This past week has been surreal. Katie, my friend from AU, came to visit starting last saturday. She’s studying in London and had her spring break and decided to come visit me! It was funny showing people around here. It really made me feel like a “local” (I hate that word, but I can’t think of anything else right now) or an obnoxious tour guide. All I needed was a bright neon yellow umbrella. She was fun though. It was nice to see a familiar face here, especially someone who was super excited to see me too and see the city : ) We did all the touristy sites (Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, Malastraska, and the Lennon Wall), ate and drank a lot, saw some interesting theater performance and met some new friends at an awesome jazz club. Parents: when you come visit we will go there : )
Katie left on Thursday morning and Charlie arrived. I had class all day Thursday so we went out to eat with his friends from high school who are studying here as well. Friday I played tour guide again and we did the major sites, only to leave Prague at 5 to catch a flight to Amsterdam to meet up with our friends from AU who went there on their spring break. The flight went well and it was really nice to see everyone. It is difficult to coordinate things without cell phones, but I suppose that’s what people had to do before the 90’s.
We went to the VanGogh Museum, Anne Frank Huis (House), and did a canal cruise, which was pretty funny. We also rented bikes which was awesome and rode around Vondel Park for a while, very pretty. Everything was really really expensive and I kind of felt like I was in Disneyland, everything was really touristy. They are on the Euro so all the prices on the menu’s didn’t look bad, but then you convert them to dollars and it’s ridiculously expensive. I kept to my budget though, I even had some money left over that I’m going to save for when I visit another country that is also on the Euro.
The feel of the city overall is just very different from Prague, and even more different than the U.S., as all European cities are. I have no digital pictures from this adventure because I bought zinc batteries instead of alkaline..who knew there were different types that don’t work interchangeably. Oh well, I suppose you’ll have to wait till I process the film and print the photos and get to a scanner to put them online. That could be a very very long time, so don’t hold your breath.
I got back from Amsterdam at 10 Monday morning, meaning I left there at 6 am, getting up at 5:45 am. So I was pooped after that, and a long Monday of classes until 7:30 at night. Needless to say I slept really well monday night, which is the first time that’s happened in Prague in a few weeks. For some reason I just can’t fall asleep here or stay asleep. I’ve never had problems sleeping, but I think it has to do with my bed being uncomfortable.
And tomorrow we leave for the Central European (obtuse) Triangle trip with the program. We are traveling by mini bus with 15 students and 1 coordinator for a week to Brno and various UNESCO heritage sites in the Czech Republic, Bratislava Slovakia, and Vienna Austria for a day and a half. I wish we were spending more time in Vienna than Slovakia, but whatever. I’m excited to see those places but a little nervous about being on a bus with the same 15 people for a week. Just pray that the weather is nice. Trawinski’s: While in Austria I will keep an eye out for the Van Trapps and tell them grandma says hello.
I’m sorry this post wasn’t more intellectual or deep but my parents said everyone wanted an update, so here it is. Hope all is well in the states and I look forward to seeing everyone when I get home! More to come after we return from the triangle : )
