Prague!

So I tried to come up with a cool "czech this or czech that" title, but none of them were good so this post is called Prague!!

So this weekend Scott and I went to Prague! It was so beautiful and entertaining. It seemed like there was always a lot going on- including lots of rollerblading. So, to start, the first day we got to Prague, we took the metro to the hostel, which was outside of the city center. I was glad that we stayed there because Vera, the owner was very nice and we had the room to ourselves. The hostel was called the Boathouse Hostel and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is thinking of going to Prague.

So here’s my taste of the city- the architecture (always fun to talk about) is gorgeous and mostly baroque, art nouveau, and sometimes gothic. It was nice to step away from high-Renaissance Florence for a weekend and experience something with a different flavor. Which was exactly what Istanbul was last weekend and Prague was this weekend.

The first day we took it pretty easy, we saw the massive St. Vitus Cathedral. The stained glass in there were especially brilliant and the light that they cast on the inside of the cathedral was marvelous. We also climbed and saw the miniature Eiffel Tower that is on the top of a mountain, which overlooks the city. We also walked over the Charles Bridge, named after Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor responsible for re-vamping Prague, adding stone bridges etc.

Saturday we did a ton! We did some of the Prague Castle, we did the old town and the new town. Okay, so funny thing, we went to a place called Bohemia Bagels and we both ate a lot so Scott was all worn out and saw these two old fashioned cars offering tours of the city. And then he asked if I thought we should do it! (For anyone who doesn’t know Scott…he hates spending money, period.) So, we ended up doing it- I couldn’t stop laughing the whole time at the thought of us breezing through the city in this car taking pictures like terrible tourists. Scott said that he was embarrassed to be seen taking this tour, but all in all, it was hysterical.

So we finished out our sightseeing with Frank Gehry’s “Dancing House” which is a very cool building that Gehry designed in 1996. It made me want to get more of his stuff from Tiffany’s, which then reminded me that I am poor because, well, I was looking at the building and saying, I’m in Prague, I am going to have zero dollars when I get home. But anyway, I hope he comes out with new designs soon because I am in love with my earrings.

We went to see Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” that night, which despite it being in Slovakian, was amazing and entertaining. People kept telling us, “It’s in Czech, and there are no over titles.” But it was totally fine because we had both read the play. I was very impressed by the show. One thing I didn’t like, that Scott and I already discussed was that at the end of the show, the audience clapped in unison. Which I abhor. Seriously, it’s the worst. I hate it at concerts, when the artist asks everyone to clap together; it makes me feel weird and silly. But anyway, we had a great dinner where we got homemade pasta and delicious wine. It was nice to sit and chat with Scott, I felt like we hadn’t in a while.

After dinner we went to a place called Bar and Books, which is apparently in both New York and Prague. Scott had been to one of the two in New York and it was a cool place. One of the bartenders looked exactly like Bill Ransik, winner of The Apprentice, season one. It was unreal.

Overall I would say that the city was beautiful and colorful. I wish I could have stayed longer but I have classes and the work is starting to pile up, in fact, after I write this I will get started on one of three papers due within this month.

This coming weekend I am going on a school trip to Chianti for wine tasting and a tour of some vineyards. It should be very fun. I really enjoy learning about wine here in Italy so I know that I will enjoy the trip. Then Alli and I are off on our honeymoon to the Amalfi Coast! Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Naples. I think we will have tons of fun, apparently it is a must see. We are staying in a hostel that Betty found which is like 20 euros a night and the hostel has a balcony that overlooks the ocean! How awesome.

I am excited for all of the fun that is to come this month but I am getting really exhausted from traveling every weekend. It feels like a lot because I only have class four times a week and then I have been leaving either Thursday night or early Friday morning for weekend trips. I feel like I haven’t had a chance to rest in a while, but I know what you’re thinking, poor you Megan, traveling Europe every weekend. And it’s sort of true, I have nothing in the world to complain about- I am truly having the time of my life.

I am so glad that I get to say that and mean it with my whole heart, this really is the best time of my life and I feel it more and more with each day, whether it is in Florence or in another city.

I love the friends that I have made and I can confidently say that they are not just “study abroad friends”, they are friends that I will always have because we all went through this life-changing experience together. It is as simple and as complicated as this: I have experienced too much to be the same. Which I love and I think that what I read about study abroad is true, you learn more about yourself than you do about the city you live in.

I have learned that I am a person who must travel. I can’t imagine my life any other way now. I feel that I have been so blessed with the chance and I am so happy with the entire thing.

It scares me though because I know that reverse culture shock (returning home after being abroad) is supposed to be very bad. I think that I am going to have a very hard time adjusting to life at home. Just because I have a routine here, a life, friends and to just remove those things because the semester is over seems jolting. I know that I will love being with people that I have missed and I know that living in the house in Binghamton is going to be fun. It is just very hard to imagine leaving this perfect scenario.

I think that we are all feeling the same way. This makes it easier because at least we will all be able to be there for each other.

Okay, Enough already! I still have another month to enjoy and thinking about going home might ruin that month. So I am going to focus on the amazing things to come!

This weekend- Chianti, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Naples

Next weekend- Venice with Josh and his friends from France, Scott, Alli and Kel

Weekend After that- Nice! With Alli, Betty and her two cousins and Kel (9 hour train- eek. But I know that is group can make that fun)

Weekend after that- last weekend in Florence, doing undetermined Florentine things!!

 

Love and Miss you all!!

Ciao, Meg