of them looked like a cross between Aldus Snow and Johnny Depp (Facebook photos to follow soon) and kept trying to pet my head. Really, overall a very special night that ended back in the Kojel with Nutella snacks for all.
Tonight I’m going to the Globe Café, which is also a big name in Prague café culture. They show foreign films on Sunday night and everyone drinks coffee and acts exceptionally intellectual and artsy.
And finally tomorrow I actually start “real class”. Blech.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
jsem dobra studentka
Yes it’s been a few days (thank you Emily), but I’ve really just been in Czech class all day, everyday and that doesn’t make for good blog material. While other classes went to museums and such to practice, we sat in class the ENTIRE TIME. Only one day were we spared by a walk to the grocery store to “ask questions about cheese”. This was actually a completely necessary trip because the Czech Republic is filled with strange foods that are not that easy to figure out by sight. On the way, we passed the branch of the library frequented most by the homeless. To quote my teacher Jitka, “it is very warm there but the smell is like old gas. But this is life in Prague!”
Today we took our final, which was not as bad as expected. I’m still not sure if Miami will grant me credit for the 50 hours of class I’ve endured, so I studied anyway. I would say my knowledge of Czech is now equal to that of an actual Czech infant. Tomorrow we still have to go to class for the oral part of the exam (which she only told us about today- that sneaky wench!) and then we’re going to the Jewish Quarter to see the cemetery and synagogues. Jew power.
Czech word of the day: škoda (shkoda)= what a pity! It is also the name of the Czech automaker…
Today we took our final, which was not as bad as expected. I’m still not sure if Miami will grant me credit for the 50 hours of class I’ve endured, so I studied anyway. I would say my knowledge of Czech is now equal to that of an actual Czech infant. Tomorrow we still have to go to class for the oral part of the exam (which she only told us about today- that sneaky wench!) and then we’re going to the Jewish Quarter to see the cemetery and synagogues. Jew power.
Czech word of the day: škoda (shkoda)= what a pity! It is also the name of the Czech automaker…
Sunday, February 15, 2009
200 points!
Another Prague weekend gone- I really think times goes by quicker here.
Highlights of the weekend:
-I spotted my SECOND CZECH MIDGET!! The first one I saw last week. He was a wee little Czech restocking the shelves at my grocery store! Then yesterday I saw an older Czech midget waiting for the very same tram I take to get to the university!
-After 2 weeks of below freezing temps every day and inadequate clothing, I took myself to H&M for some quality Sweedish layers of warmth. Mmmm polyester sweaters.
-Although some promoter in my neighborhood was aggressively advertising a “Vuck Falentines” pub crawl (overpaying for drinks in advance but you get a free tee shirt!), my roommates and I decided to take ourselves on a very Sex and the City valentines date to a bar called Bar Bar, which was amazing. They are known for their crepes- both savory and sweet- and fruity mixed drinks which were also incredible.
-Today I tried laundry again, and found a less smelly but more expensive place that is just as far away and leaves my clothes just as wet. Score!
- A very Czech moment on the tram: a middle aged guy in a very puffy coat kept nodding off in his seat on the night tram. Then the tram went around a corner and the man falls out of his chair into the middle of the aisle. Everyone in the tram turns to stare at him, but no one says anything. Then they all just turn back and face ahead and continue to scowl. How very Czech.
-Tomorrow it is back to Czech class at the ripe hour of 9 am! Wahooo!
Czech word of the day: Zpěvačka (zeh-pya-va-chka)= singer
Highlights of the weekend:
-I spotted my SECOND CZECH MIDGET!! The first one I saw last week. He was a wee little Czech restocking the shelves at my grocery store! Then yesterday I saw an older Czech midget waiting for the very same tram I take to get to the university!
-After 2 weeks of below freezing temps every day and inadequate clothing, I took myself to H&M for some quality Sweedish layers of warmth. Mmmm polyester sweaters.
-Although some promoter in my neighborhood was aggressively advertising a “Vuck Falentines” pub crawl (overpaying for drinks in advance but you get a free tee shirt!), my roommates and I decided to take ourselves on a very Sex and the City valentines date to a bar called Bar Bar, which was amazing. They are known for their crepes- both savory and sweet- and fruity mixed drinks which were also incredible.
-Today I tried laundry again, and found a less smelly but more expensive place that is just as far away and leaves my clothes just as wet. Score!
- A very Czech moment on the tram: a middle aged guy in a very puffy coat kept nodding off in his seat on the night tram. Then the tram went around a corner and the man falls out of his chair into the middle of the aisle. Everyone in the tram turns to stare at him, but no one says anything. Then they all just turn back and face ahead and continue to scowl. How very Czech.
-Tomorrow it is back to Czech class at the ripe hour of 9 am! Wahooo!
Czech word of the day: Zpěvačka (zeh-pya-va-chka)= singer
Friday, February 13, 2009
no one comments on my blog anymore
Just got back from a hockey (hocji) game- Prague Slavia vs Bili Tygri Liberec. Prague lost, but it was still fun!
Czech class is still reallllly hard but at least I have the weekend off to chill and enjoy Prague. Later we’re planning on going to The Beer Factory, which is a very special pub. Each table has its own tap and then there are screens over the table to show how much each table has imbibed so you can compete with everyone there. Obviously this pub was the idea of an American who moved to Prague.
Czech word of the day: důn (pronounced duuuune). Meaning: house.
Czech class is still reallllly hard but at least I have the weekend off to chill and enjoy Prague. Later we’re planning on going to The Beer Factory, which is a very special pub. Each table has its own tap and then there are screens over the table to show how much each table has imbibed so you can compete with everyone there. Obviously this pub was the idea of an American who moved to Prague.
Czech word of the day: důn (pronounced duuuune). Meaning: house.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
jake se mash! (what is up?)
Just got back from the opera at the National Theatre and it was amazing! We saw La Traviata and it was sooo good. And the theatre is old and beautiful and I can’t wait to go back for Swan Lake next week.
Czech class, on the other hand, is really ridiculously hard. My Czech professor is a very enthusiastic grandma with excellent English, but it doesn’t make learning the hardest Slavic language any easier. There are a few phonemes we don’t have in English, the easiest being a regular rolled R which I couldn’t do in Spanish anyway. And then there is Ř, which I can best describe as r+g+sh with a growl all at the same time. Needless to say I cannot make that sound, which means I cannot say the number 4, direct someone to go up, or put things in my wardrobe…damn. The grammar and structure and everything is so hard too… gah!
Today I also paid for all of my group trips (after a small altercation with a bank employee) so I am officially signed up to go to Berlin, Vienna, Istanbul, Linz, and Salzburg. I might even get to do the Sound of Music tour in Austria!! Plus I’m going to Budapest with my roommate and her parents, and possibly other trips if I can afford them. Yay for the Euro!
Tonight we’re going to a café to celebrate my friend’s acceptance into the neuroscience major- this definitely warrants pivo.
I leave you with the Czech word of the day.
Americanky (pronounced A-mer-i-chun-ky). I think it’s a fitting description of our country’s citizens. From now on I’m pretending to be Kanadianky.
Czech class, on the other hand, is really ridiculously hard. My Czech professor is a very enthusiastic grandma with excellent English, but it doesn’t make learning the hardest Slavic language any easier. There are a few phonemes we don’t have in English, the easiest being a regular rolled R which I couldn’t do in Spanish anyway. And then there is Ř, which I can best describe as r+g+sh with a growl all at the same time. Needless to say I cannot make that sound, which means I cannot say the number 4, direct someone to go up, or put things in my wardrobe…damn. The grammar and structure and everything is so hard too… gah!
Today I also paid for all of my group trips (after a small altercation with a bank employee) so I am officially signed up to go to Berlin, Vienna, Istanbul, Linz, and Salzburg. I might even get to do the Sound of Music tour in Austria!! Plus I’m going to Budapest with my roommate and her parents, and possibly other trips if I can afford them. Yay for the Euro!
Tonight we’re going to a café to celebrate my friend’s acceptance into the neuroscience major- this definitely warrants pivo.
I leave you with the Czech word of the day.
Americanky (pronounced A-mer-i-chun-ky). I think it’s a fitting description of our country’s citizens. From now on I’m pretending to be Kanadianky.
Monday, February 9, 2009
there was sun today!
The internet in my apartment is somewhat inconsistent; I’m stealing a stranger’s wireless right now and wondering what the punishment would be for that in a country like that. So if I don’t reply to your e-mails, just assume I have no internet access or have been placed in Czech jail.
But in good news, all of the national galleries were open for free this weekend and I made it to 3. I saw the gallery of old European masters, a gallery of work related to dancing and festivities, and a Picasso exhibit in a huge modern art museum. The modern art museum was my favorite obviously because of all of the weird, funky, shiny, mixed media stuff that I love so much. But I was good and didn’t get in trouble for touching anything. After that gallery I had the BEST meal I have had in Prauge so far at Bohemia Bagel. (Annika, Scott, etc- did you ever eat there? There is also one in old town and one right over the Charles Bridge). Falafal burger= mmmmm.
Tomorrow is my first day of class-ish. We’re all watching a documentary about Jan’s life called “Fighter” made by some Brown students who did this program a few years ago. Then hopefully I’ll have my first language class if Jan doesn’t lecture too long after the film. I’m really excited to be able to say more than “Please may I have the bill” and my favorite, “I don’t’ understand Czech”.
And to further prove that this is a very small, Jewish world, I met Jaime’s sorority sister at breakfast today in my building and she came with us to the galleries. Hi JAIME!
But in good news, all of the national galleries were open for free this weekend and I made it to 3. I saw the gallery of old European masters, a gallery of work related to dancing and festivities, and a Picasso exhibit in a huge modern art museum. The modern art museum was my favorite obviously because of all of the weird, funky, shiny, mixed media stuff that I love so much. But I was good and didn’t get in trouble for touching anything. After that gallery I had the BEST meal I have had in Prauge so far at Bohemia Bagel. (Annika, Scott, etc- did you ever eat there? There is also one in old town and one right over the Charles Bridge). Falafal burger= mmmmm.
Tomorrow is my first day of class-ish. We’re all watching a documentary about Jan’s life called “Fighter” made by some Brown students who did this program a few years ago. Then hopefully I’ll have my first language class if Jan doesn’t lecture too long after the film. I’m really excited to be able to say more than “Please may I have the bill” and my favorite, “I don’t’ understand Czech”.
And to further prove that this is a very small, Jewish world, I met Jaime’s sorority sister at breakfast today in my building and she came with us to the galleries. Hi JAIME!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Prague goes to bed early.
I still haven’t started class and I’m still just wondering around this beautiful city, discovering cool new shit everywhere. Yesterday we finally were able to pick up our metro passes so we have unlimited use of the metro for the next three months, even though the public transport in Prague runs on the honor system- there are no turnstyles or ticket takers but every once in a while a police officer might ask to see your pass and fine you if you don’t have one. I don’t think any US city public transportation could run on the honor system. The trams are actually really efficient and super cute and I fully intend on riding to every stop just to see what’s there.
This morning we went to see a special performance by the Czech Philharmonic as recommended by Zuzana. We figured it would just be a daytime open dress rehearsal for their new program that opens this weekend. It turned out to be a special educational performance for what seemed to be every middle school student in central Europe. We were the only college students, and definitely the only ones who didn’t understand the Czech jokes and explanations of each section of the orchestra. It was still cool nonetheless and the conductor was a dreamy young Czech.
In the afternoon I had a 4 hour ordeal of doing laundry that involved taking the tram too far, going to a Laundromat that reeked of pot, paying too much, and coming home with damp, smelly clothes. I am very disappointed by Czech laundry.
Tonight we pubbed and now I’m exhausted, even though “late” pubs close at 1 am. This is my kind of city!
This morning we went to see a special performance by the Czech Philharmonic as recommended by Zuzana. We figured it would just be a daytime open dress rehearsal for their new program that opens this weekend. It turned out to be a special educational performance for what seemed to be every middle school student in central Europe. We were the only college students, and definitely the only ones who didn’t understand the Czech jokes and explanations of each section of the orchestra. It was still cool nonetheless and the conductor was a dreamy young Czech.
In the afternoon I had a 4 hour ordeal of doing laundry that involved taking the tram too far, going to a Laundromat that reeked of pot, paying too much, and coming home with damp, smelly clothes. I am very disappointed by Czech laundry.
Tonight we pubbed and now I’m exhausted, even though “late” pubs close at 1 am. This is my kind of city!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
day trippin'
The past two days ECES organized day trips for us to go out of the city and see what’s in the Czech country side. It turns out there are a few cows, naked billboards, and that’s about it.
Yesterday I went to Cesky Krumlov which is a town 2 and ½ hours south of Prague and close the German boarder. The town is really quaint and charming and we set off to explore it with our Very Attractive Charles Grad Student Tour Leader. He had never visited the town before, but he was very enthusiastic!! We started at the Schwartenberg Castle, but the inside is closed for renovation so we just wandered the grounds. We also went to the studio/home/museum of Josef Siedel who was a famous photographer. We also went to an architecture museum, but most of the museum was closed so it was more of a lecture about architecture. After cappichino (obvi) we headed back to Prague and watched a documentary about a popular 70s Czech rock band. There were no subtitles so I have no idea what was going on, but a few times I heard them say “good day”.
Today I went to Terezin, which was a Jewish Ghetto used by the Nazis to house Jews from Czechoslovakia, Moravia, Bohemia, Austria, and Denmark before they were transported to the concentration camps. We went to the Small Fortress which was built during the Hapsburg Empire and originally used for prisoners of war. We also saw the children’s home and school and there was some information on Raja Iganderova (of QuantUM’s “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” fame). All of the original buildings remain and have pretty much not been touched except for a few. One barracks has been converted into a museum so we looked at exhibits on how the Jews in the ghetto still composed operas and wrote novels and performed plays- most of which have been lost since. The whole day was pretty hard and despite having been to Yad Vashem and the holocaust museum in DC, I was not prepared for how powerful and emotional an experience it is to physically stand there where it really happened. We had a guide who kind of spoke English, but we’ll probably go back at some point with Jan Weiner, our “house father”, who was actually imprisoned in Terzin when he was 13 and was assigned to build the train tracks to Auschwitz. (He’s a good google).
And tonight we’re going downtown to explore the nightlife at the Eurotrash clubs!
Yesterday I went to Cesky Krumlov which is a town 2 and ½ hours south of Prague and close the German boarder. The town is really quaint and charming and we set off to explore it with our Very Attractive Charles Grad Student Tour Leader. He had never visited the town before, but he was very enthusiastic!! We started at the Schwartenberg Castle, but the inside is closed for renovation so we just wandered the grounds. We also went to the studio/home/museum of Josef Siedel who was a famous photographer. We also went to an architecture museum, but most of the museum was closed so it was more of a lecture about architecture. After cappichino (obvi) we headed back to Prague and watched a documentary about a popular 70s Czech rock band. There were no subtitles so I have no idea what was going on, but a few times I heard them say “good day”.
Today I went to Terezin, which was a Jewish Ghetto used by the Nazis to house Jews from Czechoslovakia, Moravia, Bohemia, Austria, and Denmark before they were transported to the concentration camps. We went to the Small Fortress which was built during the Hapsburg Empire and originally used for prisoners of war. We also saw the children’s home and school and there was some information on Raja Iganderova (of QuantUM’s “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” fame). All of the original buildings remain and have pretty much not been touched except for a few. One barracks has been converted into a museum so we looked at exhibits on how the Jews in the ghetto still composed operas and wrote novels and performed plays- most of which have been lost since. The whole day was pretty hard and despite having been to Yad Vashem and the holocaust museum in DC, I was not prepared for how powerful and emotional an experience it is to physically stand there where it really happened. We had a guide who kind of spoke English, but we’ll probably go back at some point with Jan Weiner, our “house father”, who was actually imprisoned in Terzin when he was 13 and was assigned to build the train tracks to Auschwitz. (He’s a good google).
And tonight we’re going downtown to explore the nightlife at the Eurotrash clubs!
Monday, February 2, 2009
"Advice #3: Try not to be so American"
Just a quick post before I head off for a day trip…
Yesterday was a veryyyy long, very adventurous day. We had “orientation” early in the morning at the university which consisted not of actually orientating us to anything, but rather, we got some advice from the professors and administrators of this program about experiencing Czech culture in general. One of them confirmed our suspicions that everyone here over age 50 hates not only Americans, but they also hate happiness. He justified it with some kind of “communism” excuse. We also learned that Czechs have a disturbing sense of humor, and that most Czech men will order their priorities this way: beer, women, God.” So really, nothing that different from America. Just fewer vowels.
After orientation I set off with a few other girls and used our map to walk all over the Old Town Square section of the city. Btw, this is not a city with grids like New York or Miami. There are streets that turn back on themselves and streets that only appear on Tuesdays and some streets where Americans are especially not welcome. We found them all! We walked for approx. 18 km and eventually found the department store and even managed to get the right tram back going in the right direction. Not that I can pronounce my stop, but I think I cam recognize it by now.
For my birthday, we went to a bar described on a guide site as being populated by “dreamy young Czechs”. I’m not sure where said Czechs were, but the drinks were good and it was an excellent birthday.
Today everyone is headed on different day trips. I’m going to Cesky Krumlov, which is a small country town with massive historical significance that I will learn about in great detail I’m sure.
Love and goulash,
Jo
Yesterday was a veryyyy long, very adventurous day. We had “orientation” early in the morning at the university which consisted not of actually orientating us to anything, but rather, we got some advice from the professors and administrators of this program about experiencing Czech culture in general. One of them confirmed our suspicions that everyone here over age 50 hates not only Americans, but they also hate happiness. He justified it with some kind of “communism” excuse. We also learned that Czechs have a disturbing sense of humor, and that most Czech men will order their priorities this way: beer, women, God.” So really, nothing that different from America. Just fewer vowels.
After orientation I set off with a few other girls and used our map to walk all over the Old Town Square section of the city. Btw, this is not a city with grids like New York or Miami. There are streets that turn back on themselves and streets that only appear on Tuesdays and some streets where Americans are especially not welcome. We found them all! We walked for approx. 18 km and eventually found the department store and even managed to get the right tram back going in the right direction. Not that I can pronounce my stop, but I think I cam recognize it by now.
For my birthday, we went to a bar described on a guide site as being populated by “dreamy young Czechs”. I’m not sure where said Czechs were, but the drinks were good and it was an excellent birthday.
Today everyone is headed on different day trips. I’m going to Cesky Krumlov, which is a small country town with massive historical significance that I will learn about in great detail I’m sure.
Love and goulash,
Jo
Sunday, February 1, 2009
...with rum!
i guess my last blog post wasn't so coherent. sorry!
after some ambien-induced hallucinations (no mythical creatures but apparently i told my roommate that my shampoo was doing a dance on my cubby), and a solid night of sleeping off the time difference, i had a "real" day in the city. Suzana took us to Hradcany (like hrad ches-keny with the Slavic rolled R that I cant do), the Prague castle where the president and other government officials have offices. The castle and the buildings around it are amazing and show all types of design- Roman columns and arches, Gothic spires, Baroque embellishments and modern windows. We stopped at a cafe in one of the many national galleries and Suzana introduced us to too Czech traditions- hot mulled wine and "grock", which is hot tea.... with rum! this was at 10:30 am and it turned out the grock was much heavier on the rum side than the tea side. I guess this is how they deal with the cold all winter.
After the first drink of the day we walked through the castle and "old city" neighborhood. There are tons of galleries and some museums made up of the private collections of aristocratic Czech families. Suzana promised to get us tickets to the galleries for some of our "cultural fridays".
Suzana had to leave us, so we made our first tram adventure alone. Armed with explicit directions, we took the street car to Andel (meaning angel) to a shopping center to get cell phones and some groceries. I think my number is 420.776.738.323, but it's probably very expensive to call it without an international calling card. I can call a US land line though for only 10 CZK a minute, or 5 cents if the dollar is having a good day. After shopping we ate at another local pub and found out for sure that beer is cheaper than water here. We made it back even with a tram switch and now we're chilling until we eat dinner. We're going to try a Vietnamese restaurant close to the dorm that claims to be "nearly vegetarian".
so far i've only been doing things with the miami group (there are 7 girls and 4 guys) but tomorrow i'll have orientation with all 160 english speaking students at this faculty of the university. i did meet some canadians in the lobby today, one of whom reminded me of Tess from our israel trip. i'll keep an eye out for her...
i hope to continue being a "real" person tomorrow by taking the tram to Tesco (described as walmart like but with more raw meat) after orientation in the morning. oh and it's my birthday too.
peace and miss you all,
jo
after some ambien-induced hallucinations (no mythical creatures but apparently i told my roommate that my shampoo was doing a dance on my cubby), and a solid night of sleeping off the time difference, i had a "real" day in the city. Suzana took us to Hradcany (like hrad ches-keny with the Slavic rolled R that I cant do), the Prague castle where the president and other government officials have offices. The castle and the buildings around it are amazing and show all types of design- Roman columns and arches, Gothic spires, Baroque embellishments and modern windows. We stopped at a cafe in one of the many national galleries and Suzana introduced us to too Czech traditions- hot mulled wine and "grock", which is hot tea.... with rum! this was at 10:30 am and it turned out the grock was much heavier on the rum side than the tea side. I guess this is how they deal with the cold all winter.
After the first drink of the day we walked through the castle and "old city" neighborhood. There are tons of galleries and some museums made up of the private collections of aristocratic Czech families. Suzana promised to get us tickets to the galleries for some of our "cultural fridays".
Suzana had to leave us, so we made our first tram adventure alone. Armed with explicit directions, we took the street car to Andel (meaning angel) to a shopping center to get cell phones and some groceries. I think my number is 420.776.738.323, but it's probably very expensive to call it without an international calling card. I can call a US land line though for only 10 CZK a minute, or 5 cents if the dollar is having a good day. After shopping we ate at another local pub and found out for sure that beer is cheaper than water here. We made it back even with a tram switch and now we're chilling until we eat dinner. We're going to try a Vietnamese restaurant close to the dorm that claims to be "nearly vegetarian".
so far i've only been doing things with the miami group (there are 7 girls and 4 guys) but tomorrow i'll have orientation with all 160 english speaking students at this faculty of the university. i did meet some canadians in the lobby today, one of whom reminded me of Tess from our israel trip. i'll keep an eye out for her...
i hope to continue being a "real" person tomorrow by taking the tram to Tesco (described as walmart like but with more raw meat) after orientation in the morning. oh and it's my birthday too.
peace and miss you all,
jo
Saturday, January 31, 2009
!Ahoy! (thats how you say "hello" in Czech)
SO AMPED! SO JET LAGED! FINALLY IN PRAGUE!! YAAAAAAAAAAY
We finally arrived in Prague today at about noon after leaving Boston yesterday afternoon. Or possibly the day before.The flight was fine except for a few screming foreign children, and we even got to see the sunrise in London while we waited for the connecting flight. I've only seen a bit of the city on the ride from the airport, but it's all big hills with lots of pretty houses and very skinny people. My dorm, Kolej (like Cool-lay) Komenskeho (like Komenskeho) is the exception to this rule. It is a very attractive cement block occupied by not so skinny Americans and Canadians. It actually looks a lot like Hecht but with lace curtains instead of hurricane shutters. All of the girls from Miami have a suite of rooms connected to an appartment occupied by our "dorm parents", Suzana and Jan Winerova. Jan is 90 and a Holocaust survivor. Suzana is 28 years younger than him and they met when she took his course at this university. This is how she introduced herself.
I am fairly convinced that our bathroom stall is in motion. When I go and and close the door behind me, I feel the entire room sway. I'll keep you updated when I figure out why this happens. Other than this small quirk, our dorm is nice and we plan to make it more "homey" by purchasing decorations like trash cans and soap!
After we moved into our yellow suite we walked around our neighborhood and discovered that most shops are closed on Saturdays, inculding those that sell porn, coffee, bread, and electronics. We did find a Vietnamese grocer who was open. I fell madly in love with him as I was exceptionally hangry after being up for 3 days.
Tonight we are going to a pub with the Miami group and Suzana and then tomorrow she is taking us to the Castle, which is suppoedly right near here. Maybe the Vietnamese grocer actually lives there. I love him. And I'm loopy. I will say something coherant tomorrow. Ok fin.
We finally arrived in Prague today at about noon after leaving Boston yesterday afternoon. Or possibly the day before.The flight was fine except for a few screming foreign children, and we even got to see the sunrise in London while we waited for the connecting flight. I've only seen a bit of the city on the ride from the airport, but it's all big hills with lots of pretty houses and very skinny people. My dorm, Kolej (like Cool-lay) Komenskeho (like Komenskeho) is the exception to this rule. It is a very attractive cement block occupied by not so skinny Americans and Canadians. It actually looks a lot like Hecht but with lace curtains instead of hurricane shutters. All of the girls from Miami have a suite of rooms connected to an appartment occupied by our "dorm parents", Suzana and Jan Winerova. Jan is 90 and a Holocaust survivor. Suzana is 28 years younger than him and they met when she took his course at this university. This is how she introduced herself.
I am fairly convinced that our bathroom stall is in motion. When I go and and close the door behind me, I feel the entire room sway. I'll keep you updated when I figure out why this happens. Other than this small quirk, our dorm is nice and we plan to make it more "homey" by purchasing decorations like trash cans and soap!
After we moved into our yellow suite we walked around our neighborhood and discovered that most shops are closed on Saturdays, inculding those that sell porn, coffee, bread, and electronics. We did find a Vietnamese grocer who was open. I fell madly in love with him as I was exceptionally hangry after being up for 3 days.
Tonight we are going to a pub with the Miami group and Suzana and then tomorrow she is taking us to the Castle, which is suppoedly right near here. Maybe the Vietnamese grocer actually lives there. I love him. And I'm loopy. I will say something coherant tomorrow. Ok fin.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Melissa came up with the title
Soooo I've set up this blog so that I can share neat sutff with you all while I'm in Prague this semester. I'll try to update a few times a week and put some pictures up as well.
Right now I have nothing exciting to say because I'm still in Sharon and all I'm doing is pretending to pack and reading strangers' Prague blogs. I leave Boston at 6pm on Friday and I'll be in Prague around noon on Saturday.
In terms of contact, e-mail is best for now. Hopefully, I'll be able to buy a cell phone in the first week I'm there. My skype name is joanna.c.lamb but I'm 6 hours ahead of Miami/Sharon (7 for Melissa and Nate, 9 for Evan) so if you call me in the middle of the night I will taze you.
aaaaand I have nothing else to say. 3 days wahooooo!
Right now I have nothing exciting to say because I'm still in Sharon and all I'm doing is pretending to pack and reading strangers' Prague blogs. I leave Boston at 6pm on Friday and I'll be in Prague around noon on Saturday.
In terms of contact, e-mail is best for now. Hopefully, I'll be able to buy a cell phone in the first week I'm there. My skype name is joanna.c.lamb but I'm 6 hours ahead of Miami/Sharon (7 for Melissa and Nate, 9 for Evan) so if you call me in the middle of the night I will taze you.
aaaaand I have nothing else to say. 3 days wahooooo!
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