The Last of My Adventures!

Well.. since I head home in 9 days... everything seems so bittersweet. One more final to do well on.. and then it's home for the summer with all of my loved ones!  I am very excited to home... but it is sad that this amazing 4 month experience is coming to an end, but I'm happy that it happened and I wouldn't change it for the world. Prague was a perfect choice, and I have learned a lot about myself and other people since I've been here... anyway... on to the adventures since my last post!!

Kutná Hora was visited after spring break! A few of my roomies and I took a train there for a day trip. Kutná Hora is a small Czech town about an hour outside of Prague. There is a church there with the interior decorated in real human bones!
The bones were dug out of a massive grave because the people wanted to build a church. The grave was full of all the victims of the Black Plague. The church didn't know what to do with the bones that had to be dug up to build the church, so since they didn't have any names anyway (because it was just a pit full of bodies) they used the bones inside, instead of finding another place to bury them. At first I thought it was really eerie, but I began to feel more comfortable inside after a few minutes. Next we just walked around the little quaint town and really enjoyed it. We took a hike in the woods to get some nature in us, because all of us are from small towns, being only in cities for the past few months is a feeling we're not used to!


Next, 3 of us took a quick day trip to Český Krumlov which is another cute town about 3 hours outside of Prague. This town was unreal... so much like a fairy tale city!! I thought I was going to find an old medieval princess around any corner. This town was simply adorable.


I will finish more later... about Budapest and Amsterdam! I have a lot of work to finish :)

Siblings!

On April 1st, my sister and brother arrived in Prague! How exciting! My Spring Break was coming to an end, but they were here to visit for five days!
I was very happy to see my family even though it wasn't everyone... I was very excited to be able to show Jeffrey and Lindsay around the city, navigating and being able to give them some fun facts about Prague.  I was finally able to put myself to the test! I was very proud of myself in how I navigated the three of us through the city and brought them to all of the historical touristy spots in Prague... there are a lot... and everyone has to see them!
I also... obviously took them to a few good bars, and was able to show them all of the delicious Czech beer that my friends and I like to drink. They became big fans as well.... it's hard not to.
We even found some new places to go to for dinner! We went to a great (micro)brewery for dinner... the traditional czech food was delicious, my sister even got to try some goulash. We all tried the beer... which was really, really, good.

Becoming a World Traveler is Exhausting!

Wow... I really have not had much time to update at all. I apologize for that!
Well... where to begin?!

Since my last post... I have been to Vienna, Austria/ Berlin, Germany/ Dublin, Ireland (and the Cliffs of Moher/ and last but certainly not least... Venice, Italy<3
It was like each trip got better and better!

Sooo Vienna was nice... but I honestly wasn't that impressed. (I think my standards are set pretty high after being in Prague!)
The Palaces that were in Vienna were gorgeous... and my favorite part. Luckily we were able to stumble across them... because none of us knew where we were going!

Belvedere Palace

... Then BERLIN!!!

Berlin was simply amazing.... I was so excited to go there because of all the history! That alone was so intriguing. We took a free tour and got to see so much!  It was truly amazing to be in Berlin.

St. Patrick's Day in Dublin? What could be better?

Famous Temple Bar... and streets PACKED with people.

St. Patrick's Cathedral!

We even took a day trip to the the opposite coast of Ireland... to the Cliffs of Moher <3 This was the most amazing natural thing I have ever seen!! They were larger than life... and simply breath taking.

My roomie Sam and I at the Cliffs! :)

This past weekend I went to VENICE! Nothing like it...

Grand Canal... Venice, Italy.

Venice was our most relaxing place that we visited... it's pretty small... and the life style is very laid back.
So it wasn't "GO GO GO!!!" like all of my other travels have been.

Yes...  I went on a Gondola ride... couldn't go to Venice without riding on a Gondola!

On our gondola ride we got to see the house that Mozart lived in while staying in Venice! :D

Sooo unbelievably charming! <3

On Monday we went to Murano to see them blow glass... it was so cool!

I really wished to make it to Rome this week because it's spring break.. but I couldn't. Maybe sometime before the semester is over.....


My life is amazing!

Plzen: The Birth Place of a Drink We All Love... Pilsner

Yesterday was our first trip outside of the city... well at least that wasn't organized by the school!
We decided to take a trip to the Pilsner Urquell Brewery in Plzen, Czech Republic.
Student tickets for the bus and the tour were very affordable... and very much worth every bit.

We got a little confused about which stop on the bus was the correct stop for the brewery tour... so we ended up being able to walk around Plzen for a couple of hours and get a good look at the city. It was pretty small... but very nice.

Walking Around Plzen

The tour was actually REALLY neat. They let us sample the raw ingredients used to brew the beer.... Something I am very glad I did.  We would have had to pay extra to take pictures during the tour or else I would have a lot more.... it was very interesting.

My friends and I were VERY impressed with how clean everything was at the brewery.

Display in the main entrance of the brewery.

Enjoying our FRESH unpasteurized pilsner! :)

We are all very much looking forward to what adventures we have coming for us. So far I have been enjoying myself to the MAX.
My mom said to me this morning on our skype chat after asking if I was still happy here...."It doesn't seem like you could have picked a place more perfect for you!" I think she's right... Prague is the perfect choice for me... I couldn't be any happier.

I Will Be Living in a Fairy Tale City for the Next Four Months.

This is just a quick post to let everyone know that I haven't forgotten about my blog! I have just been super busy. There is so much scheduled for us to do and by the time we all get home we're ready to hit the sack and rest up for the next days adventures.
My room mates and I have already done some exploring of our own throughout the city... yesterday was our orientation at the University.

Today the school scheduled an "Overview of Prague" which was great. We were able to see so much stuff! By the end of it all though... we were all ready for a nap! I think we're all still adjusting to the time change.

The Lennon Wall

Close up of the Astronomical Clock

 I don't think I could have picked a more beautiful European city to live in for the next four months. This whole town looks like the Disney Princess movies I watched as a child. I can't get enough of it.
I'll add more to my blog when my schedule settles down a little bit! :) Stay tuned and please be patient...


I love PRAHA!

Here Goes Nothin'

I am really trying to figure this thing out. Blogging has actually never appealed to me very much. A lot of people have requested that I keep a blog while Studying Abroad in Prague, Cz Rep. so here I am... trying to get a good start on one!

I have 10 days left until I am Eastern Europe bound. TEN! I am very anxious... and these days seem to get longer and longer. I just want to be there already!

I only got my visa application approved and mailed back to me (with my passport) on Saturday. That was becoming stressful because I hadn't heard anything about getting approved or not... and I had to give them my passport as well. 

I live on the Canadian border... and haven't been able to go to Canada at all during my Christmas break because the US won't allow me back into the country without my passport. Growing up in a family that has gone to Canada on a regular basis for lunch, dinner, shopping, school field trips, apple-picking, gymnastic lessons... etc. well... needless to say... it's hard to NOT go to Canada! Fortunately though, I have plans to head over the border in a few days! Passport in hand! :)

I am still trying to figure out what to pack for 4 months, and 2 seasons in a place thousaaaands of miles from home. That's an entirely different story though...