Rodina

Family
La Familia
Familie
La Famille
Rodina
etc.

During the week my Mom came to visit me in Prague, we paid a visit to her cousin Astrid, who lives outside Zurich with her family. Astrid was raised in France, her brother is Kai, Astrid and her husband Jean-Edouard, live in Zurich for his job with FIFA and have 3 daughters. Leonore is 5 years old, Celia is 3 years old, and Diane is 5 months old. Needless to say, they have their hands full! I feel it's somewhat noteworthy that Leonore loves the color pink and Celia loves the color blue.

The first afternoon was relaxing, we stayed in and read books with the girls. Leonore immediately began chatting with Mom and I. Celia took a while longer, she was also shy each morning after, but only for a little while. Diane was yet another beautiful addition to the family, she's so cute! I've seen all of Astrid's children as little babies, and each of them have been so amazingly adorable. Mom brought the girls new books, Leonore and Celia were thrilled and Leonore practiced reading with the new book (and she's five!). I wish I had gotten a picture when Mom had Diane on her lap and Celia and Leonore were crowded around her while she was reading. One of the other good moments was when the word "smart" was mentioned in one of the books to which Leonore says (matter of factly) "I'm very smart." It was really adorable and shows a lot of her personality and how confident she will be.

At one point while I was holding Diane (or maybe I was cooking? Doesn't matter) Astrid mentions that I'm old enough to be Diane's mother. I don't remember my exact reaction, but I realized she was right. I think the notion of being anyone's mother scared me. I adore Astrid's girls, but can't imagine motherhood.

Once the girls were in bed, Astrid finished the dinner intended for the grown-ups, a wonderful pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon and sage leaves on a bed of apples. The dessert was lemon tart (which I helped to make, yay me!) and it was probably one of the best desserts I've ever had. I've even tried to make it since then, but it was not tart enough and was undercooked. Anyhow, Jean-Edouard left early the next morning for Paris to attending the Rugby finals, so it was very much a girls weekend.

Friday morning, Astrid dropped off Leonore and Celia at school and we then headed into Zurich. Astrid led us around the center of Zurich, Mom and I taking pictures at every turn. It was a clear day, but very cold. Astrid took us to a chocolate shop that has tons of frilly decorations. We also went to Globus for lunch, it took us a while to find seats where we could be near the baby carriage. Diane slept most of the time, all bundled up in her stroller. She looked like a snuggly caterpillar because you could only see her face.

After visiting Zurich, Astrid went back ahead of us to pick up the girls from school. I believe we had raclette for dinner this night. I convinced Astrid it would be a good dinner because of how easy it is and how much I love love love raclette! For those of you who have not yet experienced this dinner, I think it is fantastic. I forget if I described it already, no matter, you essentially melt raclette cheese and eat it with potatoes, bread, and cold cuts. Very very delicious.

Saturday, Astrid decided to take us to a small midieval town called Stein am Rhein, about an hour from her home. It was a village with paintings on most of the buildings and along the Rhein. There was a large castle overlooking the town from the large hill behind it. The Rhein was particularly clear and beautiful. It was yet another clear but cold day. We ate lunch there as well, but it wasn't long before Leonore and Celia got bored. I guess that's part of the fun of younger children, trying to entertain them. As I said before, I don't see myself as a mother anytime soon. Given their lack of enthusiasm over the village, it was really fun to see them at the Rheinfalls.

We went to the Rheinfalls after the village, about a half hour from the village and back towards Zurich. On the way, Leonore blew up a rather large pink balloon. The balloon ended up about the size of Leonore, definitely a 30 minute effort. The amount of effort to blow up the balloon made it all the more tragic (and hilarious, I'm sorry, but it was) when Leonore ran past a bush and popped the balloon. It was so terrible! She was so sad, I couldn't bear to look at her, particularly because it was funny and I didn't want to make her more upset.

Anyhow, the Rheinfalls are the largest waterfalls in Europe, volume-wise. I didn't expect the girl's to be as excited as they were, but they really enjoyed this leg of the excursion. We walked all the way to the bottom of the mountain, where there are several places to view the waterfall up close. There were several instances when Celia and Leonore wanted Mom and I to lift them up so they could see over the taller ledges. The waterfall was extremely loud and the closer you got, the wetter you got. Also, the closer I got, the less I realized how cold I was. It was definitely an awesome sight. I was really impressed when we went back up the mountain and Leonore didn't need me to carry her once.

When we were on the way back home, poor Diane was crying the whole way back. Astrid says that she's not a big crier, so she was concerned. I remembered that this was about the age some babies begin teething (I remember because I just missed it with Celia) and Mom suggested I run my finger over Diane's gums (don't worry, my hands were clean). Sure enough, Diane had a tooth coming in the front. It felt interesting to try and make her gums feel better and to feel someone's first tooth. She actually bit my finger a few times, she's got quite a bite to her already. What was really adorable was when Diane was upset during part of the car ride and Leonore made silly faces to distract Diane. It's incredible to see the kind of connections sisters have at such a young age. Leonore gave Diane her undivided attention for at least 15 minutes, she's definitely an excellent big sister. Diane barely cried the whole time Leonore was playing with her.

We didn't end up going anywhere else, but honestly, it doesn't matter. I just love spending time with Astrid and the girls so much, there's not really a need to go out. It was great to catch up with Astrid and see how much the girls have grown since the last time I saw them all about 2 and a half years ago. It was also interesting to see how well the girls bonded with my mother. I guess I forget how wonderful she is with kids because Andrew and I are so grown up. Mom's just such a natural. She didn't lose that touch of being motherly and engaging with youngsters at all.

Sorry there's still no pictures :(

Art of the Can

This past week, an exhibit was built on the island closest to the National Theater. The exhibit was called "Art of the Can," it was Red Bull can art. It was actually a fairly stellar set-up for what it was. The exhibit was set up on the Northern tip of the island, they even set up a dock specifically for showcasing the smaller entries. The cases appeared to float on the water as well. A Red Bull bar was set up, so anyone wanting a Red Bull drink could order a drink. Aside from the other small pieces set up along the walkways to the bar and the dock, there was a white room housing the larger projects. The white room was reminiscent of a room with pillowed walls and was very bright. In one corner was a DJ playing music. The most impressive entry split the space, it's installment was so large. It was a break-down of the Mona Lisa. The artist essentially made several individual art pieces and organized them so that when you look at them from the front (near the entry way) you see the Mona Lisa. There were also marionette's, paintings, etc. etc. I just thought it was one of the more unsual, but enjoyable things I've seen pop up in Prague.

Seeing as Blogspot is still having difficulties uploading pictures, you can see them here.

Parisians Love Bicycles

Current status: in Astrid's guest bed in her new flat outside Zurich. Mom is to my left reading a book. We decided to pose as a cuddly mother daughter duo by sharing the guest bed. More on Zurich next entry. "You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think," is among the quotations from Mom's book, she always reads the funniest ones aloud. I originally heard the quote as "You can lead a whore to culture..."

The flight to Paris was mainly enjoyable due to the food (I know, right?). It was a ham, cheese and lettuce sandwich with this delightfully light pastry dessert. It had the diameter of an oreo and the top and bottom were like a chewier pound cake with a chilled vanilla creme in the middle. My first "disaster," (perhaps mishap is a more appropriate word) was when I exited the baggage terminal trying to find the right one - luckily, I negotiated my way back into the baggage claim in less than a minute. Thanks to whoever the less skeptical passport checker was/is. After I had my luggage (which I had never intended to check), I walked briskly toward the RER so I could drop my stuff at Kai's and meet Julian for dinner. On the train, I sat across from an attractive Brit who was in town to visit his brother and watch the rugby game, France vs. England. We had an interesting conversation about sports, college majors, and geography.

The second mishap of the evening was due to a miscommunication via txt messaging with Julian. Julian is from Switzerland and I know him from Sarah Lawrence. He's been a dancer, a bartender, and an all around bad ass. No really, he's been an all around bad ass. He has also been known for womanizing, though I find him and Anna to be an adorable couple (womanizing days over?). Anyway, due to the miscommunication, he rushed to meet me at Saint Michel and I then had to rush to meet him. After walking around Rue Huchlette (sp?) for ten minutes, we settled on one of the quieter restaurants and both had raclette (one of my absolute favorite dinners). For those who don't know, Raclette is a dinner composed of cheese, potatoes, raw meats (like cold cuts) and sometimes bread. Raclette is eaten by melting the cheese above a flame or hot plate, then when properly melted, you pour it over your bread/potatoes/meat. It's positively delicious. I always eat it beyond my fill point because it's so wonderful.

Here's something I wrote during our dinner together: "Return to Paris." After spending a lonely month in Paris almost three years ago, I found it surprising that I was more than willing to return during my year abroad. Catching the RER wasn't difficult, I even met someone from the UK along the way. Once I got off the 11 Metro line at Pyrenees, something beyond my memory led me through the familiar haunts of my cousin's neighborhood and I found his apartment without even trying. When I rushed back onto the metro to meet Julian, the smell of the metro caught me offguard, I was instantly flooded with memories from years before. I was slightly overwhelmed with sadness, I had forgotten how unhappy I had been the last time.

Anyway, back to actual events...

Julian and I shared stories of our programs and relationships/love lives and plans for the future. It was refreshing to have a conversation with someone I knew before this crazy experience began. Unfortunately, our conversation ran so long that before we knew it, it was 12.30 and that's around the time the metro stops running. Julian and I raced for his RER and the metro station. In the process of waiting for his RER, he told me the RER coming along the opposite track was going to Chatlet (which was closer to Kai's apartment) so I ran to the other track and got on without even thinking. I was reminded why I don't trust what anyone says whole heartedly. I ended up going way south of where I wanted to go, some obscure train station that began with the letter "A." I quickly found a bus (more like luckily) that was heading toward Gare de L'est, after consulting a map, I realized how close that was to Kai's and jumped on. I only had 10 Euros and my credit card was frozen, so I had to get close enough to Kai's to take a taxi. After riding the bus for about 30 minutes, I realized I should have gotten on a bus going the other way, it would have been loads faster. By the time I realized this, there was no point in changing lines. Once I got to Gare de L'est, I jumped in the first taxi and we had to consult a map to get to Kai's.

By the time I got to Kai's, it was well after 2 in the morning and I was just thankful to have finally gotten there. For those of you who don't know, Kai is one of my Mom's cousins. He was raised in France and lives in Paris just a block away from Parc des Buttes Chaumont. The next day, I woke at 9, but stayed in bed until noon. Kai had left around 9 and when I woke, I set off to find a hostel (especially once I found I couldn't connect to Kai's internet). I first headed to a hostel in Montmartre. After checking the internet, I realized that the place was fully booked and I would have to find another place to stay (I made the mistake of not placing a reservation for a bed). The concierge was spectacular, he helped me find another hostel within walking distance and was all smiles with everyone he attended. After checking into the hostel I stayed in for Friday night, I set off for Sacre Coeur, mostly by accident.

As I walked up many flights of stairs along different blocks, I passed a small park to the rear of Sacre Coeur. I then found myself in a street fair that surrounds the place. Most of the stands were food related, so there was a lot of excellent things to smell. I regret not buying something to eat, especially given all the options that were available. I only took a picture of the chocolate stand because it was so colorful and it smelled amazing. As I circled the entrance facing the park that is carved out of the hill, I saw Paris, heavy with a wet fog. I ended up going into the crypts before the church itself, not realizing that in order to get to the crypt, you have to go up to the main dome. I'm actually kind of glad that decision was made by mistake, because the view was spectacular. I can only imagine how much more beautiful it is on a clear day. The crypt was more of a museum, very different than what I was expecting. That being said, I did come across two elaborate glass and gold cases that had specific bones in them. I didn't find out who they belonged to. The most striking feature was this one lifelike bronze (?) statue of Jesus (post-cross). It was so realistic, I half expected him to blink and wake up. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture.

Once out of the crypt, I made my way to the entrance. The signs indicate no photography permitted and silence is strongly encouraged. In fact, there is staff monitoring tourists to prevent them from breaking these rules. When first entering Sacre Coeur, you're immediately struck by the change in temperature as well as the lighting. I believe the lack of artificial lighting contributes to the low temperature. You're not cold, you're just aware that it's colder inside. The interior does not appear as brilliantly white, even when it is bright outside. It feels gray. The only light comes in through the stained glass windows or from the hundreds of candles lit in prayer. The interior is different from any of the others I've visited thus far, perhaps mostly due to it's building material and architecture. Above the main alter is a mosaic, it contains brilliant blues and golds and is a picture of Jesus Christ, and others I cannot recall (or probably name). Just above the entrance opposite the mosaic is the main organ (sorry Alanna, no pictures of this one) and it is surrounded by Saints and Angels carved into the wood around it. In the center of the balcony where the organ sits, there are two sculpted Angels holding a beautiful wooden clock. The other architecture I noticed were the pillars holding up the central tower. There are four pillars just under the dome and in the corner where the pillars connect to the dome, there are four statues of Angels looking down on the church. Sacre Coeur is definitely among my favorites of religious sites visited thus far. It's absolutely breathtaking.

Paris LP.1 has pictures from Thursday night and Friday afternoon. They continue into the next album listed below.

When I left Sacre Coeur, I decided to circle through the street fair once more before heading down the park in the front of Sacre Coeur. I also visited another chuch beside Sacre Coeur. It was tiny in comparison, but still pretty. I actually stopped to watch the service for a while before heading back down the hill where Sacre Coeur sits. The park in front is still very green and many people were lounging about, enjoying the gray day. When I reached the final stair case just above a carosel, I got stopped by someone that was trying to sell me something...I didn't walk fast enough I guess. I ended up having a decent conversation, then paying 5 Euros for a bracelet he made. It's not worth 5 Euros, but I wear it anyway. After that, I passed another street preformer who was balancing a glass container with fish on his head. As I continued down hill past the tourist shops, water was rushing down the street corners and I had to take care not to get wet. Once I reached the bottom, I found a metro stop and heading toward Saint Michel again. Notre Dame was now closed, so I took pictures of the exterior as the I walked through the park between Notre Dame and the Seine River. Night was beginning to fall, so were the leaves, especially whenever the Seine kicked up wind. I love autumn so much. I basically continued to walk, at one point stopping to buy a croissant to hold me over before finding a suitable restaurant. I passed Hotel de Ville and got turned around on my way to Chatlet, but was redirected by some friendly store clerks. I found a lovely little restaurant and indulged in a salad, french bread, roast duck, and scalloped potatoes.

After dinner, I felt my exhaustion and headed toward a metro stop so I could return to my hostel. Given how I had gotten to the hostel before (traveling from another one closer to a different metro stop), I decided it would be best if I just got off at the recommended metro stop and consult a map to find the hostel. I ended up lost for an hour or more looking for the hostel. I asked for directions a number of times and was relieved when I finally found it. Luckily, I had kept returning to the same metro stop, so I knew if I had to, I could get back on and re-walk to my hostel the way I had that afternoon. But everyone knows I'm too stubborn for that. When I got back, my stuff had been moved to another bed and a girl was reading beneath my bunk. I began doing homework and she began to sleep shortly thereafter. Not long after her attempt to sleep, one of my other roommates came in and introduced himself. Charlie is from Austrailia and was in town with a group of friends for the Rugby finals. After Paris, he was going to London for a week, then home again. Charlie and I ended up chatting and Pia admitted she had been awake and joined the conversation. Lou then came in and he and Charlie started getting ready for clubbing, when they left, Pia and I continued to chat. I found out Pia is from South Africa and was traveling through France after visiting family before heading home. I showed her my pictures of Prague before we went to sleep.

I left the next morning for my second hostel and said farewell to Pia, unfortunately not getting to tell the guys good-bye. I actually slept very well in this "dorm-style" room, the beds were fairly comfortable. Also, the guys weren't too noisy when they came in to sleep. My next hostel was near Republique. After leaving my suitcase, I went back to Saint Michel for the third time. This time, I viewed the ruins beneath the courtyard in front of Notre Dame. It was interesting to see the history of previous Parisian society recovered. After that, I wandered into the church after waiting for a few minutes in line. While inside, I caught a rehearsal of some kind, there were lots of children practicing a dance of some kind in the central part of the building. I also saw a child attempting to cross himself at an alter, I actually found that adorable. I also saw some guy wearing a Micheal Vic Jersey, and I almost went up to him and said "Dude, really? That guys?" I also couldn't find the organ in Notre Dame, sorry again Alanna. Once again, another beautiful church, and I can't remember if I had been there before.

After that, I walked past Hotel de Ville again. They had a large screen set up for the Rugby final between Britain and France, they even dressed the statues in opposing Jerseys. I continued toward Chatelet, stopping in several quirky stores that kept me occupied for close to two hours. Growing hungry, I stopped in a rather colorful and modern restaurant. I felt the most "lost in translation" there because I can't speak a lick of French and there were no English menus. Turns out the restaurant was famous for it's pasta (though their buffet style spread on the way in featured next to zero pasta). I ended up having this excellent salad with seasoned chicken and a slightly sweet dressing. I left as quickly as I could because I was embarassed that I had picked a pasta restaurant and hadn't intended to eat pasta. At least the restaurant was close to Chatelet.

Paris LP.2 contains the rest of Friday afternoon/evening and most of Saturday afternoon.

Once I got toward the fountains alongside Centre Georges Pompidou (this crazy building that looks like a cross between a hamster cage and a colorful plumbing system) it was starting to get dark again. I walked alongside the foutains, then the church beyond it before circling back to this Centre Pompidou Museum. There was a street performer attracting a sizeable crowd, merchants sitting at various points along the angled courtyard, as well as many other people sketching or simply enjoying the late afternoon. I actually know very little about this Museum, I still haven't seen anything of it besides the lobby and the bookstore. The bookstore is fantastic and has several books, art postcards, stationary, etc. After venturing through the bookstore, I went back outside and discoverd the crowd around the street performer had more than doubled, his crowd took up the entire right quarter of the square.

After that, I quickly walked toward the Chatelet metro entrances and wound up taking photos of a jugglers and a church across the way at the opposite entrance to the shopping center beneath my feet. After noticeing the length of the lines to buy metro tickets (I had just run out) I decided to walk to the other end and visit the church. I just made it in, unfortunately, most of the photos were dark and I was kicked out fairly quickly because it was closing. I did manage to make the rounds though, it was essentially a larger version of what I had seen just outside Sacre Coeur. Although, the exterior reminded me of the one church I found in Kutna Hora. While sitting in the park outside, I kept taking pictures of this adorable South Asian family, particularly because their son kept climbing into the hand of the sculpture outside the church and because his mother was wearing a beautiful sari. After I started to get cold, I decided it was best to head to my hostel and officially check in. I waited in line behind several Brits who couldn't figure out how to buy metro tickets, needless to say, it took me a while to get back. I then met one of my roomates who was traveling from Mexico. I feel badly for forgetting his name, but he was friendly and I enjoyed his company during the hour I was checking mail and Parisian addresses. I also decided it was best to have a light dinner and hit up a patisserie across from the hostel and had an excellent slice of quiche.

Once I recharged, I went to the Eiffel Tower to catch the pandemoniom that was the Rugby finals. The lawn behind the Eiffel Tower had several large screens and was completely packed with people. I walked on the outskirts of the crowd toward the tower and discovered a large Rugby ball and better inspected the Rugby ball balloon hanging from the Eiffel Tower between it's first and second levels. Unforunately, you can't really see what it looks like in the pictures, just that it's a large, white, Rugby shaped ball. The game ended shortly after I had arrived (I was late) and France had lost. As I wandered through the crowds, I noticed small groups of English guys singing their victory song. It was definitely interesting getting back on the metro after, several police officers were regulating the number of people that entered. I continued to see people in their Rugby jersey's and paint the rest of the evening.

Paris LP.3 has the rest of the pictures from Saturday afternoon and evening.

After the Rugby final, I headed toward an apartment belonging to a friend of Kai's. Kai's friend was having a birthday party and Kai wanted me there because everyone else there was going to be old. He thought I'd bring a spice of life or youth to the party. I doubt I did any such thing. I re-met a lot of Kai's friends (I had met a handful three years ago) and had some excellent food. Particularly macaroons (which I had never had before) and this exquisite fruit parfee (sp?) that had been made by one of the party guests. Kai scolded me for taking the kiwis instead of spoonfuls of the dish itself. It wasn't a bad way to spend a few hours, but around 2am, I decided it would be easiest if I caught the last metro back to the hostel. I missed it by about 5 minutes. I returned to the party to ask Kai what I should do (I was way to far to walk and none of the local bus stops were running). Kai then told me about this new system that had just been introduced by the French in which you can rent bicycles.

There are over 600 bicycle stations in which you can rent and return these "Velib" bicycles. We found one of the two terminals nearby the apartment and proceeded to rent them. Unless you have a monthly pass and speak French, renting the bicycles is a difficult task, given how new the system is. I think it took us about 20 minutes. My favorite part about the English option was when it returned to French halfway through the rental process. Either way, I thought the system was impressive. You pay with a credit card and pull the bike off it's lock when the kiosk releases it. The bike rental is free for 30 minutes, 1 Euro for an hour, 2 Euros for two hours, etc. However, if you don't return the bike, you get charged 150 Euros - that way, no one steals them. It took Kai and I another 30 minutes or so to get me back to Republique before we returned the bicycle. After that, I got to my hostel and found the guy occupying the bunk above mine to be an insanely loud snorer. I cursed my luck and got ready for bed, in the process of doing so, he awoke. He apologized for his snoring (he was snoring particularly worse because of a cold - which you could predict fairly easily if you had heard this guy) and introduced himself, Francisco from Buenos Aires. I took a sleeping pill and he went back to sleep. I barely slept all night. I also shook the bunk a lot whenever I woke up. Needless to say, I'm not the nicest person when I can't sleep. The worst part about snoring is that it changes to much for you to adapt to the noise and ignore it, oi. I ended up oversleeping check-out by a couple hours and quickly packed and set off for Kai's.

I had intended to spend the day walking around the Seine near the Lleuve and Champes de Elysses. However, by the time I got to Kai's, my energy was gone and I fell asleep on his futon after getting through 70 some pages of the Jurassic Park. I woke up around 6 and Kai took me to the airport. Unfortunately, none of these online flight reservations list a terminal, so I just had Kai drop me at the first one and found my way to the correct one. It took me a while to check in, I kept getting sent to the wrong line. I then made the mistake of going through security without buying food first and grew very anxious to get on the plane. The funniest part about waiting for boarding was that I ran into Josh from my AU program sitting towards the front of the waiting area. He had been in Barcelona that weekend and was redirected to Paris when his flight encountered technical difficulties with the plane. We were glad to run into one another so as to make the cabride much cheaper. Thankfully for my stomach, they did have food on the plane and I didn't starve.

Kutna Hora

Last Sunday, Abe and I decided it would be fun (maybe even inspring in some way) to go visit the Bone Church in Kutna Hora, a small town outside of Prague. The train ride is less than $7 (about 140 Kc) and takes around an hour. After trying to develop our film story, we enjoyed the train ride and viewed the Czech country side. The "Bone Church" actually known as Kostnice Sedlec. Due to it's large appeal to tourists, they have their own website about theBone Church. At least you can read the history as to how it became what it is today.

The church was packed with tourists and a handful of people who had come to visit the gravesite that engulfs the church yard. The graves are well kept and actually, very colorful from all the flowers left on the site. The tombstones also vary greatly in style and size, creating an interesting variety in the yard. After circling the church, Abe and I proceeded to the entrance. The church was definitely a hot spot. Most of the tourists I overheard spoke English. The most amusing of these were three old ladies who said how the display of bones was disgusting, sickening, sacralidge (sp?), I was very tempted to ask them why they chose to come see something they considered highly offensive. I held my tongue.

I wasn't as struck with awe as I was in the catacombs in Vienna. Probably due to the difference in presentation of remains. Catacombs feel more like a grave, and while the church had a significantly large graveyard, the bones within the church are decorative. This was the intention though, given the yard had become overfilled. It's definitely an interesting site to see, I can't compare it to anything really. It's just fascinating to see someone use the skeletal remains so artfully.

Abe and I didn't stay very long, since the church was overflowing with noisy tourists. The church is also fairly small, so you see everything relatively quickly. We decided that it was best not to waste the day and explore the main part of town about a mile or two away. One thing I found most interesting was the number of sizeable churches. How are so many that extensive and intricate built all that close to one another? All together, Abe and I passed about 4 large churches. I also saw a few in the opposite direction from the train station. It just boggles my mind because they don't appear to have been built recently. Unfortunately, all of them were closed, so I didn't get any interior shots of any of the other churches.

The largest church was the one on the farthest end of Kutna Hora. This chuch has a roof with a circus tent-like quality. From outside the town along the main road, it seriously looks like an oversized circus tent. One of the other noteable beauties of the town is the valley that runs alongside a part of the town. Given the time of year, it was absolutely beautiful - autumn is my favorite season after all. The town was absolutely charming and by the end of the day, we were pretty beat from walking as much as we did. I would have to guess anywhere from 4-6 miles, but I honestly have no idea.

Kutna Hora LP.1
Kutna Hora LP.2

Praha: The Saga Continues

This was our final week to attend and select our elective courses. I feel like I could have made more of an effort in completing this task, and whether or not I made the right decision about the class I chose remains to be seen. I decided on Practical Analysis: Directing, which is on Mondays. The teacher provides us with thought provoking insights into scenes from films. She accomplishes this by having us break down the scene and consider the possible reasons the director chose the camera angles and/or movement and how it impacts the film's message. We also consider how the audience reads a film and what the shots tell us. This week, we watched scenes from The Fugitive and Blow Up. I then decided to attend Introduction to Film History on Wednesday. While this course is fairly redundant at this point in my film education, I prefered it to Avant Garde because it's more engaging and facilitates discussion. It's also not a bad idea to have a refresher course when I'm trying to make an excellent film. Mise en scene is extremely important after all. We ended up watching an unfinished Renoir film, A Day in the Country. I can't help but love Renoirs work, so I really enjoyed it. I'm still unsure as to why it was unfinished. However, it's only about 40 minutes in length due to this fact. It felt complete, I'm not sure what else Renoir would have wanted to add. Lastly, I decided on Script Analysis with Pavel, because the class is enjoyable and Pavel is wonderful. I'm definitely going to miss him once this semester is over, Amy as well for that matter. This week we watched Stage Coach. Although, I actually did not stay for the screening since Pavel promised to bring it to class the next day. I had dinner with Alli and Drew instead at the diner around the corner from FAMU.

Thursday morning, AU Abroad only has two required core classes. First is Actor's Studio. This past Thursday, only 4 of us attended. Myself, Daniel, Drew and Zac were the only ones who actually showed up. Although our teacher was tiffed, we actually had more fun with just the four of us. We practiced our final scenes many different ways, in order to begin learning them. I can't wait to finish shooting it and just having it done. After that, Pavel showed up for a brief class with us. He had to leave early for some event he's participating in through next week. I had already pitched a few ideas to Pavel earlier, so pitching in front of everyone wasn't terribly difficult this class. Although it was interesting when Pavel specifically asked if I had anything to pitch and almost everyone turned to face me and gave me a sarcastically interested look. Oi. Either way, Abe and I are attempting to develope a story about two backpackers in Prague that have opposing personalities. We only have ideas right now, not many details are fully decided on.

After Pavel left, we all decided to watch Stagecoach right then. Due to the difference in DVD regions, we had to go back to Zac, Steve and Drew's apartment. I don't remember much of the movie because we were all talking and drinking through most of it. I really only got the gist...I think. What I do remember is drinking everytime John Wayne said something badass. Once again, I got more drunk than anyone else and was a tad sloppy. I almost fell down a few times. Once the movie was done, we all grabbed lunch at a tex mex place and went home to take naps before heading out for Steve's 21st Birthday (that would be official at midnight). After this wonderful nap, I returned to Steve's place and got some Chinese food. Once everyone was there, everyone was either drinking and hanging out or drinking and watching baseball. Around 11, we decided it was about time to head over to Cross Club. I regretably did not take any pictures at Cross Club. The place is quite the site to see, the decor is like nothing I've ever seen. The owner is an engineer or mechanic or sorts, and random pieces of engines and other machinery decorated the place. Lot's of the pieces are lit with neon green or red lights and many of the pieces are in motion. The club is separated into many floors and rooms, with several bars, DJ's and bands. I will try and get pictures next time. It was definitely a late night. We all ended up leaving around 3am and taking a late tram back to Andel. The tram took about 30 minutes, but at least it was free.


The next day (Friday), I don't remember when I woke up. I do remember getting a text from Naomi around 9am inquiring as to when we would be going to the Bone Church in Kutna Hora. After texting her back "not today" I passed out again. Sleep is so good. Anyhow, I realized once again my dislike for housemaids. Not only am I left in the dark as to when she comes to clean, but I continue to discover more reasons to dislike having a cleaning lady. This weekend, I discovered she does not knock before entering the apartment. Luckily, my bathroom door was open, so it blocked her entry. I basically shouted that I was home and I heard her leave. I later found out that she cleaned the two studios and the boys apartments from around one in the afternoon until about five. The reason for this being an aggravating fact is because when I got back, she hadn't made my bed or washed any dishes I had forgotten, and forgot to refill the trash bags in the trash cans. I mean, I'd prefer not to have a cleaning lady at all, but if you're going to do the job, do it!

Friday is our semi-mandatory meeting with Amy. We got our schedules for the week and more books for our classes. I think it's silly to have them on Friday's, but I haven't really bothered to ask why they're on Fridays. Aside from it being the end of the week and we're getting schedules for next week, I don't really see the point. The highlight of this meeting was that Steve recieved a little white mouse for his birthday. It was decided he would be named Franta (sometimes called Frantas) after the six year old kid who lives across the street from Studio FAMU and hustles us for crowns. After the meeting was over, our group went our separate ways.
I ended up going to a Beer Garden near Studio FAMU with Alli, Daniel, Steve, and Josh. Zac and Jason joined up with us later. We basically chilled there well into the sunset. The view was spectacular, once again, regretably, I did not have my camera. I'm trying to remedy that, but keep in mind I already keep it with me more than any other camera I've owned. Anyhow, once it started to get cold and close to dinner time, we wandered through the park back towards Steve and Zac's apartment. Along the way, we stumbled across two playgrounds. The first one was "Forbidden," but we played on it anyway. Josh nearly killed my shins on one of these weird see-saw like toys. The second playground was leagues better. Why? ZIP LINE! That's right, we were all transported back to childhood by the zip line. The only downside was the muscle pain in my arms for the next two days due to my lack of training in the past couple months.

After leaving the park, we hopped on an 8 tram and headed back towards the guys' apartment. When we got to our stop, it took a moment for everyone to realize to get off. Zac, for whatever, remained on the tram. As we tried to tell him to get off, the door shut as he said "But this is the 8." For whatever reason, I found that to be the best thing he could have said, because it didn't make any sense to say that at all. We beat him back to his place by a few minutes. After playing a game of Kings (a new drinking game to me) we all headed out to have Steve's birthday dinner. It took us a long while to find a decent restaurant. It took a while for our food to get to the table as well, at least when it got to me, it was delicious enough for me to forget how long I had waited. I had chicken with garlic butter and fries fresh from the fryer.

Once dinner was over, the guys decided it was high time we went to a strip club. Alli and Katie weren't as thrilled as the guys about this little adventure (Katie is from AU but in another program). We went towards main square (?) and found a place with free entry. Needless to say, the drinks cost an arm and a leg. I don't even want to know how much Steve's lapdances cost. He got several throughout the evening, along with a lot of attention from the strippers. I actually had a lot of fun, but probably for different reasons than the guys. I haven't been to a strip club before, so I didn't know what to expect once I got there (although, SLC did host a sex workers art show at one point, so I have seen strippers perform before). Our group sat around the main stage, I was next to Steve towards the front section of the stage, argueably the best seats in the house. I'm not really sure what to say about this experience, except it was fun to flirt with strippers. If only it was as easy to flirt with boys I'm interested in? The whole fun of flirting with the strippers is because you end up getting more attention than the guys, it's strangely fun.

The next day, I met up with Naomi to have "girl talk" as she put it. It was a welcome break from the AU peeps. I took the long tram ride out to Naomi's host family's apartment. Naomi and I then hit the local grocery store for snacks before heading back to her host family's apartment to hang out. Regretably, they were out on a hike, so I didn't get to meet them. Naomi and I were both tired from our Saturday nights, turns out, she had been out even later than me on a date with a Czech guy. Some girls have all the luck. It was definitely a good Saturday afternoon.

I spent the rest of my Saturday watching Shawshank Redemption with Abe and Daniel while doing my laundry. I can't believe it's taken me this long to see that movie. I also felt like I should have seen more of that plot coming...oi, I suck.

Praha LP.3

Vienna Has Many Districts

This past weekend, I decided it would be best to visit Adrian and get away from Prague for a little while. Basically just mix things up and see a different place. Although, Vienna is fairly similar to Prague, a lot of films are shot in Prague even if the location is Vienna due to the similar nature of the cities. Fun fact, right? I also desperately wanted to go shopping in a country that wasn't formerly Communist. Not that Prague doesn't have shopping, it's simply limited.

The five hour train ride to Vienna was pleasant. It took me a while to find a car with few people in it and settle in for the ride. The car I chose had two other girls close in my age, they looked like travelers as well. I noticed the one was reading Europe Travel books in Spanish and English. As the train sped along, there were hints of fall among the trees. The pictures I took from the train weren't particularly wonderful, but I took them anyway. About an hour into the trainride, a German couple returned to our travelers car and sat down. After another hour or two, the male began asking us questions about where we were from and where we were going. Turns out, he studied in Pittsburg at one point. His wife or girlfriend didn't speak any English, so I didn't find out anything about her. As a result of these interjections, I began talking with the Hispanic girl, turns out her name is Paula and she's from Chile. Once we got off the train, I invited Paula to join Adrian and I, initially to give her a ride to the other train station for her connection to Zurich, but then to dinner. Paula had 3 hours to kill and I hadn't met any other travelers on my own yet. We ended up walking around a popular shopping street in Vienna for a few hours, most of the stores were closing, so all we could do was walk. Adrian explained the stars along the sidewalks, glorifying exceptional Austrian citizens, mainly olympic athletes, but a few others as well.

Once we left Paula at the station, Adrian and I returned to his home in the 18th district of Vienna. I had no previous knowledge of Adrian's homelife, and I expected an apartment. Turns out, houses aren't uncommon in Vienna. Adrian lives in his mother's house, the house he grew up in, a short drive from Vienna's center. The house is exceptionally spaced, high ceilings and well placed art. One of the downstairs rooms is a small, but cozy library. The backyard extends even further than I originally assumed from the glance I got the first night. I also didn't get to see the downstairs until the last day, the downstairs is inhabited by Adrian's mother. It's immense! Not only are the closet and bathroom sizeable, but the actual bedroom feels even larger, given the wall facing the backyard is entirely made of glass and filled with plants to blend the end of her room with the beginning of the yard. It also allows for excellent lighting during the day. That aside, Adrian had me sleep in his sister's room, which was formerly his parent's master bedroom. This closet extends into their attic and is large as well. Based on the decorations in the room, I surmised Adrian's sister and I would get along. Not only had she cut out almost all the same ads I had, she collected free postcards with promotional information, and collected an assortment of knick-knacks and toys, the same kind I can't really part with. The sort of strange collection that begins early on in childhood and takes a while to wear off as you cross the threshold of early adulthood. Adrian also has an old black dog by the name of Hubert. He was very sweet.

After resting for a while, Adrian and I went off to his cousin's partner's bar, Roger's. Roger is Portuguese and met Adrian's cousin in London about 12 years ago. They have two children and I'm still unclear as to why they decided not to get married. Either way, Roger was having a "party" or perhaps, promotional event? Eitherway, he had a live preformer and the bar was packed. Adrian introduced me and Roger continued to provide us with free drinks and snacks throughout the evening. I felt particularly guilty when Roger gave us free beers, because I cannot stand beer. I tried to stomach it, but could not. I guess I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to forcing myself to drink beer, I just can't do it. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, so I had to take pictures when we dropped in the next day. A bar's a bar, but you can sort of see the Portuguese theme running through the place. It was definitely a fun time, Roger clearly enjoys his job.

The next day (Saturday), Adrian let me sleep in before we set off to explore Vienna's city center. After about 45 minutes of searching for a parking spot, we set off for the largest church in Austria. While it is definitely large, the church in Prague castle is the clear winner for size. About halfway towards the back of the church, we noticed a group gathered for a tour of the catacombs beneath St. Stephens. Given it was only 2 Euros, I persuaded Adrian to go with me. Camera's were not allowed at this point, so I can really only describe what I saw. The group was escorted down the stairs and into the chamber room of the catacombs. The lights were dim and the room was slightly colder. The first room is through a small hallway, with hallways leading to the left and right of the entrance as well. The guide led us forward to a room where the chairs face the back wall. To the left at the end of this room was the coffins of all St. Stephen's Cardinals. The most recent deceased Cardinal has his picture hung beside his tomb with candles lit and flowers around the cage encasing his final resting space. The coffins are shelved 3 columns high and 5 rows long. The guide then led us through another corridor to the resting place of a royal family. I cannot remember their names I'm sorry to say. There was no real order to their arrangement, just placed throughout the room. A few were clearly holding children. The rows and columns leading into this room were full of small containers hosting the organs of this once influential family. Just outside that was a "Stone Museum" of sorts, displaying former pieces of the church that had fallen down from age or during WWII. The creepiest of these statues were the helldogs. By the end of this Stone Museum chamber, we had reached the entry foyer again. The guide then led us to the original catacombs built and used several centuries ago. This was darker and colder than the inital rooms. He led us to the first room towards the end of the crude hallway and directed us toward a "window." The window was a hole in the wall with bars, a light coming from inside the room the window connects to. Inside were a small collection of bodies that had long since decomposed to the bone. The tour guide then explained the way the catacombs were set up and how the bone houses and bone holes were filled to capacity during the Plague and how the catacombs were once closed due to the overwhelming stench of the dead. The bone hole was essentially set up like a manhole, only when you peer down it, you see a sea of bones. The bone houses were more organized, built up more like a square wall. Because I was so fascinated by this catacomb, Adrian took me to the Hapsburg Catacomb a few blocks away from St. Stephens. The coffins contained there are fairly elaborate, one in particular held two Hapsburgs (I forget which King and Queen) in a coffin larger than a Hummer H3.

I had a traditional goulash and butter dumplings (I forget the German word, it's more flattering and kind of cute). It was rather large, so I couldn't finish it. Especially because it was very warm and Adrian and I opted to eat outside, the meal was too heavy for such a beautiful, summery afternoon. After that, Adrian wanted to show me some famous gov't buildings, but when we got there, this rather large sporting promotional event was being held. The chancelor was even there to give out this important donation. Behind the balloons and tents in this picture is this balcony where important speeches are given, I believe Adrian mentioned something about that being the place WWII was announced to the Austrians? I'm really not sure. After we came to the end of this extravaganza, we reach another church and went inside to explore it as well. One of my favorite parts was the note near a donation table that specifies that they appreciate donations, especially if you take photographs.

After the second church, Adrian and I passed numerous street fairs including specialty vendors. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything I liked that was within my price range. Had Adrian not been anxious to continue on, I might have bought something unusual to eat. By the time I was ready to stop site seeing and start shopping, Adrian informed me that by 5pm on Saturday's, all shops close until Monday morning. I must admit, though it was silly, I was rather furious. I had seen several stores that were worth checking out and I was extremely disappointed to have missed out on seeing them. We then resolved to see a movie at an English speaking theater, we decided on Hairspray. After seeing that, I was exhausted and we decided to head back to his place, grab dinner, then watch The Ring. Adrian fell asleep just after a heated argument to keep lights on during the movie. I won, given the last time I saw this movie was at Lee's house with Andrew, Alex, and one of Alex's friends. We watched it with the lights off and were frequently startled due to the carpeting silencing approaching adults footsteps. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well after that experience. It was a long time before I could walk past a television at night without thinking of The Ring and Samara coming out of the television to kill you.

The next day, I left earlier than originally planned. When I got back to Prague, I had an excellent dinner with Allie, Jason, Josh, Daniel and Jesse. We all discussed our weekend trips, Vienna, Budapest, Moravia, and Prague. The vanilla ice cream at Corleone's is spectacular.

Wien LP.1