Back Home

I have now been back in the States for over a week, which includes six days in Hanover over graduation weekend working at the 50^th reunion. It is great to be back, and I am so excited to be reunited with our Dartmouth friends for sophomore summer. The thrills of being back have almost replaced the sadness of the end of the term, and saying goodbye to both Prague and all my new friends after a fantastic term, but the fact that our amazing adventure is truly over is starting to hit me!

After waking up for a 4am airport shuttle and a longgg day of flying last weekend, I was finally rewarded with a loop around Boston on my descent into the city, and a beautiful view of Marblehead and my house. It felt good to be back. Miraculously, all my luggage had made it, and I passed through the airport in no time at all. I was tempted to buy a Diet Coke (NOT Cola Light!) right there in the airport, but I came to the shocking realization that I had no American money. Bummer.

Being home with my family the first few days was been great. In addition to the Diet Coke, I thoroughly enjoyed all the American food and home cooking I had missed, especially the vegetables and salad with dinner every night. In the beginning, I didn’t do much except hang out with my family, eat a lot, and try to ease myself into exercising again (sophomore summer boot camp?). I also had a few minor surgeries… one-step closer to getting a tooth and normal ear again! It was so exciting to be back that I initially didn’t have much time to dwell on the fact that our term is over, but telling stories from abroad over the last week has made me reflect on how crazy the past few months were. I am constantly reminded of stories from Budapest, Istanbul, Barcelona, and all over, and realize how lucky we were to get to see so many places….

Considering we were only gone two and a half months, this term was truly incredible, between the travel and adventure, independence, food, and especially the new friends. All our faithful blog readers have been able to follow all this as we went, but to look back on it now it’s hard to believe. I loved having the opportunity to get to know one city, and I am so glad I chose Prague. When I applied for this FSP freshman winter, it was sort of on a whim (encouraged by Emily at 11:50 pm for a midnight deadline), but now I can’t imagine going anywhere else. It is really a magical medieval city in the heart of Europe. I was able to learn in ways I never had imagined, and had a lot of fun doing it. I had backpacked around Europe after high school with a friend, but never had stayed put in one place to truly get to know it. While 10 weeks wasn’t nearly enough time to get to truly know Prague, I loved being able to navigate my way around the city independently, and see how much I learned just from exploring. Not being able to speak Czech was definitely difficult, but we picked up as much as possible (jedno pivo prosim?) and just hoped like hell everyone else spoke English. Oftentimes they didn’t, but it was always an adventure trying to communicate, especially when we were ordering food. Once we ended up ordering a round of tripe soup… yuck. However, we thoroughly enjoyed the Czech cuisine overall, and I have the waistline to prove it. Unfortunate timing right before sophomore summer, but these things happen.

As much as we loved Prague and our fieldtrips around the Czech Republic, having the freedom and ability to travel Europe by train and air on the weekends was one of the best parts. Everything happened very quickly, but I feel like I got a great sense of every city, and now know where I want to return (Barcelona definitely, Bratislava not so much). I have great memories from each place, because we didn’t just walk around with a map- we had different experiences in each. Some of my favorites were caving in Budapest, biking in Vienna, and definitely the Turkish Baths in Istanbul.

And the best part of exploring these new places and experiencing new things was doing it together. In March, I only really knew Emily and LJ, but now I have 13 great friends from the term. We didn’t have much of a choice considering we lived in the same apartments and were in class and on fieldtrips together all day every day, but we were so lucky to have such an incredible and compatible group. Some more guys definitely would have been nice, but if we could only have 2 LJ and Isaiah were the best we could have asked for… and the girls weren’t bad either! We always joked that we were only friends because we had to be and wouldn’t hang out when we got back to school, but this week so far has proven that the friendships are lasting ones. Even if we are busy with all our different commitments back in Hanover, we will get together for Becherovka pregames and long dinners out, complete with free bread and water (but unfortunately lacking beer considering we are no longer legal- reality check).

It was especially fun living with (and blogging with, of course!) Emily. I don’t think you really know someone until you 1) room with them and 2) travel with them, so the fact that Emily and I are still getting along is a good sign! This term would have been an incredible experience even if I was with kids I had never met before, but having one of my best friends there to share it with was one of the best parts, and it is something we will share for a long time. (I just worked the Class of 1960 50^th reunion- I have a new concept of our short time in Hanover now!) I saw her a few times over the busy weekend in Hanover, but overall, this is the longest we have been separated in weeks! Luckily she caved in and got a blackberry upon her return to the States though, so we can constantly bbm if we feel the need…

As I show the pictures to my family and my friends from our travels, it really hits me how many different places we traveled and all the cool stuff we got to do! It was an incredible adventure, but neither of us did it alone. Thank you to all of you who made it happen. Without my parents support, (especially financially!), I never would have been able to take advantage of all the opportunities we had. Even with skype and smart phones allowing fairly easy contact, it still felt at times like we were very far away, and the emails from my parents and friends always made me a feel a little bit closer. And thank you to everyone for accepting us back in your lives after being gone so long! It sounds like everyone had a fantastic spring, whether home, in Hanover, or abroad, and I am loving reuniting and catching up on both our lives, and making plans for the next great term- sophomore summer in Hanover!

So this is the end of our blog… unless you want to hear about me and Emily’s daily lives during sophomore summer, which is extremely doubtful. End of blog- unless you want to hear about Emily and my daily lives during sophomore summer, which is doubtful. Thank you for reading! We have loved sharing our adventures with you, and getting responses from our followers, all over the world! It meant a lot to know that you were all following, even if you only looked at the pictures (I don’t blame you). I sent a lot of postcards to my friends all over, but it was fun to keep loved ones updated on a more daily basis, and reflect a little on our experiences as we went… I don’t have any last words, but all I can say is travel every chance you can, there is no better way to learn about both the world and more importantly, yourself. I hope you all get the chance to visit Prague, and if you need a personal guide, I am more than willing to accompany you- expenses paid, of course!

Until our next adventure…

Xo Heather (and Em!)

Final Thoughts on my Plane Home

Well, the end of my journey has finally come (but Heather still has one more day!). Once I step off of this plane, my sophomore spring of college will have come to a close and I will only be able to relive my European adventures through memories and story telling. As cliché as it sounds, I have learned so much about myself on this trip and I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to share some of that with you by writing this blog. So for my last blog post, I want to take you through a list of my closing thoughts and a summary of all that I have done this term. Enjoy!

-I was gone for 80 days. March 17^th 2010- June 5^th 2010.

-I have been to 9 countries in that time period. Here they are listed in order- Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Turkey, Germany, Slovakia, and Spain.

-In those 9 countries, I have been to 13 major European cities (excluding everywhere we went in the Czech Republic). Again listed in order- Rome, Florence, Venice, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Krakow/Auschwitz, Istanbul, Berlin, Bratislava, Barcelona, Eivissa (Ibiza), and Madrid.

-I have used 5 currencies (the euro messes up my awesome stats for this one)- the Euro, the Czech crown, the Hungarian Forint, the Polish Zlotych, and the Turkish lira. I have some extra coins and bills as souvenirs.

-I had the chance to live in my first city, Prague, which I will someday come back to.

-Our class went on 12 field trips throughout the Czech Republic. From brown coal mines to chandelier factories, breweries to an endless number of Czech castles, drinking thermal water in spa towns, and even touring communist panel housing (!) - we have seen it all.

-Let’s Go Europe 2010 was my bible.

-I had the pleasure of my parents coming to visit me in Prague and had so much fun showing them around.

-I learned how to surf the web in many different languages.

-I learned so much about 20^th century Europe to build off the history course I took in the winter. I saw 3 Nazi concentration camps (Auschwitz, Birkenau, and Terezin). Saw numerous museums and memorials of the communist era. And learned so much about changes in the post-communist world for the former Soviet block countries through the Czech Republic lens.

-I’m no longer a teenager.

-I have tasted so many different brands of beer and collected paper coasters from all the restaurants of the beer brands. Not sure yet what I’m going to do with all of them.

-I met, or got to know better, 14 incredible Dartmouth students that come from all different backgrounds and do a variety of things at Dartmouth. While it wasn’t perfect all the time since we were living together, working together, traveling together, anything you name- it was together; I’m so excited to keep in touch and hang out with them on campus.

-I sent postcards from (almost) every city I was in to my amazing boyfriend who is always there for me.

-I completed another 3 classes in college. And I loved my geography professor, Frank, who led the trip. I’m even already signed up to take another class with him in the fall!

-I ran the longest I have ever run in Barcelona’s El Curso- an incredible experience.

-I have had the chance to read for pleasure, watch TV shows that I never usually have time for, and figure out that writing is well, kind of fun. I know I’m going to regret making that statement.

-I saw three sporting games- an AS Roma Italian futbol match, a Slavia Czech hockey game, and Sparta Czech futbol match.

-Traveling in Italy at the beginning with Emily, Laura, and Heather was unforgettable. Seeing Laura in Barcelona too. I’m so excited to get home and hang out with my best friends at Dartmouth this summer!

-We saw the BLACK EYED PEAS in concert at the O2 arena. (I like them girls in Praguee, I like them girls in Pragueee..Czech Republic girls are the prettiest, Czech Republic girls are the prettiest- sing that to Ring-a-Ling).

Hmm there is so much more I did. But that is what I can think of off the top of my head and what has been the most memorable for me. There were some causalities of the trip though- my camera, Heather’s kindle, Heather’s iPod, and my iPod headphones. Oh boy

I know I will go back to Europe someday to visit all the places I have yet to go. In fact I already have a list- Amsterdam, Zurich, some where in Switzerland for an outdoor adventure, pub and beer garden towns of Germany, the south of Spain, Greece to see its beauty…the list goes on. But all of that is a long time away because I’m not ready to leave Greenwich or Dartmouth anytime soon. Maybe a future job will take me there. Or a vacation. My honeymoon. Maybe when I have a family of my own someday- but yeah, I’m getting a little ahead of myself right now. For now, I’m burnt out and tired from all my travels, experiences in new cultures, and everything I have learned (which is more than I can even wrap my head around). I want to relax in what is familiar to me and get back into my usual routine.

It is scary to be on my way back and know that I have missed so much with all of you at home. I will admit, I have been so occupied with everything new and exciting going on in Europe that I haven’t been able to talk to you all as much as I would have liked. The distance, lack of a phone, and our unreliable apartment Internet contributed as well. I just don’t know how everyone used to do it in the old days with no Internet and Skype! So I’m excited to get full updates on everyone’s lives and re-immerse myself with all the people I love!

I want to thank you all for taking the time to read Heather and my blog. I had so much fun writing it, and I know Heather did too. In addition to all of your emails and positive feedback inspiring us to write, I wouldn’t have been able to write all that I did without Heather. So Heather, I have to thank you for that! And from the both of us, our experiences in Europe wouldn’t have been the same if we couldn’t share them all with you. It was a great way to pause in our days and reflect on the chaos around us. And this book (once we print it out) will be something that always makes me happy when I look back on it in 30, 40, 50 years to come.

Thanks again for reading and all of your support! I hope this inspires you to travel around Europe if you haven’t already. Can’t wait to see you all! I’m ready to be home again.

Wandering Madrid

I’m writing sitting on a shaded bench in enormous 300-acre Parque del Buen Retiro on the eastern end of Madrid. The late afternoon sun is beating down on the sunbathers, tourists struggling in their rowboats on the Estanque Grande (the center lake), and the Spanish musicians playing their guitars, accordions, and trumpets for the passersby. It is nice to sit down and relax after a hot, busy day wandering the streets of Madrid. Thanks again Google for your pictures and this blog is, of course, dedicated to Emily Schechter.

I’m going solo in Madrid for a day (the first city that Heather and I haven’t experienced together!) as I left Heather, Ana, and Anny sleeping in our Ibiza apartment early this morning. Our days in Ibiza were filled with beach and pool time, nightlife (fun but disappointing to not be able to enter Space, which was voted the world’s best club a couple of years ago, after paying so much money for pre-tickets), and a trip into Eivissa- the prominent island city (stay tuned for Heather’s pictures). I expect nothing less than a full day in the beach sun for the girls on their last day there.

After paying almost twice as much for my extra checked bag than the actual price of my plane ticket, I made it through my quick 50-minute flight and left all of my luggage except my purse at the airport. Traveling on your own gives you the luxury to wear the same clothes two days in a row- because who is going to know? ALSO there is another Dartmouth ’12 that I met in my hostel. Small world.

My exploration of Madrid started in the northwest corner at Plaza de Espana. I worked my way down to the luxurious Palacio Real, Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almudena, and then to Plaza Mayor. Although I knew eating in Plaza Mayor would be overpriced, I sat down anyways on a lunch date with my current book, Time Traveler’s Wife, and ordered an inexpensive sandwich. Revived, I walked to Puerta del Sol, the heart of Madrid, and then found my hostel for check-in. I obviously had to stop in to use the Wi-Fi and catch up on all of the emailing I had been deprived of in Ibiza.

Palacio Real

Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almudena

Plaza Mayor

Next, I continued to wander eastward to Paseo del Prado, a gorgeous boulevard lined with trees and fountains. I took an hour and a half to explore the Prado Museum- one of the numerous famous Madrid museums- and stumbled across a bunch of Spanish paintings that I had studied in high school including Las Meninas, El Tres de Mayo, and La Rendicion de Breda . I practiced my Spanish reading all of the painting captions and after being museumed out, I continued to walk up Paseo del Prado and see the many fountains and plazas. Finally, I passed a huge gate, Puerta de Alcala, to enter el Parque del Buen Retiro and now I’m here! It was definitely manageable to hit all the sites in one day of walking, but you would find yourself here for many days if you decided to go into all the beautiful attractions and famous museums.

Las Meninas

Parque del Buen Retiro

I’m getting very hungry so I think I’ll go wander around more and find a tapas restaurant. Any one care to join? It’s going to be delicious. Then, early to bed to get up for my flight tomorrow to LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS!!!! I can’t believe I’m coming home tomorrow! I’m very ready to come home and see you all but I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I’m actually about to leave Europe. Stay tuned for my final blog post tomorrow summing up Heather and my adventures in Europe! I’ve got to do something to keep me occupied on the flight home. That, and finishing up season one of Friday Night Lights.

I’m so excited to see you all and goodbye from Europe! My next, and final, blog will be posted from the one and only Pheasant Lane.

Imma Be Living the Life

We are 30 minutes away from leaving our Barcelona hostel and heading to the airport for IBIZA! Our game plan for the next couple of days includes sleeping, eating, lying on the beach, and exploring the raging nightlife. Maybe throwing in a Moped ride or a jet-ski adventure or some other island adventure wouldn't hurt either... Vacation is the best, isn't it? (Hello to all of you in finals at Dartmouth!)

This morning (Tuesday) we went to the Picasso Museum t

hat is literally right outside our hostel. So we didn't really have an excuse not to go... The museum was great and although it was heavy on Picasso's earlier works, it showed a range of paintings from his entire lifetime. It was amazing to see the progression he made as an artist from when he painted as a child to his adult career. The museum was well set up to educate you about all of the influences on his art through the years, and you went through his artwork chronologically to see those changes. The museum is a must see in Barcelona.

Other than that, we have just been wandering around Las Ramblas, Barri Gotic, and at the beach a little bit. We rented bikes for two hours yesterday to explore the city and rode up to Sagrada Familia. Heather, Ana, and Anny have also made it to all the other Gaudi sites that I saw on my first day here. We had delicious tapas for dinner last night and met up with some Dartmouth kids at a bar called "Nevermind" last night. So that was a lot of fun. We had more paella for lunch today (so good) and Anny took us to the most incredible gelato store. All of the clothing stores and jewelry stores have been so tempting to buy from, but we have managed to restrain ourselves from spending money... something we don't have much of these days. Anyone at home need babysitting next week??

So we have come away from Barcelona only with a few postcards and a some little souvenirs- we don't have any more room in our bags anyways. I don't even know at this point how I'm going to make it home with all of my luggage. I'm terrified right now to have to go pick my huge duffel bag up at the Barcelona airport and lug it around again.

We aren't sure if we are going to have internet in Ibiza, so if we don't, have a great next few days and can't wait to talk to you all again! But if we do have internet, look forward to hearing from us... Miss you!

Goodbye Prague, HELLO BARCELONA

Heather and I are finally reunited! It was treacherous those two days we spent apart... And I have been so busy relaxing in the slow Spanish life, that I haven't gotten the chance to keep you up to date with everything I have been doing in Barcelona! So here is my chance to fill you in on my weekend. I apologize for the no pictures (thanks google for helping me out), but my camera lens broke in Prague so I will have to wait until Laura blitzes me pictures so I can put them up. Now being reunited with Heather's camera is a huge bonus.

FRIDAY:

I got to Barcelona on Friday, but nothing exciting to write because I just found my hostel (Gothic Equity Point- great location but the beds are dungeons) and went to bed. I was exhausted from the hectic last few days in Prague, packing, and traveling. Laura was at a concert, anyways, so I just had a relaxing night to myself. I have found that since I have traveled so much around Europe, it has become so easy to navigate a new city. Figuring out maps and public transportation at the beginning of the term was such a challenge for me, but now its all a piece of cake.

SATURDAY:

Saturday was an early start. After Laura and I screamed and hugged each other (we spent way to long apart), we walked to the University that she is studying at in Barcelona and met up with all the other kids on the Dartmouth Barcelona LSA trip for a field trip. All in Spanish! To my surprise, I was able to understand mostly everything the tour guide was saying. Lindsey, Julia, and Dana- you are going to absolutely love studying here in the fall.

I had the perfect timing to tag along on the LSA field trip because it was a bus tour around the city to see all of the Gaudi architecture! Just what I wanted to see in Barcelona anyways. First we visited La Pedrera and saw how all of Gaudi's work is inspired by nature- the seaweed-like railings for the balconies, the hexagonal floor tiles like honeycombs, and the dragon scale roof of Casa Batallo down the street on Pg. de Gracia.

Next, we saw the enormous Sagrada Familia which is under construction but is Gaudi's most famous work and is the most visited attraction in all of Barcelona. Gaudi devoted his last 19 years of his life to it, but then when he died, construction was halted and the plans were even destroyed by Franco. Now, the city has restarted the construction and is slated to be finished around 2030. The structure was truly breathtaking and reminded me of the Aya Sofia in Istanbul- except that Sagrada Familia will be a 1000 years newer.
The next stop on our Gaudi tour was Park Guell at the north of the city. The park is filled with colorful benches and has a beautiful view of the entire city looking out to the ocean.
Lastly on our tour, we visited Montjuic and saw the Olympic complex from when Barcelona hosted the Olympics in 1992. Read on to find out more about my next visit to the Olympic Stadium....
Then everyone parted ways to go home and take their afternoon siesta at their host family's house, and we all met up again for dinner at a great cheap restaurant off of La Rambla. We all ordered paella so they brought out this HUGE pan for our table. The rice mixed with meats and seafood was delicious. And of course, we drank sangria as a perfect complement our meal. I love Spanish food and it is certainly refreshing to eat after so much heavy and hearty Czech food. At dinner, it was fun to hear more about the Barcelona LSA and all of the experiences they have been having. I find it amazing to travel around Europe and be able to meet up with all of these Dartmouth students studying in different locations- we had met up with some of them in Berlin earlier and had students from Leon visit us in Prague. Quite the Dartmouth network.

SUNDAY:

We ran EL CURSO! I joined in with a bunch of the LSA to run this 10.9 km race around Barcelona. It was awesome! It was definitely the farthest I have ever run and I don't think I have ever run a race before, so it was a cool experience to have in this foreign city. After we spent the first kilometer dogging around the walkers and crowds of people, Laura and I broke into our stride and stayed together the entire time to keep each other occupied and motivated. The race started in Pl. de Catalunya and did a loop up to Montjuic and back. The killer part was when we hit that 5 km mark and had to go up the hill of Montjic to the Olypmic Stadium. Oh, I never thought that hill was going to end. BUT it was so worth it because the course took us into the Olympic stadium to do a lap around the track! That was my favorite part of the race and everyone was cheering when we went through the tunnel to get into the stadium. From there on, it was downhill and to the finish line. It was so satisfying to run through the finish line and I'm impressed with our time. Great experience all around. Maybe I will turn into a world class runner? Hmm yeah that's doubtful. But I do have a piece of the Olympic track (what we got when we signed up for the race) as a souvenir!

After we all found each other amidst the crowd of people at the finish line (John and Chris attempted to ice Will at the finish line but it didn't work out because he was too far away), we loaded up on the free water and headed across town to this local human pyramid competition. That's right. Groups of people competing to have the best human pyramid. I wish I had pictures to show you because it was SO COOL. They were stacking up to six people- standing straight up!- on top of each other and then a little kid would climb up, like a monkey, to go over the top of the stack and climb back down. It was a beautiful display of human strength and required so much teamwork at the bottom to be able to support. We left before the competition was over, but I wonder what team won!

All of the Dartmouth Barcelona kids then went home/ to the library to work on their Spanish compositions, and I hit the Barceloneta beach for a couple hours before Heather, Anny, and Ana arrived! I can't even begin to tell you how nice it is to finally be in the sun after the straight clouds and rain of Prague.

Once Heather, Anny, and Ana got settled into their dungeon rooms in the hostel, we hit up Barri Gotic to find a tasty restaurant. We ate at a place of Laura's recommendation and guess what we got?! PAELLA AND SANGRIA. Surprise, surprise. Actually, I have now had that meal 3 times while being here. At this point I will have memorized the ingredients and will be cooking paella for everyone in Redbarn this summer. So get excited- all visitors welcome.

It was early to bed on Sunday because Heather, Anny, and Ana were wiped from Sensation. But we are absolutely loving Barcelona. So relaxing and enjoyable. A perfect way to spend our last week of our European adventures. We have now been in Europe for 75 days (according to my iCal). And, wow, we have done a lot.

Miss you all at home and SO EXCITED to get home to see you!

Last Weekend in Prague = SENSATIONAL

I still can’t believe our term is over! After ten exciting weeks in Prague, the last few days went by in a blur… I’m now sitting in our hostel in Barcelona, and am so happy to be here, but definitely missing Prague already. At least it ended on a bang…

Our very last class excursion on Tuesday took us to the Terezin Concentration Camp, a “model” camp. This is where the Nazis took the Red Cross to prove they weren’t doing anything wrong. By now, after visiting Auschwitz and Jewish memorial sites in the Czech Republic, we had learned a lot about the horrific events of the Holocaust, but it still doesn’t make it any less chilling to visit the camps.

Tuesday night and Wednesday were cram time for our final projects. We took over Coffee Heaven, the Globe, and any other coffee shop in the city with free WiFi. Miraculously, we all somehow finished (even if no one slept much Wednesday night), and by mid-afternoon Thursday, we were DONE with spring term! We didn’t waste any time before we celebrated- one last lunch at the school pub, and then a quick change to prepare for our farewell dinner.

The farewell dinner was a bittersweet night, as the Dartmouth and Czech students and faculty got together one last time. After a boat cruise up the Charles (complete with an open bar), we went to one of Frank’s, and now our, favorite restaurants, where we enjoyed cocktails on the patio before moving inside for a delicious meal.

All our teachers from the term were there, and it was fun to see them one more time. Our Czech language teacher from our crash course the first week also came, which meant pop quizzes… we didn’t pass all of them, but we had made major improvements! After dinner, Frank and the “three amigos” gave speeches and presented gifts to each other and to us. The Czech faculty had given each of us a local Czech movie, and a bottle of the desert wine from the wine cellar that we had loved so much. It was a really sweet gesture, and everyone was a little sad to leave at the end of the night. We have really become friends with some of the Czech students, and it is weird to think we might never see them again. Hopefully, some of them plan to visit the US and Dartmouth- please do! You are all welcome any time…

Friday morning most people left for the airport bright and early (including Emily, who headed early to Barcelona... the first time we were apart this whole trip! ), but a few of us just weren’t ready to say goodbye to our new home, and stayed in Prague for one final weekend. We were kicked out of our apartments, but we had booked a hostel right in town, which was a nice treat after living so far away these few months- we could walk everywhere!

That night, Ana, Anny and I joined Julia and her Mom and sister at their hotel up by the castle for dinner. We had no idea what to expect, but when we got there the outdoor terrace restaurant had one of the best views of the city we had seen yet. And it was even better when a rainbow came out over the city, and later in the night fireworks! As we watched the sun above the city fade out above the red roofs and the lights turn on, I really got to appreciate how beautiful a city Prague is, and how lucky we were to have spent a term here. After four hours of great conversation, Ana, Anny and I walked home across the Charles Bridge in the full moon. Despite the drizzle, it was one of the most memorable nights of my term.

If Friday was a peaceful way to leave the city, Saturday was a crazy one. After one last journey across the bridge to leave our mark on the infamous Lennon Wall, the day was spent preparing for the nighttime festivities- Sensation White, the biggest dance party in the world. It is a traveling show/rave that happens a few times a year around the world, and we were lucky enough that it came to Prague on our last weekend. The only requirements to attend the show are that you are 18, and that you wear all white. Even if you have a ticket, you will not be let in if you’re not wearing white. We had bought our tickets months ago, and had been waiting eagerly for this night. Having heard a lot about it, we were excited, but had no idea what to actually expect...

From the minute it started, it was incredible- definitely sensational. 18,000 that had come from around the world for this night danced together in a sea of white. The “Wicked Wonderland” themed event started with the first DJ at 9:30 PM, and went until 5:30 in the morning, with a new DJ every hour or two. I am not the biggest techno fan, but I was able to dance all night long, loving every second. The special effects were crazy, and you never knew what would happen next, between the strobe lighting, fireballs, dancers, and other surprises. It is a hard event to explain, but definitely one of the coolest things I have done during my time abroad (I say that about a lot of things though, don’t I…)

After two hours of sleep, our taxi arrived at our hostel this morning to take us and our term’s worth of luggage to the airport, where we played magical bags, moving everything around until we were able to get every bag to reach the weight limit, or at l

east get as close as possible! Otherwise, our flight was pretty painless, especially considering I slept the entire time, and we arrived in Barcelona in no time. After dropping our suitcases in lockers in the Barcelona airport and taking off with just backpacks, we were finally free to enjoy ourselves on our Spain vacation this week!

Emily greeted us at the hostel, and showed us around, as she has already been here since Friday with Laura. We were tired, but walked around our neighborhood, and enjoyed a delicious meal on the streets, complete with fresh sangria. I love this city already- it is so alive and friendly. I am really looking forward to the next few days here, and then our time on the beach in Ibiza!

It hasn’t hit me yet that our time in Prague is over though- it just feels like we are on another weekend. It is crazy that some kids from our FSP are already back and hanging out at Dartmouth- wow. I will be home in one week, which seems like both very far away and at the same time way too soon. But both Emily and I are so glad and so lucky that we have the chance to keep traveling, and getting to experience as much as possible. Plus, I get to practice my Spanish! I’m a little rusty…

Besos from Espana!

PS- Congrats to my brother Peter for graduating this weekend! I missed being with my parents and siblings at Deerfield to celebrate the event, but I’m sure it was a wonderful weekend. Thinking of you all lots, and can’t wait to be home with you!

SUMMER TIME

We finished all of our school work! Heather and I gave our final presentations this morning and turned in our papers. Heather did her tourism project on guided tours, and I evaluated tourist's use of guidebooks. We are currently listening to everyone else's presentations- eager to get out of this classroom for the last time. IT'S SUMMER! Well, at least we have a month of pure summer with no classwork. But its sophomore summer- that doesn't count.

After the presentations are done, we are going to go to the pub down the street from school for one last time. Pork pieces and potato dumplings will definitely be my selection. I can't believe we are leaving Prague tomorrow! Heather is staying the weekend for Sensation White- although they are getting kicked out of the apartments tomorrow. Our activities for this afternoon include a boat tour where Frank has assured us we will get ample pivos (beer) and then we are joining the rest of the Czech faculty for a final farewell dinner. When we got here 2 months ago and marked the farewell dinner on my calender, it seems like the end would never come. But now it has!

So goodbye Albertov faculty at Charles University! Maybe I'll be back someday.

I leave for Barcelona tomorrow! Can't wait to see Laura and all the other Dartmouth students on the Barcelona LSA. Heather, Ana, and Anny are coming on Sunday and then we are going for a beach vacation in Ibiza for a couple of days. Then I will be in Madrid for a day and then I fly home to New York! I'm very excited to get home- but I'll be certain not to overlook the amazing experience I'm about to have in Spain. Lets see how well my high school Spanish has kept up. We couldn't have better timing going to a Euro zone country, as the Euro is currently at an all time low (1.21 exchange rate).

Miss you all! And I can't wait to see you all when I get home!

Beer Fest, Biking, and a BIRTHDAY

We had such a fun weekend! So much went on that we are joint-writing this post...

Hello friends, it is Heather. I am sitting here in the cafe hiding out from the POURING rain, after a gorgeous day in the city. Prague weather is very strange. At least we are getting bits of sun here and there this week... but right now the thunder is rumbling.

After working on our final projects all day Friday, we rewarded ourselves with a trip to the Prague Beer Festival, complete with over 70 brands of local Czech beer. And we tried all of them. Not quite, but we made a good dent between the group of us that went! We immediately purchased neon yellow vests, just to make sure not to get lost among the 10,000 seats and 3 tents. They also helped us make quite a few new friends... it was hard to miss us. After a great evening at the festival, we headed to Lucerna, an '80s video dance club right in Wencelas Square, to dance the rest of the night away (to hits such as every ABBA song and the macarena).

Saturday was finally a beautiful day. I'm pretty sure Emily didn't make it out of the kitchen (she's quite the cook these days... and I still eat eggs for dinner every night..), but I had a great day in the city with some of the other girls. We started with a fantastic brunch at The Globe, an English bookstore and cafe that understands breakfast the way we like it. After splitting Apple Pancakes, I had "The Disaster" omelet. I'm not sure what was in it, but it was delicious. In the afternoon, I went on a boat tour for my project (more on projects in another post), and then paddle boating with the other Julia, Ana and Anny on the Vltava River. It was a picture perfect afternoon, and a super relaxing way to enjoy the sun and the view of the Charles Bridge and Castle. Until it was my turn to paddle home. Upstream. Oy. It was a great afternoon though, and fun to see the city wake up a little with the sun!

AND HERES EMILY, the newest member of the double decades club. Wooooo.

Saturday night was our pilgrimage to Mecca! Ok not all the way to Mecca, the city, but to Mecca, a hopping club in Prague. We had gotten great recommendations to go there, so we knew it would be a fun night (and we have to check out all these new places before we leave!) It actually was a little bit of a journey to get there, hard travels to find all the various metros and trams, but we got there in time to have a countdown to my birthday. After a birthday shot and singing, we moved upstairs to dance- completely taking over the dance floor with our large group. We seem to have a way of doing that. Sunday, we woke up early to meet Frank and Dusan (one of our Czech profs) at the bike shop for some biking adventures. Obviously, Anny, Ana, Julia, Heather, and I wore our new neon yellow beer fest vests to sport the occasion, and low and behold, when we showed up, Frank was also sporting the neon...! With my vest on, and my new pink leopard spandex (thanks Ayisha and Giulia!), I was ready to go. We began our ride in a park and worked our way out of the city along the river. We were a little slow moving in the morning with our late night, but it was really fun to get some fresh air.

After searching for a lunch restaurant for a while, we found a nice Thai place (don’t know what it was doing in the middle of nowhere) where we sat outside to revitalize. We sat down at two picnic tables, and all of the girls at our table wanted to get spring rolls for appetizers. So why not- we each ordered one spring roll (the waiter was sure to say you want only one?)- and they came out with 8 PLATES full of spring rolls! While they were so delicious, the overflow of endless spring rolls reached the other table because there was no way we could finish them all.

On our ride back, THE SUN CAME OUT! You have no idea how excited we are when we write this because we have literally seen no sun on our trip here. It was absolutely beautiful and it was fun to pick up the pace on the way back. It is the beginning of Heather’s training for the Prouty this summer! .... We'll see about that.

For dinner, we all walked to a Greek restaurant in Zizkov (right in our neighborhood) called Olympus. The 13 of us ate out on the back patio in the garden and it was so fun to have everyone out to dinner together! We all got baba ganoush (eggplant) for appetizers, on Frank’s recommendation, so that was hilarious to all order the same thing. Mom- guess what I had for dinner? Lamb chops, obviously. But the food was delicious and everyone looked so nice dressed up in spring dresses!

When we got home to our apartment (that Heather had decorated the day before with wrapping paper, birthday signs, and candy- including a HUGE package of gummies), everyone surprised me with a rich carrot cake from the BakeShop (a must go to in Prague). Heather sprinkled Haribo gummies on top (are you surprised?) and after I blew out the candle, we all sat around eating cake and watching funny youtube videos. All around it was a GREAT birthday! Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes and for everyone in Prague who made it such a special day!

Okay, its Heather again. The thunder has stopped (at least for the minute) and people are venturing back out into the Square... It could be a beautiful night in Prague! It has been really fun in the streets today because everyone has been parading around in Czech national team hockey jerseys to celebrate the Czech Republic winning the world championships in hockey last night. A huge celebration is going on in Old Town Square.

Tomorrow we are off to Terezin, the "model" Holocaust concentration camp. It is our last group excursion- crazy. We only have 4 days left together, something we realized when the whole group was all sitting in our room after Emily's birthday last night. This has been a crazy few months we have experienced together, and it is weird it is ending soon!

But we still have a few days left here (and then SPAIN!), and we are planning to enjoy and savor them as much as possible...

Love love love, Heather and Emily

Bratislava

Our last two days have been consumed by a very windy and cold, but very comical, class trip to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, accompanied by Frank, Mona (his wife, another geography professor at Dartmouth), and one of our Czech professors. How to describe Slovakia…Well, its more a less a ghetto Czech Republic. It is not as big, not as historical, and not as economically advanced—but it is on the Euro! The 12 of us who went on the trip did enjoy our stay.

We toured around the city on a small bus- led by a guide and as Slovakian geography student. Considering they used to be united in one nation, Czechs and Slovaks are able to communicate because about 70% of their languages are the same, and they can more or less understand the other words based on the TV they have watched. Attractions we hit: two castles (we can’t get enough of those), panel housing, and a dam (obviously, Frank is a physical geographer). Don’t be blown away (no pun intended) by how exciting that itinerary sounds!

What amazed me about the city was that Bratislava sits right on the border of both Austria and Hungary. The city expansion over the years has been confined to these arbitrary political borderlines. A view from one of the castles allowed us to see the expansive Slovakian communist panel housing across the Danube, distinctly cut off by the Austrian border. The quick landscape change was marked by a highway and then greenery filled with wind turbines. Then this morning when we visited the dam in the Danube, we learned that half of the project was Slovakian and half was Hungarian, and it has created numerous political controversies over the years. It is also home to an extreme white water kayaking course- were we saw some national Slovakian competitors in their daily training. Cool!

Lastly (in my Bratislava geography lesson for all of you), one of the small communities we visited sits on the Morava River, an extremely narrow channel of water on the Austrian border. Under communism, no one was allowed in this community because it was the easiest point of escape to Austria and out of the Soviet regime. We saw a memorial for all of the Slovakian lives that were lost in their attempt to escape communist rule; some tried to swim and some tried to para-glide from the top of a nearby hill. Needless to say, Bratislava sits presently and historically in a pivotal geographical location.

Now back to the fun stuff. We had a DELICIOUS meal last night when we were on own to wander around the historical center/main square of the city. We found this awesome “all you can eat for a fixed price” tapas bar/buffet. (A little preview to Heather, Anny, Ana and my Spain trip at the end of our term- AH! That is a week and a half away!)

Most people chose to go for the all-you-can-eat salad bar that was filled with every kind of veggie dish you can think of, soup, and bread. But Kristen, Sarah and I splurged on the all-you-can-eat meat platter, in addition to the salad bar. The three of us received cards that on one side were green and had a sketch of a skinny man that said “All you can eat. GO!” The red flip-side was a fat man saying, “Oh, you can’t eat. STOP!” We feasted on steak, chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, calamari, octopus, and maybe even more types? As much as I wanted to keep going because the food was so good, I eventually had to say no more and flipped my card. This tapas bar was definitely one of my favorite dining experiences we have had this term- I think most people can agree with that.

We are on our 5 hour train ride back to Prague now, where we will remain until our program is done next Friday, May 28^th. We have one independent study project left and we are going to try to fill our days with everything we have yet to do in Prague. We miss you all at home and can’t wait to see you all so soon!

We had a feeling...

That the Black Eyed Peas concert was going to be a good night. It turned out to be a GREAT night- they really know how to put on a show, complete with tons of lights and crazy robot outfits. The concert was at the 02 Arena, the same place we saw the Slavia hockey game and where a few of us will spend the night dancing for Sensation White next weekend- we are getting quite familiar with it!

After an opening by Cheryl Cole, BEP came storming onto the stage with “Let’s Get it Started,” and from that point the songs just kept on coming. Fergie and will.i.am also performed their solo pieces. Me, Emily, Anny, Ana and Julia had a great time dancing together, even though it was way up in the balcony… and even though we had a final due the next day! Priorities. (It was a late night/early morning back home though…)

Although we could have seen the Peas back home, it was definitely a cool experience to see them abroad. It was their first time performing in Prague, and the crowd went nuts for them. It was funny though, because most of the crowd didn’t actually understand the words… but they sang along to all of them!

Our favorite song, made up by will.i.am, goes something like this = “I like the girls in Prague, Czech Republic girls are the prettiest, prettiest, Yeah I like the girls in Prague, Czech Republic girls are the prettiest…” Catchy. We were honorary Prague girls for the night and cheered just as loud as the rest of them, but getting excited to be back home with all you!

....Meet us halfway?

AC Sparta Game

The clock was winding down to the final few minutes as a few rain drops started to fall on the Generali Arena. AC Sparta Praha was leading 1-0 over FK Teplice. Security guards started lining the field, closely watching all the die-hard Sparta fans that were piling down to the base of the stands getting ready to rush the field. Preserving the marginal lead would mean that AC Sparta clinched the victory in Gambrinus Liga, the Czech professional futbol league. The horn blew! A loud roar filled the stadium. Screams. Loud celebration music. Flares and firecrackers. Everyone started running! Evacuating all the seats. With a beer in hand, Heather started running! Then we all started running and screaming the Sparta songs that we had learned throughout the game. Victory! We were immersed in an energized sea of Sparta fans, dancing and singing. What an atmosphere in the stadium. What an exciting game.

We were so fortunate to get tickets to this sold out game, one of the final ones of the season. Dusan, one of our Czech professors, got us seats in the 3rd row right behind one of the corner flags. Turns out that we were right in the middle of two huge cheering sections for AC Sparta. Fortunately, Heather, Anny, and Julia had bought AC Sparta scarves the other day, so our group had a little maroon, blue, and gold to show. The fan energy was contagious and we found ourselves standing the whole game (except when we got yelled at by this grumpy security guard who was sitting behind us) and participating in all of the Sparta chanting and singing. There was a lot of clapping, screaming "Sparta!", and doing a superman motion with our arms.
It was hard at times to even focus on the game because continuous rounds of waves were traveling throughout the stadium and huge flares and fires were being lit in the section next to us. People were constantly throwing firecrackers and flares onto the field as well. But it was so much fun to be part of a rowdy crowd, especially when Sparta scored the only goal of the game on a beautiful header from a cross. The atmosphere of the entire event really made me wish I was back out on the soccer field playing. Anyone want to join my IM soccer team at Dartmouth this summer?

We are jealous of all of you that are hanging out at Green Key right now! But we can't complain with all the fun events we are having this weekend (as we sit at home on a Saturday night and work on our projects). But, Black Eyed Peas in less than 24 hours! Rage on.

Green Key in Praha

Hello to my friends and family out there (We haven't forgotten about you, just been busy!), and Happy Green Key Weekend!

We have been doing our best to celebrate over here. Our projects occasionally get in the way but we’re working around them. Since we no longer have to leave for class at 8 am every morning, we are taking the chance to get to know the nightlife here a little better. Different than Dartmouth, but definitely a lot of fun. Our neighborhood has lots of great bars (like this one inthe picture we are at for Sangria night!), and the dance clubs are just a short ride into town. The other night Ana, Anny and I decided to check out the infamous five-story club. Right over the Charles

Bridge, it is the biggest club on this side of Western Europe and this side of Eastern Europe (aka Central Europe?), and is quite the tourist attraction around here. We were the ONLY “locals” in the place. We probably won’t be back, but if you ever come to Prague definitely stop here for a night of dancing!

The next morning we had an early start for a class trip to Karlovy Vary, a “spa town” in Northern Bohemia. We were excited for a day of luxury… Unfortunately, Dartmouth did not treat us to a day of massages and facials, but we still had a fun time getting to know the town. Famous for its hot springs, there are 12 different ones you can drink from!

We walked around tasting the different water. They all were a little different, depending on the minerals in them. Some were a little suspicious tasting.Our next stop brought us more taste testing, as we headed to the Becherovka factory. Becherovka is a herbal “medicine” that has been around since 1807 that is supposedly great for your health. It is also 40% alcohol. The people that came to Karlovy Vary for the spa benefits used to drink it to improve

their wellbeing, but people liked it so much that it is now drank ALL the time. You are supposed to take one or two “doses” a day. We have had the drink in Prague, both as a shot and in a drink mixed with tonic called “beton”, which means concrete in Czech, but it was cool to see the place where it was born and now comes from. Only 2 people know the secret recipe! After our tour showing us how they produce the drink, we got to try many different flavors, and then we all hit up the gift shop. If you are one of the lucky few, you might get to try some when we return to the States….

Our “spa treatment” of the day landed us at the local swimming pool. It was cold, but we sucked it up and swam. Funny end to the day.

Other than our trip to Karlovy Vary the other day, we have beenworking hard on our projects! Riding the metro takes longer than you would expect, especially when you are taking notes and pictures at every stop! I am doing the change in retail and development, so measuring womens clothings stores and type, and Emily is measuring ATMS and the financial sector. Interesting, but very time consuming! We are seeing the outskirts of Prague in a way we never have before.

There are a lot of Dartmouth guests in town for the weekend, so there has been lots of entertaining going on. No one has visited me yet though… 2 weeks left if anyone wants to stop by! In a few hours we are going to a Sparta soccer game, and then tomorrow night a few of us girls are going to a Black Eyed Peas Concert! A little different than Block Party andLawn Party, but still a fantastic Green Key Weekend.

I miss Hanover a lot this weekend, but am just realizing how little time we have left over here, and am appreciating Prague, my new friends, and all the fun things we are doing! This morning Julia and I ran all the way across the river and up to the castle.

Miss you all, and I am drinking to your good health whenever I get the chance. Lots of love.

Back in Prague

After 4 nights in Instanbul, 2 days home for exams, then 3 nights in Berlin, we are home in Prague for the next (and last!) 3 weeks of our program, minus a few day trips and fun excursions. We will be busy working on our independent projects, but are excited by the idea of getting to know Prague better and doing all the things we haven’t been able to yet!

We had a great time in Berlin. It was a huge city, so we weren’t able to see everything, but we got a good feel of the city. After seeing most of it on our awesome bus tour Saturday, we just wandered around on Sunday and checked out some of the unique museums (ask us about them) and sampled the local food, occasionally caving in for the Western comforts of Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts for a little energy- too tempting. Later in the afternoon, we went to a local brewery to meet up with our friends Austin and Marcelo, who are on the German LSA, and we enjoyed local beer and delicious weiner schnitzel. Exhausted, we then decided to go to the movies at Potzdamer Platz, one of the big squares in the city. It was quite the luxury movie experience. The Sony theater was incredible, and the seats were plush and wonderful. The boys went to see Kickass, but us girls opted out and went for Dear John. Fantastic choice- we highly suggest it. It was a little embarrassing walking out of the theater to meet the boys though when all five of us girls were sobbing. Quality evening.

We took the train back home yesterday morning, and headed right to school to meet with Frank for our project assignments. The first one deals with the metro line and the urban geography of Prague, and the second one will be on Central European tourism, so we will be busy for these few weeks! The first one is due next Monday, so we have to got get working, but we are just enjoying a little bit of a breather right now back at home. The weather isn’t fantastic, but hopefully it will get sunny soon! We are off to free Sangria night tonight (every Tuesday), so at least that will make us feel like we are somewhere near the beach…

Lots of love, please email and tell us what you’re up to!

Guten Tag

Guten tag! We arrived in Berlin last night after our 5 hour train ride from Prague. With two classes under our belt for the term (we took a final (!)exam yesterday afternoon), we were a little tired so we took an easy night. Except for LJ, he mustered up the energy to go out and meet up with some of his "bros" on the Berlin LSA.

We are staying in the Berlin Hotel for Youth- although there are a lot of (young?) families staying here. I made a new friend here- Julia, Heather, Anny, and Rachel have a room and LJ, Ana, and I are rooming with a rando (I miss our Dartmouth lingo) named Song. She is from South Korea and just learned English while studying in London. I felt like I should have invited her to hang out with us today, but its ok- she is doing her own thing traveling around Europe.We are always impressed by people traveling alone, because we are used to traveling with such a group! Its ok, we like each other.

The hotel provided a great breakfast and we all enjoyed our mixed hot chocolate and coffee drink, while planning what we wanted to do today. We also smuggled a lot of food out in napkins for snacks throughout the day...After we had a little bit of a game plan/still no idea how to navigate the huge city, we headed out to the U2 to take the underground towards the middle of the city.

After wandering out of the metro at Alexanderplatz, we realized that we had no exact direction that we wanted to go in. That is when we spotted all of the city tour buses. Done. Not much was needed to convince us to be the ultimate Berlin tourists. So the six of us girls (LJ was still sleeping after his late night) paid our 10 euros and hopped aboard the double decker bus. The bus took us around to about 15 or so locations around the city and if you wanted to get off the bus at a particular stop, you could, and then just wait for the next bus 15 mins later. We ended up being on about 4 buses throughout the tour and had hilarious and cute tour guides on each one.

Our big stop was the Reichstag, where the current Bundestag (the Parliament) is located. The outside facade of the building contains the words "Dem Deutschen Volke" ("To the German People"). Although we got a little antsy waiting in line for two hours (we spent our time eating pretzels from street vendors and watching a street mime show), it was worth the free admission to be able to climb up the glass dome in the middle. The Reichstag is rich with German history, and the glass dome is a modern addition that was completed in 1995. It has become a world-famous tourist attraction and it prides itself of giving visitors the opportunity to gain a direct insight into parliamentary proceedings with its transparent view of the heart of the German democracy. Climbing up the ramp in the dome, you get a 360 degree view of the Berlin skyline and can also see directly down into the room containing the seats of the Parliament. The middle of the dome contains a construction of mirrors that provide solar energy for the lighting in the building. Well worth the visit.

Near the Reichstag building is the Brandenburg Gate, the famous former city gate. It became obsolete during the communist area because the Berlin Wall was constructed right in front of it so people could no longer pass through, but when the wall came down, the gate became a symbol for freedom and a desire to unify Berlin.

Now, all that remains of the Berlin wall in most places is a cobblestone trace in the road. So it was awesome to see the line zig-zag through the streets. Later on in our bus tour, we were able to see actual sections of the remaining wall. We also got off the bus to stop at Checkpoint Charlie- what used to be an American checkpoint to pass back and forth between East and West Berlin.



After our EXHAUSTING bus tour, the other girls took advantage of the shopping scene to look for white outfits for Sensation, and I came back to the hotel with Julia to nap. I woke up starving, and went next door to grab a cheap kebab to-go for dinner. Our current food budget are at minimums after spending so much on food in Istanbul. Unfortunately, our trip to Berlin will go without visiting the top restaurant. Our Mikla experience in Istanbul (thanks to Mr. Sconzo's connection with the head chef), despite it being the best meal of my life, was sadly a one time thing.

I'm now sitting in our hotel lobby catching up with some friends online. Ana, Rachel, and I are waiting for all the other sleepy heads to wake up so we can go out and check out the Berlin nightlife- exciting. We miss you all at home! Happy early Mother's Day Mom, Mrs. Reiley, and all other moms reading our blog!