Wednesday, May 27, 2009
May 19-May 26
Oh my god i just wrote a shitload and it all got deleted when I tried to post thanks to this shitty soviet-era internet connection. FMLFML! More coming soon.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday
Saturday, May 16
After staying out way later than I had planned, I dragged myself out of bed in time for our 9:30am tour of Prague castle and the cathedral. It was definitely worth the lack of sleep. The cathedral was incredibly beautiful and the view from the top of the hill on which the castle sits was awesome. You could see all the embassies at the base of the hill, and it was funny when we noticed that the american embassy was the only one that is mainly underground; only the good ole USA would need to burrow into a hill for security reasons. After the tour the whole group was herded into our apartment and given a "talkin' to" about our rowdy behavior during the past few nights; apparently the Czechs can't handle us, but I really think it's just because they hate our freedom. I needed groceries to I walked to a much calmer and cheaper store called Albert. Got the essentials and went to the checkout line; I don't know how to ask for bags and the cashier did't speak English so I had to fashion my jacket into a sack so I could carry my food back to the apartment. I looked like a total douche but oh well. Hung out in the room for awhile, then gathered up some people to go out with. We met up with Maria and she walked us to a cool little local watering hole with the cheapest beer yet. A few of the guys were buying the bartender beer and shots so he was loving us, although I don't think anyone else in the bar shared our enthusiasm. We got bored and decided to follow Maria to a giant club near St. Charles bridge. We ran into the rest of our group in Old Town Square and ended up not following Maria, which I think pissed her off a bit, but oh well the party must go on. We stood around in the street for awhile and argued about where to go next until me and a few other guys decided to revisit the Beer Factory. Drank there for awhile (the tables have kegs in them!!!) and listened to the same 80'as and 90's pop superhits that the Czechs play in all their drinking establishments until someone suggested we check out the gentlenmen's club across the street. I was hesitant until Mitch told me he was going, so I of course caved because I have no willpower. Strangley there was no cover charge, but as soon as we sat down and started watching a decent looking girl entertain the local perverts sitting next to the stage a waitress came up and told us we were required to purchase a beer for 200 crowns. That was all I needed to hear, Mitch and I got up and hightailed it out of there. Went back to the apartment and crashed.
Sunday, May 17
Woke up around 1 and laid around watching czech television until someone suggested we go check out this eiffel tower replica that is on the same hill that the castle is located. Rode the tram out there and climbed the steep hill, admiring the view and great weather the whole way up. Made it to the summit and went up in the tower and took pictures of the city; the tower was so tall that you could see all the way to the mountains that mark the German-Czech border. After taking a few pictures we descended the tower and walked down the hill. Rode the tram back to the apartment and tried to go to bed early, but instead ended up getting caught up in a game of beer pong.
Monday, May 18
First day of classes. Classes are supposed to last 3 hours but thankfully our instructor shortened them to an hour and a half. Classes were really interesting and I'm so glad to finally be taking classes that actually interest me and pertain to my major rather than the Gen ed bullshit i've been dealing with all this past year. Mitch introduced himself to two Czech kids in one of our classes so we went out with them to Chapeau Rouge that night and had a blast. I was super tired so I took it slow and headed back early.
After staying out way later than I had planned, I dragged myself out of bed in time for our 9:30am tour of Prague castle and the cathedral. It was definitely worth the lack of sleep. The cathedral was incredibly beautiful and the view from the top of the hill on which the castle sits was awesome. You could see all the embassies at the base of the hill, and it was funny when we noticed that the american embassy was the only one that is mainly underground; only the good ole USA would need to burrow into a hill for security reasons. After the tour the whole group was herded into our apartment and given a "talkin' to" about our rowdy behavior during the past few nights; apparently the Czechs can't handle us, but I really think it's just because they hate our freedom. I needed groceries to I walked to a much calmer and cheaper store called Albert. Got the essentials and went to the checkout line; I don't know how to ask for bags and the cashier did't speak English so I had to fashion my jacket into a sack so I could carry my food back to the apartment. I looked like a total douche but oh well. Hung out in the room for awhile, then gathered up some people to go out with. We met up with Maria and she walked us to a cool little local watering hole with the cheapest beer yet. A few of the guys were buying the bartender beer and shots so he was loving us, although I don't think anyone else in the bar shared our enthusiasm. We got bored and decided to follow Maria to a giant club near St. Charles bridge. We ran into the rest of our group in Old Town Square and ended up not following Maria, which I think pissed her off a bit, but oh well the party must go on. We stood around in the street for awhile and argued about where to go next until me and a few other guys decided to revisit the Beer Factory. Drank there for awhile (the tables have kegs in them!!!) and listened to the same 80'as and 90's pop superhits that the Czechs play in all their drinking establishments until someone suggested we check out the gentlenmen's club across the street. I was hesitant until Mitch told me he was going, so I of course caved because I have no willpower. Strangley there was no cover charge, but as soon as we sat down and started watching a decent looking girl entertain the local perverts sitting next to the stage a waitress came up and told us we were required to purchase a beer for 200 crowns. That was all I needed to hear, Mitch and I got up and hightailed it out of there. Went back to the apartment and crashed.
Sunday, May 17
Woke up around 1 and laid around watching czech television until someone suggested we go check out this eiffel tower replica that is on the same hill that the castle is located. Rode the tram out there and climbed the steep hill, admiring the view and great weather the whole way up. Made it to the summit and went up in the tower and took pictures of the city; the tower was so tall that you could see all the way to the mountains that mark the German-Czech border. After taking a few pictures we descended the tower and walked down the hill. Rode the tram back to the apartment and tried to go to bed early, but instead ended up getting caught up in a game of beer pong.
Monday, May 18
First day of classes. Classes are supposed to last 3 hours but thankfully our instructor shortened them to an hour and a half. Classes were really interesting and I'm so glad to finally be taking classes that actually interest me and pertain to my major rather than the Gen ed bullshit i've been dealing with all this past year. Mitch introduced himself to two Czech kids in one of our classes so we went out with them to Chapeau Rouge that night and had a blast. I was super tired so I took it slow and headed back early.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday May 15
I dragged myself out of bed around 11:50, showered, ibuprofen, then ate a quick breakfast of sausage, cheese, and tomatoes. The produce over here is waaay better. We all met up for a tour of the Museum of Communism at 12:30; it was great seeing all over the old statutues of Lenin and Marx and a large replica of a segment of the Berlin Wall. Afterwards me and Mitch went back to the apartment to eat, then we met 2 other guys and decided to walk around town and check out the city across the St. Charles bridge. We walked around for awhile till our feet started hurting then grabbed a a beer at a sidewalk restaurant/bar. One guy that was with us tried to order a rum and coke, but as usual this blew the waitress' mind and he ended up with a shot of straight rum. After a long beery argument over how to split the bill 4 ways, we headed back on the Metro. The subway system here is great, there's only 3 lines and the stations are clean and relatively bum-free. Mitch and i walked down to a guitar store hoping to score some cheap guitars and maybe busk on the St. Charles bridge, no luck though, it was closed. Chilled in the apartment for a bit and debated over whether or not to go out that night, as lat night was pretty crazy. I have absolutely no willpower so I caved pretty quick when i found out that everyone else was going out. We went bto a touristy bar with dickhead bartenders called Harley's. I was pretty miserable at first since the beer was really overpriced and i couldn't find a seat at the bar, but I perked up when we found a table and the DJ started playing Elvis and Beatles songs. A bunch of local babysluts were seated at the table next to ours, and I had no interest in talking to any of them, but I ended up getting drafted into doing the twist with a super-short super-cute czech girl named maria. I failed miserably but she thought I was hot so we talked for awhile until ahe and her friend invited me and mitch to a club down the street. it was only a 100 crown cover so I we were in and found a seat with our girls in the corner of the club a safe distance from the bump and grind ghetto bullshit. Mitch's girl ended up being lame and ditched him for her boyfriend, so he talked to the Americans that were sitting next to us for awhile before heading back to the apartment. I stayed with Maria for a few more hours and made out on a couch surrounded by her friends and drank free champagne courtesy of some Americans sitting next to us. Turns out Maria is in a band and theyre playing at prom (she's a senior in high school) so I'm probably going to play bass with her band at prom. Sweet. I headed back to the apartment at around 3 and passed out. I'm the first guy in our group to hook up with a local girl so I'm the man for today, This trip is turning out to be A OK.
I dragged myself out of bed around 11:50, showered, ibuprofen, then ate a quick breakfast of sausage, cheese, and tomatoes. The produce over here is waaay better. We all met up for a tour of the Museum of Communism at 12:30; it was great seeing all over the old statutues of Lenin and Marx and a large replica of a segment of the Berlin Wall. Afterwards me and Mitch went back to the apartment to eat, then we met 2 other guys and decided to walk around town and check out the city across the St. Charles bridge. We walked around for awhile till our feet started hurting then grabbed a a beer at a sidewalk restaurant/bar. One guy that was with us tried to order a rum and coke, but as usual this blew the waitress' mind and he ended up with a shot of straight rum. After a long beery argument over how to split the bill 4 ways, we headed back on the Metro. The subway system here is great, there's only 3 lines and the stations are clean and relatively bum-free. Mitch and i walked down to a guitar store hoping to score some cheap guitars and maybe busk on the St. Charles bridge, no luck though, it was closed. Chilled in the apartment for a bit and debated over whether or not to go out that night, as lat night was pretty crazy. I have absolutely no willpower so I caved pretty quick when i found out that everyone else was going out. We went bto a touristy bar with dickhead bartenders called Harley's. I was pretty miserable at first since the beer was really overpriced and i couldn't find a seat at the bar, but I perked up when we found a table and the DJ started playing Elvis and Beatles songs. A bunch of local babysluts were seated at the table next to ours, and I had no interest in talking to any of them, but I ended up getting drafted into doing the twist with a super-short super-cute czech girl named maria. I failed miserably but she thought I was hot so we talked for awhile until ahe and her friend invited me and mitch to a club down the street. it was only a 100 crown cover so I we were in and found a seat with our girls in the corner of the club a safe distance from the bump and grind ghetto bullshit. Mitch's girl ended up being lame and ditched him for her boyfriend, so he talked to the Americans that were sitting next to us for awhile before heading back to the apartment. I stayed with Maria for a few more hours and made out on a couch surrounded by her friends and drank free champagne courtesy of some Americans sitting next to us. Turns out Maria is in a band and theyre playing at prom (she's a senior in high school) so I'm probably going to play bass with her band at prom. Sweet. I headed back to the apartment at around 3 and passed out. I'm the first guy in our group to hook up with a local girl so I'm the man for today, This trip is turning out to be A OK.
Friday, May 15, 2009
The First Three Days
Wednesday May 13
Got up at 5:30 in the morning and left at 7 so we could make it to Fort Lauderdale for my flight to newark. The flight to Newark SUCKED. The plane was full and they almost didnt let me carry on my suitcase, but I charmed the flight attendant into letting me go. The flight was totally full and all the passengers were the oldest, lamest, crankiest bunch 'o fuckers i've ever encountered. some old guy insisted i trade seats with him so he could sit next to his wife, i obliged, so of course i ended up in a middle seat next to the token stinky guy. Everyone was pulling the same seat-trading bullshit, I dont understand, these people have been married for decades, you'd think they'd be able to handle two and a half hours apart. Guess not. The flight from newark to amsterdam was fine, as was the final flight from Amsterdam to Prague. from the Prague airport we rode a shuttle bus to our apartments in the center city area.
My room is cool (pictures coming soon) and my roommates are all good dudes. The first thing we did was go to a cafe down the street and make total american asses of ourselves by not knowing how to pay with czech money and asking for separate checks. oh well. fast forward to 9pm. We go to a bar called Chapeau rouge with $1.50 draft beer, it was awesome and they played The Cure and the Clash all night. The bartenders hated us at first for being american, but they warmed up as soon as we started getting hammered and spending money.
Thursday May 14
Woke up really hungover and had to be in class for a two hour lecture on Czech history at the school i'm taking classes. I was starving and went to Subway as i felt too shitty to deal with the language barrier at local restaurants. Took some ibuprofen then went on a short walking tour of the city, then toured the Jewish ghetto and a holocaust museum where the names of the 80,000 jews killed by the nazis were inscribed on the walls, unfortunately i couldn't take any pictures. Later I went to Tesco, the European version of Wal Mart for groceries. Talk about a fucking nightmare-madhouse. It was the messiest grocery store ever filled to the brim with stinky barging europeans, but I managed to score some great produce and sausage and bread. I fuckd up and acted a fool in the checkout line as i forgot to bag my own groceries and i ended up holding up the whole line. Later me and two other guys walked across the river and had a beer in a pub full of rowdy drunk Germans and were overcharged by the surly anti-American bartender. We dipped and met up with everyone else at a touristy nightclub with beer-dispensing tables. Passed out at around 4, more to come soon.
Got up at 5:30 in the morning and left at 7 so we could make it to Fort Lauderdale for my flight to newark. The flight to Newark SUCKED. The plane was full and they almost didnt let me carry on my suitcase, but I charmed the flight attendant into letting me go. The flight was totally full and all the passengers were the oldest, lamest, crankiest bunch 'o fuckers i've ever encountered. some old guy insisted i trade seats with him so he could sit next to his wife, i obliged, so of course i ended up in a middle seat next to the token stinky guy. Everyone was pulling the same seat-trading bullshit, I dont understand, these people have been married for decades, you'd think they'd be able to handle two and a half hours apart. Guess not. The flight from newark to amsterdam was fine, as was the final flight from Amsterdam to Prague. from the Prague airport we rode a shuttle bus to our apartments in the center city area.
My room is cool (pictures coming soon) and my roommates are all good dudes. The first thing we did was go to a cafe down the street and make total american asses of ourselves by not knowing how to pay with czech money and asking for separate checks. oh well. fast forward to 9pm. We go to a bar called Chapeau rouge with $1.50 draft beer, it was awesome and they played The Cure and the Clash all night. The bartenders hated us at first for being american, but they warmed up as soon as we started getting hammered and spending money.
Thursday May 14
Woke up really hungover and had to be in class for a two hour lecture on Czech history at the school i'm taking classes. I was starving and went to Subway as i felt too shitty to deal with the language barrier at local restaurants. Took some ibuprofen then went on a short walking tour of the city, then toured the Jewish ghetto and a holocaust museum where the names of the 80,000 jews killed by the nazis were inscribed on the walls, unfortunately i couldn't take any pictures. Later I went to Tesco, the European version of Wal Mart for groceries. Talk about a fucking nightmare-madhouse. It was the messiest grocery store ever filled to the brim with stinky barging europeans, but I managed to score some great produce and sausage and bread. I fuckd up and acted a fool in the checkout line as i forgot to bag my own groceries and i ended up holding up the whole line. Later me and two other guys walked across the river and had a beer in a pub full of rowdy drunk Germans and were overcharged by the surly anti-American bartender. We dipped and met up with everyone else at a touristy nightclub with beer-dispensing tables. Passed out at around 4, more to come soon.
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