Dear faithful readers,
I am sorry for the long gap between entries. Know that I still love you all. With that being said, I am back.
When I last left you I was preparing for the arrival of parents. My week with my parents was amazing and it flew by.
After my parents left Prague, I departed for Paris to visit Lisa.
This past weekend I went to Krakow.
Tomorrow is my birthday.
Until next time
Alex
What is that you say? You want the details? Fine.
I will start with my parents journey to Prague. My parents (and only readers of this here blog) arrived on Thursday April first. We hoped in a cab and went over to their hotel in Namesti Republiky. I knew their journey was off to a great start when I had to give our cab driver directions to the hotel… a truly scary notion considering their hotel was in the heart of the city. My folks unpacked and we grabbed some dinner. As my parents evening was winding down, I prepared to go back to my dorm and rest up for the long week ahead of me. That was until I received three different phone calls urging me to join my friends at Radost. After putting up a fight for 5 minutes, I gave in and thus kicked off my week of zero sleep. After a long night of dancing and fun at Radost I went to sleep, only to wake up at 9 to spend the day with my parents. I spent Friday showing my parents around Prague. Friday night my parents took a few of my friends to Jama and we had an awesome dinner. Friday night my parents declined my invitation to join my friends and I at Lucerna for 80’s music night. Their loss. Saturday we spent more time exploring Prague and seeing the sights. After an early dinner, I ditched (sorry) my parents and went on a pub crawl with some of Kacy’s friends who were visiting from all over Europe. Sunday morning I put on my tour guide hat and escorted my parents around Prague’s historic Jewish Quarter. Sunday evening we say Don Giovanni in the marionette ( I spelled marionette correctly on my first try!) theater. Monday morning I met my parents bright and early at the main train station in Prague. Our plan was to spend the day in the western bohemian city of Plzen. Plzen is home of the Pilsner Urquell brewery, the most famous brewery in the Czech Republic. Going to visit the brewery was a sort of pilgrimage I felt I needed to make during my time in the Czech Republic. Anyway, we went on the brewery tour and learned all about beer, and got to try the freshest Pilsner there is, and yes it was delicious. After our lovely tour we went to Na Spilce, a famous Czech restaurant located within the gates of the famous brewery. While waiting for our food a rowdier group of Sparta Praha soccer fans entered the establishment. Known for their mild manners and kindness, I wasn’t to worried about their presence. Within a few minutes of being the establishment, a few bad apples starting brawling. No I never would have imagined a group of soccer fans, in a brewery could get rowdy, but what do I know. Well, as the fighting broke up my parents and I decided it would probably be a good idea to exit the establishment. That was probably a good idea. As we exited at least 200 riot police began to storm Na Splice. These guys were in full riot gear, complete with batons, tear gas, and barking dogs. After that we wandered around Plzen and ventured back to Prague. Monday evening Sara, Celia, Jenny, Walt, Becca and myself went to dinner with my parents. We went to the circle restaurant which I just found was called Kultak. Tuesday I had a midterm and a fieldtrip so I was unable to see my parents. Wednesday was my parents last night in Prague. On the recommendation of my Jewish History professor, we went to a delicious restaurant in the Imperial. After dinner I said my goodbyes to my parents and just like that our week together was over.
Paris:
Friday morning 3:30 a.m. my alarms sounds. I had fallen asleep a mere 3 hours earlier, yet I was now awake. How could this be? Well, in order to go to Paris for a reasonable price, Becca, Sloyer and I decided to take a 6 am flight. Whoop. By 4 am our Taxi was at our dorm ready to take us to the airport. The most amazing thing happened, Becca was on time that morning. This is because I told her to be downstairs at 3:50. Sorry Becca. Our cab ride was semi frightful. At one point in the ride I looked at the speedometer which read 140 kph or 87 miles per hour. Now it is important to note that from my dorm to the airport there are zero highways. Meaning that we were driving at a speed of 87 miles per hour on normal streets. But we alas we arrived safely at the airport and checked in for our flight. We flew a discount airline called Wizz Air, and the seating is a mad dash to the plane. We arrived at the airport in Paris, however it was not the main airport Charles De Gaul. The airport we flew into was called Beauvais and it was about an hour and a half outside of Paris. So after the long bus ride, a ride on which I had the worst seat on the bus, dead center in the back row, we arrived at the bus station and thanks to the wonderful direction I had gotten from Lisa we made it to the area where our hotel was. After looking for about 30 minutes we found the luxurious Paris Bruxelles Hotel. Lisa came over to the hotel and took us around the Jewish area of Paris, and I finally got to eat my eagerly awaited falafel, which exceeded expectations. We then spent the day touring the city and we had a delicious dinner at some restaurant (great detail… I know). After dinner we were exhausted so we headed back to the hotel, and hopped into our beds. The beds were a testament to my exhaustion, because they were pretty crappy, and didn’t have real pillows.
Saturday we woke up nice and early and again spent the day touring Paris. We went to the Eiffel Tower (where I bought the coolest sunglasses ever), The Toulerise gardens, the Champs Elysse and of course the Longchamp store (kill me). After our long day we went back to Lisa’s to hang out until dinner. Before dinner we went to an awesome underground bar that was definitely playing Hebrew music, so that was cool. We ate dinner at this tiny Italian restaurant and that was really good too. We didn’t finish dinner until about midnight. That really wasn’t an issue, because we had no hotel for the night. You see we had an 8 am flight Sunday morning out of Beauvais. That in itself isn’t too early, but we needed to be at the bus station at 4:45 to take the bus back out to Beauvais. So, we decided we should pull an all nighter. So at around 1:30 Sloyer, Becca and I left Lisa’s apartment and decided to tramp around the mean streets of Paris for a while. We went back to the Champs Elysse and walked around for about 30 minutes, and then took refuge in a semi-shady bar. At 4:15 we hailed a cab and it took us to the bus station. The cab ride was scarier than the one we had taken in Prague. The driver wasn’t a big fan of stopping, so he would just weave in and out of traffic and would just pull uturns instead of waiting for lights. But we made it to the bus and to the airport. By the time we hit Beauvais Sloyer and Becca were pretty zonked, and I was getting my second wind. They did not appreciate my singing of Madonna’s like a prayer (although deep down I know they loved it). We returned to Prague by 10 a.m. and that was Paris.
Coming soon:
Krakow, and my birthday (I have a glow in the dark shirt)!
Also Sara Sloyer took the liberty of writing a birthday blog entry. So read it!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Fear Not
My blog will return by the end of business today!
I am currently working on a loooooooong entry to catch you up on all of my happenings. Hold tight and get excited.
In the meantime stare at this picture of me and the Krakow Subway Dragon.
I am currently working on a loooooooong entry to catch you up on all of my happenings. Hold tight and get excited.
In the meantime stare at this picture of me and the Krakow Subway Dragon.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Jídlo
Things have been pretty quiet in Prague. But I can’t leave my faithful readers blogless for too long. So I have decided to embark on a weeklong series about all things Prague. That is right, 5 entries in 5 days. Topics will be food, drink, nightlife, school, and a collection of random thoughts that are just pooling in my head.
Today’s topic: Food
Anyone who knows me knows that I am one of the pickiest eaters on Earth. I have always been that way, as a youngin I would eat certain chicken nuggets and not others (and only McDonalds nuggets), I used to refuse to eat anything with grill lines, to my absolute fear of any condiments (still a very prevalent issue). Although I am better than I used to be, I am still pretty picky. So when deciding that I will leave America to go live in Europe for four months, the food was an obvious concern. Would I live Czech food? Would I find food that I liked? Would I be forced to live on McDonalds? Well the good news is that I am not living on McDonalds. So, strap on your seat belts and prepare for a cuisine trip through my eyes.
Eating Out: Back home eating out is always fun. I get to hop in the car and drive to my favorite destination. Eating out in Prague is just as fun. I have some favorite restaurants here and I definitely have some favorite dishes. My favorite dish is obviously Chicken in a Jacket which can be found in the restaurant in my dorm. A quick refresher, Chicken in a Jacket is two breasts of chicken coated in whole cornflakes and fried to perfection. It is so good and even though I always say that I am going to try something new, I have yet to be successful. Another very popular establishment is “The Restaurant in the Circle”. Does this place have a real name? I am sure, but it is down the street from my dorm, and it is in a circle, hence the name. Though pricier than other establishments, this authentic Czech restaurant offers some delicious menu items, including chicken noodle soup. Another very popular cuisine offered in the Czech Republic is Italian food, mainly pizza. There are literally Pizza and Italian restaurants everywhere in the city. The pizza here is consistently good and I have yet to be let down. I have ventured to one Mexican restaurant and will just have to wait until I get home for the good stuff. I also have not had red meat since I landed in London back in January.
In my life I have also never really had pork. Jewish Alex has never been able to sit down and order a pork chop, bacon, sausage and other pork items. This has never been a problem. While it isn’t a problem in the Czech Republic, it is an obstacle. Pork is by far the most favored and common meat here and can sometimes limit my options when dining out.
Fast Food: Back in College Station, I eat a lot of fast food, way too much fast food. But Freebirds, Wendy’s, Blue Baker, Taco Bell and others cook much faster than I do, and for the most part much better. If you were to walk around Prague, especially in Prague 1 (main area of town) you are bound to see a KFC at almost every turn. Don’t worry there are still plenty of McDonalds to be found as well. So, are these two staples of the American fast food scene the same in Prague? Yes and no. McDonalds is basically the same way it is at home. They have a dollar menu with very similar items, they have Big Macs and even chicken nuggets. In my life I have never had a burger in a fast food restaurant, so I have only had 2 items on the McDonalds menu, nuggets and a chicken sandwich. Both of which were equal to their American counterparts. I have only had McDonalds 3 times since my arrival. KFC is the prevalent fast food chain. Again I have only had twice, but I have observed some considerable difference from KFC back home. Pro- The chicken here is much spicier than home. Con- No potato wedges. Pro- It is dirt cheap. Con- Biscuits, non-existent. Then there is Czech fast food. If you were to take a quick walk around Wenceslas square (one of the main areas in town) you will see 8-10 “fast food” stands. These feature Czech favorites like sausage, sausage, sausage, fried cheese, sausage and hot dogs, all of which are smothered in delicious condiments. Again, not being a pork eater or a condiment man I have some issues at these stands. The fried cheese sandwiches are pretty good, but they don’t compare to their counterparts that you find at sit down restaurants. Of course there are also places like Paneria which is a pastry, coffee, sandwich place that is pretty good and ubiquitous. The most important thing about these fast food places and stands are all open late, later than clubs, which makes them invaluable in the late evening/ early morning.
Cooking: I am no chef. I can boil up a mean pot of pasta, throw anything on a grill, add water to many types of soup mixes, microwave anything, and put together a sandwich. Well in my dorm room I have no microwave, no oven, and no real stove. I have a hot plate. So when it is time to cook my options are very limited. Luckily I love plain chicken, because I often find my self pan frying chicken. I am starting to get a little more creative in my preparations. Of course I also make a lot of pasta. At school I make a turkey sandwich almost everyday. I love the stuff. Here, 90% of deli meats are pork products and the turkey just leaves a lot to be desired. My sandwich consumption is down probably 75-80%. BUT Prague has rekindled my love of peanut butter. There isn’t much I haven’t slathered peanut butter on. Basic staples like crackers, pretzels, chips are all the same. Tonight I am going to attempt to make a chicken-Philly… wish me luck.
Join me tomorrow for my musings on all things drink related.
Today’s topic: Food
Anyone who knows me knows that I am one of the pickiest eaters on Earth. I have always been that way, as a youngin I would eat certain chicken nuggets and not others (and only McDonalds nuggets), I used to refuse to eat anything with grill lines, to my absolute fear of any condiments (still a very prevalent issue). Although I am better than I used to be, I am still pretty picky. So when deciding that I will leave America to go live in Europe for four months, the food was an obvious concern. Would I live Czech food? Would I find food that I liked? Would I be forced to live on McDonalds? Well the good news is that I am not living on McDonalds. So, strap on your seat belts and prepare for a cuisine trip through my eyes.
Eating Out: Back home eating out is always fun. I get to hop in the car and drive to my favorite destination. Eating out in Prague is just as fun. I have some favorite restaurants here and I definitely have some favorite dishes. My favorite dish is obviously Chicken in a Jacket which can be found in the restaurant in my dorm. A quick refresher, Chicken in a Jacket is two breasts of chicken coated in whole cornflakes and fried to perfection. It is so good and even though I always say that I am going to try something new, I have yet to be successful. Another very popular establishment is “The Restaurant in the Circle”. Does this place have a real name? I am sure, but it is down the street from my dorm, and it is in a circle, hence the name. Though pricier than other establishments, this authentic Czech restaurant offers some delicious menu items, including chicken noodle soup. Another very popular cuisine offered in the Czech Republic is Italian food, mainly pizza. There are literally Pizza and Italian restaurants everywhere in the city. The pizza here is consistently good and I have yet to be let down. I have ventured to one Mexican restaurant and will just have to wait until I get home for the good stuff. I also have not had red meat since I landed in London back in January.
In my life I have also never really had pork. Jewish Alex has never been able to sit down and order a pork chop, bacon, sausage and other pork items. This has never been a problem. While it isn’t a problem in the Czech Republic, it is an obstacle. Pork is by far the most favored and common meat here and can sometimes limit my options when dining out.
Fast Food: Back in College Station, I eat a lot of fast food, way too much fast food. But Freebirds, Wendy’s, Blue Baker, Taco Bell and others cook much faster than I do, and for the most part much better. If you were to walk around Prague, especially in Prague 1 (main area of town) you are bound to see a KFC at almost every turn. Don’t worry there are still plenty of McDonalds to be found as well. So, are these two staples of the American fast food scene the same in Prague? Yes and no. McDonalds is basically the same way it is at home. They have a dollar menu with very similar items, they have Big Macs and even chicken nuggets. In my life I have never had a burger in a fast food restaurant, so I have only had 2 items on the McDonalds menu, nuggets and a chicken sandwich. Both of which were equal to their American counterparts. I have only had McDonalds 3 times since my arrival. KFC is the prevalent fast food chain. Again I have only had twice, but I have observed some considerable difference from KFC back home. Pro- The chicken here is much spicier than home. Con- No potato wedges. Pro- It is dirt cheap. Con- Biscuits, non-existent. Then there is Czech fast food. If you were to take a quick walk around Wenceslas square (one of the main areas in town) you will see 8-10 “fast food” stands. These feature Czech favorites like sausage, sausage, sausage, fried cheese, sausage and hot dogs, all of which are smothered in delicious condiments. Again, not being a pork eater or a condiment man I have some issues at these stands. The fried cheese sandwiches are pretty good, but they don’t compare to their counterparts that you find at sit down restaurants. Of course there are also places like Paneria which is a pastry, coffee, sandwich place that is pretty good and ubiquitous. The most important thing about these fast food places and stands are all open late, later than clubs, which makes them invaluable in the late evening/ early morning.
Cooking: I am no chef. I can boil up a mean pot of pasta, throw anything on a grill, add water to many types of soup mixes, microwave anything, and put together a sandwich. Well in my dorm room I have no microwave, no oven, and no real stove. I have a hot plate. So when it is time to cook my options are very limited. Luckily I love plain chicken, because I often find my self pan frying chicken. I am starting to get a little more creative in my preparations. Of course I also make a lot of pasta. At school I make a turkey sandwich almost everyday. I love the stuff. Here, 90% of deli meats are pork products and the turkey just leaves a lot to be desired. My sandwich consumption is down probably 75-80%. BUT Prague has rekindled my love of peanut butter. There isn’t much I haven’t slathered peanut butter on. Basic staples like crackers, pretzels, chips are all the same. Tonight I am going to attempt to make a chicken-Philly… wish me luck.
Join me tomorrow for my musings on all things drink related.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
A Severe Lack of Beer
Greetings,
How do I blog about a week where nothing happened? This weeks entry will be nice and short.
Last weekend I did absolutely nothing. I laid in bed coughing my lungs out and sipping on cough syrup. By the time Monday came around I was ecstatic to go to class, because that meant I got to go outside. Monday I left super early for class to grab some lunch and work on a presentation. I went to this small pizza place where the highlight was the entire kettle of tea they gave me. The tea was much better then most of medicine I had been taking. Also being sick made me realize how much I have come to love beer in Prague. Being a responsible individual I didn’t drink with all of the medications I was taking. But I am back and trying to make up for lost time (Hence the name of this entry). After class on Monday Walt and I grabbed some donuts and headed back to the dorm, just as some snowflakes began to trickle in. While sitting at our desk in our room we noticed the sky turn a nasty shade of gray. Next thing we know the winds had picked up, the clouds opened up and there was mini blizzard. I don’t care what any haters say, it was a mini blizzard.
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. I was lucky enough to have chicken in a jacket on Tuesday night. That is a dish I will never tire of. I keep telling myself that I am going to try something new at the dorm restaurant but I have been unsuccessful thus far. Wednesday I found a tea room before my afternoon class which was awesome because it was basically a coffee shop that served tea instead of coffee, and since I hate coffee, I was very excited.
Thursday night Sara, Sarah, Jenny, Walt, Kacy, Becca and myself were invited to Celia’s parents rented apartment/hotel for a home cooked dinner. The dinner was great and it was really nice to congregate in a place that wasn’t a bar or a dorm room. There was a couch and everything. So I just want to thank my loyal readers the Foxes for a great evening.
See, nice and short, just as promised.
Until next time
Alex
How do I blog about a week where nothing happened? This weeks entry will be nice and short.
Last weekend I did absolutely nothing. I laid in bed coughing my lungs out and sipping on cough syrup. By the time Monday came around I was ecstatic to go to class, because that meant I got to go outside. Monday I left super early for class to grab some lunch and work on a presentation. I went to this small pizza place where the highlight was the entire kettle of tea they gave me. The tea was much better then most of medicine I had been taking. Also being sick made me realize how much I have come to love beer in Prague. Being a responsible individual I didn’t drink with all of the medications I was taking. But I am back and trying to make up for lost time (Hence the name of this entry). After class on Monday Walt and I grabbed some donuts and headed back to the dorm, just as some snowflakes began to trickle in. While sitting at our desk in our room we noticed the sky turn a nasty shade of gray. Next thing we know the winds had picked up, the clouds opened up and there was mini blizzard. I don’t care what any haters say, it was a mini blizzard.
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. I was lucky enough to have chicken in a jacket on Tuesday night. That is a dish I will never tire of. I keep telling myself that I am going to try something new at the dorm restaurant but I have been unsuccessful thus far. Wednesday I found a tea room before my afternoon class which was awesome because it was basically a coffee shop that served tea instead of coffee, and since I hate coffee, I was very excited.
Thursday night Sara, Sarah, Jenny, Walt, Kacy, Becca and myself were invited to Celia’s parents rented apartment/hotel for a home cooked dinner. The dinner was great and it was really nice to congregate in a place that wasn’t a bar or a dorm room. There was a couch and everything. So I just want to thank my loyal readers the Foxes for a great evening.
See, nice and short, just as promised.
Until next time
Alex
Monday, March 8, 2010
Vánice(Blizzard)
The weather turned from bad to worse today when at about 5:15 today a blizzard began. This isn't Texan overreaction to snow. This is a legitimate blizzard. I will keep you updated as the storm progresses. So Plano and College Station, enjoy your 60 degree weather. I'll just enjoy my 20 degree Prague.
On the bright side, I am bored and this will present me with the opportunity for a live blog.
(Five minutes after the first picture was taken)
Update (5:52 PM) Visibility is at an all time low. My spirits remain high despite the dropping temperatures. For those of you concerned about my supply levels, I will update you now. I have 6 beers, a liter of orange juice, a pack of cookies, a pack of crackers, a jar of peanut butter a box of tea, and one donut.
(Tonight's dinner... who knows?)
Update (6:08 PM) We have been joined by Sara and Sarah... they brought grapes
Update (6:15 PM) The snow has ceased... for now
Update (6:16 PM) Kacy has showed up. She brought one sandwich.
The Grizzly Aftermath
On the bright side, I am bored and this will present me with the opportunity for a live blog.
(Five minutes after the first picture was taken)Update (5:52 PM) Visibility is at an all time low. My spirits remain high despite the dropping temperatures. For those of you concerned about my supply levels, I will update you now. I have 6 beers, a liter of orange juice, a pack of cookies, a pack of crackers, a jar of peanut butter a box of tea, and one donut.
(Tonight's dinner... who knows?)Update (6:08 PM) We have been joined by Sara and Sarah... they brought grapes
Update (6:15 PM) The snow has ceased... for now
Update (6:16 PM) Kacy has showed up. She brought one sandwich.
The Grizzly Aftermath
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Hockej (not a typo)
Jaksemas
Another week has gone by and the spring like weather has disappeared. I woke up this morning and was greeted by a blizzard. Whether or not this current snow storm can actually be classified as a blizzard is debatable, but to this Texan it is definitely a blizzard. My classes are all going wonderfully and I am thoroughly enjoying each and everyone of them. I am currently eating lunch at a restaurant and working on a presentation for this Thursday and I am just watching the snow accumulate on the cars and on the streets.
Wednesday night after class I went with AIFS to a Sparta Praha game. We met at the main building of Charles University and took a tram over to the stadium. Being a huge sports fan I was already excited to be going to a live sporting event, but what made the event more exciting was the fact that former Dallas Star Roman Turek was the goalie for the visiting team. I am no hockey expert, just a casual fan, but I am going to go ahead and say that Roman has seen better days. Turek gave up four goals in a crushing loss. Now I feel I should compare a Czech hockey game to an American one.
1. Ticket Prices, my ticket was one of the worst in the stadium, it wasn’t really that high up, however there was definitely a support column smack in the middle of my section. That being said the seat really wasn’t bad and I didn’t miss anything. Had I needed to buy the ticket it would have cost me a total of $7.50, not bad for “professional hockey”.
2. More important than the ticket prices are the beer prices. Head over to Cowboy’s Stadium, the AAC or the Ballpark and be prepared to spend about $8 on a glass of Miller or Coors. Not in the Czech Republic baby. A beer at the game was actually expensive by Czech standards, it cost right around $2. Now add my two beers with the price of a ticket and I just saw a hockey game with refreshment for more than $11. Not too shabby. Maybe the NHL should take note.
3. The fans were definitely different than the ones at home. Fans here had drums, flags, and other noisemaking devices which they used to their hearts content. The two sections directly behind the goals were reserved for the rowdiest of rowdies, the Czech 12th Man™ if you will. These people stood the whole game and were extremely loud and entertaining.
4. The talent on the ice was not anywhere near that of the NHL. This was one of the sloppier hockey games I have ever seen.
5. The gimmicks: Much to my surprise their were some strange gimmicks. Just like at home their were dancers behind the goal dancing to We Will Rock You and the Final Countdown. There were also scantily glad women in charge of cleaning the ice at stoppages, just like at home. I missed hearing Pantera’s Dallas Star song and the thing I missed the most about hockey games in Dallas was the voice of Stars P.A. man Bill Ollerman.
6. Intermissions: At a Stars game or any other professional sporting event at home, the clock strikes 0:00 and people head to the concourses for refreshment and “relief“. After the first period ended the stadium emptied out, this was much to my chagrin as I needed to use the restroom. So I left my seat wandered over to the bathroom and was shocked when there was no line and it was basically empty. I looked over at the concession stands and there were lines, but by no stretch of the imagination were they ridiculously long. So, where did everybody go? Now my eyes wander over to the smoking area. The smoking area is packed with people grabbing an intermission cigarette. Welcome to Prague.
Thursday I was beginning to feel ill and didn’t go out that night. I spent all day yesterday trying to recuperate so I could go see my suitemate Ry take part in the Mr. Erasmus competition. (Erasmus is this huge EU exchange program where students from all over Europe can enroll in other universities for a semester). I was very disappointed when the time to go out last night came and I was unable to join the big group heading to Roxy. I was even more disappointed when I found out that Ry had gotten second place. However this story is a good segway into my introduction of THE Ry Yennie and THE John Goepel. John and Ry are best friends from school. They go to Babson University and have a bromance so strong it is scary. They play rugby at Babson and have joined a club here in Prague. They come home from rugby every night sore and banged up but that doesn’t stop them from enjoying Prague. You will often hear Toto’s Africa blaring out of their room. Ry and John love the Czech beers and the Czech women. I would like to say I am honored to call them my roommates and they are often a source of pride for me. Not many people can claim to have the two craziest, yet nicest suitemates in Prague.
(John in the brown and Ry in the white and my boy Benny B trying to be gangsta behind them)
(A close up for those who are hard of sight)
Until next time
Alex
Another week has gone by and the spring like weather has disappeared. I woke up this morning and was greeted by a blizzard. Whether or not this current snow storm can actually be classified as a blizzard is debatable, but to this Texan it is definitely a blizzard. My classes are all going wonderfully and I am thoroughly enjoying each and everyone of them. I am currently eating lunch at a restaurant and working on a presentation for this Thursday and I am just watching the snow accumulate on the cars and on the streets.
Wednesday night after class I went with AIFS to a Sparta Praha game. We met at the main building of Charles University and took a tram over to the stadium. Being a huge sports fan I was already excited to be going to a live sporting event, but what made the event more exciting was the fact that former Dallas Star Roman Turek was the goalie for the visiting team. I am no hockey expert, just a casual fan, but I am going to go ahead and say that Roman has seen better days. Turek gave up four goals in a crushing loss. Now I feel I should compare a Czech hockey game to an American one.
1. Ticket Prices, my ticket was one of the worst in the stadium, it wasn’t really that high up, however there was definitely a support column smack in the middle of my section. That being said the seat really wasn’t bad and I didn’t miss anything. Had I needed to buy the ticket it would have cost me a total of $7.50, not bad for “professional hockey”.
2. More important than the ticket prices are the beer prices. Head over to Cowboy’s Stadium, the AAC or the Ballpark and be prepared to spend about $8 on a glass of Miller or Coors. Not in the Czech Republic baby. A beer at the game was actually expensive by Czech standards, it cost right around $2. Now add my two beers with the price of a ticket and I just saw a hockey game with refreshment for more than $11. Not too shabby. Maybe the NHL should take note.
3. The fans were definitely different than the ones at home. Fans here had drums, flags, and other noisemaking devices which they used to their hearts content. The two sections directly behind the goals were reserved for the rowdiest of rowdies, the Czech 12th Man™ if you will. These people stood the whole game and were extremely loud and entertaining.
4. The talent on the ice was not anywhere near that of the NHL. This was one of the sloppier hockey games I have ever seen.
5. The gimmicks: Much to my surprise their were some strange gimmicks. Just like at home their were dancers behind the goal dancing to We Will Rock You and the Final Countdown. There were also scantily glad women in charge of cleaning the ice at stoppages, just like at home. I missed hearing Pantera’s Dallas Star song and the thing I missed the most about hockey games in Dallas was the voice of Stars P.A. man Bill Ollerman.
6. Intermissions: At a Stars game or any other professional sporting event at home, the clock strikes 0:00 and people head to the concourses for refreshment and “relief“. After the first period ended the stadium emptied out, this was much to my chagrin as I needed to use the restroom. So I left my seat wandered over to the bathroom and was shocked when there was no line and it was basically empty. I looked over at the concession stands and there were lines, but by no stretch of the imagination were they ridiculously long. So, where did everybody go? Now my eyes wander over to the smoking area. The smoking area is packed with people grabbing an intermission cigarette. Welcome to Prague.
Thursday I was beginning to feel ill and didn’t go out that night. I spent all day yesterday trying to recuperate so I could go see my suitemate Ry take part in the Mr. Erasmus competition. (Erasmus is this huge EU exchange program where students from all over Europe can enroll in other universities for a semester). I was very disappointed when the time to go out last night came and I was unable to join the big group heading to Roxy. I was even more disappointed when I found out that Ry had gotten second place. However this story is a good segway into my introduction of THE Ry Yennie and THE John Goepel. John and Ry are best friends from school. They go to Babson University and have a bromance so strong it is scary. They play rugby at Babson and have joined a club here in Prague. They come home from rugby every night sore and banged up but that doesn’t stop them from enjoying Prague. You will often hear Toto’s Africa blaring out of their room. Ry and John love the Czech beers and the Czech women. I would like to say I am honored to call them my roommates and they are often a source of pride for me. Not many people can claim to have the two craziest, yet nicest suitemates in Prague.
(John in the brown and Ry in the white and my boy Benny B trying to be gangsta behind them)
(A close up for those who are hard of sight)Until next time
Alex
Monday, March 1, 2010
Sue Nak Heave Knock. Hod't Vod't?
Dear Reader,
The title of this entry may be semi-confusing to anyone who doesn't know Hungarian. It means "My name is Sue. How do you Do" and apparently the makers of my map of Budapest felt that this Johnny Cash lyric was a useful phrase. I certainly enjoyed using the phrase. The map also had useful phrases like "Please may I fondle your buttocks?" "Yeah, Whateva" and "Some good undertakers". They also listed some very important phone numbers, like the number to McDonnalds head office in Hungary and to Alcoholics Anonymous.
Our journey to Budapest began on Friday at 4:45 am. Being the genius that I am I thought it would be smart to pack the morning of. Despite being in a massive hurry I made it down to the lobby at 5:20 in time to head to the metro station with my group. We boarded the subway and headed to the Florenc bus station. As we neared Florenc Becca declared that she had been pick pocketed. So she made the executive decision that she was going to head back to the dorm and try to asses the situation. Now of course in typical Becca fashion she had not been pick pocketed, she forgot her wallet on her desk. Unfortunately this caused her to miss our bus and the subsequent trip to Budapest. Sigh. At the bus station I stopped to grab some breakfast, an ice cream cone and a bottle of Pepsi. I knew I was going to need the sugar and caffeine to survive the day. It is also worth noting that this bus station had Dr. Pepper, and I think I am going to have to head back and pick some up.
The bus ride to Budapest was uneventful. They showed the departed dubbed in Czech. Had I actually watched I would have definitely learned some colorful new Czech vocabulary. But alas I elected to sleep instead. Sleeping on the bus proved a little more difficult than I had expected it to. Everyone knows the streets of Prague are cobbled, and it felt like the Czech highways were cobbled as well. Our bus made three stops, one in Brno, one in Bratislava, and one in a town called Gyor.
We arrived in Budapest at around 2 and were met by a receiving line of colorful hobos, gypsies, shysters and charlatans. My group ventured over to the bankomat to withdraw some Hungarian Fuentes (really they are called Forints but we liked Fuentes better). Hungarian money comes in some crazy sounding amounts. I promptly withdraw 10,000 Fuentes, or $49. After buying a metro pass we went to the subway line which was a little more down to earth than the Prague metro. We checked into our hostel and went out for a lunch of traditional Hungarian fast food. I ordered what I believed to be turkey and potatoes, but turns out of Turkish meat and potatoes. It was unique to say the least. I ate half of the huge platter but had to throw in the towel. After lunch we went back to the hostel to map out the rest of our day. We ventured over to the yellow line, which is the oldest subway system in Europe and went to an area called Heroes square. Heroes square is a huge square that has statues of Hungarian heroes throughout the ages. Because it was dark and raining at this point by pictures didn’t really come out, so I am using one taken by someone else. After exploring the square we headed to the famous baths of Budapest. At this point I was drenched and tired and in no mood to frolic in the water and then trek home damp, so along with some of my friends I passed on that cultural experience. It is also worth noting that I am a genius and did not reattach my hood to my jacket before leaving for Budapest. So very wet and hungary (get it?) Stef, Chris, Allie, and myself went to meet up with our friend Adrian who was arriving in Budapest later. We went to a corner store and grabbed some snacks and whatnot. We also picked up some Hungarian beers which couldn’t match Czech beer (hey I may be a little biased). We then went to dinner and met up with the rest of the group and went to a bar and called it an early evening.
The Budapest Metro
Heroes Square
Saturday morning came and we all woke up early ready to face the day. We headed over to an indoor market. The bottom floor was mostly butcher shops and produce stands. The second floor had t-shirts, Russian nesting dolls, puppets, flasks, soccer jerseys etc. We had fun wandering through the stands and seeing all of the crazy stuff we could buy. Walt and Cobra (Jake) bought matching Hungarian soccer track jackets. Pretty ridiculous but pretty awesome. I bought a Ferencvaros FC t-shirt that I pretty sure I will never be able to wear again because I think it is going to shrink into oblivion. Bye bye five dollars. After the market we metroed over to the Terror House which is a museum that chronicles the political torture that happened in the building from the early 1930’s until the end of communism. The museum was very sad and very interesting. A unique feature this museum is that it had a hall of perpetrators, which was a picture of most of the torturers that operated at the sight. Many of them were still alive. It was an interesting way to see people held accountable for their actions. After the Terror House we went to lunch and I had a falafel.
Inside the market.
Some of the quality wares available in the market.
Terror House
After lunch Walt, Ian, Cobra, Allie, Chris and I decided to explore the city on foot. We crossed over to the Buda side of the city and climbed the hill to the Buda Castle. The castle was huge and beautiful. The castle area also provided some of the best views of the city and Pest side of the city. After spending two hours or so exploring the Castle area and we ventured down along the side of the Danube and then crossed back over to Pest.
Our boy band album cover.
Parliament building from the Castle.
Checking out the city.
Saturday night we went to some club that was pretty fun. WARNING: If your name is Sharon Horn skip this paragraph! The Budapest metro closes at the convenient hour of 11:30 PM on Saturdays. So at 11 we decide it is time to head out. Walt, Ian, Jake and I no longer had valid metro passes. So we decided to cross a bridge on the Danube and go to the nearest metro station and buy passes and catch a train to our destination. Everything was going to plan until we reached the middle of the bridge and there was a gate down. Discouraged we went to this little tunnel area that took us to an island hoping that we would be able to finish crossing the river. A nice local told us that we would be unable to do. SERIOUSLY MOM DON'T READ THIS! We arrived back at the gate and were faced with two choices, turn back and find another way across the Danube, or go around the gate, which meant scaling the railing of the bridge. We selected option two and for about 3 seconds each of us was over the Danube. Don't worry dear reader, we were never in any real danger, but the story just sounds so cool. Walt, Cobra, Ian and I can say we MacGyvered a bridge in Budapest. I am probably now wanted by Hungarian authorities, but it was totally worth it.
MOM, you may resume reading now!
Sunday morning we woke up and grabbed some lunch. We then packed up our bags and headed to the Dohany Street Synagogue, the largest Synagogue in Europe. The Synagogue is unique for several reasons, one it is huge. Two it is built in a Moorish style, which means it looks mosque like. The inside of the Synagogue shares many features with European churches. Another cool thing is that Theodor Herzl, the father of political Zionism was born right next door and was an active member of the Shul. After visiting the actual synagogue we went to the Jewish museum which was in the former community center building. The museum was interesting because it talked a lot about Hungarian Jews and the Holocaust. The final section of the Synagogue was a cemetery where many of Budapest’s Jews were placed in mass graves during the Holocaust and finally a memorial garden for Hungary’s Jews and Raul Wallenberg.
Dohany Street Synagogue
Memorial to Hungarian victims of the Holocaust
After the Synagogue we headed to the bus station and back to Prague.
Here are some more pictures from the weekend.
Me, Ian and Walt checking out Budapest
The answer to your question is no... we will never grow up.
Candy Hop
Jumping Picture Fail
My attempt to keep my jeans dry.
Until next time
Alex
The title of this entry may be semi-confusing to anyone who doesn't know Hungarian. It means "My name is Sue. How do you Do" and apparently the makers of my map of Budapest felt that this Johnny Cash lyric was a useful phrase. I certainly enjoyed using the phrase. The map also had useful phrases like "Please may I fondle your buttocks?" "Yeah, Whateva" and "Some good undertakers". They also listed some very important phone numbers, like the number to McDonnalds head office in Hungary and to Alcoholics Anonymous.
Our journey to Budapest began on Friday at 4:45 am. Being the genius that I am I thought it would be smart to pack the morning of. Despite being in a massive hurry I made it down to the lobby at 5:20 in time to head to the metro station with my group. We boarded the subway and headed to the Florenc bus station. As we neared Florenc Becca declared that she had been pick pocketed. So she made the executive decision that she was going to head back to the dorm and try to asses the situation. Now of course in typical Becca fashion she had not been pick pocketed, she forgot her wallet on her desk. Unfortunately this caused her to miss our bus and the subsequent trip to Budapest. Sigh. At the bus station I stopped to grab some breakfast, an ice cream cone and a bottle of Pepsi. I knew I was going to need the sugar and caffeine to survive the day. It is also worth noting that this bus station had Dr. Pepper, and I think I am going to have to head back and pick some up.
The bus ride to Budapest was uneventful. They showed the departed dubbed in Czech. Had I actually watched I would have definitely learned some colorful new Czech vocabulary. But alas I elected to sleep instead. Sleeping on the bus proved a little more difficult than I had expected it to. Everyone knows the streets of Prague are cobbled, and it felt like the Czech highways were cobbled as well. Our bus made three stops, one in Brno, one in Bratislava, and one in a town called Gyor.
We arrived in Budapest at around 2 and were met by a receiving line of colorful hobos, gypsies, shysters and charlatans. My group ventured over to the bankomat to withdraw some Hungarian Fuentes (really they are called Forints but we liked Fuentes better). Hungarian money comes in some crazy sounding amounts. I promptly withdraw 10,000 Fuentes, or $49. After buying a metro pass we went to the subway line which was a little more down to earth than the Prague metro. We checked into our hostel and went out for a lunch of traditional Hungarian fast food. I ordered what I believed to be turkey and potatoes, but turns out of Turkish meat and potatoes. It was unique to say the least. I ate half of the huge platter but had to throw in the towel. After lunch we went back to the hostel to map out the rest of our day. We ventured over to the yellow line, which is the oldest subway system in Europe and went to an area called Heroes square. Heroes square is a huge square that has statues of Hungarian heroes throughout the ages. Because it was dark and raining at this point by pictures didn’t really come out, so I am using one taken by someone else. After exploring the square we headed to the famous baths of Budapest. At this point I was drenched and tired and in no mood to frolic in the water and then trek home damp, so along with some of my friends I passed on that cultural experience. It is also worth noting that I am a genius and did not reattach my hood to my jacket before leaving for Budapest. So very wet and hungary (get it?) Stef, Chris, Allie, and myself went to meet up with our friend Adrian who was arriving in Budapest later. We went to a corner store and grabbed some snacks and whatnot. We also picked up some Hungarian beers which couldn’t match Czech beer (hey I may be a little biased). We then went to dinner and met up with the rest of the group and went to a bar and called it an early evening.
The Budapest MetroHeroes SquareSaturday morning came and we all woke up early ready to face the day. We headed over to an indoor market. The bottom floor was mostly butcher shops and produce stands. The second floor had t-shirts, Russian nesting dolls, puppets, flasks, soccer jerseys etc. We had fun wandering through the stands and seeing all of the crazy stuff we could buy. Walt and Cobra (Jake) bought matching Hungarian soccer track jackets. Pretty ridiculous but pretty awesome. I bought a Ferencvaros FC t-shirt that I pretty sure I will never be able to wear again because I think it is going to shrink into oblivion. Bye bye five dollars. After the market we metroed over to the Terror House which is a museum that chronicles the political torture that happened in the building from the early 1930’s until the end of communism. The museum was very sad and very interesting. A unique feature this museum is that it had a hall of perpetrators, which was a picture of most of the torturers that operated at the sight. Many of them were still alive. It was an interesting way to see people held accountable for their actions. After the Terror House we went to lunch and I had a falafel.
Inside the market. 
Some of the quality wares available in the market. Terror HouseAfter lunch Walt, Ian, Cobra, Allie, Chris and I decided to explore the city on foot. We crossed over to the Buda side of the city and climbed the hill to the Buda Castle. The castle was huge and beautiful. The castle area also provided some of the best views of the city and Pest side of the city. After spending two hours or so exploring the Castle area and we ventured down along the side of the Danube and then crossed back over to Pest.
Our boy band album cover.
Parliament building from the Castle. 
Checking out the city.Saturday night we went to some club that was pretty fun. WARNING: If your name is Sharon Horn skip this paragraph! The Budapest metro closes at the convenient hour of 11:30 PM on Saturdays. So at 11 we decide it is time to head out. Walt, Ian, Jake and I no longer had valid metro passes. So we decided to cross a bridge on the Danube and go to the nearest metro station and buy passes and catch a train to our destination. Everything was going to plan until we reached the middle of the bridge and there was a gate down. Discouraged we went to this little tunnel area that took us to an island hoping that we would be able to finish crossing the river. A nice local told us that we would be unable to do. SERIOUSLY MOM DON'T READ THIS! We arrived back at the gate and were faced with two choices, turn back and find another way across the Danube, or go around the gate, which meant scaling the railing of the bridge. We selected option two and for about 3 seconds each of us was over the Danube. Don't worry dear reader, we were never in any real danger, but the story just sounds so cool. Walt, Cobra, Ian and I can say we MacGyvered a bridge in Budapest. I am probably now wanted by Hungarian authorities, but it was totally worth it.
MOM, you may resume reading now!
Sunday morning we woke up and grabbed some lunch. We then packed up our bags and headed to the Dohany Street Synagogue, the largest Synagogue in Europe. The Synagogue is unique for several reasons, one it is huge. Two it is built in a Moorish style, which means it looks mosque like. The inside of the Synagogue shares many features with European churches. Another cool thing is that Theodor Herzl, the father of political Zionism was born right next door and was an active member of the Shul. After visiting the actual synagogue we went to the Jewish museum which was in the former community center building. The museum was interesting because it talked a lot about Hungarian Jews and the Holocaust. The final section of the Synagogue was a cemetery where many of Budapest’s Jews were placed in mass graves during the Holocaust and finally a memorial garden for Hungary’s Jews and Raul Wallenberg.
Dohany Street Synagogue 
Memorial to Hungarian victims of the HolocaustAfter the Synagogue we headed to the bus station and back to Prague.
Here are some more pictures from the weekend.
Me, Ian and Walt checking out Budapest
The answer to your question is no... we will never grow up.
Candy Hop
Jumping Picture Fail
My attempt to keep my jeans dry.Until next time
Alex
Thursday, February 25, 2010
School, Toilet Paper, Gummy Frogs, Ballet, and More
Ahoy!
It has been just about three months since I have entered a classroom for some serious learning. That all changed this week when I began my regular classes. This semester I am taking Jewish History in Central and Eastern Europe, Czech Short Stories, Contemporary Central European Politics, and Pursuit of Democracy and Freedom in the Communist Czechoslovakia. The first week of classes was great and just flew by. Walt and Ben are in my Jewish History class which is an added bonus. Our teacher also thinks that Walt and I have some sort of knowledge based competition going on. I have no idea where she got that idea but she did award me one point when I knew the Hebrew word for the process of assigning numerical values to letters (gematria). Walt did know the names of the five books of Moses. (Don't worry I did too, he was just faster). But that doesn't really matter because there is not a competition happening!
My Pursuit of Democracy and Freedom class is really small which is nice. It is 50% American and 50% European which is also interesting. My professor is only 10 years older than me.
My Czech short stories teacher is an American lady who went to Dartmouth, Princeton, and Oxford. The class seems awesome and is also a mini Czech culture course which provides a lot of interesting insight into the country that I am living in.
Central European Politics promises to be sweet. My professor is a 65 year old Czech man who at one point in his life was the Czechoslovakian ambassador to Italy. His lecture was 3 hours long and I wasn't ready for it to end. We went around the room introducing ourselves and it took some work on my part to explain that I wasn't Greek just because my name was Alexander (named after Alexander the Great) and that I wasn't German because my name is Horn. It was very entertaining. Another added bonus to that class is Sara, Sarah, Ben, Adrian, and my friend Bryan are all in my class.
School here is very different. The professors here all demand interaction from the students which I enjoy. Getting school supplies also was not nearly as easy as back home. I don't know if Czech people just don't use notebooks a lot (which I doubt) or if I am just looking in the wrong place (probably the truth). Anyway I finally notebooks that were suitable at Tesco. Also I have no textbooks here. Now you are probably saying, but Alex how will you do all of the reading that you have been assigned? The answer is readers. I had to buy these readers which are bound packets of articles, book excerpts and other materials. They cost between 10 and 20 bucks and are ultra portable. Much better than the expensive and heavy textbooks at home. This semester I have a ton of reading to do! Remember when I told you that my teachers require interaction, the only way to do that is by reading the readings they have assigned.
This week also engaged in some cultural activities. Last night (Wednesday) I ventured to the National Theater (pictures below) to catch a ballet. AIFS buys tickets to different events every week and this weeks event was Romeo and Juliet. The ballet was weird in that they modernized Romeo and Juliet. The ballet took place in the what I am assuming was the 1920's or 30's. After the ballet all of my friends set out to celebrate Jenny's 21st birthday which was a cultural event in itself.
Some more random thoughts...
1. I am pretty sure the person who introduces the Czech people to multi-ply toilet paper will be canonized.
2. The weather here is finally not freezing! The ice has melted on the sidewalks which is great for me because I am not longer slipping all over the place.
3. It was warmer in Prague today than Plano!
4. I started running here which has been nice. Gotta make sure that the pivo doesn't go right to the belly.
5. Becca bet me that I couldn't go a week without beer. Tomorrow is the day that I will win the bet and Becca will owe me one liter of beer. In this country that is much harder than it sounds. Beer is everywhere. Food stands, both bars in the dorm, every restaurant, every corner store, just about everywhere.
6. Tonight is another "family dinner" which is a nice way to wrap up the school week.
7. I have a Mexican flag now. That is all I have to say about that.
8. There are these cookies in the Czech Republic called Disko. These need to make their way back to the States.
9. Oreos need to make their way to the Czech Republic.
10. Grace- I had Gummy Frogs yesterday. I know you are jealous.
11. I can't stress enough how awesome my friends here are.
12. I am really learning my way around the city which is nice and makes everything much less intimidating.
13. Tomorrow I am waking up at 4:45 to go to Budapest. I am super excited to go to Budapest.
Until next time
Alex
It has been just about three months since I have entered a classroom for some serious learning. That all changed this week when I began my regular classes. This semester I am taking Jewish History in Central and Eastern Europe, Czech Short Stories, Contemporary Central European Politics, and Pursuit of Democracy and Freedom in the Communist Czechoslovakia. The first week of classes was great and just flew by. Walt and Ben are in my Jewish History class which is an added bonus. Our teacher also thinks that Walt and I have some sort of knowledge based competition going on. I have no idea where she got that idea but she did award me one point when I knew the Hebrew word for the process of assigning numerical values to letters (gematria). Walt did know the names of the five books of Moses. (Don't worry I did too, he was just faster). But that doesn't really matter because there is not a competition happening!
My Pursuit of Democracy and Freedom class is really small which is nice. It is 50% American and 50% European which is also interesting. My professor is only 10 years older than me.
My Czech short stories teacher is an American lady who went to Dartmouth, Princeton, and Oxford. The class seems awesome and is also a mini Czech culture course which provides a lot of interesting insight into the country that I am living in.
Central European Politics promises to be sweet. My professor is a 65 year old Czech man who at one point in his life was the Czechoslovakian ambassador to Italy. His lecture was 3 hours long and I wasn't ready for it to end. We went around the room introducing ourselves and it took some work on my part to explain that I wasn't Greek just because my name was Alexander (named after Alexander the Great) and that I wasn't German because my name is Horn. It was very entertaining. Another added bonus to that class is Sara, Sarah, Ben, Adrian, and my friend Bryan are all in my class.
School here is very different. The professors here all demand interaction from the students which I enjoy. Getting school supplies also was not nearly as easy as back home. I don't know if Czech people just don't use notebooks a lot (which I doubt) or if I am just looking in the wrong place (probably the truth). Anyway I finally notebooks that were suitable at Tesco. Also I have no textbooks here. Now you are probably saying, but Alex how will you do all of the reading that you have been assigned? The answer is readers. I had to buy these readers which are bound packets of articles, book excerpts and other materials. They cost between 10 and 20 bucks and are ultra portable. Much better than the expensive and heavy textbooks at home. This semester I have a ton of reading to do! Remember when I told you that my teachers require interaction, the only way to do that is by reading the readings they have assigned.
This week also engaged in some cultural activities. Last night (Wednesday) I ventured to the National Theater (pictures below) to catch a ballet. AIFS buys tickets to different events every week and this weeks event was Romeo and Juliet. The ballet was weird in that they modernized Romeo and Juliet. The ballet took place in the what I am assuming was the 1920's or 30's. After the ballet all of my friends set out to celebrate Jenny's 21st birthday which was a cultural event in itself.
Some more random thoughts...
1. I am pretty sure the person who introduces the Czech people to multi-ply toilet paper will be canonized.
2. The weather here is finally not freezing! The ice has melted on the sidewalks which is great for me because I am not longer slipping all over the place.
3. It was warmer in Prague today than Plano!
4. I started running here which has been nice. Gotta make sure that the pivo doesn't go right to the belly.
5. Becca bet me that I couldn't go a week without beer. Tomorrow is the day that I will win the bet and Becca will owe me one liter of beer. In this country that is much harder than it sounds. Beer is everywhere. Food stands, both bars in the dorm, every restaurant, every corner store, just about everywhere.
6. Tonight is another "family dinner" which is a nice way to wrap up the school week.
7. I have a Mexican flag now. That is all I have to say about that.
8. There are these cookies in the Czech Republic called Disko. These need to make their way back to the States.
9. Oreos need to make their way to the Czech Republic.
10. Grace- I had Gummy Frogs yesterday. I know you are jealous.
11. I can't stress enough how awesome my friends here are.
12. I am really learning my way around the city which is nice and makes everything much less intimidating.
13. Tomorrow I am waking up at 4:45 to go to Budapest. I am super excited to go to Budapest.
Until next time
Alex
Monday, February 22, 2010
Pelíšky
Howdy
The end of Czech class literally flew by. Thursday after our final we watched a great Czech movie. It was called Pelíšky and I recommend that you head over to the youtubes and check it out. The movie was one of the movies where nothing really happens, but two hours later for some reason I liked what I had seen. Celia would describe the movie with one word... WOOF. (That is the equivalent of two thumbs way down). I have attached a clip of my favorite scene to this entry. On Friday my class headed to the Prague Museum, which was a museum all about Prague. The museum had a really cool 3d model of the city that we played with for a while. After the museum we headed to a pub to grab a quick goodbye beer with our teacher.
My Czech teacher and I
My Czech Class
This weekend Becca's friend and fan of this here blog Nikki came to town. Nikki is currently studying in Barcelona. Well we had to make sure that Nikki had a good time in Prague so Friday night we went to this fun establishment called Lucerna which was a ton of fun. It was 80's-90's night and yes I may have gone out wearing my sunglasses, but that is because I forgot to take them off before we left my room and was to lazy to switch back into my normal glasses.
Everyone ready for a night out after two grueling weeks of Czech!
Saturday we woke up early to explore the city. Becca, Nikki and I grabbed a quick breakfast and then went to Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, the John Lennon Wall and the Prague Castle.
The Charles Bridge
The John Lennon Wall
Saturday night Sarah, Sara, Jenny, Celia, Becca, Nikki and I went to a small pub down the street from the dorm and played a fun game called Nelson.
This morning I woke up and did some laundry. This is the first time I have really done laundry since arriving in Europe nearly four weeks ago. So it is easy to say that I had a lot of laundry to do. Three loads worth to be exact. Now at home three loads of laundry isn't that hard to do. In the Czech Republic it was quite the time consuming chore. I was at the laundromat for nearly five hours and basically pissed away my day cleaning my underwear. But hey, I now have 4 weeks worth of clean underwear. On a sad note my European underwear purchased back when I arrived in Prague have shrunk to a size that would not have fit me in elementary school. Thanks for the memories F&F brand underwear. You will be missed. Tonight a few of us ventured around the city in search of some Mexican food. What we got was a decent attempt but not quite as good as back home, but not bad for "Czech Mex". After dinner I headed down to the Student Klub (not a typo) to watch the Czech Republic take on the Russians in Olympic Hockey. Everyone in the bar was sad except for the one Russian exchange student who was having the time of his life.
I start my classes tomorrow and I am extremely excited. I am also extremely excited that I only have one class tomorrow. A good way to transition back into school, especially considering that I haven't had much class time since before thanksgiving.
Until next time
Alex
And for those who are not fluent in Czech you can click here and enjoy with English subtitles and then click here to see the rest of the scene.
The end of Czech class literally flew by. Thursday after our final we watched a great Czech movie. It was called Pelíšky and I recommend that you head over to the youtubes and check it out. The movie was one of the movies where nothing really happens, but two hours later for some reason I liked what I had seen. Celia would describe the movie with one word... WOOF. (That is the equivalent of two thumbs way down). I have attached a clip of my favorite scene to this entry. On Friday my class headed to the Prague Museum, which was a museum all about Prague. The museum had a really cool 3d model of the city that we played with for a while. After the museum we headed to a pub to grab a quick goodbye beer with our teacher.
My Czech teacher and I 
My Czech ClassThis weekend Becca's friend and fan of this here blog Nikki came to town. Nikki is currently studying in Barcelona. Well we had to make sure that Nikki had a good time in Prague so Friday night we went to this fun establishment called Lucerna which was a ton of fun. It was 80's-90's night and yes I may have gone out wearing my sunglasses, but that is because I forgot to take them off before we left my room and was to lazy to switch back into my normal glasses.
Everyone ready for a night out after two grueling weeks of Czech!Saturday we woke up early to explore the city. Becca, Nikki and I grabbed a quick breakfast and then went to Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, the John Lennon Wall and the Prague Castle.
The Charles Bridge
The John Lennon WallSaturday night Sarah, Sara, Jenny, Celia, Becca, Nikki and I went to a small pub down the street from the dorm and played a fun game called Nelson.
This morning I woke up and did some laundry. This is the first time I have really done laundry since arriving in Europe nearly four weeks ago. So it is easy to say that I had a lot of laundry to do. Three loads worth to be exact. Now at home three loads of laundry isn't that hard to do. In the Czech Republic it was quite the time consuming chore. I was at the laundromat for nearly five hours and basically pissed away my day cleaning my underwear. But hey, I now have 4 weeks worth of clean underwear. On a sad note my European underwear purchased back when I arrived in Prague have shrunk to a size that would not have fit me in elementary school. Thanks for the memories F&F brand underwear. You will be missed. Tonight a few of us ventured around the city in search of some Mexican food. What we got was a decent attempt but not quite as good as back home, but not bad for "Czech Mex". After dinner I headed down to the Student Klub (not a typo) to watch the Czech Republic take on the Russians in Olympic Hockey. Everyone in the bar was sad except for the one Russian exchange student who was having the time of his life.
I start my classes tomorrow and I am extremely excited. I am also extremely excited that I only have one class tomorrow. A good way to transition back into school, especially considering that I haven't had much class time since before thanksgiving.
Until next time
Alex
And for those who are not fluent in Czech you can click here and enjoy with English subtitles and then click here to see the rest of the scene.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
People
I set out to do a long entry describing all of my new friends. I quickly lost interest and was beginning to bore myself. Instead I will put some pictures up so you can see my people for yourselves.
From Left to Right: Kate, Stef, Ryan, Cobra,Diego, Kacy, Sloyer, Some guy, Paulos, Jordan, Adrian, Walt, Ian, and Allie) The gang enjoying one of our "family dinners" which is a family style dinner where two or three people prepare a meal for everyone in my kitchen. It is a ton of fun and is growing every week.
My roommate Walter Thaddius Lengel(be jealous Avi, be very jealous). Walt is the man and will eventually have an entire entry dedicated to him.
Ben from Connecticut and I on the metro. Ben is my PIC in Czech class. Ben has hard time grasping the fact that I am a Jew from Texas. He also was convinced that I had never experienced cold until I arrived in Prague.
Sara Sloyer checking out the situation.
Sarah Paulos and I at the Greggor Mendel museum of genetics in Brno.
Celia and I on her 19th... I mean 21st birthday.
Becca and I up to some sort of shenanigan on the bus.
Kacy, Ellen and Allie. Kacy is the source of the Prague cough that the whole world has had or will have. Ellen is from Minnesota and says words funny. Allie is from South Carolina and is happiest when sledding or attempting to sled. She will truly miss the ice and snow when it melts.
Jenny... And I seriously have no idea how I have NO pictures with Jenny yet.
Stef, Cobra, Walt and I in the Moravian wine restaurant.
One more picture of a bunch of people.
From Left to Right: Kate, Stef, Ryan, Cobra,Diego, Kacy, Sloyer, Some guy, Paulos, Jordan, Adrian, Walt, Ian, and Allie) The gang enjoying one of our "family dinners" which is a family style dinner where two or three people prepare a meal for everyone in my kitchen. It is a ton of fun and is growing every week.
My roommate Walter Thaddius Lengel(be jealous Avi, be very jealous). Walt is the man and will eventually have an entire entry dedicated to him.
Ben from Connecticut and I on the metro. Ben is my PIC in Czech class. Ben has hard time grasping the fact that I am a Jew from Texas. He also was convinced that I had never experienced cold until I arrived in Prague.
Sara Sloyer checking out the situation.
Sarah Paulos and I at the Greggor Mendel museum of genetics in Brno. 
Celia and I on her 19th... I mean 21st birthday.
Becca and I up to some sort of shenanigan on the bus.
Kacy, Ellen and Allie. Kacy is the source of the Prague cough that the whole world has had or will have. Ellen is from Minnesota and says words funny. Allie is from South Carolina and is happiest when sledding or attempting to sled. She will truly miss the ice and snow when it melts. 
Jenny... And I seriously have no idea how I have NO pictures with Jenny yet. 
Stef, Cobra, Walt and I in the Moravian wine restaurant. 
One more picture of a bunch of people.
Chicken in a Jacket
Dear faithful readers (mom, dad, Grace, Zach and the one and only Scott Safron). I am back and have not abandoned my blog! I will attempt to catch you up on all of the happenings of last week.
Czech Class:
Czech class continues on as it has since it began. I get to class at 2:00 PM everyday and by 2:02 or so I am confused. We had a practice test last week and I managed to do well on it in spite of the fever I was battling. I am just that committed to excellence. After the test our teacher thought it would be fun to teach us some more Czech for the last half hour or so. She may have taught us the secret to life, but I have no idea what happened I was so out of it at that point. Also in Czech class we go on Czech culture tours. We went to a photo exhibit, a Czech culture museum, and the famous Prague Castle. I have now completed 40 hours of Czech in the past week and a half and am very close to fluent. I am ready for the Czech class to be over and for my political science and history courses to begin.
Weekend:
After class on Friday Becca, Celia, Sarah, Sara and I had dinner. After dinner I went home and crashed with my bottle of Czech banana flavored cough syrup. I missed the first Friday night out in Prague and was pretty bummed about it. However I am very glad I did not push myself and I got some much needed rest. Saturday I spent the day at the dorm hanging out with some people hoping to be well enough to do something on Saturday night. By Saturday night I was feeling great and went with a group of people to a five story club/bar. It was pretty fun.
Jewish Quarter:
Sunday morning I woke up nice and early and ventured off to the Jewish quarter with Becca, Adrian, Kate and Stef. All of the buildings that were once the home of Prague’s vibrant Jewish life have been converted to museums. In one afternoon we went to four synagogues, a cemetery, and a funeral home museum. The museums were very nice and interesting. One synagogue, the Spanish Synagogue was breathtaking. The museums taught a lot about everyday Jewish life, which I already know a lot about. But just being in the old Jewish buildings and looking at the amazing old photographs was all well worth the price of admission.
The Spanish Synagogue
Valentines Day:
To explain valentines day I need to rewind all the way back to my night in Munich. While attempting to find our hotel my friend Sarah was lamenting the fact that she may be alone on valentines day in Prague. Not wanting to let Sarah down I quickly offered my services. Well at this point Sarah’s roommate Sara became intensely jealous. So Walt swooped in became Sara’s valentine. Now, some things to make clear. 1. Sarah won the valentines lottery. 2. I won the valentines lottery. So in the weeks leading up to valentines day there was some intense battling over which “couple” were the better valentines. It is obvious that it was Sarah and I. While in Brno I created a poem that would leave any woman swooning. The poem was heartfelt and unique. Much more so than the crappy poem/ song that Walt created a week after mine. Valentines dinner was a lot of fun. Sarah and Sara made Walt and I chicken, potatoes, and vegetables. While Walt and I brought the wine, the roses, the dessert and of course the charm. The evening was capped off when Sarah gave me a Czech valentines card that I will treasure forever.
Celia’s birthday:
Last night was Celia’s 21st birthday. This is the point where mom and dad might want to stop reading. The festivities started in Czech class when during our first break Celia and I went to grab a beer. While czeching out (get it…?) at the corner store Celia had a change of heart and grabbed a can of coffee (gross). During our second break my friend Ben wanted to grab another beer to celebrate Celia’s birthday. Again Celia refused, but I didn’t. Before I continue I must say that yesterday was by far my most successful day in Czech class. A little beer on the brain makes Czech 1000x easier. Well after class Celia and I met up with Sarah and we headed back to the dorm for birthday dinner. Another aside. Last week Ben, Steve, Walt and myself ate in the dorm’s sit down restaurant where I discovered a dish known as Chicken in a Jacket. Chicken in a Jacket is a breast of chicken coated in full cornflakes and fried to a crisp. I convinced everyone that this would be an awesome choice for Celia’s birthday dinner and once again I pulled through. Some more drinks were enjoyed at dinner and after dinner we headed downstairs for the bar and had some more birthday drinks. After this we ventured off to find a venue suitable for a 21st birthday celebration. On the way to finding a venue I ended up slipping on some black ice. Both of my feet ended up above my head and I ended up on the ground. Walt says that I vastly understated the tremendousness of my wipeout. If he chooses to write about it I will link it. Thankfully I have a high threshold for embarrassment because this happened in front of 25 of my friends. The only person who didn’t see it was my valentine, which has allowed me to maintain an image of studdlyness (no jokes please mom). We went to the Dubliner which played Sweet Caroline and Karma Chameleon (awesome). We then went to Chapau Rouge where I ran into my cousin’s cousin Lindsay. (This is the point where I would write about the rest of the night but am electing not to). We definitely celebrated Celia’s 21st properly. I officially pronounced Celia’s birthday festivities over after we dined at McDonalds before Czech class today.
Chicken in a Jacket
Until next time.
Alex
Czech Class:
Czech class continues on as it has since it began. I get to class at 2:00 PM everyday and by 2:02 or so I am confused. We had a practice test last week and I managed to do well on it in spite of the fever I was battling. I am just that committed to excellence. After the test our teacher thought it would be fun to teach us some more Czech for the last half hour or so. She may have taught us the secret to life, but I have no idea what happened I was so out of it at that point. Also in Czech class we go on Czech culture tours. We went to a photo exhibit, a Czech culture museum, and the famous Prague Castle. I have now completed 40 hours of Czech in the past week and a half and am very close to fluent. I am ready for the Czech class to be over and for my political science and history courses to begin.
Weekend:
After class on Friday Becca, Celia, Sarah, Sara and I had dinner. After dinner I went home and crashed with my bottle of Czech banana flavored cough syrup. I missed the first Friday night out in Prague and was pretty bummed about it. However I am very glad I did not push myself and I got some much needed rest. Saturday I spent the day at the dorm hanging out with some people hoping to be well enough to do something on Saturday night. By Saturday night I was feeling great and went with a group of people to a five story club/bar. It was pretty fun.
Jewish Quarter:
Sunday morning I woke up nice and early and ventured off to the Jewish quarter with Becca, Adrian, Kate and Stef. All of the buildings that were once the home of Prague’s vibrant Jewish life have been converted to museums. In one afternoon we went to four synagogues, a cemetery, and a funeral home museum. The museums were very nice and interesting. One synagogue, the Spanish Synagogue was breathtaking. The museums taught a lot about everyday Jewish life, which I already know a lot about. But just being in the old Jewish buildings and looking at the amazing old photographs was all well worth the price of admission.
The Spanish Synagogue Valentines Day:
To explain valentines day I need to rewind all the way back to my night in Munich. While attempting to find our hotel my friend Sarah was lamenting the fact that she may be alone on valentines day in Prague. Not wanting to let Sarah down I quickly offered my services. Well at this point Sarah’s roommate Sara became intensely jealous. So Walt swooped in became Sara’s valentine. Now, some things to make clear. 1. Sarah won the valentines lottery. 2. I won the valentines lottery. So in the weeks leading up to valentines day there was some intense battling over which “couple” were the better valentines. It is obvious that it was Sarah and I. While in Brno I created a poem that would leave any woman swooning. The poem was heartfelt and unique. Much more so than the crappy poem/ song that Walt created a week after mine. Valentines dinner was a lot of fun. Sarah and Sara made Walt and I chicken, potatoes, and vegetables. While Walt and I brought the wine, the roses, the dessert and of course the charm. The evening was capped off when Sarah gave me a Czech valentines card that I will treasure forever.
Celia’s birthday:
Last night was Celia’s 21st birthday. This is the point where mom and dad might want to stop reading. The festivities started in Czech class when during our first break Celia and I went to grab a beer. While czeching out (get it…?) at the corner store Celia had a change of heart and grabbed a can of coffee (gross). During our second break my friend Ben wanted to grab another beer to celebrate Celia’s birthday. Again Celia refused, but I didn’t. Before I continue I must say that yesterday was by far my most successful day in Czech class. A little beer on the brain makes Czech 1000x easier. Well after class Celia and I met up with Sarah and we headed back to the dorm for birthday dinner. Another aside. Last week Ben, Steve, Walt and myself ate in the dorm’s sit down restaurant where I discovered a dish known as Chicken in a Jacket. Chicken in a Jacket is a breast of chicken coated in full cornflakes and fried to a crisp. I convinced everyone that this would be an awesome choice for Celia’s birthday dinner and once again I pulled through. Some more drinks were enjoyed at dinner and after dinner we headed downstairs for the bar and had some more birthday drinks. After this we ventured off to find a venue suitable for a 21st birthday celebration. On the way to finding a venue I ended up slipping on some black ice. Both of my feet ended up above my head and I ended up on the ground. Walt says that I vastly understated the tremendousness of my wipeout. If he chooses to write about it I will link it. Thankfully I have a high threshold for embarrassment because this happened in front of 25 of my friends. The only person who didn’t see it was my valentine, which has allowed me to maintain an image of studdlyness (no jokes please mom). We went to the Dubliner which played Sweet Caroline and Karma Chameleon (awesome). We then went to Chapau Rouge where I ran into my cousin’s cousin Lindsay. (This is the point where I would write about the rest of the night but am electing not to). We definitely celebrated Celia’s 21st properly. I officially pronounced Celia’s birthday festivities over after we dined at McDonalds before Czech class today.
Chicken in a JacketUntil next time.
Alex
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Adjusting
I can’t find the words to describe how much I am enjoying Prague. The city is beautiful, the food is good and the people I am meeting are beyond incredible. I began my Czech intensive course this week and to say that I am extremely confused would be a vast understatement. The Czech language is not known for its ease, coupled with the fact that my teacher speaks faster then Usain Bolt runs, I am struggling. But I have some good friends in the class so we are struggling together, which makes it a lot more fun. Well as fun as four hours and forty five minutes a day of Czech can be. By the end of the two weeks I will hopefully be able to ask where the bathroom is in perfect Czech.
On Sunday night a group of us ventured into the city to find a suitable venue to watch the Super Bowl™. We found an Irish Pub that was full of Americans. When the national anthem was sung the place erupted. The Super Bowl also afforded me the opportunity to get some buffalo wings. The game ended at around 4:00 am. Because it was four in the morning the metro was not open so we had to take the tram home. The tram is much slower the metro and about a thousand times more confusing. My group got on the tram and was feeling great until we realized we were definitely going the wrong direction. So we had to get off and wait for another tram going in the right direction. Just another fun adventure. We arrived back at the dorm at 5:30 am. Whoop.
Things work a little differently in Prague than they do at home. One, beer is cheaper than water, which makes ordering at a restaurant an interesting experience. Two, the head-nod while passing in the hall has not made its way to central Europe. At home when you pass someone in a hall or on the street, a small head-nod is usually customary. That very same head-nod in Prague gets you a very stranger look. Three, dogs. People here love their dogs and the dogs are very very well trained. My dog Quincy can’t be trusted to walk around outside without a leash, because his doggy ADD kicks in and he goes crazy. Here people walk around with their dogs at their side, no leash no collar. People bring their dogs everywhere and sometimes just leave them outside to wait for their owner. Four, the food. When you order food here don’t waste your time trying to modify the menu item or make substitutions, its not happening. Other than that the food is pretty good. Five, grocery shopping. Grocery shopping is very different than at home. If I had acted as the Czech grocers do when I worked at Target I would have promptly been fired. Here the grocery store is a sort of free-for-all. Grab what you can when you can. If you want to carry your groceries home in a bag, you need to bring your own. Also when shopping, be prepared to bag your own groceries. Six, when shopping and using a credit card, be prepared to show ID. This is only funny/ strange to me because since I have been here, I have not shown ID at any bars, clubs, pubs, the metro or anywhere for that matter. But when I bought some chicken the other day, I need to show my student ID (pictured below for your viewing pleasure). Seven, language barrier. I have experienced a little bit of a language barrier. At one hot dog stand I am pretty sure the lady gave me the total opposite of what ordered. Also this morning the maid from the dorm came by to empty the trash and vacuum the room. The only problem is she came just as I was exiting the shower and preparing to don a fresh pair of drawers. She knocked and I said just a second please, but she began to enter anyway and I got my underwear on without a second to spare.
I don’t think I can say enough about the people I am here with. From minute one everyone just clicked. My roommate Walt and I have already established a bond that is simply amazing. Even though I have known my friends here in Prague for only 15 days, I feel as if I have known them for years. We are already busy planning our European adventures and I am so excited to travel the world with them for the next four months. We already have a Budapest trip in the works in about two weeks.
To close I will add a few more random thoughts and observations. I cannot wait to start my normal classes in a week and a half. I cannot wait to do some more traveling around Europe, but I am even more excited to continue to explore Prague. Keeping up with sports has been a challenge but it has been fun. Mainly because A&M keeps winning in basketball and Texas keeps losing (much to Walt’s chagrin). I am off to finish my laundry and go learn some Czech.
Until Next Time
Alex
On Sunday night a group of us ventured into the city to find a suitable venue to watch the Super Bowl™. We found an Irish Pub that was full of Americans. When the national anthem was sung the place erupted. The Super Bowl also afforded me the opportunity to get some buffalo wings. The game ended at around 4:00 am. Because it was four in the morning the metro was not open so we had to take the tram home. The tram is much slower the metro and about a thousand times more confusing. My group got on the tram and was feeling great until we realized we were definitely going the wrong direction. So we had to get off and wait for another tram going in the right direction. Just another fun adventure. We arrived back at the dorm at 5:30 am. Whoop.
Things work a little differently in Prague than they do at home. One, beer is cheaper than water, which makes ordering at a restaurant an interesting experience. Two, the head-nod while passing in the hall has not made its way to central Europe. At home when you pass someone in a hall or on the street, a small head-nod is usually customary. That very same head-nod in Prague gets you a very stranger look. Three, dogs. People here love their dogs and the dogs are very very well trained. My dog Quincy can’t be trusted to walk around outside without a leash, because his doggy ADD kicks in and he goes crazy. Here people walk around with their dogs at their side, no leash no collar. People bring their dogs everywhere and sometimes just leave them outside to wait for their owner. Four, the food. When you order food here don’t waste your time trying to modify the menu item or make substitutions, its not happening. Other than that the food is pretty good. Five, grocery shopping. Grocery shopping is very different than at home. If I had acted as the Czech grocers do when I worked at Target I would have promptly been fired. Here the grocery store is a sort of free-for-all. Grab what you can when you can. If you want to carry your groceries home in a bag, you need to bring your own. Also when shopping, be prepared to bag your own groceries. Six, when shopping and using a credit card, be prepared to show ID. This is only funny/ strange to me because since I have been here, I have not shown ID at any bars, clubs, pubs, the metro or anywhere for that matter. But when I bought some chicken the other day, I need to show my student ID (pictured below for your viewing pleasure). Seven, language barrier. I have experienced a little bit of a language barrier. At one hot dog stand I am pretty sure the lady gave me the total opposite of what ordered. Also this morning the maid from the dorm came by to empty the trash and vacuum the room. The only problem is she came just as I was exiting the shower and preparing to don a fresh pair of drawers. She knocked and I said just a second please, but she began to enter anyway and I got my underwear on without a second to spare.
I don’t think I can say enough about the people I am here with. From minute one everyone just clicked. My roommate Walt and I have already established a bond that is simply amazing. Even though I have known my friends here in Prague for only 15 days, I feel as if I have known them for years. We are already busy planning our European adventures and I am so excited to travel the world with them for the next four months. We already have a Budapest trip in the works in about two weeks.
To close I will add a few more random thoughts and observations. I cannot wait to start my normal classes in a week and a half. I cannot wait to do some more traveling around Europe, but I am even more excited to continue to explore Prague. Keeping up with sports has been a challenge but it has been fun. Mainly because A&M keeps winning in basketball and Texas keeps losing (much to Walt’s chagrin). I am off to finish my laundry and go learn some Czech.
Until Next Time
Alex
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Moravia
Last Friday me and my fellow AIFSers boarded the bus for Moravia. Moravia is a district in the Czech Republic that is south east of Prague. We stayed in Brno, the biggest city in Moravia and the second biggest city in the Czech Republic. I honestly had no idea what I would be doing for the next 3 days. If I had to describe Moravia in one word it would be churches. On the way to Moravia we stopped at a church in a small town called Tisnov. The church is famous for the arch that sits outside of it. The arch featured a bunch of intricate carvings. We then continued on to Brno where we checked into our hotel and had a few hours to kill before our dinner excursion. To kill the time we did what any self respecting twenty somethings would do, and found a local pub. The city of Brno isn’t as “western” as Prague is and finding a pub that wasn’t a sketchy casino was not as easy as it sounds. But alas me, Stef, Walt, Kacy, Adrian, and Kate found a suitable pub. After our small taste of Brno we boarded the busses again and headed to The Templar Order Restaurant in Čejkovice. The restaurant was an hour outside of Brno. The reason this restaurant was special is it is composed of tunnels, many of which are filled with wine. We arrived at the restaurant and I promptly ordered the “chicken nuggets”. Now anyone who knew me from age 2 until about age 18 can tell you that I love chicken nuggets and used to eat them exclusively. Do not judge me for ordering chicken nuggets, the other two options were a pork chop or broccoli. These chicken “nuggets” were anything but, they were grilled chicken breasts served with a red wine sauce and potatoes. Not your average chicken nugget. So after being pleasantly surprised by dinner we took a tour of the wine cellars. Our tour guide was this really nice old Czech lady who spoke zero English, which meant that Jana (one of the AIFS staff members served as the interpreter). After the tour of the tunnels the real party started. The wait staff came by to take our wine orders. We thought we had ordered glasses of wine, however they delivered full bottles of wine to the table, one per person. The bus ride back from the winery was very very very fun.
(Me and our tour guide)
The next morning we went to Austerlitz, the site of a Napoleonic battle which pitted France vs. Austria-Hungry and Germany. The museum was way too technologically advanced for its own good. I really had no idea what was really happened until Z (the coolest old man/ tour guide/ European history buff ever) explained everything. After Austerlitz we ventured to the Mendel Museum where Greggor Mendel discovered human genetics. I am sure that the museum would have been cool had it not been closed due to a lack of power. Don’t worry, we made it back the next day where I bought an awesome t-shirt celebrating genetics. Saturday night everyone just hung out at the hotel in Brno.
(Adrian and I at Austerlitz)
Sunday we woke up and went to the Mendel museum and after that we went to Moravian Karst a complex of underground caves with stalagmites and stalactites. We first did a walking tour of the caves where and then we boarded a boat and went on a ride through the river that runs through the caves. The walk back from the caves to the bus was about a mile on an extremely icy road. I took a nice tumble on the road, but I will allow my friend Stef to describe the incident for you.
(Diego and I outside of the cave)
(Panoramic from outside the caves)
After the Caves we went to another church and then back to Praha.
Until next time
Alex
(Me and our tour guide)The next morning we went to Austerlitz, the site of a Napoleonic battle which pitted France vs. Austria-Hungry and Germany. The museum was way too technologically advanced for its own good. I really had no idea what was really happened until Z (the coolest old man/ tour guide/ European history buff ever) explained everything. After Austerlitz we ventured to the Mendel Museum where Greggor Mendel discovered human genetics. I am sure that the museum would have been cool had it not been closed due to a lack of power. Don’t worry, we made it back the next day where I bought an awesome t-shirt celebrating genetics. Saturday night everyone just hung out at the hotel in Brno.
(Adrian and I at Austerlitz)Sunday we woke up and went to the Mendel museum and after that we went to Moravian Karst a complex of underground caves with stalagmites and stalactites. We first did a walking tour of the caves where and then we boarded a boat and went on a ride through the river that runs through the caves. The walk back from the caves to the bus was about a mile on an extremely icy road. I took a nice tumble on the road, but I will allow my friend Stef to describe the incident for you.
Alex’s fall was by far the most entertaining. I have no idea how this happened but he did a sort of sideways flip before landing, sending his inhaler skittering out of his pocket and away on its own. He looked up, his Waldo hat askew and his face is a state of absolute befuddlement about how he’d reached the ground, and it was possibly one of the most hilarious, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” moments I’ve ever witnessed.
(Diego and I outside of the cave)
(Panoramic from outside the caves)After the Caves we went to another church and then back to Praha.
Until next time
Alex
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