So where do I even begin explaining my weekend in Prague? No words can truly describe how much I love Prague, but believe me, Prague is my home away from home, my love and even though I hadn’t been back in 7 years, it felt like I was home…picking up from where I left off. It was absolutely amazing! Not only that, but when we moved back to America, this girl named Radka also came back with us as our “au pair” for one year. In 2003, we came back to Prague to surprise her for her birthday, but after that we lost contact. When I moved to France this year, I kept searching for her on facebook and after many tries, I found her! After 7 years of not talking, it was great to finally reconnect with her, which was another reason I was looking forward to Prague because I got to see her!

Radka picked me up from the airport and we definitely had a heart to heart moment, kind of what you would see in a movie where two people are running towards each other in an airport and drop everything then hug and cherish each other…well yeah, same thing happened with Radka and me. After we settle down and got my luggage, we jumped into a taxi and headed straight for Nebušice (my old neighborhood) because it was so close to the airport and we didn’t want to waste any time!! I was already so nervous yet excited and anxious to get there and see my neighborhood and especially my old house. I didn’t know what to expect because it had been years since I’ve last seen it in person. On the way over, the taxi driver was telling us that he remembers bringing this American guy (which we assumed was my dad!) to U Pohádky (our street name) because they always called him “Pohádky man” haha First of all that is crazy that he’s worked for this taxi driving company that long, but that this particular taxi driver remembers him!

We finally made it to the house and I jumped out of the car and just stood in front of the house with a huge smile on my face, thinking “ah I’m home!” The outside of the house looked identical to what I’ve remembered over the years except for the fact that they took down our awning that said “Pohadka”, which in Czech means “fairytale”. For me, that is what made the house so magical and real and I will never forget that. But just being where I used to live gave me the goosebumps and honestly, I felt like I still lived there and was just coming home from a vacation lol


But there was someone standing in the doorway when we arrived, so Radka spoke to her (in Czech of course so I couldn’t really tell what they were saying) but it was along the lines that I used to live here and was wondering if we could come inside to check it out for a few minutes. Well, the lady turns out to be a real estate agent and is showing a family our house in a few minutes so she also allowed us to check it out! Boy has the inside changed. The entire house is so modern now; it looks completely different than when we were there! Every room now has hardwood floors, the kitchen looks like it could be found in a model house in the States and they redid the stairs and removed the back door(bad mistake on their part about the door, but everything else is okay in my opinion).

We checked out the entire house, went back in my old room and on Gabby’s deck and also explored the backyard. The tennis court, the cherry tree, the greenhouse and the pool were all still there and when I was at the garage, I noticed that one of the windows still had a crack in it and just started laughing because this was from Grant shooting a Beebe gun at the window! After how many years we’ve been gone and they still haven’t fixed it? Haha It made me laugh! Radka and I also went to check out the šarka right across the street from our house, where we always played.



Then we started walking to ISP (the International School of Prague)! Oh ISP looked the same to me as it did when I was in elementary & middle school except that the bright, vibrant colors on the outside of the building weren’t as bright as they used to be. We got a visitor’s pass from the front office and went exploring! The cafeteria was the same, the middle school wing, the art and music wing; everything looked how it did when I went there! It was great walking through the halls of the middle school wing especially because that’s where I spent the majority of my time! Unfortunately, none of my teachers are still there, but it brought back so many wonderful memories of my time in Prague!


Saturday was our biggest day of adventure because we were going from mid morning until late into the evening…but no complaining because it was definitely worth it! Saturday was also the very first day of the Easter market in Old Town Square! This is by far one of my favorite markets in Prague because of their handmade Czech Easter eggs! Everyone in my family has one with their name on it and it is a perfect souvenir for anyone because it is so unique! But out of all the vendors selling these Easter eggs, only one booth hand carves your name into the eggs. After searching every booth, we finally found the right one and of course it was also the booth with the best eggs! What luck!

Old Town Square is one of my favorite places in Prague because there is the astronomical clock and tower as well as Týn Church. The buildings here are also very historical and architecturally beautiful that I could spend hours taking it all in! We grabbed lunch from the market and did just that!

After, we walked to the Powder Tower and went in a few tourist/souvenir shops and to my surprise, found the most amazing hand painted picture of the Charles Bridge with the castle and St. Vitus Cathedral in the background! I’m so excited to frame it and hang it up in my new apartment when I am back in SLO!

We walked through the streets of Prague from Old Town Square to the Charles Bridge and when we got to the bridge, the sun was coming out, there were blue skies and the castle and cathedral looked even more gorgeous than I remember! Unfortunately, part of the bridge was closed to reconstruction, so I didn’t get any good pics of the bridge itself, but I took some of the statues and the views from the bridge! Being on the bridge with the Vltava River below and an amazing view of Prague in so many different angles is by far my FAVORITE place in Prague! Here are some pictures so you can see for yourself:


If you touch the gold part of this statue on the bridge, it is said you get good luck- which this weekend was definitely proof of that!







On the other side of the bridge, we visited our old church, St. Thomas Church, where Gabby and Grant had their first communion then headed up the hill to the Prague castle!





We took the tram up to the very top of where the castle is and Radka first took me to see the Strahov Monastery where the view of Prague is absolutely gorgeous!

From there, we walked to the main entrance of the castle where they were getting ready for Prince William, from England, to arrive at the castle for a gala event (I was looking for him, but never saw him). The most spectacular place to be at the castle though would be St. Vitus Cathedral!! It is by far the most beautiful cathedral I know and every time I see this masterpiece, I am in awe of how people back then had the tools and ability to construct something this massive and beautiful! Here are some pictures of the cathedral inside and out, but first let me say that out of all the sites to see in Prague, I was here every day because the first day, there was a private event going on in the church and when Radka and I got home Saturday night, all of her pictures from her camera of the castle were gone and so we had to go back and then when we went back, the church was closed again, so we re-did our pics and on my last day there (3rd time’s a charm I guess), we were finally able to see the inside of the cathedral!


Saturday night we walked back across the Charles Bridge and into Old Town Square, heading towards St. Wenceslas Square to catch the tram back to Praha 10, where Radka lives (Praha 1 and 2 are the center of Prague, where the majority of tourist attractions are).

On Sunday, Radka and I went up to the top of the Astronomical Clock Tower in Old Town Square. The weather wasn’t the greatest, but the view was absolutely amazing! You really can see all of Prague, in so many different angles, it is unbelievable!


We also made it to the Jewish quarters of Prague to see the oldest synagogue in Prague as well as the Jewish cemetery. In that same area is where the Intercontinental Hotel is…we always used to go swimming at their pool when we lived here and that is also where my family stayed before leaving to move back to the US. Good memories…

We also went by the Rudolfinum, where the Czech philharmonic orchestra plays. I’ve seen a few concerts in there before! Speaking of concert halls, to thank Radka for letting me stay with her for the weekend, I treated her to see the ballet Swan Lake at the State Opera in Wenceslas Square! It was a wonderful production and she was so thrilled…she aspires to work for a theatre or ballet company in Prague, so this was right up her alley. Inside the opera house, there was red velvet everywhere and so many intricate details, it was almost distracting me from the ballet haha


Monday was by far the best weather day, clear blue skies and warm! Here are some pictures of Old Town Square on Monday!

And here are some other pictures to recap my adventure in Prague!

It was sad to say goodbye to Prague after such an amazing weekend!! I hope that one day I will have the opportunity to go back because like I said before, Prague has a special place in my heart that will never go away! If I could, I would move back to Prague in a heartbeat. But I hope that you can see how much I am in love with this city and if you ever have the chance to go…GO! It is very much worth it…and maybe you can bring me along as your guide ;)

That’s it for now…time to relax after a month of traveling every single weekend! London in 2 weeks! Can’t wait!

Au revoir,

Stephanie

Every Saturday in Aix they have markets set up all across town selling everything from flowers, vegetables, fruits, soap and olive oil to clothing and souvenirs. We walked around the market for a few hours while admiring all of the specialties to this region…lavender, soap and many different types of oils. The flower market was also beautiful with the many different types of flowers parading across an entire square.

We all found something to eat for lunch at the market, then headed to a park, close to our hotel, to enjoy the weather and our lunch. After lunch, we hiked up to Paul Cezanne’s studio that overlooks Aix. There is not much to see other than his cottage, but seeing some of his masterpieces on display and seeing how much artistic talent he truly had, made me appreciate this place even more. After touring the studio, we hung out in the gardens; soaking up the sun like a cat…it was great!

Then, the next thing I knew, it was time to get ready for dinner! Lexie (my roommate) and I shared a room together and decided that to make it through our CEA group dinner, we needed some champagne in our systems lol So, literally in 10 minutes, we chugged a bottle of warm champagne, but let me just say that it was worth it for the 2 ½ hour dinner we were about to have :)

We ate at this restaurant called ‘Le Tire Bouchon’. Looking at the menu, I thought that I was going to be out of luck for something I could eat because everything was either duck, breaded or some obscure dish like tripe. But luckily, I found 1 chicken dish on the menu and ordered it! It turned out to be one of the best meals I’ve had so far in France…it was chicken with eggplant and melted cheese, ratatouille and potatoes au gratin..yummy! After dinner, I was able to meet up with one of my sorority sisters who is studying abroad in Aix for the year! I haven’t seen her in about 9 months, so it was so much fun catching up and hearing how her study abroad experience is going and the many amazing places she has seen! We got to talking and I didn’t end up coming back to the hotel until midnight! But it was worth it for sure!


Overall, my weekend in Aix was a lot of fun but tiring! Now I am getting ready for this weekend when I finally make it back to my old stomping grounds in PRAGUE!!!!!!! Ah! I am so excited I cannot wait until Friday! Definitely check back next week for a more!

Here are a few more pictures of some hit spots around Aix:

Hola!!!


So here is a recap of my life since my last blog:
• I moved up to B1 level at school which is so exciting; finally at a level I feel comfortable at and know I am learning new vocabulary and practicing my speaking much more.
• Went downtown Grenoble for the first time and experienced the London Pub (this bar is very Americanized with posters of famous celebrities, American and English music playing and random odds and ends from either the US or the UK).


And now for more recent adventures: I just got back from an amazing weekend in Madrid, Spain! And you will never guess who I spent the weekend with! My good friend from school in Prague who I haven’t seen in 10 years...Natalie! Crazy right? We have been in touch since we left Prague through letters and recently facebook, but I was a little nervous to see her in person after all this time, but when I walked off the plane and saw her waiting there for me, everything just fell into place; we picked up where we left off! It was amazing! Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay with her in her apartment because it was too small and just on the outskirts of Madrid, so I stayed in the city centre in a hostel called Castilla. The owner was very nice, but I’m glad Natalie was there with me while checking in because she could communicate in Spanish since the owner did not speak English very well. So after we checked in and got settled Natalie and I hit the town!

Natalie took me to the main street of Madrid called Gran Via. It totally reminded me of New York City with the cabs, the buildings, the lights, the shows, everything… and one of the first things I noticed while walking on the main drag, which was literally on every corner…Starbuck’s Coffee. I felt at home just from seeing that, McDonalds and KFC haha. After walking the strip, we stopped in Plaza de Espana. This square was surrounded with trees and fountains and in the center was the Cervantes monument. We took pictures and then sat by the fountain and chatted until it was time for our dinner reservation. And let me just say that in Spain, dinner time doesn’t begin until 10:30-11pm at night, which means that lunch time isn’t until 2:30-3pm in the afternoon! This took some getting used to, but time flew by catching up with Natalie and it was dinner in no time. Natalie’s mom recommended this Tapas restaurant called Serrano 93, which she fully paid for (that was so sweet of her!), and oh my goodness the food was to die for! It was authentic Spanish cuisine and let me just say that for the first time ever, I actually like tomatoes now :)

Friday morning came quick and I was on my own until the afternoon when Natalie got out of class, so I decided to venture out on the town. It rained all day Friday, but that didn’t stop me from seeing the city. I bought myself a tourist book of places to see and things to do because even though Natalie has lived there for years, she doesn’t live in Madrid and doesn’t really know what to do and see. Without the book, I think I would have been lost. So I started out by walking from the hostel all the way to Gran Via and from there ended up in the Plaza de la Ciebeles where the Palacio de Communications (the postal service headquarters) is. This plaza is one of the most famous plazas in Madrid and the fountain of Ciebeles, which is in the center of the roundabout, is also a historic symbol of the city.

I also saw Plaza Mayor. This famous square was built in the 16th century with a Baroque style architecture and absolutely gorgeous! There are 136 houses and 437 balconies making this square one of the most inhabited in Madrid. In the middle of the square is a monument of Philip III.

Another popular spot I visited was the Puerta del Sol. When you first get into the square you see a statue of a bear and a strawberry tree, which is representative of Madrid’s coat of arms. The square also has the famous statue and fountain of the Fuente de la Mariblanca.


By the time I saw all of this, I realized that Natalie hadn’t called me yet. I look at my phone and realize that it has no service…at all! I tried calling her but of course it didn’t work (which now makes sense because I only signed up for the phone to work in France, but at the time definitely didn’t remember doing that)! Ah! I walked into the closest shop I could find and asked to use their phone to get a hold of my friend and explained my situation. The guy was so nice to let me use the phone, but when I gave him the phone number he came back saying that the phone number was not a working number, it just kept giving him the busy signal. Now I started to panic because I had the wrong phone number of Natalie’s, my phone isn’t working and I do not have a computer or internet access to get a hold of her! The guy didn’t know of any internet café’s or payphones anywhere! I didn’t know what to do…but knew that Natalie probably went back home and we would just meet up later that night for dinner and the discos. For now, I didn’t, well really couldn’t, worry about it because there was nothing I could do. So I decided to continue touring.

I started walking down another main road, Calle Mayor, which led me to the Palacio Real and the Cathedral of the Almudena. Standing on the corner of the street, I was in awe of their beauty and elegance. Inside the church was breathtaking…there was vaulted ceilings, painted ceilings and stained glass windows. The palace was just as beautiful. It was actually built after the Palace of Versailles, just outside of Paris, and it definitely resembles that. Here, I toured the royal chambers, the royal library, the royal armory, the porcelain room, the throne room and the royal pharmacy just to name a few.

After spending a few hours here, I realized I should probably be getting back to the hostel and figure out how to contact Natalie for tonight. On the way back I was so lucky to find an internet café, so I tried to call Natalie again except this time it actually rang! Her battery had died earlier that day so she had no way of getting a hold of me either, but thankfully we were in contact now and made plans to meet for dinner around 11pm. Natalie also informed me of her plans for the evening after dinner. Some of her friends and her were planning on taking me out to the discos, which I was super excited for, but then came the shocking news…they party from midnight until 7AM!!! How can anyone do that? When I heard that, I was afraid, but in the end, the experience was going to be worth it. Had dinner at midnight (latest dinner I think I’ve ever had) then the clubbing began! I’m proud to say that even though I didn’t make it until 7am, I did make it until 5am…which for me is awesome because in San Luis, I am used to the clubs/bars closing at 2am and in Grenoble it’s 1am. Overall, it was such a fun night meeting Natalie’s friends, dancing and partying in Madrid! The only downside was that I reeked of SMOKE. In Spain, people can smoke anywhere, anytime, anyplace; there are no restrictions like in the US or France. My clothes, my skin, my hair, my purse, everything smelt like smoke...I took 2 showers to finally feel clean and smoke free!


Saturday and Sunday were more tourist days for me…and let me just say that I booked it to see everything Madrid has to offer. Here are some highlights of this beautiful city:


I am so glad that I was fortunate to visit Madrid and catch up with one of my good friends! It was a tiring weekend, but so worth it!

This weekend, my CEA group is going on our first excursion to Aix-en-Provence in the southern region of France known as Provence. Look back next week for pictures and adventures!

A bientot,
Steph

P.S- So every Thursday night, my CEA group has a meeting/hang out session and tonight, my 2 roommates and I were walking back to our apartment from the tram stop and this is where the story gets interesting because in the middle of this parking lot we were walking through, this older man comes running out in front of us. At first I didn't notice anything different about him, until I looked closer.... he was completely NAKED minus running shoes and a workout band around his stomach and thighs!!!!!! All 3 of us were in complete shock...who does this type of thing, especially in the middle of winter when it was below zero last night, I mean come on! Not only that, he turns around to apologize to us and then continues to run only a few feet in front of us with everything...and I mean everything... showing. It definitely was not a pleasant sight to see at all, but something that I don't think I can ever forget happened haha oh the French...