Checking out the Czech Republic

We left for Prague on Thursday morning for the third and final leg of our second spring break. Upon arriving at our hostel, conveniently located in the center of the old town square, I was greeted with a pleasant surprise. Directly next to our hostel was a vegetarian restaurant! My visit to Prague was off to a great start. I made a visit there almost immediately upon arriving, as well as twice each of the remaining days on my trip. The food was incredible. My time in Eastern Europe made me appreciate the laws in the US prohibiting smoking in restaurants. Upon returning from dinner and a stop at a bar my clothes reeked of smoke.

On Friday we woke up early for a tour of the city. We stopped for breakfast at Bohemia Bagels as per the recommendation of our terrific house moms in Lugano. As we waited to start our tour, countless men on Segways tried to recruit us to take a tour on wheels. While I wasn't willing to shell out 1200 Czech Crowns, or 60 USD, I gladly took a test ride. I had never ridden a Segway before but very much enjoyed my first ride. I may have to invest in one when I return to the States.

Located within 30 seconds walking distance of our hostel, we learned that the Old Town Square is one of Europe's most popular wedding destinations. Prior to our tour, we saw three sets of brides and grooms taking photos in front of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn.

We enjoyed a wonderful tour from a guide who lived through communism in what is now the Czech Republic. She explained to us how frequently the country experienced change in the last hundred years alone. Her grandmother had lived in the same town her entire life, but was a citizen of five different countries in her lifetime because the country had experienced so much political unrest and conflict with other nations. We were introduced to the astronomical clock in the Old Town Square, enjoyed an authentic Czech lunch including a heavy soup in a bread bowl and a Czech beer. We also stopped in the Jewish district and saw the Prague Metronome. The gigantic metronome was put in the place of a large statue built as a tribute to former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The metronome represents time as it passes since the end of conflict in what is now the Czech Republic. We ended our tour near the Charles Bridge, and made our way to the John Lennon Wall.

The Lennon Wall was once a normal wall, that was covered in graffiti by students expressing their distaste towards communism. The wall itself was first painted with the face of the famous Beatle in the 1980's. It has since been painted over numerous times but still represents the ideals of peace. One of my favorite parts of Prague, much like Ireland, was the live music. Live music could be heard at almost any time of day in the Old Town Square and throughout the city.

I enjoyed a perfect dinner at the vegetarian restaurant, and converted a few other friends to vegetarianism, at least for the evening. The cost for the entire meal was under 3 USD. That evening, 24 of us went on a Prague pub crawl. I made friends with three lovely Californian girls at the first bar, and hung out with them the rest of the night. We were guided to three different bars and ended at one of the largest clubs in all of Europe. The club was five floors including an ice bar and different genres of music on each floor.

Saturday was our final full day in Prague. We spent most of the day on a tour of Prague Castle. The castle is one of the largest in the world. Inside the castle walls there were multiple churches, restaurants, homes, and museums.

The president of the Czech Republic has a residence within the castle, although our tour guide did not hesitate to show his disgust towards their leader. Here's one reason why:

We ended our trip with a visit at Prague's Beer Factory, a restaurant with four taps at each table. A large screen at the front of the restaurant displayed the total number of liters consumed at each table throughout the evening. While 24 college students would never think of taking part in a race involving mass consumption if beer, if we did, we would have given the table of Germans across the way a run for their money.

We spent the train ride Sunday morning reminiscing on the peaks and pits of our second spring break. Our break wasn't completely over, however. Before the start of our break, Nick noticed that our train home had a ninety minute layover in Munich, home of our favorite beers. As soon as our train arrived, Nick, Kyle, Trip, Taylor and I b-lined it to the city center for Augustiner Beer Hall. Within minutes we arrived and were seated enjoying pretzels and a final liter of what is arguably the world's greatest brew. We made it back to the train station just in time.

It's hard to believe another 10-day is in the books. We started our final class of the semester this week. I am headed to Rome for the three day weekend. Ciao!

Cliffs of Moher and More: Dublin, Ireland

The people of Ireland have hearts of gold. Of all the cities I have visited so far, I haven't met a group of people as friendly as the Irish. It seemed as though everyone I met had a smile on all of the time and it was contagious! We arrived in Ireland around noon on Monday. I started the trip with a traditional Irish meal, potatoes, cabbage, beer, and more potatoes. After lunch we visited the Guinness Factory. The museum within is shaped like a gigantic pint of Guinness. Inside we learned of the history of the brand and how to pour the perfect pint. I am proud to announce that I am an official graduate of the Guinness Academy. We explored the city more after our tour, and settled down for a nice dinner and live music.

Tuesday was my favorite part of my entire trip to Europe so far. Over thirty of us woke up for a 7am cross country bus ride to the Cliffs of Moher. I have never been somewhere more beautiful. The view from the top of the cliffs was astonishing. The cliffs overlook the Atlantic Ocean which was a crisp, clear blue. On our 3 hour trip to the cliffs, it rained and hailed for about 2 hours on and off. Upon arriving at the cliffs, the weather seemed to magically clear up. We suddenly had blue skies and winds strong enough to knock any of us off of our feet. Being blown off of the cliffs was a legitimate concern. Words and pictures give you an idea of the scenery but until you go there yourself, you haven't seen beauty.

On our way back we stopped a few times at other smaller cliffs and eventually made a stop at what was described as the party capital of Ireland, Gallway. Gallway is a small town with a great atmosphere. While we only spent about an hour there, I enjoyed every second. While there I learned of the history of the famous Claddagh Rings that originated in the small town. To make the trip home even better, our tour guide played U2 music the entire way home. It was indeed a beautiful day.We returned around 9pm and made our way to an Irish pub soon after. The live music in Ireland made the experience even more enjoyable.

Wednesday morning I explored Dublin on my own a bit before our plane to Paris that evening. My first stop was Trinity College, home of the Book of Kells. The campus was very enclosed and well designed. After a tour through the University's vast library, and the Book of Kells I made stops at Dublin Castle, St. Stephen's Green, and Christ Church Cathedral. Dublin Castle originally served a defensive role, it is now a major government complex. St. Stephen's Green is a public park in the city center, with over a dozen monuments dedicated to the lives lost during the famine. Christ Church Cathedral was established in the year 1030. Needless to say, it was incredible to be inside. I want to go back to Ireland as soon as possible.

Not only did I fall in love with Ireland, but I fell in love with an Irish girl for a few minutes as well. I made a stop into the Disney store, a territory of the Happiest Place on Earth, in order to double check my flight time. While there I was helped by a lovely employee, about my age, named Sinead (pronounced Sha-need). She was very pretty, her accent was adorable, and her kind nature instantly made my day. On my way back to my hostel, I passed by a florist. I stopped in, bought a bouquet of flowers and then made my way back to the Disney store and delivered the bouquet to Sinead. She was shocked and confused, with good reason, but was incredibly appreciative of what I told her was a random act of kindness. I then returned on my way to the hostel, knowing well that I likely won't ever see her again. Regardless, it felt nice to put a smile on someone's face, just as she had mine.

We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare thanks to delays caused by rain. While a little later than anticipated, we took off for Paris around 9pm. Updates from Paris are on the way!

Dublin in a photo.

Beannacht!

Mission Accomplished!

The forecast called for rain all day today. When I woke up, I was pleasantly surprised to find three inches of snow on the ground instead. Strangely, snowy palm trees are becoming a normal sight here in Lugano. Conditions were perfect for castle hunting. Since arriving in Lugano last week, I have spoken with a lot of locals to try to find the castle. The language barrier made it slightly more difficult, but the overwhelming majority of suggestions pointed towards Bellinzona, Switzerland.

Bellinzona is located twenty minutes outside of Lugano by train, and is home to three castles: Castelgrande, Sasso Corbaro, and Montebello. In the early 16th century, the cantons of Bellinzona were united politically, but weren't particularly friendly otherwise. Each eyed control of the St. Gotthard, Lukemanier, and St. Bernard passes, and thus built the castles.

I got on a train from Lugano to Bellinzona at 1:15 this afternoon. Within twenty minutes, I was in Bellinzona, carrying the card David made me from the Card Isle, in search of the castle. I walked through the town, and saw glimpses of the castles up in the mountains. In an attempt to get more information, I went into a local cafe, Botega Caffe Cacao, to ask a local for help. After exchanging basic greetings in Italian, it became clear to them that Italian is not my strong suit. Luckily, one of the women in the cafe spoke English and was able to help me.

I went to Castelgrande first, as it was closest and largest. Castelgrande has two gigantic watch towers. I climbed to the top of the tallest tower to get a view of the town. It was there, that I spotted my castle.

The castle on the card is the Montebello. It took me about twenty-five minutes to walk up to it. Bellinzona had about six inches of snow covering the streets. I took my time touring the snow-covered castle and finally found the exact spot that David took his picture last summer when biking through Europe. I am so glad I got the opportunity to explore Bellinzona. While it is very close in proximity, I doubt I would have made the trip had I not been lead there by the mission. Thanks for encouraging me to adventure, David!

After a great day in Bellinzona, I headed back to Lugano to prepare for my next adventure. Sixteen of us are headed to Zermatt, Switzerland for a ski trip tomorrow morning. Next stop, the Matterhorn!

Ciao!

Ventuno

After our first day of class on Monday, about half of us went to the Alprose Chocolate Factory. Alprose is the largest chocolate manufacturer in Switzerland. The factory is located just twenty minutes outside of Lugano by train. While the factory is closed for special production until the end of the month, we took a tour of the museum and ate lots of samples.

It's not often you see snow covered palm trees. In fact, Tuesday was the first time I had. I awoke on my twenty first birthday to the sight of snow falling from the Lugano sky. Tuesday was our second day of class, and unlike Monday, classes lasted six hours instead of three. The day started with our first session of Introduction to Italian, followed by Consumer Behavior.

After class, I finished some homework, studied a bit, and then went to AnaCapri for a mug of Feldschlösschen with my friend Nick Carr, before heading back to the Montarina for dinner with the rest of the students. At dinner, Professor Brinberg surprised me with a Lindt chocolate bear and a tiara in recognition of my birthday.

After dinner, about thirty of us went to a bar called Coyote Ugly to celebrate. It's slightly disconcerting when you walk into a bar only to find a couple and their infant in a stroller sitting by the bar. They left soon after we arrived, but it was certainly bizarre. I had a blast with my new friends, and enjoyed what was without a doubt, my favorite birthday to date. It doesn't get much better than singing Train's Drops of Jupiter at the top of your lungs with thirty friends to end an awesome day.

This weekend I am headed to Zermatt, Switzerland with about twelve other students for a weekend of skiing in the Alps. I hope to do some castle hunting and possibly attend a Lugano hockey game Friday before leaving. Stay tuned!

Ciao!