pragueness

Happenings in Prague

2009-10-19T18:47:00.015+02:00

Dobry Den -

Well life in Prague continues to be good!!! Why? I GOT TO MEET ANTHONY BOURDAIN!!!!

Ok so we have an awesome pub called the Pivovarsky Klub, right below our apartment. It has great food and the Czech Republic's largest selection of beer. Not too shabby. Well last Thursday night, a kid in our program started screaming and yelling "You'll never guess who is downstairs right now?!!?" Ok wait, back story. We probably talk about him daily. His show 'No Reservations' is awesome. Well we all scurry and run downstairs and in front of my eyes there he is, Anthony Bourdain, filming a segment in MY pub!!! I literally sat 5 feet away from him while he filmed his segment. I might be one of those people in the background!!! I think I almost had a heart attack. He got to take a picture with him and talk to him for a tiny bit. Of course, we became instant friends (ya i wish) but he was cool and his production staff talked to us for a bit. Such a good night!!!

The weather is starting to turn cold here in Prague! I'm not complaining though because the cold reminds me of home : ) I love crisp, fall days. Its a little harder to go out since walking when its cold at night is no fun. My roommates and I threw a toga party and it was a lot of fun! I also had to go to the hospital because I was feeling under the weather, but everything went great! I was nervous to check out the Czech health care system, but I was impressed.

Well last Sunday, four of us decided to rent Mopeds (two Mopeds, four people) and ride 35 miles to a near by town, Kunta Hora, which has the famous Silver Mines and Bone Church. This little trip turned out to be one the most exciting/fun/scary adventures of my life. The trip there took nearly four hours and had muddy detours, trying to find the gas station, trying to figure out how to put the gas in the moped, muddy crashing of the mopeds, falling over and cracking of hence moped. It was also quite chilly. By the time we got to Kunta Hora and had lunch, everything was closed except for St. Barbaba's Church. Well we were a little disappointed, but decided to head back because it was getting late and dark. The next hour and a half back to Prague on the moped was the SCARIEST time of my life. So two of us are on this tiny moped, in the dark, through back roads with no lights, and o, of course, it started to rain! Luckily I was not driving because I would have killed us all. We were frozen when we got home and glad to be alive. The whole day was a blast and a great adventure!!!

So last Saturday, I made a bad choice. I decided to do an all night 35 mile hike. Yes, it was as bad as it sounds. It was a pilgrimage hike from Prague to the Holy Mountain. The statistics: total distance walked 34.61 miles, avg. speed 3.45 mph, time of the movement 9 hours and 59 minutes, start at 7:32pm on Friday, finish 9:30am on Saturday. I was disorientated by the end and could barely walk and was frozen. But as crazy as it was, I am really glad I did it. Its good to push yourself to your limits...now there seems like there is nothing I cannot do!

This week I turn 22!!! Woo!! Tomorrow night our friend Geiger is renting out a room at the bar where he works for us complete with a piano and accordion player!!! Here's to my last day of being 21!

Nessie

5 days, 4 countries Oct. 2nd - 6th

2009-10-19T17:46:00.018+02:00

Hello!!

So its been awhile! Things have been very busy and a little crazy lately, but I will try to update on you on my past few weeks!

First off, our program took us on a 5 day, 4 country field trip to Cesky Krumlov, Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava. So that would be Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. We left bright and early Friday, October 2nd. What pulled up to pick us up was something else. Picture the ghetto-est bus you have ever seen, then add more ghetto-ness and a bad egg smell and then you have our bus. Though it looked like it may have been straight out of 1965, it was actually built in 1990. As the bus driver said (it had) "Over one million miles" I found a comfy spot on the back of the bus, which turned out to be a great decision.

Our first stop was Cesky Krumlov, a quaint and charming small town located in Southern Bohemia part of the Czech Republic. We hiked through the woods and visited some castle ruins in a near by town that I cannot remember the name. Not to sound unappreciative, but after a while, castles and castle ruins in Europe all start to look the same. After that, we could choose to either A) ride the bus the rest of the way to Cesky Krumlov, or B) hike back through more woods and meadow with our resident social director, Geiger. I chose option B which turned out to be another great choice. After enjoying some great scenery we arrived at a town called Zalta Koruna, which means "Gold Crown" to take the train to Cesky Krumlov. After checking with the train depo, the next train did not leave for almost two hours. Resourceful kids that we are, we decided to pass the time at the local pub. Unlucky for us it was close. So second option...buy some wine, beer and a bottle of vodka and drink by the tracks until the train arrived. This was another excellent choice as drinking by the tracks is not something you do everyday. After about an hour and a half on the tracks, our train arrived to take us to our destination, Cesky Krumlov. Immediately upon arriving, we hit the nearest pub. When we finally met up with the rest of our group (and it was already dark)...who had just spent the whole day learning the history and exploring the city, well we were drunk to say the least. We had dinner, checked into the hotel, and went out again. Around 2am, another girl and I headed back to the hotel, but had forgotten our keys, so we threw rocks up at the window until someone let us in. I then slept for a few hours until it was back on the bus at 7:30AM sharp and off we went. I deem Cesky Krumlov "the city I do not remember" (sorry mom & dad)

Our next stop was Vienna, Austria (or Wien, as it is called in German). Beautiful. We ate at a beautiful vineyard called Heuiger Hirt, over looking the Danube and the whole city. The food was so good! Then, we checked in to our hostel and us girls went out to explore the city. On the night we were there, they had a once a year thing called "Museum Night" where all the museums in the city were open till 1AM. We checked out the Leopold Museum, which had some Monet, Klimt's famous "Life and Death", and other works of art I really enjoyed. Then we went to the Modern Art Museum. If anyone knows anything about modern art, well its not my favorite. While I can appreciate the style and innovation it experienced when it first arrived on the art world scene in the 1950's, its weird. They had a room where literally people filmed themselves rolling around with dead chickens and fish while they were naked. Another man lied in a sleeping bag pod like thing in a meadow, completely motionless. Another man went the bathroom (and i'm not talking about just number one) on camera. Yes, this is art. The paintings consisted of a blue square or scribble marks that could have been made by my favorite 5 year old, Shanley Windish (seriously Steph, lets harness her talent) Then we made the worst mistake on our whole trip. Us girls, being very hungry and slightly hungover, decided to eat pizza, McDonald's and gellato. I was so sick I almost lost my dinner at the Modern Art Museum. But hey then, maybe that could have been considered "art" in some way. The next day we got to explore the city a bit more and Vienna has so many beautiful buildings and things to see I was not disappointed. My favorite place was the Belveldere Palace and Gardens. We had fun constantly calling the city "Wien" and making Arnold Schwarzenegger jokes. All and all a great city. Then we were back on the bus to head to Budapest.

Hungary and Budapest was the favorite place we visited on our whole trip. Our first stop was at the city of Esztergom where the Hungarian Cathedral is located. Esztergom is one of the oldest towns in Hungary and use to have a large Jewish population until the Nazi invaded. After WWII when Communism took over, the Soviets punished the town for its strong religious ties and used the Cathedral for their armies. It is a very interesting place. The views were breath-taking. We ate dinner at a local restaurant and the food was delicious. Then is was off to the capital city of Budapest, where one of our program advisers named Richard, who grew up in Budapest, took us on a night tour of the city. Prague is one of the prettiest cities at night I have ever seen, but Budapest offers Prague some tough competition. It was so beautiful. Also, Budapest has a fascinating history. During WWII, Hungary sided with Nazi Germany. Hungary was then destroyed by Russia and most of the entire town of Budapest was leveled. Worth reading up on. We stayed in a little hole in the wall place near the river and it was actually pretty fun. The next day we woke up and probably had one of the best days I've had since I've been here. We went to Szcheni Spa, an outdoor hot mineral water spa with 3 huge outdoor swimming pools, all heated. Though it was early October, it was still nice enough to walk around in just your bikini. (Which makes a girl from ND very, very happy) Inside they had numerous different spas that ranged in temperatures from 16 degrees C to 40 degrees C....it was so much fun to jump into the freezing cold water after sitting in the hot water for as long as you could stand. They also had a bunch of saunas and steam baths of different temps. I also got a massage!!! Hungary isn't on the Euro yet, its on its own currency the Forint, so a 30 minute massage cost around 20 bucks! Such a relaxing day. After dinner, we went out and I had one of the most fun nights I have had in Europe. We went to this club and there were not a lot of people there (It was a Monday night after all) so we got to hang out and pretty much had the dance floor to ourselves. Well, early in the night, a charming looking homeless man was dancing...ne, rocking out, all alone on the dance floor. I decided to join him and bust a move. We danced for a while, but then he kind of turned me down so I sat down. A few minutes later he came over and asked me for a smoke. When I told him I did not have any smokes on me, the HOMELESS MAN GRABBED MY BOOB! And it lasted at least 5 seconds, which is a life time in boob grabbing. I was in complete shock. Well I guess I made his night lol. After that we danced our asses off till closing at 3AM and headed back to the hotel. Then in the morning it was off to Bratislava.

Bratislava...well what to say about it. I was rather tried but compared to other European capitals, Bratislava cannot really compare. Sure it was a rather cute Old Town sort of thing and has some of the best souvenir shops around ( I am a sucker for those things) but someone, do not ask me who, decided to build all these ugly industrial towers and buildings that crowds the city skylines. It is u-g-l-y. Cities like Prague made rules against building stuff like that. So not too impressed with Bratislava. One advantage was though that even though it is on the Euro, things are super cheap. We went to (another) castle in Slovakia before heading home. All in all a great trip.

So that is my 5 day, 4 country trip for you. O, I almost forgot to mention the best part. The back of the bus. We had a bed to lay down and a table to play card games at. Well, with as much time as we spent on the bus, we had to invent our own games. I cannot take credit for this, but someone invented "Bed Slap Poker" where since we did not have chips to bet with, you bet bread slaps. Whoever won got to hit that person across the face with a piece of bread. Instant Classic.

Nessie

Things Just Keep Getting Better

2009-09-29T22:17:00.013+02:00

Hello!

Life has been pretty rough for me lately...two weekends ago I was in Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest, a festival dedicated to drinking beer. Then, last weekend I was in the wine region Moravia, Czech Republic where we stayed at a wine vineyard and had unlimited access to wine (sigh) I just do not know what to do with myself.

Well as you can tell, that paragraph is true only if you substitute rough for AWESOME. I can only pinch myself and feel truly lucky that I am able to have this amazing experience this semester....and things just keep getting better. While I miss my family and friends (and my dogs) back home, I am really loving my life here in Prague. Let me tell you about my past couple of weekends..

Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany - BEST TIME EVER!!! I was a little unsure what awaited us behind the pearly gates that are Oktoberfest...I mean I've seen the movie 'Beer Fest' but one cannot describe its magic. I'll try....image 2000 of your best friends crammed like sardines into a huge beer hall...all awaiting beer. And when that first drop hits your lips you are suddenly transformed. Everyone is singing, dancing, cheerings, and having a good time. Australians, Canadians, Germans, Americans, French, Spanish you name it are all together and friends through our mutual love of beer. I cannot help but wonder if the whole world could be at Oktoberfest, world peace would be possible. Its a giant fair as well...with rides and games. The picture was taken from the top of the ferris wheel looking over Oktoberfest at night. Also, the food was soooo good. I could eat there everyday. It was the best time of my young life and something I will never forget. If possible, I think I will make Oktoberfest my annual pilgrimage...sort of like my own personal Mecca. But other than just Oktoberfest I did see a good chunk of the city of Munich, which was beautiful. We went to the Olympic Park, where Munich hosted the Olympics in 1972, which was the games where my favorite American distance runner, Steve Prefountaine, ran in. The 1972 Olympics were also when the Munich Massac re happened when terrorists killed 11 Israel athletes. Another place we spent a lot of time at was the Marienplatz, which is the center square in Munich. There are a lot of cool things to see and do there, like St. Peter's Church and the New City Hall building. All in all Munich was a great time and a great city with lots of friendly people ( I accidentally stroked a German man's thigh on the metro but thats another whole story in itself) Just this last weekend we went on a school trip to the wine region of Moravia, Czech Republic. It was a lot of sightseeing and wine drinking crammed into two fun filled days. We started off in town of Moravsky to see the Slavic Epic by Mucha. These are enormous paintings done by the artist Mucha and are very important works of art for Czech history and culture. Next we went to the little town of Mikulov which is on the Austrian-Czech border for lunch. We climbed up this huge hill and got an amazing view of the city and the Czech country side. Then if was off to Lednice, CZ which is home to a UNESCO Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. It was sparling trees, flowers, shrubs, lakes, etc and is just stunning. There are also a palace which was designed by the guy, who get this...invited the pencil. It was nice to walk around and be in a place so naturally beautiful. Then we went to our final destination of the night, Velke Bilovice, a small village where our wine vineyard was located, and where we stayed the night. We arrived to this tiny vineyard and of course wanted to freshen up after our long day. Well guess what. The guy gave our reservation away and there were only 10 beds left...for 24 of us. Not a problem though...we resourceful college kids. After a dinner of unlimited goulash and broucek, it was time for the wine tasting. We were thinking 15-20 wine samples wouldn't be that much wine...we were wrong. Everyone was feeling pretty happy after the wine tasting. Then, we got to pick our favorite wine to drink unlimited throughout the rest of the night. So take 2o some American college students and give them open wine bar...what was the guy thinking. We wrecked havoc on his vineyard. But in our defense, we did have not enough beds to our name. It was a lot of fun but I was glad to get back to Prague and back to my own bed.I cannot believe I was already been here for over a month! Living in Prague is awesome and since I am graduating in May, living and working abroad is something I am highly considering doing. I can safely say my heart belongs to Prague. Tomorrow we are doing a 2.5K fun run uphill to celebrate all those who helped end Communism in the Czech Republic. Then this Friday is the start to our 5 day, 4 country field trip through Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary. Can't wait!

Nessie

Peace.Love.Prague

2009-09-17T18:19:00.016+02:00

Hello!

Another week has come and gone on my time here in Prague. And things just keep getting better and better. I am settling into life here and getting use to the people and how things work. I do not feel like a tourist anymore. This week was our first official week of classes for school. I think it is going to be an easy semester. I go to school Monday to Wednesday and am taking four classes...4 day weekends rough i know : ) for class we talk and lecture for about an hour or so and then we walk around Prague and look at cool stuff. Makes sense though. why just talk about it when you can go experience it. This is going to be an extremely easy semester school wise but I am not complaining! A few things i saw this week...

The Prague Jewish Quarter - For my Jewish Studies class our teacher took us to the Jewish Quarter of town, including the cemetery. During WWII, Hitler kept the Jewish synagogue and cemetery so that he could eventually turn it into a museum for the extinct Jewish race in Prague. Makes you sick to your stomach. In one of the synagogue, they wrote the names of all 800,000 Czech Jews who were killed during the Holocaust. It was very moving. I am excited to learn more about Jewish cultural and history since I do not know much about it. For class we are going to a lot of great places this fall. This part of town is very beautiful and full of history and I would strongly recommend checking it out if your ever in Prague. Of course you can come visit me if you want!

For my other classes we also went and saw many cool things around Prague I haven't seen yet, including the Astronomical Clock, the beautiful W allenstein Garden and the Lennon Wall. The Astronomical Clock is super old and tons of people flock to it each hour to watch it ring. There is usually at least 1000 people gathered around it every hour. The Wallenstein garden is a hidden gem I think. Its really quite and away from the hustle of the city. There is this crazy wall in it that i cannot even try to begin to explain. You walk along and there is a whole flock of peacocks just walking around. The Lennon Wall is one of my favorite places I've seen so far. In the 1980's right before the fall of Communism, young people would meet at the wall to protest and promote peace. Now of days it is just a wall but Beatles fan and alike come. It is constantly repainted and you can write your name on the wall! I can't believe I live here! The same day we went to the wall some Buddhist monks were dancing in the street, so we joined in! They were just so happy and we danced with them and their drums for a bit near the Charles Bridge! Groovy! Click on the links above to czech them out..ha get it?

This past weekend I ran in the Prague Grand Prix 5K (3.1 miles) there were 1170 people in my race alone! It was a lot of fun. I placed 543rd...you know no big deal lol (notice the medal haha) Jess and I had one fan! Thanks Dan! Last night I went out with a couple people and we ended up making friends with some very nice people from Australia. I love the nightlife here...clubs and bars are open till 5AM, a little different from back home. I stumbled home around 4AM after some very nice Czech people gave me a bunch of ballons on my way home! Love it here! Well off to pack, we leave in less than two hours for Oktoberfest in Germany!!! WOO!!

Nessie ; )

Your My Mate...Busy week in Prague

2009-09-11T22:40:00.005+02:00

Ahoj!

Another week has come and gone in Prague and i love it! This week was very fun and busy at the same time. I am so happy our Intensive Czech Language class is finally over! I can now confidently order a beer and ask for directions in Czech. Some things that I did this week...

Prague Zoo - After class one day we hoped on the tram and headed out to the Zoo. The animal lover in me was very happy. They have this room where you enter in through a dark curtain and real, live, blood sucking bats swoop over your head...no cage or anything. O and it is pitch black. I screamed like a little girl when the first one rushed over my head. Also, we got about two feet away from a baby elephant!

Vltava River Cruise - On Thursday our program took us all for a lovely river boat cruise down the Vltava River, which runs through Prague. We received an email the day before saying that we would be swimming...ok. Well just by looking at the river its not what you call "clean" but I brought my suit anyways. So after dinner, drinks and such we docked and it was time for swimming. I figured "swimming" meant splashing around for a bit and coming back abroad. No, no...we swam about 700M's upstream. I literally thought I was going to have to stay in that river forever, because I was going to drown. The worst part is one of our teachers, a sweet 60 year old man with an old man belly, who probably smoked at least 4-5 cigarettes before hand, somehow beat me up and down the river. Maybe the Czech's know something we don't. All in all a very lovely evening.

Going out in Prague - These first couple weeks we have been going out a lot, but its such a good time you really can't help it. Gieger (the guy in the suit) works for USAC in Prague and takes us out and shows us where some sweet clubs and bars are. There's never a dull moment with Gieger around. Its also fun not to worry about how to get places or who is driving, like back home. Just take your drink with you and hop on the metro and your there. I think us girls decided that taking classy metro pictures before heading out is a must now. One more thing...even the McDonald's here likes to party. In the bathroom, blue neon lights guide your way and techno music is being pumped out of the speakers...and yes, you can buy beer there.

Also, i burned a huge chunk of my hair off....in Europe they have different outlets than we do so you need adapters and converters to use things you bring from home (computer, camera charger, etc.) Well I went to use my three barrel crimper and forgot to use the wattage converter...in turn it became so hot that when I put it in my hair, smoke erupted and it sniged a complete piece off. The burnt hair smell filled our entire apartment building.

Last night we finished booking our plans to attend Oktoberfest next weekend!!! Its probably going to be the craziest experience of my young life. Can't wait!!!

Tonight I am running in the Prague Grand Prix 5K through Old Town Square! Should be a good run! Wish me luck!

Nessie

Another Night in Praha

2009-09-03T22:11:00.010+02:00

Jak se ma'ta!

Prague...is...AMAZING! I still cannot get over the fact that I am living here in Prague...its slowly starting to hit me. I almost feel like I have been here forever but I only left good ol' ND a week ago. Its beautiful walking around the cobblestone streets and looking up at these buildings that look straight out of a fairytale. The city of Prague was not hit hard during WWII like other European cities, so many historic places still look like they did back in the day. The pictures are from a walking tour our program director Jan took us on. Prague has such a great history and it seems around every corner there is another story, another important event that happened right where you are standing. Unbelievable. We are lucky to be studying in Prague this fall during the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, which was the fall of Communism in Czechloslavkia. We went to the square where they denounced the Communist government and the new government took over. The history buff in me couldn't be happier (plus, think how many more questions I will be able to answer on JEOPARDY!..probably at least 3 now lol) Another great thing is all the public transportation...tram, bus or metro. Our apartment is right by the metro stop..literally you can hop on the metro and within 10, 15 mins be in any part of the city your heart desires. Downside to public transportation...people smell. Like really, really smell sometimes, but theres nothing you can do lol. I hope I can still remember how to drive when I get home...the 93' tauras i'm sure will miss me, as will others miss the 93' and all the joy it brought...as we all know the 93' is always smiling because of its missing bumper : )

And then there was last night...of course Prague is not all landmarks and history. It is such a fun city and its really great to be a young person in Prague. Think of Grand Forks night life...then times it by 100000. Last night a bunch of us went out and hit the town. Wow, what a crazy night. We walked around and found some really fun clubs and bars to go to. The first place we went to was an all techno club...I am a little rusty on my rave moves, but they are improving. We went to a couple more places that all have the same recipe...dark club, loud techno like music, lots of people and lots of beer. No complaints for this girl. We walked home around 2AM, which is actually pretty early here considering the clubs are open till 5AM. A kid in our group actually got his junk grabbed by a prostitute lol....o Prague. Good people, good beer, good times. Our intensive Czech language class this morning at 9AM was ROUGH, to say the least! I felt better today though after lunch: Fried cheese with tarter sauce with potatoes and dinner: crepes filled with beer jelly : )Nessie ; )

Prague...I live here!!!

2009-08-31T23:26:00.007+02:00

Hello! Dobry Den!

I am having an absolutely wonderful time in Prague! Their are beautiful people to meet, beautiful places to see and wonderful experiences to be had. One of those happened my very first night...we went to a club that boasted their rad selection of 80's and 90's pop music. This place was AWESOME!! Right when we walked in, Abba was playing on the big screen...I knew I was home. The other music selection included Journey, David Hasselhoff, and the soundtrack from "Flashdance" It took our group 5.678 seconds to make our way on stage and we danced our asses off before finally taking the tram home around 3AM. The people I am with in my program are super sweet and I can tell we are in for a great semester. My classmates come from all over the United States…New York, California, Washington, Nevada, Florida, the list goes on. A lot of people are saying I am the first person they have ever met from North Dakota! Our apartments are huge and spacious...i will post some pictures soon. I live with four other girls and we are trying to make it feel more homey and redecorate some...we took the metro to IKEA tonight and its coming along nicely.

Today we started our two week Czech intensive language course....ya not a very easy language to learn. I think I'll get the basics down...hello, thank you, beer, goodbye etc. Hopefully I can pick it up...if anyone knows my Spanish skills...yah, there will be a lot of smiling and hand guessers to get me along : ) Our school is right by the Vlata River, which runs through Prague and is breathtaking. Today we walked along the river to Charles Bridge while having a beer. O and I did not tell you the best part about Prague....beer is SUPER SUPER cheap. Beer cost around 20 to 25 crowns, which is about $1.15. So I actually do not start my real classes for the fall till Sept. 14th!! Life is rough...(sigh) Last night a bunch of people came over from my program and we made a big Sunday dinner. We actually bought wine from the grocery store in a two liter bottle…for one dollar! Well not the best tasting, but we all had a great time.

Well off to bed, its seven hours ahead here in Prague plus my roommate and I are starting training for the Prague 5k in two weeks!

Nessie