the last few days have been nothing short of a whirlwind. finally, i have a few moments today to sit down, breathe and write a few words. fortunately, too, because tomorrow everything will pick up once again. so i'm going to try to take my time and tell you about my most recent adventure: PRAGUE.
we arrived in prague at 7:00 a.m. thanks to the navigating skills of stephanie and rachel, we found our hostel. we dropped off our bags and headed into the Old Town to discover the city. from the minute we got of the train, i could tell that prague lived up to the reputation it was given. nearly every building was absolutely stunning. and the closer and closer we were to Old Town, the more and more impressive and beautiful the buildings were. in the early morning light and with the early morning (lack of) crowds, prague was simply stunning. i don't think i've ever been so taken by a city. i felt like all of the buildings were shimmering with gold. there was even a very slight mist through which the sun shone, which gave the city a mysterious beauty. as we walked through the town square, past the famous prague clock, and finally across the gorgeous charles bridge, i felt so happy to be surrounded by such beauty. it was the kind of happiness that forces you to smile, laugh and embrace everything in view. once we were across the bridge, we went up to the prague castle and into the prague cathedral. having been in england for a semester, i've been to a fair amount of cathedrals. we all know that european cathedrals are beautiful, and prague's is certainly one of the most beautiful i've seen. but what seemed so magnificent about prague's cathedral was the way the morning light was shining in through the stained glass, the way the light lit the cathedral ceiling, and the way that it seemed equally as fairy-tale-esque as the rest of the city.
the rest of friday was a good day... we experienced traditional czech cuisine such as svarene vino (hot, mulled wine), goulash and dumplings, street doughnuts--- delicious. we wandered through the beautiful streets, climbed to stunning views, and enjoyed each other's company. we had an early night in because we were so exhausted. at the hostel we relaxed, drank tea, and i told fortunes.
saturday we were up and off to an early start. stephanie had been to a small "willage" a few years back called Cesky Krumlov, and we decided to take a day trip there. we left at about 7:30 a.m. and arrived in Cesky Krumlov around 11:00 (via an extremely hot bus). the little town is situated along a river, but the river sort of oxbows around the city. there are some really lovely buildings (a baroque theater and a castle), but the whole of the town is amazingly picturesque. it was a small, quaint and peaceful little town (i highly recommend looking this town up on a google images search). we had some more street doughnuts and svarene vino, and we also ate alongside the river at a nice restaurant. it was so cold, but worth the novelty of eating near the river. we had decided to take a bus back at 3:00. so around then, we wandered back to the bus station. we finally saw the bus arrive, and as we went to get on, they told us that the bus was completely full. this seemed odd... we didn't realize that these tickets should have been purchased in advance (since this is rarely the case in slovakia. we normally purchase our tickets once we get on the bus). rather than panic, we found a hotel where we could look online to book tickets on the next bus, which was coming at 4:00. we saw that the rest of the buses for saturday and sunday were booked. we weren't quite sure what to do, so we found a nice bridge, asked for some blankets, and slept underneath the bridge for the night...
just kidding. we found a train that was going from cesky krumlov back to prague, but it looked a bit complicated. we decided to go for it. so, we called a taxi and were driven to the train station. we bought our tickets, and then stephanie and i realized that she'd forgotten her notebook back at the hotel (with her return ticket inside), so stephanie and i called a taxi again and went back to the hotel, and then back to the train station. we were a bit low on czech crowns, so we tried to flirt our way in slovak to a free ride... we weren't entirely unsuccessful. we barely paid anything, left with a new czech friend and arrived at the train station just in time. we got on a train for about 45 minutes, and then we got on another train for about 40 minutes, and then we got on a bus for about 20 minutes, and then we got on another train for another 45 minutes. finally, we were back in prague. and we were exhausted.
after such an exhausting day, we had ceased to feel tired and merely felt silly. even though some things went wrong, it was still quite a bit of fun. when we got back to our room, there were about 8 people drinking and making a bunch of noise. we were in an eight person room, but there were four of us... there shouldn't have been more than four others, but lucky for us, there was. they were students studying in the netherlands, and they were from all over... canada, scotland, sweden, australia. and their stuff was all over. they were rude. and horrible. and they left a big mess. and they came in at 4:00 in the morning, and i'm sure you can about imagine how quiet they were(n't). someone managed to drop some sort of bag on my legs, even though i was on the top bunk. ugh.
sunday was a pretty relaxing day. it was halloween and we went to the jewish quarters, had a few cups of coffee at the franz kafka cafe, and looked at the old jewish cemetery. we also explored new town a bit, went to wenseslas square and the dancing house. we ate at an extremely delicious restaurant, but had terrible service, and then came back to the hostel for another relatively quiet evening.
monday was our final day there, and it was spent soaking in the beauty of prague. stephanie and i had a little date in the morning and went to a place called "bakeshop," which felt like an upscale coffee shop. the pastries were unbeatable, and so was the coffee. we saw the clock strike noon. we went across charles bridge again. we saw the graffiti wall. we bought souvenirs. a slow day, but such a good one.
on tuesday, we left. there isn't really much to tell you about my eight hour train ride back to kosice, other than that there were gypsies in the next cabin singing at the top of their lungs... they even had percussion, which included them banging on our wall. for the majority of the trip, i shared the car with an old woman who was really kind toward me, but she smelled really horrible. really horrible. i was so thankful to get off of the train. and when i was walking back to my flat from the train station, i felt so happy. prague was amazing, but it felt good to be back to the comforts of my new home. i was happy to be back, and i was happy at the realization that this place feels more and more like my home.
coming back to school today was nice. i enjoyed talking with my students about their relaxing holidays. i was even invited to another stuzkova! and tomorrow, i'll be going to my first stuzkova. i'm excited because i've heard so much about them. and then on friday, i will go to the high tatras for a weekend away. since i've been so busy, i feel like i barely have time to think. such busyness has become strangely foreign to me, that when i have a moment to sit it takes about an hour for my mind to simply wind down and think clearly. it's already about 5:00 here, and although i've been home since 1:30, i am finally feeling relaxed. despite this, i am constantly under the awareness that this experience is incredible. maybe it sounds a bit cheesy or overly-sentimental, but i truly feel that my year here is a gift for me. though i experience challenges, they serve to emphasize all of the blessings i've experienced so far here.
of course, i often think of all of you at home. if you think of me, please write and tell me about the news in your life. ok?
...and by the way, i've added photos for your viewing pleasure :-)
lovingly,
anna
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