So I only have about 10 minutes left at the internet cafe so this will be a quick note...Berlin was great...we were there for a whole week but I feel like it went by so quickly. There was so much more to see that I didn't get a chance to see...
*we had an exam in the beginning of the week so for the first 2 days all our free time was spend studying
*the 2nd round of sickness went around...I got the flu...it is nooo fun being sick on this trip. all our days are soo packed that if you miss one you miss so much
*the holocaust memorial and the jewish museum were very moving
*went to 2 performances of the berlin philharmonic-it was amazing and so much fun to get all dressed up!
*saw what is left of the berlin wall
*free day spent at the zoo, the brandonberg gates, the reistag, exploring the city. it was one of the best days of the trip.
*it was so cold
*leiden in the netherlands is soo great...it's a quant little town...everyone rides there bikes around...i'm more worried about getting hit by a bike than a car
*windmills and canals everywhere (haven't seen any tulips yet which makes me sad)
*sooo cold...in the morning there is frost everywhere
I have the best roomies ever!! I loved my song video(they sent me a video via utube where they rewrote the words to allayah's "I miss you" and sang it to me)-you girls are amazing! i started to cry in the internet cafe...i miss you soo much love you!!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Poland
First off, my apologies that i haven't written in such a long time...we have been soo incredible busy and internet access has not come easily.
Prague seems like such a long time ago...right now i'm in Berlin, Germany. Last week we were in Krakow and Warsaw, Poland. For this portion of the trip we have a tour guide, Garbriel. He is British and currently lives in Berlin. He is wonderful. He could be one of the funniest tour guides I've ever had. And he makes things interesting. I have not been bored on his walking tours of Warsaw and Berlin. And he has spoiled us with food. Our breakfasts have been extensive and our group meals have been incredible (we are talking 3 and 4 course meals-with a choice of a drink which is huge because we normally just get water).
I had no expectations for Krakow and it pleasantly surprised me. It has a very eastern european feel to it. there is a huge town square with open air markets and street performers. There are cobble streets everywhere. my love of cobble streets is fading quickly since this trip-draging luggage on them for over 5 minutes is soo hard! I found a new suitcase yeah! There is a huge mall in Krakow and I was able to find one pretty easily. We stayed in a hostle. It wasnt too bad. I was in a room with 6 girls and had to share a bathroom with 10 people. There were no mirrors anywhere except the bathroom which made getting ready for the day interesting. It was impossible to be quiet in the whole hostle so no one really got much sleep. We did luck out on its location thought. It was right on the corner of the main square...perfect. Our time in Krakow was relatively short. We went on a tour of the city and on a tour of communism. It was the craziest tour ever. We drove around in a huge red communist bus...i dont think i've ever noticed getting stared at so much. The tour leaders were insane/nutty. i dont really know how to explain it but pretty much none of us knew what was going on. it was so random and funny.
one day in Krakow we drove out to Auschwitz. There we saw the death camp and the labor camp. It was an extremely emotionally draining day. I'm still tring to process through everything I saw...I think it will take a while. It was a somber and hard day. I was extremely moved by what I saw...I was unable to hold back the tears. There is something different about actually seeing a place like that with my own eyes. I've read about the Holocause and have seen movies but seeing where it happened makes it so much more real to it. There is a tangible aspect to it. The massive numbers of peopled killed makes sense to me. The history and suffering became real. It was heartbreaking but real.
We arrived in Warsaw on the 10th. It is a strikingly different city. It is huge and has a urban city feel to it. It reminded me a lot of downtown l.a. or new york (but not as pretty). The presence of communism years ago can definitely be felt. Most of the building look identical-like slabs of concrete. Not exactly picturesque like some other cities we have been to. We stayed at a hostel again. this one was much bigger and nicer than the one in Krakow. i was in a 10 person room with 6 girls. The beds were more comfortable and so much warmer. This hostel also had someone who did our laundry for free. it was a little chaotic though. Imagine 47 people with tons of laundry all piled into one room. i had to lable everything. not all of my stuff got washed since there wasn' enought time but i'll take what I got. I have not down laundry since back in Cambridge...it is soooo nice to have clean clothes that don't smell like smoke.
We only had 2 days in Warsaw. One day we had a city tour from 9:30-5...and then next day we went to a few war memorials. One striking thing about Warsaw is that there are almost no orinigal buildings in the city from before world war II. THe whole city was destroyed. Everything was rebuilt during the communist era. one of our nights we went bowling. It was soo much fun. It felt like we were at home. The bowling place had Kareoke too...a few people got up there to sing including Rick and Barb Pointer (known to us as mom and dad) they sang my heart will go on from titanic....it was incredible...barb was soo embarassed but rick was way into it...he looked like a pro.
we left poland 2 nights ago. We had to take an overnight train to berlin. The train experienced was awful. it was stressful and tiring. We had about 4 minutes to get all our luggage onto the train-that is way easier said than done. The cart were sooo small. The aisle was a wide as a suitcase. we had 6 people in a room (3 bunks on each side on top of one another). The room was small...incredible small...only 3 people could stand in it at a time...we barely got any sleep...the german border control woke us up at 6...i got about 3 hours of sleep...not solid sleep but sleep....it was such a long ordeal and not a pleasant one...we made it to berlin safely thought...i ran out of time on the internet so more to come later.
Prague seems like such a long time ago...right now i'm in Berlin, Germany. Last week we were in Krakow and Warsaw, Poland. For this portion of the trip we have a tour guide, Garbriel. He is British and currently lives in Berlin. He is wonderful. He could be one of the funniest tour guides I've ever had. And he makes things interesting. I have not been bored on his walking tours of Warsaw and Berlin. And he has spoiled us with food. Our breakfasts have been extensive and our group meals have been incredible (we are talking 3 and 4 course meals-with a choice of a drink which is huge because we normally just get water).
I had no expectations for Krakow and it pleasantly surprised me. It has a very eastern european feel to it. there is a huge town square with open air markets and street performers. There are cobble streets everywhere. my love of cobble streets is fading quickly since this trip-draging luggage on them for over 5 minutes is soo hard! I found a new suitcase yeah! There is a huge mall in Krakow and I was able to find one pretty easily. We stayed in a hostle. It wasnt too bad. I was in a room with 6 girls and had to share a bathroom with 10 people. There were no mirrors anywhere except the bathroom which made getting ready for the day interesting. It was impossible to be quiet in the whole hostle so no one really got much sleep. We did luck out on its location thought. It was right on the corner of the main square...perfect. Our time in Krakow was relatively short. We went on a tour of the city and on a tour of communism. It was the craziest tour ever. We drove around in a huge red communist bus...i dont think i've ever noticed getting stared at so much. The tour leaders were insane/nutty. i dont really know how to explain it but pretty much none of us knew what was going on. it was so random and funny.
one day in Krakow we drove out to Auschwitz. There we saw the death camp and the labor camp. It was an extremely emotionally draining day. I'm still tring to process through everything I saw...I think it will take a while. It was a somber and hard day. I was extremely moved by what I saw...I was unable to hold back the tears. There is something different about actually seeing a place like that with my own eyes. I've read about the Holocause and have seen movies but seeing where it happened makes it so much more real to it. There is a tangible aspect to it. The massive numbers of peopled killed makes sense to me. The history and suffering became real. It was heartbreaking but real.
We arrived in Warsaw on the 10th. It is a strikingly different city. It is huge and has a urban city feel to it. It reminded me a lot of downtown l.a. or new york (but not as pretty). The presence of communism years ago can definitely be felt. Most of the building look identical-like slabs of concrete. Not exactly picturesque like some other cities we have been to. We stayed at a hostel again. this one was much bigger and nicer than the one in Krakow. i was in a 10 person room with 6 girls. The beds were more comfortable and so much warmer. This hostel also had someone who did our laundry for free. it was a little chaotic though. Imagine 47 people with tons of laundry all piled into one room. i had to lable everything. not all of my stuff got washed since there wasn' enought time but i'll take what I got. I have not down laundry since back in Cambridge...it is soooo nice to have clean clothes that don't smell like smoke.
We only had 2 days in Warsaw. One day we had a city tour from 9:30-5...and then next day we went to a few war memorials. One striking thing about Warsaw is that there are almost no orinigal buildings in the city from before world war II. THe whole city was destroyed. Everything was rebuilt during the communist era. one of our nights we went bowling. It was soo much fun. It felt like we were at home. The bowling place had Kareoke too...a few people got up there to sing including Rick and Barb Pointer (known to us as mom and dad) they sang my heart will go on from titanic....it was incredible...barb was soo embarassed but rick was way into it...he looked like a pro.
we left poland 2 nights ago. We had to take an overnight train to berlin. The train experienced was awful. it was stressful and tiring. We had about 4 minutes to get all our luggage onto the train-that is way easier said than done. The cart were sooo small. The aisle was a wide as a suitcase. we had 6 people in a room (3 bunks on each side on top of one another). The room was small...incredible small...only 3 people could stand in it at a time...we barely got any sleep...the german border control woke us up at 6...i got about 3 hours of sleep...not solid sleep but sleep....it was such a long ordeal and not a pleasant one...we made it to berlin safely thought...i ran out of time on the internet so more to come later.
Friday, October 5, 2007
I am so in love with prague! It is such a beautiful city. not too big or too many people. I'm so sad that we only had 3 days and one of them was spend on a day excursion to Terezin. After experiencing a little bit of the city it is definitely on the top of my list for places to come back too. The Charles bridge is incredible. There are tons of street vendors selling photographs and jewlery. Every time I walked it a jazz band was playing on the bridge. Some of my hightlights from our time in Prague was spent on the bridge. We would buy lunch from a cafe and take it to eat on the bridge. We would buy bottles of wine and drink them on the bridge. It was Lauren's birthday yesterday so a bunch of us bought a bottle of champaigne and made a toast of the bridge. I loved the Charles Bridge.
Our time in Prague was not extremely busy which was nice. We had a scheduled walking tour in which our guide never showed so our professors led a impromptu walk. WE got to see amazing views of the city and had more free time to explore on our own.
Our hotel was incredible. It was in perfect location right at the end of the charles bridge. All the rooms had bath tubs that were clean so I definitely spent an evening relaxing taking a bath while listening to the rain outside. It was incredible. Another hightlight was going out for Lauren's bday. Prague is home to the biggest dance club in central europe. It had 5 different levels with different types of music playing on each level. We spent most of the night on the hip hop floor with the american music. It was a blast.
On Wednesday we spent the day in the town of Terezin. The whole town was a jewish ghetto during wwII and it was home to a prison camp which also served as a transportation center to contentration camps. IT was a very emotional day. WE visited a memorial museum. THey had tons of children's poetry, paintings, and photographs. THe museum gave a picture as to what life was like for those who lived there during the war. IT was very hard to walk through it. I was brought to tears on several occasions. WE also visited the prison and labor camp and saw what the living conditions were like. They were horrible. I have always read about the Holocause and seen videos on it but it is something completely different to visit the actual sights and see first hand what happened there. It was a humbling and moving day for our group. Next week we will be going to Auschwitz. I know that will be another emotional day.
We left this morning for the town of Olomouc which is still in prague. WE are staying here to split up the drive to Poland. Its been an interesting day. THis morning as i was packing my suitcase zippers broke off. I tried to put them back on but it wouldn't work. Fortunately right now my suitcase is staying shut but as soon as i try to open it i won't be able to close it again. So I have to borrow things for tonight and wear my same clothing tomorrow. I tried to find a luggage store here in olomouc but failed after looking for about 1/2 hour in the rain. WE had a walking tour this afternoon and of course it starting pouring. and i mean pouring. THere was thunder and lightening as well. WE tried to hide in a tunnle to stay dry but the wind was blowing the rain so hard that we all got soaking wet. and i am in my flip flops b/c i can't get to any of my other stuff. It has been an intersting travel day to say the least. I'm exhausted and wet. hopefully i will be able to find a new suitcase in krakow tomorrow. The Czech Republic has been great and Prague was by far my favorite city. I wish we could spend longer there. I guess I will just have to come back!
Our time in Prague was not extremely busy which was nice. We had a scheduled walking tour in which our guide never showed so our professors led a impromptu walk. WE got to see amazing views of the city and had more free time to explore on our own.
Our hotel was incredible. It was in perfect location right at the end of the charles bridge. All the rooms had bath tubs that were clean so I definitely spent an evening relaxing taking a bath while listening to the rain outside. It was incredible. Another hightlight was going out for Lauren's bday. Prague is home to the biggest dance club in central europe. It had 5 different levels with different types of music playing on each level. We spent most of the night on the hip hop floor with the american music. It was a blast.
On Wednesday we spent the day in the town of Terezin. The whole town was a jewish ghetto during wwII and it was home to a prison camp which also served as a transportation center to contentration camps. IT was a very emotional day. WE visited a memorial museum. THey had tons of children's poetry, paintings, and photographs. THe museum gave a picture as to what life was like for those who lived there during the war. IT was very hard to walk through it. I was brought to tears on several occasions. WE also visited the prison and labor camp and saw what the living conditions were like. They were horrible. I have always read about the Holocause and seen videos on it but it is something completely different to visit the actual sights and see first hand what happened there. It was a humbling and moving day for our group. Next week we will be going to Auschwitz. I know that will be another emotional day.
We left this morning for the town of Olomouc which is still in prague. WE are staying here to split up the drive to Poland. Its been an interesting day. THis morning as i was packing my suitcase zippers broke off. I tried to put them back on but it wouldn't work. Fortunately right now my suitcase is staying shut but as soon as i try to open it i won't be able to close it again. So I have to borrow things for tonight and wear my same clothing tomorrow. I tried to find a luggage store here in olomouc but failed after looking for about 1/2 hour in the rain. WE had a walking tour this afternoon and of course it starting pouring. and i mean pouring. THere was thunder and lightening as well. WE tried to hide in a tunnle to stay dry but the wind was blowing the rain so hard that we all got soaking wet. and i am in my flip flops b/c i can't get to any of my other stuff. It has been an intersting travel day to say the least. I'm exhausted and wet. hopefully i will be able to find a new suitcase in krakow tomorrow. The Czech Republic has been great and Prague was by far my favorite city. I wish we could spend longer there. I guess I will just have to come back!
Monday, October 1, 2007
prague...the most beautiful city by far
Today we made our way to Prague. It was about a 4 hour drive. First impressions: This is one of the most beautiful european cities by far. I am absolutely in love with this city. Our hotel is located right on the end of the Charles Bridge. A perfect location. Our hotel is soo nice. It will probably be the nicest hotel that we will stay in. The rooms are really nice. A lucky 6 girls are staying in the pent house. it has a huge kitchen and a jacuzzi with about four rooms. unfortunately i'm not staying there and my room is definitely smaller but still very nice. Every room has a computer in it with free internet. Today I just explored the city a little bit...walking around...soaking in this amazing city. A few of us ended up getting a bottle of wine at an out door cafe in the middle of the square. It was a perfect way to start our time here in prague.
Our last two days in Vienna were wonderful. On saturday we went to Melk Abbey...about 2 hours outside of vienna and then took a river cruise down the danube river. It was so beautiful. We passed so many little towns right along the river. It was exactly how I pictured austria to be. We stopped off in the town of Durnstein which was soo beautiful. It was a small town with cobble streets and cute houses everywhere. We walked around a little bit and then when to a winery to get a glass of wine. I didn't realize that austria had wineries but you could see wineries everywhere during the cruise. We sat in the gardens at the winery and looked out to the danube. it was one of those great moments that I didn't want to end. It was definitely one of my highlights for our time spend in austria.
On our last day we went to church at a catholic mass that was all spoken in German. It was impossible to follow what was going on but the church itself was so beautiful and the choir was amazing. After church I spent the whole rest of the afternoon in a cafe...one of the oldest ones in vienna. I just journaled and did homework while drinking coffee and eating a tasty treat. I felt somehow like i was back in santa barbara on a sunday afternoon doing homework at a coffee shop. It was like having a piece of home here with me over in europe. It was a nice way to end our time in Vienna. It was such a beautiful city but i'm so excited for prague!
Our last two days in Vienna were wonderful. On saturday we went to Melk Abbey...about 2 hours outside of vienna and then took a river cruise down the danube river. It was so beautiful. We passed so many little towns right along the river. It was exactly how I pictured austria to be. We stopped off in the town of Durnstein which was soo beautiful. It was a small town with cobble streets and cute houses everywhere. We walked around a little bit and then when to a winery to get a glass of wine. I didn't realize that austria had wineries but you could see wineries everywhere during the cruise. We sat in the gardens at the winery and looked out to the danube. it was one of those great moments that I didn't want to end. It was definitely one of my highlights for our time spend in austria.
On our last day we went to church at a catholic mass that was all spoken in German. It was impossible to follow what was going on but the church itself was so beautiful and the choir was amazing. After church I spent the whole rest of the afternoon in a cafe...one of the oldest ones in vienna. I just journaled and did homework while drinking coffee and eating a tasty treat. I felt somehow like i was back in santa barbara on a sunday afternoon doing homework at a coffee shop. It was like having a piece of home here with me over in europe. It was a nice way to end our time in Vienna. It was such a beautiful city but i'm so excited for prague!
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