Well finally, the moment you've all been waiting for! Here is the first of a few posts about my 9-day German adventure!
Saturday the 5th I got up bright and early to leave for Germany! I actually overslept and made it to the bus with about 20 seconds to spare… nothing ever really changes I guess. We left from in front of the Kunsthistoriches Museum on the Ringstraße at 8:00 AM. Surprisingly, all 40 of the students got there before 8:15, which is probably a record for IES.
After about 2 hours of driving, we stopped at a rest stop on the Czech-Austrian border. It reminded me a lot of Downtown Disney, but a medieval edition (if you understand this I applaud you). There were dragons literally spewing smoke, wizards that lit up, and a ton of great deals on food. My friend Ben and I bought approximately 8000 packs of travel-sized Haribo gummy bears, which are made in Germany, and ate them all on the trip. The bus ride was filled with lots of sleeping until Helmut, the IES housing coordinator and travel agent AND Frau Summesberger’s son, had us watch a movie. We watched Toy Story 3, so obviously no one slept. You wouldn't believe the excitement and enthusiasm on that bus, all because of Toy Story 3.
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This "fried cake" costs a little
more than a euro... |
We got to Prague around noon. I walked with some friends to grab some lunch in a café-type place. Pretty much everywhere in Prague accepts euros, so I didn't convert any money into Czech Crowns. Its a little daunting when being in a place with such a weird exchange rate (1 euro = about 22 crowns). Also, the language in the Czech Republic is SO foreign... I can't believe I ever thought German was strange looking.
After lunch we had about two and half hours to explore the city. I walked with my friends Michelle and Ben down the river that runs through Prague, the Vltaba River, until we reached the Charles Bridge, one of the most famous sights in Prague. The Charles Bridge was built in the 14th and 15th centuries, and was used to connect Prague Castle with the Old Town. It is a beautiful structure, and a lot of fun to stroll along. There are vendors, bands, and artists along the whole length of the bridge, and it reminded me of what I think New Orleans is probably like (awful comparison but hopefully you get the idea). My friends Michele and Ben and I had a great time taking in all the views of Prague and taking tons of photos and videos along the bridge. All along the bridge are various statues of saints and martyrs, and touching some of them are said to bring good luck. We walked back to the bus leisurely, and continued are long journey to Dresden.
Enjoy the photos! It's hard deciding which ones to post because I literally took over 1000 photos.
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| Dinoland again... |
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| The early morning feast! |
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Prague Castle (the world's largest castle complex) and St. Vitus' Cathedral
can be seen on top of the hill, with the Prague National Museum in front. |
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| A statue in front of the Prague State Opera |
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| The Prague State Opera |
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| Getting a little bit artsy. |
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| The Old Town Bridge Tower and beginning of the Charles Bridge |
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| A statue along the Charles Bridge |
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| Here I am in Prague! |
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| This is in the center of the Bridge |
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| The Bridge Band... I'm pretty sure this is the only reason why the bridge reminded me of New Orleans |
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| Prague Castle and St. Vitus' Cathedral as seen from the bridge |
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| This is one of the more famous statues along the bridge... St. John of Nepomuk. He was thrown off the bridge in the 14th century, and the statue commemorating his life is the oldest on the bridge. The lower squares of the statue are scenes from his life, and on each there are gold spots on which people have consistently placed their hands. |
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| Word on the street is if you put your hand on the gold spots, you will return to Prague |
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| Here I am at the end of the bridge! It took us about an hour to get across because we were looking at EVERYTHING. There are vendors, street artists, street performers, etc. all along the bridge. |
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| If you have any ideas as to what this sign could mean, please feel free to send me them. |
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| World War II memorial in Prague |
After about 2 hours of driving, we stopped at a rest stop on the Czech-Austrian border. It reminded me a lot of Downtown Disney, but a medieval edition (if you understand this I applaud you). There were dragons literally spewing smoke, wizards that lit up, and a ton of great deals on food. My friend Ben and I bought approximately 8000 packs of travel-sized Haribo gummy bears, which are made in Germany, and ate them all on the trip. The bus ride was filled with lots of sleeping until Helmut, the IES housing coordinator and travel agent AND Frau Summesberger’s son, had us watch a movie. We watched Toy Story 3, so obviously no one slept. You wouldn't believe the excitement and enthusiasm on that bus, all because of Toy Story 3.
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