Finally in Prague

Well I am finally in Prague and I only have one word to describe it...Disneyland! It is something out of a fairytale and I am constantly in awe by the architecture and scenery.

Before we came to Prague we stayed in Munich, Germany for the night. I had a chance to practice my limited German skills and visit a truly unique city. We were all very exhausted by the time we arrived, unfortunately, so I hope to go back. We had a short bus tour of the city and then went back to our hostel. We then went back to downtown Munich to grab dinner. We decided to go to the famous Haufbrau house, but decided it was a bit too intimidating. The waitresses were wearing traditional German dress and serving beers bigger than my head. I met some locals who said we just had to sit down at a long table and wait to be served. It could have taken hours, and we were starving. I am embarrassed to say, we ended up at an Italian restaurant that seemed to attract every other student in our study abroad group...we practically took over the restaurant. Our study abroad director warned us to lower our voices while abroad because Americans are identified by, among other things, our tendency to talk loudly. We were sitting at a table of eleven, and I decided to conduct an experiment...I told everyone to stop talking for a minute, and the restaurant was reduced to silence. That was the first sign that we really needed to practice being respectful!! Fortunately, the waiters love us American students because we tip too much and order so much food. You win some, you lose some!

After crashing at our hostel, we woke up the next morning and boarded a bus headed to Prague. Driving through Germany was absolutely beautiful. The countryside was a mix between Colorado and California, with pine trees lining the roads and some stretches of beautiful green countryside (like from the California "Happy Cows" commercials!). After crossing through the Czech border, we stopped at the famous Pilsner brewery just outside of Prague for lunch. I enjoyed a delicious lunch of beef with dumplings and a great Pilsner light beer (don't worry it's legal in Europe!)

We finally arrived in Prague late Saturday night, dropped our stuff in our "charming" dorm room (It is beginning to feel like home) and hit the town. We went to a great Australian themed restaurant where the waitress put us in a room by ourselves, we hope it was just because we were such a large group and not because we were American. I tried Kangaroo for the first time and it was very good. It was hard for me to eat a non-traditional meat, but I thought I should live this experience to the fullest. Halfway through our dinner we looked over and saw a full grown Shar-pei dog in the bar area with its owner. Apparently, dogs really ARE a part of the family in this country--thus allowed everywhere. This is quite possibly why I love it so much here. Most dogs are leash broken, and follow their owners loyally through the crowded streets. No dog whisperer needed here!! Now all I need to learn is how to say, "May I pet your dog?" in Czech!

Sunday night consisted of orientation, a tour of Prague and more exploration. It was nice to finally see the city in daylight! We learned the lay of the land, including how the tram system worked. It helped since we got lost for two hours the previous evening. We soon learned that the system is very easy and it is actually impossible to get lost. We have it down to a science already!

Today we had our first Czech language course. My teacher is a very hyper Czech woman with a lot of personality. We spent the whole class laughing at her antics. We did learn a few common phrases through the laughter, and I am very excited to continue on. It is really not as hard as I thought, just unlike any other language I have ever heard. "Dobry den!" means hello. There's your first lesson--I'll tell you more later. :)

After the lesson, my travel buddy, Amanda, and I went shopping/exploring in Prague. We probably walked about 5 miles in total and it was simply amazing. I cannot wait to explore more of the city and tell you about it. I am setting up a shutterfly account to make it easier to post pictures and will post the link on this site.

This weekend we are off to Moravia, in the southeastern part of the CZ. I hope things are well wherever you are. Love you all!!!

Love,
Steph