Prague @ MindSay 
haha
For the past few days, they have been showing us American students around the city with little assignments to remind us that we are in fact STUDYING abroad but I could care less because, lets get real, its Prague! We visited Vyshrad, a beautiful setting with an old castle, a small park to walk around and a huge hill that I practically keeled over and died while climbing. After that we trekked along to Wenceslas square which is the area that contains the infamous astronomical clock. I was surprised to see that it wasn’t as large or tall as I had imagined in the photos I’d seen. More castles were to be seen in our walk to Wenceslas square at night which was an incredible sight because of all the city lights. Let me pause to say that for the past few days, we have been walking all over, which I don’t mind but my feet and ankles are screaming at me because Prague is covered with cobble stone which are not for the flat footed or faint hearted.
So moving on, besides the sightseeing which I could bore you with details that would not do them justice, we have been eating out at authentic Czech restaurants which I can tell you is not good for your stomach, especially to those who are used to eating rice, kimchi and chicken. The Czechs like their food heavy, hearty and fattening which I love but not for two days straight. I think the eating out is just for our introduction to Czech cuisine but from now on we’ll be cooking our own light, healthy meals (which the Czechs do most of the week; they don’t eat this artery clogging food every day). Another thing that I noticed is that the beverage of choice at most meals is, can anyone guess? Yes, beer. Beer galore. Dark beers, light beers, beers in big mugs, beers in slim glasses, beers of all shapes and sizes and colors and tastes. I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to Bud Light when I return home. It’s a wonder that not all Czechs don’t have the American beer belly but then again, the ones I see are in the city and walk every where, so they get their fair share of exercise.
Our Czech flat buddies, as we call them (there are four of them in the four flats), have been slowly trying to nudge the Czech language in to our heads and that is no easy feat. The sound of the words is strange because they put together sounds that are not put together in English.
Regarding pictures, internet is hard to come by here as of now but supposedly we will be getting internet in our flats so if that happens then i will be able to put up pictures more often but now we have to pay for internet so i'll be holding off on that at the moment.
So Na shledano for now (good bye) but I will try to write as often as I can. Hope everyone is doing well in the States.
xoxox Jennifer
This past semester has been a hectic one to say the least. I decided to study abroad in Prague this upcoming semester which in order to do so is a class unto itself in paperwork and decisions and preparations. On top of that, the classes I have been taking have pretty much consumed my free time. Being enrolled in two production classes is a lot of work and outside of class work (which is the most time consuming kind). On top of that, I began working as a production assistant at Goddard Space Flight Center (very exciting I might add). All of these things however are not the most exhausting things I've ever done. I can deal with school, paperwork, regular work and anything else that requires exorbitant amounts of energy.
So that being said, this is not what I want to rant or rave about. What I want to rant or rave about is one of my classes in particular in which the content really affected the way that I look at things now. This class is documentary production. Now ordinarily, the class would be taught in a way that teaches you the basics and principles of documentary making, no big deal. The professor that taught it didn't see it that way. This man is a super leftist liberal (bless his heart) and decided to teach the class with an activist edge to it. So he began showing us documentaries of heavy content and readings that supplemented what we were seeing. Still doesn't seem too bad right? I didn't think so either. When he went through our syllabus and discussed the structure of class and some of the content we would be learning about, I thought, "Hmm, perhaps we'll talk about how George Bush is the worst president to ever see inside the Oval Office". No, that was not the case. Although my professor did have his biases against the president, he did not vocalize them. Instead he subverted his views of George Bush's style through material that would truthfully show us the bad in what goes on in the heart of our corrupt society. We were eased into all of this with a few short videos like "The Story of Stuff" and Stephen Colbert's speech at the White House Correspondent's dinner. He then hit us with other liberal sided docs like Sicko, The Corporation, End of Suburbia and What a Way to Go. Being brought up in a highly conservative house and closing my mind to politics yet attending a liberal arts college did not prepare me for all these one sided view points. Most of the opinions in the films we watched maintained that everything it talked about was in fact the truth. Well who knows what the truth is? Its better to keep an open mind and let everything wash over you so you can have a more informed opinion. Me, personally, I like to stay in the middle and try to avoid our bipartisan country's conflicting ideals. I don't usually like discussing the latest controversial issues that I do have opinions about (unless its with my conservative father who I then just take the other side for the sake of pushing his buttons).
Keeping that in mind, I am glad that I took this class before my departure to another country. Before the class, I think I was pretty open minded but my mind was pretty vacant in terms of knowledge of issues. However, now after a semester of learning and gathering opinions (granted they are a little one-sided) I feel a little more prepared for my trip than before this semester. Now I feel motivated to learn and search for all the information I can to broaden my perspective on local, national and worldly views. My anticipation for my trip this fall is that I can add experience to my perspective as opposed to just news print. As much as we rely on news print to retrieve our information on what's going on in the world, I think its just as important to experience these things so we have more passion and conviction in the things we talk about. It is a shame and unfortunate that not everyone is able to travel the world and see different sights and talk to different people and experience a different culture. It is with this idea in my mind that I appreciate this opportunity I've been given and really take full advantage of it as I embark on this adventure this fall.
Day Six: September 3, 2007
Jason was up at quarter 'til 6:00 a.m. so he could make it to the airport by 7:00 a.m. for his flight back to Venice. I was half-asleep when I said goodbye to him (sorry Jason), and after he left I fell back into a deep slumber.
When I awoke again later in the morning, Lauren and TJ were also stirring; as was the weather outside. Dark clouds covered the skies and the window in our room was splattered with raindrops. Grreeaaat.
Once showered and dressed we headed out for breakfast. The temperature had hovered in the mid-to-high '60s and low '70s fahrenheit all week, but this morning it felt more like 50 degrees. We walked to Wenceslas Square to find a trolley car diner that we had mistakenly stumbled upon early in the vacation. However, turned out the "diner" was just an ice cream/milkshake/drink stop and didn't serve food. Stomachs growling, we turned back to the street that led to Old Town Square, knowing there would be a few options for cafes there. Of course, all of the cafes in the main square had inflated prices - much more than we were willing to spend on breakfast. Maybe it's just me, but 300kc/$15 for eggs, bacon, and juice seemed a bit steep.
TJ suggested we walk back towards the hostel because he'd noticed a cafe that served breakfast until 12:00 p.m. By this time I was starving and would have eaten just about anywhere. The cafe only had tables for two indoors, so we were forced to dine in the cold outside. My scrambled eggs only warmed me for a few minutes, but they did fill my stomach.
After breakfast we stopped back into the hostel to grab warmer clothing. Then, back on the streets, we set out to find the Museum of Communism, which TJ wanted to visit. All week we had seen posters advertising the Museum everywhere. The ads were pretty intriguing, to say the least.
If you notice the bottom right corner of the poster, you'll notice the Museum is located above a McDonald's. It's also located next to a casino. How can you go wrong with a prime location like that? :)
The Museum's displays were pretty interesting; they covered the role of Communism in the former Czechoslovakia and abroad from 1948 through the fall in 1989, including information taught in schools, relations with the West, media propaganda, censorship, and more. After spending the majority of the week touring centuries-old buildings, it was strange to see artifacts that were used in our lifetime.
Following the museum, we stopped at a small cafe to get drinks. The stuffy temperature in the Museum had taken its toll on Lauren, who had been battling a cold the entire week, and myself, and cool drinks were most welcome. We weren't sure what to do for the rest of the day, as we had already visited most of Prague's main attractions. Another trip back to the hostel and a nap rejuvenated our spirits and we left to do some souvenier shopping around Stare Mesto (Old Town) the rest of the day/evening. Oh, and we had to stop and get our favorite snack one last time: the cinnamon bangles!
Exhausted from shopping and playing "beat the weather," we ended the night fairly early.
Day Seven: September 4, 2007
This was our last day in the city, so we chose to revisit a few favorite sites. Bohemia Bagel for breakfast was first on the list, of course. We couldn't leave Prague without having egg sandwiches again! TJ also surprised Lauren and I with a very yummy cinnamon raisin roll. Mmmmm. Old Town Square was next on the list of stops. The Square had been a main meeting place for our friends, a great area to find reasonably-priced and delicious food (traditional Czech or otherwise), and take in some of the most beautiful sights in the city. By the time we arrived in the Square, a huge crowd had gathered at the Astronomical Clock to see the 12 (wooden) apostles appear and bless the city. I finally got to see the apostles, hooray!
Lunch at the pizza place where we ate our first night in Prague was just as delicious as it had been the first time. This time, though, we ate inside, all the way in the back near the pizza oven. Clocks, mirrors, and other trinkets covered the walls, which made for a cozy atmosphere.
After lunch, we did a little more shopping. The night before I had seen a really pretty garnet pendant, but wanted to think about the purchase and also see if I could find something else I liked before I settled. But each piece of jewelry I saw, I ended up comparing to that pendant, so I knew it had to be mine. We walked back to the jewelry shop, but were surprised to find a group of Asian tourists inside. Apparently the jewelry store was on the tour! Eventually, after the group had moved on, I was able to find an employee and make my purchase.
We walked around a bit more, through Old Town, across Charles Bridge, through Kampa Island, and eventually arrived back in New Town, where we stopped for dinner near our street's bridge. After spaghetti bolognese (me), gnocchi (TJ), and goulash (Lauren), we walked back to the hostel to begin packing up our belongings for our departure the next day.
Day Eight: September 5, 2007
We checked out of the hostel at 6:30 a.m. TJ and I went out to talk to our friendly desk attendant about calling a cab while Lauren did a last-second check through our room to make sure nothing was forgotten. A few minutes later, TJ and I were still talking with the desk guy when Lauren came running out of the room; she had found her cell phone! The three of us hugged and danced around a bit while the desk guy gave us funny looks. :) We said goodbye to desk guy when our ride to the airport arrived. The sounds of "Sweet Home Alabama" playing from the radio station on the way to the airport seemed to beckon us home.
Check-in at the airport went smoothly, and we sat down to an overpriced breakfast at the only open restaurant near our gate. Beggars can't be choosers, though, I suppose. Before long we were able to board the plane that would fly us back to Frankfurt, Germany, where we had a two-hour layover. Two hours was a walk in the park compared to the eight-hour layover we had coming into Prague!
The flight back to the U.S. seemed to take forever. I tried unsuccessfully to sleep, and instead chose to re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows until the in-flight movie, "Ocean's 13" began. By the time the movie ended I was really antsy and ready to get off the plane, but there were still two hours left in the flight. Longest two hours ever!
Finally, 15 bajillion years later, we landed in Philadelphia, and I all but ran off of the plane. It felt so good to be home! We grabbed our luggage at baggage claim and walked to the tram stop, which would take us to the car in long-term parking. A full two hours after landing, we piled in the car and headed out on 95 South back to West Chester. Lauren and TJ dropped me off at my apartment, and I dropped my bags just inside the front door, said goodbye to the two of them, shut the door, and flopped down on the couch. It would take me a full week to unpack.
Well, that's it folks! Hope you enjoyed reading. And if any of you ever get the opportunity to visit Prague, do so!
iFeel:
spentiTunes: TV
Day Three: August 31, 2007
We woke up fairly early (9:30ish) and were out the door by 10:30 a.m. in search of breakfast. Alli had told us of a place she and her friends frequented called Bohemia Bagel that had reasonable prices and a good breakfast selection. There was a location at the end of our street across the river, so we set off with visions of warm eggs and bagels in our heads. Before reaching our destination, however, we paused at the bridge to take pictures of Prague Castle in the distance - a location we would come to know quite well. Tourist moment completed, we set off once again for Bohemia Bagel. And Alli was right - the food was very good. I had a spinach bagel with egg and cheese and a grapefruit-and-orange Ice Fruit. Num num. :)
Our stomachs full, we crossed the street towards a grassy park-like area hoping to find an office location or entrance to pay for a ride on the funicular. Unfortunately we didn't see anything, so we decided to walk around and then meander up the hill in hopes we'd stumble across something. We found a memorial to the victims of communism, where other tourists posed and smiled next to the statues. Incredibly disrespectful, if you ask me.
Still not finding any information on the funicular, we sat down to consult the map Lauren had picked up at the hostel. Many moments of intense map concentration followed, until we realized that we were looking at a map of Poland. *collective facepalm*
Map discarded, we headed off in the general direction of the castle. We huffed and puffed through an uphill orchard, stumbled over rocks, took lots of pictures of the city (and of one another), and found the U.S. Embassy behind a barbed-wire fence. Eventually we came upon civilization (aka the Lesser Quarter) and continued on the trek towards the castle.
Once at our destination, we took yet more pictures, chuckled at the entrance gate to the castle and of other tourists trying to make the castle guards crack their stone-faced stares, and gaped at the sheer size of St. Vitus Cathedral. 
We purchased tour tickets that allowed us inside a few of the famous sections of the castle grounds - Vladislav Hall, St. George Basilica, the Golden Lane, etc. Money well spent, if you ask me. It was amazing and humbling to walk among structures that trace their history back to the 800s; my mind still has trouble comprehending something that old. I also came to understand why Prague is called the "Golden City of One Hundred Spires;" everywhere I turned I saw golden accents on buildings and statues, and towering spires that disappeared into the clouds. One just does not see this kind of history and architecture in the States.
Our sightseeing and shopping excursion was cut short, however, as one glance at Lauren's wristwatch after touring a castle dungeon/torture chamber revealed we were late to meet Alli at our hostel. She had finished her teaching program and said she'd meet us at the hostel and accompany us to dinner. We power-walked back as fast as we possibly could (even made pretty good time navigating across the tourist-packed Charles Bridge), apologized to Alli, and got ready for dinner. She took us to a really great out-of-the-way place that served traditional Czech dishes at really decent prices. Lauren, TJ, and I all got the beef goulash in bread bowls, and Alli ordered cheesy potatoes. The goulash was amazing, and this is coming from someone who normally hates any type of beef stew. Mmmm, I'm drooling right now just thinking about it. :)
After dinner we went to Keith and Gareth's apartment again to hang out. Their program was throwing a big graduation party for all of the participants that night starting at 8:00 p.m., and Alli extended the invitation to us to join in the festivities. However, still feeling a big jet-lagged and exhausted from sightseeing, we elected to go back to the hostel and rest/nap until my friend Jason arrived from Italy for the weekend. Goooood decision. A nap, shower, and some computer time rejuvinated the three of us, and once Jason arrived, we set off to find the Mexican (yeah, Mexican) restaurant where the party was held.
Easier said than done.
The restaurant wasn't located where the map said it was, and by the time we finally found it (about 45 minutes of wandering), the gang was getting ready to leave. Luckily for us, they were headed to the cheap rock bar near our hostel - so at least we didn't have to worry about drunkenly trying to find our way back. We probably would have ended up in the Vtlava River with the ducks and seagulls.
The walk to the rock bar was... fun. I won't go into details to protect the innocent (haha), but it involved some people taking off their shoes and walking barefoot on the streets of Prague, other people chasing each other in-between parked cars, drug huddles, and lots of falls. By the time we got to the bar all I wanted in the world was a beer and somewhere to sit down.
My mission accomplished, I settled into a nice, loopy state and took in the surroundings: a more long than wide room, with tables/chairs/benches at one end (where we were), and a dance floor with giant screen playing old, loud '80s and '90s American rock music videos at the other end. Fantabulous. And the beer was really good! It didn't make me gag! (Those who know me know that I can only drink a certain amount of beer before it starts to taste really bad and will make me gag. Doesn't matter if said beer is cold or warm... after a point, I just can't drink anymore.) Three glasses later, I was drawing on Alli's arm ("Ten Twelve o'clock at the clock" - our meeting time and place in the morning; a penis, naturally; and "Preston and Steve 93.3 WMMR"), chatting with people I had just met moments before, and wondering what happened to Gareth's shirt (he had taken it off while dancing and stowed it in his pants).
A few hours passed, and we said our goodbyes to the rock bar and new-found friends, and somehow managed to get back into the hostel, where we promptly passed out. Excellent night. :)
Day Four comin' at ya later. Right now I'm waiting for Lauren to get back from the post office so we can go to lunch. *stomach gurgle*
iFeel: 
hungry
iTunes: "Sunday Morning in America," Keith Anderson
Day Five: September 2, 2007
This turned out to be "my day" to pick sightseeing destinations.
We started off fairly late in the morning and didn't leave the hostel until nearly 11:00 a.m. Breakfast in many of the restaurants and cafes near Wenceslas Square had already changed to lunch, so we headed towards Old Town Square to try our luck there. We did find a cafe with outdoor seating near one of the metro lines, and along the main route from Wenceslas Square to Old Town Square. The menu was limited and not much was given for the price, but the food wasn't too bad.
Once fed, we headed north along the river to Josefov. I'm not Jewish, but I am a bit of a history nerd when traveling, and the Quarter's torrid past drew me in. Prague's Jewish community was forced to settle in this area in the 13th century and was banned from living anywhere else in the city. Over the centuries, the community grew to overcrowded situations and became referred to as the Jewish Ghetto. The last redevelopment of the area occurred in the late 1800s-early 1900s, and most of the buildings today date back to this time period, with exception of six synagogues, the Jewish Town Hall, and the Old Jewish Cemetery.
The only sight I really wanted to visit was the cemetery, but a ticket wasn't available for it alone. So we purchased the least-expensive tour ticket and started off at the Maisel Synagogue. Inside, I was fascinated by the exhibit on display: The History of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia. Again, my mind had trouble wrapping around how old many of the artifacts were - manuscripts from the 10th and 11th centuries, woven tapestries from the 1500s, jewelry and silver goblets hundreds of years old. It just didn't seem possible to me that items this ancient were still intact, but I guess that's a testament to the quality of work by the restoration teams.
After the touring the Maisel Synagogue, we elected to skip the other locations in favor of heading back to the Jewish Museum and the cemetery. Near the cemetery, however, we did check out the Pinkas Synagogue. After World War II, it has served as a memorial to the 77,297 Jews from Bohemia and Moravia who died in the Holocaust. When we first walked in and saw the white walls covered from floor to ceiling in black, red, and gold text, I wasn't aware what the names meant. I leaned over to Lauren and mentioned as much, and she pointed at the dates next to the names. All ended with "-194_ (the dates ranged from 1940-1945). It was then I realized the significance of the names - they were Holocaust victims. We wandered from room to room, stone silent, taking in the names on the covered walls. To say it was sobering would be an understatement.
The Pinkas Synagogue's upper floor was even more heart-wrenching. Here were childrens' drawings, journal entries, and letters crated during their time of imprisonment at Terezin, a transit camp where inmates were held before they were sent to concentration camps in the east. The feeling of sadness was so overwhelming in these rooms; so many of the drawings were pictures of love and hope, and each was accompanied by a text description provided by the museum. Most of the Terezin children didn't survive. From the museum's Web site:
"Before being deported to Auschwitz, Friedl Dicker [a painter who organized art classes for the children] filled two suitcases with about 4,500 children's drawings and put them in a secret place; immediately after the war, they were recovered and handed over to the Jewish Museum in Prague. These drawings are a poignant reminder of the tragic fate of Bohemian and Moravian Jews during the Second World War. Only a few of the Terezín children survived; the vast majority were deported to Auschwitz where they were exterminated. In many cases, these pictures are all that is left to commemorate their lives. Without them their names would be...forgotten."
Our tour continued out of the Pinkas Synagogue and into the Old Jewish Cemetery, the oldest existing Jewish cemetery in Europe. Again, everyone was silent as we walked through the rows of ancient tombstones. I had read that over 12,000 tombstones were placed in the cemetery, but more than 100,000 are buried there in layers. 
The cemetery was used from 1439 (the oldest grave belongs to rabbi and poet Avigdor Karo) to 1787, and had actually been expanded a few times over the centuries. But tombstones were still grouped in clusters, leaning on each other from the limited space.
Small pebbles and notes of prayers covered the tops of most of the tombstones nearest to the tour path - signs of respect and memorial from past visitors. A candelight memoriam, with dozens of tiny burning tealights covered the grave of Rabbi Low, who is said to be the creator of the legendary "Golem," a monster created from the mud of the Vtlava river and who helped Rabbi Low in his struggle against the anti-Semites in the 16th century.
We walked the twisting path through the cemetery and through the exit in somber moods. It was nearing mid-afternoon at this point so we walked towards the castle grounds in search of a snack, still relatively quiet. We found another outdoor cafe near the Vitus Cathedral that advertised reasonably-priced specials. I wasn't that hungry and just ordered some apple strudel, another traditional Czech dish. It was really good! Lauren, TJ, and Jason all had some sort of potato "loaf," which resembled stacked Au Gratin potatoes. While eating, I dug out the map and found the route that would lead us to the Strahov Monastery and brewery, where we planned on having dinner.
Stomachs full for the time being, we walked down the hill out of the castle grounds, and back up another hill towards the monastery. The map was misleading, however, as it showed the Loreta (a shrine to the Virgin Mary, which we would visit later) where, in reality, the monastery stood.
Since we found the monastery rather quickly and weren't hungry for dinner yet, we strolled around the grounds and took in the scenery. We happened upon the Museum of Miniatures, which I had read about before we left for Prague. Admission was 50kc/$2.50, so how could we say "no?" :) Inside, rows of magnifying glasses and microscopes were set up on tables around the perimeter of the rooms. Looking through the glass, the seemingly-impossible stared back: "a caravan of camels in th eye of a needle, a three-dimensional model of the Eiffel Tower measuring just 3.2 millimeters, the portrait of Anton Chekhov on one half of a poppy seed, a train on a human hair, a sailboat on a mosquito wing and many more." My favorite was the flea wearing roller skates and holding a pair of golden scissors. :)
We weren't hungry after the museum (seeing dead bugs under a microscope doesn't exactly make me want to dive into food), so we exited the monastery and walked on a paved trail through the woods for a little while. However, not knowing where the path led, we turned around and headed back towards the monastery. We had passed a few empty benches the first go-around, and they were still empty on the return trip. I half-joked that we could relax and take naps until dinnertime - the other three wholeheartedly agreed, haha. TJ and Lauren set up camp on one bench, and Jason and I on the other, and soon enough all four of us were snoozing.
And when we woke up, this was our view:
Not too shabby, eh? :)
Rejuvenated once more, and now ready for real food, we walked back up the short hill to the monastery and the brewery attached to it. One of the great things about restaurants in Prague is that we never had to wait for someone to seat us; the normal etiquette is to make eye contact with the waitstaff, indicate where you'd like to sit, and then sit. The waiter or waitress would then appear (some more quickly than others) with a menu and/or ready to take orders.
At first we sat at a table outside because of the nice weather, but later moved indoors because the unprepared boys were cold. ;) Inside we sat in front of the huge and impressive copper bar and sipped our glasses of St. Norbert's brew (and tea, in Lauren's case) until our food arrived: goulash for Lauren, Jason, and myself, and chicken for TJ. This goulash was different from the first kind I tried; it had Czech dumplings instead of a bread bowl, and raw sliced red onions piled on top. Of course, the raw onions had me in tears, but I wasn't about to stop eating because of them!
Now incredibly full, we took a few pictures inside the brewery, paid the bill, and headed back down the hill towards the castle. It was sundown, so we had a great opportunity to get some shots of the city glowing pink in the sun's retreating rays. One of my favorites:
We stuck around the castle grounds until after the sun had set. I said at the time that these were the moments I'd really remember from our trip; strolling through the castle at sunset and at night when it was virtually deserted and quiet, when things move a little slower than in the daylight hours. And I was right. Our walk through the castle streets at sunset is one of the most vivid memories I have from Prague.
Back at the hostel we played it pretty easy for the rest of the night because Jason had to leave at the un-Godly hour of 6:00 a.m. (meaning he was up at 5:15 a.m.) the next morning. While he packed up his stuff, Lauren, TJ, and I played cards in the common room. Jason joined us for a game of UNO when he was finished, and, seemingly forever later, our game ended and it was time for bed.
Day six will be up later. :)
iFeel: 
happy
iTunes: "Nothing Like You and I," The Perishers
Showing 1 - 5. [ Next ]