Budapest

Hello again everyone,

This past weekend I went to Budapest with five friends of mine. We stayed at an apartment that my roommate's parents own. It was really nice of them, and they had us to their house for a couple meals. It was great to have more homemade food. Mostly, Budapest wasn't so different from Prague. It is another big city with everything that you would ever want and need readily available. Daniel's mother was a lot like my mom and took very good care of us. His parents speak almost fluent English and it was nice to get to know more about their culture. The have an alcohol named Unicum that is like Jager and Whiskey mixed together. It was really good. Also, like in Slovakia, they had some Slivovica that is more or less vodka made from plums. We also had goulash that is identical to beef and vegetable soup that my mom makes! Our cultures are different, but not as different as I expected. I think I've said that a hundred times already...

This is the castle in Budapest, at night obviously. For some reason I neglected to take a picture of it during the day?

This is Mathias' Church, it is located within the walls of the castle.

This is the Parliament building, it is located across the river from the castle.

I'm not sure exactly what this place was, other than what I envision my future house looking like! ;-) I asked Daniel what it was called and he said it is Vajdahunyad Castle. It is a copy of a castle in Transylvania.

This is Daniel's parent's house

 Here are the people that accompanied me on the trip. From left to right: Me, Petr from Netherlands, Daniel from Hungary, Brown from Hungary, Andrew from Cleveland, Philip from Germany, Wiebe from Netherlands.

There is a place called Independence Square that is all commemorating the liberation of Budapest. There were a bunch of memorials of Americans, this one being Ronald Reagan! Has anyone else got to shake his hand? granted it was an awkward left-handed shake but o well.

We also went to one of the largest thermal bath's (aka hot springs) in the world. They had three pools that you can see in the picture, they extend away from the camera, as well as about 30 inside the structure that you can see. It was a labyrinth that never ended, or so it seemed. It was one pool after another all with different minerals and temperatures that were naturally from the ground. It was quite impressive. And packed with locals and tourists alike.

I noticed that I didn't really have much to say about Budapest. It was a lot of fun being there, but it really isn't different from everything else that I've experienced. That has definitely be the theme thus far. The world is becoming so interconnected and commercialized that most places seem very similar. It is making me want to go to places that are a little further away. Maybe I will make it to Zurich or London after all...

Slovakia

This weekend I went to Slovakia with Daniel and Janka. It was a lot of fun, and reminded me a lot of Colorado for various reasons. The landscape is similar to Colorado in the mountains. The mountains aren't as  big but close enough. Also, we rode in a car, my first time in a car besides the taxi ride from the airport to my dorm. We visited Oravky Hrad, a castle in Slovakia. I do not know much about the castle because the tour we went on was all in Slovak. But it was still very enjoyable. Afterwards, we went to some underground caves. Although the pictures may seem redundant, they are all different. The temperature was about 7 degrees Celsius in the caves. The water is filled with calcium, among other minerals, which is what causes the unique formations that I have forgotten what they are called. It was incredible to see and we were underground for more than an hour.

Staying with Janka's family was also a fun experience. Her parents speak no English so it was somewhat difficult to communicate, but with a little translation and gestures we did alright. It reminded me of home because her mom was always busy cooking something that was always delicious and her dad was making sure everyone was happy. They had a birthday party for one of their family friends. It was very similar to American birthday parties and a lot of fun hanging out with everyone. There were others there about y age, and they all spoke English, although not as well as Janka speaks.

It was refreshing getting away from the big city and spending time in the open. I am not homesick, (maybe I will be in a few more weeks) but definitely thinking about everything I miss in the States. I will look forward to the comforts of home and spending time with my family and friends during the holidays!

Karlovy Vary

This is at Karlovy Vary. The city is famous for their natural springs. Here is one, and you are supposed to drink the mineral water out of a special container, that I am holding in my hand, so that the water doesn't touch your teeth. It was nasty stuff, but came out of the ground at up to 74 degrees C! In the picture with me is one of my roommates, Adam.

 Here are all the people that went to Karlovy Vary, from left to right, Me, Adam, Bri, Olivia and Andrew.

 This is the spa that uses the mineral water for their treatments, it isn't as fancy as it looks.

 A geyser that spews almost constantly.

 Grand Hotel Pupp (pronounced Poop) where James Bond Casino Royal and Last Holiday were filmed.

 A somewhat famous traditional Czech drink is Becherovka. It is a hard alcohol that is produced here in Karlovy Vary. It tastes like cinnamon.

 This is a group of people that went out to lunch after the Church service on Sunday. To my immediate left, it a lady name Marketa Liskova who is the worship leader at the church and an up and coming star. You can read more about her on her website here: http://www.marketaliskova.cz/en. Her music is great! The only other guy on my side of the table, further to my left, is Mikah and he is involved with Athletes in Action here in Prague and coaches and plays American Football as a part of his ministry. He is from Omaha, NE.

2 Weeks In...

Well I am just about two weeks into my time here in Prague. I have traveled mostly around the city and some of the places just outside of the city. There are so many things that I hope to do before I leave; I'm sure I will not be able to do them all.

I have 5 great roommates:
Daniel from Hungary
Alex from Germany
Adam from Colorado
Igor from Ukraine
Andrew from Cleveland

We have gotten along great and all of them would be people that I would hang out with in the states. I feel very blessed to have them as roommates. Also, the other people that are always around have been great. I've met people from Italy, Norway, Canada, Nederlands, Spain, Russia, among others.

Also, I have not had very much culture shock, virtually none. Prague is simply a big city. The supermarkets are very similar to the USA, they have WiFi everywhere, big modern malls and shopping centers, English is very common and there is every kind of food you could ever want. I had a different expectation that this was more or less an undeveloped country. I would say it was harder to get used to living in a city of 1 million people that adapting to the foreign culture. It has taught me that the world is not so different, but also shown me what I particularly enjoy about 'home.'

Here are some more pictures of the area:

This is the Castle at Karlstein (outside of Prague). This is a Castle that King Charles lived in sporadically during his reign.

Here is the village below the castle.

We walked through the countryside to an abandoned mine. It looks just like the country in America, maybe a little greener...

And here is the mine...

This is the Catholic church in Vysehrad, it is still used for services today.

Here I am with Prague Castle in the background.

Charles Bridge and Prague Castle

Here are a couple of photos of Charles Bridge and Prague Castle:

Day 1

Well I finally got to Prague and finished with all of the necessary errands. I had to register with the school and get the proper confirmation documents in order to get a public transportation pass and checked in to the dorms. Now I am all settled and have unpacked and gone to the grocery store to buy some small things for breakfast and snacks. Prague is a beautiful city and the people seem pleasant enough. The language is like nothing I have ever heard and I'm certain that I will not know much more than I do now. My roommate's name is Daniel and he is from Hungary. He and I are equally outgoing and it seems we will become pretty good friends. Also, Janka, my Czech buddy, has been wonderful and has been with me almost the entire time that I  have been here thus far. The  one disappointment that I have so far is about the beer. It is not the best beer that I have ever tasted and had higher expectations for it after hearing how great it was. Maybe I have not drank the correct kind, but so far it was very average.

My Czech Buddy

I received the email from my Czech Buddy and I think she and I will become good friends throughout the next  semester. Her name is Janka P. and she is studying in Prague but is originally from Slovakia. She will be entering her 5th semester of college, if I understood her correctly. I have been exchanging emails with her and she seems sweet and energetic. She mentioned that she is only 163cm (approximately 5'3") and enjoys sport and such, like basketball and tennis. It's going to be a fun semester! I will be sure to post a picture of use upon arrival in Prague (called Praha in the Czech).