weekly forecast: clear skies and SUN!

the city of prague from the top of the church

Today was absolutely beautiful, from the weather to the scenery. Jenna and I woke up at around 10am and decided to take advantage of the nice hot weather (and by hot I mean 30 degrees). So, we decided to go to another tourist spot of Prague, seeing as though we've already been to the Charles Bridge and the Lennon Wall. You guessed it, we went to the PRAGUE CASTLE! We started our adventure by eating at one of our favorite italian restaurants, Grosetto's. We have one by the dorm, but we found another one right on the river with a beautiful view of the castle we were about to visit. After a delicious meal of tomato soup and salad, we ventured toward Prague castle. It took us a little while to get to our destination, but once we did, we took some scenic pictures, got a nice cup of hot wine, and walked around the cute area by the castle.
After, we headed toward the famous church that stands behind it. Let me just say this, Jenna and I woke up with intentions of going to the gym at the end of our day... WOW were we setting our sights high. Little did we know that in addition to the hike up to the castle, we walked up an additional 10 minutes of steep stairs to get to the top of the church behind the castle. 100 crowns and 10 minutes later, we made it to the top, and yes, it was worth the hike. I have never seen Prague from this view before and it made me realize how lucky I am yet again, to be living in such an incredible city. From this high up, we could see EVERYTHING: the bridge, Petrin Hill, the river, all the churches and famous buildings.. it was crystal clear out, which made everything that much better. On our way home, we stopped at Tesco to do some grocery shopping. I stocked up on my usual groceries here: rice cakes, turkey, dried fruit, real fruit (apples and bananas), mango juice, and some salsa. (some things never change, no matter where I am in the world!) We finally got back to the dorm, showered, and tonight we are going to our friend's apartment and then heading out to Lucerna, a really fun club that plays 80's and 90's music on Fridays. Anyway, the weather is supposed to be beautiful this entire week so I'm looking forward to tanks and shorts! Just kidding, but I'm still excited to finally have blue skies.

p.s HAPPY ANNIVERSARY LISA AND HOWARD STERN!! WISH YOU WERE HERE!

classes, culture, & catching up

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted but I have been pretty busy and a little bit under the weather with a cold and sore throat. A lot has been going on since the last time I blogged... A group of guys and girls from my program celebrated Valentine's day by going to this cute little mexican place, Las Adelitas. While it felt amazing to finally have some mexican food I've been craving, (I ordered a chicken tostada with mango salsa, right up my alley) I really don't like Valentine's day all that much, so it wasn't that exciting. 

steph and I at valentines day dinner.

The rest of that week mainly just consisted of my usual intense czech course daily schedule: picking up a fresh juice on the way to class, class from 9-1:30, gym, lunch, back to the dorm by 4, showering, catching up on shows, doing homework, then getting ready for the night. Luckily, the class ended that Friday, and I'm proud to admit I got an A- in czech! I guess I am a local now, considering I mastered vocabulary, adjectives, and the most common czech phrases! Funny because I still can't seem to speak to anyone at the market or ask someone a simple question regarding location, but I'm still going to keep trying to show respect, of course. Everyone on my program was stoked when that repetitious, tedious class finally finished... so we of course used that weekend to celebrate! A couple of my friends from Kappa, Katie and Carrie, were actually in Prague last weekend. It was nice to see some familiar faces in such a foreign country. We grabbed some lunch and then they came out with me and my friends that night. 

Jenna and I at the ballet

I've been super cultural lately, surprising right? I have been dying to go to a ballet here, so we finally went to one called Coppelia. It was held at the Prague National Theater, this beautiful theater with gold all around the insides and paintings of famous members of theater from back in the day. The ballet was much more entertaining to watch than the opera in my opinion. It was funny to see the guys as ballerinas though, I always get a kick seeing them in the tights! Another cultural experience we've had recently has been attending a Prague Sparta hockey game. Apparently, hockey is huge here, so we figured we had to go, and it was the last game of the season so we got lucky to get tickets. It was soo much fun to go and be in a stadium filled with people that shared a love for Praha. We were all screaming "sparta!" and we got hot dogs and hot wine. Regardless of the fact that it was absolutely frigid inside the ice rink, we all had a great time--I even managed to get on the huge mega-screen twice! I got so excited! 

This week was our first week of real classes. My schedule is pretty light, as I think it should be... let's be real, I'm mainly here to explore this new city and learn a bunch of new things, the fact that these classes count for credit is an added bonus! Monday, I have Jewish history from 2:30 to 4. This class seems like it will be a lot of work, but definitely informative. I'm excited to learn about why Eastern Europe is so historical with regards to judaism. The first day we watched a movie about the disappearance of Yiddush people throughout Europe which consisted of many interviews of older jews talking about their lives growing up and now and the differences with regards to religion. That's it for mondays, so normally I'd go to the gym after and then straight back to the dorm. Tuesdays I have Central and Eastern European film from 10-1:30. This class has a lot of writing because after every film we watch together in class we need to write a six page response paper! (seriously, six is WAY too much everyone in class was super annoyed!) That's it for Tuesday... Wednesday is my busiest day but my last day (Yes, my weekend starts on Wednesday :-)). I have my Art and Architecture class from 10-1 and then Jewish History from 2:30-4. The art class is a MUST and I'm so happy I'm in it. Basically, the first 90 minutes we are in class and the teacher lectures us on different styles of architecture. The last 90 minutes, we go on a tour of some specific part of Prague and look at those styles. Yesterday for our first class we went to Old Town Square and went to the top of the astronomical clock. Luckily, it was a crystal clear day out so I got awesome pictures from the top of the tower. 

The view from the astronomical clock tower!

Today we got to sleep in, but since I'm still not feeling too good I didn't sleep that well. Kept tossing and turning. I've been taking medicine, but my throat is killing me so I am just trying to get through it. According to weather.com, the weather is supposed to start getting a little better in March, thank goodness. This week was actually unbearable. It would be 10 degrees, that's right ONE ZERO, when we walked to class in the morning, and made it to a whopping 12 degree high. Good thing for that down jacket, or should I say sleeping bag that covers my body. Without it I would freeze. But today it is 30, basically I should throw on my swimsuit it's so warm here! This weekend I might take it easy because I definitely want to feel 100% for when I start traveling (I leave on March 11 for Sensation in Belgium and then the next weekend to Istanbul!! ) So I definitely want to make sure I am up to speed. Overall, everything is finally feeling like home, I've got my schedule down, have my favorite cafe's and restaurants, and a core group of friends. I miss you all so much and I cannot wait for my mom to visit! 

best day so far.

jenna and i in front of the lennnon wall!

yesterday was by far the best day i've had in prague this far. we finally got to sleep in past 8 which was already making the day better. once we got up at around noon, jenna and i decided to grab some brunch at one of our favorite restaurants called bohemia bagel. we got a make your own omelette and hash browns, which obviously was delicious considering not many places serve good eggs here. after a yummy meal, we met up with one of jenna's sorority sisters who was visiting this weekend from rome. she brought some other girls with her from washington so we met up with them and toured them around praha. it was funny though, since neither jenna nor myself have actually been to all the "touristy spots" yet: charles bridge, lennon wall, prague castle. so we warned them that we might get lost! eventually, we found our way and made it to the charles bridge. the weather was cold but clear and the view from the bridge was stunning!

me on the charles bridge.

 walking across the bridge was so much fun.. there were people playing music, beautiful statues, and a crowd of people taking pictures, smiling, and enjoying the views of prague. as we walked along the bridge and soaked in the breathtaking city that we live in, i really realized how lucky i am to be studying here. there is so much history and beauty that we dont even realize even though we walk around every day. after we crossed the bridge, we made it to the lennon wall, a whole wall with graffiti of sayings of the beatles and designs of peace and love. it is so colorful and pretty and we took plenty of pictures. finally, after a lot of walking and even more pictures, we headed back home but stopped at a cafe for some cokolada, hot chocolate! the hot chocolate here is so sweet and thick, we were just craving that after our cold and productive day. overall, i had such an amazing day yesterday.. the weather, the sites, the people, it was all so great and i know we will have many more days like that in the next four months!

czech does NOT equal spanish.

jenna and i at the opera

hello all, sorry it's been so long, but we have been very busy. today marked the last day of our first week of our INTENSIVE (and by intensive, i really mean that-- 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, of AWFUL czech language). You would literally die if you sat in on that class, i wish i could record it. Jenna and I laugh the ENTIRE time. the letters do not make the sound you would think. for example, ch makes a k sound. makes sense right? no. it sucks. i just speak spanish half the time, which the teacher is not too thrilled about! anyway, we're starting to get it, but it is definitely not going to become a second language. i know how to say the basic greetings and ordering food and drinks (crucial) even though most places speak some english. we are in the 9am-145pm class and our other 2 dorm mates are in the 230-645 one, which kind of sucks since we hardly see them anymore, but we still go out at night. these past few days have been awesome though, besides the class, because we're starting to get a daily routine going, making prague really seem like our home.

jenna, kirsten and i 

this week, we've been waking up at 8, leaving the dorm by 830, stopping at this fresh juice store for some good mango, kiwi, orange juice, going to class, going to the gym, and heading back to the dorm. you know how i always like to feel productive in the morning, so i actually prefer the morning class. last night jenna and I went to an Opera composed by mozart called Magic Flute. the opera house was absolutely stunning. there was a huge chandelier and gold lined throughout the entire theater. it was my first opera and I have to admit i am not rushing back to another one. don't get me wrong, i'm glad i went since it was very interesting and i feel like it was super cultural and one of those things you have to do here, but i'm not the opera type. this weekend, jenna and i are going to try and trek to find a launder-mat because we've been dragging this out for way too long and we both agree it's time to do laundry. the weather hasn't been too bad surprisingly, but our teacher told us it's supposed to get bad again, GREAT. I'm starting to really know my way around, and starting to really feel at home. this is honestly the most beautiful city. i'm hoping to explore a bit this weekend, hopefully go to the lennon wall and charles bridge if it is nice out. mostly, i'm just excited to sleep in!!! Anyway, i miss you all, and don't worry about me, i am having the time of my life!

Moravia, yes it REALLY IS a city.

gregor mendel's museum

What a weekend. We took our first trip with AIFS to Moravia, the center of the first slavic empire, which was established in the 9th century. It is a very religious area, seeing as it is linked with the first Christian mission and contributed to the spreading of christian faith. We got there on Friday, and on our way to Brno, the capital of Moravia, we stopped at a church that had a cloister built in the 13th century. The structure was beautiful and is built in Romanesque-Gothic style. After seeing the beautiful architecture, we moved on to our hotel, WHICH WAS CRAZY NICE (well, compared to the dorms we've been living in where jenna and I can basically hold hands as we sleep). Jenna and I made sure to shower twice while we were there to take advantage of the decent showers. After we had some time to rest at the hotel, the program directors took us to a family run wine cellar for dinner. We got delicious chicken, veggies, and potatoes, and of course, we tasted a bunch of delicious wine. The family told us about each of the wines and showed us where all of them are stored and how long everything takes. Overall, it was so nice going to dinner with a small group of us and getting to learn about Moravian culture. Yesterday we had a long day of sightseeing. After a delicious spread at the hotel (eggs, fruit, tomatoes, cold cuts, etc.,) we visited Gregor Mendel's garden and museum. Mendel grew famous wrinkled peas and discovered the foundations of genetics. It was pretty cool to see all of that, but I'm no scientist (obviously) so I wasn't as intrigued. Next we saw the Austerlitz battlefield from the Napoleonic period where the Battle of Three Emperors took place in 1805. It was very interesting to see the huge area of land where people fought. We also saw the memorial that was build to commemorate all people that participated in the battle. The memorial was so detailed and lined in gold which was gorgeous. Finally, we saw St. James Church, and St. Peter and Paul's cathedral. Both were absolutely stunning, each made differently but again, very detailed and exquisite. To be honest though, many of the churches are blending together to me, but they are all GORGEOUS! Last night, a few of us stayed at the hotel for dinner and then went to bed early. Today we woke up, had another BOMB breakfast, and headed out to see our last cathedral. While we were in there, there was actually a communion taking place! Of course, I was so confused since I've never been to one before, but it seemed intense.

inside of the caves!

jenna and i- outside part of caves

Last but not least, my favorite part of Moravia was the caves! The Moravian Karst is a complec of underground caves, ranked to be the most beautiful area of central Europe. We got there and walked through a portion of the caves, which were dark and icy, but then we got to an outside portion with a waterfall. I can't even describe how beautiful it was! The second part of the cave tour was by boat, kind of like a mixture of the Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, and Pirates of the Carribean rides at disneyland! We got to go on the water through the underground caves and it was beautiful. I'm happy to be back in Prague and with all of our roommates again (Steph didn't come but it is nice to be back together!) Tonight is the superbowl (starts at 1230am Prague time) and so we are going to this American bar to watch the game with a bunch of people from our program. I am so happy to be back in Prague... Home sweet home!

my first snow fall!

view of the entire sternberg castle

The past two days have been unbelievable. Yesterday, a group of us went to Kutna Hora, a small town in the Czech Republic, about 1 hour or so bus drive from Prague. We left at about 830am again, another early morning, and got to our first destination... the Sternberg castle (I felt so famous! They kept mentioning how Stern in czech means "star"!) The castle was absolutely stunning... and right when we arrived, it started to snow &

me and the roomies in front of st. barbaras cathedral

 I was the only one freaking out when I started to see it fall. The castle looked beautiful with its white blanket. After touring the castle, we headed into the central town of Kutna Hora and went on a brief walking tour. We saw a bunch of different cathedrals, structures, and buildings and learned which style they were designed as. The town wasn't THAT beautiful, but I'll admit the architecture was awesome (really got me excited for my architecture class in Prague). After the tour, we got a lunch break and my roommates and I went to a really cute pub and got some good czech food (I got grilled sausage and some potatoes). Hearty as always, wow. After lunch we went to St. Barbara's Cathedral in the center of the city. It was seriously so beautiful. Stained glass windows, intricate engravings and statues, and gold frames everywhere. I was shocked to hear that this church, as well as the synagogue from the day before, is rarely used for actual prayer--more so for concerts. Our final destination of the day was by far the coolest of them all-- The bone church. Inside of this ossuary contained the bones of 40,000 corpses! While it sounds crazy scary, it was actually awesome to see how well the bones were preserved and how many bones there are in one body. We got home at about 6, picked up some sandwiches for dinner in the dorm, and FINALLY GOT INTERNET!! Now we don't have to schlep to the lobby to get internet. We went out last night with some people from other programs which was nice and a good change of pace. The club was called Mecca and it was really fun and had great music and lights.  Overall, it was a great day, and needless to say, busy.

roomies at the Bones church

Today was another great day, but in a different, more relaxing way. After a whopping 5 hours of sleep, we went to the ECES (charles university, my school) office to receive our student ID cards. After that, Jenna and I wanted to sign up for a 3 month gym membership at this awesome gym near Wenceslas Square called World Fitness. We THOUGHT we knew how to get there from the office, but we were sorely mistaken. On our way to the incorrect tram route, it started to SNOW SOOOO HARD and I of course was loving it. After about an hour of walking in the complete opposite direction, we finally found the gym, and were so excited that we found our way. After all, our program director told us on the first day that getting lost is the best way to see the city! After the gym, we went on a hunt to find this place that I have been hearing about from all my friends who went to Prague. This place, Bohemia Bagel, was DEFINITELY worth the walk. Their menu is endless-- bagels, muffins, and scrambles, to chilli, soup, salads, and sandwiches, Jenna and I were struggling with our order choices but ended up both getting some chilli and a salad. It was very delicious and especially in the cold snow! Now we are all back in the dorm, trying to book our weekend trips to Rome, Belgium and Spain. It is a lot harder than we thought seeing as though we have a lot of weekend trips planned with AIFS including Poland, Moravia, Istanbul, and Vienna. Tough life, right? Anyway, tomorrow we are leaving for Moravia at 1030am and I am very excited because it is supposed to be super cool. Hope all is well in the states. Jealous of the weather, Dan.

Pilzen

jenna & i outside of the synagogue 

jenna and i at the pilsner brewery

Dobry Den! Today was a LONG LONG day over here in central europe. We woke up at 8am and headed out on an hour and a half bus ride to a town right inside the border of czech republic called Pilzen. It is not as beautiful as Prague, but it was super interesting and we did a bunch of cool things. First we saw the Jewish Sanctuary of pilzen-- the third largest synagogue in the WORLD. Unfortunately, now there are hardly any Jews left in Pilzen to pray in it, so it is mostly used for concerts and exhibitions. It is insanely gorgeous and exquisitely designed. We learned all about when the communists took over the town, they couldn't destroy the synagogue because it is too close to the main town and attached to some homes. However, the nazis DID remove all the stars of david from the building. After that, we went to the older synagogue which is a lot smaller, but the one that is used for prayer today. We also saw a jewish memorial of all the jews in Pilzen that passed away during World War 2. After the morning tours, we went to a czech lunch in the little town square of Pilzen. I've got to admit, I'm really enjoying some hot goulash and dumplings after a day of 12 degree touring weather. After lunch, we went to the Pilsner brewery (the same one we went to coming into prague) and got to see the entire factory and how they brew everything. It is amazing to see all of the technology and the differences from today from when they first started brewing so many years ago. After a long day, my roommates and I passed out at about 7pm and just woke up a couple hours ago. I'm starting to feel the time difference!!! Anyway, it was a very long day, but very informative and pretty. I love learning about how special the czech republic is and why it is so historical. Hope all is well and I'll update you soon !