Charlotte Skyline

Charlotte Skyline

Monday, August 25, 2008

Guess who's back

Hello!
I'm back in the good ol' United States of America. Well, I've been back for a few days now, but it's been busy. I actually stayed a few days in Washington D.C. before coming back to Chino Hills, land of cows and me, to visit a couple of friends. Europe was fun and I'm glad I got to see everything I did, but I've realized that I've seen more of the rest of the world than I have of my own country*. So my next outings should probably be closer to home and you are all invited. I'm going to hang out with family now, but I will be back with what I promised before, updates on my European travels!
Bye for now!


(*My own country being the one I was born in, not the motherland.)

Friday, August 15, 2008

All Prague-d Out

Ahoj! (Hello in czech or Cau in slovak)
It's my last night in Prague and I'm in an Italian cafe surrounded by Italians, watching the Olympics. Somehow it always comes full circle. I'm not ready to spend the night at the airport waiting for my 6am flight. The public transport system shuts down at midnight, so there really is no other option than to just tough it out at the airport. I'll be doing the same in Milan, can't wait. Well, it's been raining all day and it's freezing. Which is good for me because I packed for Italian weather. D: I've pretty much seen all of Prague and I must say I love gothic and baroque architecture, if only buildings in cali coulf be this interesting. The small town I ended up going to was the town of Plzen, the fourth largest city in the Czech Republic. Otherwise known as the birthplace of Pilsner beer. So guess what the first thing we did after getting off the bus? We went on the Pilsner beer factory tour.The place was huge, like the backlot of a hollywood studio. They showed us the bottling area, the big copper containers where they brew their beer, the raw materials they use, and even the cellars they used to store beer barrels. While in the very cold cellar, we got to try some unfiltered pilsner. It was quite good, sweet with a bitter finish. They really love their beer in this part of the world. After the tour, we walked around the city and saw the major sites in less than an hour, it was a rather small city, in comparison to everywhere else we've been, but small cities are nice too. When we got back to Prague, we walked around a mall and that's about it. The malls here are the same as in America, oh globalization.
Today, we got our souvenir shopping done, in the cold rain. I've decided I hate souvenir shopping because I can just imagine what ever I'm buying just sitting on a table (or under it) collecting dust, so I might as well not buy and just get myself a nice sweater. But then I have to let people know that I did not forget them while on my quest for world knowledge, so I must get some souvenir for them. so if my gift to you is tacky and/or crappy, tough, souvenir craftsmanship here is severely lacking and expensive.
I'll be back in the states in 5 days! And, to tell you the complete truth, I can't wait. I'm broke and tired and in need of a bit of familiarity! So when I get back, visit me or call, it would be much appreciated, along with some comments here.. :D
I'm going to go back to watching the czech vs australian women's olympic basketball game.
See you in Milan! Ciao.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Czech-ing Prague out

Hehe.. Get it.. Czech..Prague. So clever. Anyway, it's been a while since I've had a chance to update! I will have some massive information dump sometime, probably after my trip though. I'm in a McDonald's in Prague's Mala Strana eating a chicken salad and listening to Britney Spears. I know, I should be eating goulash or something, but I needed this salad, you wouldn't believe the amount of bread I've consumed on this trip, it's the cheapest food in the stores. Prague is amazing, the architecture is incredibly impressive. I lost myself on the edge of the city today, just walking around different neighborhoods and parks, not opening my mouth. Czech is definitely very different than any language I've ever learned, I can barely pronounce the street names (osvezujici anyone??).
I've discovered that I really enjoy gothic architecture, it's so ominous and creative, so I'm having a blast just looking at buildings. I have yet to visit Charles Bridge or Old Town, but I have 4 more days, I'm also gonna hit up a small town outside the city, see what country life is all about.
Enjoy those Olympic games everyone!

Friday, August 8, 2008

more to come

Sorry for the lack of posts! Been busy walking around the sites. I'll do a big post later, but right now other people are waiting for this one computer. I'm in Paris now and it's raining and cold. complete change from the unbearable heat of spain and italy. bye!