Budapest!

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. the great affair is to move."
- Robert Louis Stevenson

The train ride from Praha to Budapest was so beautiful. I love seeing of the small houses, nestled together in the hills of the countryside. I stayed at Home Made Hostel - an adorably quaint hostel in downtown Budapest. Old televisions and suitcases served as tables and shelves, while the guestbook documented visitors from all over the world. The location was perfect and the staff was unbelievably helpful. They told us where to eat and why, what clubs to go to, and how to get anywhere. We didn't even get lost! (Okay we got lost once but only for 10 minutes.) It was my first hostel experience and I am sure it will be a tough act to follow.

Friday was packed with touring. St. Stephen's Basillica was absolutely breathtaking. If you've read my other posts, you know I've seen more churches than I care to recall, so we laughed as we visited two on our own accord. It was a freezing day but we made out way down to the river where we saw the WWII Memorial for the Jews. It was completely unmarked other than dozens of metal shoes lined up at the water. Some looked like they had been kicked off, some looked as though the feet in them were still walking, ladies' shoes, men's shoes, even children's shoes symbolized the millions of people who "disappeared." It was very moving and worth the cold walk down.
Across the Chain Bridge we toured the castle and finally St. Matthias Church. Though tickets were required to enter, it provided a beautiful lookout point of the city. So high up, you could see both Buda and Pest, and how they came together as one city.

One of the coolest parts about Budapest is the nightlife. A lot of their clubs are converted from old abandoned buildings. This provides creative decor and lots of little random rooms. These structures provide lots of room for bars, tables, couches, and dancing.

After touring the Jewish Quarter on Saturday morning, we went over to the Széchenyi Baths. It wasn't until we were all in our swimsuits that we realized it was a BYOT (bring your own towel) situation. Oops. We decided we'd be okay. The largest of the baths in Budapest included 5 indoor baths and 2 outdoor baths. The indoor ones were beautiful but held a strange smell that made us uncomfortable to say the least. It was at this point that 8 of us walked outside in swimsuits in the middle of the Hungarian winter. We scurried to the far bath and hopped in. It's really just a huge hot tub, but it was so relaxing to feel so warm outside (something that hasn't happened in quite a while). There was even a circular section in the middle, where a few dozen people at a time can make a whirlpool. It looked fun and terrible at the same time, but we eventually joined in. We spun around faster than I ever have in a whirlpool. (I'm quite a veteran to the whirlpool thanks to my cousins' pool in Scranton!) Tourists and locals go to the baths to spend hours just wading in the water.

The trip ended rather dramatically. We took two cabs to the train station, one leaving about 15 minutes after the first. It wasn't until we got to the corner that we realized how difficult it would be to get a cab. We stood there for over 15 minutes, realizing the train time was getting closer. When we finally got a cab we stressed how quickly we needed to get there. We rushed on and with the help of a porter we got all of our stuff situation. It wasn't until this time that we heard from the others - they were still outside the hostel trying to get a cab. A knot rose in my stomach. We said we was leaving with or without them - but were we really going to?? A few minutes and the doors closed. Another minute and the train started to move. We all gasped. We stared at each other until they appeared at the door of our compartment. We all yelped and had a collective sigh of relief. They saw the doors close while they were running through the train station. They pushed every button until it opened, and the train started moving the moment they stepped on.

I didn't really know what to expect from Budapest, but I discovered it to be a beautiful city with warm people and vibrant energy. The people wanted to practice English with us, and laughed warmly when we tried to speak Hungarian. I think it was an extremely successful trip, especially considering it is the first one I went on without a guide.

The Terrifying Adventure Known as the Prague Zoo

We were supposed to go on a walk to a Chateau. It sounded fine, but we all know most people signed up just to hang out with Z and Jana (our guides) for a couple hours. After a long walk through a beautiful park we found that the Chateau was closed. I was thrilled to see that the zoo was right next door and that's what we would be doing instead. I love zoos. And this one was HUGE - it had polar bears, tigers, and just about every species of turtles. Everyone in the group knows how much I like turtles and every so often someone would yell my name and point to an especially cute turtle they knew I would like.

It was strange being in a foreign zoo - if the plaque didn't have a picture, sometimes I didn't know what I was even looking for. There were lots of animals I'd never seen before, but rather look like hybrids of animals I have seen before (like a weird dog/rat/bear combination.) I also noticed that like most places in Prague, people bring their dogs. I found it ironic that people brought their dogs to the zoo. Is it to tease the captive animals? Or is it like taking high schoolers to a local jail to scare them out of bad behavior?

There was a really cool Indonesian Jungle room: a large building with two sections. One outdoor with monkeys and random small mammals. Then there was the "Twilight Zone." I thought it'd be cool seeing all of the cute little nocturnal animals I would never see otherwise. It happened quickly - I saw a bat out of the corner of my eye. A real bat. Not the little baby ones I saw in the Adirondacks when I was 7 - big, scary, sleep-upside-down bats just flying around us. This was a small room, it's not like they just hung out by the ceiling or corners. They would fly right above you're head.

I'm embarrassed to admit I screamed. Maybe it was more of a yelp, but terrified sounds were definitely coming out of my mouth. I ran. I ducked. I huddled as close to my friends as possible. It actually flew into John, at which time he threw himself on the floor. I had to wait until I was out of there to appreciate the comedy that had just ensued. I was extremely relieved to get out of there, but I did take with me my new fear of bats.

Terezin Concentration Camp

For one of my orientation trips I visited Terezin Concentration camp about an hour outside of Prague. There was a Jewish ghetto setup by Hitler to contain the Jews in the Czech republic. Propaganda praised him for giving them their own town, when it was an awful place of poverty. The police just picked people to send to the camp: Jews, thieves, gypsies. The Red Cross came to inspect the camp, but gave them months notice so they prepared to make it look like a spa town. They picked certain people and made sure they were well fed and trained to answer questions appropriately. I was disgusted to learn that after setting up football games and town events for show, all people involved were killed.
At one point during the tour we stopped at a smaller section of the security wall. Our tour guide told us that the guards were stationed here at all times, but one Christmas Eve when they were all drunk, three men climbed the wall and escaped. I stared at this wall with the silly wondering of how fast they had run. Somehow, after months of exhausting work and almost no food or sleep, they found the strength to escape. I wondered for the rest of the tour how exactly they found the will to live. Two of the men resurfaced later under different names and published work.
We went to a museum afterward and got to see tools the prisoners made, the buildings of the ghetto, and letters people wrote to loved ones. Learning about how the prisoners were thrown away so easily and without thought. This was a tragic place to be, but I will remember what I learned here, especially because I will be visiting Auschwitz in April.

Lazy Sunday

Today is the first day that I actually feel like I live in Prague. No tourism today. No pictures or wandering the city. This lazy Sunday includes brunch, Czech homework, and catching up on e-mails. "I Just Called To Say I Love You" is played in here - we all mindlessly sang along while eating. Though I am in a foreign city, it seems normal to be in a cafe with new friends recounting the weekend and planning for our trips. I can't help but recognize how luck I am to be living this life. I think of how fortunate I am every time I visit the Charles Bridge, stand among the the beautifully old architecture, or visit the castle, but it is extremely satisfying be able to appreciate it all on a "normal" day.

Things That Are Universal

... Or At Least Seem to Be

(noted by experience or eyewitness)

1. Graffiti: no matter where you are, people want you to know they were there before you. Though most graffiti gets painted over eventually, knowing that your mark stays behind after you are long gone can make you feel like you will live infinitely.
2. The awkward moment created when you and someone else run into each other but both turn the same way so it looks like you are dancing to get around each other.
3. The failure one feels when missing the metro by mere seconds. You may not even be in a rush, but it would always be nice to make that first one. Plus everyone saw you miss it.
4. 90's music: my theory is that it reminds the Central Europeans of the fall of communism, hence they want to relive their first listen of Vanilla Ice again and again.
5. Cheap Beer: every country has a version of PBR - doesn't matter how little the drinker cares - someone has to comment on the fact that it's the cheapest.
6. The girl who wears shorts even when it is 23 degrees.
7. People who play their iPod so everyone on the tram/bus/metro can hear it. If you're this kid, know that everyone is quietly judging you (on both the volume and music selection).
8. Sunsets: people will always crowd around to watch the sun go down, turning the sky into oranges, pinks, and purples. The sun sets every single evening, yet people will still stop to take it in.
9. They YMCA dance: who would have thought?

Moravia: My Lesson in Saying YES

While preparing to depart for Europe someone told me to "Be a yes person. Especially in terms of traveling, say Yes to everything you can." I thought this was really good advice but that it seemed kind of obvious. Here's the story of my weekend in Moravia and how it showed me how meaningful this advice is.
I learned about the trip to Brno, Moravia in various emails after I was accepted to my program. I glanced quickly at it, only really interested in the promised underground boat ride. It was another sum of money, same country as Prague, and just didn't catch my eye. I decided to pass and didn't really think about it again. Last week, sitting at the back of the room at our first orientation meeting I realized almost everyone else was going. I signed up & paid just a couple days before we departed.
Moravia is considered the wine country of the Czech Republic, so I was looking forward to learning a thing or two. The first night we went to a wine tasting in a family owned wine cellar. I ate chicken off of the bone for the first time in years and enjoyed good wine and great company. As I looked around I said to myself "This is enough. My trip out here is already worth it."
The following day was busy with a visit to Mendel's museum, Austerlitz battlefield, and the Napoleon Museum. One thing I have noticed about traveling in a group is that moods are contagious. Our moods rise and fall together, so after a long day, our spirits were low as we began our walking tour of Brno. After snapping pictures of yet another church we turn behind it and suddenly we have the most beautiful view of the capital of Moravia. The sun was just getting ready to go down and the tops of the buildings were the perfect color. Everyone was instantly giddy as we took all the pictures we could from all of the different angles we could find. The walking tour ended with a few more churches at which time we separated for the night.
Even with little sleep, I was excited for our adventure to the caves of Moravia. At breakfast I was told that we were scheduled to go to two churches before that. I hate to be negative, but I had already been to so many churches that I could not believe there could be more to see. The trip was then named "The No Church Left Behind Tour." I won't bore all of you with all of the details, but it was pretty brutal to wait in the cold while the services got out (it was Sunday) and get AN HOUR LONG lesson on a wood carving.
When we finally made it to the caves I could hardly contain my excitement. We walked 20 minutes to the cave entrance and walked through. It was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was huge and water flowed through most of it. I realize that it is hard to impress college students. There are almost always some that remain cynical or negative, and mostly unappreciative. The caves impressed us all. Everyone "OOHed" and "AHHed", took pictures, and talked about how cool it was. The boat ride felt like a ride at Disney World - at any moment I was sure that there would be a huge drop off and everyone would put their hands up as we splashed down a slide. Though this did not happen, we did bump into a wall with almost every turn and the people sitting on the sides had to constantly bend over each other to avoid low ceilings and ledges. By the time I got out of the boat I could only really think of one thing: I almost missed this. I couldn't believe that I came so close to missing out on such an amazing trip.
As we headed back to Prague everyone was quiet as the sunset lit up the sky the deepest pinks and oranges. I could no longer imagine missing out on this trip or any others. Moravia taught me that in terms of travel and adventure, the answer should always be yes.

Getting Lost

This has happened every single day since I left the United States. I feel like Dr. Seuss could write a colorful story about about the places, times, reasons, and weather that I have gotten lost in this past week. With various people (never alone!) I've been lost in 3 countries, day & night, and in freezing weather and slightly less freezing weather. I'm not complaining though. It can get frustrating when you are cold or hungry or reallllly have to use the bathroom, but for the most part it isn't so bad. London had an easy bus and underground system. Munich had high buildings to use as reference points. Prague is a different story. With it's metros, trams, & buses I have never failed to be thoroughly confused by Prague. I try to look at the upsides to these things - it has been extremely exciting the few times we made it where we were going AND sometimes we pass the places we were lost on a tour or day trip the next day. At this point I usually just shrug and say "Okay - now we know." I am sure there will be a day where I look back and laugh about getting lost all the time.

Prague!

I just got back from a weekend trip to Moravia, Czech Republic, and on the long bus ride I wondered why I hadn't blogged about Prague yet. I've come to the conclusion that it is like having a good-news-type - sometimes you want to just want to keep it to yourself and enjoy it before you let others in. Also, I'm worried that I won't be able to do the city justice. I've been taking pictures but when I look at them on the screen they often don't capture it all. I am partly in disbelief that I will be living and studying here for a semester. I found out that Albert Einstein used to teach at Charles University where I'll be attending starting tomorrow morning. I really geeked out over that. Orientation has been keeping me busy visiting palaces, cathedrals, and the main squares.
The squares and wide but walled in by huge historic buildings. Instead of having house numbers, the houses were built with ornaments above the door. Family crests, animals, and other figures are detailed on many of the large buildings which adds to the beauty and uniqueness of Prague. The streets are mostly cobble stones and the narrow winding roads between buildings are even more picturesque than I imagined they would be. It's been a lot to take in and I find myself in disbelief on a daily basis.
The culture differences have been interesting to deal with. Paying with coins seems like a very insignificant detail, but it's frustrating to be at a register digging through my purse, not even knowing exactly what I'm looking for. Lots of times I'll just give up and hand the paper money over and accept that they will be giving me a ridiculous amount of coins to make change.
The Czech people hardly ever smile or speak. They seem a bit robotic in their everyday life. I didn't know it would be so difficult to live in a place where I don't speak the language and I am trying to learn as fast as I can. I ask locals when I can and when they hear that I am just trying to learn Czech, they are usually much friendlier and say words slowly for me. I've mastered "hello," "thank you," "please," "go away," and of course "Do you speak English?" and "I don't understand."