Czech, please.

Hello again!

This time tomorrow, I'll be in Berlin! But until then, here's what I've been up to...

Last Wednesday I did, indeed, go vintage shopping in Old Town. I found this great little shop called "Retro" that had all kinds of vintage clothes, bags, accessories, etc. The owner was this really sweet American woman who said she'd moved to Chicago after she had her heart broken. There she met "the love of her life" who moved her to Prague. And she's been here ever since. The shop, I soon learned, has two sister shops. One of which, "Vintage," is also in Old Town, the other of which, "Wilde," is conveniently located across the street from my flat. I tried to be as thrifty as I could, but I just couldn't keep myself from buying this great one-of-a-kind dress :)

On Thursday night we finally met the FAMU students (the CET film students), and we took them to what has become known as "The Cave Bar." The bar consists of a series of stair cases that all lead you further and further underground to different levels. It's a fun place, and it was great to finally meet the other students (they arrived in Prague a week after the Photo and Central European Studies students).

Friday night my flatmates and I made dinner together for the first time. We made pasta, squash, salad, chicken and mushrooms. It was delicious! Later, we joined everyone at Radost, a night club where Rihanna filmed the video for her song "Please Don't Stop the Music." I'm not a HUGE fan of the artist or the song, but I'm more or less a celebrity now that I've been there ;)

Sunday morning, we left early for an overnight trip with CET to Český Krumlov, a little town in the Czech Republic about 2 hours from Prague. It was snowing when we got there, and none of us really came equipped for snowy weather, so it was FREEZING, and our shoes soaked through. After we settled into our respective pensions, we split up for lunch and my group chose a little vegetarian restaurant. TWO HOURS after we ordered, we were served, and although this was a little extreme, poor service isn't uncommon in the Czech Republic. The differences in standards of culinary service have probably been the most difficult adjustment for me. But if that's the worst that's going to happen to me, I think I can handle it.

After we inhaled our lunches, we met up with the rest of the group to tour the historic Český Krumlov castle. With over 300 rooms, most of which remain intact with original furnishing and decor, it was quite the tour. Unfortunately, we were prohibited from taking photographs inside the castle, but I did get some great shots of its exterior and the view of the town from inside. It was breathtaking to see the lavish interior, the ornate architecture, and the dozens of winding hallways and endless staircases. The castle was evacuated shortly before the Nazi regime moved to the Czech Republic, and was never used again following the end of WWII. After the castle tour, we met at the Eggenberg Brewery, which was rented out for our use only. There we enjoyed dinner and dancing with a gypsy band!

The next day...was beautiful! The sun came out for the first time in two weeks and dried everything up. We spent the day exploring the town on our own. I had so much fun walking around with friends, enjoying the beautiful day and really taking in the town. Everything about the town was small, unique, and untouched by industrialism. In fact, the town mayor wouldn't even allow McDonald's to move in. We departed later that afternoon for Prague.

Today, my Art History class went on its first "excursion" in the city. Every Thursday we will explore a different part of the city (museums, art exhibits, buildings, etc.) that corresponds with that week's lesson. Today we visited The National Gallery at the St. Agnes Monestary. It was so interesting to hear my professor discuss hundred-year-old works as we stood right in front of them.

Tomorrow, as I mentioned I leave for Berlin with some friends. I'll post more once we're back!

LOVE :)
keen














the castle!