update from the road...

I magically have internet access and ended up on the computer, so I figured I should post a quick update on Prague... (no pictures, as I'm on a public computer... I'll put a lot up when I return to Roma!)

Okay, so Friday, I went to the airport via the Leonardo Express, which went much better than last time (Madrid... travel=disaster).  I got there in plenty of time, and the only problem I had was that they made me check my carry-on bag, because they said it was too big... unfortunate.  So I arrived in Prague around 6:20 pm, and then waited for my traveling companion to arrive.  Her plane had been delayed, so she was a little later than expected.  Then we took a taxi to our hostel, which is located just a little outside of the city centre, and is actually really nice.  We had booked beds in an all girl dorm, and ended up in a mixed dorm, which ended up working out okay.  We're both stuck on top-bunks, which kind of sucks, but what can you do?  The guy thats on the bottom bunk of my bed is the loudest snorer I've ever heard, which is interesting... I also met 4 girls from UNH who know some people that I went to elementary/middle school with... it's a SMALL world. 

Friday night we went out to eat at a traditional Czech restaurant (Most of the restaurants here are Italian, which is REALLY weird, but I'm not complaining!).  I ordered "chicken pockets" which was like chicken wrapped around salami topped with mozzarella cheese in some sort of sauce, and it was REALLY good.  We also had good desserts; Katey had icecream with raspberries, whipped cream and vodka, and I had some sort of pancakes with raspberries, chocolate and whipped cream.  Delicious.  I was afraid coming in that I wouldn't like any food here, but I haven't had any trouble yet. 

Saturday, we woke up around 10 am and set out to the Old Town area.  We didn't have any ultimate goal, we just wanted to explore a little.  We ended up in Wenceslas Square, which is the big, important, really famous square in the center of old town.  We saw the astronomical clock, and a bunch of churches.  One of the churches had a tower that you could climb, and after how beautiful the sights at the top of the tower in Siena were, I couldn't pass up that opportunity.  So we climbed the tower.  It didn't have stairs, but rather a series of ramps, which was kind of strange, but made walking up much easier.  At the top, you can see all of Prague.  It was beautiful.  We spent a while up there so I could take pictures from every angle of every sight.  They came out great, and I can't wait to share them with the world!! After that we just did a lot of walking.  We walked to the museum of Communism, which was much more interesting than it sounds.  I actually learned a lot, and Communism in the Czech republic is really interesting because they were constantly on the verge of revolting and just never pulled together to do it until Communism actually fell.  So I learned a lot, and it was interesting to see so many artifacts from that time.  Afterwards, we started walking towards the Charles Bridge, but on the way we were distracted by an outdoor market.  I've already decided which souvenirs I'm going to get for who, but I haven't actually purchased anything except for a scarf for myself (it's so cold here!!).  The souvenirs are so much cooler here than anywhere else I've traveled.  After our brief stop, we headed to Charles Bridge, just in time for sunset.  We crossed the bridge slowly, taking in the sights and watching the sun set.  It was beautiful! Once on the other side of the bridge, we went to see John Lennon's wall.  It's a wall that is covered in graffiti, dedicated to John Lennon, the Beatles, and world peace.  I actually found it to be really cool, because its constantly changing.  People are always adding to it and covering up old parts with new things.  Lots of people just sign it and right quick little messages, so it's interesting to get right up close so you can read all the handwriting you wouldn't have seen otherwise.

After that we went to eat dinner.  I really really really wanted a burger, because it's been awhile, and why wouldn't I want one? So that's what we were looking for, but instead we found this place called Bohemia Bagels, which was recommended by our hostel, so we tried it.  I got a philly cheesesteak (as close as I could get to a burger) and frankly, it sucked.  Cross Bohemia Bagels off of your list of places to eat, because they might have good bagels, but the rest of the food is nothing to write home about.  After dinner, we made the trek back to our hostel, so we could rest and recover before going out for the night.  When we got here, the hostel just so happened to be having a free pancake dinner, so we ate some pancakes, which almost made up for how bad my dinner had been. 

That night we decided we wanted to go to a bar or pub or something of that sort.  So we set out with no ultimate destination in mind.  We ended up wandering around Old Town until we found somewhere suitable.  We ended up at a Music Bar, which was actually a lot of fun.  We ended up dancing the night away... literally.  By the time we finally got back to the hostel, it was about 7 am (although for some reason, Europe decided to change the clocks back last night, so it was really only 6 am).  Exhausted, we slept. 

Today, I just woke up, and now I'm waiting for Katey to get ready.  It's Halloween, so in honor of that, we're intending to go to the Sedlec Ossuary in Kutna Hora so see the bone chapel.  I thought that fit the theme of the day pretty nicely.  It's about an hour by train. 

Alright, well that has been my journey thus far.  It's been amazing, and can only get better from here! I'll try to update a few more times if I have computer access (I'm afraid I'll forget some details of my trip!!).  Feel free to comment!