mother-daughter bonding time :-)

What an amazing week I just had. Last Wednesday, my mom arrived in PRAHA! Immediately after class, I went to her hotel, which was located in a prime location right in Old Town Square. Right when I got to the hotel, we were so excited to see each other. After a little time catching up in the room and after my mom finished the Pilsner beer I got her (most popular beer in prague) I took her to the dorm to see my FABULOUS living condition and to meet my roommates. 

First sushi dinner in 2 1/2 months!

After a brief tour of my dorm (you only really need about 10 seconds to see the entire room/kitchen) we headed back to Old Town Square to this cute little italian restaurant for appetizers. I can't even describe how happy I was to be in Old Town Square, one of my favorite spots in Prague, with my mom! After some grilled asparagus and sausage, we started walking around to find a spot for dinner. Once I told my mom I was craving sushi since it had been 2 and a half months since I've eaten it, she decided that's what we were going to eat...and I could not have been more thrilled! We went to this cute sushi place called Yami Sushi. We were pretty adventurous as always, and ordered a few of their specialty rolls. The rolls came out on a boat and we were both taken aback when we saw it! The food was delicious and I will definitely be back there with my friends.     
The next day, we woke up BRIGHT & EARLY for our flight to Budapest, Hungary. When I saw the tiny prop plane we were about to embark upon, I started to freak out a little bit. Luckily, I was too tired to stay scared for long since I passed out right when we took off. After a short hour and a half flight, we landed in beautiful budapest. Right when we arrived, we walked around the square by our hotel and stopped at a little cafe for some breakfast! The weather was absolutely perfect ALL weekend.. clear skies, sunny, highs of 65 in Budapest. As I'm sure you can imagine, I was very happy, considering how cold it was in the beginning. After breakfast we checked into our hotel and rested a little bit before our venture to the baths. 

Szechenyi Bath and Spa

Everyone who had been to Budapest before told me I absolutely had to go to the Szechenyi Bath and Spa, so my mom and I decided the first day would be a great day to go and start off our trip with a nice massage! What's so cool about these outdoor and indoor pools is that they are heated from underground hot springs... there are NO heaters! The downside is that the entire place smelled very strongly of sulfur... we were not too stoked about that, but what can you do. Since it was so sunny out, I decided I had to lay out on the lounge chair before my massage. I don't even remember the last time I laid out, and WOW was it amazing. Of course, there I was moving the chair every 5 minutes to be in the direct angle of the sun! Some things never change I guess. The massage was incredible as well. Apparently I had a few knots (who knew studying abroad was so stressful?!) because she was massaging REALLY AGGRESSIVELY on my upper back. It felt great though, and my mom and I were completely relaxed afterwords. When we left the baths we headed back to the hotel, the Sofitel. It was located right next to the famous Chain Bridge and our room had a gorgeous view of not only the bridge, but the city as well. After showers and naps, we were ready to venture out to our wine tasting at Faust wine cave. This place was so cool: it was underground and had such a great vibe. We tried 5 different red wines and then got to choose one more that we liked the most to try again. It was such a treat and I got to taste numerous different flavors of wines. My favorite was a blend of two different red wines! The man who owned Faust was very knowledgeable; throughout the entire tasting, he showed us (on a map) where each wine was made and where the grapes came from. After a delicious wine tasting, we kept the italian spirit going and headed to a cute little italian restaurant not far from our hotel. Overall, our first night in Budapest was a success!

Faust wine cellar in Budapest

    The next day we had a very in depth tour of the Jewish part of Budapest. Our tour guide, Andrea, really knew her history. She even talked more than Michael (and we all know that's quite an accomplishment!) However, I did learn a LOT about Budapest during the communist age. We walked into two synagogues that withstood the Nazi invasion and we walked by buildings which still had bullet holes in them! It was amazing to learn about the history of Budapest and actually see the buildings which made it through the war. In addition to the Jewish tour, Andrea took us to some important sites in Budapest. We saw the Parliament, the US Embassy, Freedom Square, and a statue remaining from the Marx era. At the end of the tour, she took us to the top of this hill where we overlooked the entire city. After a wonderful and detailed tour, we were dropped off at an indoor market, filled with vendors selling meats, cheeses, caviar, dried fruit (my favorite!), hungarian dishes, leather goods, souvenirs, glass art, and much more! We walked around and definitely did a little bit of damage here, but everything we tried was delicious! That night, we went to a restaurant called The First Strudel House, where we watched bakers stretch out the dough for strudel and make it fresh right in front of us.. YUM. On our way back, my mom and I were feeling quite adventurous so we stopped into the casino in our hotel. We were on a losing streak at this blackjack table until we all of a sudden had more chips than we started with!! Wow, guess I'm officially ready for VEGAS!

Cooking class in Budapest!

  Saturday was one of my favorite days in Budapest because we took our very special cooking class! We were each given our own station to cook a different recipe. I was at the dessert station (typical) and I made a sponge cake: half vanilla, half chocolate, with vanilla custard and rum soaked raisins! I've got to say, I was quite impressed with my skills. Just imagine how much better I'll be at cooking after living in an apartment next year! My mom made a potato soup with sausage and a mushroom cream goulash with noodles. I wasn't a huge fan of the sausage soup, but the goulash was AMAZING! The class was so much fun and we had a lot of laughs. For our last night in Budapest, we went to a very nice restaurant specializing in caviar. The food was incredible: I had borsht to start with (Nanny, I'm sure you're proud to hear this) and for my main course I got a grilled salmon on top of risotto with salmon pieces. DELICIOUS! Of course, after dinner we decided to give the casino one more go... while I didn't do so well, I learned quite a bit of blackjack 101 since I was sitting next to a professional GAMER! What a fabulous way to end the trip!
 Back to Prague we went! My mom took my roommates, along with Jenna's boyfriend, Mack, out to a cute czech restaurant. We all had a great time talking and catching up on our weekends. I am so glad my mom got to meet my friends whom I talk about all the time! Now she can actually put a face to a name. After some wine and delicious food, we called it a night and headed back to the hotel. Monday was definitely not the most uplifting of days because me, my mom, Jenna, and Mack headed to Terezin, a concentration camp located about 45 minutes from Prague. It was unbelievable to be standing in the cells that Jews were crammed into, walking on the paths that lead to most of the deaths, and to visit the crematorium where nearly 80,000 bodies went through. Our tour guide was unreal, mostly because he was so passionate about the subject and he was full of knowledge. It was crazy and sad to see the camp, and I learned a lot about the propaganda of Terezin. Unfortunately Jenna and I had class but when I was done, my mom and I walked around a little before dinner and then we headed to this adorable italian place overlooking a very busy street. We split a pizza and pasta dish and like every other night, had great conversation and plenty of laughs! On our way back to the hotel, we walked through Wenceslas square and lucky for me, past H & M where my mother so kindly bought me a number of cute dresses to start my internship wardrobe! 

On the Charles Bridge

Unfortunately the last day of my mom's visit came too quickly! Tuesday I had class but met up with my mom at one of our favorite spots: Bohemia Bagel. I'm pretty sure she enjoyed it. After, we walked into the Spanish Synogague which was awesome to see, especially after having been to Terezin. Since it was such a gorgeous day out, we walked toward the castle and stopped by the river at this cafe for some wine and a latte. What a wonderful way to spend the day! I had such a great time walking around the city pointing out all my favorite spots. For our last night together we went to the most incredible restaurant I've ever been to. Located at the top of the Dancing House, Celeste, a French restaurant, overlooked the entire city. We got there at sundown, and by the time we left, the entire city was lit up perfectly. Our meal was unbelievable! After wine, lobster appetizer, and veal rib, we were stuffed! After a quick look on the terrace which had breathtaking views from outside, we headed back to the hotel. Honestly, this was the best week I've had, and I am so glad my mom got to see what my life has been like here. I can't even describe how amazing this city is but now she got to witness the beauty of it! 

Pita, Doner Kebabs, and Baklava

I just got back from such an incredible weekend. Thursday morning, we headed to the airport for an 11am flight to Istanbul. Right when Turkish Airlines served us a full meal (and quite a good one might I add) of chicken, vegetables, rice, and complimentary wine, I knew I was in for a great trip. Once we got off the plane, we headed straight to the hotel. It was located in a prime spot, right near the major sites and shopping areas (crucial).  Our hotel, the Vezir Hotel, was a small boutique hotel, with green walls, cute interior design, and a small garden where we had breakfast. I had absolutely NO idea how many stray cats there were in Istanbul, but let me tell you, DO NOT go there if you are allergic to cats. Those of you that know me know that I am 100% a dog person, so I was not too stoked to find cats coming up to me at every meal.

me in front of the Blue Mosque

Besides the cats, the food in Istanbul was unreal. I am happy that I am not studying there, because if i were, I'd come back as a completely different human being, one that would not fit into my jeans. We had so many amazing dishes: the first night I got a chicken kebab, which consisted of freshly grilled chicken, vegetables, and some whole grain rice. Oh! How can I forget? Each meal started off with a HUGE piece of freshly made pita bread. We demolished those pitas. Another famous dish in Istanbul is the doner kebab, which are thinly sliced pieces of either chicken or lamb and it comes in a pita or in a sub sandwich. I got a couple of the chicken pita doners... interesting fact: they put french fries INSIDE the pita doners. What a wonderful surprise to bite into. Last but not lease, baklava. What can I say about baklava? Basically, I was never a huge baklava fan before this trip. Granted, I never really had it on a regular basis, but the times I did, I liked it but I wasn't craving it. This baklava was a whole other story. Turkish baklava is so fresh, dripping with honey, chocolate, nuts, and a crisp layer of flakey dough. Basically, it's heaven in your mouth. We all made it a point to try all the different flavors. My personal favorite was the plain one, but a close second was the chocolate baklava.  While the food was unbelievable, I have never witnessed anything as beautiful as the sites we saw in Istanbul. Right after checking into the hotel and putting our bags down, we took a short walk to the Blue Mosque. The first thing you notice about this mosque is the beautifully- arranged cascade of domes. The entire exterior is decorated intricately, with gold linings and detailed engravings. Inside, the mosque is lined with 20,000 blue tiles (hence the name, Blue Mosque) I thought this was the most beautiful sight in Istanbul. From the interior to exterior, everything about the Blue Mosque was so gorgeous!

Jenna and I inside the Aya Sofia.

The next day, we went to the Aya Sofia in the morning. It used to be an orthodox basilica, then a mosque, but it is now a museum. It is said that the Aya Sofia "changed the history of architecture." This is definitely true-- the domes and the interior decor really live up to its expectations. The interior is super tall and from the top, we got a great view of the Blue Mosque and the sea. Overall, it was beautiful and incredible to see how such an old site stayed in tact and so decorative. Later that day, we visited the Topkapi Palace. Crazy enough, this palace was the home to the Ottoman sultans. In addition to the incredible architecture and gardens, we saw swords, daggers, royal clothes, carpets, textiles, ceramics, and armor. We also saw one of the largest diamondsever. It was so beautiful I just wanted to take it out of the case and bring it home! (If it weren't for the security and cameras...) This palace was so big, it took us roughly 2 hours to go through all the rooms! 

Inside the Blue Mosque

After a busy day of touring, we went back to the hotel to rest and clean up for one of the best experiences I've had so far---the turkish baths. Jenna and I signed up for a 15 minute scrub bath and the 30 minute oil massage. This was truly a unique experience: once we walked into the spa where the bath area was, we found everyone laying topless on a huge steaming lounge. When it was my turn to get a bath, the turkish lady (who was also topless, weird...) scrubbed me with soap, and used buckets of water to wash me. She covered me with bubbles and then shampoo'd my hair with this amazing coconut shampoo. It was unlike anything I've ever done, but so incredible. After the bath, we waited for our oil massages which were done on a massage table. It felt so good to relax! After all the girls were done, we had a nice dinner and headed back home for the evening. Nice way to bond with the girl on our program. Saturday we went to the Grand Bazaar, which is known all over the world. There are roughly 4,000 different merchants selling their goodies on this series of covered streets. Anything from gold and silver, carpets, slippers, boots, purses, spices, teas, dried fruits, and much more, can be found here. Unlike shopping in Los Angeles, shopping at the Grand Bazaar was quite a treat. In turkey, they expect you to try and talk them town on the prices... It's kind of like a game for them. Luckily, my mom has taught me very well how to bargain so I think I did pretty well overall. I got a bunch of gifts for family and friends, and a few small things for myself! It was so crazy and eye opening to see the culture at the Grand Bazaar. After Jenna and I did some damage to our bank accounts at the Bazaar, we got to the Port which is by the sea. For those of you that did not know, Istanbul is the only city which is located on two continents, Europe and Asia. For a cheap fare, Jenna and I took a 20 minute boat ride over to... you guessed it, Asia. While it was actually pretty boring and freezing, it was cool to say we've been there!

the view as we were crossing to get to the new area- Taksim

Saturday night we walked about 45 minutes to the newer side of Istanbul. The area was called the Taksim area and it consisted of a 2 mile long street of nice shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs. It was much more lively and modern than the areas we had seen earlier in the weekend. Our group of friends went to one last Turkish meal together and then headed back. It was so cool to see the different areas of Istanbul as we walked to the Taksim... We walked through four areas all together and each was completely different from the next. Today we woke up, did a little bit more souvenir shopping, picked up one last bit of baklava (of course!) and headed back to the hotel to leave for the airport. After a 2 and a half hour flight, we made it back to Prague safely. A new stamp in my passport and a stomach full of baklava and doner later, I am back to my dorm... home sweet home!

Belgian Waffles, Chocolate, and SENSATION WHITE!

roommates and I touring around Brussels

Hi everyone! This past weekend has been hands down the most incredible weekend so far. It was our first trip on our owns, and the destination was Belgium! On Friday, my three roommates and I had a 8:50am flight to Brussels, Belgium. After a short hour and 20 minute flight, we arrived anxious to see what our hostel looked like. Surprisingly, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. It was super close to the Metro where we got off, and a 25 minute walk to downtown Brussels. Steph's friend from Boulder is dating this guy who actually lives in Brussels, so we had our own personal tour guide! He took us to all the sites, including a palace and the world's largest brewery, Delirium, which contains more 2004 different kinds of beer! Crazy! After a great day, we went back to the hostel and changed quickly and went back out with the local boys to a local lounge. It had a new york feel which was very cool. Exhausted, we didn't stay out too late because we knew the next day was Sensation White, the rave with renown DJ's from all over.

Sensation White!

The next day, we had to check out of the hostel at noon, so we left our bags in the lobby, and my roommates and I walked into town to get some souvenirs, and experience all, and I do mean all, of the Belgium specialties. We went to this little restaurant for lunch, and then proceeded to have a DELICIOUS belgian waffle for dessert, with cream and sugar on top. It was perfectly soft on the inside but crisp on the outside. YUMMMMM! It reminded me why I love belgian waffles so much! Then after that, we walked around a little bit more and then stopped into a store called neuhaus chocolates. I was so overwhelmed, but ended up choosing a variety of dark chocolate, caramels, nougat, rice crispy chocolate, etc. Needless to say, I was about ready to die after a day of INTENSE belgian food. But hey, I'm only in Belgium once, so I figured I had to squeeze it all in, no holding back.

me dancing in my all white attire

At about 5, we took the train to Hasselt, a city north of Brussels, where the rave was that night. For those of you wondering exactly what a rave is (anyone not in my generation), it is basically a concert of DJ's that mix a bunch of different songs, specifically techno, house, and there are a lot of lights and the base is VERY strong. The concert went from 10pm to 6am. I kid you not, we lasted the entire time, and you know me... I didn't sit down once. We were dancing for 8 hours straight and my legs definitely feel it today. The rave was all white, so everyone got super creative with their costumes. I actually bumped into a few people from high school at the rave, such a small world. Anyway, we are finally back home, I took a well-needed shower, and now I am about to start my homework. This weekend was amazing, and it is just the first weekend of my travels. Next stop, ISTANBUL ON THURSDAY!

home is where the heart is...

Dobry den!

So I have been in Prague for a little over a month now, and I am so happy to call it my home. Finally, I am getting a feel for the city, I've developed my daily routines, and know how where to get all my groceries, school supplies, boots, etc. I can even tell when someone is ripping me off! While I am nowhere near fluent in czech, I am definitely capable of holding a conversation, or at the very least, saying "Nerozumin" which means, I don't understand. It's weird to think that after this weekend, I will be traveling every weekend up until April 18th. Prague has easily become the most incredible place I've ever been in my life, and I am just so anxious for the weather to get nicer and for flowers to bloom. If it already looks this gorgeous in the cold weather, I can hardly imagine what it will look like with green everywhere! After a grueling 3 days of class, my weekend began on Wednesday. We are taking full advantage of this last weekend we have in Prague for a while. Tomorrow I'll probably wake up and go explore! It's supposed to be sunny and in the 40's, which is very nice for here. I just can't believe it's already March, and by the time I'm done traveling it will be the middle of April! In case you're wondering where I'm going, here's the lineup: Belgium, Istanbul, Budapest, Vienna, Rome, and Poland. We're trying to squeeze one more trip the first weekend of May, but as you can tell, I have a pretty full schedule. We're trying to go to Croatia or greece since it will be warm and beachy! Basically, I am just so happy I chose to study here and I finally feel like I'm settled in and at home.