Hello Vienna!

I'm in Vienna right now!


But let me start from the top...


Monday day: School.


Monday night: We had a great time a little bar within walking distance from the hotel. I don't know the Czech name, but translated into English, it's called "Shitty Cat." So that's what we call it. Great Monday night at studio, the hotel, and then the bar.


Tuesday day: School.


Tuesday night: Mardi Gras! What a day. There were events going on everywhere in Prague on Tuesday, and I stopped by one on the way back from studio. It was right by "our" metro stop in a large green space/public area. There were people dressed up in ridiculous costumes, others walking in costume on stilts, and even more dressed in glow-in-the-dark type costumes. It was quite a sight! Needless to say, this inspired us to spend a night on the town at a dance club. First, we had dinner and beers at the bar up the street, the ""Country Club American" bar. I had pasta with cooked spinach, cheese, and garlic. It was very good, especially for bar food.

When we got back to the hotel to get dressed up for the evening, it was apparent that everyone was in the mood to just let loose and have a good time. Many head garments we made, all of the ridiculous sort. There were fake paper dreads, a sewn-together golden headgarment, empty cardboard chocolate boxes worn as hats, undergarments worn on the head, and more. I taped a paper Pilsner Urquell coaster to a headband and wore sunglasses. After going to some bar (I was a follower, not a leader, on this night), we ended up staying at a small, underground dance club, with booming music, lots of laser lights, and excellent dancing. The best part was that there were lots of people with equally ridiculous costumes/masks already at the club when we got there. So it was a fantastic Mardi Gras, with an early (8am) start in the morning. I think we took the 2:53am 51 Tram back, but can't be sure...


Wednesday day: School.


Wednesday night: Stayed in, mainly did internet and chatted with the crew.


Thursday day: School.


Thursday night: Stayed in, mainly planning our schedule for SPRING BREAK IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA!


So we (myself, Ginnie, Lauren-Elle, and Rima) arrived in Vienna Friday morning, and what a fantastic two days it has been! . It started with a beautiful four-hour bus ride through the Czech countryside. It was a beautiful ride, and reminded me of the train ride to Cesky Krumlov.






















We have been to the Imperial Palace, where we saw the Silver Collection and the Imperial Apartments. This is where the royalty of the Hapsburg dynasty lived and ruled from. They lived an extravagent lifestyle, needless to say. Seeing their personal quarters and belongings was incredible, as was the entire Imperial Palace. It was definantly a memorable experience (they love gold!).

We stumbled upon a rally/picket on our exit from the Imperial Palace, although I'm not particularly sure what it was all about. Our best guess what that they were protesting genetically altered poultry. It was very interesting to be in the middle of a protest in a foreign country, to say the least.

We headed to the largest market in Vienna, Naschmarkt, after reading that on every Saturday, it showcased the diversity of the people in Vienna. It was a GIGANTIC market, in the middle of two busy streets, that featured several permanent structures. There were many restraunts, produce stands, clothing vendors, and all the other things you would expect. After about two city blocks, the market turned into a flea market, with no stands or structures; the "items" were just scattered on the ground. Many of the sellers looked to be in desperate times, and the things that they were selling... well, they weren't new. We stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants, where I had a LARGE meal. It had three parts: rice, salad (with LETTUCE!), and, the best part: lamb, pears, plums, carrots, and zucchinni, cooked together and topped with a sweet cinnamon sauce. It was AWESOME (and I took a picture of it!).

We have walked many streets, and seen many incredible things.

Tomorrow, we are going to the Museum of Modern Art and the Natural History Museum. It should be AMAZING, and I can't wait.

This is how they tow cars in Austria (via crane that lifts your car onto the waiting tow truck). Notice the writing on the tow truck: "Sorry!"

This is a picture of a multi-floored mall, with balconys, up towards the glass roof. I am standing on the bottom floor, in the cheese section of the local grocery store (Billa, same as in Prague!). It was yet another incredible work of architecture in this beautiful city.

This is Me, Ginnie, Laura-Nelle, and Rami in front of the National Library, a building of the Imperial Palace Grounds.



























Take Care,

-Terry

HIGH QUALITY H20

These are pictures from a most excellent adventure that I went on today. The pictures focus primairly on the water and forms of the Vltava River and Certovka Canal. Just a few pictures for now; words, memories, and pictures tomorrow, perhaps.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been reading or commenting my blog. I really am trying to convey the happenings of this experience for everyone to enjoy, it's certainly been amazing living it, I hope it comes through in the pictures and the writing.


Looking west from a cantalievered platform over the Vltava River towards the Charles Bridge, Lesser Town, and Prague Castle.




















Taken from the same platform, looking back towards the east at a small portion of the Old Town riverfront.



























Standing on the Charles Bridge, looking northwest towards Lesser Town and Prague Castle.





















The Certovka Canal is located on the western end of the Charles Bridge. The canal runs north to south and forms a small island on the western bank of the Vltava; the island is visible to the left.

Looking at the part of the Certovka Canal to the north of the Charles Bridge.

On the western bank of the Vltava River looking east across the southern side of the Charles Bridge, towards Old Town.

On the western bank of the Vltava River looking east across the northern side of the Charles Bridge, towards Old Town.

Thanks again for reading.

-Terry

The Laundromat Ate My Under-Armor (Director's Extended Take)

Why is it that our most beloved clothing is always being consumed and hidden in the dark depths of the endless corners of the unending series of inherently simple steps in the drawn out process that is known as or sometimes referred to by a term that is known as “Laundry?” And I do intend for that to be a run-on sentence; completing the task of ‘laundry’ is just that – a series of steps that invariably takes forever and involves the loss of one of your most beloved pieces of clothing. But, more on that later.

I want to say congratulations to Dad! You won’t advertise this, but I want to congratulate you on your award from Conbraco! I am very proud, and want everyone to know this! Shout it from the rooftops! Everyone, tell all your friends! Send a memo to the local TV stations! Mark this day and mark it well! Congrats, Dad, I know you have earned it.

Also, congratulations to Carly! You made it to the North Carolina High School Diving State Championships, where I hear you did very well, making it to the Final Rounds! It had to be that Extra bit of Good Luck I wished you when I talked to you last. No, it was all because of the Dedication and Effort you put towards your Goal. (Grammar police, are ALL those capitalizations really necessary? I’m guilty, yes, but I’m calling it creative license!) I know that it must have been quite a rush to be diving and having the whole team cheering you on from the deck! I hope it was LOUD; you alone deserve it more than anyone that was standing on the sidelines watching. I am getting a rush of adrenaline just typing about this! Congrats again!

So, in order to appease those who are following the educational part of my journey across Europe, I will give a brief report about my classes:

We had our first pinup in studio on Thursday. We presented our findings from the initial ‘Analysis’ stages of our site as groups of three, with four teams total. It went off without a hitch, and now we have a good idea about the various qualities (both good and bad) that exist within our site. In the next few weeks, we will enter into the ‘Ideation’ stages and begin to formulate designed solutions to the horribly nasty and wretched site that is our project. It’s about to get cranked up in intensity – well, as much as it can when everyone completely understands the finer points of having a fun night on the town - but more on that later…

In the Czech Language class, we had our first “test” on Thursday (right after the morning pinup in studio). This test consisted of formulating brief sentences in Czech, the kind of sentences that make you think you are a pro at the language – sentences such as “John is a good student,” “I will have one coffee, please,” or “That beer is good.” We have ‘learned’ lots of basic verbs, adjectives, and common nouns as they relate to Prague. Now, knowing these basic little bits of grammar and sentences is great, until you try and use them at say, a restaurant, where the waiter or waitress will spit something back at you in Czech so quickly it will make your head spin and shoot you right back to reality. But anyways, we could ask her for help on all of it, and all she really cares about is that we are making a decent attempt to learn the language, which, I’m proud to say, we are.

I was planning on dropping the Bees and Beekeeping class, but after attending the first one, there is NO way that I would ever drop it. It’s actually really interesting to see that bees are really just like you and me (did you know that they can poop half their body weight? Anyone remember the book Everyone Poops? I sure do!). Last class (we have class once a week, on Tuesday) we watched a video from 1984 in which my professor got his face and upper body completely covered by live bees. Suffice it to say that he is heavily invested into the world of bees. ‘He knows his stuff.’ He brought in bread, butter, and honey from his personal collection for us to enjoy at the end of class, which was fantastic. But the best part of it all is that it will be probably fifty times easier than taking a natural sciences course at NC State way back in Raleigh.
For Czech Literature, we have had to answer silly little questions about small reading assignments, the required work has been relatively simple. The reading assignments are actually quite interesting to me; I am learning so many incredible things about the culture and dynamics of the Czech people. I am also about halfway done with Franz Kafka’s The Trial, a book that I think I will probably recommend you read, just as soon as I finish it. I will, however, recommend that you read The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera. Great read; consider it ‘Oprah approved,’ or whatever trick she uses to make a book rise on the charts.

That’s really the only work we’ve had to be responsible for so far – it’s pretty funny to hear rumors of stress from our peers back home moaning and groaning about midterms. What midterms? Haha.

But school is the “yada yada yada” part of this adventure – the real fun starts when the sun goes down and we hit the town…

I now officially love Thursdays. With no class on Friday, it signals the start of the weekend. And what great weekends they have been (and will be!).

Thursday night, I ate my typical meal of late: tons of white rice, frozen stir-fry vegetables (from a humungous bag), and a portion of the five chicken breasts that I bought, cooked, and eventually stored in Tupperware for further meals. Add some salt, give it some soy sauce, and viola! A personal feast! This also acts as a great base for a night of heavy drinking, mind you.

After my feast, we began to hatch the plan for the evening. It included going back to the hotel to drink a couple of beers, heading to a bar, drinking a few beers, heading to more bars, drinking more beers, and then ending the night at a dance club, dancing the night away. There is a local saying that goes something like this: “During the night, Czechs must be loyal to one man, one woman, or one beer.” So, if you ever find yourself barhopping in Prague, a cardinal rule is that you must go only to bars sponsored by the same beer. This is simple enough. Bars/Restaurants are located (no joke) about every fifty yards on each side of every street in this city, with each having a big neon sign above the door with the logo of the beer they serve on tap. Finding similarly sponsored bars down the street is as easy as finding a Harris Teeter in South Charlotte (now that I think about it, it’s actually much easier than that!) The only problem with bar-hopping in the neighborhood districts (we wanted to find some ‘less touristy’ local places, perhaps) on a Thursday night is that Czech people probably have things to do on Fridays, like work! In Raleigh, which I will (wrongly) label for simplicity as a “college town,” the bars (who thrive off the student population) know that lots of students are free to go out on Thursday evenings, so Thursday is a big night for bars. But in Prague, this is not the case, which makes the hunt for bars open past midnight on a Thursday similar to the hunt for eggs and milk on a day with the chance of flurries in Charlotte.

But we found a place and drank some beer. Jordan and I decided that, to make up for the lost time we spent looking for a place, we would need to take Slivovice shots. Those babies treat you well, and I’ll leave it at that, haha.

After spending some time at the bar and getting good and warmed up for the dance floor, Anna, Lauren, Blakeley and I split from Jordan, Lindsey, and Brian (who were heading back to the hotel) in order to head to the dance bar. I have never really been to many ‘clubs’ in general (mainly because I only just turned twenty-one in November), but I really am taking a liking to them, especially when you go with the right crowd (as in, the crowd that knows how to have fun on the dance floor). So we danced for a good while, sweating out all our beer amidst the fog-smoke, neon lights, dancing fools, and booming bass, before calling it a night. And what another good night it was, finished off with a plan hatched by Lauren, Blakeley and myself on the 2:53am Late Night 51 Tram: we would go running and then eat French-Toast in the morning…

I have been running quite a bit recently, it’s just such a good way to view the city and just – go. I am definitely going to make the time to keep on running when I get back to Raleigh, it clears my mind and I just get to think about whatever I feel like thinking about. Lauren did a solo run, while Blakeley and I got running shortly thereafter. We ran to a large park situated on a high point in the city’s elevation, Riegrovy sady, and were rewarded with a fantastic view to the west: Old Town, The Vltava River, Lesser Town, Prague Castle, and Petrin Hill. I love running to vistas.

I had dreamed all night, and during the run, about French-Toast. I love that stuff. We got around to making it at 4:00. And hooboy, was it good. We even had the powdered sugar. Fellow French-Toast Aficionados will appreciate that touch. I have to credit Lauren for the flipping and Blakeley for the bread preparing; I just ate and paid my dollar and fifty cents.

I pooped around for a few hours before preparing (again) my stir-fry, rice, and chicken dish, in preparation for another night on the town. Our plan was to drink at the hotel, head to a local brewery we had discovered (in hopes that they had a bar), and then bar-hop. Unfortunately, the brewery closed at 11pm, so we had to move straight to bar-hopping, something none of us had any objection to. We kind of just walked around until we found a cozy little place with cheap beer, and that’s where Laura-Nell, Jessica, Caitlin, Eleanor, Lauren, Blakeley, Jeremy, and I began the night.

The hopping began when we left the first bar after a quick drink, but we quickly were short two people when Laura-Nell and Caitlin decided to call it quits and head to the hotel. So the five of us continued on and kept the quest for ‘that perfect bar’ alive. After rejecting eight or so potential places (within 3 blocks) to spend our night, we found a TINY little pub. It was no bigger than 15 feet wide and 30 feet deep, with cheap big beers (19CZK for .5L, roughly 85 or 90 cents). It was small, but the beer was cheap, so we decided it was worth a go. What a fantastic decision it turned out to be! We found a little table by the front window on the street, crowded around, and began to enjoy the great music selection from the DIGITAL jukebox and TV showing the song’s videos on the wall. Some great 80’s and 90’s music kept the beers a-flowing, and Jeremy and I soon decided that we needed to turn this little hole-in-the-wall to our own dance club. So we went to the jukebox and picked the number-one-in-my-book dance song ever – a little bit of BILLY JEAN. We followed this up with a little bit of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” which really got Lauren, Eleanor, Blakeley, and Jessica a-dancin, followed shortly by a little ditty called "Honkey Tonk Woman" from some band called the Rolling Stones. Nobody can turn down dancing to those tunes, and so we danced! It was so much fun, everyone and their momma was staring at us like we were idiots, ha, but we were having a great time! It was great when a local came up to the table after we had danced and attempted to join in on the spectacle that we had created. It was fun trying to communicate, between our Czech and his English. It only took two bars, but we had a fantastic night. What a great time, with even better people!

Woke up on Saturday (I missed breakfast for the second day in a row, AHHH) at 11 and got right to reading a huge chunk of The Trial. There was definitely a heavy amount of snow coming down outside all morning, so I made a resolution that after I read for a while I would go out and take some pictures of Prague with the fresh blanket of snow. I really enjoy doing things by myself sometimes, and this was one of those times. I went out on a walk, not intending to go for long, but, of course, this turned into a four hour tour of the southwestern part of the city. I got a few good pictures, but after a while it just kind of turned into a wondering around adventure for me, which I really enjoyed. I did some sketching inside of a huge glass mall I somehow wound up in, too. It was a great walk, followed closely by a quick lunch and a glorious nap back at the hotel.

I woke up around 7pm, just in time to head out with Doug, Tucker, Brian, Dave, Andrew, Jeremy, Jessica, and Caitlin to a Chinese restaurant (I hadn’t eaten out anywhere for lunch or dinner since the previous Saturday night, so I felt like I deserved a nice $8 meal). It was delicious, and quite ironic, too! I ordered chicken and rice and vegetables… sound familiar? Haha, too funny, I go out and spend $8 on a meal I’ve been making for dirt cheap in the studio all week. It was nice to go out and eat, though!

I didn’t particularly feel like going out Saturday night; I was tired from the walk and worn out from the previous two nights (I didn’t even order beer with dinner, first time on the whole trip!). The group was headed to a ridiculously huge dance club, so I wished them well, and off they went. I had a quiet night talking with the group that stayed in for the evening (Tucker, Doug, Gennie, and Laura-Nell) and topped it off with a nice bit of sketching before I went to bed. It was a good way to spend Saturday night after the crazy nights on Thursday and Friday.

Sunday morning, I read a good chunk of The Trial before heading off on another great run with Blakeley. We ran to the east of our hotel, through the largest and oldest cemetery I have ever seen (bigger even than the one in Raleigh), complete with Ivy growing over all the trees and tombstones. It was beautiful, I hope to go back and take some pictures. We ended up at some huge, four-story, all English, all American-style mall, complete with an IMAX movie theatre. I formulated a plan to go back and see the National Geographic: Monsters of the Ocean IMAX 3D movie in the near future, which I believe our whole group will soon be enjoying.

I decided to FINALLY do some laundry on Sunday afternoon. All of my clothes stunk quite horribly from almost four weeks of bars, running, and life in general. I decided today was the day for laundry after NONE of my clothes passed the stink-test after my shower (I’m sure that most of you are familiar with the stink test). All went well except for the fact that the Laundromat ate my Under-Armor pants. I have worn those things almost every day for the entire trip. That was a tough loss to handle. They are so warm and glorious! I hate the process of Laundry, it always eats my clothes! The Laundromat was really fantastic, though. I felt like I was back at Cesky Krumlov in the cozy little hostel living room on our first weekend. The Laundromat offered internet, coffee or tea for free, and had nice couches to sit on (I read more of The Trial, it’s really getting good!), which made my visit otherwise very enjoyable. I had initially planned on washing all of my clothes via shower and sink, but I think I’ll just head to the Laundromat, and hope it doesn’t eat any more of my stuff!

After getting back from the Laundromat and grieving over my lost Under-Armor pants, I headed to the studio to make (what else?) stir-fry vegetables, rice, and the last of my chopped up chicken breasts. It was another fantastic meal!

The best part of the weekend, though, was when I got back from the studio at around 10pm. I went to the bathroom, glanced at a dark object on the floor near the shower, and discovered my Under Armor pants! They were, in fact, not lost, but merely temporarly misplaced! I was very relieved...

So, even though my pants were found, I still don’t like the laundry. Sometimes it shrinks your clothes or turns them funny colors. It manages to leave curious markings on your clothes, and takes senseless hours from our lifetimes. There are even times when it snatches clothing right from your grasp, in front of your very eyes! It didn’t get me this time, but be warned:

Laundry is a bitch.

-Terry

Another Fun Night

Valentines Day...



Oh, how do I feel about you?



All of the fashion girls organized a secret-santa Valentine's Day Gift Giving Extravaganza. What to say about that...



It was fun, and we had a good time doing it, and got (and gave) some pretty good gifts. Lots of hearts, pink, red, and lovey-dovey stuff. Tucker and I kept having to tell ourselves that we were going to play tackle football and talk about man things after we finished our cards. But we had a good time, really, and it was a good experience.



So for Valentine's Day Night, the fashion girls (ALL of whom have boyfriends) got all dolled up and went to some fancy wine-bar-restaurant, while the guys (ALL of whom are single) went to a bar. Before we went to the bar, Doug, Tucker, Jeremy, and I went to a really nice restaurant. I ordered Meat Couscous, which was DELISH.



The highlight, though, was the meal that Doug and Tucker got. They got some meat platter, which they actually cooked themselves! They brought out a big griddle and their raw meat (chicken, beef, pork, and bacon) as well as lots of vegetables and potatoes, which they cooked themselves on the griddle right on our table. Way cool, I've never seen that before. We had a few beers and ended the meal with a shot of Slevivice (the local Czech liqour) before heading to meet everyone in Old Town Square at 10pm.



Everyone met in the square by 11pm and we headed to a discoteca (dance club!). We had lots of drinks and danced the night away. The music was so loud, and they had fog smoke everywhere, and we had dance-offs, good times, and more good times. It was a great night, mainly because everyone came and had such a good time doing so.



The group that I am here with is just awesome, we are really close already, and every day brings us closer.



So, I guess I do like Valentine's Day after all...



-Terry

A Little Bit of Jazz, Bowling, and History

First off, a picture I took the other night of the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle.










What a week!


I have had a wonderful few days this week, beginning on Monday. Classes are getting difficult, but only slightly. On Monday night we met our studio professor Martin, at a building that he designed with his architecture firm. It is a multisport indoor gym type thing, with pool, tennis, basketball, weights, restaurants, indoor driving range and simulators, and a bowling alley, among others. The whole group went (20 or so people) and we had all three lanes of the bowling alley reserved for us. We bowled 3 games, which I scored a 147, 99, and 112. The 147 was the high score for the night out of everyone until the last game, when Caitlin bowled a 153. Oh well.


Anyways, the bowling and shoes were free, so naturally, we drank many beers. We left after about 3 hours or so and headed for a bar, our inner voices were telling us to go out, so we did. We found this really cool bar and stayed until about 2am before calling it a night. A good night, at that.


Tuesday, for my LAR Perception class, we went to the Communist Museum, located very close to the Institute. The cost of the museum was covered by tuition, as are all of the museums, shows, etc. that we attend as a group. It was incredible how depressing the state of things were under communism. Right after going to the museum, we had a Literature class, and the professor began the class by telling us about how it was to grow up in a communistic environment, as she has been in Prague all her life and was 6 when Soviet Tanks first rolled through the streets. It was very intense to go right from the museum to hearing her talk about growing up during those times. The times were definantly different in Prague then.


Tuesday night was "Jazz Night." We met at the Institute at 8:30, ready for another great night. We walked to a Jazz Club near the Institiute and found our reserved seats in the front half of the performance room. Again, the tickets were paid for already, and again, all we had to pay for were drinks. The group featured a pianist, electric guitar, drums, and bass, and labeled themselves as a Jazz/Blues group. When they started playing, I went into my happy-state. In my book, nothing is better than live music, it takes me places that my imagination could never go otherwise. They were very good, and everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly. The band played until midnight, after which I bought their CD and had all the members sign it. Really cool, and the music is amazing. The professor from NC State that came with us on the trip, Art Rice, was leaving on Wednesday morning (a different professor will be here in a few weeks for the 2nd half of the semester), so naturally, we had to celebrate the times that we had shared. We headed to a bar near the hotel to send Art off right. It was a great night, and I am willing to bet that Art definantly slept on the plane back to the USA, haha.


Here is a picture of the guitarist for the Jazz group that we went to see.














We got up early for class on Thursday, and everyone was definantly moving slooow. We headed to the Prague City History Museum for my LAR perception class, very cool. Admission was paid for, too, but no beers to drink here, ha! This museum reinforced my understanding that Prague is olllllld. Really really old. It was a very cool place.

We had to hurry back from that museum so we could be back in time to go to a wing of the National Gallery with my Literature class. Again, our entrance was paid for. We went to a special exhibit about St. Wenceslas and his importance in the spirituality and history of Prague, which was fantastic. Old statues, glass, everything you could think of that had to do with St. Wenceslas (he is the Patron Saint of Prague). We also went to the main area of the museum that featured Gothic Art. That is some old art, let me tell you. Very cool indeed.



So it was a good week, and now the weekend is here!



Dinners have been very good lately, we have really gotten into cooking as large groups (so cheap!). Main menu items have been chicken breast, rice, vegetables, garlic bread, pizzas, strombolis, salads, sandwiches, etc. Average cost for a king-sized meal this week has been $1.50-$3.00 a person.



My favorite personal meal so far is going to the supermarket and getting four 6inch long rolls, which cost 1CZK each (20 cents, 5 cents each), buying a pack of pepperoni, which cost 18CZK (90 cents), and a pack of fresh swiss cheese, which cost 16CZK usually (80 cents), as well as two yogurts, which cost 16CZK (80 cents, 40 cents each), and a fresh croissant, which cost 3CZK (15 cents). I split 2 of the the rolls in half, lay on some cheese and pepperoni, and stick it in the oven. Comes out like a fresh pizza, and the pepperoni, cheese, and rolls are enough for two meals. So, thats two good meals for $2.70 or thereabouts. Basically, when I go to the supermarket, I look at what the really old people are getting, they obvioulsly know what they are doing. They always get bread, meat, cheese, and yogurt. It's just so cheap!



A large contingent of the group went skiing last weekend, and they are skiing again today. The total cost of everything (bus ride, lift ticket, and equipment) is $60. Which I guess is really cheap, but I didn't want to go. I am about to go on another of my huge long walks around the city, a different way and direction every time!



It has snowed for the past 3 days, not necessarly sticking every time, but snow has been in the air all week, first time in my life I've been in an environment that is as perpetually cold as this.

But I love it!
















I have left out so many details.



Peace,
Terry

WHO ARE YOU MR. SUN?

IT WAS SUNNY TODAY!

I even got to wear my sunglasses!


Everyone instantly got third degree burns from the intense sunlight. Not really, but today was the first day we have seen the sun since we have been here, two weeks now! Two whole weeks of cold, dreary, gray, nasty days. It was still REALLY cold today, but at least the sun was out! I was beginning to think that it had removed itself from our earth's view.



I had to report that.



I hear it is hot and sunny in NC.



Ugh.



Proof:

All The Small Things....

A few random things about the details of life that are different here:

The doors: They always open opposite of how you think they will open. If you think it is a pull, it's a push, if you think it's a push, it's a pull. Just different.

The lightswitches: Up is off, down is on.

The traffic: Pedestrians always have the right of way, no matter what. People will slam on their brakes to let you cross the street.

Beer prices: You won't find any $3.00 beers here. A .5L is at most $1.50, and even that is expensive.

Courtesy: Finally, a place where the elderly are always be treated with upmost respect. On the metro lines or on the trams, if someone older than you wants a seat, you gladly give it up to them.

Michael Jackson: They still love him here, posters are everywhere and his music is played frequently!

The Bars: Open 24 hours and with no windows. Enough said.

Pets: Dogs are allowed EVERYWHERE that people are. And they are all well-behaved.

Food: You actually get your moneys worth.

Music: They love music from the USA, although they are about 10 years behind.

I love it here.

-Terry

Prague So Far

Finally, a blog about life in Prague!

The first thing is that it is very cold here. Very cold. It's a different kind of cold than in NC. Just really dang cold. The sun has not been out except for two hours one morning last week. They tell us that it will come out eventually, but I don't believe them.

I have never really appreciated the value of a good scarf, but here it makes all the difference. I packed everything that I brought based on fuction rather than what it looked like. Everything except a scarf. I brought a free giveaway scarf from a Panther's game because it had a Panther's logo on it. Living in NC, I have never been able to appreciate the value of a good scarf. The scarf sucks, and makes me cold. No wonder it was a giveaway.

Besides that, so far I have brought everything I need and nothing I don't. I'm glad I took so much time thinking about just exactly what I need to live out of a backpacking bookbag for three months. Space was limited, but everything has worked out so far.

Getting around Prague is amazing. I have never lived in a city with a well-running, well-used, well-funded public transportation system, but Prague definantly fits into this category. Almost everyone in the city uses the public transportation and walks everywhere and anywhere, there are really no cars in the city except for taxis. There is also no fast food except for, you guessed it, fatty American foods (McDonald's and KFC). Everyone eats veggies and fruits and buys food from the local marketplaces that dot the streets.

Anyways, they have three metro lines that are very easy to navigate. We have a metro stop about five minutes from the hotel we are staying at, which we walk to and take to a stop about three minutes walk from the NC State Institute. It takes about fifteen minutes total time to get to school via the metro. The metro runs from 5am-12am. Superbowl night, the game ended at 415am, we tried to take the metro back (thought it opened at 4am), weren't able to, decided to take a tram back (24hrs, see below), got on the wrong one, took it all the way out to almost the airport, realized we were wrong, got off, and walked until we found a metro station, and took that back to the hotel, arriving at 530am. Gotta love late night public transportation adventures!
NOT HAVING TO DRIVE FOR 3 MONTHS IS AWESOME!

If I don't want to take the metro, I can easily take the tram (above ground cars that run on tracks in the middle of the streets via electricity (don't laugh, this is a new concept for me!)). There are about fifty different tram lines that run throughout the city, and during the day each tram stop has a tram coming every 4 minutes. It's pretty cool how many people use this system. The trams run 24 hours, during the time of 4am-12am they hit each stop every 4 minutes, and during the times of 12am-4am, they stop at the stops every 30 minutes. We have a tram stop right near our hotel, so going to bars and getting back late night is as simple as hopping on the tram (make sure to plan it out before hand and know which one to take, I have already been lost 3 different times trying to take the tram late night!). The good thing about being lost, though, is that eventually you will find the way with the great public transportation system! Just have to keep your head up and your wits about you.

Lots of people speak English here (although I say "speak" very loosely). I am in a Czech language class, and already we have already learned basic grammar skills and vocabulary necessary for building a larger language understanding in the future. I feel very confident going to a grocery, restaurant, or other shop and not speaking a word of English the whole time. It's really cool! There are some here with me that want to speak English everywhere, but I am definantly trying to learn the language and "be one with the native peoples." Ha, that will never happen, but I'm getting there for sure!

I am in 18 credit hours. That is a lot. I think I will drop one class. Right now I am in:

Landscape Architecture Design Studio (6 credit hours):

We have been given a humungous site (a mile long, 300 yards wide) that is the "central park" so to speak of a large community designed during the Russian Constructivism period, where whole communities were planned based on the communistic ideals and values of the Russian empire. It is a cold, unused, centralized area of this little community, and our task is to take this space and bring it into the 21st century, and make it feel like a part of center-city Prague, a trait that it most certainly lacks right now. I guess the best way to describe it is: picture a really old lady bundled up from head to toe, scarf wrapped over her head, old wrinkly face, cane in hand, moving at the speed of a sloth in the cold, gray, dreary, empty environment that looks like it was built during communism. It's actually pretty depressing. The site is off of one of the metro lines, so gettting to it is no problem, its about 20 minutes outside of center-city Prague. This will be an intense studio (as they always are!)

Landscape Architecture Perception and Behavior (3 credit hours):

This class examines why people do the things they do in a given environment and tries to explain the reasons behind it. I love this kind of stuff, very much a study of human behavior and learning how to apply what we find to the field of design. Being in Prague is the perfect environment for this class! Way Way Cool.

Intro To Czech Language (3 credit hours):

This class is great. We have learned many basic phrases and words necessary to survive in the Czech Republic for three months. I have to get 7 years of Spanish out of my head, though. It's tough to get out of that mindset. No written homework, just to get out and use the language!

Czech Literature (3 credit hours):

We have to read excerpts from famous Czech literature, answer questions, and discuss. We also have to read 3 books written by the most famous Czech authors, and write two-page response papers. We also have to write a 5 page final paper on a Czech topic of our choice. It won't be bad, just a lot of reading.

Intro to Bees and Beekeeping (3 credit hours):

I haven't actually had this class yet, the first one is next week. I think I will drop this, though. It will be an awesome class, but there is really no benefit of taking it in the Czech Republic, like my other classes.

So, that is, right now, a total of 18 credit hours. Thats a buttload in the States, I will drop the Bees class, giving me 15 credit hours. The studio will take up lots of time, as will the literature class, and I just don't think I can do the 18 hours. Too much for a semester abroad.

So thats the weather, transportation, and my classes.

Next post will be about things in Europe that are different from the USA. Shorter, too!

Beer is good!

-Terry

The Best Weekend Ever!

Alright!

I finally have some time to sit down and write a blog for everyone to see. Class started on Monday, and we have already been assigned work and whatnot, we've actually been very busy. I was able to finish my Studio project early, so now I have 2.5 hours until the studio closes to get some internet stuff done.

Well, it's been awhile since I was able to update, so I will fill everyone in on the spectacular details:

This past weekend I went on the best weekend trip I have ever experienced in my life. After only 3 days in Prague, we left via train for the weekend to a few tiny towns in the Czech countryside. First up, it was a train through the snowy countryside to the city (town?) of Cesky Budejovice. The train ride left from Prague at 7am, arriving in the town at 930am. Let it be known that if we got to the town and immediately turned around and rode the train right back, it would have been a weekend fufilled. The Czech countryside is even more beautiful than any book could ever describe, especially when fresh snow litters the landscape. It's amazing how even though we were riding through the middle of what seemed like the absolute middle of nowhere in the sub-zero arctic like conditions, towns could be seen dotted along the land. People really do live all over the globe.

Here is a picture of the Czech countryside. Beautiful!

When we arrived at the town of Cesky Budejovice, we got a surprise from our professor, Art, that we were in the town of the ORIGINAL Budweiser Budvar Brewery Company, and we would be taking a tour of this original brewery! What a great surprise. It smelled definantly like a brewery, I have never even thought about being inside of a brewery before. The best part was absolutely towards the end of the tour before we arrived in the bottling area of the brewery. When the young beer is being stored before it gets bottled, it is stored in huge pressureized vessels. We got poured fresh Budvar Beer into little sample cups straight out of these storage tanks. Never again will I EVER be able to taste beer that fresh. It was so good. And quite strong, too! Definantly an awesome tour, a real treat!

Here is a picture of me inside of the brewery.

So already it was a fascinating day and it was only 1130am! Feeling adrenaline from the tour (and a buzz from the multiple taste cups!) we headed to explore the city for 3 hours before our train left for our final destination, Ceske Krumlov, at 3pm. Knowing that lunch could turn into a Czech speaking adventure that took several hours all on its own, we decided to do lunch first, then pictures. We found a chinese restaurant (we just felt like Chinese, alright!) that was on the fourth floor of a building that overlooked the town square, it was too cool! The lunch was delicious, needless to say, and even in English! Haha, that was a treat. So then we were off to explore the beautiful little city! And I do mean beautiful. We just walked around admiring for the whole time.

Here is a picture of the town square from our window in the restaurant. They don't have squares like this back home...

After we had explored the town for a few hours, we walked back to the train station and hopped on another train for our weekend destination, Ceske Krumlov. It was about an hour, and took us even more into the middle of nowhere than I have ever been. Make a note that it was snowing (rather, there was perfect fluffy dry snow that seemed to be floating in the air, not falling) for the entirety of our time there. When we arrived, we had about a 20 minute walk (we've had our weekend packs on our backs this whole trip so far, with the exception of during the Budvar tour, they held them in a room for us) to the hostel. Our first view of the town was breathtaking, unlike anything I've ever seen. Mainly it had to do with the humungous castle that guarded the town. Incredible. There is no way that I can even possibly begin to think about describing all that we did and saw in our time here.

The whole town can be crossed in under 15 minutes by foot, so we definitely explored the whole thing. We ate at restraunts that were underground, built into former catacombs, danced and drank at international traveller's bars, and stayed at a homely, cabin like hostel that had an amazing view out my window. We hiked the castle multiple times, giving us an unforgettable view of the town, both during the daytime and nighttime. We hiked a mountain on the opposite side of the town, giving us yet another unforgettable view of the town. We went sledding down a mountain for two hours in the dark. We must have walked a total of 15 miles in this town, constantly zigging and zagging our way through the streets, exploring and exploring the neverending charm of the town. What I most appreciated was the intamacy of the town. It was so quiet, slow paced, and every street was more breathtaking than the next. I walked around one night and took some amazing night shots of the town with a tripod. The food was amazing, the beer was cheap, and the people were fantastic. I have left so many little details and personal memories out. It just has to be experienced. It is the most amazing little town I have ever been in, no questions asked, 100%, without a doubt. Everyone that hasn't been married or gone on a honeymoon yet, I would definantly definantly definantly suggest the town of Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic to mark that special occasion. You will never ever forget it, I certainly won't. I took over 1,100 pictures there. Yes, 1,100. And every single one is a memory that I will cherish for the rest of my time on this great earth.

Sadly, though, every great memory ends sometime, and ours did at 3pm on Sunday. This is when we boarded a bus for (the much less scenic) road back to the bustling, big city of Prague. When we got back to Prague, it was loud, fast paced, in your face, and everything that Cesky Krumlov wasn't. I was sad until I woke up on Monday morning, when I realized that I was still in Prague for three more months. I love it!

Here are a few of my absolute favorite pictures from the town of Cesky Krumlov (oh, how to choose!).

This is a picture of the castle. The castle wraps around to the left of the picture for about three times longer than you can see in the picture. Incredible!

This is the view out of the window in my hostel overlooking the River that the town is built along. Incredible!

Here is a photo looking through one of the streets up at the Castle Tower. The Castle rises up from the banks of the river, looming over the town, keeping watch over the night. Incredible!

It has only been a week and a half in Prague for me so far, but it feels like years almost! I can't believe I have three whole more months. There are many streets yet to be explored, and many pictures yet to be taken! This weekend most of the crew is planning on going skiing, but I am going to enjoy my first weekend in Prague, take it easy, and rest from the crazy work week I am having. I can't wait to just explore the city with no worries or time constraints because of class, etc. Wish me luck!

Oh, I have updated my photography on the Picassa website, available via link on the right side of this blog. I have only chosen the best of the best for those albums, enjoy! More to come, keep an eye out!

I want to thank all of you for reading this, I am doing my best to convey just how amazing this journey of mine is becoming!

Until next time,

-Terry-