Hola!
I know you all must think I am crazy, but yes...I did rent a car with three of my friends and drove along the East coast of Spain for spring break. For those of you who know me as the nervous type--yes, my anxiety was at its highest. Even though my pulse never quite returned to normal for a week--it was the best spring break I think I have ever had, and a great learning experience. Nothing can scare me now!!
On Thursday, March 22nd, we flew to Barcelona to begin our journey. After getting off the plane we hopped in our rented Opel minivan and drove to our first hostel. A drive that should have taken maybe 20 minutes turned into two hours. Street signs are not very clear in foreign countries...and hostels are not clearly marked with huge thousand dollar fluorescent signs above them. Needless to say, we finally made it in time to crash in our beds in the wee hours of the night. We got about three hours of sleep before it was time to go again.
We were out the door by 6am Friday morning on our way to Sevilla, Spain. People at the gas stations we stopped at thought we were crazy when we told them how far we were driving. Luckily, it only took us 45 minutes to get out of Barcelona and we were on our way. Yes, the drive was long but I saw the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen and the most majestic views of the ocean from our car. It was a really long day but our lovely driver Tim took it like a champ and got us there safe. Again, we faced an hour drive around the city looking for our hostel. When we finally did find the hostel it was around 11pm and we still hadn't eaten dinner. We were in our sweats, with no makeup on, and nonetheless were invited into a fancy restaurant by a very friendly Spanish waiter. We refused a pitcher of Sangria due to cost, but he made us one anyway--insisting we try it. It was a great meal and we were treated like royalty.
Later that night Amanda Pope and I met up with our mutual friend Kasey and went out with her friends. I wore flip flops out that night because it was so nice and started to notice the stares. Kasey told me that not many people wear flip flops in Spain...gasp!! It was fun standing out for a night though, I'm just glad they didn't think I had been hit by a truck or something. I looked like a zombie and felt like one too, but I wasn't about to let the tiredness get to me!!
The next day we woke up and Kasey took us around Sevilla, which to me looked like the Spanish version of Prague. It was a beautiful day and we relished the sunlight and warm temperatures. We walked all through the city and saw the beautiful architecture and fun shopping areas. We stopped for lunch around the siesta time of 2-5 as the town shut down. Good thing the restaurants were still open!! After that we continued our walk through what still remained open and found some great outdoor markets selling jewellery and other fun stuff.
That night we made our way to a huge fairgrounds where they were having a festival of some sort. Never really got the full story on it--but it ended up being a great time. We casually referred to it as a hippie festival. Everyone was out enjoying the nice weather and we even got a chance to throw a football around. Again came the stares...Spanish people don't see one of those very often. We also perused the booths of handmade jewellery and watched some Spanish tribal dancing and drumming.
After the festival we made our way to a tapas restaurant where they basically serve small appetizer portions of things. It was really yummy food but it wasn't long before we had to retire to bed. It was going to be another early morning the next day.
On Sunday morning we got up really early to begin our drive to the port town of Algeciras in southern Spain. We saw a beautiful sunrise that morning. We parked our car at the port four hours later and hopped on a two and half hour ferry ride to Tanger, Morocco (northern Africa!!). It was a really pretty ride and we took the time to nap and regain our strength. When we disembarked the ferry we were greeted by a large hillside of white adobe buildings and gorgeous water. We made our way to the hotel and settled in before our driving tour of Tanger. No, we didn't bring the car here...we had a tour guide named Mustafa drive us around town. He took us immediately to the rich part of Tanger to show us the massive houses owned by kings from other countries. I had never felt so American until that point. He assumed we would only want to see the nice parts of town. It was a little irritating.
As the tour continued we saw some beautiful caves, rode a camel and went to the Medina (outdoor market). At one point we were escorted to the top of a shop just in time for one of the daily Islamic prayers. All of a sudden the town lit up in prayer over loud speakers. It was really interesting to get a taste of that religion. We finished our tour of the Medina without buying anything. We were hassled and stared at the entire time. Again, I had never felt so American.
That night we went out to dinner and went to bed kind of early. We were a little rocked from the day and just wanted to get some rest. The next morning we woke up to pouring rain and took the day off. We decided to hang out in the hotel and regain some strength. That night we went out to a club for dinner and sat under a disco ball the size of an exercise ball. Again, we were treated like royalty and had a great meal.
The next morning we got up early to catch our ferry back to Spain. We were all a little relieved to be leaving Morocco. It was a great experience, but definitely a little uncomfortable. I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. We arrived back in Algeciras and made the two hour drive to Granada. At this point we were more seasoned drivers and found our hostel a little quicker. Tim managed to maneuver a manual transmission van into a car elevator at our hostel. That was quite an experience in itself! After resting for a bit we went out to a great restaurant. I had vegetable paella and it was delicious! We made our way to a tapas bar soon after where you get a free tapa with every drink you order. We stayed for one drink and then walked around the city for a while seeing some of the sites. We had to make our way to Barcelona the next morning so we had to make that night count!
The next morning we intended to wake up at 8, but guess who was the only one up?? Me!!(I know Shauna and Tara are laughing right now). I decided to go out on my own and walk around the city for a bit. It was nice to see Granada in the daylight. It was a really fun city and I definitely wish we had more time there. We had a late breakfast and hopped in the car headed north.
As expected, the drive back to Barcelona from Granada was amazing. We all decided that when we become rich (yeah right!) we would like to own houses in the Spanish countryside. We also drove through the Casa del Sol vacation area that resembles Santa Barbara, CA. The houses and condos were absolutely beautiful and fun to look at. It rained on and off throughout the day unfortunately, but the sun peaked its head out every once in a while.
We finally made it to Barcelona around 9pm and got rid of the car. We all breathed a sigh of relief to have it out of our hands. Then we grabbed a taxi and headed to our hostel. When we arrived at the Kabul Backpackers Hostel our mouths hung open for a moment. The hostel had a bar inside of it and people playing pool, hanging out on the computers and chatting the night away. It was a little overwhelming in our tired state. We checked in and what was supposed to be an 8 person room turned into a 25 person one. We smiled politely and walked upstairs to room 201. We walked in and were immediately greeted by a brother and sister duo from Canada who had taken 4 months off of their lives to travel around Europe. They told us the ins and outs of the hostel and we all felt much better. Tim unfortunately had been driven into insanity by us backseat drivers and was suffering from stomach pains. He was out for the night. We left him to die in his bed (kidding) and went out to dinner. We ended up at another tapas bar and I had a delicious spinach quiche tapa and a fried crab tapa. We then went back to the hostel and went to bed. It was hard to sleep listening to the 10,000 Englishmen in the city for a soccer game scream about their win. All things considered, I'm glad they ended up winning.
The next morning we got up early and did a full day tour of the city, mostly concentrating on Gaudi architecture. He was pretty much off his rocker when he designed these buildings and they were very fun to look at. My favorite was the Sagrada Familia church--his unfinished work. It is a very intricate church with a lot of character. He died before finishing it. It was a beautiful day and a great city.
That night we went out to a nice dinner at a quaint little Spanish restaurant. This time I had seafood paella, which was absolutely delicious. I may be obsessed now. After dinner we went to a free flamenco show by our hostel. After that we hung out in the bar at our hostel for a while and went to bed. The next day we flew home to Prague which was a very bittersweet trip. We were sad to leave beautiful Spain but so happy to come home to Prague--to our own beds and to a culture we have finally gotten used to.
So that was spring break! I survived and it was so much fun. An unforgettable trip deserves this long of a blog right?? I hope you enjoyed it.
A little more than a month until I get home! I can't wait to see you all. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy these last few weeks in my favorite city in Europe. Keep it real...
Adios!
Steph
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
The Past Month
Ahoj!
First of all, apologies for not getting a new post up sooner. As you know, my monitor blew out on Valentine's Day and I only got a new one about two weeks ago. It's sad how attached I am to my computer...
Anyway, I will try and to a quick recap of the past month without making this too long. The weekend before my computer crashed we went to Vienna, Austria with our program. It is a beautiful city, but very incomparable to Prague because most of it was rebuilt after WWII. The buildings look very historical, but strangely new--and the city screams ritzy. The people walking around town are very stylish and obviously come from money. Prada, Burberry and Valentino line the streets--for a minute I thought I was in Beverly Hills! Nonetheless, the city was beautiful and had a lot of history. We saw a beautiful church with an amazing "Last Supper" replica inside, the National Treasury with shiny crown jewels and vintage swords, the extravagant Belvedere Palace and the Spanish Riding center where they train horses to "dance." You can imagine how excited I was... On Saturday evening we went skating around the park in front of town hall listening to awesome music.
On Sunday we went to the spacious Schonbrunn imperial summer residence. We walked through the gardens, saw where Marie Antoinette used to sleep, and listened to the extravagant stories of the royalty that lived there. I might also mention I had the most delicious apple strudel there as well. I am addicted now!
That was a horribly abbreviated version of my trip to Vienna and if you have any other questions, please ask. But moving on...the weekend after Valentine's Day we all went to Paris! Luckily, my roommate has a friend studying there who not only speaks French fluently, but knows the city like the back of his hand. We spent Friday touring every major part of the city including the Eiffel Tower, Champ de Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, The Notre Dame Cathedral and more. We also managed to make it to the Louvre (free for students on Friday nights!) and saw the Mona Lisa. On Saturday we went to the Palace of Versailles, which was very extravagant. On Sunday we just walked around, had lattes and crepes and relaxed in the city until our flight out.
The following weekend we relaxed in Prague and did some touristy things we hadn't had the chance to do yet (ha!). On Friday, I went on a field trip with my history teacher to the St. Syril and Methodius crypt where Czech paratroopers had to hide out from the Nazis after assassinating Heydrich, the Nazi leader in Prague. Their location was ratted out to the Nazis by a traitor. The Nazis used fire hoses to try and drown them down out and finally stormed the church. The paratroopers ended up committing suicide, refusing to let the Nazis take their lives. It was a very sad story but I'm glad I learned more about it. If you want to read a better explanation, go to
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2773167-national_memorial_to_the_victims_of_the_heydrich_terror_prague-i.
After the memorial we went to the town of Lidice, which was leveled by the Nazis as part of revenge for Heydrich's death. The men in the town were shot execution style and buried in a mass grave there. Women and children were gassed unless the children were fit for "Germanization." I can't possibly do justice to the story so please refer to http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/default_en.aspx for more information. It was a very sad trip as well and it is hard to believe that all this happened.
On Saturday we walked across the Charles Bridge, got lost in the city and even visited the Medieval Torture Museum. It was very disgusting learning what people used to do to others in medieval times, it was almost laughable. All in all, it was a nice weekend in Prague.
I think that is enough for this post. In the next one I will tell you all about my trips to Bratislava and Krakow. Get ready for another long one!!! Hope all is well...
Love,
Steph
First of all, apologies for not getting a new post up sooner. As you know, my monitor blew out on Valentine's Day and I only got a new one about two weeks ago. It's sad how attached I am to my computer...
Anyway, I will try and to a quick recap of the past month without making this too long. The weekend before my computer crashed we went to Vienna, Austria with our program. It is a beautiful city, but very incomparable to Prague because most of it was rebuilt after WWII. The buildings look very historical, but strangely new--and the city screams ritzy. The people walking around town are very stylish and obviously come from money. Prada, Burberry and Valentino line the streets--for a minute I thought I was in Beverly Hills! Nonetheless, the city was beautiful and had a lot of history. We saw a beautiful church with an amazing "Last Supper" replica inside, the National Treasury with shiny crown jewels and vintage swords, the extravagant Belvedere Palace and the Spanish Riding center where they train horses to "dance." You can imagine how excited I was... On Saturday evening we went skating around the park in front of town hall listening to awesome music.
On Sunday we went to the spacious Schonbrunn imperial summer residence. We walked through the gardens, saw where Marie Antoinette used to sleep, and listened to the extravagant stories of the royalty that lived there. I might also mention I had the most delicious apple strudel there as well. I am addicted now!
That was a horribly abbreviated version of my trip to Vienna and if you have any other questions, please ask. But moving on...the weekend after Valentine's Day we all went to Paris! Luckily, my roommate has a friend studying there who not only speaks French fluently, but knows the city like the back of his hand. We spent Friday touring every major part of the city including the Eiffel Tower, Champ de Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, The Notre Dame Cathedral and more. We also managed to make it to the Louvre (free for students on Friday nights!) and saw the Mona Lisa. On Saturday we went to the Palace of Versailles, which was very extravagant. On Sunday we just walked around, had lattes and crepes and relaxed in the city until our flight out.
The following weekend we relaxed in Prague and did some touristy things we hadn't had the chance to do yet (ha!). On Friday, I went on a field trip with my history teacher to the St. Syril and Methodius crypt where Czech paratroopers had to hide out from the Nazis after assassinating Heydrich, the Nazi leader in Prague. Their location was ratted out to the Nazis by a traitor. The Nazis used fire hoses to try and drown them down out and finally stormed the church. The paratroopers ended up committing suicide, refusing to let the Nazis take their lives. It was a very sad story but I'm glad I learned more about it. If you want to read a better explanation, go to
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2773167-national_memorial_to_the_victims_of_the_heydrich_terror_prague-i.
After the memorial we went to the town of Lidice, which was leveled by the Nazis as part of revenge for Heydrich's death. The men in the town were shot execution style and buried in a mass grave there. Women and children were gassed unless the children were fit for "Germanization." I can't possibly do justice to the story so please refer to http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/default_en.aspx for more information. It was a very sad trip as well and it is hard to believe that all this happened.
On Saturday we walked across the Charles Bridge, got lost in the city and even visited the Medieval Torture Museum. It was very disgusting learning what people used to do to others in medieval times, it was almost laughable. All in all, it was a nice weekend in Prague.
I think that is enough for this post. In the next one I will tell you all about my trips to Bratislava and Krakow. Get ready for another long one!!! Hope all is well...
Love,
Steph
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Minor Setback
Hello all,
Just letting you know that my computer screen burnt out today and I am borrowing my roommates right now to tell you this. I will be on sporadically, but don't count on it.
Off to Paris tomorrow! Hopefully it will calm my nerves a little. Sad how much I depend on my computer. Oh well! It's all part of the adventure right??
Still having a blast!!
More to come...
Love,
Steph
Just letting you know that my computer screen burnt out today and I am borrowing my roommates right now to tell you this. I will be on sporadically, but don't count on it.
Off to Paris tomorrow! Hopefully it will calm my nerves a little. Sad how much I depend on my computer. Oh well! It's all part of the adventure right??
Still having a blast!!
More to come...
Love,
Steph
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Czech out my first album
Sorry it took me forever to put some pictures on Shutterfly, but here you go!! More to come...
Love you all!
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbM2jJm4csWLjg¬ag=1
Love you all!
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbM2jJm4csWLjg¬ag=1
Monday, January 29, 2007
Culture Shock
Na Stravi (Cheers)!
Well my first week in Prague just came to a close and I sure have a lot to talk about. You are probably wondering why this post is entitled "Culture Shock," but never fear...I will get to that. First I must tell you about the rest of my week and my trip to Moravia.
It snowed earlier in the week and I cannot tell you how happy I was to see that! The entire country was blanketed in white and the cold didn't even bother this California girl...all those winters in Colorado sure helped! A lot came down and we all relished the chance to have massive snowball fights. We soon figured out that it is impossible to make a snowball with frozen hands...
On Thursday our Czech language teacher took us up to Prague Castle where the Prime Minister lives. It was absolutely beautiful and had an excellent view of the snow covered city. It does not look like a typical castle...but more of a massive compound atop a hill. We got some beautiful pictures and then headed down the icy road to our dorm by foot. We got a little lost, but ended up right where we needed to be. To be honest, I have never felt lost since I have been here because the tram system connects to everything and all you have to know is how to read it...pronunciation is a little tougher. But we have come up with fun ways to remember our normal stops. Hradcanska has become H-Rad and we get off there to do our laundry or transfer to the underground metro, which is also extremely easy to use. I am really going to miss the tram system when I get home--paying for gas, what?!
Friday morning we departed by bus to Moravia, a south-eastern section of the Czech Republic, famous for its wine. We stayed just outside the capital of Moravia, Brno. It was a beautiful mountain town covered in snow. Our hotel even had towel warmers! Friday evening I went out with my group of friends to celebrate our friend Tim's birthday. We found an underground, sort of sketchy looking, restaurant. Someone was brave enough to go in and it turned out to have live music, great food and even better wine! It takes about three hours for any meal (Europeans are way more relaxed!) so we had great conversation and a three course meal. I had turkey schnitzel and mixed vegatables (yay Mom!), you should try it.
Saturday morning we went on a walking tour of Brno, which is a city with a lot of interesting history. A lot of the architecture in the city carries with it a lot of sarcasm. For example, one church in town has a little angel above a window with its naked bottom facing the street. Our tour guide told us it was the architects way of showing the other church across the street what they really thought about it! So much for sweet little angels... We all enjoyed a laugh and toured the rest of the city. Another example of architectural sarcasm was in an elaborate decoration adorning a clock tower. One of the pillars in the design is crooked. Apparently, the architect thought the Brno council stiffed him by not paying what they agreed, so he designed to focal point to be crooked!
We also learned that Brno has a very elaborate underground tunnel system that was made a couple hundred years ago. Once a year the tunnels are opened up for the townspeople to explore. There is also a legend in Brno history that the town used to be guarded by the ferocious Brno Dragon--a crocodile that shows its face all over the town on souvenirs, post cards and t-shirts, as a mascot, if you will.
Later that afternoon we took a bus to Austerlitz--a Napoleon battlefield and monument. We couldn't stay for long, however, because we had to make it to dinner at a local winery. We arrived at the winery at about 6:00 p.m. (or 18:00 as it is in the CZ) and found out we had to walk almost half a mile to the actual underground cellar (or at least it felt like it). The road was icy, but luckily no one sustained any injuries. We had chicken for dinner (a very small portion in comparison to the American ones!) and then we began the wine tasting. We had four wines, two white (bily) and two red (cervena) wines. They were all delicious and we learned (by translator) how to properly sample wines. After the tasting we had our choice of buying two of the wines for a flat price of 150 korunas (Czech crowns) which is quite a steal at $3 a bottle...the exchange rate is great here!
Side note...we also discovered that warm wine is quite delicious. You should try it!
On Sunday, we went to Gregor Mendel's (the father of genetics) garden which I thought was absolutely amazing. The garden was covered in snow, but it was still very surreal to be standing in the place where genetics was discovered. We all did not recall learning that this was discovered in Brno...woops!
We then made the trek to an underground Punkva cave system which was gorgeous. Good thing I am not claustrophobic! We had a tour of the caves and rode a small boat through the underground artificial river made in the 1920's.
So anyway...culture shock. I have not experienced bad culture shock as of yet. No sleepless nights, no homesickness, just a few slaps in the face. In general, Europeans are ok with Americans--indifferent if you will. But I have noticed there are a few differences as far as manners go. For example, in Tesco (the Target/Wal Mart of Prague) people will ram you with their cart, or hit you with their canes just so they can get through. Men don't hold open the door for women, and if you accidentally bump into someone and say excuse me or sorry (in Czech, mind you), they look at you like you are just a complete idiot. They laugh at us when we try to speak Czech, or won't even let us try. It's sad that everyone here speaks english. My favorite thing is when I ask if someone can speak english (Mluvite anglitzsky?) they always say "a little bit." Next thing I know, I am special ordering food or carrying on a conversation with them. When I say I can speak a little German or Spanish...I really mean a little. There is no way I could carry on an intense conversation with anyone.
Another one of the bigger shockers we found out was that the Czech people rarely, if ever, say "I love you" to one another. Our czech language teacher (who may have been exaggerating) said that she had never said "I love you" to her husband of 34 years. Wow. In America, so much emphasis is put on those three words. It is the dividing moment in relationships and to me, completely necessary to say to family. I say it all the time and I really do mean it. They apparently just think it's not necessary. I, being the dork that I am, felt the urge to do research on the topic of love in different cultures. Maybe in my second life, I will be a professor and will assign that topic. :) Who knows...
Anyway, culture shock has not been nearly as bad as anyone said it would be. Practically everyone here speaks english (it has NEVER been a challenge even if they really do only speak a little). I am very excited to learn more about this city and its culture. It's hard to believe that only 14 years ago, this was a communist country. How far it has come!
Anyway, LOVE YOU ALL!!! I hope everything is going well back in the states or wherever you are reading this from. Na schladanou (Goodbye)!!
Love,
Steph
Well my first week in Prague just came to a close and I sure have a lot to talk about. You are probably wondering why this post is entitled "Culture Shock," but never fear...I will get to that. First I must tell you about the rest of my week and my trip to Moravia.
It snowed earlier in the week and I cannot tell you how happy I was to see that! The entire country was blanketed in white and the cold didn't even bother this California girl...all those winters in Colorado sure helped! A lot came down and we all relished the chance to have massive snowball fights. We soon figured out that it is impossible to make a snowball with frozen hands...
On Thursday our Czech language teacher took us up to Prague Castle where the Prime Minister lives. It was absolutely beautiful and had an excellent view of the snow covered city. It does not look like a typical castle...but more of a massive compound atop a hill. We got some beautiful pictures and then headed down the icy road to our dorm by foot. We got a little lost, but ended up right where we needed to be. To be honest, I have never felt lost since I have been here because the tram system connects to everything and all you have to know is how to read it...pronunciation is a little tougher. But we have come up with fun ways to remember our normal stops. Hradcanska has become H-Rad and we get off there to do our laundry or transfer to the underground metro, which is also extremely easy to use. I am really going to miss the tram system when I get home--paying for gas, what?!
Friday morning we departed by bus to Moravia, a south-eastern section of the Czech Republic, famous for its wine. We stayed just outside the capital of Moravia, Brno. It was a beautiful mountain town covered in snow. Our hotel even had towel warmers! Friday evening I went out with my group of friends to celebrate our friend Tim's birthday. We found an underground, sort of sketchy looking, restaurant. Someone was brave enough to go in and it turned out to have live music, great food and even better wine! It takes about three hours for any meal (Europeans are way more relaxed!) so we had great conversation and a three course meal. I had turkey schnitzel and mixed vegatables (yay Mom!), you should try it.
Saturday morning we went on a walking tour of Brno, which is a city with a lot of interesting history. A lot of the architecture in the city carries with it a lot of sarcasm. For example, one church in town has a little angel above a window with its naked bottom facing the street. Our tour guide told us it was the architects way of showing the other church across the street what they really thought about it! So much for sweet little angels... We all enjoyed a laugh and toured the rest of the city. Another example of architectural sarcasm was in an elaborate decoration adorning a clock tower. One of the pillars in the design is crooked. Apparently, the architect thought the Brno council stiffed him by not paying what they agreed, so he designed to focal point to be crooked!
We also learned that Brno has a very elaborate underground tunnel system that was made a couple hundred years ago. Once a year the tunnels are opened up for the townspeople to explore. There is also a legend in Brno history that the town used to be guarded by the ferocious Brno Dragon--a crocodile that shows its face all over the town on souvenirs, post cards and t-shirts, as a mascot, if you will.
Later that afternoon we took a bus to Austerlitz--a Napoleon battlefield and monument. We couldn't stay for long, however, because we had to make it to dinner at a local winery. We arrived at the winery at about 6:00 p.m. (or 18:00 as it is in the CZ) and found out we had to walk almost half a mile to the actual underground cellar (or at least it felt like it). The road was icy, but luckily no one sustained any injuries. We had chicken for dinner (a very small portion in comparison to the American ones!) and then we began the wine tasting. We had four wines, two white (bily) and two red (cervena) wines. They were all delicious and we learned (by translator) how to properly sample wines. After the tasting we had our choice of buying two of the wines for a flat price of 150 korunas (Czech crowns) which is quite a steal at $3 a bottle...the exchange rate is great here!
Side note...we also discovered that warm wine is quite delicious. You should try it!
On Sunday, we went to Gregor Mendel's (the father of genetics) garden which I thought was absolutely amazing. The garden was covered in snow, but it was still very surreal to be standing in the place where genetics was discovered. We all did not recall learning that this was discovered in Brno...woops!
We then made the trek to an underground Punkva cave system which was gorgeous. Good thing I am not claustrophobic! We had a tour of the caves and rode a small boat through the underground artificial river made in the 1920's.
So anyway...culture shock. I have not experienced bad culture shock as of yet. No sleepless nights, no homesickness, just a few slaps in the face. In general, Europeans are ok with Americans--indifferent if you will. But I have noticed there are a few differences as far as manners go. For example, in Tesco (the Target/Wal Mart of Prague) people will ram you with their cart, or hit you with their canes just so they can get through. Men don't hold open the door for women, and if you accidentally bump into someone and say excuse me or sorry (in Czech, mind you), they look at you like you are just a complete idiot. They laugh at us when we try to speak Czech, or won't even let us try. It's sad that everyone here speaks english. My favorite thing is when I ask if someone can speak english (Mluvite anglitzsky?) they always say "a little bit." Next thing I know, I am special ordering food or carrying on a conversation with them. When I say I can speak a little German or Spanish...I really mean a little. There is no way I could carry on an intense conversation with anyone.
Another one of the bigger shockers we found out was that the Czech people rarely, if ever, say "I love you" to one another. Our czech language teacher (who may have been exaggerating) said that she had never said "I love you" to her husband of 34 years. Wow. In America, so much emphasis is put on those three words. It is the dividing moment in relationships and to me, completely necessary to say to family. I say it all the time and I really do mean it. They apparently just think it's not necessary. I, being the dork that I am, felt the urge to do research on the topic of love in different cultures. Maybe in my second life, I will be a professor and will assign that topic. :) Who knows...
Anyway, culture shock has not been nearly as bad as anyone said it would be. Practically everyone here speaks english (it has NEVER been a challenge even if they really do only speak a little). I am very excited to learn more about this city and its culture. It's hard to believe that only 14 years ago, this was a communist country. How far it has come!
Anyway, LOVE YOU ALL!!! I hope everything is going well back in the states or wherever you are reading this from. Na schladanou (Goodbye)!!
Love,
Steph
Monday, January 22, 2007
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
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
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Londontown!!
Cheerio!
Hello from Londontown! It has been a whirlwind trip but we managed to get in a lot of stuff.
My travel buddy, Amanda, and I started our journey on Sunday evening at 10:00 p.m. when we flew out of LAX on a red eye to New York City. We got off the plane at 5:45 in the morning, dropped off our bags at our hotel in Manhattan and headed off to the city. We went to a great little diner for breakfast and then spent a few hours walking around--we made it to Times Square, and the surrounding area. We pretty much did a walking tour of Manhattan and were simply exhausted by the time lunch rolled around. The city was amazing, and it was everything I imagined. Later on, we met up with a friend from Chapman and went to the Natural History Museum for the afternoon. That evening we joined her for dinner at an Italian restaurant next to where Letterman is shot and then went to bed for the evening.
The next day was spent travelling all day from JFK airport, then to Dulles, then to London. To make a long story short, we arrived in London on Wednesday the 16th early in the morning. We then had the rest of the day free which we spent drinking coffee, napping and getting used to the time difference. We went to a fun dinner at Med Kitchen, a posh restaurant down the street from our hotel. Everything is so expensive here, so I enjoyed a small salad with hardly any dressing on it--but it was delightful in its own special way.
Later on we went to our first english pub had one drink and then went straight to bed.
This morning we enjoyed a bus tour of the city where we saw The Tower Bridge, St. Pauls Cathedral and some other great sites around the better part of London. I will be uploading pictures pretty soon.
This afternoon, we had a great lunch at another pub in London. We then took the "Tube" to Westminster Abbey and the famous Harrods department store. Tonight we are seeing the musical, "Avenue Q." We are all very excited!!
Tomorrow, we are off the Munich for the evening and then Prague the next day. Miss you all, and I will post another update soon.
Much love,
Steph :)
Hello from Londontown! It has been a whirlwind trip but we managed to get in a lot of stuff.
My travel buddy, Amanda, and I started our journey on Sunday evening at 10:00 p.m. when we flew out of LAX on a red eye to New York City. We got off the plane at 5:45 in the morning, dropped off our bags at our hotel in Manhattan and headed off to the city. We went to a great little diner for breakfast and then spent a few hours walking around--we made it to Times Square, and the surrounding area. We pretty much did a walking tour of Manhattan and were simply exhausted by the time lunch rolled around. The city was amazing, and it was everything I imagined. Later on, we met up with a friend from Chapman and went to the Natural History Museum for the afternoon. That evening we joined her for dinner at an Italian restaurant next to where Letterman is shot and then went to bed for the evening.
The next day was spent travelling all day from JFK airport, then to Dulles, then to London. To make a long story short, we arrived in London on Wednesday the 16th early in the morning. We then had the rest of the day free which we spent drinking coffee, napping and getting used to the time difference. We went to a fun dinner at Med Kitchen, a posh restaurant down the street from our hotel. Everything is so expensive here, so I enjoyed a small salad with hardly any dressing on it--but it was delightful in its own special way.
Later on we went to our first english pub had one drink and then went straight to bed.
This morning we enjoyed a bus tour of the city where we saw The Tower Bridge, St. Pauls Cathedral and some other great sites around the better part of London. I will be uploading pictures pretty soon.
This afternoon, we had a great lunch at another pub in London. We then took the "Tube" to Westminster Abbey and the famous Harrods department store. Tonight we are seeing the musical, "Avenue Q." We are all very excited!!
Tomorrow, we are off the Munich for the evening and then Prague the next day. Miss you all, and I will post another update soon.
Much love,
Steph :)
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