american-style chinese food in Budapest.

Katie, myself, and Rakel being just a bit touristy on Buda Hill.


Bloggers of the globe;

Hitched a bus to Budapest, Hungary for the weekend... thoroughly enjoyable experience. Let's recap it together, what do you think?

First things first- bus out of Prague at 6.30am. Which means arriving at the bus depot right before 6. Therefore leaving the kolej around 5.20am to switch metro lines and get there a little bit early, as I am nothing if not my father's daughter. Which meant waking up at 4.15 so there would be time for a couple hits of the snooze button and a leisurely bowl of cocoa puffs.. but I digress. Woke up early, got on the bus- yahoo. Stopped off in Bratislava for a half hour, attempted to use a loo but had no Slovakian cash so used the scary bus one with a hole in the floor (yikes!) then back on the bus 4 hours to Budapest.

Our hostel was spectacular.. 'Twas an apartment renovated with open lofts in each room in an Asian/fusion-on-a-budget style run by this former American rocker-boy and his Hungarian girlie. I had access to a real stove, with an oven!! I was very excited about that... made a glorious omelet and Hungarian sausages for dinner one night.. but back to the matter at hand!
Hung out at the hostel a bit, but Katie was restless to see the city, so we set off in search of Hungarian adventures! -
Wandered the area around the river for a long while, shot endless pictures, then made our way over to a supposed underground club.. Which turned out to be wicked amazing courtyard that had been converted into a club with multiple levels, dancefloor in the dungeon-type basement area. However, it was far too early to be clubbing at that time, so we bought a few beverages at the local potroviny (mini-mart) then proceeded to plop down on a statue and have philosophical discussions about life, love, and Halloween whilest sitting. Eventually made it back to the club, fooled around to the reggae music for a bit till we couldn't stand the smoke any longer, and decided to make our exhausted little booties back to the hostel. Little did we know, public transport ends at 11pm in Budapest- oops! Oh, and did I mention it was raining? No? Well.... yeah, it was.

Made it back to the hostel, and didn't resurface till around 10.30am the next day... But then we went exploring with our new mate Chris, who's lived in Budapest for over 6 months, so he should know tons, yes? Not so much... but we still had fun!
Took us up Buda Hill, which was a great vantage point to see the city-
Had tacos for lunch (questionable decision) then explored a bit more, with Chris stopping frequently for a nice cold beer.
Eventually made our way to one of Budapest's most spectacular attractions- the Turkish baths. There are apparently hot springs under the city that make for excellent "healing waters". Though I highly doubt they run from the underground in this day and age, the romanticism adds to the atmosphere while you're wading around in a giant body of water filled with people (oftentimes hairy men covered in jewelry with girls curled around them). I've never seen so many speedos in my life! But it was an experience to say the least, and the water did feel amazing. However we got trapped "after hours" and then told to pay 1200 florents (about $8) each to get the gate unlocked for us; which we politely refused, as no one told us of any such restriction, or that we were supposed to have been gone (there were many other people still in the water). So we had to follow an irritable Hungarian woman around for some time, until she finally shooed us and let us free. However, we'd lost Rakel and Chris at that point so I had the wonderful anxiety again of worrying where a kamradka could have wandered off to..
Found our way back to the hostel, had a wonderful breakfast for dinner, chilled with some hostelmates, then ran for the door like excited puppies when we heard Rakel's voice in the hall. A sweet reunion indeed.

Next day woke up early (8am) to hit up a flea market known for former Communist propoganda and 'authentic' Hungarian antiques. Had a bit of an issue with the bus schedule, though... So I did what any rational American girl would do, I stopped at a mall and asked information where to go! Got there no problem after that, and it was truly spectacular.. I nearly bought a coin from a Jewish ghetto in Germany from the 1940's, but it was over $200 and I couldn't rationalize it, though I still wish I had sacrificed good-tasting food for a month and bought it.. But again I digress. Didn't have enough time to look through each booth, but Lord knows we tried. Katie ended up with some gorgeous old buttons and a few second-hand black and white photos; Rakel bought several sets of photos as well; and I got a former Hungarian Soviet militaria satchel. All in all, a successful trip.
Did more walking; saw parliment, saw more of Pest, saw the house of Terror, Hero square, then wandered around the labirynth underneath the palace grounds by lantern light.. pretty cool. Then chinese food, good conversation, and back to the hostel for a good night's sleep for our 7am bus in the morning. -
Oh, but there was a party happening at the hostel! So... very little sleep for the poor little American girls. But it was all good- enjoyable people, stellar music, tolerable beer (everything but Czech tastes terrible now) and they only stayed a few hours, so we still got.... 3 hours.... of sleep. But wait, you haven't heard the best part! Daylight savings just so happens to take hold of Europe at 3am on that particular day, so we ended up waking up an hour early!
The girls went back to sleep and I took one for the team and remained awake to make sure we didn't miss our bus time.

All in all, a glorious weekend. Very relaxed, full of great photoshoots, and with people whose company I was actually inclined to crave- definitely a winner.

That's about all I know, hope the states are being nice to ya!

Cheers,

Erin.

neonazis on the way to the opera.

Loyal readers!

The week has been going very well... Reading a lot of Kundera for one of my classes, but I'm discovering that I actually like him- who'd have thunk it? Amazingly enough, I'm still on a strange sleeping schedule from my over-night bus from Berlin and that whole sleeping-8-hours-in-the-middle-of-the-day-thing. But I need to get to sleep soon, as I'm leaving for Budapest at 5am tomorrow! But, more on that in a moment... Back to our regularly scheduled broadcast.

If you know me, you know how much I adore opera. I know, it's strange that a 20 year old, motorcycle riding, amateur welding, toddler nannying chica such a myself would be so enamored with this dying artform, but I truly can't help it! And tonight, well- tonight was Carmen. The crown jewel of Maria Callas' stunning career, Carmen- one of the most famous and beloved operas ever written. I am not in anyway immune to this craze, so when I discovered my program was taking us to see it, I made sure 2 months in advance that NOTHING would stop me from being there.
So I head from class to the opera house, and what do I see but a large group of what appears to be protesters being escorted by police toward Old Town Square, chanting at the top of their lungs. At first I thought- how cool that they can protest here now, without communism or people telling them no. But later I discovered from an acquintnace who speaks fluent Czech that they were shouting "clean our people".
Wait- what?
Yep, they were Neo-Nazis. On the way to the opera.
Just proves that for everything good in the world, there are equally appalling counterparts- we just rarely see them at the same time.

But, I did not let it ruin my anticipation for the opera- my hopes were high for the performance, and I was still elated to be going.
I wasn't dissapointed. The lead's voice was no Maria Callas, but she still embodied the role seamlessly. The stage design was gorgeous and very well setup, one set for the whole performance- and speaking from the perspective of someone who has taken theatre design, that's no easy task. The costumes were very well done, classic Spanish garb with a hint of contemporary flair. The whole thing was wonderful..
I couldn't stop myself from humming along very softly the majority of the performance... But no one gave me any dirty looks, so that makes it alright! And I would also be ever so remiss if I didn't admit that I've been listening (and singing along) to the music all week, because I was so enthralled with the idea of going.
It was an amazing experience, and I hope to rememeber it the rest of my life.

And now that I've spilled my guts about opera and exposed one of my very girly traits, we can move on :)

I'm headed to Budapest, Hungary in the morning. A city full of markets, turkish baths, and yet another castle on a hill. My fellow travelers are Rakel and Katie, both who are just a little bit older (and therefore inherently wiser, right?) than others I've traveled with. I'm excited about that, because I know I won't have to 'mother' them.

There will be memories, and oh so many pictures!

But for now, bed- early wake up to catch the bus.

Cheers,

Erin

ah, berlin..

Took a bus to Berlin this weekend.. to see a band called "The Mountain Goats" on Thursday night at 9pm. The bus was supposed to get into Berlin at 7pm, so we were cutting it SUPER short.. The bus was 2 hours late, so we missed the band... But we did engage in various other adventures. Above is myself, and my sisters in arms Maggie and Chelle.

After discovering the band was already done playing, we went down the street to have our first meal in Germany. One might expect bratwurst and sauerkraut, or perhaps schnitzel- but oh no, we definitely had Gyros. Gyros and Beck's. Beck's? Honestly? I felt very poser-like, drinking German beer that is not only extremely common in the states, but also because it said "Philadelphia" on the bottle. Oh yeah, very authentic. Evidence below-

The next day!
We wandered around the "centre" of the city- which was surprisingly disappointing. Until we found the actual "centre" of town... and yeah, that was much better. Granted, we weren't on any sort of tour, so we had no idea what any of the buildings were or their signifcance, but they were still wicked cool looking! And we found out later what most of them were anyhow, so I suppose somehow that makes it better. Here are some more pictures of our quest to find life-altering German structures-

The next day was... interesting. We somehow lost one of our threesome the evening before, and it just so happened that homegirl was without a cellphone. So several of the first hours of the day were spent waiting for her to make her way back to the hostel... which she didn't. By 3 pm, we were worried yet anxious to see a bit more of the city before leaving at midnight that night. So we did what any loving, responsible friends would do- we left a note taped to the door (and a spare at reception) with a cell number on it, and told her to call and that we'd be back later...
I'm a good friend, I swear!!
We honestly had no idea where to look or what to do, but it seemed silly to wait around when she's a 21 year old woman, a big girl.

So we set off on the most confusing public transportation system in existence in search of the East Side Gallery- the longest standing piece of the Berlin Wall... We didn't find it. Instead we found the Berlin Wall trail, another standing piece- this one a monument.
then found checkpoint Charlie.
then wandered around for another hour trying to find a way to get to the East Side Gallery... finally broke down and got a cab. so glad I did, too-

best 10 euros I ever spent to get there.

Then, on the way back to the hostel (at 7pm) I get a call from an unknown number- wouldn't you know, it's our third musketeer, and she's back at the hostel! it's been 16 hours since I've seen or heard from her, so honestly I'm just glad she's alright.
We make it back to the hostel to find her drinking beers with another of the guests, skip the part about being mad and just join them. Suppose it's better that way, anger takes too much energy.

Had a final dinner in Berlin (burgers and pasta, no wursts in sight!) then make our way to the bus station and then eventually back to Prague. Arrived at 7am this morning back at the Kolej... Definitely slept till 3 pm.

That's my story of Berlin, and I'm sticking to it!

Cheers,

Erin

A long and tantilizing courtship

Bloggers of the globe-

I'm not sure I've expressed just how much I'm falling in love with this city. Not only the winding streets and the majestic spires, but the history and the culture of a country with such a complex past. I'm learning about these things as I explore more of Prague that isn't so caught up in the tourist catering, though I do recognize how good that has been for the Czechs in recent economic times- I read in the paper just the other day that while the "economic crisis" is present and clear, it has not yet hit the Czechs at home.
What I mean is, I'm traveling farther and farther from the city center, seeing the graveyards of communism- and how people coexist with those structures and their history in present times. It's absolutely fascinating. I've been shooting a lot in Black and White, and thanks to a new care package from my lovely Mom, I can continue that :)
Anyhow... I love learning more and more about Prague and the Czechs through my classes and my wanderings... that was the point I was striving for.

Ah, classes!
I'm in a Czech language course, and it's going very well! Nerozumím trouchu Czesky. (I understand a little Czech.) I'm also in a class regarding the hisotry of the Jewish people in central Europe, and I really love it.. My teacher is a native French woman, and she certianly makes it known! I'm normally not a fan of lecture-based classes (anyone remember my experience with sophomore year astronomy? nightmare!) but this one is very small, and the lectures spurn discussions, so it's very stimulating. I'm also in a literature course about Czech writers and the development of the "Czech Self" in literature. We'll be studying mainly Kafka and Kundera, and seeing how they help establish a Czech individual identity. Very cool! I'm also in a film class that is going to be very fascinating. Then there's "Trauma and Identity". I was very excited about this class, as it pertians to Jewish and central European trauma relating to the holocaust. (Or the Shoah, rather.) But it turns out to be sort of a joke... But I'll stick it out and hope to get something interesting from it.

This week I got to see Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake at the national theatre... Absolutely breath-taking. It was my first ballet, and I may have to go more often. Of course, that might be more difficult back home, as my theatrical excursions are all paid for here... haha. Went to the opera as well, though I must say it was a tiny bit disappointing. The lyrics didn't work for about 45 minutes, and it was a modern interpretation of a classic style opera.. I was so very confused! But then the lyrics began working and it got much better. Though an opera set in the 80's.. a bit odd.
I get to see Carmen in 2 weeks, and I am beyond excited.. I've been practicing my own version of the famous "Habanera" just because I've felt inspired to... It's going to be an amazing experience!

Let's see... what else?

I'm going on an almost weekend-long photo shoot with my kamaradka Rakel. We're going to shoot parts of the city today, and on Sunday we're going out to the country somewhere. We're not sure where, but we're looking for a little village somewhere that we can capture. I'll post some pictures when I get them, though most of them will probably be film. As I told my brother when he inquired as to my leanings toward more archaic photography practices, "What can I say, I'm a purist." :)

I think that's all for right this very moment.. But in the meantime, I hope is wonderful stateside!

Cheers,

Erin.

laundry mat in my kitchen

Heya, loyal readers!

So, an update on my strange yet thoroughly entertaining courtship of Prague!

Last weekend I visited an enormous flea market (or rather, a levné tržnice) with my roommate, Jill. It was amazing! However, being the late risers we are, we didn't arrive until 45 minutes before everything was to be closed up... so naturally, there wasn't too much left. However! I did manage to snag a fully-functioning old-fashioned Czech 35mm camera that looks to be from the 60's or 70's. For only 100 crowns- but wait! While that sounds like a mini-fortune to starving colege student like myself, may I just point out that 100 crowns (or korun) is only about $6.50 American?
FLEA MARKET FIND OF THE YEAR!
I will be returning this weekend to see what else I can steal out from under their noses... heehee.

I explored by myself again on Sunday, I find this becoming a regular occurance. And I'm alright with it :) It's nice to explore with people, but when I'm on my own I can go at my own pace and venture down certain unmarked streets and see things I might otherwise miss.

Classes started this week, and it looks to be simultaneously elementary and stimulating. A perfect combination from my perspective! They will be interesting, but not too strenuous, so I'll still have time to enjoy myself. (let's just hope the universe doesn't explode from this paradox!)
I decided to take a Czech language course, so I can stop sounding like an ignorant American tourist, and more like someone who actually lives here. Because I do, you know :):)

What else... Oh! So laundry is rather expensive here, so I have taken to turning our meager little kitchen into a lovely little laundry mat. See, isn't it glorious?-

When in Prague, right?

I believe that's all for right this moment... More soon!

Cheers,

Erinko (Czech endearment)