Day One: Monaco
After spending a ridiculously long night on the bus from Bratislava, we arrived in Monaco. Monaco is a principality (and it's own country, I hope I am not the only one who didn't know this...). It's basically the haven for the rich, priviliged, yacht owners of the world and is quite freaking gorgeous. I have never seen so many nice cars in one place in my life. We went to the aquarium and also walked to the Monte Carlo casino, although we were only allowed in the foyer.
Whilst walking to the casino, we got to walk along the track for the Grand Prix. We saw the garages for all the race car drivers. I thought it was pretty snazzy, although (of course) I didn't recognize any of the names...
After that, we hopped on the bus and drove to some random hotel in France.
Day Two:
Drove to Barcelona, wandered about a bit in the evening (ten hour bus ride!)... A few girls and I had Tapas, which was rather fantastic.
Day Three: Barcelona
In the morning, we wandered about with a local tour guide and saw such things as the Olympic stadium, some of Gaudi's buildings, and just a bunch of randomly cool stuff. In the afternoon and evening we had free time and we just sort of wandered about again.
Day Four: Barcelona
In the morning, we went to one of Gaudi's famous buildings in Barcelona and then had a guided tour of all the Gothic sites in Barcelona (which was super interesting). After that, we went to the beach and swam and swam and swam. In the evening, me and a few other girls headed down to the piers to look at the boats and enjoy the evening.
Day Five: Barcelona and Ferry to Rome
In the morning we spent about three hours in a park on a hill above the city that was also designed buy Gaudi. From there, we went to the museum of modern art where there was a huge exhibit about Miro. I loved the stuff there, it was weird and super interesting. After the exhibit, we hopped on a ferry and went to Rome.
Day Six: Ferry
I got seasick, REALLY seasick. One of the Rotex was nice enough to get me some water with lemon and walk around with me while I whined about seasickness and how awful it was. We got into Rome pretty late...
Day Seven: Rome
So, unfortunately, my seasickness affected something else and the first night I was in Rome, I had a really high fever. I don't know exactly how high, but I was completely miserable and the next day I stayed at the hotel and slept, I was simply to exhausted to do all that walking...
Day Eight: Rome
We woke up super early so we could get in line for the Vatican, which was absolutely beautiful. I loved the Sistine chapel and was SO excited when I spotted the two famous men touching fingers! Everything else was also amazing, there were a ton of statues, sculptures, figurines, paintings, etc. The pope gave a noon mass that I heard, although I didn't actually see it... After that, we went and found a decent (although rather overpriced) restuarant and then we wandered for a few hours before buying a TON of Gelato and just chilling in some random square. For dinner the whole group went to a restaurant and then I went to the Trevi fountain and the Spanish Steps with a few friends, it was awesome.
Day Nine: Vesuvius and Sorrento
We took a bus out of Rome and went to Vesuvius, which we hiked to the top of and then went around the crater. It was incredibly interesting and I really enjoyed actually being on the volcano, although it was a little sketchy walking around the crater. From Vesuvius we drove to a little town on the coast called Sorrento where we had dinner and then headed down to the beach during our free time. I actually ended up swimming in my undies, as did several of the other exchange students...
Day Ten: Pompeii and drive to Florence
We also were able to see Pompeii, which was incredibly interesting. The amount of things that were preserved by the ash is ridiculous, and some things are still pristine. We also saw the famous casts of the bodies trapped inside the ash, which honestly gave me the chills a little bit... After exploring Pompeii, we headed for Florence and got in late...
Day Eleven: Florence
We had a bit of a walk around in the morning together, saw David (although it wasn't the original, unfortunately the original is in some museum...) and then were set free for the afternoon and evening. I mainly wandered around in the afternoon, ate some Gelato, and then in the evening went and looked at all the different stalls in the street markets and bought masks and such.
Day Twelve: Venice
So, unfortunately, we woke up late and had a whole lot of trouble getting out of Venice which created a few problems since we arrived late in Venice and were unable to see the churches or anything else. However, we were able to see the main square and the two pillars. I went out for dinner with a few friends, and then we wandered around for a bit... After that, we had to take a water taxi out of Venice and almost missed our bus out of the city. Fortunately everything worked out and we ended up making it on time...
After that, we drove overnight to Bratislava and then I took a train home.
It was absolutely amazing and I am taking a lot of time to process it all...
OH! And some other important news, I will be flying back to America on June 28th! Can't wait to see you all.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Rotary Trip
So, for the past week I was on a long Rotary trip to Krizanov, Poland,Slovakia and Ceske Budejovice.
In Krizanov we meet the outbound students from the Czech Republic and spent the weekend at and adventure camp with them.
On Saturday we spent the whole day doing outdoorsy team building stuff like high ropes, low ropes (I fell on my butt...), archery, bungee running, and AquaZorbing.
Before I went on this trip I had no idea what aquazorbing is, but I found out that it's this new sport type thing where they put you in a giant plastic ball on the water and you fall infinitely while trying to stand up. It's fun, but really challenging.
On Sunday we got on the bus and drove all the way to Poland, where we stayed at a monastery for three nights. It was really fun, and definitely interesting. The monastery was this huge area with all these different chapels that were supposed to mirror the life of Jesus and you could do a mini-pilgrimage around them instead of going to the holy land (this was the original intention of the builders of the monastery). The monastery was also famous for recieving the Golden Rose from Pope John Paul II and a visit from another Pope that I cannot remember the name of.
The first day we were in Poland we went to Auschewitz and Birkenau.
The second day we went to Krakow and saw the city and castle. I touched a famous bell in the bell tower at the castle that supposedly will get you pregnant in a year... let's hope not.
Then, we took the bus to Slovakia and went hiking in the "Slovakian Paradise". The hike we went on was absolutely fantastic, I drove people crazy because I kept dancing around in circles and telling people, "This is like my home in America!" and stuff like that. The only drawback was that we started the hike in front of a gypsy ghetto. It was completely shocking, they literally lived in wooden houses with serrated tin roofs, like something you would expect to see in India or Africa, but certainly not in the middle of Europe. They were these little kids who followed us partway into the forest and kept asking us to please give them something. It was disturbing and saddening.
After that, we went to Bratislava for a few hours the next day. I would like to spend some more time in the city if I can, it was beautiful, but I think our time there was far too short.
We then drove to Ceske Budejovice and hung out with all the Slovakian inbounds for a few days. We had the District Conference and toured the Budweiser factory there. Makingbeer is a very interesting process...
Then, we drove home.
It was a good trip, and this Saturday I leave for the EuroTrip!
In Krizanov we meet the outbound students from the Czech Republic and spent the weekend at and adventure camp with them.
On Saturday we spent the whole day doing outdoorsy team building stuff like high ropes, low ropes (I fell on my butt...), archery, bungee running, and AquaZorbing.
Before I went on this trip I had no idea what aquazorbing is, but I found out that it's this new sport type thing where they put you in a giant plastic ball on the water and you fall infinitely while trying to stand up. It's fun, but really challenging.
On Sunday we got on the bus and drove all the way to Poland, where we stayed at a monastery for three nights. It was really fun, and definitely interesting. The monastery was this huge area with all these different chapels that were supposed to mirror the life of Jesus and you could do a mini-pilgrimage around them instead of going to the holy land (this was the original intention of the builders of the monastery). The monastery was also famous for recieving the Golden Rose from Pope John Paul II and a visit from another Pope that I cannot remember the name of.
The first day we were in Poland we went to Auschewitz and Birkenau.
The second day we went to Krakow and saw the city and castle. I touched a famous bell in the bell tower at the castle that supposedly will get you pregnant in a year... let's hope not.
Then, we took the bus to Slovakia and went hiking in the "Slovakian Paradise". The hike we went on was absolutely fantastic, I drove people crazy because I kept dancing around in circles and telling people, "This is like my home in America!" and stuff like that. The only drawback was that we started the hike in front of a gypsy ghetto. It was completely shocking, they literally lived in wooden houses with serrated tin roofs, like something you would expect to see in India or Africa, but certainly not in the middle of Europe. They were these little kids who followed us partway into the forest and kept asking us to please give them something. It was disturbing and saddening.
After that, we went to Bratislava for a few hours the next day. I would like to spend some more time in the city if I can, it was beautiful, but I think our time there was far too short.
We then drove to Ceske Budejovice and hung out with all the Slovakian inbounds for a few days. We had the District Conference and toured the Budweiser factory there. Makingbeer is a very interesting process...
Then, we drove home.
It was a good trip, and this Saturday I leave for the EuroTrip!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Eggs & Žopy!
So, today I moved to my new host family in Žopy. It's basically awesome here, they even have a dog named Amy! She's like a black retriever mix... of some sort, I don't know anything about dog breeding... Either way, she's super nice and totally awesome, as is the rest of my host family.
Today, for Easter (since it's coming up) we colored eggs, except, I have never colored eggs like this before in my life. What we did was:
#1 - put plants on the surfaces of uncooked eggs.
#2 - covered the eggs in onion skins to keep the plants on.
#3 - wrapped the eggs in old nylon stockings and tied them with string.
#4 - cooked eggs.
I will take pictures of them so y'all can see what they look like!
Today, for Easter (since it's coming up) we colored eggs, except, I have never colored eggs like this before in my life. What we did was:
#1 - put plants on the surfaces of uncooked eggs.
#2 - covered the eggs in onion skins to keep the plants on.
#3 - wrapped the eggs in old nylon stockings and tied them with string.
#4 - cooked eggs.
I will take pictures of them so y'all can see what they look like!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Spring has Sprung!
Wow! So it was almost 70 degrees fahrenheit yesterday! I am soooo happy that spring has finally popped up, especially since I know that the snow is still lurking suspiciously about Truckee...
Anyways, that wasn't my super duper big news, my super duper big news is that I am moving on Saturday to a new host family.
{{YAY!}}
They don't live directly in Kromeriz, they live in a small town called Zopy, which is about 15 km away from the Gymnazium and everything. I will probably have to take the bus home and to school a lot, but I don't mind because from what I hear, the scenery out in Aopy is really nice and there are all these trails and such in the forests/areas around the town. Finally, a good place for me to go running!
Anyways, that wasn't my super duper big news, my super duper big news is that I am moving on Saturday to a new host family.
{{YAY!}}
They don't live directly in Kromeriz, they live in a small town called Zopy, which is about 15 km away from the Gymnazium and everything. I will probably have to take the bus home and to school a lot, but I don't mind because from what I hear, the scenery out in Aopy is really nice and there are all these trails and such in the forests/areas around the town. Finally, a good place for me to go running!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Parent's Visit!
Okay, so here is a quick summary of my parent's visit and how everything went.
Arriving here on time: Yep! They even got here a little early so I didn't have to wait until saturday to see them!
Saturday with the Zabadalovi (first host family): YAY! We had so much fun and everyone talked and got along perfectly. It was probably one of the best days of my life, hands down.
Sunday with the Hrabalovi (second host family): Also awesome! We went to and old castle called Buchlov and found out that the original owners had a name similar to my mother's maiden name (Her maiden name was Bechtol, the name at the castle was Berchtold...) So now my mom thinks we might be descended from Czech royalty. I find it a very distant possiblity...
Monday Dinner with Rotary: Time with the Rotary Club is always always fun! The food was good too!
Tuesday: So, Tuesday was like the day of all days. First, my mom went with a friend of mine to see the local hostpital and their labratory techniques. She was REALLY impressed with their skill, since they were doing things the old fashioned, much harder way. Then, my parents came to see my school and we talked to my whole class for awhile, that was fun too! THEN we went to a benefit concert in Olomouc with my counselor and his family and that was super too!
Wednesday: Traveled to Vienna, unfortunately (although not surprisingly) it was raining... Still beautiful though.
Thursday: Spent the day walking around Vienna, although since the weather was rather dreary, we went to museums instead. First we all went together the the Kunsthistoriches museum in Maria Theresa Plaza and saw SO MANY paintings, as well as Egyptian and Greek artifacts. THEN we headed off to two different museums, I went to "Haus der Musik" which was a museum about sound, the history of composers, etc. IT WAS SOOOOOO COOL! I absolutely want to go there again for a much much much longer period of time... Also went shopping with my mom and got some super cute stuff, two dresses, a pair of shorts, and a big floppy straw hat with a bow on it to protect my (now extremely pale from no exposure in five months!) skin.
Friday: Went to Salzburg, got confused with the bus system, but made it to our lodgings okay.
Saturday: Walked ALL OVER Salzburg, it was soooo amazing, obviously a tourist town but just soooo gorgeous and nice. We went to these gardens too (the name escapes me at the moment) and all the bulbs were out in full force, which made everything lovely and colorful, plus, all the trees were blossoming! We ate dinner at this super cool restaurant called the Afro Cafe and the food was absolutely delicious!
Sunday: Traveled home, got home exhausted, but totally thrilled!
AND THAT
was my epic trip to Austria!
Arriving here on time: Yep! They even got here a little early so I didn't have to wait until saturday to see them!
Saturday with the Zabadalovi (first host family): YAY! We had so much fun and everyone talked and got along perfectly. It was probably one of the best days of my life, hands down.
Sunday with the Hrabalovi (second host family): Also awesome! We went to and old castle called Buchlov and found out that the original owners had a name similar to my mother's maiden name (Her maiden name was Bechtol, the name at the castle was Berchtold...) So now my mom thinks we might be descended from Czech royalty. I find it a very distant possiblity...
Monday Dinner with Rotary: Time with the Rotary Club is always always fun! The food was good too!
Tuesday: So, Tuesday was like the day of all days. First, my mom went with a friend of mine to see the local hostpital and their labratory techniques. She was REALLY impressed with their skill, since they were doing things the old fashioned, much harder way. Then, my parents came to see my school and we talked to my whole class for awhile, that was fun too! THEN we went to a benefit concert in Olomouc with my counselor and his family and that was super too!
Wednesday: Traveled to Vienna, unfortunately (although not surprisingly) it was raining... Still beautiful though.
Thursday: Spent the day walking around Vienna, although since the weather was rather dreary, we went to museums instead. First we all went together the the Kunsthistoriches museum in Maria Theresa Plaza and saw SO MANY paintings, as well as Egyptian and Greek artifacts. THEN we headed off to two different museums, I went to "Haus der Musik" which was a museum about sound, the history of composers, etc. IT WAS SOOOOOO COOL! I absolutely want to go there again for a much much much longer period of time... Also went shopping with my mom and got some super cute stuff, two dresses, a pair of shorts, and a big floppy straw hat with a bow on it to protect my (now extremely pale from no exposure in five months!) skin.
Friday: Went to Salzburg, got confused with the bus system, but made it to our lodgings okay.
Saturday: Walked ALL OVER Salzburg, it was soooo amazing, obviously a tourist town but just soooo gorgeous and nice. We went to these gardens too (the name escapes me at the moment) and all the bulbs were out in full force, which made everything lovely and colorful, plus, all the trees were blossoming! We ate dinner at this super cool restaurant called the Afro Cafe and the food was absolutely delicious!
Sunday: Traveled home, got home exhausted, but totally thrilled!
AND THAT
was my epic trip to Austria!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
MY PARENT'S ARE VISITING! (and really creepy men are creepy...)
So, first. yayayayayayayayayayayay! Parents are visiting!!!
{{DANCING AROUND IN LOONY CIRCLES}}
They arrive tomorrow in Prague, and are coming to Kromeriz on Friday.
GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
As you can see, I am extremely excited by this prospect.
Our plans so far are these:
Friday: Parents arrive super late (okay, like nine o'clock) at hotel.
Saturday: I go meet parents at hotel. Screaming, hugging, my dad standing watching like, "How did I play a part in creating this loud screaming teenage girl?". Then, we are going to lunch at my first host family (yay!) and then we are going to the castle and around the gardens. All the wildlife is back from wherever they put it in the winters, and the peacocks are all [[WHATCHA! FEATHERS!]] So, it should be really fun!
Sunday: Lunch with my current host family. I will be struggling to translate the goings on for the whole precedence. Then we're going to Brno, where we will see the giant vibrator clock!*
** slight elaboration: a few years ago, they put this clock in old town square in Brno, it's supposed to be the panultimate architectural design, but it's big and black and phallic, so guess what, it looks like a HUGE vibrator... pictures will be posted!**
Monday: School (BLEGH! Just kidding! ... kind of...) and then ROTARY MEETING! WHOO!
Tuesday: Hopefully, I will get to present my parents to my english class and be all, "See, see! I didn't fall from the sky!".
Wednsday: Off to Austria!
Thursday - Sunday: Traveling in Vienna and Salzburg... I have no idea what our plans are... my mum did all of it (yay! love her for this!)
Monday: School... {my parents are going off to Poland alone, since it's frowned upon for me to miss a lot of school)
Then, in about a week, I move to my new family! In Žopy! (it's about 15 km from where I live now...)
THEN, my parents pop by again before they leave, take as much crap as possible out of my possessions, and go back to America.
OKAY, now my other story.
Guess what?!?!?! It's another Crazy Running Adventure (I just can't get it right, dammit)
So, today, in the evening, I decided to go for a run. Good for me... here's what happened:
Running, running, running.... By sketchy post office and neighborhood... How did I get here??? ... Okay... Running, running... creeper starts running next to me, asking how far I've run {{in czech}} and I am like.... ok.... please go away.... and then.... speeding up, speeding up.... god, for a smoker this guy has some stamina.... should I clothesline him or something??? .... ooh, going past older ladies... older ladies stopping creepy man... running home... running home... HOME!
It was... interesting. If worse had come to worse, I probably just could have screamed my lungs out and he would have run, but it was... not the best experience.
I have not the faintest clue where I can run, everywhere I go is fraught with danger!
Oh, and, read 1984... nightmares soon to follow! {{disturbing book, I tell you!}}
{{DANCING AROUND IN LOONY CIRCLES}}
They arrive tomorrow in Prague, and are coming to Kromeriz on Friday.
GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
As you can see, I am extremely excited by this prospect.
Our plans so far are these:
Friday: Parents arrive super late (okay, like nine o'clock) at hotel.
Saturday: I go meet parents at hotel. Screaming, hugging, my dad standing watching like, "How did I play a part in creating this loud screaming teenage girl?". Then, we are going to lunch at my first host family (yay!) and then we are going to the castle and around the gardens. All the wildlife is back from wherever they put it in the winters, and the peacocks are all [[WHATCHA! FEATHERS!]] So, it should be really fun!
Sunday: Lunch with my current host family. I will be struggling to translate the goings on for the whole precedence. Then we're going to Brno, where we will see the giant vibrator clock!*
** slight elaboration: a few years ago, they put this clock in old town square in Brno, it's supposed to be the panultimate architectural design, but it's big and black and phallic, so guess what, it looks like a HUGE vibrator... pictures will be posted!**
Monday: School (BLEGH! Just kidding! ... kind of...) and then ROTARY MEETING! WHOO!
Tuesday: Hopefully, I will get to present my parents to my english class and be all, "See, see! I didn't fall from the sky!".
Wednsday: Off to Austria!
Thursday - Sunday: Traveling in Vienna and Salzburg... I have no idea what our plans are... my mum did all of it (yay! love her for this!)
Monday: School... {my parents are going off to Poland alone, since it's frowned upon for me to miss a lot of school)
Then, in about a week, I move to my new family! In Žopy! (it's about 15 km from where I live now...)
THEN, my parents pop by again before they leave, take as much crap as possible out of my possessions, and go back to America.
OKAY, now my other story.
Guess what?!?!?! It's another Crazy Running Adventure (I just can't get it right, dammit)
So, today, in the evening, I decided to go for a run. Good for me... here's what happened:
Running, running, running.... By sketchy post office and neighborhood... How did I get here??? ... Okay... Running, running... creeper starts running next to me, asking how far I've run {{in czech}} and I am like.... ok.... please go away.... and then.... speeding up, speeding up.... god, for a smoker this guy has some stamina.... should I clothesline him or something??? .... ooh, going past older ladies... older ladies stopping creepy man... running home... running home... HOME!
It was... interesting. If worse had come to worse, I probably just could have screamed my lungs out and he would have run, but it was... not the best experience.
I have not the faintest clue where I can run, everywhere I go is fraught with danger!
Oh, and, read 1984... nightmares soon to follow! {{disturbing book, I tell you!}}
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Roller Blading
Today, for the very first time in my life, I went roller blading. It was really fun! My friend invited me to go with her, and we ended up being out for about two and a half hours. It was harder than I thought it would be, but I didn't fall once! I did, however, scream all the way down several itty bitty little hills, much to the amusement of the people around me...
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