I'm trying hard to remember everything that has happened since my last post, and I will do my best not to leave too much out! I suppose that's what happens when you are busy having adventures; you have no time to write about it!
For starters, the trip to Prague was a rousing success. There was so much that worked out well, it's amazing. The car ride was an adventure, as our GPS took us off the autobahn about 2 hours outside of Prague and lead us through tiny towns on windy roads. It was a pain at the time, since we arrived in Prague much later than expected, but we were able to see such neat little places that we purposely took that road home. The city itself was breathtaking. It was bigger than I expected, but very easy to navigate. The weather was absolutely perfect, and so we were all able to spend time outside wandering and seeing the sights. The whole of Prague was in a bit of a tizzy because that was the same weekend that President Obama and President Medvedev were having their summit. There were police everywhere, and parts of the city were off-limits. We found out that Medvedev was staying at the four seasons, which we happened to be in the neighborhood of, so we waited with the media and got a great view as he drove in with the official motorcade. It was briefly thrilling, but probably not worth waiting outside for 2 hours.
During the wait, I took a little walk to the St. Charles Bridge and took some nighttime photos. Here's one of the castle:
Due to the summit, the castle was closed, which was a shame, but we did visit a lot of other wonderful sights. Churches and gardens and little hidden streets, plus a wonderful canal boat ride on the river. The St. Charles bridge, which is the most famous in Prague, was built centuries ago from sandstone and chicken eggs. No lie. It's still standing too, so perhaps this is a building strategy that should be considered nowadays.
Nextly, we of course visited the famous square in Prague, complete with the astronomical clock. It's extremely impressive, but the square itself is so full of tourists the clock is sort of secondary to people watching. There is also a beautiful church, but for some reason there is a row of Spanish-style buildings right in front of it, hiding most of it. A real shame if you ask me. It's super beautiful at night too.
You can see that there's a little market going on in the square too. It was an Easter Market, and while the food that I sampled wasn't very good, it was fun nonetheless.
We also hiked up to a church on a hill overlooking the river. It was closed, but the view was totally worth it. We sat for a while up there, just taking in the scenery. It was a relaxed afternoon.
The nightlife in Prague is pretty interesting too. We visited a few different bars, some better than others, and saw a motley crew of people. Some bars were more sophisticated, while others were packed with drunk university students doing lewd things on the couches. Regardless, we had fun people watching.
We left Prague after three wonderful days and took the aforementioned route home through little towns along the Elbe river. We passed over the German-Czech border, which is now inactive, but still neat to see. We stopped for lunch in one of the border towns, and perused the countless Chinese stands selling cheap imitation wares. It was ridiculous but very amusing.
It was a wonderful weekend, and I'm really glad that I went. The beautiful weather continued in Kassel, and in fact the week after I returned from Prague was the most beautiful days we have had this year. I had a disgusting cold that week (which actually lasted for 2 and a half weeks), but I still managed to enjoy a picnic in the Orangerie park here in Kassel.
After some outdoor days, another class, and several days in bed recovering, I took a train to Paris this past weekend to meet up with my dear friend Jenna and her husband Dave. I had visited Paris once before, several years ago, but that time I was by myself and only there for one day. This time was exponentially more fun. We visited Monet's garden in Giverny, which was astonishingly beautiful. No wonder he was so inspired all the time.
We went up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, ate some delicious French food, and of course visited the Eiffel Tower. I had gone to the top the last time I visited, but I hadn't visited at night. I am a firm believer that every monument should be seen both in the daylight and at night. It's a completely different experience.
It was an incredible weekend, and I was so happy to spend time with Jenna and Dave. There's much more to write, but to be honest, I'm very tired. Also, I am getting up at 3 AM to leave for Venice and I really need to get some sleep. I know, my life is so tough. I never thought I'd be able to travel this much, but being in Kassel has given me wonderful, and cheap, opportunities, and I need to take advantage of them. As Tom Petty said, "If you don't run, you rust."
Bis später!
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