Zurich post will have to be post-poned as I am borrowing someone's computer. I will just mention that I love Zurich and can totally imagine living there. It's the little big city!!
I am now in Arosa, which offers STUNNING views of the mountains. Yes, the weather changes sporadically, but nonetheless, it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Try waking up to the a panoramic view of the mountains everyday.
That's not the best part. I was placed with Joey into the luxury room in the hotel that is farther from the school. Yes, it is farther, and if we had to walk, it would be about 30 minutes. However, we have been placed in a 5-STAR HOTEL. YES, that's RIGHT! My first time ever, living in such a nice place. Two washrooms (2 showers, 2 toilets, 1 but-washer lol, 1 gigantic tub, 3 sinks), 4 beds, and a pretty big living room. I have never lived in such luxury. Today I was off, since I don't officially start until Tuesday. I went for a dip in the lukewarm pool, with its billion jets for massages, stayed in the jacuzzi awhile. Then, I went off to the 4 saunas that they offer. I only tried 2 of them today. There were scents of flowers in one, and some sort of lemon-y, fresh scent in the other. It definitely opened up the lungs and pores! The sad part is that I won't be able to indulge as much as soon as the job starts. =( Maybe on the off days once or twice a week.
Anyway, there will be photos soon I hope! __out
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
From the land of the cheap beer to the land of the expensive everything.
June 21st continued
Yes, so after the music festival, I went back to the flat to see if anyone was home (most of the trainees were out somewhere at a lake that weekend for a party, and I couldnt go because I was leaving that night). Grace wasnt home, and I was hungry. I have never eaten alone at a restaurant before, but I decided I would that night, as it was cheaper to have a full Czech meal, than McDs. I felt so awkward, sitting alone, but the pork steak with cheese, veggies and potato cakes were sooooooo good that it was worth the stares =P.
Vienna - June 22nd
I arrived by bus to Vienna, dropped my stuff off in the hostel, and then decided to walk around. It was my first time using Euros, and I had nothing less than a 20, so I admit to illegally using the metro. LOL Anyway, I was soo exhausted, that it affected my mood to the point where I was almost regretting a trip to Vienna. However, one event made the entire trip worth it; at least I think. (P.S. I hate Swiss keyboards, cant find the exclamation mark, so I all +s are exclamation marks). Anyway, the Vienna Boys Choir made it ALL worth it. Since I arrived at like 6am in Vienna, I had time to go early and get good standing room (which if I may boast, was even better than some of the paid seats since I was standing at the very front). Their voices are SOOO angelic. It is ridiculous how well they sing+ I enjoyed every second of it. After that, I walked around a bit in the EuroCup FanZone, and surrounding areas (Museums, Parliament, theaters etc.), but because of the EuroCup FanZone, many historical sites were blocked off and covered up, for fear of drunk football fans destroying things. Many of my pictures will feature a historical building with some football flags on them. lol. I went back to the hostel and showered and napped, then went off againith new energy to check out the huge inner circle and the Danube river. At about 10, I made it over to the FanZone to watch the rest of the Spain vs. Italy match. It was crazy, with all the people there -- and Spain won++++ I made it back to the hostel after the match and I was exhausted. I went into the mixed room, and found an old man sleeping on the bunk bed next to mine (thank god there were lockers dividing our beds). That kind of creeped me out for a second, as most hostels have age limits. I guess this one didnt. I didnt mind too much, but it was still creepy. I showered and got into bed, and not long after, another person returned, and not long after that, another 2 returned. These 2 people, who are Chinese, because they were speaking Mandarin, were SOO annoying+ They were packing their bags and whispering quite loudly that I could not fall asleep for another hour or so. I tried to sleep in the next day, but check out is at 10am. I intended to wake up at 9.30am, but new people checking in came at like 8.30am. GRR+
June 23
I went to a building with strange architecture. It was built by an ecologist-architect or something like that. It is soo trippy, because things arent straight and the building itself is very colourful. Then I made it over to the Belvedere gardens, which are I think some Royal gardens in the area. It was soo hot that day, and my legs were so sore from walking around so much, that I returned to Schwarzenberg Platz, where I was yesterday, to chill out in front of the fountain for awhile. Then I walked back into the inner ring of Vienna, where streets are crazily messed up since they dont really have any order or organization. I went back to Stephansplatz, which is where the main cathedral is, and there were so many guys walking around looking for semi-final and finals tickets. SO funny. I made a mini-album of those people looking for tickets, and the scalpers. haha. Then I made my way to Sigmund Freud square, which was not that impressive, and went back to the hostel to get ready to leave for the airport. I had found out that the earliest bus to the airport was at 5.30am, and my flight was at 6.15am. I wouldnt make it for check-in. Thus, I took the last bus out to the airport, and spent 7 hours there killing time. I found a bench and wanted to sleep, but there was already another guy sitting there. After some hour or so of awkwardness, I finally decided I would try to be friendly. He was a pretty young guy, early 20s, so I asked him if he spoke English. He said a bit, but it turns out that he is from Monterrey, Mexico, so I ended up conversing in Spanish the whole time (despite my shitty Spanish from being so tired). He was really nice, and in the end, I ended up sleeping on half the bench using mine and his jacket as a pillow. He even later put another jacket over me because I had a really thin blanket (the beach thingie I bought from Puerto Vallarta, Kate. Thank goodness you told me about those, they are so useful+). Of course I was paranoid that my luggage would get stolen, but nothing to that effect happened. I only slept very lightly because of the paranoia and maybe for an hour or so. Then at 4am, I woke up from all the hustle and bustle in the airport. Luis Carlos and I were astounded that the restaurant behind us was full of Czechs having their breakfast at 4am in the airport. There was like a table of 10 people, pluslike 10 other tables filled with people. It was a strange sight to see, so we just made fun of them. LOL. Then we checked in and passed out for the flight that was less than an hour to Munich. haha.
Munich - June 24th
I arrived at the airport, and quite easily found my way to the metro and was also asleep for most of the ride. I got to the main train station, paid for a locker 5 euros+ WTH. I was so exhausted and I think this totally ruined the effects of seeing Munich. It was smaller, and since I couldnt find any free maps, I only had that which my Lets Go book provided. It was too zoomed in to the centre though. I reluctantly walked and toured the streets, thinking to myself that I wasted a lot of money getting there (81 euros), but tried to justify it with the fact that a flight to Zurich from Vienna was more expensive, and I didnt know that the Zurich Airport station was also close to Chris place. In the end, I found another thing worth the trip: a free guided tour. I took the free tour of Munich, and our guide ended up being a Canadian guy named Ricky. He was really sarcastic, and the Americans apparently dont fare too well with that. Now I see where that stereotype of Canadian-humour being sarcastic means. He was a real comedian, andmade the tour very interesting. He showed where Hitler first formed the Nazi party(at the local beer house, that brews all the German beer -- Hofbaus or something, I forgot the name LOL). He told other such stories including the time where Hitler almost died, but his body guard took 11 bullets for him (and survived). At the end, he was telling a longer story about Hitler again and I almost fell asleep sitting on the ledge. I felt so rude, but you all know my narcoleptic ways+ At the end, I tipped him so little, but since I have been spending so much, I just let it be, and explained to him that I was on a tight budget. I really appreciated the tour though. After that I had another 2 or 3 hours to kill and I still really didnt feel like doing anything. I continued shopping a bit, bought some dinner and just went back to the train station, where Spanishc ame into play again+ Never wouldve thought that there were so many Spanish speakers everywhere here+ I had asked her whether I could just get on any train or whether my ticket specified a seat, but apparently you can get on any train and sit anywhere as long as the seat is not reserved, and it is in the second class. Of course I passed out for the whole train ride until I arrived in Zurich at 11pm.
Zurich - June 25th
I arrived in Zurich last night, where Chris warmly welcomed me with a box of Swiss chocolates+ He is so kind+ We went back to his place and I got settled in Jih-Mings room. He is actually on the incoming MC of Switzerland, so he is away in Berne (coincidentally until Saturday) doing transition. Zurich is beautiful. Maybe it was the fact that I had been travelling for 3 days alone, and sometimes it gets lonely. Even in Prague, where the trainees had to work during the day, and I only saw Martin the first 2 days, it got a bit lonely, but each new city revived me in its own little way. I know I have been spending ridiculous sums of money, but I guess it is all worth the experience in the end+ Anyway, I got all settled, and it was nice getting my own room and sleeping in a nice comfy bed (thanks Chris and Jih-Ming+). In the morning I woke up at like 11am, since I was soo tired from before. I took it easy.. played some piano because Jih-Ming has one in his room, cooked some instant noodles because it is so much cheaper than a Swiss meal (McDs is 12 bucks...). I then made it over to the shopping district and guiltily bought more clothing. I LOVE European fashion and the prices arent that bad compared to Canada, depending on the stores you go to. I wish I had more money and more space in my luggage to buy more, but I really had to convince myself not to go crazy. LOL. I walked all the way down the street past the expensive Louis Vuitton boutiques, and found a crystal clear lake. There were people swimming in it, and I wanted to jump in with them so badly but I didnt have my bathing suit. I want to go today, but the weather is sucking a little. I will probably go tomorrow. Today, I will probably explore Museums and the old part of Zurich. It is very small so everything is walkable, but Europeans are lazy, so they take advantage of the efficient public transportation.
After that, I made it back to the main station to meet up with Chris under the giant football players displayed in the station. We walked over to the University for an AIESEC meeting with LC Zurich. I didnt expect to meet the AIESECers, but I did. A girl did a presentation about her internship in Imalabad, Pakistan, and I later found out she briefly met Marina, taking her to the airport as she went home from her CEED last summer. Once again, the small world of AIESEC. Then a guy, I forgot his name, but I know he has a pHD, presented about doing business in Korea. He was a pretty cool guy representing the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce. At some point, Andri joined us in the room, and I was just so excited+ I couldnt believe that I was seeing him in Switzerland. I didnt expect to hang out with him for a longggg time after he left Toronto. After the meeting, he took me out to dinner and even paid (thanks again Andri+), but I felt sort of guilty because it was sooo expensive. I ordered one of the cheaper pastas, and it was 23.50 francs = close to 23.50 CDN). Then we walked around a bit and we stopped for a drink. It seemed to be a pretty average place, not high class or anything. The cocktails were about 15CHF each. W T H. LOL. Then we made it back to the EuroCup area where the AIESECers were watching the game (we were at the bar when Germany scored the last goal in the last couple minutes). When we arrived, everyone was partying and there was awesome music being played. We partied for a bit, then came home since Chris has to work early in the morning. He lent me his laptop for the night as he went to bed and I stayed up until 5am checking emails. I had 58 emails in my inbox. 90% of them were AIESEC-related. LOL. Anyway, now I am up and wasting my day sitting here blogging, so I should go make some lunch and go out exploring+ I just wanted to catch up with everything, to feeel the sense of accomplishment that Ive caught up with blogging. Too much reading for you guys? haha. I could totally go in more detail, but I wont, to save you guys ;) __out
Yes, so after the music festival, I went back to the flat to see if anyone was home (most of the trainees were out somewhere at a lake that weekend for a party, and I couldnt go because I was leaving that night). Grace wasnt home, and I was hungry. I have never eaten alone at a restaurant before, but I decided I would that night, as it was cheaper to have a full Czech meal, than McDs. I felt so awkward, sitting alone, but the pork steak with cheese, veggies and potato cakes were sooooooo good that it was worth the stares =P.
Vienna - June 22nd
I arrived by bus to Vienna, dropped my stuff off in the hostel, and then decided to walk around. It was my first time using Euros, and I had nothing less than a 20, so I admit to illegally using the metro. LOL Anyway, I was soo exhausted, that it affected my mood to the point where I was almost regretting a trip to Vienna. However, one event made the entire trip worth it; at least I think. (P.S. I hate Swiss keyboards, cant find the exclamation mark, so I all +s are exclamation marks). Anyway, the Vienna Boys Choir made it ALL worth it. Since I arrived at like 6am in Vienna, I had time to go early and get good standing room (which if I may boast, was even better than some of the paid seats since I was standing at the very front). Their voices are SOOO angelic. It is ridiculous how well they sing+ I enjoyed every second of it. After that, I walked around a bit in the EuroCup FanZone, and surrounding areas (Museums, Parliament, theaters etc.), but because of the EuroCup FanZone, many historical sites were blocked off and covered up, for fear of drunk football fans destroying things. Many of my pictures will feature a historical building with some football flags on them. lol. I went back to the hostel and showered and napped, then went off againith new energy to check out the huge inner circle and the Danube river. At about 10, I made it over to the FanZone to watch the rest of the Spain vs. Italy match. It was crazy, with all the people there -- and Spain won++++ I made it back to the hostel after the match and I was exhausted. I went into the mixed room, and found an old man sleeping on the bunk bed next to mine (thank god there were lockers dividing our beds). That kind of creeped me out for a second, as most hostels have age limits. I guess this one didnt. I didnt mind too much, but it was still creepy. I showered and got into bed, and not long after, another person returned, and not long after that, another 2 returned. These 2 people, who are Chinese, because they were speaking Mandarin, were SOO annoying+ They were packing their bags and whispering quite loudly that I could not fall asleep for another hour or so. I tried to sleep in the next day, but check out is at 10am. I intended to wake up at 9.30am, but new people checking in came at like 8.30am. GRR+
June 23
I went to a building with strange architecture. It was built by an ecologist-architect or something like that. It is soo trippy, because things arent straight and the building itself is very colourful. Then I made it over to the Belvedere gardens, which are I think some Royal gardens in the area. It was soo hot that day, and my legs were so sore from walking around so much, that I returned to Schwarzenberg Platz, where I was yesterday, to chill out in front of the fountain for awhile. Then I walked back into the inner ring of Vienna, where streets are crazily messed up since they dont really have any order or organization. I went back to Stephansplatz, which is where the main cathedral is, and there were so many guys walking around looking for semi-final and finals tickets. SO funny. I made a mini-album of those people looking for tickets, and the scalpers. haha. Then I made my way to Sigmund Freud square, which was not that impressive, and went back to the hostel to get ready to leave for the airport. I had found out that the earliest bus to the airport was at 5.30am, and my flight was at 6.15am. I wouldnt make it for check-in. Thus, I took the last bus out to the airport, and spent 7 hours there killing time. I found a bench and wanted to sleep, but there was already another guy sitting there. After some hour or so of awkwardness, I finally decided I would try to be friendly. He was a pretty young guy, early 20s, so I asked him if he spoke English. He said a bit, but it turns out that he is from Monterrey, Mexico, so I ended up conversing in Spanish the whole time (despite my shitty Spanish from being so tired). He was really nice, and in the end, I ended up sleeping on half the bench using mine and his jacket as a pillow. He even later put another jacket over me because I had a really thin blanket (the beach thingie I bought from Puerto Vallarta, Kate. Thank goodness you told me about those, they are so useful+). Of course I was paranoid that my luggage would get stolen, but nothing to that effect happened. I only slept very lightly because of the paranoia and maybe for an hour or so. Then at 4am, I woke up from all the hustle and bustle in the airport. Luis Carlos and I were astounded that the restaurant behind us was full of Czechs having their breakfast at 4am in the airport. There was like a table of 10 people, pluslike 10 other tables filled with people. It was a strange sight to see, so we just made fun of them. LOL. Then we checked in and passed out for the flight that was less than an hour to Munich. haha.
Munich - June 24th
I arrived at the airport, and quite easily found my way to the metro and was also asleep for most of the ride. I got to the main train station, paid for a locker 5 euros+ WTH. I was so exhausted and I think this totally ruined the effects of seeing Munich. It was smaller, and since I couldnt find any free maps, I only had that which my Lets Go book provided. It was too zoomed in to the centre though. I reluctantly walked and toured the streets, thinking to myself that I wasted a lot of money getting there (81 euros), but tried to justify it with the fact that a flight to Zurich from Vienna was more expensive, and I didnt know that the Zurich Airport station was also close to Chris place. In the end, I found another thing worth the trip: a free guided tour. I took the free tour of Munich, and our guide ended up being a Canadian guy named Ricky. He was really sarcastic, and the Americans apparently dont fare too well with that. Now I see where that stereotype of Canadian-humour being sarcastic means. He was a real comedian, andmade the tour very interesting. He showed where Hitler first formed the Nazi party(at the local beer house, that brews all the German beer -- Hofbaus or something, I forgot the name LOL). He told other such stories including the time where Hitler almost died, but his body guard took 11 bullets for him (and survived). At the end, he was telling a longer story about Hitler again and I almost fell asleep sitting on the ledge. I felt so rude, but you all know my narcoleptic ways+ At the end, I tipped him so little, but since I have been spending so much, I just let it be, and explained to him that I was on a tight budget. I really appreciated the tour though. After that I had another 2 or 3 hours to kill and I still really didnt feel like doing anything. I continued shopping a bit, bought some dinner and just went back to the train station, where Spanishc ame into play again+ Never wouldve thought that there were so many Spanish speakers everywhere here+ I had asked her whether I could just get on any train or whether my ticket specified a seat, but apparently you can get on any train and sit anywhere as long as the seat is not reserved, and it is in the second class. Of course I passed out for the whole train ride until I arrived in Zurich at 11pm.
Zurich - June 25th
I arrived in Zurich last night, where Chris warmly welcomed me with a box of Swiss chocolates+ He is so kind+ We went back to his place and I got settled in Jih-Mings room. He is actually on the incoming MC of Switzerland, so he is away in Berne (coincidentally until Saturday) doing transition. Zurich is beautiful. Maybe it was the fact that I had been travelling for 3 days alone, and sometimes it gets lonely. Even in Prague, where the trainees had to work during the day, and I only saw Martin the first 2 days, it got a bit lonely, but each new city revived me in its own little way. I know I have been spending ridiculous sums of money, but I guess it is all worth the experience in the end+ Anyway, I got all settled, and it was nice getting my own room and sleeping in a nice comfy bed (thanks Chris and Jih-Ming+). In the morning I woke up at like 11am, since I was soo tired from before. I took it easy.. played some piano because Jih-Ming has one in his room, cooked some instant noodles because it is so much cheaper than a Swiss meal (McDs is 12 bucks...). I then made it over to the shopping district and guiltily bought more clothing. I LOVE European fashion and the prices arent that bad compared to Canada, depending on the stores you go to. I wish I had more money and more space in my luggage to buy more, but I really had to convince myself not to go crazy. LOL. I walked all the way down the street past the expensive Louis Vuitton boutiques, and found a crystal clear lake. There were people swimming in it, and I wanted to jump in with them so badly but I didnt have my bathing suit. I want to go today, but the weather is sucking a little. I will probably go tomorrow. Today, I will probably explore Museums and the old part of Zurich. It is very small so everything is walkable, but Europeans are lazy, so they take advantage of the efficient public transportation.
After that, I made it back to the main station to meet up with Chris under the giant football players displayed in the station. We walked over to the University for an AIESEC meeting with LC Zurich. I didnt expect to meet the AIESECers, but I did. A girl did a presentation about her internship in Imalabad, Pakistan, and I later found out she briefly met Marina, taking her to the airport as she went home from her CEED last summer. Once again, the small world of AIESEC. Then a guy, I forgot his name, but I know he has a pHD, presented about doing business in Korea. He was a pretty cool guy representing the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce. At some point, Andri joined us in the room, and I was just so excited+ I couldnt believe that I was seeing him in Switzerland. I didnt expect to hang out with him for a longggg time after he left Toronto. After the meeting, he took me out to dinner and even paid (thanks again Andri+), but I felt sort of guilty because it was sooo expensive. I ordered one of the cheaper pastas, and it was 23.50 francs = close to 23.50 CDN). Then we walked around a bit and we stopped for a drink. It seemed to be a pretty average place, not high class or anything. The cocktails were about 15CHF each. W T H. LOL. Then we made it back to the EuroCup area where the AIESECers were watching the game (we were at the bar when Germany scored the last goal in the last couple minutes). When we arrived, everyone was partying and there was awesome music being played. We partied for a bit, then came home since Chris has to work early in the morning. He lent me his laptop for the night as he went to bed and I stayed up until 5am checking emails. I had 58 emails in my inbox. 90% of them were AIESEC-related. LOL. Anyway, now I am up and wasting my day sitting here blogging, so I should go make some lunch and go out exploring+ I just wanted to catch up with everything, to feeel the sense of accomplishment that Ive caught up with blogging. Too much reading for you guys? haha. I could totally go in more detail, but I wont, to save you guys ;) __out
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Prague -- where beer is cheaper than water; literally.
First of all, I'd like to say I am EXTREMELY tired, as I slept maybe 1hr on the night bus coming to Vienna. I stupidly decided to watch the Last Samurai (which is pretty good by the way) instead of trying to sleep. Anyway, I'm here now, ventured downtown, but came back to shower and check-in to the hostel. It is very nice, but its a 25min walk downtown. Since I just realized that I have spent a billion dollars in the last week, I am trying very hard to save money, therefore trying to reduce transit money. Preview to Vienna posts, EuroFest is here!! The EuroCup as like a Fun Zone here, and it is like a public viewing area for the games (i.e. tonight = Italy vs. Spain, go Spain go! =))
Anyway, on about Prague!
Prague - June 19th, 20th, 21st
After that long post I wrote the other day, I decided I really needed to get out of the flat! Off I went to the old Stalin monument, which is now converted to a giant ticking clock thing. Apparently, the story is that there used to be a statue of Stalin on top of the hill, overlooking Prague, as if he is always watching the people. After the communist regime was lifted, the statue was destroyed and replaced by the clock that ticks perpetually from the time that communism ended -- at least that was the story told to me. There was a really nice view up there, and random shoes hanging on this electric line.. and lots of skate boarders and graffiti. As in the view was nice, but the actual area was kinda sketch.
Next, I walked off to the Jewish Quarters, where there used to be a Jewish ghetto. Yes, there were Jews in the Czech Republic too. They were also living in ghettos and many were sent to a concentration camp in that area as well. Then I continued strolling and randomly got suckered into purchasing a last minute ticket to a classical concert. It was around $15CDN for a 1.5 hour concert featuring pieces by Mozart, Vivaldi, Dvorak and Bizet. The ticket was originally supposed to be over $40CDN, but I am not sure anyone actually buys it at that price. After the concert was over, I just walked along the Vltava River and watched the sun set over the Prague castle. It was absolutely stunning. Everytime I walked by the Prague castle it seemed so surreal, as if I was walking in a fairytale book.
June 20th
I spent most of this day walking around the Prague Castle grounds. It is really well-kept and HUGE. I pretty much walked through the castle grounds, saw St. Vitus' Cathedral, which had beautiful stained glass windows; I walked through the Royal Gardens and also caught the Changing of the Guards there too. Then I made it over to Prague's version of the Eiffel Tower, and caught a really cool view of the city from another angle (all in all, I think I climbed at least 3 different points in the city to see different points of view, so I think I got to see the city pretty well!). Afterwards, I met up with my friend Grace back at the AIESEC flat, and she took me to meet Prague's asian community. LOL. Never thought I'd have to use Chinese in Europe, well I was tested in Mandarin! LOL. It's crazy how much I've forgotten already, I really need to go to China and brush up on my Chinese! Anyway, she took me to a Chinese tea house, where we had awesome green tea in the traditional style. I've never even done this in Toronto, one of the most asian cities outside of Asia! Then we had some crazy Szechuan food, which almost burned a hole in my stomach. lol. Afterwards, we were waiting for the rest of the flatmates to join them to watch the tie-breaker in the Turkey vs. Croatia game, but they were so caught up they didn't answer us! Instead, the asian group plus this Czech guy who can speak Mandarin (probably better than me), went to have some drinks by the Vltava River, across from the Prague castle. Finally, we headed off to a club in Prague to enjoy the rest of the night. It was interesting, I think I don't really know European beats or something, because I didn't recognize any songs. lol. Got home at 3am, so decided against going to Czesky Krumlov (a nearby city).
June 21st
Instead, I just spent my last day walking around one last time in Prague. I saw the Vysehrad, another high point in the city, and also a cathedral. (One realizes that many of the things that people see are churches in Europe). I then walked over to the Dancing House, which had some pretty cool architecture (pictures to be loaded soon; been having issues with this). Then I went over to the United Islands of Prague Music Fest to listen to some Czech and international music, and finally had some dinner. More to be added later.. 24s left on internet timer. LOL. byebye!
Anyway, on about Prague!
Prague - June 19th, 20th, 21st
After that long post I wrote the other day, I decided I really needed to get out of the flat! Off I went to the old Stalin monument, which is now converted to a giant ticking clock thing. Apparently, the story is that there used to be a statue of Stalin on top of the hill, overlooking Prague, as if he is always watching the people. After the communist regime was lifted, the statue was destroyed and replaced by the clock that ticks perpetually from the time that communism ended -- at least that was the story told to me. There was a really nice view up there, and random shoes hanging on this electric line.. and lots of skate boarders and graffiti. As in the view was nice, but the actual area was kinda sketch.
Next, I walked off to the Jewish Quarters, where there used to be a Jewish ghetto. Yes, there were Jews in the Czech Republic too. They were also living in ghettos and many were sent to a concentration camp in that area as well. Then I continued strolling and randomly got suckered into purchasing a last minute ticket to a classical concert. It was around $15CDN for a 1.5 hour concert featuring pieces by Mozart, Vivaldi, Dvorak and Bizet. The ticket was originally supposed to be over $40CDN, but I am not sure anyone actually buys it at that price. After the concert was over, I just walked along the Vltava River and watched the sun set over the Prague castle. It was absolutely stunning. Everytime I walked by the Prague castle it seemed so surreal, as if I was walking in a fairytale book.
June 20th
I spent most of this day walking around the Prague Castle grounds. It is really well-kept and HUGE. I pretty much walked through the castle grounds, saw St. Vitus' Cathedral, which had beautiful stained glass windows; I walked through the Royal Gardens and also caught the Changing of the Guards there too. Then I made it over to Prague's version of the Eiffel Tower, and caught a really cool view of the city from another angle (all in all, I think I climbed at least 3 different points in the city to see different points of view, so I think I got to see the city pretty well!). Afterwards, I met up with my friend Grace back at the AIESEC flat, and she took me to meet Prague's asian community. LOL. Never thought I'd have to use Chinese in Europe, well I was tested in Mandarin! LOL. It's crazy how much I've forgotten already, I really need to go to China and brush up on my Chinese! Anyway, she took me to a Chinese tea house, where we had awesome green tea in the traditional style. I've never even done this in Toronto, one of the most asian cities outside of Asia! Then we had some crazy Szechuan food, which almost burned a hole in my stomach. lol. Afterwards, we were waiting for the rest of the flatmates to join them to watch the tie-breaker in the Turkey vs. Croatia game, but they were so caught up they didn't answer us! Instead, the asian group plus this Czech guy who can speak Mandarin (probably better than me), went to have some drinks by the Vltava River, across from the Prague castle. Finally, we headed off to a club in Prague to enjoy the rest of the night. It was interesting, I think I don't really know European beats or something, because I didn't recognize any songs. lol. Got home at 3am, so decided against going to Czesky Krumlov (a nearby city).
June 21st
Instead, I just spent my last day walking around one last time in Prague. I saw the Vysehrad, another high point in the city, and also a cathedral. (One realizes that many of the things that people see are churches in Europe). I then walked over to the Dancing House, which had some pretty cool architecture (pictures to be loaded soon; been having issues with this). Then I went over to the United Islands of Prague Music Fest to listen to some Czech and international music, and finally had some dinner. More to be added later.. 24s left on internet timer. LOL. byebye!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
It's almost been a week in Europe!
Hello everyone,
I am sure you have been waiting for my update, or I am just being overconfident in the fact that you actually care and are on the edge of your seats waiting for an update =P I guess I will go by city, and adding my observations about the life there. This may not be accurate, as I did not technically live there, I have only been a tourist there (as much as I dont like tourists sometimes =P), so keep that in mind.
London - June 15 and 16, 2008
We arrived in London, England (not Ontario) at about 12:15pm, London time. Customs line was long as usual, but we got through pretty hassle-free. Then we walked out and I realized that I didnt have a number to call in case I couldnt find Ran and Matt. Then Matt sneaks up on us and freaked me out. =P The metro was pretty expensive, about 3 pounds plus 10 pounds. I think I still have money in my Oyster card though. We arrived at Ran's residence about an hour and a half later, and realized how small it was. Later that night, we managed to figure out our accommodations for the next 2 nights. Three on the floor, two on the bed. Unfortunately, Ran and Matt were sick, but they were nice enough to take us out the entire day for some sightseeing! First we just walked out of her residence, and walked into this little corner near the Thames river. Saw a random ship, then passed Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Tate's Museum of Modern Art, crossed the Millenium Bridge, and found the astounding St. Paul's Cathedral. Now I am not very religious, but I do appreciate the time and effort that are spent building these crazy things! Just the shear amount of detail and its grandeur really amaze me. This is the spot where we started the "For Cedric, who is not here" album. haha. Also, at some point, we stopped at Somerset House, I don't remmber when, but we spent quite awhile there, as we took photos of Joey hopping around in the fountain. Too bad he didn't get soaked. =P Anyway, after St. Paul's Cathedral, we continued walking, and passed by the Royal Courts of Justice, which was very beautiful as well. We eventually made it into Chinatown (what Chinese person DOESNT visit Chinatown in a foreign country? LOL) We were very hungry, so we chowed down there, with ridiculous prices. It was definitely cheap on the London scale, but it was definitely not the cheapest you can find in Toronto. It was around 5-8 pounds for a Chinese dish, which means $10-16 CDN. I know! That's what I thought!
After the Chinese restaurant, we went over to Trafalgars Square (I hope we are getting the order right, as I can't lay out the map of London in my head =P). This is supposedly where all the pigeons are and the National Museum. I didn't see many pigeons though. Maybe because it was so full of people. The square was beautiful! We climbed some huge lions and took more asian tourist photos. Bad idea to climb in a dress! =O Then we walked down the street to White Hall, where we were stopped by gates and police. We asked them what was going on, and apparently they had to close off the streets for security measures for George Bush, who was in town that day. At this moment, there was a woman freaking out next to us, because she wanted to go yell at George Bush. She even went so far as to start stripping her clothes off, saying "Do I have to strip my clothes off in order for me to walk down this street? I'll do it! Why won't you let us walk down this damn street? This is our city!"... or something to that effect.
Then we walked the long way around to Big Ben, and took a few shots. We then noticed a large crowd in front of the parliament building and realized that this is where all the protesters were. They were protesting against George Bush, because he was destroying the planet, and attacking more countries in the Middle East. Apparently the result of his visit was sending more UK troops into Afghanistan or something. Oh George Bush... The protest was pretty interesting, as police were arresting people one at a time. We at first just saw a lot of running and it kind of freaked me out because I thought something more serious was happening. We stayed there for awhile, took some more pictures, saw the Westminster Abbey, then walked over the Westminster bridge to catch some beautiful shots of the sun setting behind Big Ben. We walked along the Thames, pass the London Eye, stopped at an arcade to pee. At the same time, Matt showed off his pro DDR skills (Euro Mix!), Ryan and Joey played some air hockey, and Joey finished it off with some Initial D. After an extremely long day of walking and sightseeing, we hopped on the bus back home, where we chilled a bit.
The second day, we woke up a little earlier (I was so tired! Probably from the lack of sleep on the airplane the previous night), and headed off to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guards. There was a ridiculous amount of tourists there, and it was a Monday! Weird... Anyway, I couldn't see much as so many people were around, but I guess it was something a tourist had to see!!! Then at some point, I turned around and saw Charlotte and Sehr! Of course, it was planned we'd meet there, but that didn't take away the surprise of seeing them on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean! The Changing of the Guards ceremony was over, but Ran and Matt weren't feeling well, so they went home to rest, while the rest of us took a few pictures of the Canada Monument, then walked off towards some arch. Westminster Arch or something? I forget the name. Then we made our way to Harrod's, the crazy expensive department store. The toy section was awesome!! By then we were famished, so decided to make our way back to London Bridge for lunch. We had some Nando's and it was pretty good, then walked along the Thames to the Tower Bridge and the new City Hall. The Tower Bridge was stunning, as well as the architecture around the City Hall. We crossed the bridge to the Tower of London, and then towards the Gherkin building (some phallic building, I'm not sure it's even a tourist attraction, as it was a business building). Then Sehr had to go back to Sheffields =( so we walked over to the station to drop Sehr and Charlotte off. It was a great day that we spent together! Ryan, Joey and I, then walked over the London Bridge back home. We were supposed to go out that night, but Ran's friends cancelled, so we spent most of the evening in Ran's residence kitchen, just chatting and catching up. =) Later, we ended up going to a strange bar called Belushia's with Joey, Ryan, Ran, Matt and Amit. It was the most awkward party I had ever been to! I also tried to upload pictures that night, but it didn't work.. so wait up for photos!!!!!!!!!! Then at about 2am, I got ready to leave for the airport. I missed the bus I had to catch! Technically, I didn't miss it, but when it drove by... it kept driving by, without opening the doors!! Apparently I was supposed to wave frantically at the bus for the door to open. Anyway, in order not to miss the EasyBus (airport express), I caught a cab, which you may have guessed, was super expensive!! It was 10 pounds for a 10 minute right ($20CDN), and for fear of getting lost, I just told him to drop me off at the place where I needed to be, which was another 10 minute ride. The taxi driver was super nice though, and only charged me 5 pounds more. I made it to the EasyBus, and then slept for an hour before arriving at the airport.
Prague - June 17 and 18, 2008
I arrived in Prague at about 9am, Eastern European time (3am Toronto time). No problems with customs. Martin arrived at about 10am to pick me up. We started off the day with buying a 5-day unlimited travel pass (500 Kc, around $30 CDN [divide by 17]). We went over to the AIESEC office, at the University of Economics, where we dropped off my luggage in a locker. They have 2 AIESEC offices there, with 5 computers, that are labelled. haha. We ate lunch at the University on this terrace, with a view of the city. It was beautiful. I think I got sunburnt just from eating lunch, which consisted of Kofola (coke-like drink), meat with sauce, and some veggies. Then we made our way downtown, saw Wenceslas Square, walked down the boulevard to Orloy, in the Old Square to watch the astronomical clock strike the hour (there is a skeleton that rings the bell, and some people that pass by in the window...). It was a cool clock I guess, all this while enjoying some ice cream. =) Then we walked over to the Charles Bridge, and onto the Prague Castle. Boy, was that ever a climb up the hill!!! Everything was soooooo beautiful! I need to go back to the Castle to see it better, as Martin had to rush off back to meet his relatives. We went to the university to get my stuff. He then showed me how to get to the AIESEC flat; we met Grace so she could give me keys to the flat. Then I showered, and passed out for 2 hours, before going to Martin's farewell party at a pub near the university. One thing about Czech culture, they seem to be very to themselves. They were very warm to each other, but not to foreigners. It was kind of weird. Not being able to speak a word of Czech, I just listened and observed their conversation. It was weird because it was an AIESEC party, and usually at AIESEC parties, people are very inclusive and especially include foreigners, but I guess that wasn't the case. =P I met Fabian, a past MC member of AIESEC Mexico and Czech Republic, so we chatted a bit. Then I went home to the flat, and chatted with the other trainees for a bit: Grace, Thomas, Milan, Alex and Yali. Yali is a past MCP of Turkey in 2004. THat was pretty cool.
The next day, I met up with Martin to have some lunch and run some of his errands before he goes off to Asia. I had some Czech dish, some dumplings (which is actually just like bread), and then meat covered in this special Czech sauce, with some whipped cream and some wierd berries. It was prett yummy and definitely filling (all this for less than $5 CDN!). They only have one flavour of Fanta here, and it's orange, but it's pretty good! =P After lunch Martin had to rush off to see his marks, and I decided to enjoy the centre, and did a bit of shopping. I was freaking out because I couldn't take out money from anywhere, but I finally got to Citi Bank, which was the only bank that let me take out money. Weird! Anyway, went shopping, and bought a top and a skirt *guilty*! Then went to the National Museum and spent a few hours there. Then I was sOOO tired, and started making my way home to meet Yali for dinner. I went to the grocery store, Tesco, and bought a bunch of groceries for less than $5 CDN! It was amazing; although toiletries are expensive($5-10CDN for a bottle of shampoo!) Then went out for some beef goulash, fried cheese and frisco! I was soooo tired and I passed out for the night, and slept in until 1pm today. And now, Thomas is home, allowing me to use his laptop. =P Well, that is all for now, I must go out and do more sightseeing!!!!!! See y'all. This entry must be sooooo long! Keep ya guys updated, and upload pictures soon! =) ___out
I am sure you have been waiting for my update, or I am just being overconfident in the fact that you actually care and are on the edge of your seats waiting for an update =P I guess I will go by city, and adding my observations about the life there. This may not be accurate, as I did not technically live there, I have only been a tourist there (as much as I dont like tourists sometimes =P), so keep that in mind.
London - June 15 and 16, 2008
We arrived in London, England (not Ontario) at about 12:15pm, London time. Customs line was long as usual, but we got through pretty hassle-free. Then we walked out and I realized that I didnt have a number to call in case I couldnt find Ran and Matt. Then Matt sneaks up on us and freaked me out. =P The metro was pretty expensive, about 3 pounds plus 10 pounds. I think I still have money in my Oyster card though. We arrived at Ran's residence about an hour and a half later, and realized how small it was. Later that night, we managed to figure out our accommodations for the next 2 nights. Three on the floor, two on the bed. Unfortunately, Ran and Matt were sick, but they were nice enough to take us out the entire day for some sightseeing! First we just walked out of her residence, and walked into this little corner near the Thames river. Saw a random ship, then passed Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Tate's Museum of Modern Art, crossed the Millenium Bridge, and found the astounding St. Paul's Cathedral. Now I am not very religious, but I do appreciate the time and effort that are spent building these crazy things! Just the shear amount of detail and its grandeur really amaze me. This is the spot where we started the "For Cedric, who is not here" album. haha. Also, at some point, we stopped at Somerset House, I don't remmber when, but we spent quite awhile there, as we took photos of Joey hopping around in the fountain. Too bad he didn't get soaked. =P Anyway, after St. Paul's Cathedral, we continued walking, and passed by the Royal Courts of Justice, which was very beautiful as well. We eventually made it into Chinatown (what Chinese person DOESNT visit Chinatown in a foreign country? LOL) We were very hungry, so we chowed down there, with ridiculous prices. It was definitely cheap on the London scale, but it was definitely not the cheapest you can find in Toronto. It was around 5-8 pounds for a Chinese dish, which means $10-16 CDN. I know! That's what I thought!
After the Chinese restaurant, we went over to Trafalgars Square (I hope we are getting the order right, as I can't lay out the map of London in my head =P). This is supposedly where all the pigeons are and the National Museum. I didn't see many pigeons though. Maybe because it was so full of people. The square was beautiful! We climbed some huge lions and took more asian tourist photos. Bad idea to climb in a dress! =O Then we walked down the street to White Hall, where we were stopped by gates and police. We asked them what was going on, and apparently they had to close off the streets for security measures for George Bush, who was in town that day. At this moment, there was a woman freaking out next to us, because she wanted to go yell at George Bush. She even went so far as to start stripping her clothes off, saying "Do I have to strip my clothes off in order for me to walk down this street? I'll do it! Why won't you let us walk down this damn street? This is our city!"... or something to that effect.
Then we walked the long way around to Big Ben, and took a few shots. We then noticed a large crowd in front of the parliament building and realized that this is where all the protesters were. They were protesting against George Bush, because he was destroying the planet, and attacking more countries in the Middle East. Apparently the result of his visit was sending more UK troops into Afghanistan or something. Oh George Bush... The protest was pretty interesting, as police were arresting people one at a time. We at first just saw a lot of running and it kind of freaked me out because I thought something more serious was happening. We stayed there for awhile, took some more pictures, saw the Westminster Abbey, then walked over the Westminster bridge to catch some beautiful shots of the sun setting behind Big Ben. We walked along the Thames, pass the London Eye, stopped at an arcade to pee. At the same time, Matt showed off his pro DDR skills (Euro Mix!), Ryan and Joey played some air hockey, and Joey finished it off with some Initial D. After an extremely long day of walking and sightseeing, we hopped on the bus back home, where we chilled a bit.
The second day, we woke up a little earlier (I was so tired! Probably from the lack of sleep on the airplane the previous night), and headed off to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guards. There was a ridiculous amount of tourists there, and it was a Monday! Weird... Anyway, I couldn't see much as so many people were around, but I guess it was something a tourist had to see!!! Then at some point, I turned around and saw Charlotte and Sehr! Of course, it was planned we'd meet there, but that didn't take away the surprise of seeing them on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean! The Changing of the Guards ceremony was over, but Ran and Matt weren't feeling well, so they went home to rest, while the rest of us took a few pictures of the Canada Monument, then walked off towards some arch. Westminster Arch or something? I forget the name. Then we made our way to Harrod's, the crazy expensive department store. The toy section was awesome!! By then we were famished, so decided to make our way back to London Bridge for lunch. We had some Nando's and it was pretty good, then walked along the Thames to the Tower Bridge and the new City Hall. The Tower Bridge was stunning, as well as the architecture around the City Hall. We crossed the bridge to the Tower of London, and then towards the Gherkin building (some phallic building, I'm not sure it's even a tourist attraction, as it was a business building). Then Sehr had to go back to Sheffields =( so we walked over to the station to drop Sehr and Charlotte off. It was a great day that we spent together! Ryan, Joey and I, then walked over the London Bridge back home. We were supposed to go out that night, but Ran's friends cancelled, so we spent most of the evening in Ran's residence kitchen, just chatting and catching up. =) Later, we ended up going to a strange bar called Belushia's with Joey, Ryan, Ran, Matt and Amit. It was the most awkward party I had ever been to! I also tried to upload pictures that night, but it didn't work.. so wait up for photos!!!!!!!!!! Then at about 2am, I got ready to leave for the airport. I missed the bus I had to catch! Technically, I didn't miss it, but when it drove by... it kept driving by, without opening the doors!! Apparently I was supposed to wave frantically at the bus for the door to open. Anyway, in order not to miss the EasyBus (airport express), I caught a cab, which you may have guessed, was super expensive!! It was 10 pounds for a 10 minute right ($20CDN), and for fear of getting lost, I just told him to drop me off at the place where I needed to be, which was another 10 minute ride. The taxi driver was super nice though, and only charged me 5 pounds more. I made it to the EasyBus, and then slept for an hour before arriving at the airport.
Prague - June 17 and 18, 2008
I arrived in Prague at about 9am, Eastern European time (3am Toronto time). No problems with customs. Martin arrived at about 10am to pick me up. We started off the day with buying a 5-day unlimited travel pass (500 Kc, around $30 CDN [divide by 17]). We went over to the AIESEC office, at the University of Economics, where we dropped off my luggage in a locker. They have 2 AIESEC offices there, with 5 computers, that are labelled. haha. We ate lunch at the University on this terrace, with a view of the city. It was beautiful. I think I got sunburnt just from eating lunch, which consisted of Kofola (coke-like drink), meat with sauce, and some veggies. Then we made our way downtown, saw Wenceslas Square, walked down the boulevard to Orloy, in the Old Square to watch the astronomical clock strike the hour (there is a skeleton that rings the bell, and some people that pass by in the window...). It was a cool clock I guess, all this while enjoying some ice cream. =) Then we walked over to the Charles Bridge, and onto the Prague Castle. Boy, was that ever a climb up the hill!!! Everything was soooooo beautiful! I need to go back to the Castle to see it better, as Martin had to rush off back to meet his relatives. We went to the university to get my stuff. He then showed me how to get to the AIESEC flat; we met Grace so she could give me keys to the flat. Then I showered, and passed out for 2 hours, before going to Martin's farewell party at a pub near the university. One thing about Czech culture, they seem to be very to themselves. They were very warm to each other, but not to foreigners. It was kind of weird. Not being able to speak a word of Czech, I just listened and observed their conversation. It was weird because it was an AIESEC party, and usually at AIESEC parties, people are very inclusive and especially include foreigners, but I guess that wasn't the case. =P I met Fabian, a past MC member of AIESEC Mexico and Czech Republic, so we chatted a bit. Then I went home to the flat, and chatted with the other trainees for a bit: Grace, Thomas, Milan, Alex and Yali. Yali is a past MCP of Turkey in 2004. THat was pretty cool.
The next day, I met up with Martin to have some lunch and run some of his errands before he goes off to Asia. I had some Czech dish, some dumplings (which is actually just like bread), and then meat covered in this special Czech sauce, with some whipped cream and some wierd berries. It was prett yummy and definitely filling (all this for less than $5 CDN!). They only have one flavour of Fanta here, and it's orange, but it's pretty good! =P After lunch Martin had to rush off to see his marks, and I decided to enjoy the centre, and did a bit of shopping. I was freaking out because I couldn't take out money from anywhere, but I finally got to Citi Bank, which was the only bank that let me take out money. Weird! Anyway, went shopping, and bought a top and a skirt *guilty*! Then went to the National Museum and spent a few hours there. Then I was sOOO tired, and started making my way home to meet Yali for dinner. I went to the grocery store, Tesco, and bought a bunch of groceries for less than $5 CDN! It was amazing; although toiletries are expensive($5-10CDN for a bottle of shampoo!) Then went out for some beef goulash, fried cheese and frisco! I was soooo tired and I passed out for the night, and slept in until 1pm today. And now, Thomas is home, allowing me to use his laptop. =P Well, that is all for now, I must go out and do more sightseeing!!!!!! See y'all. This entry must be sooooo long! Keep ya guys updated, and upload pictures soon! =) ___out
Sunday, June 15, 2008
First step onto European soil!
Here, safe and sound. In London, England getting ready to start sight-seeing with Ran, Matt, Joey and Ryan! Let you know how it all goes soon!
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