October 1st-3rd, Sarah Senter, or Faye Faye, visited me in Prague. She landed Thursday afternoon, so I, being the good host that I am, met her at the airport. It's quite complex but I can make it there with my public trans pass. I had to take the tram to the metro, take the metro to the bus, then the bus to the airport. I'd never done it before (since the day we landed, NYU had taxis to take us to our dorms), so I was a little nervous if I was going to do it right. I didn't want to end up in the middle of a runway (ie. bad news bears). But, I made it with time to chill in the airport cafe and work on my paper.
So Sarah's plane landed and I waited for a text--and started to get worried when I didn't get one. But then Faye Faye turned the corner and happiness ensued! It was so great seeing someone from home (well, the other Wake kids here in Prague don't count). Oh and apparently her phone doesn't work in Prague, so there was no need to worry. So then we made our way back to Osadni (my dorm). We caught up on how we were doing and how we were enjoying our respective programs. So, then we got to my room and had a PB sandwich (no jelly--sad day!) and some tea, then got dresses for the philharmonic.
So my woodwind quintet instructor gave all 5 of us tickets for Thursday night--and I thought well, I can't go since Sarah will be there (can't ditch her for a concert--not very host-like). But for some reason Machat had an extra ticket, so Faye Faye could go! We got there super early cause well I couldn't remember how long it took last time to get there. So we waited for a while then found our seats and the other four joined us later. The concert was spectacular. The philharmonic played a Brahms overture, then a piece for orchestra solo contralto and men's choir, then a piece for orchestra and choir (can't remember the names--you have to pay for programs here in Prague and probably elsewhere in Europe which is annoying when trying to remember the program of the concert since I obviously didn't buy one). The one for orchestra and chorus was especially epic! After intermission, they played Schoenberg.........ehhhhhh. But this was before his atonal period so it was actually really great. I was expecting something along these lines: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A-feObF-lc&feature=related (you don't have to listen to all of this. Trust me). But instead it was his Pelleas und Melisande: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i2Ea79xh3E. Actually quite wonderful in a weird sort of way.
So after the concert we made our way back to my dorm and talked about our lives over some tea! The next day we got up 9:00 (well, 9:15 since we waited for the second alarm before we were officially up). Sidenote: we stole the giant couch cushion from the common room for Sarah's bed and I'm sure we looked quite ridiculous carrying a cushion that's basically the same size as a chubby eight-years-old child. Anyways, we made our way to the cafe that's in the courtyard of our building for some much needed coffee/caffeine and a croissant (which probs didn't compare to a Parisian one but still delicious). We then made our way to Charles Bridge. I showed Sarah the statue that you get to make a wish upon my touching the cross in the saint's hand and we enjoyed the views of the Vltava and Prague Castle. We then made our way to Old Town Square, which has the beautiful Tyn Church and the Astronomical Clock. We waited ten minutes to watch the clock go off with all the animatronics and the trumpet player at the very top. We then made our way to Malé náměstí (Small square) where my academic buildings are and where the Hard Rock Cafe is (it's literally next door to the academic building). Sarah had to buy her dad a pin for his Hard Rock collection. We then went to Restaurace u knihovna (Restaurant by the library). It's my favorite because it's cheap and sooo good. So Sarah ordered gulaš and I ordered Smažený sýr (Fried cheese) more for her to try. Those are the two typical Czech dishes so they're quite essential to any visit to Prague. After lunch, we made our way to Petrin Hill, which is a beautiful park area (it's just really steep hence "hill") and there's an observation tower at the top with spectacular views of Prague.
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| We climbed all the way to the top...sooo many stairs. |
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| Praha!!! |
http://rickyyates.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Bohemia-Bagel-June-2009.jpg
SOOO GOOD.
So we decided to go to Slovakia...we really weren't sure what we were going to do there but that's what we did!
So we got on the train at 12:30am, attempted to sleep on the way there and arrived at 6:00am. Nothing is really open in Bratislava at 6 in the morning except for the gloriousness that is McDonald's. So we chilled there with some coffee for a little while (and by a little while, I mean two hours). After that we wandered around Old Town Square, then sat in a cafe until the information center could open. So we went there and got a nice map and the lady told us what we should do. We decided to go to Devin Castle, which was about a 30min bus ride away.
Devin Castle is really just the remnants of a 8th century castle. It was constructed at the confluence of the Danube and the Moravia rivers, prime placement for defenses. What remains of the castle is absolutely beautiful. Ruins atop a cliff spectacular. Surrounding it were the the two rivers and gorgeous mountains.
After Devin Castle we went back to Old Town Square and explored some more then got lunch.
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| St. Michael's Gate |
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| Bratislava Castle (unfortunately, it was under construction) |
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| Novy Most (New Bridge) |
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Kuřecí paprikáš (Chicken with pepper sauce)Sooooooooo goooooood. |
Slovakia was sooo beautiful, but we had to hop back on a train for Prauge. Then, Sarah had to leave the next day. But, we had fun though she didn't always feel that great--she was a trooper!
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