Sunday, November 22, 2009

Vienna

According to the map we received from our hostel Vienna “was a cold, expensive, boring city for geriatrics and classical music weirdos alike.” I actually disagree, especially after visiting; I feel like Vienna has a very strong youth culture, it is not overloaded with old people or music enthusiasts (assuming by music enthusiast I specifically mean classical…modern music is huge in Vienna). I guess to be fair though, we did visit in the winter and I am sure the cold does keep the old people at bay somewhat, but from what I could tell Vienna was overflowing with youth.

After a bit of consternation and conflict hunting for our hostel we found it and settled in (first hostel ever that had a sink in it, huge luxury!!!). The man working the front desk recommended a Turkish restaurant around the corner so we spent our first hours in Vienna eating the most fantastic Turkish food. I still cannot really describe what we ate or how awesome it was, so just take my word for it: yum.

We woke bright and early the next morning and wandered up a major shopping street searching for the perfect boots. The then went on to investigate the Kunsthistorisches Museum: a place I have heard about frequently from my adorable Czech history teacher. I was sadly disappointed by their Vermeer room because by “room” they meant “one painting in a room filled with other artists that are similar to Vermeer but not.” I did enjoy picking out paintings that we had discussed in class though, such as Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s paintings of men as fruits, vegetables, leaves and other such inanimate objects. Similarly to the gallery in Dresden though, it is easy to get overwhelmed by how many paintings there are and descriptions of each and every one. Personally I cannot handle more than one museum a day because of the energy drain they impose on me. After re-energizing we set out again (with a constant eye out for some boots).

We learned from and information center that the transportation tickets we had bought we useless as they would not come into effect until Monday, the day after we left. We replaced them easily enough with 24-hour tickets for the next day. We had a lovely traditional Austrian meal of Schnitzel and fries (well I did at least) at another restaurant near our hostel then tumbled into bed.

For our second morning we walked to the near-ish Schoenbrunn Schloss where many a Hapsburg has lived in the past. The castle was much more modern than the ones we have been seeing in Prague. It was probably built in the late 18th century at the latest…(ha watch me be sooo far off). The rooms inside are beautiful ornate. Naturally everything was roped off so we could not explore too far. It has housed such Hapsburgs as: Maria Theresa, Marie Antoinette, Franz Joseph and his not-so-adoring wife Sisi. Sisi was much beloved by the people, or at least is now. An entire wing of the palace is devoted to her in spite of the fact that she did not spend much time there; instead she preferred to hide from her adoring husband in France. Sisi did not appreciate being married off at the age of 15 to her cousin for political reasons. I understand that now this complaint is perfectly valid, but back then there was no marriage for love…it was all for political or monetary gain so her complaint then…not so valid. She was also incredibly anorexic and vain (her ankle-length hair took at least two hours of every day for her maids to manage). I am presenting Sisi in a very unfair light I am sure, especially compared to how lovingly the exhibits at the castle spoke of her. Honestly though I just see her as incredibly whiney and not at all like the Princess Di figure that she has been compared to. She was very beautiful and had an incredible wardrobe and to have a mother-in-law like Maria Theresa would have been a terrific strain on anyone.

We returned to the town center with our newly purchased and actually valid transportation passes then used them to ride the Ring tram around Vienna’s city center. Ring Tram: definitely a touristy thing to do. They do provide a nice audio tour though and it is kind of a nice way to see the city. From there we ventured over to Vienna’s giant Ferris wheel. From what I could tell from the dioramas inside the wheel was built before and survived both world wars. It was one of the highest in Europe but is now more than matched by London’s Eye. Still, another fun way to see the city.

Vienna is well-known for its Christmas markets which begin halfway through November. We very luckily happened to be in there for the opening weekend of the Christmas markets. There was a tree-lighting ceremony and booths loaded with all sorts of Viennese goodies from Christmas punch to handmade Christmas ornaments. We had dinner, drinks and dessert (cotton candy!!! I am such a small child…) at the market before wandering off.

After getting lost hunting for an interactive music museum recommended to us by the tourist information center we returned to our hostel.

A longer breakfast than intended left us running late for our bus we had to rush to the bus stop with no tourist gift purchases. Very sad, no shot glass for Ashley, but no matter. Roommates are going there soon.

Dresden

After much wait on behalf of my adoring fans (I know you are few and far between) and much writers’ block on my part, here it is: my blog, updated.

We visited Dresden on a Buddy System trip so it was slightly different than many of our other adventures. Buddy System is one of the programs that many of the study abroad students at University of Economics are involved in. It seems to be run mostly by Czech students of the same university. In my experience so far, Buddy System trips are not the greatest; they are expensive and disorganized. And while the Buddy System students mean well I personally suggest avoiding Buddy System trips in the future.

Dresden was definitely an interesting place to visit though. It was one of the most heavily bombed cities in Europe during World War II. Germany has worked very hard to repair the damage done there with amazing results. Compared with the postcard photos taken in 1942 the city is almost unrecognizable from its haggard self. Almost everything has been rebuilt to its original if not better form and while many of the stone work was compromised in the bombing workers have made attempts to reuse as much of the original material as possible.

We met up with some fellow students of Prague Technical University at the train station, and after a two hour train ride we met up with some students form VSE’s German sister school. We left our bags in a room at the university and were told we were going on a city tour.

The city tour was run by students of the German university and rather than taking us on a traditional city tour (you know with a history of statues and such) they sent us on a scavenger hunt. Three teams of Prague study abroad students competed by running around Dresden and asking strangers (all Germans speak English by the way. Yay me for studying a language where almost everyone who speaks it can speak my language better) if they knew random facts about Dresden’s history. We piled eight people into a phone booth (a small child sat on my lap), made a ring of people holding hands around a statue of Martin Luther, and waltzed with strangers. While several people that I had come to Dresden with were upset with the tour I had actually learned a lot, mainly because my only job was read aloud from a packet of information containing some Dresden history.

We visited the Frauenkirche (literal translation: Ladies Church, intended translation: the Church of Our Lady) which is one of the buildings that has seen much reconstruction since the war, but could not go inside. We also went to a castle (which I sadly do not recall the name of as this trip was almost a month ago) and a synagogue.

That evening the German students attempted to take us out to a few bars and clubs (because they assume that is all students travelling want to do) but after a few drinks me and my friends returned to the hostel.

The next day, after an amazing hotel breakfast, we went to Gemaeldegalerie Alte Meister (old masters). The main floor mostly contained more modern art: paintings of upside-down women, wooden statues of heads that looked like they had been hacked out with an ax. The second floor was overwhelmingly loaded with art dating back to the Renaissance. The gallery is best known for containing paintings of The Sistine Madonna by Raphael.

It was difficult to see all or even most of the paintings because there were so many. Each painting contained a short description about the story behind the painting so by the end everyone had been so overloaded with information we were all exhausted.

I think after the gallery we returned to the train station and back to Prague.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Dear Public

Dear Public,
I appologize for my lack of correspondence. I have not been the good writer you deserve, my dear Public. Living in Europe has made me weary of new cities; to me they have all become one and the same. As the good writer I have pretended to be I ought to look deeper, find the story that I know exists. But instead I am lazy and I make excuses and for weeks I do not update and it is you who suffers, my poor Public. So again, I appologize to you and I endeavour to update more frequently. With all hopes and intentions I will report on my trip to Krakow (if not Vienna) within this coming week.
With all good intentions,
EuroAsh

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Buda Pes(h)t


Every once in a while I have little epiphanies that I’m in Prague. Silly ordinary things like: I’m doing my laundry…in Prague! Or: I’m bored in class…in Prague! It’s a little disconcerting but it always makes things a little better. It makes the whole experience all the more real. There are other things that I’ve been noticing recently that are also a little strange. When I first arrived in Prague the language threw me for a bit of a loop; it always sounded like people were arguing with each other. It made me worry about getting through customs or getting the keys to my dorm room. Turns out that is just how the language is. Now I am so used to it, I cannot remember why I thought that before. A French-speaking girl I know told me that the hardest time she has speaking in English is the inflections we place on everything. In English people change the pitch and tone of their voices a great deal more throughout a single sentence than French people do in most conversations. Then there are the Italians. Our Italian roommates always sound like they are singing when they speak. They are definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum from the French. I had never noticed before until my friend mentioned it. Another weird thing I have been noticing recently: when I leave Prague for any period of time I start missing it; I get homesick…for Prague! I went to Budapest this weekend and while their transportation was very simple and easy to figure out I was still homesick for my number 9 tram (which I take everywhere in Prague).

Prague and Budapest are incredibly similar yet incomparable at the same time. On the surface they appear to be incredibly similar: the architecture, the transportation system, and the proximity to an important river are a few examples. But once you delve a little deeper into the history and the culture, the two cities are too diverse to be contrasted.

Budapest is actually two cities split by the oh-so-mighty and wonderfully historical Danube River; on one side is Buda and the other is Pest (pronounced Pescht). The Danube marked the original border to the Roman Empire. The cities were unified in 1873.

Small side note: Hungarian people speak “Magyar” not Hungarian. Mainly because they come from a country called “Magyar Köztársaság” not Hungary. I have not exactly been able to figure out how English speaking people managed to change the word “Magyar” into “Hungary”… “Magyar” though comes from the name of the tribes that occupied the Danube starting in the 10th Century. “Hungarian”? not so much. Anyways, back to my story.

All the rumors you have heard about Czech people being a little reserved are true. In comparison the Hungarians are a great deal more outgoing. The people who worked at the hostel where we stayed were always readily available for a conversation or a few suggestions on what to do in Hungary. At one point, a friend of one of the people working there took us on a quest to find a Hungarian bar…but more on that later.

For our first day in Hungary we ventured up to Heroes’ Square. The Square is occupied by statues standing in a semi-circle depicting all of the Hungarian rulers. Five spaces were originally reserved for the Hapsburg rulers of Hungary but when the Square was damaged during World War II the Hungarians replaced the Hapsburgs with more recent figures. The Millennium Memorial occupies the center of the square. Construction began at the Hungarian millennium in 1896 but was only finished in 1929. It towers over everything in the square. Magyar riders surround the base of the monument.



Heroes’ Square is situated near the Budapest City Park. The Vajdahunyad Castle sits in the middle of the park. The leaves in Europe it seems (or Central Europe at least) take a lot longer to change colors and fall off than in the United States (specifically Colorado). Maybe I just remember wrong but I feel like by this time all of the leaves are long gone in Colorado. Here though many of the trees have not only held tightly onto their leaves, but the leaves remain healthy and green. The tree outside my window in Prague is many shades of green, yellow and brown and is quite pretty. For this reason I feel like visiting Budapest in October was a brilliant idea. The Vajdahunyad Castle pokes its way up through an incredible assortment of every leaf color you could think of. Most of the trees still have a green majority but the ones that have change create such a beautiful array of color it is like looking at a rainbow ocean with a castle poking its head up in the distance.



The church near the castle has previously appeared in our history class so I was incredibly excited when I not only recognized the church but also because I could describe the things that made it architecturally significant. (For example: when creating the statues of the lions, the creators had never seen lions, only had them described so the lion statues do not actually look like the lions we know and love.)



We later ventured up the high towers of St. Stephen’s Basilica (stretching over 286 feet). Later our free tour guide informed us that this was a huge tourist trap and it was not worth the money. It was two dollars and I disagree entirely. We could see for miles and everything was beautiful. I thought it was a great way to see the city of Budapest. There are more stairs than I can count reaching up to the top of the tower and my knees were aching horribly by the end of it but it was absolutely worth it. Plus climbing stairs helped to work off at least a little of the pasta that I am always eating in Prague hahaha. We spent the rest of the afternoon climbing and exploring the many hills that accompany the Buda side of the city.

That evening as I mentioned before, our new Hungarian friend (whose name I cannot remember for the life of me) took us out to several bars. Two American girls and an Australian boy that we had also met at our hostel came as well. The first bar we went to had cars and car parts lining the walls. We situated ourselves near and inside a Trabant (Trabi).

Trabi’s made their appearance during Russian occupation in Eastern Europe. They were an incredibly cheaply manufactured, two-stroke engine car that maxed at wopping speed of 70 mph. Trabis were popular among teenagers in the 1980s, and now the car in general is looked upon with a level of affection from East German and other former Soviet States.

The ceiling of the bar was covered in plants; it was like being in a jungle. Spiral staircases in the center of the room led up to the second floor (above the plants). The toilets in this bar were terrifying. They were holes in the ground…that is the best way of describing them. They were manufactured holes in the ground and I had absolutely zero interest in trying to use one.
The Australian and the Americans deserted us and we found our way onward and upward to two more bars, both of which we were all too tired to really enjoy.

The next day we continued to wander our way around Budapest. We visited a Turkish Spa called the Rudas Baths. It was originally built in 1550 and was therefore incredibly cool if only for that reason. It consisted of several different baths. The big one in the center of the room was the most ideal temperature (like a hot tub but not too hot). One of them was so hot I wouldn’t put more than just my feet in. Another one was only 10 degrees Celsius. The rest fell in between somewhere. The spa also had a series of saunas and steam rooms, most of which were too much for me and made me feel a little ill. The water somehow dyed my bathing suit and my hair brown (although I did not notice this until the next day when I was washing my hair and all the water was brown). All in all though the spa was a very good experience.

We spent our last few hours in Budapest on a free tour of the city. In the future I would absolutely recommend doing a free tour at the beginning of the trip. Most cities offer free tours (tour guides work only for tips) and they are very helpful at the beginning of a vacation because most of the time the guides will suggest good places to eat and visit that are not too expensive or touristy.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Na zdravi

I keep waiting for something to happen so that I have something to write about in my blog. Since I wrote last I went to a series of “spa towns” as part of CESP, the program I am enrolled in at the University. We visited three different towns, two of which were know for their natural mineral springs. The first set of springs was mostly warm to incredibly hot water that tasted like a handful of pennies. We spent the rest of the day eating a traditional Czech meal involving potato dumplings and some sort of meat then exploring a castle in the town of Locket. Our rooms for the evening were nicer than our dorm rooms (and they were free!) as they included a balcony and a TV with a cable box (not that we had much time to watch TV). That evening we went to visit a spa (although by “spa” they actually just meant giant swimming pool). It has taken me a little while to adjust to the fact that the Czech people eat their largest meal of the day for lunch and just have something small for dinner. In spite of the large, traditional Czech lunch we had had everyone starving after the spa. Most restaurants seem to close around 8 or 9, which coming from the States is absolutely ludicrous. Several of us forced ourselves on a small pizza joint, although we had to sit outside on their patio because there was no room inside. At least it wasn’t raining, although it was quite chilly.

The next day we visited the second spa town which definitely had a more delectable mineral water supply. In both towns there were a great deal of old people (probably there to cure their ailing limbs and such). On our way back to Prague we stopped in Plzen, known mostly for its brewery: Pilsner Urquell. The Pilsner Brewery is the largest brewery in Prague and it is responsible for sending out more than 40,000 beers every day. Compared to the Budweiser Brewery just north of Fort Collins Pilsner is still rather small. We all received a free sample of their cloudy beer and it was fantastic. Most excitingly at the start of our tour there was a beer vending machine. After everyone had bought a beer from the machine (where you had to scan your passport or an ID for proof of age) the tour guide informed us that we were not allowed to take beer on the tour (scandalous!) so everyone proceeded to chug down. A bus took us to the bottling plant which was interesting but mostly incredibly loud. The rest of the tour was comparable to all one that I have been on before.

So while my report on these towns has not been nearly as interesting and thorough as I would like (I had more trouble paying attention) it was the least stressful trip I have ever been on. The CESP office took care of everything!!! Cheers to them.
In continuation of not-so-eventful things that I have done: I have visited the John Lennon Peace Wall three times since I have been in this country. Not only is this because I love being the tour guide, but it really is an incredible piece of artwork.

The Lennon Wall originally started as a form peaceful protest during Russian occupation of Czechoslovakia. After banning the Beatles in Czechoslovakia and the death of dear John people began writing on the wall as a symbol for freedom and peace. The Secret Police worked hard to prevent continued graffiti on the wall as well as white washing the wall regularly. Every morning though more drawings would appear and people began looking on the wall as a means of protesting the USSR. After occupation the wall was white washed for the last time but the tradition continued and the wall has once again been filled with peaceful Beatles lyrics. The city discussed white washing the wall again but the French ambassador who could see the wall from his window across the street loved and appreciated the wall so much that he prevented any further cleaning of the wall. Now people come from around the world to add their own little stamp on the wall of peace.





A small pedestrian footbridge is situated along the path to the wall. The bridge overlooks a large water wheel that is no longer functioning although it continues to spin. On the fence lining the bridge people have attached thousands of locks with the names of their lovers. The lock on the bridge is supposed to symbolize a long-lasting love with your loved one (I may have drawn a picture of a lock on the bridge…as I did not have a lock at the time).
The entire area surrounding the wall is incredibly inspiring and beautiful and is a strongly recommended trek in Prague.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Brno

26 September 2009
We woke up early the next morning (because some of us cannot contain their excitement about being in a new city and find themselves waking up at 5:30 then in their boredom rustle around so much everyone else has to wake up too) and found breakfast. In spite of our early start a few incidents led to a much later arrival in Brno than originally anticipated. We set up a reservation for a hostel at the information center then went in search of dinner.

The city of Brno is very similar Prague. It is the capital of the Moravian region of the Czech Republic and was originally a contender with Prague for the capital of the country. The city is much smaller than Prague (although you wouldn’t know to look at it) with a population of only 400,000 as opposed to Prague’s 1,000,000+. It is similarly blanketed in a spider web of wires that facilitate the operation of the very prominent and easy-to-use tram system. Spires sprout out from the rooftops of the city in every direction, marking the large population of churches and castles in the city of Brno.

Our living quarters in Brno were slightly more difficult to find. After taking the tram to the south western corner of the city we wandered around for a little while before we had to gesture to some older men talking outside if they knew where our hostel was. With their hand motions we eventually managed to find our way up to our hotel on the hill where the receptionist also could not speak English.

The next morning we found the pope at the airport along with about 100,000 other people. Buses line the highway stretching for a least a mile in both directions; waiting for their pope stalking groups to return so they can carry on. The city of Brno has provided extra transportation for this auspicious occasion. A quarter of a mile from where we finally stop walking the pope, in all his glory, smaller than the nail on my pinky, is sitting on a platform. Huge screens with video all fixed on the platform surround the crowd; the only way to get a picture of anything other than crowd is to take photos of the big screen. For this special occasion, mass is supposed to last three hours (four if you also want to listen to the president of the Czech Republic speak). Seeing as I am not a great Catholic in the best of times (never been baptized…) we stay for 45 minutes. Most of the mass is in Latin, the parts that are not are in Czech so we were happy to be there but not for three hours.

For the rest of the day we laze our way around Brno Mesto (town centre). After our long weekend we are all very tired; there was soooo much walking this weekend! We visited the castle at the top of a large hill (castles are always at the top of large hills: easier to defend) and from the top we see an extraordinary view of Brno. The view from the top is how Brno will always remain in my mind.

Have I mentioned how much I love trains? I love trains. I think they are one of the most brilliant means of transportation ever invented. I love planes too but airline tickets are so much more expensive. Everyone tells me that after my first 14 hour train ride I will be over this obsession but I honestly think I could live on a train and travel from place to place forever. Trains are cheap, relatively comfortable, there is almost always amazing countryside scenery, and no one has to drive so everyone can relax and read or watch the scenery go by or sleep. Trains are amazing. Our train ride went down without a hitch, we arrived safely back in Prague (which we all seem to be thinking of as “home” at the moment) and we are all happier for the memories and experiences we have gained.

Kutna Hora

25 September 2009
The train from Prague to Brno (via Kutna Hora…our first stop) was vaguely reminiscent of an older and slightly less magical Hogwarts Express; individual eight-person compartments lined the train, while the occasional food cart stuffed with goodies would push its way past. With the help of Edith, our new Quebecian friend, and her Czech boyfriend Thomas (like thoMAS not like THOmas) we managed to buy to infinitely cheaper group ticket and board the train. The six of us stuffed our way into the Harry-Potter style compartments which we shared with an older couple that was a little less than thrilled to find their compartment bombarded by youthful tourists.

After sleeping on the train for a little less than an hour we arrived in the quaint little Czech village of Kutna Hora. Thomas, with his infinite knowledge of his native language, guided us first to an information centre where the most tourist-friendly man booked us a four person room for $15 person/night. Thomas then led us to Kostnice, which translates to “place of bones” but is better known as the Sedlec Ossuary.

The area began as a cemetery when a Cistercian abbot sprinkled soil from the Holy Land on the area. The land became an incredibly desirable burial place as a result. During the Black Plague so many people were buried in the area that the cemetery had to be greatly enlarged. In the 14th Century a gothic Cistercian church was built on the site. The building was updated to a more modern baroque style in 1710. In 1870 Frantisek Rint was commissioned by the Schwarzenberg family to reorganize the millions of bones left by bodies that had been consumed by the Black Death 300 years before. Rint organized the bones from a predicted 40,000 to 70,000 bodies into and artistic expression “about substance and sense of human life” (back of my ticket).

While somewhat morbid and agreeably disconcerting the art that Rint created from the bones was breathtaking. Bone-decorated archways led down the stairs to a single-roomed chapel. The artist left his signature in bones on the wall at the bottom of the stair case. Two sectioned off rooms to the right and left of the staircase are filled completely with massive piles of bones. In the centre of the room four pillars of skulls and femurs rise up towards an overwhelming and surprisingly beautiful chandelier made from every bone in the human body. Two more fenced off rooms in the back corners of the church are also filled completely with piles of bones. Garlands of bones connect each fenced off room to the other. Rint even included the crest of the Schwarzenberg family also made entirely of bones. The skull having its eyes pecked out by a raven represents the family’s takeover of a Turkish fortress.
After taking a brief tour of the still prestigious cemetery surrounding the church our faithful guide Thomas led us onward to some real Czech food and then the bus stop.

The town of Kutna Hora is very much a ghost town in its off-season. Quaint clothing stores line the streets while pubs and cafes absorb every corner. The stores, though, are never open and the restaurants rarely contain more than a few small groups. I feel like our relatively large group of six stands out immensely in this empty town: all of us with our maps trying to orient ourselves.

We found our hotel smoothly but the receptionist had been expecting us hours earlier (when the helpful man from information booked the reservation) but had given up on us. She arrived a brief ten minutes after we called her though and left again once we had paid. Our room was much better than any of us had expected. The single room came with four individual beds and a bathroom (more than I expected for what we were paying), so in consideration of the price, the service, and ease of access I would certainly encourage anyone visiting Kutna Hora to stay at the Hotel Anna.

After dropping our backpacks off (and resituating all or our valuables) we made our way over to the silver mine that had been the root of Bohemia’s economy throughout its early centuries. The museum that the mine had become dressed us up in white coats and the most amazing helmets you will ever see. A sweet, cross-eyed old Czech man was our tour guide and as he prepared us for the descent down into the mine he explained mining in terms of his own youthful career as a miner. We descended more than 600 steps down into the mine before the ground leveled out into a damp system of caves. White and green film from calcium and copper coated the walls as well as the occasional moss, fed only by the recently installed lighting system. Our tour guide (now a young Czech girl) led us deeper into the cavern on an increasingly narrow tunnel where we had to balance on a plank of wood to avoid getting super muddy. Water trickled down from the ceiling and out of the walls creating a light stream that ran beneath our feet; all of our feet were soaked by the end of the tour. We were led first to bridge over what looked like a small underground pond. We then ventured onwards to the lowest part of the tunnel where almost everyone had to double over to get through; our amazing cantaloupe shell helmets fulfilled their duties. At the widest part of the tunnel our guide sat us down on a stone bench, turned off all of our flashlights and demonstrated with her own severely dimmed flashlight what badly lit conditions miners during the middle ages had to contend with. When she turned off the lights completely it was impossible to see anything; I was so blind I accidentally hit Yisha in the face with my waving hand. For the last half of our journey the lab coat style white jackets came into good use as the tunnel became so narrow we had to squeeze between a rock and a hard place (also known as a rock) to get through. The exit was a great deal more accessible than the entrance; we did not have to wind our way back up the 600+steps, which was a huge relief.

For the last part of our Kutna Horan adventure we made our way over to a structure closely resembling a giant upside-down spider known as St. Barbara’s Church. The church is frequently mistakenly called St. Barbara’s Cathedral (according to Wikipedia). The church is situated in one of the highest points of Kutna Hora and watches over the city like a giant crouching spider. Its gothic architecture and rows of flying buttresses make the church an amazing spectacle. St. Barbara was the patron saint of miners.

Edith and Thomas left us soon after our visit to the church in order to return to Prague for a camping trip. My roommates and I continued to wander around (and exhibit our presence in the small town) the quaint little town of Kutna Hora until we came across a bar-café that by all appearances was open. After enjoying a round of happy hour drinks the sudden realization that the shop had actually been closed when we wandered in drove us back out into the street. We retired to our lovely little room fairly early after dining and desserting at a couple other restaurants.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Prague Castle

Prague Castle is one of the things the city of Prague is best known for. It is the world's biggest medieval castle and after needing two days to see the whole thing I can understand the incredible ingenuity it must have taken people starting in the 9th century to build.

The looming the black and gold gothic spires of St Vitus Cathedral shooting out from a dome of green make Prague Castle an incredible, eye-catching spectacle. The castle can first be seen just before the Charles Bridge. On our first trip to the castle we decided to cross the Charles Bridge in spite of the thousands of tourists that flock there everyday. I am always a little tempted to get my own unusually colored umbrella to hold up as the tour guides do for their groups to see how many silly cows decide to follow it. I should not make fun though; today I am a tourist.

The Charles Bridge, while agreeably a historic marvel as it was the only connection between the Old Town in Prague and other parts of the area, making Prague an important trade route, it is no longer the only bridge that crosses the river and is therefore now merely a bridge. The statues of saints and patron saints of Prague line the bridge creating a unique contrast between the gothic style of the bridge and the more modern style of most of the statues, built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Local artists, artisans, and musicians also gather on the bridge in order to entertain and enthrall all of us tourists.

Prague Castle sits on a high hill: good for defending, bad for fat tourists. The road that leads to the castle is therefore fairly steep; locals have cleverly lined the roads with quaint, expensive cafes and pubs to lure tired tourists. At what seems to be the top of the hill a switchback appears and we continue to climb further. We found a most strategically placed smoothie cart halfway up the second hill and took advantage of the sudden influx of good citrus.

When we finally arrived at the castle we found we were there just in time to watch the hourly changing of the guard. Large groups of people stop what they are doing and rush towards the guards in order to see three men march through the gate and switch with their buddies and march back. It is impressive that the guards do not even crack a smile as they march towards the group of people marvelling and pointing at them.

After making our way through the first and second courtyards we suddenly found ourselves in the enormous loom shadow of one of the most beautiful, gothic pieces of architecture I have seen here in Prague. The cathedral spires that had tempted us from a distance were every bit as beautiful as I had hoped. I immediately regretted not bringing my SLR camera but tried to compensate by taking too many photos on my little digital camera.

We bought full day tickets to see everything there was to see at Prague Castle. (Advise to everyone visiting the castle in the future: the cathedral is by far the most spectacular part of the castle so rather than buying tickets to see any other part of the castle, I would recommend just going to the cathedral (entrance is free) and purchasing a two hour audio tour). Our full day tickets actually included two days of castle touring which was nice because after only getting to the castle around two in the afternoon we never would have been able to get everything else done in time. Naturally we visited the cathedral first (audio tour-less).

The cathedral from the inside is even more breathtaking than from the outside. You first enter on high vaulted ceilings that seem to go on for miles; stained glass murals beam down from every direction; strategically placed windows high on the cathedral walls let in a heavenly light creating an ethereal air within the cathedral. With so many things to look at it would have been difficult to pay attention in church (although I am sure the cathedral was mainly used for ceremonial purposes). In front of the main St Vitus alter sits a massive white marble crypt filled with members of the royal Bohemian family. A stained glass window depiction of the holy trinity sits in the wall behind the alter. From the entryway you move to the left where the chapels begin. Each stained glass window introduces a new chapel that is sectioned off from the public. Included in the sectioned off portion, each chapel seems to have a doorway to a tomb of some sort. Such things are incredibly tempting to the curious cat, but sadly, there will be no grave exploring for us today.


As we walked around the cathedral, each chapel seemed more beautiful than the last; each stained glass window depicting a more beautiful albeit morbid story than the last. As we masses made our way around the cathedral flashing our photographic approval into every corner reverence slowly blankets the crowd; the sheer beauty of the cathedral invoked feelings of veneration. On one side of the cathedral an enormous chapel is sectioned off--more of a room than the other chapels were. It has only two doorways to peer through. Even before arriving at the room the brilliance of it beems out. The tomb of St Wenceslaus lies within. The wells are coated in paintings depicting the life of the beloved patron saint of the Czech Republic. The tomb lies to the left of the room. To the right is a door that leads to a staircase which goes up into the cathedral. It is the location of the Czech Republic's crown jewels; the world's largest ruby employs itself on the front of the crown. Opening the door requires seven keys which have been given to seven different members of the church. St Wenceslaus was a duke during the 10th century, next in line for the throne. Wenceslaus was then murdered by his younger brother Boleslav while he was on his way to church. Boleslav was not a particularly bad ruler by his fratricide has hung over him for the rest of history. And that is your small history lesson for today.

After nearly two hours in the church we painstakingly dragged ourselves away; we were all a little worse for wear from standing for so long. We decided then that in spite of its expense the audio tour might be well worth having and we trekked on to the Old Royal Palace.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Wenceslas Square



Modernization has overwhelmed the 1500 year old city of Prague in the most beautiful of ways, most markedly in Wenceslas Square. The old gothic and baroque style buildings lining the Square are outfitted with brightly glowing neon lights that declare that there is indeed a Starbucks in central Europe, or that the world’s biggest Irish pub is located nearby. Coca-cola sausage carts decorate the plaza, luring tourists to try their “traditional Czech food” with the mouth-watering smell of greasy sausages of varying size and color. The streets and sidewalks are adorned in 500 year old cobblestones, waiting to trip the unwary trekker. The faces of saints and angels loom down at the masses from their high rooftop pedestals. At one end a beautiful 19th Century architectural marvel watches over the Square. Completed in 1890 as a symbol of national pride, the National Museum is by far one of the most exquisite buildings in Prague.

A great deal of Wenceslas Square in Prague has been reconstructed as a result of first the German then the Russian occupations. It has been the home to political rallies, celebrations and demonstrations since 1348 when King Charles IV founded the New Town of Prague — most notably during the Velvet Revolution in 1989 when millions of protestors gathered in the Square to protest Russian occupation.

In spite of Wenceslas Square’s rich and tumultuous history, or perhaps more because of it, tourists flock to the area. It is not unheard of to find smatterings of people from each European nation represented in the Square. And naturally those Asians try their darndest to be just as well represented in the heart of Europe at Wenceslas Square. It is equally common to find a group of tourists from each US state, including those that choose to be a shining beacon of Americanism by sporting their favorite orange and blue football jersey with the name “Plummer” adorning the back (me and my roommate Yisha, who is also a Broncos fan followed him around the Square for a little while trying to get a picture). Oh yes, Broncos fans are everywhere :).


The touristy nature of Wenceslas Square also means that most of the pubs and clubs can be found in that area. Beer in most bars costs around 40 czk, which is a little over $2 American. At Juve, the pub in the dorms, it is a little cheaper and costs 21 czk. The beer in Prague is almost always pilsner, and always very plentiful. This is a little unfortunate because even with such a light beer the calories can quickly overwhelm you. The food in Prague is almost always nothing short of amazing. There have been a few unusual meals but in general I have not been disappointed. Goulash seems to be quite popular as a traditional Czech meal, although most foreigners do not seem to appreciate it. The sausage carts, while alluring, have not tempted me enough to have a taste, although I have no doubt that they are as good as they smell.

Prague is a beautiful city and I am determined not to waste a moment of it.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Moving Day



In Prague. Sept 12?
So I officially moved in to my new country last night. Everything went incredibly smooth, which is a relief because it means I was nervous for absolutely no reason. I met Veronika at the gate exit of the airport. She did have a sign with my name on it for those of you who were wondering. We took a bus, the subway, and a tram to get to my dorm. I was incredibly tired and not much for conversation so Veronika spoke with her friend who she brought along with her a lot of the way.
Czech is a strange language by the way. It sounds like people are constanly arguing with each other. At the front desk to my dorm I was convinced the guy working at the desk was telling my buddy that I could not move in, but then he handed me a key and all was well.
When I went up to my room no one was in yet but my roommate had already unpacked all of her things. Veronika told me she would meet me at 8am on Monday and then left me to unpack. My suitcases were almost completely unharmed with the exception of a bottle of hairspray that exploded out of the plastic bag I put it in. Luckily it pretty much only coated the bottom on the suit cases and only my bag of tampons was harmed.
Hangers unfortunately do not come with the room in spite of a great deal of hanging space in the closet, so at some point today I will have to go in search of those as well as a phone. I was not in the apartment long before my new roommate arrived back from the store.
The suite I am in consists of three separate bedrooms with two beds in each room, a small kitchenette in the hallway and a bathroom. The shower (shown) is by far the nicest thing in the suite because it has not only the detatchable hose common to many European households, but also an option for a ceiling shower or a back-massaging shower (notice the 6 little spots in the picture).
The girl I share a room with also went to CSU. Her name is Lauren and she is originally from Castle Rock. The other girl who has arrived already is named Deb (reminiscent of my summer much?). She is from New Jersey. They both seem incredibly nice. They have been here for 3 days now so they have been figuring stuff out. They left early this morning while I was sleeping off my jet lag but they have promised to show me around Prague…or at least the parts they know. Last night they made rice and veggies because Lauren had been feeling incredibly unhealthy since she had been here. We had a picnic on the floor of our room and drank wine from plastic cups provided to us by the student housing. Later they took me to visit some other friends of theirs also from the States.
Lauren is determined to learn Czech but so far all she can say is dog, which is pes and cat which is kocka (the C should have a hook on it). My computer is going to die soon.

My Flight (cont.)

Sept 11.
My flight to London went quite well. I sat next to the window and no one sat in between me and the woman in the aisle seat so that was nice. I watche a couple of movies and actually managed to sleep for a little while. I had pasta with cheese and tomato sauce for dinner (also known as lasagna but apparently not the the Brits). The lady next to me did not leave her seat once. It was really strange.
I just overheard the older british gentleman behind me talking to someone on the phone about how when he went through security and had to take his belt off his “trousers fell down.” He chuckled at himself when he went on to explain that he “had to bend over to pull his pants back up and everyone behind him saw his bum.” It was hard for me to keep a straight face listening to him.
I am feeling much better about everything now but I am sure part of that is sleep deprivation and schok. On the plane I started feeling incredibly home sick (didn’t take long, did it?). Everyone has been telling me how much fun I am going to have but how often do people just get up and leave everything they know and love behind. Quite a lot I suppose, I mean my parents did it. And at least in the end I know I will be comoing back in December.
This poor couple on my flight hearlier had to stand and walk around for almost the entire flight because their baby refused to sleep and if they set him down he would scream. I am not sure if they slept at all.
The departures board will not tell which gate to go to until the gate is open. It is rather frustrating. My gate opens at 14:05 and it is 13:46 right now.
BBC news is playing a story right now about it being the 8th year since 9/11. How funny that I should be travelling on that date. I am very hungry but I am too lazy to change any of my money to pounds so I can buy a sandwich or something. Besides, I will probably get something on the plane so I should be fine. If not I will just have some of the awesome snacks given to me by Tami.

My Flight

Sept 10.
So here I am, a nine hour flight awaiting me, everything I own reduced to two suitcases that collectively weigh less than 90lbs, about to embark on an adventure that will inevitably change the way I see the world. The Boeing 747 destined to be my home for the next 9 hours or so stares in at me from beyond the ten foot window. Busy worker ants scuttle in and out of her doors and terminals fitting her with food for me and her 300+ passengers. Two security guards weave their way over luggage and people resting on the floor before the flight. It is starting to make me a little nervous, honestly. Are there normally security guards at the gate? I cannot remember from any previous experience. An arabic woman is sitting next to me. Ah! Racial Profiling! Hahaha. Just kidding, I’m not worried. I do hope I do not have to sit next to anyone terrible on the plane though. 9 hours of some old woman chatting away is going to severely stint my ability to enjoy this trip. I am still incredibly nervous. My hands have been shaking since I had dinner with my family, my boyfriend, and his family. There are four security people now. Just at our gate, I do not see any anywhere else. I am really not normally nervous about flying at all. But I guess being by yourself can change that. The sky has been growing ever darker since I arrived at my gate. Almost as if a storm were coming, not just the night. My trepidation is overwhelming my excitement at this point. I have heard amazing things about Prague and I know there is absolutely no reason I could have a bad time, yet still there remains that constant pounding fear of the unknown. The flight crew is boarding, I suppose I should pack up. See you all in London :)