Sorry yesterday's post was a date late but it's up now :)
Today has been quite a day as well!
We took our time this morning getting ready because we didn't have to check out until 10:30am and didn't want to get on the train too early so we didn't arrive too early. We cleaned up our 'apartment' and then headed off to the train station for the 11:15am train to Cesky Budejovice, which we had to get to before transfering to another train that would take us to Cesky Krumluv. It was a pretty boring ride. Six of us were in a compartment made for eight, two guys took up two spaces with their stuff, I think they didn't want anyone else to sit in (it would have been quite crowded). We had seven minutes between getting off one train and getting onto the next one but since we arrived a little earlier than expected we had lots of time and found it easily (it's a little nervewracking knowing you have to transfer trains in a station you've never seen, in a language you don't understand and with only minutes to do so!).
We made it to Cesky Krumlov and even though we had really detailed directions, we still got lost. The only thing that threw us was whether we were to take a foot path along the road that we didn't know where it went or follow the road... We followed the road but the foot path is what we should have done. It wasn't fun. We probably spent 20 minutes lost, in the rain, and with our heavy bags... Unpleasant. We eventually found our way and were thoroughly relieved when we got to our place and into our room. The walk to our place was really encouraging though as this is an old medieval town and absolutely adorable! I'm excited to explore tomorrow!
Our room is SO MUCH FUN with so much character! We're staying in an artist's home who paints some pretty provocative pictures and that are hung everywhere. It sure adds some flare to the room. It's called the Budda room too. It has a fireplace, although we're not sure how to get it working and it also has a hot plate, fridge, and cooking ware! It's a great room, probably my favourite so far.
After we let ourselves in as the owner wasn't home and explained where we could get the key and whatnot, we settled in, gathered all our laundry and made our way to the laundromat that was on the map provided to us. We got lost finding that too... But once again, we did eventually find it. Laundry is not cheap, about $10 for a load and that really is irritating but we were so desperate that Jeff went without underwear and I went without pants!! It took hours for it to get done and since I was wearing a skirt and sandals with a sweater and scarf, I was freezing by the time it was done (after 7pm). I put my pants on right out of the dryer as well as socks but my teeth still chattered the whole way back to our place. Two days ago we were in shorts and t-shirts because we were so hot! I didn't have a pair of pants to wear because I had sweat through my clean pair the other day and my other ones were already dirty.
It was a pretty miserable walk to the Chinese restaurant next to the 80 stairs at the bottom of our place (yeah, 80 - we are always surrounded by a significant number of stairs!) but we warmed a bit before picking up food and the booting it home. We inhaled it after Jeff had a hot shower and now we're drinking tea and listening to 570 News Radio while I blog. They just announced that the keg has been tapped in Kitchener for Oktoberfest and I SO want to be wearing my drindl!! Next year, I guess!
Hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend. As always, I'm thankful for my family and friends who are all very near and dear to my heart no matter where I am or where they are in the world... Whether an hour away or across the world.
With love and chilly toes,
Amanda
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Last day in Prague
So, we headed out this morning a bit later than usual, after 10am as we really weren't in any rush to be anywhere, it was nice actually.
We headed to the Old Town Square and I got to watch the Astronmical Clock's motorized show of Jesus and the Apostles - it only happens at noon - and then listen to the trumpeter who plays each hour and then waves to the square. I stood with a ton of other people for this simple noon-hour show, while Jeff took some space away from the crowd on a bench nearby.
We then wandered for awhile before spontaneously deciding to visit the chocolate museum that we passed. It was neat and since it was attached to a Belgian chocolate shop, it smelt glorious. We learned a lot about chocolate; how cocoa beans were very, very valuable and used as currency (e.g. 10 could by you a rabbit, 1 could buy you peppers or a tomato). We learned how chocolate was made and how it was consumed in the 1700 and 1800 hundreds (ladies used to drink it in church, having servants run them cups of chocolate but the preist go so irritated by the constant commotion that he banned anyone from drinking it in church... His chocolate was later poisoned...). We even got to witness a chocolate making demonstration and got a free cup of hot chocolate at the end. It was like liquid milk chocolate and although delicious, still not as good as the one in Bruges.
Then we went for a beer in a cellar bar, which was really cool. A cellar bar is exactly as described, a bar down a whole bunch of steps into a cellar. It was dark for the middle of the afternoon because there was only minimal outside lighting from a small window. The red brick archways, dark wood tables and long bar made it a really neat place to hangout. Because it was the afternoon, it was practically empty except for a few other people and the staff. We had a beer and then headed out.
On the walk back to our hostel we picked up a magnet (we've been collecting them from our favourite places).
Jeff had a shower and we both cleaned up before heading back out for our night boat cruise around Prague. We were told that there would be a number of other people joining us at our table on the boat but they either didn't show or sat somewhere else, so Jeff and I had a table for eight to ourselves. Our cruise consisted of a buffet dinner, music (accordian guy) and a cruise around the city to see it all lit up. The good news, the sights were beautiful, specifically the catherdral in the castle and I took lots of pictures (good thing I did because a ton of them didn't turn out - night time shooting is hard!). The deck was a little chilly but we sat up at the top and enjoyed the view. The bad news, dinner sucked! It was, as Jeff put it, "sub-par" and not nearly worth what we paid for it... Jeff and I were convinced that the chicken schnitzel was actually seagull schnitzell and the "bread dumplings" were essentially pieces of white bread with the crusts cut off... It was pretty bad and dessert was only slightly better. Oh well, chalk it up to the experience (because that's all we can do!), we laughed lots so that's all that mattered. We talked about how neat it would be to live overseas, if only for a year... Who knows maybe it'll happen (but I'm not quite convinced). We even got to go through a lock, which was pretty neat.
We walked home from the boat afterward and although I was a littler nervous at first to be walking home after 10pm in a big city, without knowing ANY of the language, it turned out to be fine. We took a major road home and there were lots of people out and about.
We hit the hay as soon as we got in.
We headed to the Old Town Square and I got to watch the Astronmical Clock's motorized show of Jesus and the Apostles - it only happens at noon - and then listen to the trumpeter who plays each hour and then waves to the square. I stood with a ton of other people for this simple noon-hour show, while Jeff took some space away from the crowd on a bench nearby.
We then wandered for awhile before spontaneously deciding to visit the chocolate museum that we passed. It was neat and since it was attached to a Belgian chocolate shop, it smelt glorious. We learned a lot about chocolate; how cocoa beans were very, very valuable and used as currency (e.g. 10 could by you a rabbit, 1 could buy you peppers or a tomato). We learned how chocolate was made and how it was consumed in the 1700 and 1800 hundreds (ladies used to drink it in church, having servants run them cups of chocolate but the preist go so irritated by the constant commotion that he banned anyone from drinking it in church... His chocolate was later poisoned...). We even got to witness a chocolate making demonstration and got a free cup of hot chocolate at the end. It was like liquid milk chocolate and although delicious, still not as good as the one in Bruges.
Then we went for a beer in a cellar bar, which was really cool. A cellar bar is exactly as described, a bar down a whole bunch of steps into a cellar. It was dark for the middle of the afternoon because there was only minimal outside lighting from a small window. The red brick archways, dark wood tables and long bar made it a really neat place to hangout. Because it was the afternoon, it was practically empty except for a few other people and the staff. We had a beer and then headed out.
On the walk back to our hostel we picked up a magnet (we've been collecting them from our favourite places).
Jeff had a shower and we both cleaned up before heading back out for our night boat cruise around Prague. We were told that there would be a number of other people joining us at our table on the boat but they either didn't show or sat somewhere else, so Jeff and I had a table for eight to ourselves. Our cruise consisted of a buffet dinner, music (accordian guy) and a cruise around the city to see it all lit up. The good news, the sights were beautiful, specifically the catherdral in the castle and I took lots of pictures (good thing I did because a ton of them didn't turn out - night time shooting is hard!). The deck was a little chilly but we sat up at the top and enjoyed the view. The bad news, dinner sucked! It was, as Jeff put it, "sub-par" and not nearly worth what we paid for it... Jeff and I were convinced that the chicken schnitzel was actually seagull schnitzell and the "bread dumplings" were essentially pieces of white bread with the crusts cut off... It was pretty bad and dessert was only slightly better. Oh well, chalk it up to the experience (because that's all we can do!), we laughed lots so that's all that mattered. We talked about how neat it would be to live overseas, if only for a year... Who knows maybe it'll happen (but I'm not quite convinced). We even got to go through a lock, which was pretty neat.
We walked home from the boat afterward and although I was a littler nervous at first to be walking home after 10pm in a big city, without knowing ANY of the language, it turned out to be fine. We took a major road home and there were lots of people out and about.
We hit the hay as soon as we got in.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Prague day two
I'm wiped, so this post is going to be short and sweet (even if 'sweet' isn't the word best describing what we did today).
We went to the Museum of Communism, which was really quite neat, with lots of artifacts, pictures, propaganda posters, and small recreations of a classroom and a grocery store. It was more interactive and engaging that way compared to the Fascination and Horror Exhibition. I learned quite a bit about communism and socialism (if there's a difference, I still don't know) in the former Czechoslovakia, but a lot of the political history was lost on me... I just can't keep it all straight from reading it, there are just too many details and people named! It took us about and hour and a half and we both enjoyed it.
We literally spent the rest of the day wandering around. The only out-of-the-ordinary-for-Prague neat thing we came across was some painting event, where people were lined up with white canvases and were given black paint and away they went. We could walk by them all and watch, which was neat as their works of art came alive.
We went out for dinner to a place called Einstein Pizzaria up the road from our hostel; Jeff had a pizza and I had canteloni - both were good and with two beers and bread it still was a good price.
We just got back from having a beer in the basement of the hostel where they have set up a bar. It's almost dungeon-like with thick brick and stone walls and very dark. They had the music blaring and there was a lot of English being spoken - primarily all English. We were given a "welcome to my bar" shot which was actually pretty good. It's painful though when the beer costs 20 krown and at the grocery store you can get it for 6... And the bar guy bought out the grocery store so we couldn't get any today!
Anyway, time for bed as we're both tired out.
Have a good evening!
Amanda
P.S. Oh, and I forgot to mention that we split a deep fried cheese on a bun with ketchup and mayo - so good, lol. Also, it seems to almost be cheaper to eat our every meal than buy groceries... But then we'd definitely not have anything close to a balanced diet!
We went to the Museum of Communism, which was really quite neat, with lots of artifacts, pictures, propaganda posters, and small recreations of a classroom and a grocery store. It was more interactive and engaging that way compared to the Fascination and Horror Exhibition. I learned quite a bit about communism and socialism (if there's a difference, I still don't know) in the former Czechoslovakia, but a lot of the political history was lost on me... I just can't keep it all straight from reading it, there are just too many details and people named! It took us about and hour and a half and we both enjoyed it.
We literally spent the rest of the day wandering around. The only out-of-the-ordinary-for-Prague neat thing we came across was some painting event, where people were lined up with white canvases and were given black paint and away they went. We could walk by them all and watch, which was neat as their works of art came alive.
We went out for dinner to a place called Einstein Pizzaria up the road from our hostel; Jeff had a pizza and I had canteloni - both were good and with two beers and bread it still was a good price.
We just got back from having a beer in the basement of the hostel where they have set up a bar. It's almost dungeon-like with thick brick and stone walls and very dark. They had the music blaring and there was a lot of English being spoken - primarily all English. We were given a "welcome to my bar" shot which was actually pretty good. It's painful though when the beer costs 20 krown and at the grocery store you can get it for 6... And the bar guy bought out the grocery store so we couldn't get any today!
Anyway, time for bed as we're both tired out.
Have a good evening!
Amanda
P.S. Oh, and I forgot to mention that we split a deep fried cheese on a bun with ketchup and mayo - so good, lol. Also, it seems to almost be cheaper to eat our every meal than buy groceries... But then we'd definitely not have anything close to a balanced diet!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Prague
We made quite the delicious homemade dinner last night with a curry sauce we bought from the grocery store, so we'll be doing it again tonight with the leftover pasta. This time however, we picked up some pork chops (we think they're pork chops) and some more veggies. It should be good, although it may actually be cheaper to eat out! At least we've got a little more control over our food groups... lol. We'll go out tomorrow night. One of the Czech's specialties is fried cheese and we'll definitely be persuing that tomorrow for a snack (we're making our own lunches for a couple of days).
We considered going out last night but when we realized we didn't have enough money and then would have to find an ATM, we went to bed, lol. We're thinking of going out tonight for a drink maybe. The hostel has events every night but last night's didn't start until 12:30am and that is way too late for me! I would have needed a substantial nap in the afteroon to make it out and then it may have wrecked the next day with sleeping in and not getting up and going to do and see the stuff I really want to do.
Anyway, we were up and ready pretty early this morning and out the door to find Prague castle. It was quite the walk from our hostel to the castle but it was enjoyable. It gave us the opportunity to scope out restaurants, stores, and the local shops that you miss when taking the tram. We walked for quite awhile, passing through a number of squares, one of which had a guy trumpet every hour on the hour at the top of a church! We also crossed over the Charles Bridge, which has lots of interesting statues on either side as you go along. The country's patron saint, John of Nepomuk (who was thrown off the bridge by Wencelas IV for refusing to divulge the queen's confessions) and his dog are one of the statues and the dog shines from being rubbed so much! (Jeff and I both gave him a rub of course!).
We headed into the Old Town, which was beautiful as soon as we stepped off the bridge (as evidenced by the many other tourists who stopped to take pictures, like me).
We walked through the old town admiring the buildings, the stores, the roads... Everything really. At one stop, outside of (we think) the royal palace, a whole bunch of guards marched in their formal gear past us - one group playing instruments and the next with rifles. It was really neat to see and we totally just walked in on it before it started - what a treat! They were following a couple of cars that had tinted windows and flags (couldn't tell you anything about it other than that!).
We eventually found the castle but it wasn't what we expected and I'm not sure how to describe it... It just wasn't "castly" because it was really a cathedral inside a bunch of buildings, not your "typical" stoney castle (http://thebesttraveldestinations.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Prague_Castle_02.jpg). But, it did have a beautiful catherdral (St. Vitus') although after seeing the cathedral (the dom) in Koln, Germany it just wasn't AS impressive. Impressive, yes, jaws dropped to the floor, no, not after Koln's skyscraper! :).
And more guards walked through the courtyard, but only a few at a time; Jeff guessed the changing of the guard as there were guards standing outside the entrances. I could have taken a picture by them but I felt bad for them, standing still all day and people constantly taking pictures, lol
We wandered around the area and came across a statue of a naked teenage boy with a shiny (obviously rubbed) penis... I just couldn't bring myself to do it, too creepy and those who did ran up, rubbed, giggled and ran away, lol. We eventually made our way down to the royal gardens. They were pretty and set alongside a hill, so lots of stairs and varying sizes of gardens. We sat with the sandwiches we made that morning for lunch. Jeff threw a prickly chestnut at me, lol and it made me bleed... But only a little bit, I couldn't even rub it in because I was the one to swat it away (a harmless defensive strike, though, right?). If my aim was better I would have got him back... lol
We then headed back in our hostel's direction and stopped at the grocery store for a couple more things (juice, beer, and meat and veggies for dinner).
We're relaxing now after a full day of walking and will make dinner in awhile. We'll probably go out tonight but may need a nap beforehand, just a little one, lol. All this walking tuckers us out and since Jeff's back to normal he's really raring to go! Good thing Prague is beautiful with lots to see and do. We'll enjoy It here for sure.
Oh, and before I go... Jeff and I saw a guy walk over and tap the hood of someone's ferrari today! We would have lost it if it was ours! You don't touch other people's ferraris!! lol.
Chat soon :)
Amanda
P.S. Cheapest beer found so far, 6 czech krowns (about 30 cents Canadian for half a litre!! And it's delicious - Jeff's seriously impressed).
We considered going out last night but when we realized we didn't have enough money and then would have to find an ATM, we went to bed, lol. We're thinking of going out tonight for a drink maybe. The hostel has events every night but last night's didn't start until 12:30am and that is way too late for me! I would have needed a substantial nap in the afteroon to make it out and then it may have wrecked the next day with sleeping in and not getting up and going to do and see the stuff I really want to do.
Anyway, we were up and ready pretty early this morning and out the door to find Prague castle. It was quite the walk from our hostel to the castle but it was enjoyable. It gave us the opportunity to scope out restaurants, stores, and the local shops that you miss when taking the tram. We walked for quite awhile, passing through a number of squares, one of which had a guy trumpet every hour on the hour at the top of a church! We also crossed over the Charles Bridge, which has lots of interesting statues on either side as you go along. The country's patron saint, John of Nepomuk (who was thrown off the bridge by Wencelas IV for refusing to divulge the queen's confessions) and his dog are one of the statues and the dog shines from being rubbed so much! (Jeff and I both gave him a rub of course!).
We headed into the Old Town, which was beautiful as soon as we stepped off the bridge (as evidenced by the many other tourists who stopped to take pictures, like me).
We walked through the old town admiring the buildings, the stores, the roads... Everything really. At one stop, outside of (we think) the royal palace, a whole bunch of guards marched in their formal gear past us - one group playing instruments and the next with rifles. It was really neat to see and we totally just walked in on it before it started - what a treat! They were following a couple of cars that had tinted windows and flags (couldn't tell you anything about it other than that!).
We eventually found the castle but it wasn't what we expected and I'm not sure how to describe it... It just wasn't "castly" because it was really a cathedral inside a bunch of buildings, not your "typical" stoney castle (http://thebesttraveldestinations.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Prague_Castle_02.jpg). But, it did have a beautiful catherdral (St. Vitus') although after seeing the cathedral (the dom) in Koln, Germany it just wasn't AS impressive. Impressive, yes, jaws dropped to the floor, no, not after Koln's skyscraper! :).
And more guards walked through the courtyard, but only a few at a time; Jeff guessed the changing of the guard as there were guards standing outside the entrances. I could have taken a picture by them but I felt bad for them, standing still all day and people constantly taking pictures, lol
We wandered around the area and came across a statue of a naked teenage boy with a shiny (obviously rubbed) penis... I just couldn't bring myself to do it, too creepy and those who did ran up, rubbed, giggled and ran away, lol. We eventually made our way down to the royal gardens. They were pretty and set alongside a hill, so lots of stairs and varying sizes of gardens. We sat with the sandwiches we made that morning for lunch. Jeff threw a prickly chestnut at me, lol and it made me bleed... But only a little bit, I couldn't even rub it in because I was the one to swat it away (a harmless defensive strike, though, right?). If my aim was better I would have got him back... lol
We then headed back in our hostel's direction and stopped at the grocery store for a couple more things (juice, beer, and meat and veggies for dinner).
We're relaxing now after a full day of walking and will make dinner in awhile. We'll probably go out tonight but may need a nap beforehand, just a little one, lol. All this walking tuckers us out and since Jeff's back to normal he's really raring to go! Good thing Prague is beautiful with lots to see and do. We'll enjoy It here for sure.
Oh, and before I go... Jeff and I saw a guy walk over and tap the hood of someone's ferrari today! We would have lost it if it was ours! You don't touch other people's ferraris!! lol.
Chat soon :)
Amanda
P.S. Cheapest beer found so far, 6 czech krowns (about 30 cents Canadian for half a litre!! And it's delicious - Jeff's seriously impressed).
Monday, October 3, 2011
Welcome to the Czech!
Before I update about today so far, a recap of last night.
Jeff and I hungout in the lounge of the hostel waiting for Sean and Andrea to return from the exhibit and once they did, the four of us headed out to find food. We ate at the Brautwurst Haus and everyone had sausage, even Andrea who had veggie sausages. It was all good :). Then we hit up a bar that had four people in... The four of us, lol. It was happy hour so drinks were only €3 instead of €6.50+. We all had a funny named drink; Sean had a Mai Tai, Andrea had a Touchdown, Jeff had a Swimming Pool (hilarious name for a drink) and I had a Planter's Punch. They were all good except mine tasted a little boozier than I would have liked. We enjoyed the atmosphere with the the funky square chairs, super low table, soft rock from the 60s and a bartender who wore a hawaiian shirt. We laughed lots.
Jeff and I headed to bed once we got back and I had the worst sleep since beginning on our trip. I don't know why people think it's okay to yell all night long on the street when they're just having a conversation with the person next to them. I tossed and turned for hours and even after closing the window, I could still hear them yelling... It was beyond irritating. Then, as I was half asleep and half lying awake irritated and slightly grumpy, a loud speaker rang our with a guy speaking German this morning. We learned that today is some bank holiday and there was some event going on very close to our hostel with lots of people and lots of noise. We had to walk past it (without even seeing it as it was on the outside of the town wall) to get to the bus and we didn't figure out what it was.
We picked up a couple of things from the station bakery for breakfast to go along with our grapes from a couple of days ago.
The bus was neat as it was two levels high and we were on top with a really noisey group of youth (I may have been a little oversensitive to noise this morning but this was irritating for others as well as they had to ask them to quiet down). The ride took 3.5 hours but went by pretty quickly. We listened to music and read a little bit about Prague. We're finding that we're researching/re-reading about places we're visiting on the way to them as we forget all we've read from before!
Now, after a month we've finally adjusted to using euros and now we have a week or so with the Czech krown (approximately 25 krown to 1 euro and 1 euro to 1.40 dollar). It sure is something to keep track of! When we took cash out at the station when we arrived it came out in the thousands!! This was so unhelpful when we had to get on the bus and it would be only a few krown... So, we may have jumped on and then off at the next stop without figuring it out. Oops. We should have tried walking but had no idea how far it was and it's hot out! For October, it's warm! We thought we would need sweaters but I'm in a tanktop and shorts. Not sure what to expect this month regarding weather and the next two countries... I'm glad I've got a little bit of everything but with my drindl and other things my bag is starting to get really heavy!
Our hostel is great, with a lounge (where we are currently sitting watching Fight Club, in English!) and a full kitchen! Our room is even better, even though the floor is dirty and there is no soap in the bathroom... Urgh. It's like a bachelor apartment, with a fridge, kitchenette (although not working), sitting area, bathroom and small balcony. It's the biggest place we've stayed in and nearly the cheapest.
I did laundry in the sink as soon as we arrived, it's not growing on me... I was running out of socks and underwear and some tshirts because of the heat! We've been sweating a lot so getting two days wear out of clothes is not possible, lol
We then headed out to the grocery store and that was an experience and a half! The prices were so confusing! We managed to get lots though for about €20 - wine, beer, breakfast for a couple of days, lunches, snacks, and dinner tonight... Not too bad really.
We're now back and Jeff's having a beer while we watch the movie.
We may go out tonight to a kareoke thing at 9pm, but we're not quite sure.
For now though, time to start thinking about dinner - rotini with zucchini and red pepper in a curry sauce.
Chat soon!
Amanda xoxo
Jeff and I hungout in the lounge of the hostel waiting for Sean and Andrea to return from the exhibit and once they did, the four of us headed out to find food. We ate at the Brautwurst Haus and everyone had sausage, even Andrea who had veggie sausages. It was all good :). Then we hit up a bar that had four people in... The four of us, lol. It was happy hour so drinks were only €3 instead of €6.50+. We all had a funny named drink; Sean had a Mai Tai, Andrea had a Touchdown, Jeff had a Swimming Pool (hilarious name for a drink) and I had a Planter's Punch. They were all good except mine tasted a little boozier than I would have liked. We enjoyed the atmosphere with the the funky square chairs, super low table, soft rock from the 60s and a bartender who wore a hawaiian shirt. We laughed lots.
Jeff and I headed to bed once we got back and I had the worst sleep since beginning on our trip. I don't know why people think it's okay to yell all night long on the street when they're just having a conversation with the person next to them. I tossed and turned for hours and even after closing the window, I could still hear them yelling... It was beyond irritating. Then, as I was half asleep and half lying awake irritated and slightly grumpy, a loud speaker rang our with a guy speaking German this morning. We learned that today is some bank holiday and there was some event going on very close to our hostel with lots of people and lots of noise. We had to walk past it (without even seeing it as it was on the outside of the town wall) to get to the bus and we didn't figure out what it was.
We picked up a couple of things from the station bakery for breakfast to go along with our grapes from a couple of days ago.
The bus was neat as it was two levels high and we were on top with a really noisey group of youth (I may have been a little oversensitive to noise this morning but this was irritating for others as well as they had to ask them to quiet down). The ride took 3.5 hours but went by pretty quickly. We listened to music and read a little bit about Prague. We're finding that we're researching/re-reading about places we're visiting on the way to them as we forget all we've read from before!
Now, after a month we've finally adjusted to using euros and now we have a week or so with the Czech krown (approximately 25 krown to 1 euro and 1 euro to 1.40 dollar). It sure is something to keep track of! When we took cash out at the station when we arrived it came out in the thousands!! This was so unhelpful when we had to get on the bus and it would be only a few krown... So, we may have jumped on and then off at the next stop without figuring it out. Oops. We should have tried walking but had no idea how far it was and it's hot out! For October, it's warm! We thought we would need sweaters but I'm in a tanktop and shorts. Not sure what to expect this month regarding weather and the next two countries... I'm glad I've got a little bit of everything but with my drindl and other things my bag is starting to get really heavy!
Our hostel is great, with a lounge (where we are currently sitting watching Fight Club, in English!) and a full kitchen! Our room is even better, even though the floor is dirty and there is no soap in the bathroom... Urgh. It's like a bachelor apartment, with a fridge, kitchenette (although not working), sitting area, bathroom and small balcony. It's the biggest place we've stayed in and nearly the cheapest.
I did laundry in the sink as soon as we arrived, it's not growing on me... I was running out of socks and underwear and some tshirts because of the heat! We've been sweating a lot so getting two days wear out of clothes is not possible, lol
We then headed out to the grocery store and that was an experience and a half! The prices were so confusing! We managed to get lots though for about €20 - wine, beer, breakfast for a couple of days, lunches, snacks, and dinner tonight... Not too bad really.
We're now back and Jeff's having a beer while we watch the movie.
We may go out tonight to a kareoke thing at 9pm, but we're not quite sure.
For now though, time to start thinking about dinner - rotini with zucchini and red pepper in a curry sauce.
Chat soon!
Amanda xoxo
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Canadians in Nurnberg
Finally our internet is working but I still have to be downstairs in the lounge to blog... Oh well.
To recap yesterday;
We walked approximately two kilometers to the Fascination and Horror Exhibit at the Documention Centre, or Kongresshall. We could have easily spent hours there but unfortunately only had just over one (it opened at 10am and we had to be out of our room for noon, with a 45 min walk back). We arrived eary and sat by a small lake to wait. We were surprised there were a number of others who arrived early too, including a group of youth and a tour group. We dashed inside, knowing we had to see it quickly. Jeff and I each got an English handheld device that had a speaker on one end that was circular (to hold up and around your entire ear). Each panel of information that we came across throughout the exhibit had a corresponding number that once you put into your device would talk to you about. You had to hold it to your ear which was neat. It also picked up any films that were playing in a room you were in and played it in your language. There were 19 rooms in total and tons of panels so we just picked the ones that looked the most interesting to us.
The whole exhibit was about Hitler's rise to power and how Nurnberg hosted the Nazi Party Rallies. From what I gathered after the whole thing was that Hitler had way too much power appointed to him and that people believed the myths that surrounded him which afforded him his power. It was unbelievable. It talked about "community versus society" and building a community without any discrepencies in race, beliefs, etc. which is why people got branded with labels, such as the Jewish star.
According to Hitler, Nurnberg was considered the most German city in Germany and was supposed to become "Germania", the capitol of the world. I did not know that. I also learned about the Nurnberg trials (that I had no idea about) that convicted a number of people to death, some to life in prison, and others to many years an prison for their particiption in Hitler's regime.
It was quite the interesting place to check out, even though a lot of the polticial pieces were lost on me... I need it basic and there was just way too much information, not to mention that we were a little rushed.
It took us bout 40 min or so to walk back to our place and to check out. We headed to the subway station and headed back to the main station we had been the day before. Our hostel is in the walls of the old town, which is really neat. It's definitely a backpacker's place with a lounge, communal kitchen, worn furniture and funky painted walls. We're staying in the room "Dionysos' Garden", which I have learned is the wine and party god...? lol. The rooms have funny names here, like, the "Wrong Room" or "Twilight Zone". It's rather amusing. The downside is the lack of soap in the washrooms (again!) and gender neutral washrooms that I just am not used to.
We arrived early so had to drop our luggage in a room for a few hours before we could check in. We headed out with our map and found the local market, Hauptmrkt, a couple of churches, a beautiful fountain, the local gingerbread cookie place and then generally just wandered around for a few hours. Jeff's back to eating regularly so he had a sausage from the market and was thoroughly pleased and I had gelato with gingerbread in it, so good!
We checked in to our place and had a nap as we were tired from all the walking we had done already. Afterward we headed to the supermarket (the super cheap one) and picked up a few things (Jeff bought Oktoberfest beer, that I had at the first hall when he wasn't drinking, to try some) but because we didn't take a good look at the kitchen beforehand we weren't sure what we had to work with (e.g. No microwave) so we ended up going out for dinner anyway. Jeff got Burger King, lol (after a week of eating so little I said, eat whatever you want!) and I had a doner... Another one... Althought it was good and cheap. :)
We sat downstairs for the rest of the night once we had met a nice couple of Canadians, Shawn and Andrea who live in the same area as us and went to the same school! Small world eh? They had arrived to Nurnberg that day from Munich with no plans and were waiting to see if they could get a room. They didn't get in until 11:15pm and after Shawn had said this happens often when they just show up he's thinking of planning ahead a bit more. I'm really glad we plan ahead, threre is so much less stress that way.
We made plans with them to hangout the next day and to explore the town.
This morning I had a shower that resulted in me soaking everything around me without getting me wet! The hand hose thingy went buck wild when I turned the water on and sprayed me in the face, my towel that was hanging, the wall and everything else as it bounced off the walls because it wasn't secure in the holder. Now, this didn't happen just once but three times!! Urgh. I really should have learned. The water was only on for five seconds at a time so I kept putting it back on the holder so I could wash... It was funny and irritating, lol
We had a quick breakfast that we had picked up from the store the previous day (yogurt) and then met Shawn and Andrea in the lounge. We wandered through town, taking them to a few of the places we had been the day before, one of which included the "Beautiful Fountain". We noticed a number of people yesterday touching a small gold ring and turning it in circles but had no idea what it meant, so today I did it too and so did Andrea. I later learned that you were supposed to make a wish as you were doing it, oh well! lol
We visited the town's imperial castle and took lots of great photos and then went through the town's medieval dungeons (even though we had to take a German tour because they don't offer it in English). The tour guide gave us English pamphlets and because he spoke English he checked up on us throughout the tour (as we hung in the back) to see if we had any questions or anything, he was very kind. It was neat to see and yet disturbing. They were seriously dark and creepy. I would not have wanted to be anywhere those things when they were in use! We even got to read about what reasons people would have been tortured and exectued... Disturbing stuff and yet fascinating to see.
Something we noticed today from yesterday and saw again today was a man dressed as a monk (or jedi!) and for a magic trick he was set up to look like he was floating in mid air, only connected to the ground by a walking stick. Although we think we understand how it's being done, it looks really cool! I took lots of pictures and gave him a little bit of change. The street performers are everywhere!
We had deep fried mushrooms at the market with garlic sauce that were so good and Jeff and I shared a glass of apple cider wine that was made locally (we met the maker) and it was really good! We also had a little white wine and it was delicious as well - I don't even like wine! Maybe that's changing?
The four of us stopped for a beer in the afternoon before heading to the train station. Shawn and Andrea took off to the exhibit we saw yesterday after we told them about it and Jeff and I bought our bus tickets for tomorrow's journey to Prague. Once the other two get back we'll probably go looking for dinner. As it's Sunday, the town is pretty quiet, unlike yesterday where we were twisting and diving between people constantly, so the grocery store was not an option.
We're sad to be leaving Germany as it's been great (for the most part) and we would come back, especially for Oktoberfest...Jeff even said he could see himself living here, but other adventures await us tomorrow in the Czech Republic.
Anyway, I've been writing for awhile and Jeff's gone to go read for a bit. I'm going to join him before the others get back and we head out to dinner.
Have a fabulous day and congratulations to my brother for graduating today from the trade school!!
With love,
Amanda
To recap yesterday;
We walked approximately two kilometers to the Fascination and Horror Exhibit at the Documention Centre, or Kongresshall. We could have easily spent hours there but unfortunately only had just over one (it opened at 10am and we had to be out of our room for noon, with a 45 min walk back). We arrived eary and sat by a small lake to wait. We were surprised there were a number of others who arrived early too, including a group of youth and a tour group. We dashed inside, knowing we had to see it quickly. Jeff and I each got an English handheld device that had a speaker on one end that was circular (to hold up and around your entire ear). Each panel of information that we came across throughout the exhibit had a corresponding number that once you put into your device would talk to you about. You had to hold it to your ear which was neat. It also picked up any films that were playing in a room you were in and played it in your language. There were 19 rooms in total and tons of panels so we just picked the ones that looked the most interesting to us.
The whole exhibit was about Hitler's rise to power and how Nurnberg hosted the Nazi Party Rallies. From what I gathered after the whole thing was that Hitler had way too much power appointed to him and that people believed the myths that surrounded him which afforded him his power. It was unbelievable. It talked about "community versus society" and building a community without any discrepencies in race, beliefs, etc. which is why people got branded with labels, such as the Jewish star.
According to Hitler, Nurnberg was considered the most German city in Germany and was supposed to become "Germania", the capitol of the world. I did not know that. I also learned about the Nurnberg trials (that I had no idea about) that convicted a number of people to death, some to life in prison, and others to many years an prison for their particiption in Hitler's regime.
It was quite the interesting place to check out, even though a lot of the polticial pieces were lost on me... I need it basic and there was just way too much information, not to mention that we were a little rushed.
It took us bout 40 min or so to walk back to our place and to check out. We headed to the subway station and headed back to the main station we had been the day before. Our hostel is in the walls of the old town, which is really neat. It's definitely a backpacker's place with a lounge, communal kitchen, worn furniture and funky painted walls. We're staying in the room "Dionysos' Garden", which I have learned is the wine and party god...? lol. The rooms have funny names here, like, the "Wrong Room" or "Twilight Zone". It's rather amusing. The downside is the lack of soap in the washrooms (again!) and gender neutral washrooms that I just am not used to.
We arrived early so had to drop our luggage in a room for a few hours before we could check in. We headed out with our map and found the local market, Hauptmrkt, a couple of churches, a beautiful fountain, the local gingerbread cookie place and then generally just wandered around for a few hours. Jeff's back to eating regularly so he had a sausage from the market and was thoroughly pleased and I had gelato with gingerbread in it, so good!
We checked in to our place and had a nap as we were tired from all the walking we had done already. Afterward we headed to the supermarket (the super cheap one) and picked up a few things (Jeff bought Oktoberfest beer, that I had at the first hall when he wasn't drinking, to try some) but because we didn't take a good look at the kitchen beforehand we weren't sure what we had to work with (e.g. No microwave) so we ended up going out for dinner anyway. Jeff got Burger King, lol (after a week of eating so little I said, eat whatever you want!) and I had a doner... Another one... Althought it was good and cheap. :)
We sat downstairs for the rest of the night once we had met a nice couple of Canadians, Shawn and Andrea who live in the same area as us and went to the same school! Small world eh? They had arrived to Nurnberg that day from Munich with no plans and were waiting to see if they could get a room. They didn't get in until 11:15pm and after Shawn had said this happens often when they just show up he's thinking of planning ahead a bit more. I'm really glad we plan ahead, threre is so much less stress that way.
We made plans with them to hangout the next day and to explore the town.
This morning I had a shower that resulted in me soaking everything around me without getting me wet! The hand hose thingy went buck wild when I turned the water on and sprayed me in the face, my towel that was hanging, the wall and everything else as it bounced off the walls because it wasn't secure in the holder. Now, this didn't happen just once but three times!! Urgh. I really should have learned. The water was only on for five seconds at a time so I kept putting it back on the holder so I could wash... It was funny and irritating, lol
We had a quick breakfast that we had picked up from the store the previous day (yogurt) and then met Shawn and Andrea in the lounge. We wandered through town, taking them to a few of the places we had been the day before, one of which included the "Beautiful Fountain". We noticed a number of people yesterday touching a small gold ring and turning it in circles but had no idea what it meant, so today I did it too and so did Andrea. I later learned that you were supposed to make a wish as you were doing it, oh well! lol
We visited the town's imperial castle and took lots of great photos and then went through the town's medieval dungeons (even though we had to take a German tour because they don't offer it in English). The tour guide gave us English pamphlets and because he spoke English he checked up on us throughout the tour (as we hung in the back) to see if we had any questions or anything, he was very kind. It was neat to see and yet disturbing. They were seriously dark and creepy. I would not have wanted to be anywhere those things when they were in use! We even got to read about what reasons people would have been tortured and exectued... Disturbing stuff and yet fascinating to see.
Something we noticed today from yesterday and saw again today was a man dressed as a monk (or jedi!) and for a magic trick he was set up to look like he was floating in mid air, only connected to the ground by a walking stick. Although we think we understand how it's being done, it looks really cool! I took lots of pictures and gave him a little bit of change. The street performers are everywhere!
We had deep fried mushrooms at the market with garlic sauce that were so good and Jeff and I shared a glass of apple cider wine that was made locally (we met the maker) and it was really good! We also had a little white wine and it was delicious as well - I don't even like wine! Maybe that's changing?
The four of us stopped for a beer in the afternoon before heading to the train station. Shawn and Andrea took off to the exhibit we saw yesterday after we told them about it and Jeff and I bought our bus tickets for tomorrow's journey to Prague. Once the other two get back we'll probably go looking for dinner. As it's Sunday, the town is pretty quiet, unlike yesterday where we were twisting and diving between people constantly, so the grocery store was not an option.
We're sad to be leaving Germany as it's been great (for the most part) and we would come back, especially for Oktoberfest...Jeff even said he could see himself living here, but other adventures await us tomorrow in the Czech Republic.
Anyway, I've been writing for awhile and Jeff's gone to go read for a bit. I'm going to join him before the others get back and we head out to dinner.
Have a fabulous day and congratulations to my brother for graduating today from the trade school!!
With love,
Amanda
Saturday, October 1, 2011
No post today
Sorry folks but we're having difficulty with our internet (again) and I'm on the hostel's shared computer so not enough time to post.
Quickly - Jeff's feeling much better, so hopefully the antibiotics are doing their job! We had a busy day but will have to update later.
Update when I can!
Amanda
Quickly - Jeff's feeling much better, so hopefully the antibiotics are doing their job! We had a busy day but will have to update later.
Update when I can!
Amanda
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