Maguire Goes Forth

Like a Little Prayer

2006-09-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

Letní škola was composed of 180 people (all with varying reasons for studying Czech) and was basically four hours of czech classes each day except for Fridays and Sundays. The rest of the time was spent running around the city with a plucky group of Americans, English, and a token Scot. I don't think i can adequately write about my experiences at the lovely Letní škola, so i'll let pictures do it for me. (beware, barrage of pictures coming your way). Also, i must give credit to Katy, Julia, and Jacqui as i grabbed some of their pictures off of facebook. :) i must say, jacqui was relentless in her pursuit of documenting Letní škola- so much in fact that one of the first images of me shaking my fist was caught by her camera:

On with the story!

The group of us (sans the cameraperson- julia) at Club Alterna, the student pub. You could find us hanging out here roughly five days a week.

Cast of Characters:

Josh of Oxford fame

Peter, also from Oxford. One of the most amusing yet odd guys i've ever met.

exhibit A.

Andy, the patriotic Scot. He was always enumerating the famous figures of Scotland, including (according to him) Harry Potter.

Mike. An interesting, talkative guy. : ) who apparently was keen on eating me alive...

Julia, the sweetest girl from Brizzzel i've ever met. Here I'm warning her about the evils of goats.

Katy, a crazy and hilarious gal from my czech class.

Alicia, a girl so awesome that i married my brother off to her.

Jacqui, from UT as well. We celebrated her birthday (and several other's!) while we were in Brno.

And now there's not much of a narrative- just random pictures. ;]

Our first "night out" at the Letní škola. Julia, me, and Ana, who described herself as one of the only Slovenian goths.

Andy and Josh. Maybe josh was doing the robot?

I was making up my dance as i went along :)

Two cute pictures of Mike and Alicia

At the mall, about to see Superman se vraci (superman returns). can you tell we're excited?!

At a cafe, happily anticipating ice cream.

In the hostel in Prague...I yelled out pose! and away they went.

Andy and I in the pub...where else?

"Okay Jacqui...no more pictures, ok?" :)

Peter makes fun of the fact that i carried my alarm clock in my purse as i lacked a watch...he was justified in mocking me. ;p

At the closing ceremonies...Texans and a Scot.

Letní škola graduates!

Andy, Alicia, and I at the closing ceremony dinner. if you look in the background, you can see Katy carrying Tang- a drink that we survived on in the cafeteria for about a month.

Katy and I at the closing celebration.

Alicia, Andy, and I on the last night and back where we belong- Club Alterna.

It's cliche to say it, but it must be said: I made such good friends at the Summer School. They made Brno, a city that is rather drab on its own, one of the most interesting places I've been yet. When we had to exchange goodbyes, it was one of the hardest things i've ever had to do. One by one we left the pub and tried to stifle tears. It was strange at first because, after all, we only knew each other for a month. But over that month we spent so many good times together and got more attached than i think we realized. At one point i wondered if we were friends of circumstance- a bunch of English speakers banding together to take over a Czech town. But it wasn't the case- I was extremely fortunate to find people who were witty, amazing, and wildly entertaining. I would love to have these friends in any situation, any where, and i hope that we will be able to see each other soon. In fact, i know we will. As i told alicia on the last night, i love them all too much for it to be the last time to see them. So yay letní škola survivors, and see you soon. (that could be construed as a threat...but it's friendly, i promise.) :)

I close with the "dragon" of Brno- which was in reality just a crocodile....i wonder when they'll figure it out.

We'll Always Have Vienna

2006-09-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

I have a very belated story to tell- but now i can illustrate it with photos! try to contain your excitement and read on. :)

I left Brno two days after i arrived because the hostel situation wasn't the best and my SERVAS contacts weren't working out. Deciding that i'd have plenty of time to see the city once i came back to study, i looked up bus schedules to Mikulov, hostel information in Vienna, and left the next morning. it was exciting at the time because it was the first time i left a city without a plan for lodging set in stone and without much information about my next destination other than the fact that there were hotels and pensions to be had.

As usual, the bus dropped me (and about three other people) off in the middle of nowhere. while adjusting the weight of my bag on my back (which made me want to find a place to stay all the more merely so i could get rid of my burden), i glanced around the dusty road only to see a large hill with a castle on top. my rule of thumb was, when in doubt and without a map, head towards the castle- there's bound to be something.

eventually i wound my way uphill to the town square and found the tourist info. point. say what you want about czech cities, but on the whole, they're user friendly. Locate a castle-like building, and there will be a town square with a plague column. somewhere within that square you'll find tourist information where people either a)speak english or b) are usually pretty patient with your bad czech. With their help i found a reasonably priced pension, which meant a room with two twin beds and a bathroom to myself. imagine! after the hostel it was like heaven. my guidebook had told me that because the city had no hostels, the lodging would be more expensive. in the end it was 15 u.s. dollars a night for a room to myself, which i was more than willing to pay for a clean, private room nestled by the hills.

The city itself was beautiful, with some especially notable sites:

View from the lookout tower

The city's lookout tower/fort

The castle gardens

"Holy Hill"- on top of which is a chapel that the townspeople make a pilgrimage up to each year, though it looked to be a pretty steep climb.

The Jewish Cemetery

After two days, i felt i had gotten a good feel for the city and it was time to move on. i was also motivated by the sudden heat wave that made sightseeing quite a trial. in the heat of the afternoon, i was finding myself wholed up in my room, chugging water and hoping for a breeze to come through the window. It was time to move on to a hostel and find good company to be lazy with.

i left the pension early the next morning, saying goodbye to the resident boxer that followed me around the halls with a squeak toy. To my surprise, i had quite a time finding the train station. You would think it wouldn't be difficult, as it would have tracks and trains, and probably some people. Yes, it had all these things, but was rather hard to find because it was hidden among various winding roads and was no bigger than a modest two story house. But at long last i boarded a train for Breclav, where i would get out and buy my international ticket for Vienna.

The problem that i usually had with czech trains is this: they're hardly ever labeled, and if they are, it's one dusty sign stuck to the front of the train that flashes by so quickly that there's no chance in hell you'll be able to read it. So at Breclav, when my train was running late and they didn't bother to announce it, i got into a train that was at the correct platform at the correct time. I quickly sat down, and luckily, a woman struck up conversation with me. Lucky because she asked me where i was going, and when i replied Vienna, she said, "um... we just came from Vienna." I looked at her stupidly for a moment before replying, "Ah, then i'm on the wrong train."

I was fortunate enough for that to be my only train mishap throughout the whole trip, and at that, i still got off the train with some time to spare before it took off. After consulting with some clueless station officials and checking the boards, i finally got onto the correct train and arrived in Vienna without any more problems.

The station of course was huge, and i ran around with a guy who turned out to be a fellow UT Longhorn (small world) looking for an information desk. I had bought a map of vienna in mikulov, but it wasn't exactly preferable to use as it was huge, and i wanted to get some directions to the hostel i had found on the internet. the man at the desk efficiently grabbed a tourist map, circled the area i had asked for, and handed me a slip of paper that the hostel had helpfully left at the station to direct backpackers to their door.

I got off the bus at the stop written on the slip of paper and began to look at my map for the correct street. almost immediately after i had taken out the map, an old woman got off her bench and hobbled over. she asked me something in german, and i replied "myrthengasse 10?" hoping that she was asking me where i was going. she pointed me in the right direction with a smile, and i thanked her before continuing on. when i had walked awhile, i brought out my map to check it again. a woman walking her dog stopped and asked me what i was looking for in german (though i can only assume.) she pointed me in the right direction and i continued on, amazed at how friendly the people were. When i came to an intersection and was checking my progress on a map, a girl asked me in english where i needed to go. Simply amazed at the generousity that the people of vienna had showed me in the first fifteen minutes i was there, i told her my destination and she gave me detailed instructions and wished me luck.

I found the hostel and checked in, but was disappointed to find that i'd only be able to stay for one night because they were booked up. After i threw my bag down on my bed, i began the process of orienting myself to the city: first priority- i needed a guidebook. i had come to vienna on the spur of the moment and knew absolutely nothing about it, other than people had told me it was beautiful. of course it's true- the city must put so much money into simply maintaining the old, beautiful buildings. Exhibit A:

the Naturhistorisches Museum (museum of natural history)

After i had located a handy lonely planet guidebook, i started calling other hostels nearby to make a reservation for a couple of nights, as i wasn't sure whether or not i'd be moving on to a SERVAS host. Luckily, there was another on that street, which meant i wouldn't have to haul my bag around town. That's how i ended up at Believe It or Not hostel- as in, believe it or not, this small apartment is a hostel. There was a kitchen, common room, private room with two twin beds and a bunk, and then the large "dorm"- which was just a regular bedroom with this interesting, three-story bunk structure:

The first couple of nights i was in the "loft," which meant climbing that rickety ladder and crawling to a pallet.

Though it was a weird situation, it was by far my favorite hostel on my trip. Everyone was in such cramped quarters that we all knew each other, and more often than not, went out as a group at night, or on a few occasions, sat around in the common room eating dinner and sharing stories. i met more people there than any where on my trip, and definetly intend to stay in touch with them.

I'm not going to try and list every little event that i did in Vienna, as i was there for awhile and it would bore you to tears- but i'll try to go over the highlights. One of them would definetly be the Kunsthistisches museum which housed some of the most beautiful paintings by the old masters- rubens, raphael, klimt, and so on. Then i moved on to the MUMOK- the modern art museum which was interesting to say the least. After some enlightening as well as mildly disturbing pieces, i called it a day for intellectual pursuits and did some badly needed laundry. when i returned to the hostel with my clean clothes, i found some new residents sitting around in the common room. i joined their conversation and we went on to dinner together. We came back to grab our sweaters and invited the rest of the hostel out for a drink. This pretty much explains how i spent most of my nights in Vienna- wandering around in good company.

I basically took a break from traveling there and just decided to enjoy the city and rest. I'd trade books with the other residents, and when i got tired of sight seeing and museums, I'd and go read and take naps in parks. and as the parks were so beautiful, i was still seeing something pretty amazing.

Another sight that i particularly loved was shonbrunn, the hapsburg's summer palace. Because it was so vast, i wouldn't be able to get it all into one picture without the help of a helicopter- so here's a nice view of the gardens.

view of the gardens with the Gloriette in the background.

view from the top of the hill- the palace shonbrunn and gardens.

Ooh! and the Gloriette

After standing around in the heat, Krista (a friend from the hostel, o' course) and i went down to a popular swimming area on the river and enjoyed the icy cold water and oppurtunity for sunbathing (as by that time i had a golden brown farmers tan that i was keen to get rid of.)

Also, two canadians convinced me to go to Kunst Haus Wien, and i'm so glad they did as the building alone is worth seeing:

They turned out to be two of my favorite canadians, and we ended up hanging out quite a bit. Here we are finding creative ways to pass the time while our laundry gets done.

I figured i would eventually title this "how i broke my neck in vienna," but luckily it's not the case.

Matt invents a new artform.

Brad the Canadian is the blond one with his mouth hanging open, and here's a glimpse at the rest of the hostel crew, including three parisians and two physicists from oxford.

I went to mass in Stephansdom, Vienna's premiere cathedral, saw Orson Welles' The Third Man, got lost with an englishman and a bumpkin from Florida (we preferred to call it 'the extended tour'), heard amusing stories from one of the most talkative scottish barmen i had ever met (but how many have i met?), hung out with a cute australian couple and an extremely energetic frenchman, made friends with the cute old german lady who owned the convenience store across the street from the hostel, ate my first Döner kebab, walked into a bar with 2 aussies and said frenchman where they were, oddly enough, playing the theme from "Dallas," and went to Prater (Vienna's amusement park) with three parisians.

A view from the famous Prater ferris wheel

Constance was determined to find cotton candy

Jean had never ridden a roller coaster before, but once he got on one, he wanted to do them all.

And that's all for now- Brno and the summer school get another entry entirely. :)

every picture tells a story

2006-07-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

so i have some bloggin' to do in order to catch up, but because i've found an awesome and cheap internet cafe with a card reader, I thought I'd go ahead and let my photos illustrate the story that is to come. Sorry about the size- I'll resize at a later date, when I'm not paying by the minute. ;)

The infamous Ossuary in Kutna Hora:

a chandelier made with every kind of bone in the human body.

a coat of arms. if you look in the background, you can see one of the four bells composed entirely of human skulls.

Telc's ornate town square

bird's eye view of Telc from the church tower.

if you want to see czechs dance, just play smoke on the water...
at the music festival in Jirin, near Jihlava

a view from the palace gardens with some of Mikulov's vineyards in the background.

Mikulov's town square

The Jewish cemetery, Mikulov

A view from one of Vienna's many parks

fountain near the city center

the palace gardens at Schön Brünn

One of the many roman statues/ruins hidden within the gardens of the palace- merely a summer home built for the Hapsburgs.

The Gloriette- located at the top of the hill of the palace gardens.

A fountain near the museums quarter. I like to think that it's entitled, 'No Means No.'

All for now, but tons of stories and more pictures to come!

ježek

2006-07-11T01:15:00.000-07:00

While i wait for my laundry, i decided to finish catching up. I think I'll have to add to my wardrobe as i discovered some rather unfortunate holes in my shirts. maybe i can just patch them, sit on the street with a fiddle, and make some spare crowns. seems like it works for other people.

So after encountering the plucky hedgehog in Kutná Hora, i caught a train to Jihlava, whose city mascot is, what else, the hedgehog. the story goes that the city was overrun with them at one point in time, so the town, as well as the brewery, adopted the image and ran with it. I met up with Luděk and Betty at the station, and then we headed to the zoo to see a singing/dancing group from Zimbabwee (as usual, forgive my spelling). Afterwards we took a quick tour of the zoo before heading home for a dinner of grilled veggies.

The next morning we took a trip to Telč, which is a small but beautiful town. The town square is composed of several colorful and ornate buildings leading up to the Zámek, which house a beautiful garden as well as an art exhibition that we perused. After a good amount of wondering, we set off for Jiřín for a music festival. The main reason that Luděk wanted to attend was for the Jazz big band that played several classic jazz hits as well as the more unconventional "wake me up before you go-go." Very nice. Also in attendence was the czech version of the Runaways- three fifteen year old girls with guitars and drums. Awesome. I enjoyed "smoke on the water" and "highway to hell," but they eventually lost me with Shakira and Avril Lavigne. But nothing gets czechs dancing quite like smoke on the water- and i have the picture to prove it. The finale of 4 non-blondes' "what's up" was probably my favorite part, especially as betty's energetic and flamboyant friend insisted on dancing with me. what's better than dancing with a gay guy at a festival in some small town in the czech republic? nothin'.

Betty's friends also found it incredibly amusing that i spoke czech. "so if i speak to you slowly, you will understand?" one girl asked in czech. "yeah," i replied. she laughed and turned to her friend, and i wondered if they would give me a cookie for my efforts. instead they gave me a beer with the familiar hedgehog on the label.

After quite a few bands and even one apparently famous czech pop star, we returned home for a dinner of pasta and wine. The next day i wondered around Jihlava and even ventured into the town's catacombs ("Katakomby"). i returned to the house when it started to look rainy to find that Luděk's daughter Zuzanna had returned from her holiday with relatives. A quick glance at the SERVAS sheet told me she was sixteen, and she quickly struck up a conversation with me with an innocent enough question. "where are you from?" and thus began a conversation that lasted FOUR hours. usually when the small talk peters out and there's really nothing left to say, hosts say, oh well i'll let you rest, and leave you be for a little bit. not so for Zuzanna, who, among other things, told me in depth about her school trip- including what they ate- and about her passion for the Olsen twins. "Have you seen New York Minute?" when i answered that the last thing that i had seen starring the Olsen twins was Full House, she frowned. "it is a pity." She had their extensive dvd collection- "sisters in Bahamas", "sisters in London," and so on. i bit my tongue and resisted the urge to ask if she had "sisters in rehab."

Luckily, after the said four hours, Luděk came home, and upon seeing me fashioning a noose out of my sweater, suggested we watch a czech movie. i let out a sigh of relief, but too soon- the english subtitles would not work and Zuzanna suggested we watch an Olsen twins movie. "sure, whatever you want," i said, inspecting the latch on the windows to see if i could jump out of them while she went to retrieve her dvd library. Once more i was lucky as luděk insisted we watch a czech movie, and so we ended up watching "wrong side up," which was a rather off beat black comedy that i enjoyed quite a bit.

the next morning i took off on a student agency bus for brno, and found myself a hostel pretty easily, though i'm going to start hunting for SERVAS hosts as its a pretty large and depressing place, housed in what is normally a secondary school. i really like the city though- and there are tons of fun day trips to take from here. I'll just look around as I'll have plenty of time to explore while i'm here for school, but its probably a good thing that i'm here as i'm pretty much forced to speak czech- my usual line of "mluvite anglický?" isn't really flying, so I'll finally have to break out my charts and vocabulary lists and start refreshing myself- and always have my czech-english dictionary handy, of course.

I'm sorry, everybody knows you can't break me with your gutter prose

2006-07-02T02:18:00.000-07:00

--česky krumlov--

After having breakfast with one of the newest additions to my list of australian roommates, i found myself saying, "Well, i'm gonna go up to the castle to check my email." one of the more interesting phrases i've uttered while on my journey...

My first night i found myself in the downstairs pub surrounded by australians. One guy was trying to get rid of his spare crowns as he was off to Austria the next day, so he generously bought everyone beer. A new addition to the table took his gratefully, smiled at me and said, "it's the only way to get over my hangover." "your hangover?" my incredulous voice rose over the din of the crowded pub. it was only about nine p.m. "yeah, we floated down the river today, and every couple meters there's a bar trying to sell you beer." i had also heard the rumor that a bottle of rum was included in the price of boat rental. I made mental notes and hoped the rainy weather cleared up so i could take my own excursion.

The next morning i bumped into my only other female roommate (australian, of course) and went to the bakery down the street for a quick breakfast. i complained about the rainy weather's affect on my original plans, and she told me to just slow down. i didn't have to "do" anything. and this was completely true- so i went and got a book at the english book store, signed up for a massage, and ate a large lunch of gulas and beer- the perfect rainy day kind of food. my massage was amusing as the whole time a CD that i can only assumed was entitled "slow jamz '86" was playing. such songs as the police's "i'll be watching you" and "i'll stand by you" kept me company for the duration of the thirty minute back rub.

i came back to discover a new roommate- Georgia, and we went out to dinner at an interesting vegetarian restaurant where the staff was most likely high on more than life. over the course of my stay in the hostel, Georgia imparted several fun Australian phrases to me, such as "fair dinkums", "in bed with my dunna", and "wanna cuppa?" meaning, do i want a cup of tea. ah tea. its rather interesting to see what people pack in their bags, because after all, in your bag are only the bare essentials- and it was surprising to see how many people had included tea within their packs. Tea? really. trying to get in the spirit of europe, i tried the tea house down the road and decided once and for all that its never going to be a particularly loved beverage of mine, though its nice to relax over a cuppa with friends. :p

a day or so into my stay, a Frenchman joined our room. he and i walked through the castle gardens on a slow afternoon, and i think my favorite part of that walk was running into a small frog. when he tried to coax it toward him, it hopped away as fast as its little legs could go. "He runs because he know i am French."

that evening i found myself in a pizzeria with four australians and then to a pub where a barfly attached himself to our table. He grabbed my hand when i wasnt paying attention and tapped my ring finger with a leer. i quickly scooted away from him and hissed, "jsem lesbinička."

--Kutná Hora--

Not long after our night out, I hopped on a bus from Cesky Krumlov to Prague and then another to Kutna Hora. I arrived to find a family of four living in their own personal castle. they had three large floors: one for a lodger and Ivana's dental practice, one for their personal apartment, and the third floor apartment was used solely for visitors such as myself. so i found myself movin' on up from the hostel life to my own personal flat, with a large garden to run around in as well. Pretty nice for someone living out of a bag.

Anna, age 8, didn't know much english, but she quickly learned, "Liz, come here." and i quickly learned, "but i'm eating-tired-sleeping" in czech. she had a lot of things to show and give me, and she certainly had a lot of games for me to play. i ran around with her in the evenings, and during the day i explored the town.¨ Its pretty small- i could walk the span of it in about thirty minutes- but full of sights. There was the Italian Court, several cathedrals, the underground remnants of the silver mines, and my personal favorite, the Ossuary, which was a church decorated with 40,000 human skeletons- including a skeleton chandelier. dont worry, i have plenty of pictures. Why decorate with human skeletons? the question you should be asking is, why not?

One night, the 19 year old Markéta took me out to a pub. on our way home, she gave me a small tour that led us to a hedgehog snuffling in the street. Obviously a bleeding heart, Markéta picked the animal up with the aid of a potato chip packet because "it would be much better off in a garden." the hedgehog curled into a ball and glared at us from his new cellophane home.

While we were searching for the proper place to deposit him, we ran into Markéta's friend Misha. "come join us for one small drink," she said. "I'll take care of the hedgehog." and she was off to who knows where, and we found ourselves in the local student pub where oddly enough, rammestein was blaring. We met an interesting assortment of people, celebrated the birth of some guy's son, and enjoyed a quiet walk back to the castle.

I'll have to continue with Jihlava and Brno another time- I've stopped off in Brno because its a good stopping place, inbetween Olomouc and Mikulov, and near my ultimate destination, Vienna. so more later, and keep on keepin' on.

Pictures!

2006-06-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

magestic praha.

two of the many beautiful statues on the Charles Bridge

mmm pivo! at the pivovarske muzeum in plzen.

Just one of the springs within marianske lazne.

scenery...

the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

the colonade- a little dark, but you get the idea.

Cesky Krumlov::

and a birds eye view of the the bear moat

more to come!

The Road to Praha

2006-06-28T02:20:00.000-07:00

Nothin' like a poorly made Bob Hope reference...

And briefly, here's some pictures to tide you over.

Nymphenburg castle in Munich. Very vast, very picturesque.

I believe this was the town hall in munich, but correct me if i'm wrong. as you can see, Munich and Germany in general was very crowded and busy due to the world cup.

so on with the story!

Our luck with SERVAS ran out when we got to Prague. not one host could take us, but we found our way through trial and error to a hostel. By trial and error, i mean pull your hair out kind of frustration. Prague was swamped with tourists, had one of the most confusing tram systems that i have ever encountered- or at least, a horrible map of the routes- and i came close to throwing my guide book (that housed these crappy maps) in the Vltava river on several occasions. the problem is that there are so many side streets, alcoves, and squares that it's a labyrinth- with the occasional vortex that transports you to unmappable regions. at that, its a maze filled with stinky, sweaty people who stop in front of you every three seconds to take pictures.

but at long last, we found a place to crash for the night, and the weight was literally taken off my shoulders as i shoved my large backpack into a cubby by my bunk bed. We stayed at Apple Hostel, which was a welcome refuge, but felt more like an orphanage than anything else. "breakfast" was included in the price of our beds, and so the next morning we found an odd buffet of corn flakes, sugar cubes, some orange liquid, condensed milk, and some jelly like substance in a bowl waiting for us in the makeshift kitchen. we gnawed on what we found, and watched as a parade of young people walked by with their own assortment of food. one boy was very ingenuitive and, when they ran out of bowls, put his cornflakes, milk and sugar cube into a tall glass. interesting, to say the least. to add to the depressing atmosphere, when steph asked the receptionist about the laundromat, he looked at her with dead eyes and said, "it's broken." after a long drag on his cigarette, he continued dejectedly with "everything's broken." steph was left to wonder if he meant his spirit as well.

so after the joys of Apple, we found ourselves at Hostel Týn, which was much better, and cheerier at that. We were in a dorm room with five beds, and it was interesting to see who came and went, and what stories they had to share.

The city, despite the tourists, was beautiful. The buildings and scenery was gorgeous, and just walking around made me happy. Sure, we got lost too many times to count, but as our Italian roommate put it, being lost in Prague is not a bad thing at all. you never know what you'll stumble across. One interesting side trip was the Kafka museum. Since Prague couldn't shut up about how Kafka lived and worked there, we finally gave in and went to this interesting, yet over-dramatic, tourist trap.

i went back and forth on what to do after Prague- to return with steph to munich and then to on to Bremen, or to continue on to Plzen. I finally decided to go ahead and go to Plzen, despite some trepidation of going into the unknown. I'm ridiculous- i intended for this trip to be an adventure, and yet i was scared of going out on my own. getting onto the train and leaving steph behind was hard, and i was preparing to sulk all the way to Plzen when someone asked me, "to je volno?" "what?" i asked. he repeated his question and i felt incredibly stupid- i know the phrase, but had gotten so used to everyone speaking english in prague that it took me a minute to register that he was asking if the seat across from me was free. "yeah- ano." i replied. switching to english, he asked where i was from, and thus began a conversation that lasted the duration of my trip to Plzen. it made me feel better in that self help sort of way-- "hey, i can make friends with strangers- i'm not a social pariah! huzzah!"

At the train station, i had some down time for planning, and also time to have some surreal experiences. first of all was when i finally gave in and went to the pay toilet, or WC. i was used to paying for public restrooms in germany, but when i payed my 6 Kč and was given two sheets of toilet paper, i didn't know what to think. As i wiped the shocked expression off my face (with some effort), i observed the bathroom attendent go back to carefully folding sheets of toilet paper and added to my list of worst possible jobs ever.

The Hlavní Nadráži- pardon my spelling- or main train station of Plzen was thoroughly depressing. My guidebook had said that stations in Plzen were works of art within themselves, and i considered selling its pages at the door of the WC. Not until later, when i walked out of the station, did i see it in all its glory. quite beautiful on the outside, but dingy and poorly maintained on the inside.

As i waited for seven o' clock to roll around (the time when my hosts would be home) on a wooden bench, i attempted to quell my jealousy of steph for returning home. I love traveling, and its been an amazing experience,but its stressful as hell when you're going from place to place, only stopping to stay for two days or so in each city. People make it look easy, but in my experience, there's always that nagging worry of orienting yourself and finding a place to sleep in each city. Of course, i'm high strung by nature, but it tends to be a common sentiment among backpackers. when ken told me that some people even lose hair due to the stress of traveling, i was incredulous. it's a vacation, right? yes and no. but no matter what, its certainly exciting. And maybe i'll get used to the hustle of this lifestlye; then again, maybe not. :P

Marie and her son, Honza, age 14, picked me up from the train station, and i was happy to leave. Marie walked very quickly, but would stop at random intervals to collect the correct english phrase. It reminds me of the novel Everything is Illuminated, when the Ukrainian translator picks up the main character at the station, apologizing with the phrase, "i am sorry, but my english is not so premium, yes?" but marie is extremely eager to learn english. she reminds me of Molly in that she loves nature, harmony, and balance in her life. when we began to swim in the pond by her house, she reassured me with the phrase, "is not dirty- very natural, yes?"

They settled me into a room upstairs and were very interested to hear about my travels. of course, things were stunted because we had a language barrier, so i had to speak slowly and sometimes clarify by translating it badly into czech. Marie stuffed me full of food, told me to call her Maruška (my introduction to the habit of czechs to give everything tons of nicknames), and introduced me to their small menagerie of animals. There was Bára, a dachound (sp) mix that was reminescent of the dog from when the grinch stole christmas, Miles, a big black dog always in search of love and food, and two lazy cats that were extremely sweet and friendly, seeking out laps and scratches behind the ears.

Honza took Miles and i for a walk, and whenever he got stumped on the correct english word, he opened up his czech-english dictionary with a flourish. "my best friend," he joked. i told him that i understood some czech, but he shook his head. "you are first person that i can practice english with." still, i felt bad, and tried talking to him in czech, finding many pitfalls within my vocabulary. "do not feel bad- you only take for one year. i take english for six." i felt a little better, and we spent the rest of the evening making miles fetch sticks.

The next day, Honza took me into town with him on the bus, and while he was at school, i explored the town square, the cathedral, the shops, and the museum of pilsner beer. I also wanted to explore another museum which supposedly had beautiful frescoes depicting the matrydom of saint Barbara - i believe that was the name- but on mondays the museum closes early. so i'll save my morbid catholic expedition for another day.

I also encountered the wonders of czech textiles. i had had to rush out the door that morning with my hair still wet, so i was desperate for a hairband. i went into the first drogerie i saw and searched their cheesy array for a plain black hairband...i bought it, even though it was overpriced, only to find later that what i took to be some kind of silly ornamentation was in fact hot glue. hot glue. yeah. but other than that my day went well. I met Honza back at his school around 2, and he and a friend took me to lunch- lunch being at the school cafeteria. and before you could enter, you had to drop off your bags and shoes and walk around in stocking feet, whihc i found rather intriguing. That's one glaring difference between Europe and America- in every single house i've been in here, they have me take off my shoes at the door and offer me slippers or sandals. i'm guessing they do it to keep the floors clean, rather than to make me walk around looking like an idiot. only time will tell.

Afterwards, honza wanted coffee, and his friend wrinkled his nose. He didn't speak much english, but i gathered that he didn't like coffee. It was interesting to see a teenager drinking tea delicately at a cafe, and i was marveling at the cultural differences when Honza broke the spell by calling him gay. "I'm not gay!" he cried, only he elongated the A so that it sounded like "gaaahhy". so, yes, pretty much the same as american kids.

The next day Marie took me to see her horse on a nearby ranch. Much like Petra, she loved to go out to see the horse and relax. Only she rode bareback, as it was "more natural, you know? not like cowboy." Only, her horse was pretty lazy and had to baited with bread. i was given a quick refresher on the verb "to go." "Phoebe, jdeme! (we go)...Phoebeeeee jdeme!" Marie would sigh, give in, and say to me, "give her some bread."

I got to ride the horse back down the hill, and it made me wish i had my own lazy czech horse and countryside- it's so nice to be in nature, listening to birds and the body language of the horse. Little Bára, or Báruška, ran on ahead, snuffling in the grass and daintily avoiding mud puddles.

After a swim in the pond, Marie showed me how to make strawberry knedliky, or dumplings, and i helped her with dinner. It was an early night, as the next day i planned to take an early bus to Mariánské Lázně, one of the many spa towns within the Czech Republic.

When i stepped off the bus, i double checked the name of the stop. Yes...It says Marianke Lazne....but it looks like a hell hole, not a spa town. I considered waiting at the stop for the bus back-or death- whichever came first. The communist era buildings that were staring at me with soulless eyes encouraged the latter of the two, but after all,i was on an adventure, so i began my hike. I followed some people from the bus, then followed the trail of hotels and pensions before finally coming upon some signs. I used my stellar czech skillz to deduce that i needed to follow the signs marked "centrum," and continued my long walk. Soon i found myself removed from buildings and concrete and instead was on a path that wound through serene, rolling fields. I walked along a babbling brook, half expecting some forest elves to come traipsing out from behind the trees as it was all too surreal- the mist on the field, no people in sight, and complete silence except for the occasional bird. Already feeling healthier due to my brisk walk and the pine scented air, i started searching for a cafe as the cool air was nice, but making me desperately crave coffee. i had a large breakfast of fresh bread, juice, and coffee- which included packets of butter and nutella. Ah, nutella. we meet again.

The rest of the day was spent taking pictures and exploring the shops, though most of them catered to rich, old Germans in search of crystal in the shape of animals, lace doilies, and leather wallets. an odd assortment. i also visited the beautiful church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and the Colonade (sp). I returned to Plzen at about 6, and discovered a new trick for when people bother me at bus stations. Usually they just want money and are trying to give me some sob story, but i just look perplexed and say, "sorry, nemluvím ceský (i don't speak czech)." my horrible accent proves it to them, and they frown and go away. Also, i think the big stick i wave at them drives them off as well. I'll just have to test out different methods.

That night, i learned some fun czech phrases from Marie. One of them basically translates to "i toot on you", and another to, "shut up." i told her that it wasn't completely foreign to me- i told her about how my mother calls the children in her class little farts, and she found that hilarious. i've picked up a lot of fun things from them, and will certianly miss them. this morning was our sad goodbye, and once again i was loathe to leave, but one must move on, correct?

I arrived in Ceský Krumlov at about noon, and i couldn't be happier. It's like Prague without the immense amount of tourists and tourist traps. Food and lodging is very reasonable, if not downright cheap, and my hostel is awesome. It has a lot of personality, is clean, and my dorm room is composed of six beds and Australian roommates. I've already explored the castle and the infamous "bear moat" (just like it sounds- a moat with some surly bears in it)and can't wait to see more of the city which is very charming...i might just stay here awhile and see what happens. and of course, take lots of pictures for you all. :)

Aesthetics

2006-06-23T05:59:00.000-07:00

So, i finally have some pictures for you all, and hopefully they're not too large (or small) as i haven't had time to properly resize them- as you can imagine, internet cafes in prague don't come cheap as the city is flooded with tourists...so i'll resize them and purty 'em up at a later date, and for now you must suffer ;p.

A view of Englischer Garten.

the bavarian alps

nice, eh? nothin' like slouching in the alps.

Historic Tuebingen

a remnant of the berlin wall.

the american checkpoint in Berlin

a view of dresden, next to the Elbe river.

and now i'm having difficulties with photobucket...so more pictures in the future!

tchüss!

2006-06-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

When you've been walking for hours in the heat with a pack the size of a large toddler sitting on your back, the best thing in the world to hear are the phrases- "Are you hungry? Would you like a shower? Can i wash your clothes?"

That's exactly what Petra, our host in Leipzig, did when we arrived. She met us in the large garden outside her house, which was complete with a small pond housing lily pads and talkative frogs. She took us in, showed us our room, and let us clean up before making a delicious dinner that we ate outside in the peaceful garden. Immediately, i knew i had made the right choice for hosts in Leipzig.

Unfortunately, i hadn't been looking at the languages they specialize in when i had flipped through the SERVAS book. According to them, they spoke fluent french and only mediocre english. but we didn't have too many problems as whenever Petra couldn't communicate the right words, she drew us a cute little picture. "this, you know, with the long ears." "ah," steph and i would nod sagely, so wise in the ways of pictionary. "a rabbit."

The first day after our arrival we went to the Thomaskirche, church of the famous Johann Sebastian Bach, and then to the Bach museum. Then we headed on to the Stasi Museum, which was the original headquarters of the GDR. It was frightening to see the surveillance methods they used on the people, and as the guestbook eloquently put it, reminescent of so-called Homeland Security. Again, i was glad for Petra as she gave us more background on the GDR and helped us to understand how such a monstrous organization can become a reality. It originally had the good intentions of never allowing someone like Hitler to take over again, but in the end it became its own terrible power. Naturally, there's a lot more to it then that, but it puts things in a better perspective for me.

We went to Cafe Baum for lunch, which was apparently one of Schumann's favorite haunts. We sat outside and people watched, and were weirded out when our waiter looked almost exactly like Darrell. Afterwards we toured the coffee museum on the third floor, and then headed off to the train station where Petra picked us up for a driving tour of downtown Leipzig. Petra is a businesswoman to be sure- she talks as fast as the english words come to mind and drives in the same manner, zipping in and out of traffic, the car lurching slightly as she quickly changes gears. It was entertaining to be sure, but when she stopped at "Rome," it was a welcome break. There we saw a panoramic/photographic recreation of Rome, which included sunsets and sunrises. it was interesting to stare at the roman city stretched before us and admire the detail. Then came the strawberry field behind her house, where we picked a basketful of strawberries for the night's dessert.

The next day Steph and I headed to Weimar on a day trip to see the Buchenwald concentration camp. It was difficult to get out there, but it was an important trip. I don't really have the words to describe it, but to see a still-standing concentration camp was ominous, imposing, overwhelming, terrifying, and the most heart-breaking sites that a human being can see. The camp gates, the wired fence, the crematorium, the depot, and the barrack for sick inmates were still standing, and where the dozens of other barracks had been were stone outlines and markers. It was silent except the crunch of footsteps on gravel, and the occasional bird or audioguide. Being there makes you hope to God that something like this can never happen again, but in reality, it already has. Genocide is still a reality, and people still turn a blind eye. Anger is one of the emotions that you feel within the camp- anger that human beings can do this to each other.

On Sunday we found a contact for Dresden, and Petra and her husband offered to take us to Grimma, where their horses are stabled. We, of course, agreed, and spent the afternoon watching them train the horses and, after the horses had gone through their exercises, got to ride them ourselves. it was extremely fun, as i've only been riding once or twice. "but you are from texas!" petra's husband laughed. we only shrugged. the so-called texans were out of their element on a ranch in germany.

After a delicious dinner, they dropped us off right at our Dresden hosts' door- just to make sure that we would be alright. i felt like our parents were dropping us off at our first day of school, and i appreciated how much they cared for us. i hope they'll visit us in Austin.

And here we are in Dresden, taking refuge from an afternoon rainshower in an internet cafe. The architecture here is breath-taking, in the literal sense. everytime i see the buildings, i'm shocked by their beauty. After this is Prague, and then i continue into the deep dark heart of the czech republic- so updates as soon as i can send them your way, but i've had a heck of a time finding one since Berlin, so don't be shocked if they're fewer and far between. Hope all is well with you all, and know that i am happy and very well-fed. ;)

Inside Outside USA

2006-06-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

for those having trouble leaving comments on the blog, i changed the options to anonymous, so everyone should be able to post without signing up for an account. but let me know if it still doesn't let you- i'm using a system of guess and check, as the browser is in german.

Tübingen was a wonderful trip. Saturday we went to Stiftskirche, a church that was built in the 15th century and still houses the tombs of nobility from within the area. It has a tower attached that gives you a breathtaking view of the picturesque city. Then we went on to the town castle, which also serves as the archaelogy and anthropology branch of the university. Our last day was composed of a trip to a petting zoo (where steph and i learned the german words for turtle, donkey, goat, parrot, etc) and a public pool. At the pool, i felt rather prudish in my swimsuit as the germans were letting it all hang out...and the things that weren't hanging out were tightly packed in spandex. One can imagine. It was only about 75°, but it was the first semi-warm weekend all summer, so everyone was packed into the pool. In Texas, we'd throw on a light jacket and shiver in the shadows, but the germans were ready for their summer to begin.

that night we took a walk downtown, stopped at a nice cafe where i had an eis-milch (which is glorified chocolate milk), and headed down to the neckar river. There we sat on a wall that had been there for probably eight hundred years and just enjoyed the beautiful night. it was very picturesque with the lights reflecting in the water, and i breathed in a sigh of relief. It finally occured to me that my hellish semester full of incompetent boobs and hectic schedule was over- my priorities had changed to sightseeing, catching trains, and finding good food at a reasonable price. It was a wonderful feeling.

I was talking to a friend of our host family's at the pub, and he was asking me about my trip. I told him about SERVAS, and how i was staying with host families. "Oh, i thought you had..." he searched for the words, "a rich father." i laughed and said no, that i was paying for the trip out of my savings, and without servas, i wouldn't be able to have taken this trip. It really makes me appreciate the generous hosts who open their homes and lives to us, and let us experience the way they live. i definitely want to become a host after this. these people are well traveled, cultured, intelligent, and extremely interesting- to be able to do something like this really is a blessing, and i hope i can repay them one day by showing them around Austin.

Anyhow, we took a long string of trains from Tübingen to Berlin, totaling around 7 hours. The Eurrail is an excellent way to travel, but of course is nerve-wracking when you're jumping from train to train. i discovered a sandwich shop chain that i love, as well as the fact that i hate bottled coca-cola here. it varies from region to region, and here it tastes very similar to diet coke.

after a while of looking at the german countryside and being bombarded with german outbursts and announcements, i decided to listen to the Beach Boys for a while. I love germany and am far from sick of it, but i get tired of constantly being out of the loop and guessing what they have to say. and what better way to recharge then listening to "surfin' safari"- or soften a heavily made up german woman's stink-eye with "wouldn't it be nice." Mainly i looked out the window and reveled in the beauty of traveling by train. if you've ever experienced a feeling of stagnation or that you're stuck in a rut, it's completely obliterated by traveling at 110 miles per hour past trees, fields, and buildings.

We're staying with a very artistic family right now in Berlin. The apartment is comprised of so many different colors that you're put in a good mood as soon as you enter. So far we've seen the remnants of the Berlin Wall, the former American Checkpoint, the Jewish Museum (which has some of the most interesting architecture i've ever seen), and the famous Berlin zoo (oooh! Eis Bären!!). Later on we plan to check out some clubs that are recommended in the guidebook, and just enjoy the Berlin nightlife. And i swear, tons of pictures soon.

the bear necessities

2006-06-10T02:54:00.000-07:00

The previous entry was written a lot earlier, but the site was down, so i couldn't post. But now you have it at your disposal to read with great enthusiasm. ;)

Steph and i are now in tübingen, a small town that you can walk around in the span of an hour. i think it's just a bit bigger than UT. The weather is still wonderful, but definitely warming up.

After my last entry, we enjoyed a wonderful selection of cheese and some wine with Juliane and Konrad, and then went to a bar called "Sausalito's" where steph and i had our first strawberry magaritas. They played awesome american hits from the 70s and 80s such as Prince and Michael Jackson, so we enjoyed that as well.

Konrad took us to the train the next morning and made sure that we found seats, which was awesome as the station was rather confusing. I already miss them and will probably be sure to stop back in Munich when i can, or just beg them to come see us in Austin ;).

Our hosts here in Tübingen are a nice family- they have two young children and a czech au pair (pardon my spelling), so there's a constant string of german flying over my head, and as the au pair only speaks czech and german, steph and i communicate with her with our poor language skills. Not that i didn't already know it, but it makes me realize that i have so much more to learn and improve upon. But at least it gives me a chance to converse in czech, which isn't an oppurtunity that you get too often.

We arrived yesterday evening just in time to catch the first game of the world cup. Everyone was wholed up in pubs or in their apartments, draped in german flags and other soccer paraphanalia. steph and i got out of munich just in time- as we boarded our train, drunken soccer fans poured out onto the platform loudly singing german fight songs. Instead of being in the middle of the action, we happily watched the game from an Irish pub, sipping pints of guinness and listening to the german conversations around us.

today we're just going to wonder around the city and admire the beautiful architecture. There is a university here, and the students comprise about a third of the population. It's definitely a different feel from Munich- it's a small town where almost everyone seems to know each other. It's saturday, so the marketplace is bustling with everything from fruit stands, unicycles, and a man with an accordion playing disney tunes such as "the bear necessities." It's a rather fitting song for someone traveling with their possessions on their back, always looking to toss out something to lighten the load- such as phrasebook guides that are helpful for communicating that you need to vomit or have scurvy, but useless in situations where you're having coffee with a czech and want to have a polite conversation.

A fistful of euro

2006-06-10T02:44:00.000-07:00

As soon as we left the airport, a cool breeze hit us. Apparently Germany has had a cold season, so since we've been here, it hasn't gone above sixty degrees- which makes me think that it's late fall and i really should be getting back to school... Anyhow, we're lucky as we've arrived just after two weeks of straight rain here in Munich. Steph and I bring sunshine wherever we go.

It's the little things that are making this trip memorable, and at that, reminding me that this isn't just a dream. When I fish in my pockets, I find a handful of Euro coins. When i sit on the train, i hear german children babbling away behind me. There's multiple bakeries around every corner, and i cannot for the life of me find regular water- carbonated mineral water is the norm, and though i know how to order normal water in czech, my german is lacking, so i suffer in silence.Steph is teaching me important phrases such as "i don't speak German," "Where is the bathroom," "You're welcome," "thank you," and so on. Whenever someone starts talking to me, i tug on steph's sleeve in the hope that she can translate as i politely nod and smile. I'm kind of surprised how much i can pick up from most people though. Their facial expressions, hand gestures, and tone of voice usually tell me what's going on- so I get the gist of it, but i miss the finer points and details. and even though they know i don't speak german, they continue talking to me in the hopes that i will miraculously understand, and i keep speaking english in the hopes that they'll somehow comprehend. It's a gamble, but you just never know.

For the most part, everyone speaks very good english, and i was talking to my hosts about it as we walked to a jazz club nearby. "I just feel so guilty that not everyone has the privelege that i do- to be able to walk around and be understood in my native language without having to be fluent in their's." She smiled and patted me on the shoulder. "It's alright- you can feel a little guilty."

Konrad and Juliane are extremely nice, to the point where i think we're becoming spoiled. They feed us delicious meals, take us out exploring, and continually go out of their way to make sure that we have a great experience. Yesterday, Konrad took us to Englischer Garten, a beautiful park that's used for everything from walking your dog to nude sunbathing. It's gorgeous, and in this kind of weather, was a very enjoyable walk. Then he took us through Marienplatz, a cute shopping center, through Hoffbrau house, and to two castles within the city. He took us to the correct tram stop and we parted there so he could go to his dentist's appointment, and steph and i went on to Nymphenburg, a vast castle about 20 minutes away from Marienplatz. Behind it was a lovely garden full of greek statues and swans where steph and i mused to ourselves rather or not the ducks understood english. After walking around and exploring some local shops, we returned to the apartment for a spicy pasta dish, and then the four of us went to the jazz club i mentioned earlier. I had a delicious kellerbier and realized that if i want to keep my wits about me- at least for now while i get used to german beer- half a liter is plenty.

Today steph and i took a train out to the Alps, which are absolutely breathtaking. the town in the area, which surrounds a calm lake that's perfect for sailing, is very cute- just the kind of houses you would picture when you imagine Germany. However, steph quickly found out that they weren't gingerbread after gnawing on a few.

There were little hiking trails, and after a quick lunch at a cafe on the lake, we hiked for awhile and took pictures of the gorgeous view. i know that i'm using such words as "gorgeous" and "beautiful" way too often, but i'm running out of synonyms, and frankly, words cannot express all the beautiful things that Munich has to offer. and don't worry- I'm scouting out postcards for all of you, and if i don't have your address and you would like a postcard from lovely Germany, just email me with your information, as i didn't get everyone's before i left.

anyhow, the jet lag hasn't affected either of us, oddly enough. i think it's because we lost some time on the airplane, and went to bed when it was night here in Germany, though on the first day we arrived i almost fell asleep on my feet as we walked through the modern art gallery. then again, i could've just been bored with such things as strings on the wall and empty cabinets hanging on display. but, they also had some very interesting pieces, so i'll blame it on a small case of jet lag as well as the strain of carrying my pack around town.

So I've rambled on about my first couple days long enough. Next stop is Tübingen, and possibly Rothenburg- both recommendations from our wonderful hosts.

Language Lessons

2006-05-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

I'm desperately trying to comprehend such words as "Entschuldigung" a week before i leave for the land of chocolate. and beer. and hairy men named Gunter. Steph, who has taken a year and a half of German, has always made fun of my beloved Czech as gobbledegook, but looking at words that resemble gerstiennensprekken, i'm beginning to think it's the other way around. But, being the accomplished scholar that i am, i'll give it a try.

As you can see, steph has started her own little travel blog, found neatly placed in the sidebar to the right. Yay for me and my HTML skills.

my life since school let out has mainly consisted of a list- "Things to do before I leave." Of course, it took an unexpected, yet welcome, detour when i worked for my aunt and stayed in Dallas for a week. That gave me a chance to take care of medical and financial things, as well as take the coveted trip to REI for all my travel needs.

I use the word coveted because everyone I mention it to replies with an exclamation of “Oh, I love that store!” and is followed by words of advice such as “You should check out their selection of sweat absorbing socks” or “Man, they have an awesome collection of lanterns that burn solely on your own sense of self-satisfaction.”

However, I did not go for outdoor gadgets that operate on witchcraft and wizardry- rather, more practical things like a travel pack, power adapter, and a sleep sheet. But i did allow myself one amusing accesory- a towel that absorbs eight times its weight and dries quickly. wow!

So things are coming along. i'm no longer anxious, but antsy to get on the road. having read such helpful travel books as "First Time Around the World," "Culture Shock! The Czech Republic," and "How to Avoid Being Eaten by Rabid, European Bears," I feel prepared for my trip and have picked up quite a few helpful hints, such as how to avoid getting mugged, what to do if i lose all my important documents, and why, when confronted by an angry, european bear, to always throw steph towards him and make a run for it. Good advice, all.

It Begins

2006-05-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

I've started the new travel blog in the hopes that my travels will be worth blogging about. It will probably pale in comparison to my brother's blog,findken . Ah, a battle between siblings to see who can bore their readers more with tales of intrigue, travel, and polls in the hopes of finding out what that peculiar smell coming from their backpack is.

So the plan is (for those of you sitting on the edge of your seat) to go to Germany with Stephanie from June 5 until late June, and then Steph will come with me to the Czech Republic for a bit before she returns to the U.S. Then I'll be on my own until July 28th when my Czech study abroad program starts. Throughout the summer I'll be staying with Servas hosts- lovely families who take bums such as myself into their homes and allow people to stay and experience the culture firsthand.

Between now and then though, I have quite a few preparations to take care of, including finishing up that pesky little thing called school. Hopefully, the next time I write, I'll have scintillating details and stories to share.