A LONG STRANGE TRIP: January 2009

So, we treked to the NC State Prague Institute today to check out the facilities and where the classes are going to be. I thought the area around our hotel was beautiful, ha, I knew nothing. The city of Prague is unlike anything I have ever imagined. Magical, whimsical, old, everything just oozes from the buildings and atmosphere. No pictures from my short walk around today, it was just too overwhelming. It was a nice day though, relatively sunny but still freezing cold (maybe below freezing, I'm not sure). When I have the time to walk around and take my time and just kind of "be," I will take pictures.

Today, though, we were just kind of in awe and walking around looking for a suitable place to eat lunch. We walked around for a good little while before settling on a little restaurant right outside the entrance for our studio space. We had a group of seven, and sat down without difficulty or akwardness. I have discovered that restraunts here are "sponsored" by certain beers, this beer acting as the "house beer" and is ususally one of the cheaper available. It was cheaper than coffee, tea, soda, and even water, actually. I ordered "Pivo, prosim (Beer, please)" and when you order a plain beer, it means you would like to order the house beer. So I got a Pilsner Urquell (available in the states, I do believe). It cost me 29 CZK (about $1.50)! We got a little sheet with all of the lunch specials listed, all of which were three course meals for 139 CZK (about $7). I ordered meal number 2, which was a large bowl of soup (holy cow, this was delicious, could have been a whole meal easily). I don't know what the name of it was, but it had little bits of bacon and ham in it, and was sooo good with bread (I never use multiple letters like sooooo or awesooome, so that tells you how good it was). Shortly thereafter, I got the main course, which was labeled as a salad with chicken. I found it interesting that the salad had maybe three pieces of lettuce in it. It was based mainly of tomato, cucumber, and peppers. The chicken had a different taste to it, but still very good. And the size of this salad was humungous. I have heard that serving sizes in Prague are very large, this was definantly confirmed. I had to save a little bit and get a to-go box. Then, as if I hadn't had enough food, they brought out the desert, a pancake with fruit inside of it. The fruit inside was apples, pineapples, and oranges, with the pancake folded over it and drizzled with chocolate and strawberry sauce. It also had two huge hunks of whipped cream on it. I though that I wouldn't eat it because I was so full, but it was delicious and I definantly wolfed it down. The bills are always given as a total of the whole group, so our bill came out to 1,325 CZK (about $65). The bill was itemized, so we were able to correctly split it up with no difficulties. My meal was: 29 CZK (beer), 139 CZK (meal), and a share of the 15 CZK (big bread basket) that the table split, plus a "rounded up" tip of 25 CZK, for a nice even total of 200 CZK (about $10). What a meal, and I still have some chicken salad to eat for lunch tomorrow (we have made reservations as a whole group of 20+ to eat at "an authentic" Czech restraunt tonight).

So if you are still reading this, thanks! That was the story of my lunch break.

I found out some interesting facts about the building that the institute is in:

It was constructed in 1250. They know this because when they were renovating in the recent past, they discovered Gothic windows and writings/paintings throughout the building. So I am typing this blog from a space that was holding people in the 13th century! Unbelieavable, Charlotte definantly does not have that going for it!

I have loaded some pictures from traveling to Prague to my photos page, and have a few pictures I have taken from around outside the hotel. I know that there will be better days to photograph, but I wanted to get them up so everyone could check out where I am living.

Wow, that was a long one, time to head back to the hotel and get ready for a nice dinner!

Y'all take care now.

WOW!!! I really am in Prague right now.

Haha, unbelieavable. All the way from Raleigh, New York, and London. Those airports were AMAZING, and probably really expensive to build, too (great travel pictures soon to come). No problems anywhere to report, well except that my one checked bag got left in London, of course. They are sending it on the next flight, so it should be here soon. But until then, I'll have no bathroom kit, clothes, towel. Only the electronics that I brought on my carry-on.

Enough about that, I'M IN PRAGUE! Wow, i'm sure it will hit me soon enough like a ton of bricks. I haven't really tried to do anything too crazy yet, but I know that when I do, it will be a test of patience and perseverence (mainly patience).

While we were being driven (well, more like rocket-blasted through a free-for-all of traffic and danger (SCARY!!!!)) from the airport to our hotel, we drove what seemed like all the way through the center of the city. We saw some of the famous sights, which peaked our excitement needle way over the top. Needless to say, it's quite different. I can't put a finger or words to it now, but I will soon enough.

The internet cafe that I am in closes in a few minutes, so it's time to pack up shop for now, but more to come for sure!