Some Final Musings on Prague

-Europe is very friendly to blind people; I wish I could say the same for everywhere I’ve been.

-In train stations…birds have free reign, so watch out.

-The metro is a life saver. I really like public transportation. There is nothing like that feeling when you are waiting for the metro to come and you start to feel that chilly breeze from deep within the tunnel. You then see some light and follows is the metro. You know it’s almost here when you feel your hair whip around your face, or your skirt almost fly up, or a shiver go down your spine.

-Of course I would figure out the Tram system my last week here.

-I’m going to miss the bread breakfast.

-High school boys and middle school boys are the same everywhere.

-Big groups stick out. And places don’t like you to go there in big groups

-Get off the beaten path; it’s cheaper and often better.

-Who cares if you gain 20 pounds, the food is just too good to pass up.

-Wake up for the sunrise…it’s worth it.

-Learn about Czech history, it’s fascinating.

-If you can learn Czech, you’re life will be easier.

-You’re gonna stick out regardless. You look American.

-Meet other people; it makes the trip so much more interesting.

-In restaurants, it’s going to take a while to get your food. Get over it and enjoy that time together. Slow down and take it all in.

-Don’t worry about money or time…enjoy the moment. You only live once and some of these things are once in a lifetime. 

I’ve been back home for a few days now and it’s hard for me to grasp that just less than a week ago I was across the ocean in one of the most amazing cities of my life. Prague was a gorgeous city with so much to do and see. The history and culture was captivating and I am so blessed to have had this experience. I saw so much while I was gone and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I also made some amazing friends and this trip will always bond us together. No one can go through Prague Summer 2011 without being friends at the end. I miss Prague but it will always be a part of me. One day I hope to return and retrace my steps and discover something new, as in Prague there is always something to discover down those winding cobblestone streets.

"I'll come back when you call, no need to say goodbye..."

June 30th-July 2nd, 2011:

Thursday was our final class day. Craziness. We took it easy that morning and then Adrienne and I head to Club Architect. Once again, a good meal. We had class at 2pm that day. Our final exam…20 questions and we were done. Our professor was great! I’m pretty sure I passed the class. It was a wonderful class and I loved learning about Czech authors. That afternoon we got Angelatos and headed back to the pension. We all got ready and it was time for the final dinner! Whoa! We got separated on the metro but no big deal (I did have a little twin moment when I realized Sarah wasn’t on but she was in a pretty big group so she was okay). We found the place it was really cool. You could actually climb up to the top and sit on the roof which was cool. A band played a bunch of old music that was so much fun to dance too. I sat at a table with some of my best friends there and get this…the Chancellor of NCSU. No big deal. He was a nice guy. Really down to earth. We all had a blast as one final night together. At one point people started shaggin too. Haha I tried to teach some of the boys the lift but it was gonna take some work. Haha. 

Friday wasn’t the prettiest day weather wise and we had a slow start but Sarah, Sydney, Chloe, and I headed to the institute to turn in our keys and pack up their glass stuff. We then met up with Chloe’s parents and one of her friends from school and we went to a sausage place on the river. Oh it was good. We definitely were all really hungry and those potatoes and sausage hit the spot. Afterwards, we went and got the glass stuff and said goodbye to Maria. She was a great program director for the institute! We all came back to the pension and slept some and then it was time for Neklid! I went (not the last time) with Adrienne and Grace and such. I enjoyed the chicken burger and honey cake as per usual. That night people were had already left and were leaving Saturday so we just hung out and just enjoyed our last few moments together. 

Well, the day before I leave. I can’t believe it’s all come down to this. I got a late start, but not before I had one final breakfast with a group. Oh I’m going to miss that bread and jam every morning. Haha. Sarah, Sydney, and I then headed over one last time to Club Architect and did some last minute shopping. I went by Old Town for a bit and saw a concert going on…pretty cool way to end my days at Prague. After I got I did some packing…Oh I hate packing. I have accumulated way too much stuff. For dinner the remaining few headed to well…of course Neklid. This place was our home away from home. I think Kevin and I became the spokespersons. Haha. My final meal was this excellent pork chop with oven roasted potatoes with cheese and cream sauce. Heavy, but delicious. Then I had to top it off with honey cake. For drink: citronada…which s mint lemonade. What better way to go out, I can’t think of any other way.

"Daylight is coming to break the dawn..."

June 26-29, 2011:

So Sunday was not all the exciting…I worked all day. And napped. I had two papers due at the beginning of the week and finish a 350 page novel so I was working to say the least. I got it all done though! 

Monday Adrienne and I went to  Petrin Hill/Tower! We figured out the Tram system there! Heck yes! It was such a pretty day too! It was hot and sunny! We rode the Funnicular up to the top which was a lot easier than climbing that high. We then climbed up the tower (looks like a mini version of the Eiffel Tower) and wow, the view was amazing! We could see Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, the Baby Tower, and much more! Afterwards, we headed back down and got some ice cream which was delicious. We found a shady spot in one of the gardens and started reading some of our book. It was a perfect place for it. Here’s a story for you…so we are reading, minding our own business and these high school boys walk up. I look up because people are approaching and it caught my attention because no one was really around. They say hey to us in Czech or German and we just keep reading. They then proceed to sit on the bench beside us…then part of them move to the other bench on the other side of us. Yes, they surrounded us. And get this….have a conversation over us. We just kept reading, and they eventually left but just a note to all boys out there: If you want a girl to be interested, don’t surround her, don’t have a conversation over her either. Just a side note. High school boys will be high school boys no matter where you go. We went to lunch at Klub Architect for lunch, excellent as always. We had the strawberry dumplings…divine. It was then about time for class so we headed back. I had to leave early for class because I was going to the opera…Don Giovanni! Only about 5 us went, but it was in the original theater where Mozart conducted it in 1787 (I think that’s the date). And let me tell you, it was awesome! It wasn’t as long as Ruskala (which was nice) and Sarah and I shared a box with this older man and it was amazing. The theater was gorgeous by the way. It was smaller and provided a more intimate atmosphere. You were closer to the stage and the orchestra. So cool. So one of my favorite parts was during the whole show, the extras which were waiters kept doing kind of “off” things like when they brought Donna Anna brandy and smelling salts, he took a swig. And when they were singing during a few parts, the waiters in the back were BREAK DANCING. Seriously, how cool is that!? It was an old play, with a modern twist. It was awesome. 

Tuesday was pretty chill, I went to the Dancing building after class and walked around a bunch. It was really nice and it was a nice day out. For dinner we went to Neklid, you see a trend here right? Haha. I tried something new this time…the pork chop with baked potatoes in cheese and cream sauce. This meal was soooo good. I’m not even kidding. It was delicious.That night a group of us decided to see the sunrise at Charles Bridge. We left the pension at 3AM. The sun rises extremely early here. Like 4AM. It's crazy. So it was about 6 of us and we set off and walked all the way....good thing we left early. We took some photos and it was really pretty out there. The city is a lot quieter (though there are people still up, crazy folks) and it's a peaceful feeling being able to walk the city as the sun comes up. Afterwards we were all really exhausted and the metro was running by this point so we headed back and went back to sleep! :)

Wednesday Adrienne and I did some shopping and walking around! We headed to Charles Bridge and Klub Architect for lunch. Once again, it did not fail to impress. I had the chicken with cabbage and potato dumplings. So good. As per usual. We then made our way to the institute and waited for class to start. For class we did a scavenger hunt! We had to find buildings in Old Town related to philosophers. My group found 6 out of 10. We then had to answer questions for as many buildings as we found to try and get points. We ended up getting 5 out of 6 questions right so we won! We each got a book. I got The Castle by Kafka. Free books? Heck yes. I’m a nerd and proud of it. 

We only have one more class day and then people start leaving. The final dinner is Thursday and it’s so surreal that I will be back in the US soon. I’ll still update once or twice before then though!

And the World Record Goes to...

June 22-25, 2011

Ok, let’s do a huge recap of the last 4 days:

Wednesday: Adrienne and I went to the National Museum! It was so pretty inside and had a lot of interesting exhibits. My favorite was probably this art exhibition by this one photographer. His pictures were breath taking! We then walked around and headed to my favorite pastry place…oh so good. That night we headed to Neklid…this would be day number 4 in a row. One more day and we have the longest streak! 

Thursday: What better way to start off the day than to go to…NEKLID! Day number 5. Heck yes. We did it. After that we headed to class where we turned in our papers and discussed Kundera. We watched part of a film and we were done! After class Adrienne and I headed back to the Pension so we could pack and head to the bus station…we were headed to Pilsen!

The bus ride was only an hour. We met up with Marek and his girlfriend Jane at the bus station. We head to mall while we waited for Tomas and Barbara to get there….and what do we do to kill time? GO BOWLING! And just for the record, I suck at bowling. I’m horrible. But that’s okay with me, it was fun. We then had to navigate the bus system to get to Marek’s home. Now this is weird…a house. We ate when we got there and watched TV. That was weird! But it was nice nonetheless. 

Friday: We slept in a little Friday and took our time getting ready which was nice and we watched a little TV and just enjoyed the morning. We had to wait for the bus anyway. So we tried to catch the bus…literally ran to catch it…and we still missed it. So we walked around and saw the Patton statue. Tomas came back for us in his car and we were off to Pilsen. Our first stop was the church. It had the tallest tower in the Czech Republic. And yes, we climbed all 301 steps. I didn’t realize how much living on Stringfield 4^th would help me while in Prague, but it did! The view was amazing…you could see the whole city. By the way, Pilsen is the third largest city in CZ. Tomas then wanted to go to the Puppet museum…bizarre place, that’s all I’ll say. By this point, it was around 3pm so we were all getting a little hungry. Marek took us to one of his favorite restaurants where we all got Czech food. Goulash! It was delicious! Then again, there hasn’t been much food I didn’t like while I was here. Marek’s car needed fixing so we headed to the mall and browsed the shop and the bookstore! I love a good bookstore even if I can’t understand Czech. The boys showed up and we went bowling again (Tomas really wanted to go). I once again did pretty bad, BUT I did get a few spares and a strike! A large group then came in that was really loud so we peaced out. Tomas and Barbara then had to leave (Barbara had to work in the morning) so we headed back to Marek’s house to chill for the rest of the night but not before stopping at BIG BURGER! It was delicious. That night, we watched some TV together and met Marek’s mom. She didn’t know much English but seemed really nice!

Saturday: After another lazy morning, Marek’s stepdad drove us into Pilsen. We went and bought our return tickets home and were off to see more of the city. We saw so many weddings! At least 4 different ones! I love weddings so that was fun to see! We saw the inside of the church which was so pretty and they still use it today! The Pilsen Underground was next. It was this network of tunnels that have been there since the Medieval period. There were at least 20 wells down there out of 300 in Pilsen. We had to wear hardhats which was pretty funny, I guess I should get used to it if I’m gonna be a civil engineer. The tunnels were pretty expansive and were used for safekeeping during wars/sieges, storage, sending messages, and getting water. It was about time to leave (our bus left at 3) when the tour was over so we grabbed a quick lunch and headed to the bus station. 

Once we got back, Liz, Adrienne, and I relaxed a bit then headed to dinner at…Neklid of course! It’s like my coming home place to eat. It’s so good. The honey cake was divine. I then got ready and headed to meet up with two of my roommates, and a couple of others for African-Caribbean Evening at Restaurant Austria. Let me tell you, it was a blast! They had good DJ’s, food, people, atmosphere. There were some dignitaries there as well. The whole night had something going on. My favorites were the Michael Jackson tribute…this kid about 10 or 12 with an afro did a whole performance dancing up a storm. He was so awesome! There was a fashion show as well and a couple of performers playing drums and dancing! I love a good drum! The DJ, now get this…played Lady Soul, the beach music song…remixed! I was so surprised to hear it remixed but it was awesome! It made me miss shaggin’ though. We danced the night away before heading back to the Pension. It was such a good night! :)

Don't be common dear, pronouce your "t's"....British

June 20-21, 2011

Monday and Tuesday were pretty chill. We mainly did homework and such those days. My literature class had a essay due on another novel. The hardest thing is doing work while you are here. There are so much more things you had rather be doing, go figure. Monday though we tried to meet up with Bert and Emily to go to Klub Architect but they ended up going to the wrong university at the wrong time so that didn’t work out but K.A. was awesome as per usual. After that Adrienne and I had class at 4 which was fine. About 4 of us stayed after to discuss our papers with our teacher as that is part of our grade. Now let me tell you, that is one of the most nerve-wracking things I have done. But I made it through and as a reward…Neklid that night! It was great! It was a small group of us and I had a delicious meal of Gnocchi and honey cake. The honey cake…divine. It should be illegal how good it is. Speaking of which…we ended up going back Tuesday night for dessert (Adrienne and I fixed some delicious omelets at the institute for supper that night). Tuesday I did laundry and it was a nice place. There was free internet and you could get a free cup of tea or coffee while you waited…pretty sweet. I worked on my paper and such for class at 1. The book we read this time was Too Loud a Solitude by Hrabal. I highly recommend it to anyone and you have no excuses for not reading it! It is only 98 pages. For class we discussed our papers and then headed to the place here Hrabal lived (saw some pretty sweet graffiti in memory of him). Then it was on to honey cake around 8! And guess who we see there…BERT AND EM! It was wonderful to see them again before they left for more travels around Europe. That is the wonderful part about this trip is you meet so many people and people from around the world. Bert and Em were really cool and such; they go to a “uni” and have met the Queen’s husband…no big deal. Also, just for the record…British practice American accents just like we practice British ones. Go figure.

Also…on a sad/happy note. I leave in a week and 4 days. Crazy. It’s hard to believe and I feel like there is so much left to do. I am so excited to see my family and friends but it will be hard to leave this place…so while I’m here I’m going to take advantage of every moment!

Look Ma, No Hands!

June 17, 2011-June 19, 2011

Well, bright and early Sarah and I were up at 5am to go to Berlin. We had a train to catch at 6:30am. Whew. The train ride wasn’t bad, quiet and we were in Berlin by 11:30. We got to our hostel (which was awesome) and waited for the rest of our group to get there. When they finally got there first goal was to find food. Pizza it is. Then it was off for the bike tour. Now let me tell you, the bike tour was AWESOME. No joke, we saw so much stuff and it was fun to ride around the city. I kept joking with Sarah (because she's like our little mama on the trip) riding with no hands and such. It was hilarious! (Don't worry, I was careful) Our tour guide Lauren was great and very knowledgeable. My favorite places were the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of the Holocaust and all the buildings. There was so much cool architecture there. Ironically, our hostel was near the TV tower built by the communists….we live near the radio tower in Prague. Small world. Ok, so on our tour we meet this guy and girl…Bert and Emily. They were from Wales and a lot of fun. We were supposed to meet up with them later that night but it didn’t work out but remember those names for later.

Saturday after getting lost a bit and such, we found the memorial again and went to the museum. We then went on the hunt for the Bauhaus museum which is what our design school at NC State is based off of which was interesting to see. For dinner we ate at this close Mexican place which was awesome.

Sunday…now this is crazy. We get going and are on the train back…who do we find but BERT AND EMILY! They end up joining us in our car and then they come to dinner with us at Neklid. Awesome. Who knew they would be able to find Neklid, but they do and it's awesome! We told them some things they should do in Prague and such and we part ways but not before making plans for the next day.

Back to classes unfortunately tomorrow but Berlin was awesome!

Dancing Queen was inspired by Jungmann...bet you didn't know that....

June 15-June 16, 2011

Well Wednesday was a great day…not because it was anything incredibly exciting…it was just a good day. I woke up and took my time getting ready, wore a new dress, and set out. The weather was really nice and I was excited to walk around the city. I was on a mission…I wanted a pastry from this excellent pastry place, so naturally that’s where I headed. Oh it was so good. Now don’t judge me for this: I went in on one side and got a vanilla/chocolate crème chocolate covered cookie thing, left and ate that…walked back in on the other side and got a huge pastry bigger than my palm for later. Excellent. I started walking back and turned down this side tunnel. It led to a cute little park! It had roses blooming everywhere, a kid’s playground, and this cute shop right in the middle of it. It had really eclectic looking pieces that I really liked. I sat there for a while and read my book for literature and it was really nice. I headed back to the institute to meet up with my sisters because I got to skype my parents, sister, and grandma! I was so happy to see them, though it made me miss them. Sarah and I then headed and looked at some of the shops. I left them later on and had class. Class was good, we turned in our first philosophy paper. Turning in that first paper is always nerve-wracking for me. I had already gotten past that hurdle in Literature last week (and that turned out fine) so at least now I’ll know what they are looking for and such. After class a group of us headed to Neklid….this place could stay in business purely on our programs' business alone. The honey cake…amazing. I’m gonna have to be rolled home as much food (GOOD food at that) as I eat here. Oh well, I’ll be happy :)

Thursday was an interesting day. We got to see this cool art thing going on. It described different architecture and such. We also went on this Swedish art thing too. We walked around with a guide who told us “facts” about this square that were not true (about the person the square was named after, Jungmann) but it was a box around her neck that told us, not her. It was interesting. It was all about using space, the radio as an auditory art piece and what not. Bed early…BERLIN TOMORROW!