Honestly it was one of the funniest and most memorable weekends I will ever have, I am sure of it. We all agree it will be hard to top when we go on our next adventure. Just like with any story, let's start from the beginning:
11. June 2011 (MEIN GEBURTSTAG!)
So we started the day leaving from Wittenberg to go to Leipzig, as was planned by our school program. That all went without a problem, minus the fact that Kyle was only a few minutes from missing our first train and dripping in sweat from this run to the station, but I digress. In Leipzig our teacher, Herr Wundke (but we just call him 'Christoph'. I will write another blog entry to talk about school, with more description of our teacher/overall program), led us around his home town. I had been in Leipzig last year, but I still got to see some new things, like the MDR tower and this one museum. It also was a day where a lot of people dressed in black, gothic outfits, which were entertaining. However, sadly we had to leave around 5 to catch our trains to Prague so we bid adieu to Leipzig and began making our way to Dresden for our connection.
Really everything here goes without a hitch. Yes, there were interesting conversations, but I cannot or rather should not put the contents of them on the internet. We take our trains and cross some bridges (an inside joke directed toward George and his misinterpreted love of bridges). In the train from Dresden to Prague we even had 2 whole compartments all to ourselves, which was awesome. Then we get into the Czech Republic...
The scenery on both sides of the border is absolutely breathtaking--it is hard to believe that people actually live there. We really were having a good feeling at the start of the trip, but then unser Reiseführer (Eric) led us astray. We just get in the Prague city limits and come to a train station called Holešovice and we get off at Eric's request. We notice something isn't right, but it is too late--the train is leaving. So here we are, in a sketchy Czech suburb. Eight Americans, none of whom speak Czech, looking to find our way to our Hostel in Lávdí. In Eric's defense, on the tickets it only gave the abbreviation HL for the station, and the name of the main train station, where we were supposed to get off is Hlavní nádraží, and both could be abbreviated HL.
Anyway we figure out that we are actually closer to our hostel than we would have been if we had gone to our real destination; however, we also now have to ride the subway, and to do so we need passes, which means we need Czech money, but in coin form. So we all go to the ATM, all the while being watched by a creepy guy wearing a wife beater and drinking beer. Then we go outside to these little food kiosks and buy stuff to get our money into coin form. Finally we all have enough crowns (100 each) to buy our tickets and make our way to Ládví.
So we arrive at the right place, and it is obvious that we are still lost. Luckily there was this really nice guy who offered to show us the way. Being the ever so personable person I am, I was the one talking to the guy, who about half way to the Hostel (which was actually really close to the Metro) asks 'So have you all heard of the American movie Hostel?'......... oh. Obviously he meant nothing by it, but we found it funny.
Once at the hostel we check in and go to our 8 bed dormitory. Then, because Kole and I were having birthdays, we decided we had to go out and get food and drinks, and by drinks I mean alcohol. So 6 of us go to the store and 2 stay back. On our way we try 3 different places, but by this time it is nearing 11 and everything is closing. However, we did see 2 wild hedgehogs. So freaking cute. Anyway, we learn that there is a Kaufland about 3/4 of a mile up the road that is open to midnight, so we head there.After making sure the whole store knew who the loud and obnoxious Americans were, we eventually check out with a whole lot of food and drinks, which only ends up costing us about 872 crowns, or under $60. Who knew the Czech Republic was so cheap? We end up getting back to the room over and hour after we left and begin the festivities. I choose not to drink, but partake in the consumption of food. We went to bed at a relatively decent hour because we had big plans for the next day in Prague...
(This blog entry will be continued soon...)
15.06.11 - Continued...
So we got up early and our first plan was to go see this fountain that Eric had heard of. Considering who was leading, I'm sure you can figure out what happened--things did not go as planned.
We ended up having to go back to Holešovice to get to this "fountain". We get there without a problem, and up to this point the only complaint is that it is raining. However, from here we take a wrong turn, go for at least half a mile before realize our mistake, and then we had to go back and then continue on in the opposite direction. Eventually we get to the place where this fountain is supposed to be only to learn that it is actually more of a convention center, which was hosting a convention for tattoos at the time. oops. The only bright side is that the building itself was pretty.
Anyway, we then headed back to the metro station and continued on to the stop called 'Muzeum', from which you can access many of the main sights of Prague. For most of the rest of the day there are very few issues. We went the wrong direction a few times, but there was always something to see instead. Other than the fact that my feet were killing me, I had really no complaints.
After checking out the museum, the first major thing we did where we had to pay for access was the old Jewish quarter, where we went into a few synagogs and then the old cemetery. It was really quite beautiful, and I even got a permit to take pictures of the cemetery, and I am glad I did--it is a very unique place.
When we were done there, we went and sat at a park for a little while before getting lunch at a nearby café. Really there is about an hour period of time that is pretty boring before we take the tram up the hill to get to the castle.
The castle is so immense that it is impossible to describe, and arriving later in the day meant we were going to have to come back the next day to see everything we couldn't fit in the day before. The views of the city from the castle are amazing, and the Cathedral is by far the largest one I have visited (unless Strasbourg was bigger... I don't think so). I'm an not religious in the least, but the architecture and detail in such cathedrals always amaze me, and I love to see them. This one is particular was impressive, and I hope to go back.
Sadly the castle was beginning to close, so we left and went to the Charles Bridge. For those of you who don't know, it is a huge pedestrian only bridge spanning the Elbe River. It was very crowded and full of tourists and various street vendors/artists, but it was also very enjoyable and had amazing views of the city on both sides of the river.Then, at Eric's recommendation again (notice a theme), we go to see Congress, which is outside the center of town... We expected a large and beautiful building, but when we arrived there was soviet-block style buildings with major corporation logos on top of them. While disappointed, it was also very funny. However, luckily there was also a church/fort complex nearby that we walked to. It was there that I ended up getting some pretty nice sunset pictures, so overall it was a success.
After that we went back to the hostel and had another in-room party. This time I actually drank a beer (all on my lonesome!). It was truly a hilarious night, especially since they had dared to buy some... stronger alcohols. While I didn't have any, it was funny to see their reactions to their first tastes of said beverages.
The next day we went back into the city since our train didn't leave till 2:30. A group of us went back to the castle to see the palaces that had been closed the day before. It was mostly an uneventful day, and once again we ended up not finding something Eric wanted to see (this time it was the astronomical clock).
Sadly the weekend had to end and we found ourselves back on a train to Germany much earlier than I would have liked. It was a very memorable experience, and I am sure I will looked back on it fondly for years to come.
On the bright side: We already have booked a hostel in Berlin for June 24-25! Hopefully it will be at least half as fun as Prague!
Das ist alles!
Holland
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