It's that time again. . .

Yes, friends, it is that time again. For what, you ask? Well, it is time for me to be moving on from one location to the next. And you know what that means? It means I need to make some lists.

Things I Will Miss About the Czech Republic:

• Three bottles of wine with Megan and Bekka


• Listening to The Books with Tina


• Living within steps of the majority of my friends in this country


• All of my fantastic, 40-something Czech professors


• Walking through Pražský hrad every day on the way to school


• Hearing 50 different languages as I walk down the street


• Cute old Czech people who carry on conversations with me even when I don't speak Czech and say nothing more than "ano" and "jo"


• The economic feasibility of eating one mean per day at a restaurant -therefore:
  
  
  • Lunch specials at the Golden Bamboo
  
  
  • Tuesday early dinners at Bea's
  
  
  • COUNTRY LIFE. . .like, every day
  
  
  • Cafe Shabu
  
  
  • U Zavešenýho Kafe
  
  
  • Radost F/X
  
  
  • Ujezd


• Dobrá polévka at every restaurant


• Espresso s mlékem


• Carob-covered macadamia nuts. . .from Country Life, of course


• Amazingly delicious and cheap produce


• Breakfast included at the Kolej, especially on apple strudel days


• Moravské bilé vino - sweet, cheap and delicious


• H&M, Zara and The New Yorker


• The rampant availability of good Czech film

Things I Won't Miss About the Czech Republic

• Weight gain


• Toilet splashback


• Living within steps of the majority of my friends in this country


• Nebe


• Aquafresh infultration


• Czech people between the ages of 20 and 50 and their anger, irritability and looks of distain


• Hot, smelly campus computer labs, and my fellow Hybernská rats


• The Kolej lobby and the incessant proliferation of cabbies


• Communication breakdowns


• Smažený syr


• #57, The Night Tram


• 8:30 am classes


• Cooking all my meals on a hotplate in an oft-disgusting kitchen


• My dorm room


• Being across the sea from so many people I love

ET, Phone Home.

So, I just found the "main" computer lab (počitačový sál) of Karlova, and it is glorious. It is big (something like 80 computers, the advertisements say), clean, air conditioned, non-smelly, spacious, and is in the 3rd floor of this old building off of Staroměstské Náměstí­ that has really cool exposed wooden ceiling beams and looks/feels like the attic of a rustic old cabin. I am coming here from now on. It was, however, a bit of a struggle to find. I walked up and down Hybernská¡ a few times before finding the KU building, then I went up to the 3rd floor looking for the computers but couldn't find them. So I went back down and asked the ladies at the information desk, in Ceský, where it was, and they told me, in Ceský, that I had to follow some secret stairway from the 2nd floor to get there. But it feels incredibly good to be writing, and in peace, and at a normal body temperature, and not right on top of some other smelly student.

So, a blog update. I really don't feel like rehashing all that has happened in the past 2 weeks, especially Paris.

Long story short, Paris was an adventure. It started out horribly, due mainly to events like mice getting into my bag and my food at the hostel, people in the bed next to me at the hostel having sex, my computer breaking, the fact that traveling alone wasn't as romantic as I thought it would be, and uncontrollable crying for roughly a 36-hour period. But I really enjoyed the museums, and it was fun to be a full-on tourist, which I have tried not to be in Praha -- walking down the Champs de Elysees from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre, taking pictures, seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle, eating Nutella crepes, etc. I'm glad I went. It was an experience in endurance and self-discovery. And a mental breakdown is good for you every now and then.

A day after my 15-hour bus ride home, I got on another bus to go to Krakow, which I absolutely loved. (I think I'm more of an Eastern Europe girl. Western Europe just seems like America, but in another language, which isn't cool, but annoying.) Krakow is a lot like Praha, but is less touristy and smaller, making it seem more authentically Eastern European and less like Eastern European Disneyland. We went out to cool Polish cellar pubs where I drank Polish beer, and to dance clubs, where I danced on a Polish conga line to American disco hits from the 70s. I also ate amazing sauerkraut pierogies, and everything was cheaper even than in Praha. I went into the amazing St. Mary's Church (Kosciol Mariacki) in Krakow's Old Town Square, a gothic/baroque structure that, instead of having an interior made of stone, had an interior somehow made of shiny blue marble-looking stuff. It was the most beautiful church I have ever seen, and, struck with the feeling of being in my homeland, I paid a zloty and lit a candle on the altar for Johnny and Marian.

On the way back to Praha, we went to Auschwitz and Birkenau, which was quite an intense experience. Main thoughts on it were: (1) amazement at the sheer size of these institutions, particularly Birkenau. It stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction, endless rows of crumbling chimneys left from buildings that once housed families, horse barns that served as torture barracks, poles holding electrified barbed-wire fencing. I couldn't imagine the logistics of running a place like that at its full capacity; although the Nazis' powers were obviously used for evil, the organizational skill behind the whole thing is really quite remarkable. (2) the realization that the Holocaust isn't really a historical event, but rather something quite contemporary, an event of the present. Both of my grandfathers fought in the war that put a stop to the operation of places like Auschwitz and Birkenau. My grandfathers, only one generation removed from me. This did not happen very long ago.

Things have been good since I have been back in Praha. 2 November was All Soul's Day here, and the Czechs celebrate it by lighting candles on all the graces in the cemetaries. So we girls went out to Vinohrady to a cemetary, only to find it closed and locked. We looked through the gate though, and it was great to go to a different neighborhood and get away from the town center. It was a kind of run-down, sketchy part of town (at least at night) and it was foggy and creepy, but it made me feel for the first time since I've been here that I think I could stay here. Not necessarily that I would want to stay here, at all; but rather just that I could, that I could bear it, that it wouldn't be the end of the world to spend my life in Eastern Europe. This is a big step, and a healthy one. I had the same feeling last night at Club Cross, where we went to a cool punk show. The people there were extremely friendly and welcoming, young, happy, having fun, smiling -- which can be, unfortunately, rare behavior around these parts. I am learning to see and appreciate this city, this experience, for what it is, and sifting through the best aspects of it that I am going to take with me when I leave.

I feel refreshed after the time away during break, both from the city and from my fellow AIFS comrades; I'm out of the rut I was in before the break. I feel a renewed energy to push through these final 6 weeks and am making a conscious effort to go out more, engage in more cultural activities, read more books, and really try to make the most of my time here. I think because the end is in sight, I am gaining some perspective and am beginning to realize that there are aspects of life here that I will miss when I go home. For the past few weeks, I have been blind to this because of my desire to have this be over, to go back to cushy, comfortable America, to be with my family and friends and Jut, and to get on with my life. But I think Prague will endear itself to me in these final few weeks, because I know my days here are numbered. I used about 75 cliches in this paragraph, I think because all of these "abroad reflections" are, indeed, very cliche, and predictable, and ordinary ones. I am not the only American to have ever lived abroad and to go through the process of sorting through these feelings.

I went to a fantastic cafe this afternoon in Nové Město that is a combination cafe/bookstore. It was a storefront cafe with a dark wooden interior, and it reminded a little of my beloved Maxfield's. It felt good to sit there and think and write. It has felt good to sit here and write, too. Writing is something essential to my being, I have recently discovered. Now, the question is, what do I do about it?

I suppose I should leave this cabin-den of an amazing computer lab and head back to the Kolej. I might go see Manderlay, the new Lars von Trier film, this evening at Světozor. I am going on a day trip tomorrow to Kutná Hora to see an old church decorated with the bones of 40,000 people. Hot. Ahoj.

Paris, Krakow, back to Praha

A real update will come, eventually.

My computer died in Paris -- the motherboard -- so telecommunications are much more difficult.

However, I can use the school computers to upload pictures pretty easily, so I've done that. The new photo page is a Yahoo Photos page, because they give me unlimited space. (And I realized I totally stole Tina's username, although I was going for the whole "An American In Paris" thing with the "A Dunchak in Praha." But, yeah.)

There are some pictures from Paris on my Flickr, but I will probably put them on the Yahoo and stop using the Flickr until I have my own comptuer again.

So, details of my European traversing will come soon. Paris was okay, nothing fantastic. Enjoyed the museums -- Louvre, d'Orsay, Pompidou. Didn't enjoy the American-feeling culture, the expensive food, the rats in my hostel, or the breaking of my computer. Krakow was amazing. I loved Poland; it is my favorite place I have been in Europe so far.

Time for class. Only 1.5 months left in my European adventure.

Paris in Falltime. . .

Haven't updated in forever.

Praha has been insane. School is actually busy; I spend all day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday there, like 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. But it is good.

Mom and Dad came last weekend. Amazing. So much fun to hang out with them, show them the sights, drink good beer, eat good food, be in good company. I'm really, really glad they came.

I am leaving in 2 hours to go to Paris for my Fall Break. I'm taking a bus; leaving at 7:00 tonight and getting there at about 9:00 tomorrow morning. Should be interesting. Tina will be there, too; but she's flying in tomorrow and staying with a friend, but hopefully we will get to hang out a bunch. So, I will update from Paris. I'm hoping for a lot of time to think, relax, write, etc. It will be good.

Bon voyage!

Minutes Become Hours. . .

Just made pretty much the best dinner in the history of Prague. . .might have been the best dinner in the history of Megan-cooks. Eggplant, tofu, green peppers, carrots, garlic, olive oil, rice. . .I realize that I talk a lot about food in this blog. I really, really like eating, and cooking.

Tina, Laura, Megan and Bekka just left for a weekend in Berlin. Mom and Dad get here tomorrow at 8:00. It is the weekend.

Good classes on Tuesday; discussion of Kafka from Petr Bílek that made me appreciate "The Burrow" and "The Great Wall of China" more than I did upon reading them myself. Pavla took us to this shrine to the Virgin Mary at the top of Petrin Hill, near the Kolej, and we had class there, overlooking the city. She liked my paper on kitsch and a yellow submarine tattoo, but disagreed with my premise that the yellow submarine was hovno. Eh. Win some and lose some. I took myself to dinner at Country Life and ate 150kč of vegetarian, organic deliciosity, which is a lot of food at Country Life. The hot dishes are so good there, though, because they are heavy and Czech-tastic, but they have wheat pate or tofu instead of beef or ham. Can't beat it.

We watched a really interesting documentary in Post-1989 Film Tuesday night. It was made by two FAMU students in 2004, and was one of the biggest films to come out of the CZ last year. It was called "Český sen" ("Czech Dream"). The premise was that these two guys invented a fake supermarket, did extensive advertising for it, staged this big "opening" for it, and filmed the entire process, as well as the reaction of people when they found out at the "opening" that it was fake. There was much more to it than that, but hard to describe out of context of the film. It was really, really interesting, though, and provided a good look into the culture here, the way people operate, as well as a critique of the post-communist, capitalist/consumer society, some issues surrounding joining the EU, and Czech national/self identity.

I had a really good day Wednesday. History class early, learned about Jan Hus and decided I might be a bit Hussite -- all they wanted was to get back to the roots of Christianity, to avoid the ways the Church had twisted it and decontextualized it and made it modern. Quite noble, really.

Then I walked around Staré Město for a long time, eventually ending up at Ebel Cafe to read some Kafka. I walk in, a waiter with a mohawk/rattail/mullet haircut says "Dobrý den," I respond in turn. I'm getting good at the sing-song-ey way they say it here, but I guess not good enough, because he brings me the menu in English. No big deal, I'm not offended; a girl comes to take my order and get a "long black coffee," kind of a cross between an espresso and a brewed coffee. I'm drinking it, reading The Trial, and the waiter comes over, takes the sugar bowl to put more sugar in it, and starts babbling at me in Czech. It literally sounds like babbling to me. I don't recognize a word, even a sound; he might as well have not been speaking the language I've been studying for the past 6 weeks. But I have also gotten good at the cute laugh, the "ano" and the "díky" in passing-by Czech conversations. So I did that and avoided the embarrassment of having to say, "Nemluvím Český," or worse, speak in English. But why this contradiction of brining the English menu and then the Czech babbling? I don't know. But I sat there for about an hour and a half, on one 50kč kava, and no one made me leave, which was nice. I forget here how much fun I have just walking around by myself, going to cafes by myself, sitting, reading, looking at things. I guess I don't do that much here because none of my friends really like to do that much, whereas at school, that was what we did as friends. So, I need to remember how happy it makes me, how it gives me time to think and re-center and re-focus, and really enjoy this semester here.

Went to Martin Machovec's class in the afternoon, which was enlightening as always. He read us this Egon Bondy poem from 1955 that was crazy similar to "Howl." I stayed after class and asked him if Bondy and Ginsberg would have known each other or been familiar with each other's work, and he went on about how they met in the 1990s in New York City, but there were no Czech translations of Beat poetry until the 1970s, and there still aren't English translations of the Samizdat stuff. It is pretty incredible to think about the fact that these two guys were literally writing the same poetry at the same time, completely unaware that the other was doing so, unaware even of the other's existence. If that isn't an argument for some sort of meta-narrative of humanity, I don't know what is.

I found out that I can take a bus from Prague to Paris and back for about $50. I can take a bus from Brussels to Prague for $20. I think I will look into these options for my break next week.

Went to Jiři's class today, then walked through Nové Město and stopped at a cool outdoors store near Tesco. Once again, the girl working there started babbling at me in Czech, and I had no idea what she was saying, but I did the cute laugh and said "díky" and didn't look like a fool. Then I had a great Tesco adventure -- this time above the basement supermarket. I've been wanting to dye my hair, so I milled around the cosmetics department and found a nice mahogany color for like 80kč. Then I spent about 20 minutes in front of the shampoo/conditioner/pomade/wax/gel aisle, trying to find some kind of leave-in conditioner/styling cream. I couldn't read much of anything on any of the labels, so I just decided on one that had hip packaging and said "krem" on the front. Then I went upstairs to get some liquid laundry detergent (instead of powder) and look for fabric softener or dryer sheets, because the dryer fried my clothes last time. I spend probably another 15 minutes there, looking at all the different detergents, finally asking a Tesco employee who pointed at one and said, "For color and white" in English. Then this mug caught my eye -- it reminded me of something Grandma Marian would have had in her kitchen. It has this smiling mushroom clad in a chef's hat, and the recipe for "houbová polévka" (mushroom soup) on the side in Czech. There is also a smiling mushroom on the inside of the cup, and little smiling mushrooms on the handle. Pretty much awesome. So I went to the AIFS office after Tesco, and asked Jana what kind of hair product I had purchased. She said the directions said to "apply a portion the size of a hazelnut" to your hair after you wash it, and not to wash it out, but to "wash your hands after using" it. Perfect.

Came home, dyed my hair (I really like it! A bit redder than I would have liked, but a nice change), and went to Laundry Kings. No hassle clothes-washing, used my new detergent and fabric softener, have a new lease on life with clean clothes.

In other news, a Czech baby smiled and laughed at me today when I waved to him at the Tram stop. Early on in life, the Czechs smile at foreigners. But it wasn't long before his mother turned his carriage the other direction so he couldn't see me. Something happens along the way, apparently.

After I ate my delicious stir fry tonight, I tried to go to a Bollywood movie at the Bollywood Film Festival at Kino Světozor with Brian, but by the time we got down there, it was 20 minutes in, and we didn't want to make a scene. So we walked around a bit and ended up at Cafe Indigo in Staré Město, a place where Pavla had mentioned that Karlova students hang out. We were the only Americans there, I'd say, and we sat at a table for 20 minutes before a waiter came to us. But I had a good, cheap espresso and bábovka (vanilla cake), and the atmosphere was cool and Bohemian-ish. I'd definitely go back.

I should go to bed, so I can catch a Tram, the the Metro, then a bus at 7:00 tomorrow to go get Mom and Dad at the airport! I'm pretty much psyched out of my mind for this weekend. . .

Čočková Polévka

That is what is boiling on my hotplate. I eat a lot of lentil soup here. But it is good, it is easy, I can throw in whatever vegetables I have on hand, and I'm pretty sure the lentils provide protein.

I had a good, busy weekend. Posted a lot of pictures, which tell the stories in a more exciting manner than this entry will, I'm afraid. My flickr has a bunch, as does Mike's (it is fun being friends with a photographer because he documents everything for us and doesn't even make us pay!), as does Brian's, as does Tina's yahoo page.

The Zoo was amazing. I couldn't ever remember going, although Mom and Dad informed me that they took me to not one, not two, but three zoos when I was a child; all of them have escaped my memory. But there were only a few of us Friday, with Zdeněk, Jana and Jana's photographer friend, and it was fun to see the elephants and giraffes and lemurs and everybody. Went to Malý Buddha after we got back and I gorged myself on crab meat spring rolls and fried noodles with vegetables. . .all for like 90kč. We went back to Klub Újezd Friday night, had a few drinks, and left to go to a dance club. But we were intercepted at the night tram stop by a Slovakian guy named Robert, who told us he knew a really good, cheap beer hall where lots of locals hang out. We figured we were okay, since there were 5 of us and 1 of him, so we followed him on a long walk around Nové Město (he was totally lost) and eventually ended up at -- lo and behold -- a big, cheap beer hall with lots of locals. It was pretty fun; we talked with Robert and a few of his friends he was meeting there, I drank some good house bilé vino, and we were boisterous among the Czechs.

Got up early Saturday for a day hike in Hřensko, a little town near the German border. It was fantastic to be out in the woods, get my legs moving without the hindrance of traffic signals or cars or dog poop or frowning Czech people. We hiked about 6 miles on a nice, though heavily-traveled trail, and stopped in a little town to get an authentic Czech lunch at a beer house. I had really good mushroom and potato soup and bread, and the best dark beer I have ever had in my life. It was a Czech microbrew called Březňak, and it was so creamy it almost tasted like a milkshake -- but it was beer. It must have been some kind of milk stout. Delicious. Then we hiked a bit more and got on a little rowboat that a Czech guy paddled down this river while pointing out camels and dragons and snakes and lions in the rock formations lining the canyon and playing Amazing Grace for us on his harmonica. We didn't get home until about 9:30, because our bus driver got lost in Prague for like an hour, so a few of us went to the Hanging Coffee and I had a warm Irská kavá before they kicked out the Americans, as usual, at midnight. We came home and watched Lost in Translation.

Slept in a bit Sunday morning, and then went to Petrin Park for a picnic with TIna, Laura, Brian, Zac and MIke. It was pretty much the best idea Tina has had so far in Prague. I took a baguette, a hunk of Eidam, an apple, and a bottle of Müller Thurgau, and I was set. I also brought along my iPod and speakers and we rocked out to some old school emo while we lounged in the sun. It was a really fun afternoon and felt good to just be outside, relaxing with friends. I had to do homework, however, when I returned. Read a bunch of Kafka (I'm pretty sure he's going to make me insane) and wrote a paper for Pavla about kitsch, my yellow submarine tattoo, and the films Wedding Crashers (which my roommate gave me a spur of the moment synopsis of, since I haven't seen it) and Štěstí. Yeah, that's why I want to go to graduate school for cultural studies.

Had a good day today; got through my boring classes, and walked around Malá Strana and Smíchov a bit to find Mom and Dad's hotel. The neighborhood where it is seems cool; it is practically in Malá Strana, and close to everything else, so I don't think they will even need tram passes. (I think since we got tram passes issued to us, we just always take the tram and the Metro, but really, it isn't necessary at all, because this city is tiny.) The hotel is on the main street, but if you go off a few blocks it is a bit more secluded, and there are some cool bars and a kavárna with "Cat" in the name that I really want to check out. I rewarded myself with a trip to Bohemia Bagel where I ate a cheese bagel with garlic and herb cream cheese. If that doesn't taste like home, I don't know what does. It was delicious, and I did my Czech homework while I ate.

I might go to a welcome party tonight for the international students studying at Karlova. It will be cool to meet more of the Germans and Fins and Poles and Danes and French and Swedes that are in some of my classes. And I think there might be free drinks.

Heský víkend!

It is Friday morning, and I've got more than 24 hours of weekend under my belt.

Had a really fun night Wednesday; Laura and I met Tina and Mike at a restaurant in Malá Strana, and I had a delicious espresso while they finished eating. The espresso here is so good, sweet and creamy, not bitter or too strong. Then we went to this bar called Klub Újezd, a cool 3-story, storefront artsy-bar. We hung out mostly in the basement, the cavern-like part that all the bars here have, and drank Budvar pints and took shots of Fernet and smoked Lucky Strikes. But the best part was the Czech couple sitting near us that we talked to -- they were students, architecture and philosophy. The guy didn't seem all that excited about talking to us, but his girlfriend was really friendly. It was the first random interaction I have had with Czech people, and they imparted all kinds of wisdom, like "Your pronunciation is very bad," and "You need to be careful of how much noise you make," and "Watch what you say in English because everyone can understand you." Valuable things to know.

Had language class yesterday, then ran a bunch of errands around town, like figuring out the copy machines on campus and copying my Kafka and Kundera coursepack, book-shopping for the remaining books I need for classes, paying my deposit to AIFS so I can go to Krakow in a few weeks, buying some more postcards to send out, etc. Came home and layed in bed for a while and tried to take a nap, but my Serbian suite-mate was listening to Serbian rock really loud, and I am passive-aggressive so I just tried to drown it out with Iron and Wine, and didn't sleep.

Met up with Tina in the afternoon and we went to Smíchov to shop at the big, new mall there. It was pretty intense. I had forgotten how shopping in that kind of suburban-ish environment can really take it out of you. We went in pretty much every store there, mostly in search of a bright green belt for Tina, but I got some good buys at H&M and Zara -- two nice sweaters, a standard, good-fitting long sleeved shirt, and an awesome big beaded necklace. But by the time we left, we were both a little delirious. You really have to be at your best, like well-rested and well-fed and in a good state of mind, to deal with certain parts of this city, especially the pickpocket-ridden, super-ghetto yellow Metro line (that goes to the mall) or being in a place like Smíchov, which is kind of outside the tourist center and a bit more sketchy and frenetic and requires you to keep a close eye on your belongings and yourself. But we made it back, and I made some pasta and veggies for dinner because I was starving.

Just hung out at the Kolej last night; had a dance party in John and Tyler's room, sang along to some early high school oldies but goodies like Dashboard Confessional and John Mayer's "Comfortable." I was going to go out, but decided against it, and ended up just chilling out, listening to music, watching Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in the lobby on some Czech TV channel with no sound.

I'm going to the Prague Zoo this afternoon, and going on an AIFS day-trip to Hrensko, near the German border, tomorrow for a hike. I really hope it is actually a hike this time; I need the woods! I have a decent amount of work to do this weekend, and I'm going to try to get ahead so that I can hang out with Mom and Dad as much as possible. So I'm going to crawl into bed with Franz Kafka for a bit. . .

Here's to Amazing Czech Scholars.

Almost done with an unprecedentedly busy week.

Had lots of great classes this week. My Mondays are long, and a bit boring, with Czech History, Czech Language, and the lecture-part of my Cultural Studies class. Tuesdays are stacked, though, with Kafka and Kundera, Cultural Studies seminar, and Post-1989 Film, which I had for the first time yesterday. Wednesdays are busy now, too, with Czech History in the morning, then Kafka and Kundera, and a course on Czech Samizdat Literature that I've decided to audit.

Kafka and Kundera was good this week; the first time we have met for both sessions all term. Professor Bílek is awesome, very into making references to weird pop culture stuff like the Rolling Stones and James Bond. He had studied a ton of Kafka and Kundera, so he always has obscure points to pick out and elaborate on. I got to talk a bit in each class, and the comments from the class discussions are quite insightful and good.

Pavla just gets cooler and cooler. She lectured about the Frankfurt School and theories of mass culture on Monday, and we watched snippets from two films about 1950s Czechoslovakia that were quite interesting. We had our seminar on Tuesday, where I presented the John Fiske article, which went really well. It was fun to pour myself into something academic, do a good job, and have my professor be receptive to my work. She talked a lot about post-modern theory and Marxist theory in realtion to the Fiske and an article by Stuart Hall that we were working with. It is so nice to understand her references and be able to keep up with her lectures; even though I haven't taken any "cultural studies" courses at Pitt, the English Department has really done a good job of infusing good theoretical stuff, especially in my Junior and Senior Seminars, so I feel prepared for someone as awesome as Pavla. It is definitely encouraging, especially since her class makes me want to go to grad school.

My Post-1989 Film class is going to be cool. My professor is a doctoral student, young, gorgeous, smart, a very cool chick. She talked to us a bit about the class, and then took us on a walk to the various libraries, film collections and independent cinemas around downtown Praha. One of the best things about this class, however, is the composition of students -- it is about 30% American and 70% international students, from Germany, Finland, Denmark, Turkey, Bulgaria, France, Poland. . .just to name a few. It was great to talk with people during our walk and hear about their home institutions, interests, languages, etc.

For Pavla's class this week, I read an article on the Czech Samizdat by a man named Martin Machovec, who she informed us is a professor at Charles, and is teaching a course on the Samizdat this semester for ECES students. Knowing that Pitt won't let me take any more English courses, I emailed Dr. Machovec, told him I really liked his article, and asked if I could audit his course. He agreed, and I spend a few of the more enlightening hours of my time in Praha listening to him lecture this afternoon. He is an expert on the Czech Samizdat, and he was also a part of it, so that makes his lectures all the more engaging. He passed around a few "first editions" from his collection, a few given to him by Egon Bondy, one hand-typed and signed by Olga Havelová, Václav Havel's first wife, one written by his father. Crazy. There is also a large number of international, non-American students in this course, so it will be enlightening to hear their input on the subject. One Polish kid was already talking a bunch about Polish and Czech history and the ways the two were intertwined during this period.

I am so impressed with people like Pavla and Dr. Machovec and Professor Bílek -- they are just such intelligent, passionate professors who really love teaching and care about the subjects they are telling us about. I guess it makes sense; Charles is the best university in the CZ, and one of the best in Central Europe, if not the best. So, if you are a good scholar, you will be teaching there. And if you are a really good professor, by Charles standards, you will be teaching the international students, just to put on the school's best face for the rest of the world. I feel very fortunate to be studying with these amazing scholars. It is also really cool because they were all part of these movements they are talking about, I guess mostly because these "historical movements" we are learning about took place really very recently. This city, this part of the world, has such rich history-history, because its civilizations go back to the 200s or whatever, but it also has such rich recent-history, because so much has happened in the past few years since the fall of Communism. I mean, Machovec's father was a Samizdat writer, Machovec was friends with Bondy, he was involved, first-hand, in the movement. Pavla was in a 70s-80s underground punk band, again, involved in the resistance first-hand. Jan Weiner, who lives in the dorm and teaches history, was here through Fascism and Communism, and he had coffee last night with Václav Havel. It's just really, really cool to have the opportunity to learn from these people.

I've been getting my Czech-culture on this week outside of school, too. Went to see Bedrich Smetana's "Prodaná Nevěsta" ("The Bartered Bride") at the National Theatre on Monday night, on AIFS, of course. It was a very upbeat and funny opera -- I liked it a lot better than "Don Giovanni" (sorry, Mozart). It was in Czech, which made it novel, and it had all kinds of great snippets of Czech culture, like a number dedicated to Beer, "A gift from God," a number where a bunch of women danced and crawled around like a variety of farm animals, and a very Bohemian, Moulin-Rogue-ish number with a can-can girl, a man dressed like an American Indian, some American Civil War soldiers, and a strange American flag. (I have heard that the Czechs really like the American Civil war, and they do re-enactments all the time for fun.) Again, the orchestra was fantastic. Only 6 of us from AIFS went, so we went for dessert in Malá Strana afterward -- some got Cream and Dream, some of us got McFlurries from McDonald's with Kit-Kats in them. (Shut up. I'm uber-cultural, so I get to consume some Americana sometimes. And anyway, we don't have Kit-Kat McFlurries in the states.)

Had a good trip to Tesco on Tuesday, after they finally gave us our October stipend. I spent more than usual, but splurged on a few items like like some spices (basil and curry powder, I think, but one can never be sure), a bottle of Moravské bilé vino, and some Trader Joe's-ish trail mix with peanuts and almonds and raisins and hazelnuts. I couldn't bring myself to play the lunchmeat game this week. I think I'm just going to go vegetarian for the rest of my time here. The packaged meat at the store is sketchy, you're never sure what you are getting when it comes to lunchmeat, and in restaurants, meat is more expensive than the delicious vegetarian options; I can't remember the last time I ate meat. So I'm going to stick to beans and lentils and nuts and eggs and cheese, and see how that goes. I also realized that I probably won't have to go to the store again before Mom and Dad get here, and the fall break. So that is pretty awesome. Time really is going fast.

I walked home briskly this morning after class, because I felt the need to exercise. I listened to Modest Mouse as I walked through Prague Castle; an interesting soundscape to accompany that neo-Gothic landscape. I stopped at this little Trafíka near the Kolej on the way back and picked up some Praha postcards to send to people. The entire exchange was in Czech, and I even understood the guy when he asked if I needed známky (stamps). I replied, "Ne, díky."

I've been missing Canfield lately. It is strange; until recently I had been missing Pittsburgh pretty hardcore, just the different places I knew so well there, my hangouts, the relationship I had cultivated with the place over the last three years, my Pittsburgh. But this week, I miss Canfield -- weird stuff, like White House Fruit Farm and Giant Eagle and Dairy Queen. I guess it makes sense that I would miss it. . .after all, it is home; it is the place I am more familiar with than anywhere else, it is the place that will always be there, will always be relatively the same. I am glad I am here, but I am already envisioning a triumphant return to the Mahoning Valley in mid-December.

Jut is doing a lot better in Stanford this week. It was really difficult being so far away from him when he had just moved and was having a bit of a hard time; I just felt completely helpless, and almost guilty for having been here longer and, consequently, more settled-in. But his classes are going well, and he's immersing himself in work, which I have found to be good therapy, as well. It's really fun to hear about him riding CalTrain to the City and sitting at Maxfield's or in Dolores Park or biking around my old "stomping grounds," a place so infused with memories and so fetishized. But it is exciting to think about moving out there, adding another dimension to the memories, another level to my relationship with that place, and really being an adult, and being with Jut.

My suite is empty, I'm listening to a great mix by Elise on Indie Pop Rocks, I have some lentil soup boiling, and I stopped at Paneria on my way home and picked up a houska (roll) to eat with it. I think I'm going to check out a new bar/cafe tonight with Tina and Laura, maybe try to meet some Czech people, maybe Bed, Bath & Beyond, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time. . .

Jedna Dobrá Kavárna.

I feel like I am in America. I am at a coffeeshop in Smíchov called "Káva Káva Káva," drinking a big mug of straight-up, brewed coffee (překapávaná). There is wireless internet, and they are playing a mix tape of Bryan Adams and Journey from the early 90s. The only difference is that it would have been cheaper for me to get a latté or a mocha or a cappuccino than a cup of filter coffee.

There is a big discrepancy here between a café and a coffeeshop, or "kavárna." What we would call a "café" in the States -- a place you can get a cup of coffee and sit for a few hours -- would qualify as a kavárna here, although most of them serve food (soups and sandwiches), beer, and wine, as well. A Czech "café," on the other hand, is more like a restaurant in the States, offering a full menu of food. You are expected to buy more than just a drink, and it is frowned upon if you sit and don't order much. This is an important distinction to make, and has been a crucial realization for me in finding comfortable, chill places to hang out.

Anyway, it is raining and dreary outside. I almost slept through breakfast, but fortunately, woke up with 20 minutes to enjoy my morning vejce, syr a chléb (egg, cheese and bread), and a special Sunday treat - čokoládový dort (chocolate cake). Yes, chocolate cake for breakfast. Things like that make me love Praha.

Went to a photography exhibit with Tina at the Summer Palace of Prague Castle this morning, called "romské obrození" (Roma Rising). Roma, also known as "gypsies," have been living in the Czech Lands for something like six centuries, but are still heavily discriminated against in the Slavic countries, especially here in the CZ. This American photographer named Chad Evans Wyatt has taken an interest in them and put together this series of portraits, along with little biographies about the Roma photographed -- hometown, birthday, occupation, level of schooling completed, whether or not they feel satisfied with their current lives, what their future plans are, and what their "credo" or "motto" is. It was quite interesting to see and read about the people from extremely diverse backgrounds that were photographed, and helped me to understand their culture and identity a little bit more. There was also a short film about the plight of Roma during the Holocaust -- they were persecuted in Central and Eastern Europe almost as harshly as the Jews were. The interesting thing, to me, is that they are still persecuted today, prejudices against them remain; a Roma-looking person who walks into Tesco will get poorer service than I would, or than a Czech person would. At least in my experiences in American, anti-semitism is a very touchy subject, and I have always attributed a large part of the sensitivity toward it to the fact that the Holocaust was such a horrible travesty against Jews; it made people realize that prejudice against them was real, and should stop. But these Roma people suffered in the same camps, were called out in the same way, and they are still experiencing racism today. The crimes committed during the Holocaust seem to have done nothing to make people realize that racism and racial persecution is wrong. It is very strange.

Tina and I had an adventurous night out in Praha last night. Looking back on the evening's events, we realized it was something worthy of a first date -- that was the level of awkwardness and strangeness we experienced. Tina found this ad for an Africa Benefit Show and Reggae Night at a place in Praha 7 called Cross Club -- the name of the festival was "Hakuna Matata." So, Tina was going to go to Delvita, and she put me in charge of finding out how to get to the club. However, AIFS hasn't filled up our Fleetcard accounts yet for October, so no one has any money, and Tina couldn't go to Delvita. So, looking at the map, I decided we could either take Tram 22 or 23 to the Metro A, transfer to the Metro C and be at the club, or take Tram 15 all the way there. We opted for the Tram, and caught it. However, the one we got on was going the wrong direction, so it dropped us off at the end of the line, and we had to wait for another one. (The funny thing about this is that I made the same mistake, with the same Tram line a few weeks ago when I tried to get to the laundromat.) There, an old Czech guy helped us look at the map and the tram schedules, and pointed us in the right direction; he didn't speak any English, so our entire exchange consisted of Czech and charades, but we understood each other, so that was cool. Soon, another 15 came by, and we got on it. However, it had a sign on the window on which was printed the undecipherable Czech message that I have come to know means something to the effect of, "This tram isn't going where you think it's going." But we got on anyway, because we were out in the middle of nowhere in Praha 6. We asked a Czech guy on the tram what the sign meant, and he said he didn't know, either, but he looked at a map and figured out that it meant that the tram was going to go to a certain point on its normal line, then turn around and head back the other direction again. So, at this point, we got off the tram.

By this time, we just decided to take a trap to the nearest Metro stop and take the Metro to the club. But before this happened, a guy who had been on and off the trams with us asked us if we needed any help; I laughed and replied no, but I think I made him mad because he rolled his eyes and grunted and made this strange hand motion toward us and stalked to the other end of the platform. When the next tram came to take us to the Metro station, Tina ran to get on it and totally fell over these duffel bags that some guy had sitting on the platform. But she got up and we got on the tram, laughing quite heartily. So we got to the Metro station, and just as we were descending the escalator, a train was there! So we ran to catch it, only to have the doors shut just as we got to them. We waited for the next one, changed trains at Muzeum, and finally got to the stop we needed. We got out of the station and started walking in what we soon realized was the wrong direction. We finally arrived at the Cross Club about 2 hours after our first attempt to leave the Kolej.

The club was awesome, one of the more "authentic" Czech social experiences I've had. We paid an 80kč cover charge, and listened to an awesome Czech reggae/regatón band that sang in a mix of Czech and English. Then we went to another room that had a DJ spinning some good reggae/regatón music, and occasionally a regatón rapper would come in and sing. Apparently there is a pretty big hippie scene in Prague; this club is definitely where the dreadlocked, pierced, hippie Czech kids hang out. I felt like if we went there more often, or stayed longer, we could probably make some Czech friends. There weren't many, if any, Americans; it was mostly hippied-out Czechs, and we had some friendly interactions with people, girls dancing near us and people putting their coats and bags with ours. Small steps. (We discussed how we would construct the phrase, "Will you be my friend?" in Czech, and decided on "Budete moje kamarad?")

It was also really fun to dance there because everyone was just doing their own thing, looking nerdy and awkward. I would never dream of dancing at a club in the States, because I feel like my gangly moves would get me laughed out; but here, it doesn't matter what you look like or dance like, as long as you're having fun. It is quite liberating, really. I definitely need to find the hipster scene in San Francisco, because it has been awesome to hang out with my hipster friends from Austin and New York, and to be a pseudo-hipster here in Prague. Unfortunately, there was no hipster scene in Pittsburgh beyond the grad students that would sit at the Cage or 61C -- there was definitely no dancing. By the time I leave here, I am going to have perfected my hipster slide, and I will need somewhere to show it off.

So, it was quite a fun evening, even if it started out rather adventurously. At least we got home with no problem.

Now, I am back to drinking my coffee, working on the article I'm presenting in Pavla's class tomorrow, and studying some Czech so as not to disappoint Jiři.

Praha From Hradčany

Praha From Hradčany
Originally uploaded by Meg Around The World.

A view of the Castle and beyond from the park near my dorm in Hradčany.

Praha From Mánesův most

Praha From Mánesův most
Originally uploaded by Meg Around The World.

A view of Staré Město and Karlův most from the bridge I walk across to school every day.

Lennon Wall

Lennon Wall
Originally uploaded by Meg Around The World.

The Lennon Wall in Malá Strana. I know Yoko designed it and all, but the Imagine memorial in NYC has nothing on this gem. (There are some more pictures on the Flickr.)

Sitting in my Broken Chair. . .

Every time I move my desk chair falls apart.

I have spent a nice morning sitting in my room. The past few days have been busy, as I have been walking all over Praha with Sarah, so it has been good to spend some time by myself and just lounge around.

I almost went to Budapest this weekend -- Mike and Zac planned a last-minute trip -- but decided against it. I was looking at a calendar today, and next weekend I'm going on a day-trip to Hrensko (it is supposed to entail a hike!!), the next weekend Mom and Dad will be here, the weekend after that is Fall Break (Paris? Berlin? We'll see where the spirit leads. . .), and the weekend after that is the AIFS trip to Krakow. And that's all she wrote for October. It is going to fly. So I think 'll try to do Budapest sometime in November.

It was fun having Sarah here these past few days. She has been travelling by herself for a month, and has a month before she goes back to the States, so she seemed glad to have someone to talk to and hang out with. I don't think I could do the whole backpack-across-Europe thing. I'm way too anal and uptight to just go wherever, sleep wherever, eat wherever. I've realized I am a very one-place type person; I like to get settled in. (This from someone who has lived in 4 distinctly different places in the past year. . .) But hey, for those who can do it, it seems like a good time.

We did a lot of walking, because she didn't get a tram pass. So we made the trek up to the Kolej about twice a day, but tried to stay out of the room as much as possible, since Kathryn was sick. I took her to all the attractions, and we went to some cool parts of the city I hadn't been to yet, like Karlovo Náměsti Wednesday evening after we got falafel, and some side streets off Václavské Náměsti that had some promising cafes, for future reference. Thursday we checked out the Mucha exhibit near Charles Bridge -- lots of lithographs of beautiful women, so you can't go wrong with that, and I got some cool postcards. We grabbed lunch at Country Life; I had goulash with cabbage and some kind of wheat-protein stuff, and it was absolutely delicious. I love that place.

I went to see Swan Lake Thursday night, and really enjoyed it, especially when all the ballet dancers are pretty swans. I didn't follow too much of the "story," but the dancing was fun to watch, it was awesome to be in the Národní divaldo (the theatres here are so cool and old and ornate and classy), and the orchestra was great. I think I have enjoyed the awesome orchestras at Don Giovanni and Swan Lake more than the actual opera or ballet elements of the shows. That thing about Czech musicians is true. Sarah and I went to the Hanging Coffee Thursday night with Tina for a beer, but we got kicked out at midnight because we were Americans. Oh well.

Yesterday we slept in a bit, then walked around Malá Strana, sought out the John Lennon wall, picked up a ton of chestnuts falling from trees near it, and found a little cafe called sukr.kavá.limonadá (sugar.coffee.lemonade) and drank good coffee and ate delicious, cheap chocolate cheesecake. I think Malá Strana is my favorite part of Praha so far. We went to Malý Buddha for dinner; they put us in the little back room at a table on the floor with cushions, and it was quite a nice dining experience. We met up with Tina to try to go to an "analog electrojazz" concert by a Polish group at Roxy, but the cover was 150kč, and we are cheap. So we stopped in at Cafe Ritual and got delicious coffee drinks instead -- I had a Mexican coffee, which reminded me of LA. Went back to the Hanging Coffee after that to meet Megan and Bekka for some Moravské bilé vino, and ended up talking to these two 80-year-old guys, one British and the other Czech. They were quite funny, and quite happy to be drinking with five 20-something American girls. They told us about the best places to go in Prague, explained some cultural idiosyncrasies, and talked about what it was like to go to school at Cambridge and when Hitler rolled into Prague. It was quite interesting and fun.

Sarah left around 11:00 this morning to catch her train to Berlin, and I have no plans for the day besides chilling out and doing some reading. I kind of want to shop, so I was thinking about going to the mall at Anděl, but I might save that for later this week. Nothing wrong with just relaxing a bit today. A few Jim Jaramusch movies are playing tonite at the Světozor, so I might check out one of those later.

Doktory, Scholars, Václavské

It is Wednesday, but it feels like Sunday, because we have no school in honor of St. Wenceslas Day. On this day in 929, Duke Wenceslas was killed by his brother, and then he became the patron saint of Bohemia. In 2000, the government decided today should be St. Wenceslas Feast Day, also known as Czech Statehood Day, but the year 2000 was not very long ago, and no one really seems to care about the holiday yet. So we have no school and the post offices are closed, but that's about all.

Had a good, short week. (I say "had" because it is essentially over now.) Classes Monday were good; history, language, alternative culture. Then yesterday I had a great Kafka/Kundera course, and a fantastic second half of my alternative culture course. Pavla decided to split the class into two groups so we can go to exhibits and shows and pubs and cafes more easily, so we went for a short walk, then ended up at Ebel Cafe in Old Town. We sat around and talked, and Pavla told us about her life, highlights of which include her Fullbright at UC Santa Cruz, meeting her American husband in San Francisco, buying John Lennon's "Imagine" on the Czechoslovakian black market in 1971, studying Robinson Jeffers in Czech, and applying postmodern theory to every day life (hence, cultural studies). She is amazing, and she made me want to be a cultural studies scholar. This might be a bad turn for me. After the cafe, we went to an art exhibit called "The Pope Smokes Dope," which was in the basement of this really cool old building. The exhibit consisted of record albums and concert posters from the 1960s -- not "rare" ones or anything, just standard Beatles, Stones, Dylan, Hendrix, Mitchell, Donovan, etc. Basically, stuff any American could find in a parent's or uncle's record collection. But it was put under glass, guarded by little museum-docent Czech ladies, and set up in a museum. Quite interesting. They missed all of that movement here, and now have to view its "artifacts" in a museum.

Went to the doctor on Monday, and it was quite a good experience. They took me right away, checked my vitals, did some blood test to see if I had a virus or an infection, gave me medicine, swiped my credit card, and I was out the door. The doctor was a really nice, young Czech woman, and she gave me 4 different medicines for my sinus infection -- an antibiotic, 2 decongestants and a nose spray. And it all cost $175, up front. Crazy. So, I am feeling better, but still have opted not to go out yet this week.

I've cooked 3 nights in a row now! Made a good lentil soup on Tuesday, and some pasta last night. It is nice to buy fresh veggies and then just make some combination of them to eat each night. Protein is the difficult part, though, because meat isn't exactly easy or cost-efficient to come by. But lentils and black beans are okay.

Sarah from Pitt is coming in to town today, and I am meeting her at the train station at 1:20. It will be fun to show her around for a few days and hear about her adventures over the past few months. I had thought about going to Budapest this weekend, but I don't think it is going to happen. Maybe another weekend.

Not much else is new. I've been feeling kind of blah this week; I think a lot of people are. A lot of people are sick, and this has been an interesting period of adjustment, since school has really started, and we are all realizing that the vacation is over and now we have to live in Prague for the next 3 months. Stress about various things, travel plans for the fall break being a primary one, and just the trying-to-settle-in thing. I feel like I go in such waves, from being so excited and busy and engaged and pumped up about being here, to just feeling like, okay, let's go to school, do what we're supposed to do, and keep things rolling. But time is going so fast. We have been actually in Prague almost a month now.

So, I'm looking forward to a nice weekend, maybe checking out some photo exhibits or theatre productions, perhaps continuing my quest for the cafe, and doing some reading.

You're so good to me, and I know it ain't easy. . .

Went to a really funny bar last night called Bar and Books. I thought it was going to be like a used bookstore-combination-bar, but instead, it just had a few books on the walls. It specialized in an amazingly swanky atmosphere, 140kc cocktails, and beautiful waitresses that didn't speak Czech (a first for my time here). A large appeal to expats and otherwise rich tourists, but the atmosphere was great. I had no money, and I am sick, so I opted for a pot of delicious fruit tea, and really enjoyed myself.

Came home relatively early and wanted to read, so I put on my headlamp, so as not to wake Kathryn, and finished The Unbearable Lightness of Being in bed.

Slept in, felt like crap today. Wrote a paper for my alternative cultures class. Made myself get up, shower, and walk down the hill to Tesco. Spent a long, leisurely time wandering around there, buying lots of fresh veggies, Čocotrakny bars, BLACK BEANS (I finally found them here), and some good looking turkey/ham at the deli. The guy behind the counter smiled at my Czech. I spent kind of a lot of money, but I will cook for myself more this week and eat at restaurants less.

Came home and started reading "The Metamorphosis." I'm halfway through, and pretty much what I've gotten is: "Uh oh, I'm a bug. Damn. My boss is here. I should go to work. I'm a bug. My sister brings me food. I don't like milk anymore. I will crawl on the ceiling. I'm a bug."

Just made a delicious dinner. I cooked rice and then fried up garlic, onions, mushrooms and green peppers. I put in this Uncle Ben's "Sweet Thai Chili" sauce that I had bought. It was quite good. It feels good to cook for myself again. Even on a hotplate. I've been listening to a playlist I made at some point in the past called "Jut Made a Delicious Dinner."

I am going to watch a movie, I think, and get to bed for my 8:30 tomorrow. I have class pretty much all day, but I'm hoping to get to the doctor in the afternoon and get some antibiotics for this sinus infection that won't quit.

Nebe, Štěstí, and Terezín

My first real weekend in Praha has been a good one.

Went to Nebe for indie rock dance night on Thursday, and actually had a great time. Danced with Tina and Laura, listened to good music, only drank one beer. (I am re-learning moderation.) I stayed out until 3:00. . .by far my latest night. So I must have been having a good time.

Slept in until 1:00 yesterday, missing breakfast at the Kolej for the first time since I've been here. Was pretty much lazy all afternoon; went down to Wenceslas Square to see Štěstí, finally, with Laura, Tina, Megan, Zac and Bryan. It was quite a good film. I am 3 for 3 on my Czech film adventures thus far. The film was deep, had a lot going on, at many levels. A lot darker than American films; perhaps due to American cinema's embracing of the aesthetic of kitch. (I have recently been influenced by Kundera. He says, "Kitch is the absolute denial of shit, in both the literal and the figurative senses of the word; kitch excludes everything from its purview which is essentially unacceptable in human existence." American cinema denies the existence of shit by making all of its films be void of problems, of shitty life situations of its characters, or else it ties up any problems by the end with a bow and sends audience members home feeling good about themselves. Czech cinema, on the other hand, embraces the shit that is inherent in life for many of its citizens, and makes you leave the theatre with something to hash through.) The film also reminded me a bit of Von Trier's Dancer in the Dark, because of its dark, downtrodden aesthetic, and also, I think, because of the role that industrialization, the factory, played in the film. So, these all added to a good film experience.

Interesting cultural observation: the lights don't come on and people don't get up after a movie until all the credits are over -- this, as opposed to in the States, where we jump out of our seats before the last scene even fades out.

Ate Thai food with Zac and Megan after the film, then walked across the Charles Bridge and got Tiramisu gelati at Cream and Dream. It was delicious, all of it.

Got up this morning and went on an ECES trip to Terezín, about 1.5 hours north of Prague. I thought the trip was going to entail mostly hiking, but it entailed mostly hanging out in Terezín, which is a small Czech town turned Jewish ghetto/Nazi concentration camp turned Communist Party Headquarters turned back into a small Czech town. It was quite interesting; we went to a few museums, saw a propaganda film about the city. Essentially, it was an American Indian Reservation situation -- the Nazis appointed this town for the Jews to live in, have as their own, self-govern, etc. But in reality, it was a holding pen for them before they were sent to the gas chambers at Auschwitz. One museum was dedicated to the thriving intellectual/cultural community that developed in the ghetto, with artifacts and stories from composers, musicians, painters, writers, and thespians that lived there. Pretty eerie, though, to be standing in the middle of a place that was once populated by tens of thousands of deported Jews, most of whom were killed in the Holocaust. Laura and I ventured into this antiques store that had authentic Nazi belts, jackets, and a whole hidden shelf of Nazi medals and pins and whatnot. Pretty creepy. After the Nazis left the CZ, the Party turned the old fortress into a Headquarters for them, and after they left, it turned back into a little town. But it is quite rundown, the buildings are in bad condition, and the whole place kind of stunk, literally. The CZ is apparently worried because they have been having trouble repopulating the place since the end of Communism. I wonder why.

There also happened to be some festival going on in the center of town, something like celebrating Czech heritage. There were kolbasa and candy and wine and beer stands, jewelry, trinkets, and men dancing and women twirling batons. Also, someone had put out their private collection of old army tanks and other miscellaneous vehicles, and at noon, people in army regalia toting guns got in these tanks and trucks and drove them round and round the town square. There were also Czech boy scouts milling about and riding in the trucks. I guess it isn't that different than our 4th Of July celebrations. . .it just felt a little more para-military. (There are some pictures here, more on the Flickr blog. I took a lot of pictures today -- something about this town was quite photogenic.)

At the end of the day, we finally went for our "hike," which was a 1/4 mile slog up a hill to a tower where we could climb up and see a nice view of the surrounding valley. I was really craving a good hike, so I found a side trail and hiked on that for a bit, smelled the wilderness, enjoyed the singletrack, but I didn't want to get left behind, so it didn't last long.

I was going to stay in tonight and read, but I think my friends have convinced me to check out a wine bar/book shop with them. That shouldn't be too taxing for me, and will probably be fun and cool and something new. And I can sleep in if I want to tomorrow. .

Terezín Kluk

Terezín Kluk
Originally uploaded by Meg Around The World.

A little boy standing outside the door to some apartments in Terezín. The whole town had this kind of run-down, paint's-peeling look to it.

Terezín Tanks

Terezín Tanks
Originally uploaded by Meg Around The World.

A few tanks from some Czech's private collection in Terezín. These are infinitely more creepy because Terezín was a concentration camp during the early 1940s; kind of an American Indian Reservation, if you will -- the Nazis told the Jews they could have this town, govern it themselves, etc. In reality, it was a holding chamber for tens of thousands of people who were eventually sent to the gas chambers at Auschwitz.

Another Terezín Tank

Another Terezín Tank
Originally uploaded by Meg Around The World.

Some Roma kids are playing on this tank. The day we visited, there was some kind of celebration going on where people broke out their old army regalia and drove these tanks around the town square.

v Praze. . .

In Prague:

• There was a group of men near the Charles Bridge this afternoon, on the Old Town Side. They all had on black t-shirts that had pictures of broken chains on them and the words "Truly Free" printed very large. In smaller print, underneath the picture, the shirts said "Mission: Prague, Czech Republic." These men were missionaries, no dobubt. I would wager that they were American missionaries, for the following reasons: (1) their shirts were in English, and I think Great Britain is pretty much exclusively agnostic at this point, (2) they were overweight and (3) they had gelled, spiked hair. I wanted to ask them if they knew any Czech. Because I'm sure Czechs will be incredibly receptive to the Gospel in English, since they are so receptive to English-speakers in general in this city. I really hope at least they were there for the Roma, and not the 70% of the Czech population that considers itself secular.


• There is a computer lab at my school, where I went for the first time today. I had to create a new account, and there was a nerdy, pimply tech-assistant guy with a goofy smile there to help me. (Some things are global.) We had a communication breakdown, however, when I tried to type a password for my account. He said it had to be 8 characters, and a combination of letters and numbers. But every time I leaned over him awkwardly to type my password on his computer, it didn't work. Finally, he looked up what he was trying to tell me in a CZ-->EN dictionary online. The password also had to contain capital letters, the troublesome phrase in our cross-cultural dialogue.


• It is not culturally acceptable to sit at a cafe and do homework. I found a cafe in Megan's Prague travel book, and set out to locate it this afternoon. I did find it, eventually, and ordered a delicious 35kč cappuccino. But the waiter gave me a dirty look when I pulled out my "Basic Czech I" workbook and started copying verbs and conjugating them.


• There is a park in Mala Strana where kids lay on the grass and smoke weed. I stumbled upon said park this afternoon, after leaving the cafe with the dirty-look-waiter. I hoped to stumble upon the famed John Lennon Wall, too, but no such luck. Another day, I will have to seek it out. I did find a corner store where I bought a 10kč bar of Orion Na Vaření, a dark chocolate candy bar that is the closest I get here to having a bag of chocolate chips on hand for a tiny mid-evening chocolatey pick-me-up. (Chocolate chips don't exist here, I don't think.) I also went to the Victims of Communism Monument in Mala Strana, which is an interesting piece of public art. I also found a bakery where I got a chocolatey/berry pastry and ate it while standing on most Legií and looking down at the Vltava. Then I walked back across to school. It was a very Praha afternoon.


• There is a vegetarian restaurant in Old Town called Country Life. However, I don't know where it is, which I demonstrated when Mike and Bryan weren't at our designated meeting place at 6:30 to meet Tyler and me, and we tried to find said restaurant anyway. We ended up at the State Theatre and got falafel from a stand on the street for 59kč. It was delicious. We proceeded to walk up the hill to Hradčany and the Kolej. It was a beautiful night and a nice walk.


• I take classes, for which I have to do homework. Now, I will write 6 sentences using 6 different verbs and 6 different conjugations, in Czech, for my class at 8:30 tomorrow.

Škola Bydlí!

It is cold in Praha! I just took an irresponsibly long shower, because reading in bed under my one blanket didn't warm me up enough.

I am now almost in the full swing of classes -- my Post-1989 Film class doesn't start until 4 October, so I only have 4 to worry about until then.

Monday was the best day I have had here. I absolutely needed to start classes. I needed the intellectual stimulation, the sense of purpose, the feeling of being here instead of visiting, instead of being here in transit-only. I also needed the time to myself; I had time to kill between classes and no friends in sight, so I found a Starbucks-ey cafe (see the attempt at nonfiction I wrote about it, below) and chilled out by myself; I was done with classes, again, with no friends around, so I had to walk home through the Castle by myself, which was glorious. So, I have felt refreshed, a new lease of my existence here, and a positive feeling for the rest of the term.

My classes are good. I have Modern Czech and Central European History with a professor named Jan (surprise, surprise), who is quirky and nerdy and cool. The class will be boring, one of those where you show up twice a week at 8:30, listen to the lecture, take 2 exams, and you've earned 3 credits. I also have Czech Language for Everyday Use, with a guy named Jíři, which is pretty self-explanatory. I am also taking a course on Alternative Lifestyles/Music/Literature/Art/Film/Culture, which is going to be amazing. The teacher is this hippie-dippy, post-punk, resistance Czech lady who is married to an American. She was in a punk band in the 80s, and when we arrived for class on Monday, she said, "Well, the weather is nice and I feel that we should use it. So we will get on Tram 17, ride 3 stops, get off, climb the stairs to Vyšhrad, go to a pub, get a few drinks and get to know each other." So we did all of those things, and after our beers at this Rastafarian/Czech bar (they had paintings of Bob Marley on the walls) on the outskirts of town, we sat in a garden and she read us Czech fairy tales. She wants to take us on trips to at least one concert, art exhibit, film, pub, and literary cafe.

On Tuesdays, I have a Literature class on the work of Franz Kafka and MIlan Kundera; if some of the people who were there this week drop it, we will be good to go, because there are far too many at this point. It will be challenging, but a welcome challenge, for me. The professor is the head of the Czech and Comparative Literature Department at Karlov; he taught at Brown in the States for 4 years. He has a very interesting halting, inhaling, rigid, heavily-accented manner of speaking English; when he speaks in Czech, like asides to his secretary, his entire voice changes into a beautiful, singsong-ey, fluid one. Very interesting. Our class is in his office, and he told us we can bring food or drinks for class; beer is okay, but probably not vodka. And then I also have my film class on Tuesdays, but there was a sign on the door this week telling us not to come back until the 4th.

So I found a few cool little English-language bookstores in Old Town after Kafka/Kundera class. Anagram had nice clerks and a good, independent bookstore feel (with prices to match). Big Ben had a more sterile atmosphere, but lower prices, and it packs such treasures as The New York Times and Rolling Stone, so that was a nice stop, too. I got The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Kafka's Complete Short Stories, containing "The Metamorphosis," which make up my reading assignment for next week. I'm about 100 pages into the Unbearable Lightness and I absolutely love it. It is quite fantastic.

I ended up drinking a bottle of wine with Tyler and Mike last night, and then finding a cool little restaurant near the castle to have dinner. We went to the Hanging Coffee after that, and I had a really great time just hanging out, got to chat with Teddy and bit and some of his AU friends. Starting classes has given me an entirely new outlook on being here; it has been refreshing beyond belief.

I ventured out to do laundry yesterday at Laundry Kings. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting, due to other people's horrifying laundry experiences here, but I did get on the #15 tram going the wrong direction, so I had to get off at the end of the line and wait for one coming the other way. I did it myself, American-style, instead of sending it out, and paid 250kc for 2 washers and 1 dryer. I washed pretty much all the clothes I brought here. So, that isn't too bad.

Went to Delvita, the Whole Foods Market of Prague (overpriced, crowded, obnoxious, yuck -- I'm sticking to Tesco) on Monday and picked up a few things, including a 55kc bottle of bilé vino, which I drank with Mike while we watched Being John Malkovich. A good film, nice to drink some surprisingly good cheap wine and just spend a night in.

I am going to dry my hair, eat a sandwich, bundle up in a scarf, and venture out to find a cafe for the afternoon. I have a Kundera novel to read and Czech verbs to study. I think I will check out Kava Kava Kava, a little place in Simchov. I am still searching for my cafe. Then I am meeting some friends for dinner at Country Life, the vegetarian, healthy, organic buffet restaurant in Old Town. Delicious.

Sometimes, I write.

This is a nonfiction sketch/essay I wrote while at a cafe in Old Town on Monday afternoon. Just some more coherent, stylized thoughts on my time here thus far.



“Coffee Heaven,” off of Old Town Square in Praha 1.

It is Starbucks-ey, down to the “Frostitos,” a Czech version of the Frappuccino. Everything is in English.

I order my 53kč brewed coffee with milk, “Americano s mlekum,” in Czech, and the barista doesn’t reply to me in English. This is not the norm in Czech establishments, I have learned while offering my botched Český to numerous clerks and cashiers in the past few weeks. She asks if I would like a pečivo or sendvič, and I recognize enough to comprehend and stutter a ne. I do know a fair amount of Czech, but when put on the spot, all of it vanishes besides prosím, díky, ano, ne, and whatever is printed on the menu in front of me. Hloupá Američanka. My receipt is in English.

I add a dollop of honey to my Americano and pick a wooden chair at a small table with four in the mostly-empty back room. Its interior is all chestnut and cherry and plush white pleather chairs. The coffee may have been expensive, but it pleases me – tastes like good old watered-down, American coffee. Tastes like home. But unfortunately, despite their best efforts, nothing else in the place reminds me of anything I miss from home. Music is playing that sounds like Paul Simon, but I don’t think it is. There are cliché English quotes on one wall from Wordsworth, Bernard Shaw, Gandhi, “Ralph Waldo.” I am the only American here right now, and am surrounded by snippets of German and French and Czech conversation.

This isn’t a place I’d like to frequent. (Now, Frank Sinatra echoes throughout the calm, carpeted room.) But it will do for my first day of school, a caffeine pick-me-up, and a place to start reading One Hundred Years of Solitude. I am still waiting for my café, the seedy, hole-in-the-wall place, the type of place I frequented in Pittsburgh, somewhere I can sit reading for hours on one cup of coffee with endless refills and I don’t get the hairy eyeball from the baristas. A place that doesn’t feel distinctly American, overly American.

It is interesting how many places in Praha try to be American, over-using English, over-doing the American style and image, over-playing “American” music. I’ve noticed it most at cafes, like here and Bohemia Bagel. They have English names, American-ized interiors that attempt to make us expats (even temporary ones) feel at home. Even the prices are inflated, by Czech standards, to remind us of the culture we left.

On one hand, many Czechs despise us for coming here, being rich and privileged, able to drop 53kč on a cup of coffee. But on the other hand, our tourism, our still-strong dollar, our 53kč coffees keep their economy ticking. And on another hand still, all the young people here speak English, buy into the American culture, work at places like this, outfit themselves at stores like H&M and The New Yorker.

It often feels as if this country doesn’t really have an identity of its own right now; it doesn’t even have a proper name, really – “The Czech Republic” is quite a mouthful, even in the native language. But this country, this region, hasn’t had its own identity since the 1500s, really, when the Habsburgs came to the throne. Since then, it has been a series of occupations, Habsburgs, Nazis, Communists, with a nationalistic lull here or there; a Velvet democracy and hope for a positive Czechoslovak future in 1989, then the Slovak break-off in 1993, throwing Czech-specific identity back into the air again. They drink a lot of beer, and they have some pretty old buildings.

During the communist occupation, Czechoslovakia was all but sealed off from Western culture; American music wasn’t allowed, nor books, and TV broadcasts were produced by the government. This has led to a pervading sense of “we've got a lot of catching up to do.” It feels like people want to make sure they didn't miss out on anything that happened during 1969-1989, so they are currently reliving and rehashing the 20 years of oft-terrible music and pop culture they missed while Red Russia was driving through Wenceslas Square in tanks. Evidence of this haste-to-catch-up is particularly everywhere the young people are – clubs, bars, cafes, shops, malls.

A multiple edged sword, Western culture is, for this post-communist Eastern European metropolis.

The Davy Crockett theme song now plays in the back room at Coffee Heaven. Somehow, that “king of the wild frontier” line just doesn’t echo here like it does at home.

Laziness and Zmrlzina -- I better be careful.

This is definitely the laziest day I have had thus far in Praha. I got up and ate breakfast downstairs, but then came back and layed in bed and read. Fell asleep now and then, read some more, woke up at 1:00 when Mike and Zac came to see if I wanted to eat lunch. I didn't. I read some more. The only good thing is Kathryn was doing the same thing, so I didn't feel that bad. It was quite funny how we kept talking/reading/sleeping away the morning. But sometimes you have to, and I don't feel like I did it out of depression, so that is good. I've been wanting to just relax and read, and now I have. Almost done with the Julian Barnes novel I've been reading since I left the States.

Had a fun night in Old Town Friday; ended up going out in search of a restaurant with Kathryn, Megan, Bekka, Laura and Zac. We wanted to go to a Thai place that had been recommended, but when we got there, it was a restaurant-combination-fancy-glass-art-gallery, and we decided it would be too pricey. So we ended up at a Mexican restaurant across the street, and had a great time. I had the strangest burrito I've ever eaten, with carrots and broccoli inside, and what tasted like pizza sauce instead of salsa. But it was good, and a ton of food for the price, so I can't complain. We walked around Old Town after that, half-heartedly trying to find a pub, mostly just wandering. Walked through Old Town Square at night, which hadn't done yet, and that was pretty cool. Had one of those, "Holy shit, I'm in Prague," moments, which I also haven't had in a while. Ended up going to KFC and getting 17kc cones of zmrzlina (ice cream!) and catching a tram home. (There is no such thing as normal ice cream here, only gelati -- even at American fast food chains.)

Went to Český Krumlov yesterday and had a really good time. I was worried it would be crazy running around like the trip to Moravia, but it was really calm and relaxing and just a nice day in a little Czech town. We walked around a bit with tour-guide-Zdenik, saw some old buildings and the castle there. Then we had free time for lunch, and Kat, Brian, Zac and I stumbled upon this awesome hole-in-the-wall Bohemian place. I don't even remember the name, but we climbed this little stone spiral staircase to a room with 4 tables, and ate the best meal I've had in the CZ so far. Kat and I got the "Old Bohemian Feast," vegetarian style, and it had all kinds of different authentic mullet casseroles and puffed barley and potato cakes and buckwheat and sauerkraut and fresh cabbage and I can't even remember what else. It was amazing. I also had a local beer, Bohemian Regent, that was pretty good. It was nice to hang out with Kat and Brian because they are so calm and chilled out. I really enjoyed it.

When we got back, I tried to round up people to go see this film at Kino Oko, in Praha 7. Zac, Kat and another kid, Justin, ended up coming, and we took a tram and 2 metro lines to get there. The film was awesome -- I had been craving a good film, a good few hours of escape. It was called Příběhy Obyčejného Šílenství, roughly translated to Wrong Side Up, and was originally a play by the same guy who adapted it into a screenplay; he cites artistic inspirations as Almodovar, Bukowski, Luis Bunuel, P.T. Anderson, and the social phenomenon of urban legends. It was set and filmed in Praha, which is still quite novel to me, and was full of seemingly random incidents, quirky characters, and strange situations, but it was so self-referential that it became not random anymore. I really enjoyed it. And the actress who played the main female character, Jana, was absolutely gorgeous, as many Českas seem to be. So, I was quite happy that I finally got to see a good Czech film, and explore a new part of town.

It has been a fun weekend, and I have managed to avoid any uncomfortable clubbing outings. I think maybe next weekend I might be up for that again, maybe trying to find some new, cooler places, but it has been nice to have a break and doing some things that are more unique and cultural and off-the-beaten-path. (If eating Mexican food can be considered as such. . .but I mean, Mexican food in the Czech Republic? That's gotta count for some kind of adventurousness. . .)

Don Giovanni is tonight. I am excited. Laura is playing Ted Leo in her room, and it sounds like home. We are all getting ready for the opera. School starts tomorrow. I am so psyched.

Český Krumlov

Český Krumlov
Originally uploaded by Meg Around The World.

A view of the red roofs of Český Krumlov in Bohemia, the Southern Czech Republic.

Český Krumlov 2

Český Krumlov 2
Originally uploaded by Meg Around The World.

A view from the castle in Český Krumlov, looking down on the Vltava.

Český Krumlov - Kat & Meg Feast

Český Krumlov - Kat & Meg Feast
Originally uploaded by Meg Around The World.

Kat and I with our vegetarian version of the "Old Bohemian Feast." This was the best meal I have eaten so far in the CZ, and probably one of the best of my entire life. Leave it to Bohemia. . .

Rainy Afternoon in Praha. . .

I am done with my Intensive Czech course! Had an exam today; I think I did pretty well. I will miss Zdena, though.

Got up today and had a good Praha morning -- the best times I've had so far here are the mornings I have just gone walking by myself, getting lost and finding my way. When I'm in a group of people, I usually take on the role of navigator, unless Zac is there, and then he does. So it is quite nice to just walk by myself and not have the pressure of guiding people, or wondering if people are tired of walking, or if everyone is having a good time. If I get lost, whatever, I'll find my way back again, and I like just walking for hours. So I walked down from the Kolej and went to the H&M at the top of Wenceslas Square. I wanted to find a dressy top to wear to Don Giovanni on Sunday, but didn't like anything. So I walked down the Square to another H&M, tried on some more things. Ended up buying a cool necklace with little wooden birds and green glass beads, a big wide white hipster belt, a bag to take my books in so I don't always have to take my huge daypack, and a white sweater/shirt that is cute.

I wanted to find a cafe to study some Czech for my exam today, so I walked around until I found Bohemia Bagel off of Old Town Square. It was quite interesting; a bottomless cup of kava cost 45kc, which is a bit pricey for Praha, but I guess reasonable when compared to the States. But you pay for the "American atmosphere" -- it was kind of cafeteria-style, they had Thievery-ish techno music playing, fare included hamburgers and egg and cheese bagel sandwiches, bottles on Heinz ketchup sat on each table, most of the patrons were equipped with bulging backpacks, and even though I ordered in Czech, the barista answered me in English. So anyway, I sat and drank the first real cup of coffee I've had since I've been here and studied.

Went to class, took my test. Walked to the tram in the rain. It was steamy and smelly on there, the windows were foggy, just like the PAT busses in the Burgh. Home, sweet home. The weather here has cooled off in the last week; it is nice and autumnal.

The past few days have been good; I've been somewhat lazy, mostly just sleeping in and going to class. Went shopping yesterday with John, Zac and Mike; hit up some thrift stores, bought some bright green and yellow Eurotrash shoes. It was the most fun I have ever had shopping with a group of men. . .actually, probably the only time I have shopped with a group of men. Went to dinner at Maly Buddha last night; paid 115kc for a big bowl of delicious vegetarian/tofu soup and a huge place of fried rice with veggies. Have spent time the past few nights at the Hanging Coffee, too, drinking some Gambrinus and hanging out.

We are going on a day trip to Česky Krumlov tomorrow, a little town in Bohemia. I think a hike is involved, a visit to an old cathedral, probably. There is also another film showing tomorrow night a little further away from downtown that I want to see. I've been trying really hard to do some different stuff here, check out places other than clubs and bars, get into some of the culture. I know this will take some time, and I have some time to be here, but I need to feel a little less American and a bit more cultured.

Not sure what my plans are for the night. I want to see Šteští (Something Like Happiness), but it is dreary, and I am home now, and I still need to eat dinner. So we'll see. A jazz club has also been rumoured as an activity for this evening, which would be quite fun, too.

Off to a Good Day in Praha.

I think yesterday might have been the first day since I got here that I didn't write a blog entry. Perhaps this is a step in the right direction. . .although I was a bit depressed yesterday, and didn't leave my room until class time. But class was good, and I had a nice dinner at a restaurant across from the Kolej (U Dragoon) with Megan, Bekka and Laura.

I got up at 8:00 this morning, emailed some registration questions to Marketa and Fiore, got dressed, ate breakfast, and was on a tram by 9:10. However, the tram I got on, #23, which normally takes me to downtown, happened to have a sign in the window that I couldn't read because it was in Czech. Apparently, that sign said something to the effect of "This tram is not running on its normal route," because after about 10 minutes, I didn't recognize any of my surroundings. I took out my headphones and heard the tram-announcer-lady-voice say that at this stop, you could "vystup az k Metro" (exit to the Metro), so I figured I should get off, because I could acclimate myself at a Metro station and get downtown via that. It was a good thing I did get off, because once I got to the Metro platform, I saw that the stop was the furthest one out on the Green Metro line. If I had gone further, I would have been extremely lost and would have just had to wait for a tram going back the other direction or something, which would have been fine, but taking the Metro was easier and I didn't have to get lost. Crisis averted.

So I got on the green line and rode to Mustek, transferred to the yellow line there and rode to Narodni Trida, where Tesco is. I bought a pot and a knife and some Tide on the 3rd floor, then ventured down to the grocery store in the basement. I had memorized how to ask for 200 and 300 grams, so I could get that much meat and cheese. It worked pretty well. I got 200 grams of some kind of "Burlander light," which looks like swiss cheese, and 300 grams of this meat called "kureci rolka," that looked like ham. (To my dismay, when I looked up the word kureci after I got home, I learned that it meant chicken. So I actually bought some kind of weird chicken-roll-mystery-meat, I think. But I've probably eaten worse. . .) I got some of these little chocolate-covered wafer candy bars I've been eating at school called Cokotatranky, a few "Nestle Fit" bars that were the closest I could find to granola (I miss Nature Valley and Clif bars!), and then a bunch of veggies. Fresh fruits and veggies are the way to go in Praha -- they are incredibly cheap and good. I got some olive oil, garlic and green peppers to cook with some pasta for tonight, and I got 4 nice big Braeburn apples for like 50 cents. That blows my mind. The bunch of bananas I got were more expensive than apples.

I took all of my groceries and decided to walk to the AIFS office; I know how to get there by Metro, but I wanted to navigate by foot, so I did. I'm getting used to recognizing landmarks and knowing where I am, knowing which way to go, even though I don't know any street names or actual directions. (I also found a Kino I had been reading about last night that shows at least one film with English subtitles per day, so I definitely want to check that out soon. It is right by the office, and it is showing a new Czech film called "Happiness" that looks good.) Went to the AIFS office and put down a deposit so I can go see Don Giovanni and Swan Lake later this month. Then took the Metro and a tram back up to the Kolej.

I'm going to do my homework, go to class, and then come home and cook a delicious dinner. This has been a great day so far; it was a good move to get up and get going this morning instead of laying around feeling out of place. I'm getting better at this.

Home, Sweet Kolej. . .

It is nice to be in my dorm room again. (How often do I say that?)

Had a fun day today, more walking and less bus riding. Went on a walking tour of downtown Brno this morning, led by a local Češky. It used to be the "capital" of Central/Eastern Europe because of all its amazing buildings and on-the-up-and-up culture -- supposedly, it was even more beautiful than Vienna. But a lot of the buildings and cathedrals and castles were bombed and ruined during WWII, making it now quite an interesting mix of amazing, old things and tacky, cheap-looking new buildings. We went to 3 different Catholic cathedrals, all of which were in the middle of mass; it was cool to see the buildings being used for their original purposes and appreciated by people. There was a brass quintet playing from the top of this spire on the Old Town Halll; the music echoed through the main square, and we couldn't tell where it was coming from at first. How Medieval.

Walked around Brno a bit after the tour, trying to find something good to eat. Tried to get this veggie and pork kabob, but it wouldn't be ready fast enough. So I went to McDonald's and had a cheeseburger and fries. I'm serious. You do weird things when you're out of the States, sometimes.

Got back on the bus and drove to some Czech National Forest to the Moravian Karst -- this famous system of underground caves formed millions of years ago by water flows. They have all kinds of stalagmites and stalactites and it gets really cold once you get to the bottom. We had a nice "hike" on a paved road back to where the tours began; it was mostly along a fog-shrouded stream, and it felt extremely good to be walking outside in the woods. It didn't feel all that different from places I've hiked in Western Pennsylvania, and the trailheads were marked with these cool Czech coat of arms symbols. We ventured into the caves and walked around, took a boat ride for part of it, emerged in the middle in this amazing garden-type thing that was open to the sky. Quite cool, and Czechs are quite proud of it, so that's cool too. Then back on the bus, a stop at a gas station for dinner, and back to the Kolej.

I'm feeling better today, I think thanks to the 1L of Moravian bilé vino I drank last night. I didn't plan on drinking, only having a glass or two to help me fall asleep, but one thing led to another, and soon almost the whole bottle was gone and I was hugging the toilet. I haven't been that drunk in years. But anyway, I woke up this morning and felt pretty good, after a short bout of the dry heaves before breakfast. My snot isn't yellow anymore, anyway. So we'll hope that continues to clear up.

Mike just came to see if I wanted to go to the Hanging Coffee, but I think I should get some rest. So that I will do.

Moravian Karst - National Forest

Moravian Karst - National Forest
Originally uploaded by Meg Around The World.

On the way to the underground caves in Moravia, this is how the Czechs label their National Forest trailheads. That is really the only thing that differentiates it from, say, Quebec Run Wild Area.

Moravian Karst - Emo

Moravian Karst - Emo
Originally uploaded by Meg Around The World.

Tina and I being emo in this amazing cave garden in the middle of the cave system in Moravia. Also, it was like 30 degrees in there.

Zelena Hora - Graveyard

Zelena Hora - Graveyard
Originally uploaded by Meg Around The World.

The Church of the Virgin Mary at Zelena Hora (Green Mountain) in Moravia. This was one of the 5 entrances on the 'gate' surrounding the cemetery and chapel.