gothic & romanesque art and architecture

My Czech art and architecture class is incredibly interactive, and I love it! Two days ago, we went on our first "field study" to the St. Agnes Convent (now a museum) to learn firsthand the differences between Gothic and Romanesque art/architecture. I'm trying to memorize all the names and characteristics of each part of the building (for example: flying buttresses. Doesn't that sound so funny?!). Some pictures:

The exterior is still beautiful...

St. Wenceslas was buried there!

My shadowy figure in front of all the Gothic arches! (Gothic, because they're pointy. 10 points for me!)

towers and castles, oh my!

This weekend, we hiked up Petrin Hill and climbed to the top of Observation Tower, which looks like a mini-Eiffel Tower! The view was breathtaking. We also checked out the memorial for victims of communism (some info here), which are sculptures that depict a deteriorating man. And finally, we spent a day touring Karlstejn Castle, only a 45 minute train ride away from Prague.

Petrin tower; Victims of Communism Memorial

view from Petrin Tower

Karlstejn castle!

me and friends on the train

Czech souvenirs are weird. Crazy wigs everywhere!

We couldn't take pictures inside, so here's a 360 view video of the area before we embarked on our castle tour!

when life throws lemons

Eating Prague's sweet bread (bought by a friend), hours after being robbed

I had possibly the worst morning today. Sickness, 3-hour classes, no money or cards -- and then my only spare debit card was eaten up by an ATM machine. I spent the rest of the afternoon suppressing tears and emailing bank representatives.

But when life throws lemons, what else can you do but make lots of lemonade? If I continue tormenting myself about my terrible luck, I'd drive myself crazy! I can't keep examining these damn lemons, that's for sure. Sometimes, the hardest thing to deal with in every bad situation is my own psyche, replaying scenarios over and over, exaggerating the consequences, dreaming about the "what if I held my bag just a little closer???". Excuse my language, but it's all just a total mind-fuck.

So I can't change the past, but I can stop myself from creating a future full of past regrets. That's no way to live, continuously choosing sour moments over the sweet. I'm thankful to have bounced right back to being the happy person I will always be, because I love my "lemonade": my wonderful, generous, supportive friends (old and new), my family, and the places that I've visited and will visit.

I will never, ever let myself be the guest of honor at my own pity party. Which is why, yesterday, mere hours after being robbed, I ate the largest piece of sweet bread I could get my hands on and continued exploring Prague with all my "lemonade" in tow. It was a great day. Bring on those lemons!

I got robbed!

I feel like a complete idiot for getting pick pocketed in only one stop on the metro. Some of these pick pockets have the sneakiest tactics! I was stuck between two very smelly, fat men who kept bumping into me, eventually forcing my bag to slide down my arm, farther from my body. (NEVER a smart move!) Literally in less than 2 minutes, the second I get off the metro, I see that my bag is half open and my wallet is missing! Probably the quickest pick pocket experience ever. I am so lame.

Moral of the story: Don't be such a woman. If the smelly fat man leaning on your arm is cutting off circulation, force him off and move elsewhere. Don't be so polite, because he is not-so-politely stealing your cash and credit cards! :(

peace, democracy, and human rights in asia conference

Package and translator; His Holiness the Dalai Lama

List of delegates

The conference was held in Prague Crossroads, a gorgeous building

Every speaker was interesting, passionate, and inspiring. And the Dalai Lama was surprisingly lively and eloquent. I'm so grateful and honored to have been allowed to attend!

Nightlife Do's and Don'ts

The past week, I've been hitting up some of the popular clubs in Prague with my friends. I don't do this often in the States, because there's always some slick chump trying to grind up on me from behind, and that gets old fast. But I do love to dance, and the clubs here surprisingly don't disappoint. Before you attempt though, a few guidelines for my ladies:

• DO watch where you step. Some idiots slosh beer and even smash their glasses on the ground.
  
• Your guy friends will leave you in search of their own pleasures, so DO stick with at least one other girlfriend. If either one of you happens to have a dance partner, well, I'm sure he'll think two is better than one.
• DON'T dance with a guy who has an entourage. They'll inevitably want to join, and you'll find yourself in an awkward testosterone sandwich. Not fun.
  
• DON'T talk to guys who say "You're so beautiful" in broken English. You are so not the first and only. And he's a sleazeball, no excuses.
  
• If a girlfriend tries to leave with a creepy stranger, take her aside and DO ask her firmly, "Are you sure about this? Like, really, really sure?" Raise your eyebrows and gesture wildly for effect.
  
• And DON'T leave anyone behind. Friends before silly drunken hookups.
• But DO have fun! Dance!

Also, if you're planning on visiting Prague, here are some places NYU kids frequent:

• Karlovy (famous 5-story club next to the Charles Bridge)
• Chapeau Rouge (a crowd favorite, though very seedy)
  
• Mecca
• Roxy Club
  
• Radoste
• Lucerna
• Nebe
  
• M1 (tiny place though)
  
• Beer Factory (in St. Wenceslas Square)
• Cross Club

dancing building (& being touristy)

I'm crap at taking videos, but this is where I was today!

...and pictures!

lots of wedding sightings

Always smack dab in the center of Old Town Square, always the same poofy princess dress. (And this is one of the better ones.) Oh Europe!

the last few days

Yesterday, I went on a boat cruise down the Vltava river...

The night before, I had the privilege of seeing the Czech Philharmonic in the very first row! It was such an incredible experience, I'm such a music nerd and totally shouted "Bravo!" embarrassingly loudly. :D

I also visited Vyšehrad, a part of Prague with a ton of history. We saw the castle and the cemetery where the most famous Czechs rest. Each grave has its own personality. Everything was gorgeous.

And then I went dancing til 4AM in a pair of (now scuffy) heels...

***

But I have been feeling a bit homesick. There's a lot to explore here in Prague, but I miss my lovely friends and family and doing the most banal, comforting things, like sipping tea and having long talks. I'm desperate to just veg out and watch a movie with my best friends (who are all over the world now!) instead of going out all the time. Besides Kaitlin, I don't feel like I can count on anyone just yet. Tonight I curled up with the newest Jhumpa Lahiri book because I needed a mental break... I think I might actually an introvert with extroverted tendencies. Am I completely insane?

salvador dali & co.

Sometimes, I'm lucky to find so many photo-worthy shots that I have to organize my photo albums by the DAY. Here are some from yesterday (Friday): another gorgeous building from the walk to the NYU Center from my apartment at Machova St; an Indian restaurant with pretty lanterns; the Salvador Dali exhibit (I'm so happy it's in Prague! I missed it in NYC last year) and some of his incredible work.

it's a small world

Prague trams > NYC buses!

Some things New York City and Prague have in common:

1. Amazing tasting tap water (truly!). Who woulda thunk for Prague?
2. Dogs everywhere: big gangly dogs, small fluffy dogs, leashed or trodding freely alongside their owners.
3. A fantastic variety of international food. I had yummy Chinese and Italian here, and there are Indian, Thai, Japanese, and other exotic restaurants in every nook and corner.
4. Lots and lots of tourists. Since I only know very, very basic Czech, this makes me feel a bit better about being a tourist myself! But I've learned lots already in this busy first week! (Counting in Czech to the thousands, navigating the city, grocery shopping, ordering a drink...)

rainy day

...and the city is gloomy for a minute

a colorful city

I just cannot get over how stunning Prague is.

More color here!

And for my most up-to-date pictures, see my flickr account.

mail info

Darlings,

If you want to send me mail (which I love!), here's my address:

Helen Zuo
New York University in Prague
Malé náměstí 2
11000, Prague 1
Czech Republic

In the meantime, I've been stocking up on postcards.
Email me your address if you'd like one!

absinthe

Cheers!