[[goodbye, prague! It was nice to meet you!]]
Well, tomorrow at this time I will be on the airplane flying back to America. It is really really bizarre. These four months have comprised both the slowest and fastest semester. I think about the day we got here when we were carrying our bags through the front door of Machova and how everything just seemed so confusing, so foreign (no pun intended). And now to think about how much we have done since we've been here, how comfortable we have become and how use to the city we have become. As sad as it is to be done with this experience, I think it is time for it to end. I need to go back to living a real life and I think most people on my program feel that way.
We have definitely been taking full advantage of our last few days here in Praha. My last final ws on Wednesday , but luckily work here isn't a priority so I have still been able to enjoy my last week. On Tuesday night, NYU rented out Radost, a club that we have gone to a bunch of times through out the semester. It was weird because it was only people on my program and I had never seen some of them before. In addition to us, students, our RA's were there as well. It was nice being able to spend time with them outside of the dorm.
Immeditely after my final on Wednesday, we bought some beers up to Petrin Hill for "Slope and Charter Day" and started to celebrate. It has officially become spring here. The flowers are bloomed, the sun is out and the temperature is about 17 degrees celsius. We found a nice patch of grass up on the hill and sat there from about 1 pm until 6:30 when we left to go to the NYU sponsored farewell dinner at Cafe Slavia. Now that everyone was done with work, it was awesome to have a bunch of people just hanging out and reminiscing about the past semester.
After dinner with our professors and other administrators at Slavia, we went home and took a nap to get ourselves ready for the big night ahead of us. Even though I hate the idea of going to Mecca, I knew that I had to go just one last time. We headed to Cross where about hundreds of other people obviously had the same idea as us (especially because today is a national holiday). Apparently the line to get into Mecca circa 2 am was infinite. People waited over an hour and still were no where near the door. So as a result we decided to just stay at Cross for the whole night. At 4:30 we left Cross and took the metro to the Charles Bridge where we watched the sunrise until about 6 am. I did my final walk across the bridge and tried to take in the view of the castle and Petrin Hill one last time. This city really is incredibly special and has treated us well. I'm sure when I return to visit in a few years, the city will have drastically changed and will most likely be on the Euro.
So right now I am in the process of packing and its kind of weird to look at my two duffel bags and one smaller carry on and think that for the past four months my life has been completely mobile. Everything that I really need I have been able to just move around with me. There's something surprisingly refreshing in that sentiment. Even though most of my stuff is packed, it still hasn't hit me that I won't be back here. I'm not sure when it will hit me, but I have a feeling it might be sometime soon in America as soon as I hear a great techno song.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Burning of Thy Witches
In Prague, April 30th marks the eve of "Burning of the Witches" [pálení čarodějnic] which is an old Czech tradition where people make bonfires and burn witches made out of straw. The point is to ward off all evil and winter and welcome in spring. Even though I love winter, I'm ready for y lst week and a half here to be nice. I felt obligated to contribute.
Obviously I became obssessed with the idea of us going to the celebration that is most authentic. Researching these bonfires was not the easiest thing since although it is tolerated because of its tradition, bonfires in the middle of the city are stil illegal. On the outskirts of the city, however, is where people really celebrate. So our first stop on this witch burning adventure was Ladronka Park which is about an hour from where we live. Once we got there we see a ton of people walking down a thin dirt path. For about half a mile we just followed the crowd only realizing we were heading in the right direction because of the smell of fire and the sight of smoke. Finally we get the festival and there is a huge bonfire in the middle of a field, venders selling Czech goods, sausages galore, live music, and parents helping their kids fly on brooms. There was even a Ms. Witch competition (everyone had really incredible witch outfits on- I felt a little out of place in my jeans and shirt). It was such a beautiful night to just be hanging outside observing this pagan-like ritual.
After Ladronka Park, we went to Kampa Island which is a little island right off of the Charles Bridge. This was more of an ex-pats scene, but still a good bonfire and tribal music. The views were also spectacular as you could sit on the water and look at the castle lit up at night. The funniest part about this scene was that police were selling hot dogs and sausages out of a police van for people to grill at the bonfire.
Oh, Prague and Czech folk traditions...
Obviously I became obssessed with the idea of us going to the celebration that is most authentic. Researching these bonfires was not the easiest thing since although it is tolerated because of its tradition, bonfires in the middle of the city are stil illegal. On the outskirts of the city, however, is where people really celebrate. So our first stop on this witch burning adventure was Ladronka Park which is about an hour from where we live. Once we got there we see a ton of people walking down a thin dirt path. For about half a mile we just followed the crowd only realizing we were heading in the right direction because of the smell of fire and the sight of smoke. Finally we get the festival and there is a huge bonfire in the middle of a field, venders selling Czech goods, sausages galore, live music, and parents helping their kids fly on brooms. There was even a Ms. Witch competition (everyone had really incredible witch outfits on- I felt a little out of place in my jeans and shirt). It was such a beautiful night to just be hanging outside observing this pagan-like ritual.
After Ladronka Park, we went to Kampa Island which is a little island right off of the Charles Bridge. This was more of an ex-pats scene, but still a good bonfire and tribal music. The views were also spectacular as you could sit on the water and look at the castle lit up at night. The funniest part about this scene was that police were selling hot dogs and sausages out of a police van for people to grill at the bonfire.
Oh, Prague and Czech folk traditions...
Monday, April 28, 2008
Weekend in Copenhagen
I just got back from Copenhagen with Amy. I'll admit I was having second thoughts about traveling again last week. As horrible as it sounds, I am tired from all this traveling! I love being able to see different cities, but I still don't like the actual transportation part. Possible solution: Teleporting myself. If only...I did, however ,make friends at the airport. While I was ordering a coffee, the man behind the counter and I started talking in very basic Czech. I was so proud, until he through like a real Czech sentence into this conversation. It was then that he realized I was American. We got to talking and his English was fabulous. He ended up giving me his favorite Czech author and novel to me.
Once in Copenhagen, it was absolutely gorgous outside. I'd say about 70 degrees and sunny. Beautiful day for just being outside. So, that's just what we did. We walked from our hostel (Absalon Annex--great hostel) to the center of the city where we met up with Christina from Hamilton and also randomly bumped into Tipper as well. So weird. Christina led us to the Round Tower (picture)
and we also strolled down Stroget Street which is one of the famous shopping streets in the city. Near Stroget there was a gorgeous park right near the Royal Castle. There were tons of people laying on blankets, playing frisbee and just enjoying the weather. It's really funny how much a city can change as soon as the weather does. Without a doubt Prague is a completely different place! All Czechs really want to do is rollerblade in beer gardens - no wonder no one is happy in the winter!
(This is a picture of the park)Our hostel provided us with a guide book to "April in Copenhagen" and Amy and I saw that there was a big soccer game on Thursday night. Coincidentally, when we ran into Tipper randomly on the street, he mentioned that he and his friends were going to the game. But it gets better: Amy, Christina and I were trying to buy tickets when three separate people handed us free tickets! And they just happened to be excellent seats as well! Team FCK (pronounced F C Kah) couldn't quite capitalize on all their shooting opportunities but at least they tied.
On Friday we woke up and decided to do some of the main tourist attractions. Inevitably that led us directly to the statue of the Little Mermaid.
We proceeded to navigate our way through Kastellet Park over the river and through Charlottenburg into Christiania. Christiania is considered to be the "Freetown" of Copenhagen. It is technically self-governed and has only 1000 inhabitants. It was this little oasis amidst the hustle bustle of a city. The entrance part was very touristy but as you got further in towards the river and some of the homes, it was just beautiful and incredible to see. 
You are not supposed to take any pictures in Christian so this is just a picture of the entrance. But as you can see it is completely covered in graffiti, as most of the 'town'. I think my favorite sign which happened to be graffiited everywhere said, "Imagine a world without wheels, forced labor and high heels". In Christiania we stopped and ate some lunch at basically someone's house. Essentially you walked into this house and there were a few vegetarian salad options. We sat outside as people were planting and gardening. Friday night we met up with one of Amy's sister's friends who she met while studying abroad in Denmark! How crazy! We met her at a hip bar called Bang & Jenson and then went to a late dinner. I feel like I say this after every trip when I get to speak to people from the country, but I just love speaking to people my age from around the world. She was telling us how so many of her friends are planning trips to America right now since the dollar is so bad...After dinner she took us to this new bar/club called Karriere Bar which is in what used to be the meat packing district of Copenhagen. As we were walking through the area it was completely vacated until all of sudden you heard loud music and then out of nowhere came this bar.
Saturday morning we decided to go on a canal tour. Copenhagen is very similar to Amsterdam in the sense that they both have canals running through the city, bikes everywhere and beautiful, little side streets. It was nice to be on the water, but like on most boat tours, it is very hard to understand what the guides are actually saying.
This is one of the many pictures we got from the boat.Amy and I decided that we wanted to try some traditional Danish food. Little did we know that Danish's are not really from Denmark. In fact, Danes actually call what we call Danishes, "pastries from Vienna". Weird. So instead, we decided to try Smorebrod for lunch which is basically just slices of bread with different kinds of toppings. We decided to share two different kinds: salmon and herbed goat cheese. It was delicious and much less intense than Gulash. This is a picture of the place we ate in. They were so nice there and were so concerned with making sure that we enjoyed our first Danish meal.
After our lovely lunch we walked to the Carlsburg Brewery which was much farther away than we had anticipated. We ended up missing the last tour so we ended up just heading up to the bar for some taste testing, since we had walked all the way there.
Our last stop of the trip was Saturday night when we went into Tivoli Gardens. From the outside, Tivoli just looks like another amusement park, yet when we walked inside it was huge and beautiful! I couldn't believe all of the flowers and how much they had bloomed already. It was like a fantasy land in a fairytale. I felt like a little kid in Willa Wonka's factory. We walked around and took a lot of touristy photos.
On Sunday, as we were landing in Prague I realized how bittersweet leaving Praha is going to be. With less than two weeks left, Sunday was the last time I would be flying into Prague. I am full of a mixed sense of emotions: a sense of accomplishment, excitement to go home and start the summer, but also sadness to leave Prague when I finally feel really comfortable here. I was running outside today and was thinking back to the beginning of the trip when I ran outside for the first time. I remember being so nervous of not knowing where I was going, of something happening. But today, I was running like I actually did know where I was going and it actually felt like I was running in my neighborhood.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Am - star- dam
What a great city. Honestly, Amsterdam feels and looks like its right out of a fairy tale. Between the beautiful canals and bridges to all the different colored buildings covered in ivy, Amsterdam is like a doll house and I felt like a Polly Pocket. In addition to ivy growing on the buildings, ivy even grows out of some of the bikes. I've never seen anything like the bike culture in Amsterdam. They are everywhere! And will run over anything! You have to be more careful about not getting hit by a bike than you do of a car. It seems relatively energy efficient, though...The streets are absolutely crazy though. Not only are there sidewalks, tram tracks and roads for traffic, however, there are also separate lanes for bikes, making crossing the street as a pedestrian quite the obstacle. Regardless, everyone who lives in Amsterdam are the nicest people. While it's such a small city, you can stop and ask anyone on the street directions, something that was refreshing to see.
While we mainly just enjoyed the spring weather and walked around the city, we did make it to the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum. When I went into the Anne Frank House I was expecting to see a replica of what her house actually looked like, but instead it was set up more like a museum. I actually had the chills though when we walked through the secret door behind the books case which led to the secret annex where anne frank and her family hid from the Nazis. I enjoyed the Van Gogh museum because I was able to see some of his paintings that I had never seen before in addition to some of the artists' works who inspired him.
Our hostel, the Flying Pig Uptown" is actually right next to Vondel Park, which is pretty much like the central park of Amsterdam. It was so beautiful there and when it was really nice there were a ton of people just lying in it. It was quite resemblant of minor field during the spring, if I might say so myself.
Here are some pictures from the weekend:
While we mainly just enjoyed the spring weather and walked around the city, we did make it to the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum. When I went into the Anne Frank House I was expecting to see a replica of what her house actually looked like, but instead it was set up more like a museum. I actually had the chills though when we walked through the secret door behind the books case which led to the secret annex where anne frank and her family hid from the Nazis. I enjoyed the Van Gogh museum because I was able to see some of his paintings that I had never seen before in addition to some of the artists' works who inspired him.
Our hostel, the Flying Pig Uptown" is actually right next to Vondel Park, which is pretty much like the central park of Amsterdam. It was so beautiful there and when it was really nice there were a ton of people just lying in it. It was quite resemblant of minor field during the spring, if I might say so myself.
Here are some pictures from the weekend:
 |
| Amsterdam |
Thursday, April 17, 2008
i forgot to post this a while ago
It's been a while since I sat down and wrote an entry. I actually have had some necessary school work and some great visitors. Two days after Meryl and Diana left, my parents came to visit Praha! It was so great to show them around and let them see where I have been living, what I have been doing, what I have been drinking, and who I have been spending my time with. As soon as my parents arrive in Prague we started walking...and walking and walking and walking. I didn't want them to get jetlagged so I immediately took them on Jamie's Walking Tour of Prague. And that was only the beginning. I felt like their visit was a true test of how much I have learned (and consequently retained) about the city. I'm no history guru, but living in Prague has definitely increased my interest in the history of the Czech Republic.
While my parents were here, I refused to do certain things and take them to certain spots. For instance, those places where 'all-the-american-students-who-are-abroad' hang out- aka Bohemian Bagel. I don't even like Bohemian Bagel, but it's just so convenient. I wanted to my parents to try and get the gtrue Praha experience, however much that is possible. So in addition to showing off the main sites of Prague (Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, Petrin Hill, Jewish Quarters etc...), the beautiful weather permitted us to go to a Slavia soccer game. With popcorn and kielbasa's (spelling?)we enjoyed the sunset and a win.
We also decided to take a day trip to Terezin. I am really glad that I didn't go to Terezin before my parents got here. The fact that Terezin is currently still a town (population of around 2,000 people) is beyond me. It is so desolate and resemblant of a ghost town. Everywhere you look there is something there to remind of the horrors that occured at Terezin. Small rooms in which 80 people were locked into until they suffocated, bathrooms which never had any plumbing--they were merely set up as a facade for the Red Cross. It was just absolutely unbelievable to see. Luckily, our tour guide offered us the chance to go and see a secret synagogue that had recently been found in someones house. I had no idea what to expect--but what we ended up seeing was a tiny concrete room. I couldn't imagine having this room be my "get away" place, my place to relax.
Alas, another check point has come and gone! I bought a three month metro pass at the beginning of this trip and never really thought that it would ever expire. At the time, April just seemed too distant. Now that I had to buy a one month metro pass, I can't believe that three months have gone by already. The times I thought would never come are now flying by without me even realizing it!
Now...next stop: Amsterdam!
While my parents were here, I refused to do certain things and take them to certain spots. For instance, those places where 'all-the-american-students-who-are-abroad' hang out- aka Bohemian Bagel. I don't even like Bohemian Bagel, but it's just so convenient. I wanted to my parents to try and get the gtrue Praha experience, however much that is possible. So in addition to showing off the main sites of Prague (Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, Petrin Hill, Jewish Quarters etc...), the beautiful weather permitted us to go to a Slavia soccer game. With popcorn and kielbasa's (spelling?)we enjoyed the sunset and a win.
We also decided to take a day trip to Terezin. I am really glad that I didn't go to Terezin before my parents got here. The fact that Terezin is currently still a town (population of around 2,000 people) is beyond me. It is so desolate and resemblant of a ghost town. Everywhere you look there is something there to remind of the horrors that occured at Terezin. Small rooms in which 80 people were locked into until they suffocated, bathrooms which never had any plumbing--they were merely set up as a facade for the Red Cross. It was just absolutely unbelievable to see. Luckily, our tour guide offered us the chance to go and see a secret synagogue that had recently been found in someones house. I had no idea what to expect--but what we ended up seeing was a tiny concrete room. I couldn't imagine having this room be my "get away" place, my place to relax.
Alas, another check point has come and gone! I bought a three month metro pass at the beginning of this trip and never really thought that it would ever expire. At the time, April just seemed too distant. Now that I had to buy a one month metro pass, I can't believe that three months have gone by already. The times I thought would never come are now flying by without me even realizing it!
Now...next stop: Amsterdam!
Monday, April 7, 2008
some things just never change
We're in the home stretch of this whole "abroad thing" right now and I honestly can't believe it. I've been creating checkpoints for myself along the way ;little events that I am looking forward to, but that also act as significant markers of time passing. This past weekend marked my second to last major checkpoint: Meryl and Diana's visit to Praha!
After a great Wednesday night of listening to Jo's uncle Bruce playing at Retro, I woke up early to pick Meryl up at the airport. It was actually a pretty nice day, despite threatening weather reports and so I decided to create my own walking tour for Meryl, of which I plan on repeating step-for-step with my parents in 2 days! The tour covered Vinohrady, Wenceslas Square, Old Town, Lesser Town, Bridge and various stops on the way at some favorite places [including the PEACOCK garden] It's really incredible how you can see most of this city in one day. In an attempt to show Meryl the more creative side of Praha, I got us some tickets to go and see a show at the Alfred vedvore Theatre where Jo and I saw the Movement Theatre show a couple of weeks ago. We were supposed to see a improvisation pantomine show, but I'm pretty sure we ended up walking into the wrong theatre and instead we saw a show called Trains. It was interesting and visually stimulating, but most of it definitely was over my head. The show capitalized on the sounds train makes and image of never ending train tracks.
On Saturday, we woke up and went to the new Gregory Crewdson exhibit at the Galerie Rudolfinum. I had never seen any of his photographs before and could not believe how incredible they were. Each photograph was basically a single film clip. With such vibrant colors, huge formats, and bizare scenes, his photographs seemed very realistic, in a creepy kind of way. Afterwards, the 'museum fatigue' began to set in and so I took Meryl to the lovely Shakespeare and Sons to relax, take pictures and have some delicious coffee.
Diana came into Prague from London on Friday, and it was just like good 'ole times at Hamilton. What a treat... I never would have guessed that Diana, Meryl and I would meet up in Prague together. I really liked being able to show Meryl and Diana all my favorite places in Prague so far. And as Jo says, Prague is just full of so many little hidden spaces. At this point, I had started thinking that I was definitely ready to go home, but after walking around and doing some of the touristy things again this weekend, I realize how much this city has to offer and just how beautiful it really is. I guess when you remain within your daily routine, only going from home to school, things become mundane. Nevertheless, I'm glad I still have one more month left...
After a great Wednesday night of listening to Jo's uncle Bruce playing at Retro, I woke up early to pick Meryl up at the airport. It was actually a pretty nice day, despite threatening weather reports and so I decided to create my own walking tour for Meryl, of which I plan on repeating step-for-step with my parents in 2 days! The tour covered Vinohrady, Wenceslas Square, Old Town, Lesser Town, Bridge and various stops on the way at some favorite places [including the PEACOCK garden] It's really incredible how you can see most of this city in one day. In an attempt to show Meryl the more creative side of Praha, I got us some tickets to go and see a show at the Alfred vedvore Theatre where Jo and I saw the Movement Theatre show a couple of weeks ago. We were supposed to see a improvisation pantomine show, but I'm pretty sure we ended up walking into the wrong theatre and instead we saw a show called Trains. It was interesting and visually stimulating, but most of it definitely was over my head. The show capitalized on the sounds train makes and image of never ending train tracks.
On Saturday, we woke up and went to the new Gregory Crewdson exhibit at the Galerie Rudolfinum. I had never seen any of his photographs before and could not believe how incredible they were. Each photograph was basically a single film clip. With such vibrant colors, huge formats, and bizare scenes, his photographs seemed very realistic, in a creepy kind of way. Afterwards, the 'museum fatigue' began to set in and so I took Meryl to the lovely Shakespeare and Sons to relax, take pictures and have some delicious coffee.
Diana came into Prague from London on Friday, and it was just like good 'ole times at Hamilton. What a treat... I never would have guessed that Diana, Meryl and I would meet up in Prague together. I really liked being able to show Meryl and Diana all my favorite places in Prague so far. And as Jo says, Prague is just full of so many little hidden spaces. At this point, I had started thinking that I was definitely ready to go home, but after walking around and doing some of the touristy things again this weekend, I realize how much this city has to offer and just how beautiful it really is. I guess when you remain within your daily routine, only going from home to school, things become mundane. Nevertheless, I'm glad I still have one more month left...
Monday, March 31, 2008
wagamamamama
Traveling for 10 days is a true test of stamina; a test of which I think Jo and I aced. Well, except for a few minor miscalculations, but those were mostly directional so they don't actually count.
I honestly don't really know where to begin recapturing this journey. So much happened and I don't think anyone wants to read about it all- hence the list form that will incite after this paragraph. The main thing about this spring break that I realized was that I could actually travel by myself. I guess that is one of the main points of studying abroad: recognizing your independence. But once you have that realization, it really does feel great.
My adventures began in Paris, where I got to see MERYL. I needed a whole lot of Meryl in my life right about then, as the half way point of this adventure seemed to be dragging on a little. I love seeing other people's abroad situations, so that when we all return back to the states I'll have some idea of what they are talking about when they say, "Remember that time when...". Funny thing: We had a layover in London to get to Paris which was quite the treat...(I have no idea how this could even make sense at all...geographically, especially). It wasn't too bad except for the fact that Jo and I were SPRINTING through Heathrow Airport trying to catch our next flight. The weather was pretty rainy and windy outside which made for some heavy turbulence. But Jo knows how much I hate flying and always held my hand :).
Main things we did/saw in Paris:
1. Louvre: We really only did this because you have to go to the Louvre when you are in Paris for the first time. Of course we saw the Mona Lisa, but to be honest, its hyped up a little too much. The photo itself is like a celebrity: enclosed in a glass case surrounded by body guards preventing you from entering the imaginary sphere around the photo.
2. Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf boat ride across the Siene River where we got to see the Eiffe tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Musee du Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, the Grand Palais and Pont Neuf (the oldest bridge in Paris), among many other sites. Although it was absolutely freezing and raining outside, we endured the cold and stood outside on the boat for most of the journey. I'd say it was well worth it. After our walk back to Meryl's apartment we ended the night properly: with a nice cup of hot chocolate and sweatshirts.
3. American Church in Paris: I went to my first church service on Easter!
4. Pompidou: museum of modern art. The outside of this museum is a tremendous piece of art itself. It looks like one huge science experiment. Inside we saw a ton of installation art work, of which I enjoyed. But what I don't understand is how these pieces of art are moved from exhibit to exhibit...are the simply meant to be temporary or are they replicated each time?
5. Falafel: If you want to have the best falafel, you need to go to the Jewish quarters in Paris. The long line is well worth the wait and quite reflective of just how good the falafel actually is.
6. Versailles: We decided to take a day trip to Versailles once we found out that it was only a 40 minute train ride away. Our plan was to wake up at get to the chateau by 9 am so that Meryl could be back in time for her 1:30 pm class. So, we buy tickets and wait for the train to come. Once we get on the train and it is almost at the last stop we realize that we don't think this is the right train. No one else is on the train and all the lights have been turned out. We had heard an announcement a few minutes ago, but none of us were paying attention. Most of the train ride is underground, so it became quite scary with all the lights off especially since we knew we were pretty far away from the center of the city. Needless to say, we decided to pull the emergency alarm to let the conductor know that we were stuck on it. It was a scene, for sure, and the observers at the train station loved seeing us walk shamefully off the train. But, nevertheless, an hour and a half later we did arrive at Versaille and we did get to walk down the hall of mirrors where at the end, there was a cardboard throne of Louis XIV's. Kind of disappointing, but nonetheless absolutely beautiful...and like most buildings in Paris, gigantic! I think the gardens in the back were my favorite, though.
7. Haircut: Meryl's host family lives right next door to a salon. So on Tuesday when it was pouring rain, I decided that there was nothing better to do but to get basically 8 inches cut of my hair. I'm getting more and more into each day and love the fact that my head feels way lighter now.
On Wednesday Jo and I travelled to London to visit Diana, whom lives above the pub called The Spotted Horse in Putney. What a great area. It's more of a residential neighborhood, yet the center of London is extremely easy to get to. My favorite sites in London:
1. National Portrait Gallery: We went and saw the Vanity Fair exhibit at this museum which was incredible. I was especially able to appreciate many of the photos because we have been discussing them in our photography class recently. It was interesting to see how the photographs have changed since the early 1900s. I think some of my favorite photos were taken by Man Ray and Nan Goldin.
2. Tate Museum: This museum is so big, we only made it to 2 floors. The third and the fifth-- The fifth floor dealth with 'states of flux' while the third floor included 'material gestures'. There was a ton of pop art and minimalistic art which I enjoyed.
3. Freud Museum: this museum is located in one of Freud's old houses in a beautiful residential area on the outskirts of the city.
4. Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus....
5. Avenue Q: since Diana loves broadway shows, we thought it would only be appropriate for us to go to one with her. Avenue Q is absolutely hilarious, it was basically like a puppet show for adults. At first I was skeptical... but the show was really terrific. The show itself is about a recent college graduate who was an English major and now moves into this new neighborhood and embarks on a journey towards an elusive self discovery and purpose. (too bad the plot seemed a little too realistic for me at this time...)
6. Camden Market, Portobello Market: the perfect markets for vintage shoppers :). Although it was raining we still made our way through the streets of the infamous markets. Too bad the dollar means nothing in London. Literally. I could not believe how expensive everything was-- it was a good thing we were only there for 4 days.
7. Saturday was the Putney Boat Race which is basically like Class and Charter Day in Putney. Diana's bar was full of people from early in the morning, so we made our way trying to avoid the crowds, yet still enjoy the day. So, we sat on the curb of an alley eating subway.... there really were a ton of people there leaving our options quite minimal.
Somehow Johanna and I managed to make it home last night without any major catastrophes. Since we were travelling on the day of daylight savings time AND flying through a different time zone, I was pretty convinced we were going to miss our flight. But luckily our flight was 2 hours delayed because Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport is not really functioning at this moment. They opened the terminal about a week ago and between the lack of hired staff and the lack of staff who know how to use the luggage technology, flights are being cancelled and luggage is being lost. But regardless, we are back in Praha and it was a beautiful sunny day today! Hopefully spring is starting to bloom. I can't believe we have 5 weeks left. Time is seriously flying by...
Here is the album from break for those of you who read this far:
I honestly don't really know where to begin recapturing this journey. So much happened and I don't think anyone wants to read about it all- hence the list form that will incite after this paragraph. The main thing about this spring break that I realized was that I could actually travel by myself. I guess that is one of the main points of studying abroad: recognizing your independence. But once you have that realization, it really does feel great.
My adventures began in Paris, where I got to see MERYL. I needed a whole lot of Meryl in my life right about then, as the half way point of this adventure seemed to be dragging on a little. I love seeing other people's abroad situations, so that when we all return back to the states I'll have some idea of what they are talking about when they say, "Remember that time when...". Funny thing: We had a layover in London to get to Paris which was quite the treat...(I have no idea how this could even make sense at all...geographically, especially). It wasn't too bad except for the fact that Jo and I were SPRINTING through Heathrow Airport trying to catch our next flight. The weather was pretty rainy and windy outside which made for some heavy turbulence. But Jo knows how much I hate flying and always held my hand :).
Main things we did/saw in Paris:
1. Louvre: We really only did this because you have to go to the Louvre when you are in Paris for the first time. Of course we saw the Mona Lisa, but to be honest, its hyped up a little too much. The photo itself is like a celebrity: enclosed in a glass case surrounded by body guards preventing you from entering the imaginary sphere around the photo.
2. Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf boat ride across the Siene River where we got to see the Eiffe tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Musee du Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, the Grand Palais and Pont Neuf (the oldest bridge in Paris), among many other sites. Although it was absolutely freezing and raining outside, we endured the cold and stood outside on the boat for most of the journey. I'd say it was well worth it. After our walk back to Meryl's apartment we ended the night properly: with a nice cup of hot chocolate and sweatshirts.
3. American Church in Paris: I went to my first church service on Easter!
4. Pompidou: museum of modern art. The outside of this museum is a tremendous piece of art itself. It looks like one huge science experiment. Inside we saw a ton of installation art work, of which I enjoyed. But what I don't understand is how these pieces of art are moved from exhibit to exhibit...are the simply meant to be temporary or are they replicated each time?
5. Falafel: If you want to have the best falafel, you need to go to the Jewish quarters in Paris. The long line is well worth the wait and quite reflective of just how good the falafel actually is.
6. Versailles: We decided to take a day trip to Versailles once we found out that it was only a 40 minute train ride away. Our plan was to wake up at get to the chateau by 9 am so that Meryl could be back in time for her 1:30 pm class. So, we buy tickets and wait for the train to come. Once we get on the train and it is almost at the last stop we realize that we don't think this is the right train. No one else is on the train and all the lights have been turned out. We had heard an announcement a few minutes ago, but none of us were paying attention. Most of the train ride is underground, so it became quite scary with all the lights off especially since we knew we were pretty far away from the center of the city. Needless to say, we decided to pull the emergency alarm to let the conductor know that we were stuck on it. It was a scene, for sure, and the observers at the train station loved seeing us walk shamefully off the train. But, nevertheless, an hour and a half later we did arrive at Versaille and we did get to walk down the hall of mirrors where at the end, there was a cardboard throne of Louis XIV's. Kind of disappointing, but nonetheless absolutely beautiful...and like most buildings in Paris, gigantic! I think the gardens in the back were my favorite, though.
7. Haircut: Meryl's host family lives right next door to a salon. So on Tuesday when it was pouring rain, I decided that there was nothing better to do but to get basically 8 inches cut of my hair. I'm getting more and more into each day and love the fact that my head feels way lighter now.
On Wednesday Jo and I travelled to London to visit Diana, whom lives above the pub called The Spotted Horse in Putney. What a great area. It's more of a residential neighborhood, yet the center of London is extremely easy to get to. My favorite sites in London:
1. National Portrait Gallery: We went and saw the Vanity Fair exhibit at this museum which was incredible. I was especially able to appreciate many of the photos because we have been discussing them in our photography class recently. It was interesting to see how the photographs have changed since the early 1900s. I think some of my favorite photos were taken by Man Ray and Nan Goldin.
2. Tate Museum: This museum is so big, we only made it to 2 floors. The third and the fifth-- The fifth floor dealth with 'states of flux' while the third floor included 'material gestures'. There was a ton of pop art and minimalistic art which I enjoyed.
3. Freud Museum: this museum is located in one of Freud's old houses in a beautiful residential area on the outskirts of the city.
4. Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus....
5. Avenue Q: since Diana loves broadway shows, we thought it would only be appropriate for us to go to one with her. Avenue Q is absolutely hilarious, it was basically like a puppet show for adults. At first I was skeptical... but the show was really terrific. The show itself is about a recent college graduate who was an English major and now moves into this new neighborhood and embarks on a journey towards an elusive self discovery and purpose. (too bad the plot seemed a little too realistic for me at this time...)
6. Camden Market, Portobello Market: the perfect markets for vintage shoppers :). Although it was raining we still made our way through the streets of the infamous markets. Too bad the dollar means nothing in London. Literally. I could not believe how expensive everything was-- it was a good thing we were only there for 4 days.
7. Saturday was the Putney Boat Race which is basically like Class and Charter Day in Putney. Diana's bar was full of people from early in the morning, so we made our way trying to avoid the crowds, yet still enjoy the day. So, we sat on the curb of an alley eating subway.... there really were a ton of people there leaving our options quite minimal.
Somehow Johanna and I managed to make it home last night without any major catastrophes. Since we were travelling on the day of daylight savings time AND flying through a different time zone, I was pretty convinced we were going to miss our flight. But luckily our flight was 2 hours delayed because Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport is not really functioning at this moment. They opened the terminal about a week ago and between the lack of hired staff and the lack of staff who know how to use the luggage technology, flights are being cancelled and luggage is being lost. But regardless, we are back in Praha and it was a beautiful sunny day today! Hopefully spring is starting to bloom. I can't believe we have 5 weeks left. Time is seriously flying by...
Here is the album from break for those of you who read this far:
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| SpringBrea |
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