Berlin!

I'm still gushing about this weekend in Berlin -- it was so, so much fun! My friend Lisa and I took the city in a whirlwind! We stayed with a lovely couple, Tanja and Dirk, who we found from CouchSurfing, and then set off to do some sightseeing and exploring. We ended up visiting:

The Pergamon museum

The Reichstag and its dome

The Brandenburg gate

The TV tower (Berlin's tallest building)


And the Berlin Wall and East Side Gallery




Oh, and we caught "The Giants" puppet parade!

In between, we relaxed at Cafe Einstein, where we ordered brunch, the cafe's famous apple strudel (so says Time Out Berlin) and hot chocolate. It was the best part of the entire weekend! And just the beginning of two food-crazy days. We devoured currywurst, doner kebaps, and gelato. Oh, this weekend was such a blast!

just another day in prague

I'm heading to Berlin tomorrow for the weekend, so today, I felt the urge to snap more photos of Prague while heading to class. Kafka once said of Prague: "this Little Mother has claws." Now I know what he means. It's an endearing little city that I've grown to love. :)

pasta!!

And cooking it Italian style, that is, mixing every possible ingredient together. It was delicious! (But I seriously need to learn how to portion my food. Lots of leftovers!)

happy anniversary jana!

On August 28, something magical happened. On my flight from the U.S. to Prague, I sat next to a lovely lady named Jana, and we became instant friends. She told me all about how fun and beautiful Prague was, and last weekend, I visited her hometown Karlovy Vary. I tasted the famous hot springs water, got tipsy from Becherovka liquor, and took pictures of beautiful architecture. It was a blast. We still keep in touch through email.

So today's post is dedicated to her. Jana, I'm so glad I met you and am able to bring you bits of the Czech Republic via this blog and its pictures! I hope you're happy and well in Florida. And a Happy 7th Anniversary to you and Alan!

karlovy vary and loket castle

Beautiful Karlovy Vary, with its hot springs, spas, and celebrity visitors! (Also, Casino Royale was filmed there!)

Recognize this from Casino Royale?

And Loket Castle is gorgeous, like a scene right out of Lord of the Rings!

fall break!

My girlfriends and I are flipping out (from sheer excitement, of course!): Barcelona, South of France, Paris, and London, here we come! Just a month away!

We're listening to lots of Celine Dion's french songs to prep. :)

carpe diem!

inside a column of books in the city library!

And today, it hit me: I really love it here. Just last week, I felt a little uncomfortable with living abroad for so long, like I'm on extended vacation in Central Europe while life passes by in New York without so much as a glance in my direction. I was afraid of losing my place. But now I realize you can plant roots in lots of places and feel right at home without losing your past. I still have a lot of New York and Philly in me, and that'll never change!

But I am loving my Prague home: the thrilling balance between independence and new friendships, incredible Czech histories I'm not just learning, but touching and seeing, every weekend booked for an exciting adventure, eating pastries and gelato whenever I want, taking classes on Kafka, art, and architecture...

Thinking back on the past 3 weeks makes me smile and melt with happiness and feel so grateful for my luck! I'm reminded again, carpe diem! Seize the day! Making little or big decisions, trying new things, spontaneously getting lost in new neighborhoods, eating goulash and dumplings until I want to barf, grocery shopping random items -- I'm so grateful for the thousands of opportunities and choices I can make, for how precious and generous life is. Certainly, I've had my share of unfortunate situations, but that only makes me feel even more fearless! So... carpe diem! Seize the day! :)

oh, and two videos from today!

A 360 view inside St. Vitus Cathedral

A fiddler on the walk down from Prague Castle!

st. vitus cathedral

One of Prague's major tourist attractions, and my classroom for the day! Yep, another field trip for my Czech Art & Architecture class. Somehow, I managed to follow and listen to my professor, take notes, and take pictures simultaneously!

Black and White:








Color:





More pictures here!

all for some pilsner

Today, some friends and I woke early and took a bus to Plzeň to visit the Pilsner beer factory. I actually have no great passion for beer, and Pilsner is my least favorite (because it's so strong and bitter!) -- but we're all here to try new things, right? I've never been to a beer factory before, so at least I can check that off my list. :)

A Pilsner motorcycle?

Drinking fresh Pilsner in the cellar

Bottles lining the restaurant where we ate

Super tall Kaitlin and super short (sans heels) me :(

After lunch, we had a tiny siesta on a bench (we were so sleep-deprived); the view up

The Pilsner tour was fantastic and very museum-y. We watched videos, touched the ingredients, walked through the packaging plant, brewing building, and fermentation cellar, and had fresh beer! (I couldn't finish my cup though. It was still early! I know...weak.)

But I have to admit, the trip was pretty aggravating. We missed our first bus over to Plzeň, had to purchase new (and more expensive!) tickets for the next bus because the bus company was sketchy and inhospitable, and were blatantly ogled at in the 90% male-occupied restaurant at the factory (although the food was delicious!). After our tour, we slept through the entire hour on the bus back and returned to our dorm in a total daze. Traveling can be exhausting sometimes!