My Czech is making Prague-gress.

On Monday, I went to the Jewish Quarter after class. The synagogues
in Prague are outstanding, so I purchased a ticket that I could see
all of them in one day. I started in the Old-New Synagogue. It is the
oldest remaining synagogue in Europe, built around 1270 and is the
center of the Jewish Quarter. It was very beautiful and small, with
Gothic peaks and architecture. As one of the oldest structures in
Prague, it is amazing that it is still in such good condition. Next,
I went to the Pinkas Synagogue, the second oldest synagogue in
Prague. However, this synagogue has been converted into a memorial
for the Czech and Moravian people killed in the Holocaust. The names
were written on every vertical space in the synagogue...It was very
haunting to see the names keep going and going. Upstairs was a
collection of children's drawings from Terezin, a concentration camp
north of Prague. I studied Terezin last year in my Music and Politics
class so I really wanted to see this exhibit. I didn't count on the
exhibit being so hard to get through. It was hard to see the
children's drawings along with their photos and birth and death dates.
I went to the Jewish Cemetery next. For hundreds of years, Jewish
people could only be buried in this 1 and a half acre plot of land in
the center of Prague. My book said that over 100,000 people are
buried there. All of the gravestones are slanted or at odd angles. It
was moving and beautiful.
The next day, we went to the Museum of Decorative Arts to go to the
Artel exhibit. This commune of sorts from the turn of the 20th
century dedicated themselves to making practical, usable art. My
favorite was a Cubist tea set. Google it. It's pretty cool.
Last night, we went to the "Amerika Restaurace" for some American
food. Yeah, that was an epic fail. The menu had no english, and only
a few of the words were in our little guide books. So, we guessed. A
guy got "Mexike buritos". Unfortunately, this did not mean "Mexican
burritos" but rather rye bread with ketchup, beans, and onions.
Excellent! I stuck to "spagety" and fared better. We got "palcinky"/
crepes for dessert. Yum!
Yesterday was Mardi Gras, or here Carnival. There was a Carnival
celebration last night near the penzion. This was a slightly tamer
version of Mardi Gras [no beads] ... super fun! Cough...PLD...cough.
Whoopsies!
I am getting ready for Spring Break! I'm leaving for Vienna on
Friday morning and get back on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, I'll be
meeting Katherine in London for four days! So excited! I'll have my
computer with me, so I'll keep in touch.

Spring break deets and more!

Dobry Vecer!

Now I can make it official. For Spring Break, I am going to Vienna
and London! I am so excited. I am going to Vienna [by bus...eek!]
with two friends for six days and then I'm going to London by myself
for four days. I am really excited about both trips. In Vienna, I
plan on seeing lots of opera and in London I'm going to hit up the
West End. I'll be turning 21 in Vienna...I'm sure I'll have lots of
fun! Let me know if y'all have any suggestions for either city.

On Thursday, I did a lot of research for Spring Break. I've been
compiling plans of stuff to do in Vienna and London... travel plans,
sites to see, public transportation, etc. I want to make sure that
I'll know what I'm doing. For dinner, we went to a Czech restaurant.
They are REAL big on pork and potatoes here. I hadn't had Czech food
in a while, so it was nice to get back to the local food. That night,
we went to a bar called Kross. It was super cool... decorated with
things like hard drives hanging from the walls, car parts lit by
colored lights...awesome in a weird way. We met some Americans from
College of Charleston! What are the chances?

Friday morning, we got up late and meandered to the Institute. My
desk is in the fashion studio, so I saw them making their first
dresses. I really want to make a sun dress [I'm sure it's because I
am longing for sunlight!] and they said that they'd help me. I'm
going to the fabric store soon to but my materials...yay! My friends
Jessica and Katelyn and I went to a restaurant near the penzion
called Sudichka. It was hands down the best meal I have ever gotten
in Prague. Jessica and I split the mix grill. They brought a hot
plate to the table and brought us a tray with raw chicken, pork, and
beef and vegetables on it...we got to cook our own dinner! All of us
split the fruit fondue for dessert. It was so much fun...a very
interactive dinner. I'll definitely take y'all there when you come!

Today, we went to lunch and then climbed the Old Town Hall tower. It
was my third time, but my justification was that it was snowing
really heavily and I had never been up there when it was snowing.
Later, we went to Vysehrad, a ninth century castle that the Czechs
view as the birthplace of their nation . In Lit, we read legends
about Vysehrad, so I was really interested to see the mythical origin
of Prague. The cemetery was incredibly beautiful. It is the official
national cemetery, like Arlington in Washington. All recent famous
Czechs are buried there, including Jan Neruda, the famous 19th
century poet. All of the monuments were covered in snow...it was very
eerie, but not in a bad way. There was a lovely Gothic church, but we
couldn't go inside.

Prague fun fact: The penzion is located in Vinohrady, a residential
area of Prague. It was built at the turn of the twentieth century,
but it looks much more modern [it is the Functionalist style]. Right
next door are buildings from the same time period, but they are much
more ornate and detailed. The penzion only three Metro stops away
from Mustek, the stop for Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square, and the
Institute. The Institute is in a great location: right smack between
of Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square [that's not the correct
spelling of Wenceslas and 'spell check' isn't giving me any
suggestions. I can spell it in Czech though. It's Vaclav.]. Anyway,
Prague is a fairly small city. There are only three Metro lines, so
it is super easy to get around. I have been looking at the London
Tube map and getting a little intimidated!

We are going to dinner at the Czech restaurant around the corner. I
went there my first night in Prague but I haven't been back since.
It's super yummy, so I'm pretty excited.

P.S.: The high for tomorrow is 24 degrees. 24.

Czech, Czech, Czech it out!

Ahoj!

Sunday afternoon, Eleanor and I went to breakfast at the American
breakfast place, Bohemian Bagel. We go there whenever we crave
American food. I had a bagel sandwich. It was delish! After we went
to studio to do school work. Monday and Tuesday followed suit.

Today [Wednesday], I didn't have class until 3, so I touristed in the
morning. I went to the Church of Our Lady before Tyn. It's the church
with the distinctive steeples on the Old Town Square. This was a
beautiful, but rather odd church. Not that I know anything about
architecture, but felt that this church was built during the Gothic
period, but was renovated during the Baroque. The architecture is
beautiful and simple with lots of stained glass. But the alters don't
seem to match the structure of the church; the alter pieces are
incredibly ornate and detailed....LOTS of gold leaf. It was def worth
going though. After that, I went to a branch of the Narodni Muzeum
[National Museum], dedicated to Czech landscapes. I don't have much
to say about it... I guess that says it all. At least it was free.
For my final venture of the day, I went to the Mucha exhibition in
Old Town Square. Mucha was an artist at the turn of the century. He
created masterpieces with very stylized female figures...Google
him...you'll know who I mean. I loved this gallery. Mucha designed
everything: festival posters, stamps, postcards, Czech crowns [the
money], theatre advertisements...and on and on. I bought some
postcards there. It was well worth the trip!

My classes are going really well. Not to brag [who am I kidding, I'm
tooting my own horn], but I am pretty darn good at Czech. Of course,
being good in an introductory language class means being able to say
"I am Laura-Nelle. How are you? I am fine. I would like hot
chocolate". But I can say those things pretty well. My class is full
of land arc students who haven't taken a language course since their
sophomore year of high school, so the class moves pretty slowly. I
really like it. At this rate, I'll be somewhat okay at conversing by
the end of the semester.

We are studying Czech poetry in Literature. I find it really
interesting that in a country of 10 million people where Czech has
been widely spoken for less than a hundred years, there are such
incredible writers. Macha is the most famous poet; we are reading his
famous "Maj" right now.

I'm trying to include some details of life here in Prague in every
email, so here goes. The snow is starting to wear on me. Sure, it's
beautiful and picturesque, but it's really annoying when I have to
walk to the Institute with snow blowing directly in my face. We got
three inches of snow on Monday morning. We were so excited that
morning, but when we walked home, we realized that the snow had
gotten compacted into and inch of solid ice. Yeah, that was a fun
walk home. The cold doesn't really bother me anymore. We were looking
at the weather for the next week and we got so excited by a 38
degrees high one day...then we realized how sad that is.

Naskladano!

More adventures in Praha

On Wednesday, my literature professor took us to a branch of the
National Museum, the Convent of St. Agnes. They had a special
exhibition on St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of the Czech people. It
was pretty interesting, with various portraits of Wenceslas from over
the centuries. The exhibition also had some items purported to be
owned by Wenceslas. The Czech people are VERY into St. Wenceslas...it
was packed, not with tourists, but with Czech people. It was really
interesting...I'll take y'all when you come.

The highlight of Thursday was that a tourist thought I was a local.
Some Americans came up to me and said [with an awful accent],
"Mluvite anglitski?" [Do you speak English?]. I said that I was
American and they said that they thought I was Czech. Yesss. I am so
cool.

Friday was laundry day! I had done a load of underwear and socks in
the sink last week, but the rest was getting a little dank [soooo
much smoke]. I washed every piece of clothing that I brought that
wasn't dry clean only. Here I came to a conundrum... what to wear
when I go? My roommate and I decided to wear our dress clothes
because we hadn't worn them. We looked a little silly at the
Laundromat wearing our nice clothes, but what can you do? It was
lovely to have clean clothes. The little laundromat is super cute,
plus you get "gratis caj a kava", free tea and coffee! Excellent.

That little adventure took over three hours, but they had wi-fi, so
I got some stuff done. Later, we went to the Institute to work on our
valentines. The group had decided to do secret valentines. We picked
names and made each other cards and fun stuff. I made my valentine a
card, some homemade crafty flowers, and some chocolate. From the
person who had me, I got homemade cookies and a card. The whole event
was pretty adorable.

Yesterday, We decided to be tourists. We went to the Communist
Museum in Wenceslas Square. It detailed the Communist rule in
Czechoslovakia from after WWI to the Velvet Revolution. It was more
of a reading museum than an... I don't know...looking museum, but it
was very informative. I'll definitely use what I learned for my final
project. Fun fact: the Communist Museum is in the same building as a
casino and next door to a McDonalds. Oh irony.

After the museum, some of the girls wanted to go to up the Town Hall
Tower. I've already done it, but I loved so much that I wanted to go
again. The view was even better than the first time I went; it was
clear for miles. After the tower, we went to a Salvador Dali exhibit.
It was pretty cool, but there were only a few originals...most
everything was prints. The cool part was the photography interspersed
with the paintings. A Czech photographer did a photo series of Dali--
among the series is the famous photo of Dali holding an egg to his
eye. It was very interesting to see the artist himself...He was a
weird dude. There is a Mucha exhibition next door...we are going to
do that next weekend.

Since it was Valentine's Day, the girls and I decided to get dressed
up and go to dinner. I had bought a dress that I was eager to wear.
As it turned out, over half of us were wearing the same thing!
Apparently, a black knit turtleneck dress and leggings is all the
rage. It was fun to have a girls night out!

My stay in Prague has made me want to get a dog, even though I am
vaguely allergic. Everyone has dogs here. Even though it is so cold
here, people walk their dogs everyday without leashes. All of the
dogs here are very well-behaved: they don't bark or jump or anything.
Plus, dogs are allowed everywhere: on the tram, on the metro, in
restaurants...Here at the penzion, all of the employees bring their
dogs to work. We have two miniature poodles, a whippit [sp?], a
ginormous sheepdog, and some other little dog that hang out during
the day.

I'll write again soon!

Dobre rano! [Isn't my Czech getting good?]

Hallo everyone. I have recently learned some distressing news and I
feel the need to share it with you all.

It was 72 degrees in Charlotte.

This news spread like wildfire through the Institute. Because it was
SEVEN degrees here last night.

Yeahhhhhhhh...

Anyway,

While I have been recovering from the horrible sickness that
infested me, I have been trying to take it easy so I don't bring it
back with renewed force. But, all bets were off on Monday morning,
when I escaped the prison disguised as the penzion. I have never been
happier to be outside. That morning I had Literature and Philosophy.
I really enjoy Lit. We discussed their creation legends, kind of the
Czech version of the King Arthur legends. Their founders lived in a
fortress called Vyshrad, about 500 AD. The structure still exists, so
our Professor is going to take us to Vyshrad one day [when it gets
warmer]. Today during our class time, she is taking us to a branch of
the National Gallery in St. Agnes Convent in Old Town. This gallery
focuses on the earliest Czech artworks, from the time of Vyshrad. I
am really excited to go!

In Philosophy, we are discussing Hume's views on religion [to be
compared with today's lecture on Kant's views on religion.] It is a
very cool class and I'm glad I'm taking it.

Yesterday, I had Czech language and Beekeeping. I am beginning to
get why Czech is the hardest language in Europe. All of the nouns
change forms, there are WAY too many consonants, and no rule works
100% of the time. It is frustrating for me to be missing so many
basic words and phrases. When I don't know what to say, I blurt out
the phrase in any [and all] languages I know.

Recent incident: [What I meant to say: where is the bathroom?--->
Kde jsou toalety?] I walk up to the register at a coffee shop...ok it
was Starbucks...what can I say, it reminds me of home. Anyway:

LP: Dobry den!
Barista: [small laugh] dobry den! [I had already ordered my coffee,
so this was the second time I had said dobry den to him]
LP: Kde je...um...uh....kde....donde....um...el bano...donde esta el
bano? I mean, I'm sorry.

It was just sad. He spoke English, thank God.

Back to school. Beekeeping is interesting. Since honeybees are small,
they fall outside of my debilitating fear of bugs. A+! The professor
doesn't speak great English, so that might be difficult, but I think
it'll be OK.

On Monday, the whole group went bowling. It was so much fun, but I
forgot what a bad bowler I am. Oh well.

And last night, we all went to a jazz performance. I have always
thought of jazz as a very American art form; Duke Ellington, BB King,
MJQ. At first it was odd to see pasty Eastern Europeans jamming out,
but they were awesome! I plan on going back to another jazz club soon.

It is snowing right now, but I am still at the Institute. It seems
odd to do stuff while it is snowing. Don't they know that you sit at
home do nothing every time it snows?

I'll write again soon!

Well, that wasn't the WORST weekend of my life...

But it was close.

On Friday I woke up feeling rotten. I went to the Institute to talk
to Anael, the assistant. It turns out she was sick, so I had to wait
for Dana. She made me an appointment at the clinic for ex-pats, but
she couldn't come with me. So I got to experience European healthcare
all on my own...

It was quite the adventure.

After taking the metro to the end of the line, riding the tram two
miles, and then walking down a ginormous hill, I found the clinic
[after going in the wrong building...twice], I went into the the
English speaking [hallelujah!] clinic. The doctor listened to my
lungs and determined that I had bronchitis, which I already
suspected. He gave me 4 prescriptions, told me not to breathe cold
air, and to rest for three days. Hmmm...does he know where we are?
Walking is necessary to do anything, and it is super cold. He told me
to go home and stay there for the weekend.

I stayed inside. All weekend. Going stir crazy. And feeling awful.

This morning, walking to the metro, I have never been so excited to
go outside in my entire life. Ahh fresh air. Plus, I feel much
better. YAY!!

Sorry for the boring post, but I didn't do a whole lot this weekend.
but now I'm free!

Wandering Around Prague

Night before last, some of the landscape arc people and I went
with Art to a Czech restaurant near the Institute [also really near the
Old Town Square]. I got the oddest dish: roasted potatoes, cooked
apples, and ham served in a ridiculously hot cast iron pan... it seemed
like it could be the next "Sizzler Special" at Golden Corral...not super
delicious. We left the restaurant and went back to the Institute to work
on our projects.

Have I not mentioned my final project [that I am already working
on...]? Well, all of the other kids have final projects [for fashion or
land arc] and one morning in Cesky Krumlov, Art gave me a final project
to do as an independent study [that means I get class credit...yay!]. I
am going to be examining the politics of the Czech Republic, focusing
primarily on the past twenty years, after the Velvet Revolution. I am
going to be writing a paper, putting together a movie, and creating a
pamphlet to hand out to future students at the Institute, all while
incorporating elements of landscape architecture and fashion. Pretty
cool, huh? I am so excited about it... it is going to be a lot of work,
but I think it'll be really worthwhile.

Back to studio. I am way too detail-oriented, so everything has
to be perfect and that is why I am working on the film right now. I'll
show it to y'all when I get back.

Today, I didn't have class until 3...GER rocks. I got up late
and wandered to the Institute to check my email. Then I decided to tour
around the Old Town Square. I went up to the top of the Old Town Hall
[the one that was partially bombed in WWII / has the famous clock].
The Tower has a view of the entire city, all the way from the castle to
the suburbs. You can see all of the church steeples. Even though is
wasn't a very pretty day, the view was spectacular. When y'all come to
visit, I'll take you there. It is my new favorite place in Prague.

After the tower, I went to the Church of St. Nicolas. It is on
the edge of the Square and has huge green copper steeples. It is one of
the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I like it better than St.
Peter's in Rome. The beauty is less opulent and more subtle. There is a
huge crystal chandelier shaped like a crown over the nave. I could have
sat there all day, but I had to get to class.

I had Literature and Philosophy this afternoon. When we looked
at the syllabus for Lit, I could see the land arc kids' faces fall. They
are not used to reading for their classes!! Poli sci wins! I am really
excited about Philosophy. It is like Governor's School! We are all
existential and deep. I love it and it is only the first day!!

Tonight the girls and I made an Italian dinner. It was fun to
cook with everyone and get to know new people. Afterward we hung out in
the fashion studio. I made a fun headband. I am considering auditing the
fashion studio class. It seems like a really fun class and I think that
I would enjoy it.

I am finally getting to know my way around the Metro and the
city.
When y'all come, I'll be a very well informed tour guide. This weekend,
I might go to the Castle or to the Jewish Quarter. I'll keep y'all up to
date!

No Superbowl for Lnelle

On Sunday night, I missed the Superbowl. This might be the first
time in ten years that I have not watched the Superbowl. I could not
justify watching a game that started at 1:00 AM our time. If the
Panthers had been playing, I def would have watched, but since I
didn't much care about either team, it wasn't too bad.

The next morning, I lazily got up and sauntered down to breakfast
only to find out from Art that I had class in 45 minutes. It takes a
half an hour to get there, so I inhaled my toast and ran upstairs to
get dressed. Getting dressed in time was no mean feat: I had to put
on two pairs of thermal pants, a thermal shirt, jeans, a shirt, a
sweater, two pairs of socks, my coat, scarf, gloves, and hat. It is
quite the process.

We ran the 5 blocks to the Metro, hop on the train, and run the 3
blocks to the Institute only to find out that class was canceled. Oh
well. I spent a good bit of the day online at the Institute, catching
up with my correspondence. I went to lunch with a group to a
cafeteria a few blocks away... it is kind of like the K&W, minus the
'like an egg, sir?' lady.

After hanging out at the penzion, we went to dinner at an Italian
restaurant. We have learned that the Italian restaurants give you
enough food for two meals, so it is a two-fer deal. Excellent.

I had my Czech class this morning and it went really well. While
Czech is very different from any language that I have studied, the
symbols are the same as the International Phonetic Alphabet, the
system I use to learn new voice pieces. I can sound out anything I
read, even though I don't understand a word. I'm working on it!

For lunch, we went with Art to Bohemia Bagel, an American style
bagel shop. It is the one place in Prague with American breakfast. I
recommend the pancakes. Delicious! There is a special called the King
Charles plate: two 10 inch pancakes, two fried eggs, two pieces of
sausage, two pieces of bacon and a bagel. Ned would enjoy the
mountain of food, although it might stretch even his limits!

I think I am going to go exploring this afternoon around Old Town
Square. There are some lovely galleries to poke through and lots of
crystal shops to wander around. I'll let y'all know if I see
something good!

Cesky KrumLOVE!

On Thursday afternoon, we took a walking tour of Prague, going to Wenseslas Square, the Jewish Quarter... pretty much all of Prague on the east side of the Vlatva. It is a really beautiful city. Almost all of the buildings are from the Baroque period or before. Often buildings are layered with all different architectural styles because of renovations or additions. The only 20th century buildings are the sights of the few bombings in WWII. Hitler came to Prague and said it was too beautiful to destroy. However, some American fighter pilots got a little lost and thought that Prague was Dresden. The Americans bombed the Town Hall and a few other sites. Whoopsies!

We had an early night on Thursday because we all had to get up really early, so I just had a Luna bar and stayed in to pack for Cesky Krumlov [pronounced Che-ski Kroom-lahv]. The fashion people were going to Paris... I won't lie...I was a little disappointed that I was going to some little village in rural Czech Republic. But their flight was at 6:00 am... Our train was much later. Cesky Krumlov-1, Paris-0.

On the way to Cesky Krumlov, the train had a change at Cesky Budejovice [Boo-deh-yuh-vee-tseh]. During the layover, we visited the Budweiser Budvar brewery... the ORIGINAL Budweiser,not the bad American beer, so they tell us. We learned how they make their beer... they are very proud of their beer here. Breweries sponsor individual bars, making the bars exclusive to the particular beer brand. Anyway, we took a tour of the brewery and went to lunch in the town square. It was the first restaurant that I have been to that has not had English on the menu... don't judge, about 90% of the restaurant menus in the CR have Czech, German, and English. Deciphering enough Czech to order was quite the adventure. I got goulash and dumplings. I had high expectations for the meal [the dumplings especially, since I was raised on Granny's chicken and dumplings], but I was not the biggest fan. Oh well.

We finally got to Cesky Krumlov after a beautiful train ride through the countryside. It had just snowed, so the forest was gorgeous, lots of firs and pines. After a long hike down the icy hill from the train station to the town [with our heavy backpacks on!], we walked through the town square up to our penzion. The penzion was called Krumlov House. It reminded me of a hobbit's home: cozy and homey.  To enter, you climb down a steep set of stairs into a small reception hall with very low ceilings. The owners renovated it themselves with lots of blonde oak [that's a tree right?] beams and crafty furniture. It was super cute and comfy.

That night, we went to a local restaurant that served traditional Czech food. I got turkey on a stick... delicious. Art lead us to a local place afterwards called Gypsy Bar, where, unsurprisingly, Gypsies play gypsy music. It was a very cool place, populated with only locals [...and us...]. We felt very cool.

Cesky Krumlov is so beautiful. It looks straight out of a postcard. The castle is on one side of the Vlatava and the town is on the other side of the river. The castle complex was carved out of the cliff and has many different styles of architecture, ranging from early Renaissance to Baroque. On the other side of the river, the town has winding roads that all lead to the main square so it is impossible to get lost [a good thing for me!]. It snowed continuously during our stay, coating all of the roofs with snow.  None of the snowless winters of North Carolina! We got a good 6 inches while we were there and I enjoyed every minute of it. 

Last night before dinner, a bunch of us climbed an impossibly steep hill and went sledding. It was so much fun! However, my sledding came to an end when I hit a large bush. I am a tidge bit sore today.

We went to a restaurant called the Catacombs last night. Shockingly, the restaurant is in the  catacombs of the town. To get into the restaurant, you have to climb down spiral steps carved out of the rocks; claustrophobics beware! All of the food [LOTS of pork] was cooked on a spit in front of you...it was quite the experience. After dinner we went to the Horror Bar, which, in fact, was quite horrific. We left soon after arriving. 

After taking a final walk around the town [where I bought a little watercolor painting of the town], we packed up and took the bus back to Prague [faster, but much less picturesque than the train]. Apparently all of the restaurants have closed, so I went to the small grocery store around the corner and got a roll and some cream cheese for dinner. 

I had a great time in Cesky Krumlov. It was nice to get to know the Land Arc people better and very cool to watch them sketch the town. I can't imagine that the people in Paris had a better time!

Prague [minor] PLDs

     When I left off last time, I was about to go practice for the performance. Well, in true Parnell form, napping got in the way. I thought that I could just take a quick power nap. Not so much. I slept through the rehearsal. But, this turned out to be a very good thing. 

     I woke up in time to go with a group to The Golden Snake, a small restaurant near the castle where the performance was to take place. We thought that it would be a comedy show in a dive bar. Oh no, it was not. It was a dinner theatre performance in a nice restaurant. Yeah, I'm really glad I did not have to perform with the other (much more serious) acts. The State group decided to perform the classic hit, 'Whip It' by Divo (except that they called their band Pivo, the Czech word for beer!) because they thought that it would be funny and the Czech people would know it. Yeah, the Czech people did NOT know it. At all. A performance that was supposed to be really funny turned into being really embarrassing. Of course the rest of the State kids and I were laughing hysterically. Good times. Afterward, we grabbed some dinner at an Italian restaurant.

     The next morning was the first day of orientation. We had breakfast and then Art, the professor staying with us at the penzion, took us to the Institute. The Institute is right near Old Town Square (the one with the clock) in a building that was built in 1250. The Institute takes up one side of a building surrounding a courtyard. All of the ceilings have Gothic peaks, which give it an old feel,  but other than that, it is very modern. There are two classrooms, a fashion studio, a architecture studio, and a GER table that I have claimed. There is one full kitchen and two other half kitchens. It is a really nice space. A State flag hangs from outside into the courtyard.

     We learned about the transit system and traveling around Prague, the CR, and the rest of Europe. I didn't realize that we have a Spring break, so I have to figure out what to do. Traveling sounds pretty easy to do. We went to an Italian restaurant [again!] and then headed back to the Institute for more training. 

    The night before, I realized that my trip to Tesco was not as successful as I thought it was. In the shower, I didn't understand why my body wash was not lathering. Yeah, instead of body wash, I bought lotion. Czech is pretty tough to decipher. Some of us ran to Tesco after orientation to grab more toiletries.

     Dana, the head of the program, had arranged for us all to go out to dinner. We went to a monastery/restaurant above the castle. We had to take the tram and make a transfer and then go to the end of the line. Needless to say, we lost people [only 3...pretty good], but they were together so they just went back to the penzion. The restaurant was very interesting, lots of wood burning fires, exposed brick, and wooden beams. I got chicken and it was delicious.

     Speaking of consumption, I have apparently become part camel. Since you have to pay for water, I only get one small glass bottle for dinner. The deprivation has made water so much more appealing. When we get back to the room, I drink out of my water bottle like I have a hollow leg.

     After dinner, some of us took a walk down through the Prague Castle and across the Charles Bridge. Prague at night is breathtaking. We could look over the castle hill and see all of Prague. Every time you turn a corner, there are more incredibly beautiful old buildings. It is easily the most beautiful city I have ever seen. My roommate, Eleanor, and I have decided that one day when it is snowing, we are going to get up really early and go the the Charles Bridge for the sunrise.

     The fashion students are going to Paris tomorrow. We [the land arc students and the two GER kids] are going to the slightly less exciting Ceske Krumlov, although we are going to Berlin in March.

     Now I am at the Institute, waiting for the land arc and fashion students to be done with their  studio orientation. The other GER person and I are pretty much doing nothing for the time being. Later we are going to go on a walking tour of Prague. I have been preparing myself for sub-arctic temperatures, but it really hasn't been super cold [knock on wood!]. It is about freezing now, but if I'm all wrapped up, I'm fine. I think it is going to snow at the beginning of next week.

Praha!!

After spending 4 hours in the motherland [Ireland], I got on the
plane for Prague. I was trying to keep the panic at bay the whole plane
ride. Here I was, headed to a country by myself, where I know no one and
can't speak the language. By the time we landed, I had worried myself to
pieces.

I had written down the address of the penzione on a piece of
paper in Dublin, so after retrieving the monsters that pretended to be
my suitcases and going through customs, I headed out the door to find
the CEDAZ minibus driver. I gave him my address and got on the bus.

After the terrifying bus ride [the streets are VERY
narrow and people park on both sides], I arrived safely at the penzione.
After dragging my suitcases [which apparently were packed by Imelda
Marcos...or...ahem...me] up the stairs to reception, I got my room key
and went searching for my room.

Ok...I know that living spaces aren't roomy in Europe, and
that's fine...except when you have to pack for three months. I got to
the room and realized that there is nowhere to put my stuff. No drawers,
no shelves, only a stand up closet with no hangers. Excellent. I dump my
suitcases on the floor and sit on the [rather hard] bed.
'Awesome', I thought.

A few minutes into unpacking, I heard something that made me
come out of my reverie. English! I poke my head out the door and see two
girls struggling to drag a mountain of luggage into their room down the
hall. They said hello and I asked them if they were with State.
They were! They had just gotten in from three weeks of traveling
throughout Europe before the program with four other people from State.
They were about to go out to dinner with the State professor and asked
me if I wanted to come!

We went to a local restaurant and got some Czech food. I got
something with chicken...it was pretty good, but there was a lot of it!
After, we went to a bar really close to the penzione to hang out.
We met the craziest people who wanted us to do improv with them. We did
a rousing rendition of 'Sweet Home Alabama' or something like that with
blow-up guitars and funny costumes. They loved it! They invited us to a
club the next night [tonight] for an open mic night.
The professor, Art, decided that we needed to do this, so we are meeting
in an hour to rehearse. You know that's right up my alley...I was put
in charge of vocals.

This morning we met in the lobby to go out to breakfast... in
the penzione, they serve a continental breakfast that [so they tell me]
gets a little old after a while. We went to Bohemia Bagel, right off of
the Old Town Square. They have the only American breakfast in
Prague...Art said that we would be grateful for it soon.

After breakfast/lunch, we all went to Tesco, the Czech version
of Target. I needed toiletries and such, so I was eager to go. Reading
the Dove bottles in Czech was challenging, but I think I got the right
stuff. And I got a hair straightener. I was pretty pumped about
that...don't laugh, we all have our priorities. I am not going for three
months with bad hair.

I left with another girl to go back to the penzione. We got on
the Metro and proceeded to get hopelessly lost. We took the wrong train,
and when we finally got out on the stop, we got lost in the streets.
In our defense, it was our first day in Prague and we didn't have a map
yet. We eventually made our way back to the penzione.

I just got back from the grocery store which is right around the
corner and now I am in a cafe [drinking a Coke Light, of course] that
has free wifi a block from the penzione.

Have I not mentioned how beautiful Prague is? It is pretty
rocking.
Even from the [horrifying] minibus at night, I could see the city. I saw
the State Theatre and Old Town Square today. Everything is so old and
nothing has been torn down since 900. I haven't toured any yet, but I
will soon. We don't have classes on Fridays [yesssssssss], so I can tour
then.

I am having a great time and meeting fun people. It is going to
be an amazing semster!

I'll write tomorrow and tell you about our performance
tonight...hahaha!

Spain: Part 2

Yesterday, I went to breakfast just around the corner from the apartment. I got a french toast type thing and tea. It was really good. Afterward, I went to the Reina Sophia, the museum of modern art in Madrid. We saw the Guernica, the most piece of modern art. It is really incredible. The rest of the museum ranged from awesome [Miro and Picasso] to just plain weird [everything else].

After the Reina Sophia, I went to lunch [at 3!] with Ana. It was really good to see her. I don´t think I had seen her in 10 years! There was a set menu since lunch is their big meal of the day. I got sopa de picadillo [peppers and egg...surprisingly good!] and some kind of beef stew. Then I climbed onto a bus to Sol, a big square with lots of shops and restaurants. It is near La Plaza Mayor, the biggest plaza in the city. I just wandered around for a while [and went to McDonalds to go to the bathroom!] before taking the Metro home. The Metro is like Washington´s...really good.

When I got back to the apartment, I took a nap [following the great Parnell tradition] because I was going to go out that night. We left around nine for dinner [I know, redonkulous]. Riding in a car in Madrid is an experience. No one yields, uses turn signals, or abides any other traffic law. Fab!

Anyway, when we went out, everyone was speaking Spanish so fast that I couldn´t understand a word! Sometimes someone would venture to speak in English, but a lot of them speak English like I speak Spanish...not so hot. After, at about 11:30 [yes, PM], the group went to a bar w. It was so much fun! It was much easier to speak with people one on one...I could actually understand what people were saying. We talked politics some, which you know I loved! We danced until 3:30 [ridiculous] when the bar closed. I got home really late...about 6:30. My life is ridiculous.

Needless to say, I slept in pretty late. The scheduling here is much different than in the US...it was no big deal that I got up so late. I went to the Prado after a light lunch. I. Love. the. Prado. I have decided that Velazquez is my favorite Spanish painter...just beautiful! The Prado is large, but not nearly as large as the Met or the National Gallery, so I finished around 6. I played Wii for a while, [that video game where you actually play the sports...it is very satisfying to hit the virtual tennis ball since I can´t hit a real one].  I think we might eat some dinner now [it is 9...PM]. I have pretty much resigned myself to being in a desperately hungry-full cycle...que será, será, ¿no?

Espana!!!

My first 24 hours in Spain has been fine. My Spanish is coming back
pretty well. I only understand about half, but I am getting better!
When I got in, I took a shower and then took a siesta. After that
amazing nap, I went by the Retiro, the big park in Madrid. The Prado
borders the Retiro. Madrid is really beautiful.

I am definitely feeling my Americaness. I eat with one hand, although
I am trying to eat with two. The kissing on both cheeks keeps
catching me off guard but I´m getting better. My hair straightener
was an epic failure. It works, but it gets about as hot as if I
licked it. Fail.

We had dinner at 10 last night...No, you didn´t read that wrong...10!
The granola bars are already coming in handy.

I just went out to breakfast [got delicious French toast!]. I have
plans to meet a friend for lunch at three [I know!][ have a granola
bar in my purse]. I am trying to figure out what to do today. I´ll
probably go to the Prado this morning, and maybe the Reina Sophia in
the afternoon.

The weather is nice, about 55 degrees, but everyone here is bundled
up in winter coats, hats and scarves. I am wearing a sweater and
burning up. Oh, to be a Parnell.