Czech it out!

I probably made that joke 50 times over the weekend - easily. I traveled to Prague (Praha) in the Czech Republic. Many of my friends from MU studied there in the past, and during my time working in the CAFNR study abroad office everyone said it was one of the most beautiful places they had ever seen. So, I decided that I had to czech it out to see what all the fuss was about. (OK, I will quit the play on word games starting....now)

Five of us from the MLP traveled together. I had never traveled with this group before, but I had a great time with all of them. I feel like we all stood out among the tourists as looking like "Londoners" rather than a group of American students.

Highlights of Praha:

• Amazing accommodations


• Amazing views of the city


• Amazing architecture


• Amazing night life


• Amazing company


• Amazingly cheap - outside of the touristy areas, of course

Obviously the experience as a whole was, amazing. ha

I arrived Friday evening with fellow MU J-kid Mike Bushnell. As soon as we came out of the metro station, I was basically breathless. It was everything I had expected it to be and more. We could see the castle in the distance, WWI era buildings and the Charles Bridge. I was immediately hooked.

After our first dinner experience and walk around old town square we met up with the rest of the MU gang - Adrienne, and Katherine. Pam was meeting us the next morning.

We found our "hostel" and were pleasantly surprised to find out it was actually an apartment. It was so gorgeous - with tons of space, on the first floor, had a hot shower, full sized bed and even a small balcony. About 5 million times better than our flat in London, and about 5 million times cheaper as well.

I had been sick prior to leaving London, so I was definitely dragging around Saturday morning. We walked up to the castle and caught some amazing views of the city. We also walked through the cathedral which had some stunning stained glass.

We stopped for lunch at a random alley up in the high part of the city. The five of us decided to each order a unique Czech dish and then sample each others. Most of it was great - but whipped cream and berry sauce on meat was a little questionable. 

I ordered chicken (of course) and it was topped with a peach, cheese, and gravy. Yes, a little questionable as well.

We ended up meeting up with a group of MU J students who were studying there for the summer. It was great fun seeing some familiar faces and catching up with their lives abroad.

Sunday I took some advice from a friend who had studied there before and went to the park. It was definitely a hike up the hill toward the "Eiffel Tower 2.0," but totally worth it. I stopped along at the orchards and picked cherries off the trees. Sat and took in the landscape and had a ton of time to clear my mind and my sinuses.

My trail took me back along to civilization where I ran into a lovely little cafe. There were only two people sitting in - who owned it. They fixed me a lovely takeaway lunch for only 35 crown (about 2 dollars). We also chatted about life in Prague and my journeys in London. I ended up going back to the castle and seeing a few more parts that we missed the day before. I also got to see some different views of the city and enjoy some beautiful gardens as well.

Although the trip was amazing, the journey home was not the case. Looking back it seems as though God was telling me to stay another day in Praha. I was so sad to be leaving in the first place, but still made my way to the airport. I arrived a little before 5 for my 7 p.m. flight. Upon checking in, I learned the plane was expected to arrive late. It's OK, I thought. I'll probably only have to wait another hour or so, right? False. 6 hours later I was finally on board my return flight. I also experienced what was quite possibly the roughest take of and landing in my flying history.

I was expecting to be back in central London by 9:30 or so. But I didn't end up getting in to Luton until about 11:30. At this point I knew I wouldn't be catching the tube home, since it closes at midnight. No big deal, I'll catch the bus. But first I had to make it through customs. Yeah, not so fun. It took more than an hour. Luckily I had no problems once it was my turn, and I was headed home. But the journey from the airport to my bus stop took about an hour and a half, then waiting for the ever so unreliable N97 at Hyde park corner took quite some time, too. Though - I hardly had any concept of time since my phone died. (Mom and Dad were probably quite worried at this point). Finally the bus comes - but oh, wait yet another road block. The friends I was traveling with accidentally picked up my oyster card when they left Prague, so I was left to pay for my ticket with change - which I only had 1.55. I needed 2 pounds, the driver had no change for the bills I had. Thankfully, he told me to "keep your 1 pound 55," smiled and I was on my way to Hogwarts road. I don't think I was ever as happy to hike up 6-1/2 flights of stairs to our decrepit flat.

At 3:30 I made the call home to my parents that I was alive. I think they were pretty happy. 11-1/2 hours of travelling for the day? Never again SkyEurope. Never again. No wonder it was so cheap!

I think it took a a week before I finally recovered from my journey. I think I'm getting too old for this stuff! But if you ever get the opportunity, I definitely recommend Czeching out fabulous Praha!!

Here's one of my favorite pictures from the trip - a scene from old towne square when I got up to see the sun rise...(so far on this trip I've been successful in seeing a sunrise in each country I've been to)

Oopah! My Big Fat Greek Getaway

Can I just say the word MAGICAL? Yes, my friends, Greece was indeed magical. In short there was a good mixture of good and bad experiences, but I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. 

The Good:  

• Flights:  B-e-a-u-tiful scenes flying in to Mykonos. The sun was rising, and we were on a very small jet, with Chocolate Croissants to boot. 
• Cab rides:  We finally settled on taking a cab, and once we all piled in the back seat literally sitting on each other's laps, we began our Nascar-like excursion to Paradise Beach. Our driver pumped up the volume on our favourite European techno dance music, and went faster and faster as we went through the narrow winding roads. Do I need to mention again that this was around 7 a.m.? 
• Paradise Beach - crystal clear blue water, SUN, beautiful men, diving off rocks and beachy drinks (peach juice, anyone?)
• Gyro Pitas:  Only 2.50 euro and legit Greek cuisine. Filling too. The man who made them told me every day, "I will make it special, just for you." 

• My girls:  A weekend with my girls Maggie, Rachel and April was much needed. We all know how to have fun, and spending several days relaxing on the beach was incredible. 

• The Acropolis (ακρόπολη):  OK, I'm a huge Greek mythology nerd, so it was so satisfying to finally see this place. Again - MAGICAL. We rolled into Athens late on Sunday night and were able to see the Parthenon lit up. The next day we hiked to the top (sweat, anyone?) and ventured around. Although there was a ton of construction, it was everything I dreamed it would be. 

The bad:

• Flights:  on our first layover in Athens, we had to check in again - only to experience people butting in line, prompting cursing all around us. If I knew any Greek swear words I probably would've joined in. 
• Cab ride:  Albeit it was a blast, but I was definitely clutching on to the back seat for dear life. A tad scary. 
• Paradise Beach:  Cold water, Men who know they're beautiful (uh hem, silly lifeguard doing pull-ups in front of everyone like it's in his job description), cuts on my feet from the reefs.
• Gyro Pitas:  OK, we ate these freakin' things every day. Yeah, they're amazing and cheap, but can a girl get some real food here (that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and have questionable ingredients?)
• Acropolis:  I'm not sure if it is always that crowded, but when we were going through the Propylaea, I was pushed and touched by hundreds of sweaty, hairy tourists. Ahh it was still worth it though. 

The Experience as a whole:  

• Paradise Beach:  amazing, but it definitely took an open mind. Between our "cabins," Italian men wearing diapers, and some obscene behaviour, I don't think it would be ideal for everyone. But I thought it made the weekend one of the best in my life. 

• Athens in general:  We stayed in a horrible part of the city (where the cops even made me feel unsafe), we went to the wrong hotel (who knew there was a difference between the "Amyrillis Hotel" and the "Amyrillis Hotel Inn?" I also had an interesting personal experience on the Metro (perhaps the most uncomfortable moment of my life). But when considering all the history and amazing things I was able to see, it was again, an experience that makes the weekend one of the best in my life. 
• Cats: EVERYWHERE! Seriously, the Greeks would do well to take Bob Barker's advice. I can't tell you how many times we sat down to eat, then POOF there's a stray feline begging for your scraps. Nasty. 

 MEOW

So, after writing that, I hope I don't sound too cynical in many of the aspects of the trip. I'm merely trying to get a laugh out of our more "interesting" experiences. But overall, the time in Greece was too short, and I only hope that some day I can return!