El fin.

The realization I was back in northern Wisconsin slapped me in the face this past Sunday when I spent my afternoon hauling wood and doing yard work…

I have been back in the states for eight days. It’s been an interesting eight days; full of moments of nostalgia for Prague as well as moments of relief where I am so thankful to be home. The whole situation is bittersweet but considering I can do nothing but look back fondly while continuing to look to the future, I’m doing my best to prepare for a fun-filled summer. To articulate my mixed feelings, I have compiled a little list of things I miss about Prague as well as things that I am grateful to return to.

Things I miss (I also like to call this “Prag-stalgia” hahaha…):

I miss the aesthetics of the city. My first impression of Prague was that it was simply beautiful and that impression was only enhanced as I spent more time in the city. Even the shabbiest of the buildings according to European standards, seemed to me, to be ornate and full of history.

As much as I hate to admit it, I miss the cobblestones. Yes, I miss those blasted things that caused my ankles to turn in terrifyingly sharp 90 degree angles. As annoying as they were though, they are beautiful and ornate. The detail and time that has gone into their creation is astounding and after four months of trekking over them in sky high heels, I got used to the uneven terrain. I feel like I have been walking crooked on the straight and level sidewalks in the states- it’s as if I am getting over what I have coined “cobblestone head” (rather than boat head).

Living in Prague was my first time living in a city. I miss being a cosmopolitan with everything at my fingertips and surrounded by international people and food.

As part of living in the city, I miss the extremely efficient Prague public transport. I was able to take the metro or a tram anywhere I ever needed to be. It was a form of convenience that I had never experienced.

Czech beer- they invented the stuff so how can it not be the absolute best?! Plus, I was legal In Europe. It was enjoyable to simply be able to order a beer with my meal. Now I have 72 days of returning to illegal-dom. But it’s not like I’m counting…

The phenomenal public transport allowed me to wander for hours and unfortunately, this would be much more dangerous in northern Wisconsin.

I’ll also miss the daily dog parade. Even though the dogs wanted absolutely nothing to do with me, I enjoyed spotting the resemblances between the dogs and their owners- sometimes it was almost uncanny. And I swear there are more four-legged friends in the Czech Republic than people.

Now that I have listed a few things that I miss in Prague, here are a few things that make me so thankful to be back home in my comfort zone…

 Smiles, they’re everywhere! The lack of smiling was one of the first things I noticed in Prague, as well as probably one of the things that I had the hardest time understanding. But now that I’m home, the amount of smiles I see is almost alarming- almost. It’s so refreshing to see outward happiness again. And the thing is, America itself is a smiley place, but you come up to northern Wisconsin, and it’s a whole other ball game…

The lack of customer service sort of goes hand in hand with the lack of smiling. Transitioning back to the customer service-orientated society of America gave me the most reverse culture shock upon my return home. In Prague, before running errands such as going to the post office or dropping off dry cleaning, I would mentally have to prepare myself for a difficult time, not only because of the language barrier but also because of the aloofness of the service workers. So when I dropped off my dry cleaning earlier this week, I was taken aback by the overly friendly help- but in a good way!

Ice water doesn’t exist in Prague. Or really anywhere in Central Europe. And the fact that beer is cheaper than a bottle of water almost makes you think they have some manipulative conspiracy to make you dehydrated…

What was the one pit stop I begged my mom to make after picking me up at the airport? Dairy Queen. The blizzard was even better than I had imagined. And does it worry me that I craved an Oreo blizzard so badly that I had a hard time concentrating on anything other than the anticipated feeling of DQ ice cream melting down my throat? Nope. Not at all.

It was soooooo good...

ENGLISH, oh how I missed you! It was nearly overwhelming my first few days home being able to understand every conversation around me. I had become so used to being surrounded by indecipherable noise, constantly in my own little bubble of my thoughts, that it was so strange to all of a sudden understand the cashier at the gas station or the lady at the post office. But let me tell you, I am so happy to be able to communicate again! The language barrier was a challenge that I asked for, but more than four months and I might have reached my breaking point.

Realizing the things I miss from Prague as well as the things I’m glad to come home to, has helped me smoothly transition back to life in the states. The culture shock that I so feared has been minimal and since I’ve been so busy starting my summer internship and catching up with family and friends, I have had little time to dwell on my time in Europe.

Although I’m so happy to be home, I’m extremely thankful for my four months abroad. I am fortunate to be able to afford, time-wise and money-wise, a semester abroad and it’s an experience that I will never, ever forget. I have had numerous memorable experiences and adventures, but it is what I have learned about myself in the past four months, that I will use for the rest of my life. Understanding how I deal with challenges and tough situations is something that I will use to my advantage throughout my life.

As my last post documenting a wonderful four months abroad, I want to thank you for following my adventures and sending your encouraging words my way…

Na shledanou!

Maarja

Na shledanou, Praha...

It’s my final day in Prague and I can’t even begin to comprehend that I will be in the states in less than 36 hours. Where did the last four months go? No seriously, where did they go?!

Thankfully, I have been processing this transition for a while mentally and emotionally because people have scared me into it saying, “The culture shock is 10 times worse going home- good luck!” Followed by a rather evil and menacing laugh. Okay, so maybe that last part was just in mind, but still, they made me a little nervous. So I have been “processing,” if you will, my transition in the hopes that I won’t be hit so hard by this supposed massive shock.

And I think I’ve reached a healthy place. I have had a great, amazing, phenomenal, educational, life changing, and adventurous four months full of great food, great beer, and even greater people. BUT I am ready to go home. I can’t wait to see my family- if it weren’t for my family I would be quite keen on staying in Europe, but considering I’m rather fond of them, I would like to go home and see them. I also reallllllly want a blizzard from DQ. An oreo one to be exact. Prague has a KFC, McDonald’s, and Subway on nearly every corner but where are the Dairy Queens?! In America, that’s where. They don’t exist in Europe and don’t even try to compare a McFlurry with a blizzard. They aren’t even on the same level.

These past few weeks I’ve begun to be nostalgic for Prague- and I haven’t even left yet. It's a problem. I am not an emotional person at all; my sisters even call me a tootsie pop- hard on the outside but soft on the inside. But I have this weird streak of being overly sentimental. ‘Last time’ instances are never good for me. High school graduation was horrible, my last night in my freshman dorm was horrible, I even dislike “saying goodbye” to hotels after spending a week’s vacation in them. It’s one of my quirks and I’ve grown to deal with it but these past few weeks have been full of ‘last time’ instances’: last time crossing the Charles Bridge, last time taking the 5 across the river and seeing all of Prague, last time running through the park, last time watching the Astronomical Clock go, last time walking down Wenceslas Square…..

One ‘last time’ that I am looking forward to however, is my last time having to be responsible for the Czech language…. I’m done! And better yet, I got an ‘A’ in the class. Which is saying quite a bit considering how unbelievably and ridiculously hard the language is. Luckily my teacher, Zdenka, was amazing- the most chic and sophisticated women I have ever met. I want to be just like her someday minus the chain-smoking, of course, and the whole speaking Czech thing too- the first is preventable, the second is near impossible. Let me give you an example of how amazing Zdenka is- when she was returning our final exams she explained, “You will find two grades on your exam, the first one is your grade for the actual exam, the second is your final grade and it is in heart.” You better believe that final will be going up on the fridge at home.

My premature nostalgia however hasn’t held me back form fully enjoying Prague my last few weeks. Despite two papers and five exams during finals week, I managed to still enjoy the beautiful city….

Jungle Woman! My friend Mattie and I went to the Prague Zoo for an afternoon...it was like we were 12 all over again

Speaking of being 12 at the zoo, we also got ice cream and went on the swings....

View from the #5 tram....

Every Tuesday night this bar near our flat had free sangria for ladies and we obviously took advantage of it every single week- if you are ever in Prague, check out Bukowski's in Zizkov! They also have 17cK (or less than a dollar) big beers on Sundays...

Look, Mom, I'm cooking! My friend Melissa is ridiculously talented in the kitchen and took this newbie-in-the-kitchen under her wing and taught me to cook. I can't wait to have her as my celebrity chef on my morning show!

Went to the opera again, this time seeing "Rusalka"- a grown up version of the Little Mermaid

Cinco de Mayo with margaritas!

"Studying" for my finals in a park with Prague Castle in the background....

I have thoroughly enjoyed documenting my last four months. I’m looking forward to looking back on this blog in 5, 10, 25, 50 years and reading about my 20-year-old self and my fabulous time abroad. With one more post reflecting on my experience and my transition back to the states, this isn’t quite goodbye but I want to thank you all (mom and hopefully a few others?!) for reading about my adventures. You have forced me to put my experience into words. Thank you.

Na sheldanou

Maarja

The end is near.

I have 11 days left in Prague. Where did the last four months go?!

With less than two weeks left I decided it would be appropriate to revisit the bucket list that I made in my very first post when I was a wee, unseasoned traveler. Let’s see how I did shall we?

1)    Don’t look like an absolute fool/American tourist

Well, this one is debatable. I like to think I did fairly well (much to my joy when I keep my American mouth shut, I am often mistaken as Czech) but then I have these incessant flashbacks of me trying to buy postage or trying to explain to my classroom of 15-year-old Czech students what “diarrhea” is in English or the time I joined the gym and couldn’t figure out which locker room was the women’s because I couldn’t understand the signs and had to creepily sit in the lobby, keeping an eye on the locker room doors until a noticeably male or female gym-goer entered or left the locker room…. It’s these little incidences that make it debatable.

2)    Get lost. Find my way back.

This sort of became a hobby of mine and it got much easier as I learned the public transportation system of Prague. Procrastinating schoolwork, laundry or blog writing (gasp!), I would set out of my flat with the necessities, my keys and some Coldplay (really, Coldplay is the absolute best city-adventuring music. Putting the ipod on “shuffle” while on a stroll is not conducive because when "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus starts blasting in your ears, it sort of kills the mood of drifting through a chic European city…and yes, I do have Miley Cyrus on my ipod). No maps allowed. Maps are awkward and annoyingly difficult to fold, not to mention they would seriously hinder the achievement of #1 on my bucket list. And after all, Rule #2 of my “Everything-you-need-to-know-to-not-have-“American tourist”- stamped-on-your-forehead Guide” is: One must not be seen frantically trying to close a city map in the unforgiving wind while protectively holding your money belt on a busy street corner. This rule of course follows Rule #1: Bring your voice down about 60 decibels.

Anyway, I would set out and just walk. Wherever I felt like going, I’d go. I followed my intuition, which interestingly enough always seemed to end up near ice cream, and walked until my feet hurt. Thankfully Prague has an exceptional public transportation system, so once I was tired, I’d find the nearest tram stop or metro and take it back to a familiar station and make my way home. I need to remind myself that this adventuring will only work in cities with public transport- the woods of northern Wisconsin may be a little difficult to navigate under this strategy.

3)    My sister sent me a postcard once that said “Tender feelings in Prague.” I would like some tender feelings in Prague.

Uh, not yet. I’d say I have rather tender feelings for Prague, which is a start, right? And hey, I still have 11 days—watch out boys, here I come! I’ll keep you posted.

4)    Rock my classes. It’s called study abroad for a reason….

I’ll let you know when I get my grades back. But I have good feelings about this one.

5)    Take a class at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts.

I failed on this one. I realized once I received my class schedule and planned my weekend traveling, I really had no time for more classes. But I made friends with some film students, so I think that partially counts. I’ll give myself a half check mark.

6)    Hold an internship, preferably in a radio station.

If by internship, I meant volunteering, and by a radio station, I actually meant a middle school, then SUCCESS! My advisor wasn’t able to connect with the radio station, but the alternative has been so worthwhile. Talking to 15-year-old Czech students about Lady Gaga and Glee is priceless. My students were in their final year of grade school (in the Czech Republic, once you finish your 9^th year, you can either choose to be done with schooling or go on to high school) so they weren’t particularly motivated to learn per se. My supervising teacher was aware of this lack of motivation, so she assigned me topics each class to simply discuss with the students. We talked about hospitals, traveling, holidays, books, films, and music, comparing the US and the Czech Republic. During our music discussion, I brought my laptop and played them popular American songs. I obviously forced them to listen to “Party in the USA” while I sang and danced along. If they learned anything that discussion, it might have been more about my sanity than about music, but hey, I got angsty teens to smile! Now, that measures up to success in my book.

7)    Make tons of new friends.

Done and done. And many of them are from cities that are conveniently on my travel list- i.e. Miami, DC, New York City, New Orleans, LA… Can’t wait to visit them! I will graciously return the favor and invite them to the destination hot spot of Grantsburg, WI. It’s the epitome of an equal trade-off. 

8)    Educate someone on the wonderful culture of Wisconsin who has never heard of it before.

Did this like it was my job. I’ve done my state proud. Especially when doing the obligatory “where from?” introductions when meeting new international friends and having to answer Wisconsin after my friends say LA, New York City, and Miami….I needed to clear the obvious confusion on the new friend’s face and explain the absolute greatness of Wisconsin. I honestly think I should get compensation from the state; I bet tourism is going to double due to my propaganda. You are welcome, Wisconsin.

9)    Be realistically sufficient in Czech…. Realistically being the key word here.

See the beauty of inserting realistically in this goal is that it’s subjective and I get to decide. And I’m going to give myself an A+. Because I can. And because my Czech teacher often exclaims “Vyborne (excellent), Maarja!” during Czech class and I trust Zdenka knows what she is talking about, I mean, she wouldn’t say I was doing excellent if I wasn’t! But then again, Zdenka is a very kind person and often apologizes for all of the Czech Republic and how ridiculously difficult they made their language.

10)Travel to Budapest.

Check! Along with London, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Krakow, Vienna, and cities throughout the Czech Republic, I definitely put some miles on this semester.

11) Keep up a blog.

17 posts so far. I’d say that is an accomplishment.

So the consensus? I think I’ve done quite well. Not to mention all of the things I did that weren’t on my little bucket list, I got exactly what I was looking for in a study abroad experience when I wrote my first blog post- an adventure. But wait, it’s not over yet! Before I get overly nostalgic, I still have 11 days to get everything else in (hellooooooo tender feelings in Prague)! No more wasting time, Prague is calling to me to get out there and enjoy my last 11 days…never mind the two papers and five finals that are looming like a dark storm cloud over my head. I'll get to them, I promise….

Na shledanou!

Maarja

Hungry for more Hungary.

I think Budapest sort of got the short end of the stick. Energy-wise I was at the bottom of the barrel after traveling for three weekends in a row, and Budapest was round 4. Now I know what you are thinking, ‘waa-waa Maarja, traveling around Europe is sooooooooo hard,’ BUT it kind of is. Don’t get me wrong, I have no way begun to take my time abroad for granted, believe me, I regularly sit myself down to take in moments on the earthly level. It just truly is exhausting to live out of a suitcase and travel around on a not-so-air-conditioned coach bus. I promise I am not whining.

Despite my exhaustion level, I rallied to fully enjoy Hungary and to use every possible opportunity to insert a Hungary/hungry pun - they are almost as enjoyable as Czech/check puns. But they get old just as fast. 

After visiting the Great Market, I wasn't so hungry in Hungary anymore.....

Budapest was yet another kindly organized weekend trip by my academic program. So although we had plenty of free time, it was also an educational weekend, with city tours and lectures on communism, per usual. The thing that made Budapest more enjoyable in a sense than some of my other trips however, was that, and I don't mean to brag, but I sort of know my stuff when it comes to Budapest and communism. My politics class’ focus the week prior to our trip was on the end of WWII and the following communist takeover in Hungary. And then on top of that, I had had a book report and presentation due the week before on “Under the Frog” by Tibor Fischer which is set in Budapest from 1944- 1956 (and I highly recommend this book. It’s about a naked traveling basketball team during the German occupation and Soviet takeover and I found myself laughing out loud throughout the book. You may think communism and humor don’t exactly go hand in hand, but apparently it does.) I felt so knowledgeable as we walked around Budapest and I could say, “Hey! They talked about that street in my book during the Uprising!” or “Prof. Tuma said something about that monument on Tuesday!” So I didn’t know exactly why the things I was seeing or remembering were important, but even just having heard the name before, I felt on top of my Hungarian history game. I may or may not be entirely delusional. 

I was so proud to know of Hero's Square before our guide took us there on our tour

Bullet holes from the 1956 Revolution...right across from our hotel. How cool is that?!

With architecture and a city lay-out much like Prague (the city is split between a meandering river much like the Vltava splits Prague- twinsies!), I sort of felt at home. Hungarian, however proved to have absolutely nothing in common with Czech, or any other Slavic language for that matter. It actually sounds more like a Scandinavian language- which contrary to popular belief does NOT make the language easier to understand because I am of Scandinavian heritage. Who would think that? Definitely not me…

Just sitting around with a castle behind me

At the top of Castle Hill

So I struggled a little bit with the language, but if I have learned anything these past few months, it is: When in doubt, simply shut up and smile. It’s a great rule of thumb. People seem to be more understanding of your misunderstanding when you do it with an apologetic smile.

And I think it is safe to say that spring has officially arrived in Central Europe (unlike in Wisconsin….hehe, suckers!). The weather was beautiful and we spent much of our time outside, either on city tours or simply just adventuring. 

With the weather on our side, we took an afternoon trip to the "picturesque" village of Szentendre to see an authentic Hungarian village

Wait, are we at the Minnesota State Fair? Nope, we're just eating the traditional Hungarian fried dough specialty known as langos

We then walked 40 minutes along Hungarian roads to the preserved village of Skanzen. I like to call it (wi)Skanzen.

I got tired and decided to hitchhike. Just kidding...maybe.

Yay, (wi)Skanzen!

Furry, furry, piggies! There was a farm in the village and as any group of girls deprived of animal activity for the past three months would do, we got a little photo-happy.

But my big highlight of the trip? My cultural experience of the Turkish baths. A popular past time in Hungary, we spent an afternoon at ‘the baths’ and boy, was it an experience. I have never seen so many speedos in my life. And not necessarily on people that should be wearing them - kudos to the Europeans and their self-confidence! More power to them, I say. And a maybe just a wee bit more clothing. 

I only have a picture of the outside of the baths for obvious reasons...

The baths were essentially a big ol’ water park for adults. Outside, there were three big baths, one warm lap pool, one warmer whirlpool, and then the ‘hot’ pool. The whirlpool was actually a big pool that had a circular enclosure where bathers could run around to start a legitimate and high current whirlpool. At the center of the whirlpool was an actual Jacuzzi. So in order to get to the relaxing jets of the Jacuzzi, one had to cross the fast-moving, jam packed, and terrifying whirlpool. My friends made a run for it, I got scared, my friends made it to the Jacuzzi, and I was stuck on the other side looking longingly to the center. A kind older man saw my predicament and kindly shoved me through the current and into the hands of my waiting friends. What a kind soul.

Inside, there were pools upon pools of different temperatures, as well as saunas and steam rooms hot enough to melt your face off- I stayed out of those. I don’t think I have ever felt so lethargic, or relaxed, in my life. The heat took the energy right out of me. It was detoxifying; I guess that’s what happens when you sweat out of every single pore of your body. And minus the germs that typically come along with barefoot and half-naked people, I felt surprisingly clean and refreshed.

Now that I have happily crossed Budapest off my list, I am done traveling until I fly home to Wisconsin on May 12^th- which let me remind you, is a mere three weeks away! I’m working on my Prague bucket list before I go and I still have so much to see and do. But what’s on the docket for today? Rollerblading and picnicking in the park, of course!

Na shledanou!

Maarja

I'm moving to Spain.

I contemplated running out of the open door on the jetway and on to the busy tarmac of the Barcelona airport as I was boarding the plane back to Prague. And this was a serious contemplation. I mean, what would have happened if I had just stayed? More sheer bliss. That's what.

Suffice it to say, I did not want to leave Spain. I hadn’t quite had my fill of Barcelona and leaving after a mere three days in the city felt like an inappropriately abrupt departure after such a glorious love affair. The fact that I had a book report and presentation due upon my return to Prague (which I of course had yet to begin) might have influenced my feelings of never wanting to leave Barcelona, but I think the beautiful, white sand beaches, palm trees, sangria, Spanish men, and laid-back attitudes might have also aided to my feelings.

Barcelona was a much-needed relaxing vacation after my program's nine-day traveling seminar full of group tours, lectures, and museums. Luckily my travel buddies, Mattie and Ilana, shared this same mindset and we had few plans in Barcelona other than finding the beach and hunkering down for most of the day (which we accomplished) and searching for the best sangria in Barcelona (which we also accomplished). 

Finally a large body of water after months of being in land-locked Central Europe!

We walked around for quite sometime trying to find amazing/cheap sangria after a long day of traveling. We got so exhausted that we settled for a place that unfortunately didn't have sangria but had beer. But after some conversation, the server came out with homemade sangria, just for us. If we wanted more, she told us to talk to the boss. Love Barcelona hospitality!

We stayed at a hostel in the residential neighborhood of Gracia, located three metro stops away from the city center and the main drag of Las Ramblas. It was so refreshing to stay in an actual neighborhood, where the presence of tourists didn’t dictate an absurd spike in prices. We spent our evenings strolling our neighborhood’s bustling main-street, passing restaurants of every imaginable ethnicity and being in absolute awe of the fact that locals were just going out to dinner at 11pm. 

Our neighborhood. So quintessential Barcelona.

Our daily routine was not only productive, but also economically efficient AND endorphin producing (my logic: sun= vitamin D= happiness). We would wake up early, grab a quick (and cheap) breakfast at a fruit stand, and then we would choose one sight to see before lunch. One afternoon we adventured to Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia, another we hiked to the top of Tibidabo, and another we walked through Gaudi’s Guell Park. We each spent a total of 4 Euros for all of our sightseeing which covered the price of our funicular ticket down from Tibidabo. Impressive, eh? But this makes me wonder how I spent so much money on food….and sangria….

La Sagrada Familia- Under construction for the past 1000 years

Finally made it to Tibidabo after a long hike up

View from Tibidabo. Hello there, Barcelona

The Magic Fountains of Montjuic

Guell Park

For lunch we would pick up picnic supplies at the famous Boqueria Market or some other deli and then b-line it to the beach where we would stay until the sun had been sufficiently been soaked in and my summer freckles had reemerged in full force.

La Boqueria Market

I hadn’t realized how much I missed speaking Spanish until this trip to Spain. Although they speak Catalan in Barcelona (which for me, was entirely indecipherable due to the French influence) Spanish is widespread and I was able to whip out my rusty five years worth of Spanish. And to be sure, I was quite rusty. In any other case I would have been extremely self-conscious about my grammar and pronunciation, but I was on such a high of being able to speak with the locals in their language, that I spoke as much as I could. It helped that the locals were so understanding of my attempts. This was the first country that I  traveled to in the past three months that I didn’t necessarily blend in as a native, with my light hair and all, so rather than assuming that I spoke the language, servers seemed content and maybe even amused with anything I could give them.

I was so comfortable and at home in Spain. The open culture and lifestyle was so alluring, but I’m happy I made the choice not to actually study in Spain, as was my plan for the past six years. In Spain, I was completely at ease and I fear if I had studied there, it wouldn’t have been the challenge I was looking for. I also probably would have been on the beach most of the time and I don’t want to think what that would have done to my grades or my skin….

BUT I WILL be back. I still need to accomplish my Vespa ride behind a Spanish man. Obviously. 

Next up is Budapest! From Barcelona to Budapest- could they be more different? It’s debatable.

Na shledanou!

Maarja

Crossing the Iron Curtain.

And then westward to Vienna we went.

Vienna was sort of the big finale of our traveling seminar, the big shebang if you will. I found it interesting that the last leg of our trip entailed crossing the Iron Curtain border and entering the great “West,” but you may read into that as you may. We were all looking forward to Vienna and seeing a different side of the Cold War, and rather than learning about direct communism control, we were exposed to “socialism influence,” a nice change, to say the least. It was refreshing to witness a culture that had not been under a strict communism regime for 40-plus years.

Having heard great things about Vienna from friends, I had high expectations of the city. Vienna was apparently up to the task however, because I was far from disappointed.

Quintessential Vienna

I’m starting to think that the weather plays with my mind and has an absurd amount of control over my reactions to things. I say this mostly because I’ve seen my adoration for Prague empirically grow with the warming weather. I seem to love everything and anything when the sun is shining and true to the rule, the weather in Vienna hinted at spring with 70 degree weather and sunshine everyday. So although I’m not sure how my feelings of Vienna would be different if it would have been damp and cold during our visit, I would like to think the sunshine just added to an already euphoric sentiment towards the city.

Spring is in full bloom in Austria

Something I was not prepared for in Vienna was how freakishly good looking and well dressed all of the Viennese people are. It was absurd! I thought that we had perhaps mistakenly ended up in Paris or Milan. Stepping off the bus and taking in my surroundings I immediately had to rethink my wardrobe and shower regiment for the following three days…

I didn’t see a single person in sweats or looking “shlumpy” by any means, and if I did, they oozed of other characteristics denoting them as a definite tourist (i.e. camera around the neck, white tennis shoes, jeans, a possible fanny pack here and there). Most of the men were dressed in suits or at least donned sport coats and the women were put together to the “T” with manicured nails and with every single hair in place. People-watching in Vienna was like seeing the Spring line of Dolce & Gabbana strut past you on the NYC Fashion Week catwalk.

Here is my attempt at capturing the lifestyle of the Viennese (a little creepy, I know)- well dressed business men and women lunching and drinking wine...

And they weren’t only generally good looking but they were also generally friendly and helpful. Once again, I was surrounded by an unknown language (This is the story of my life. I’m getting quite used to it. I actually have no idea what I’m going to do when I come back to the states, where I can understand every conversation around me after four months of my "Maarja bubble" that leaves me to my own thoughts. However, I’ll be honest, I could use a break from my thoughts.).

Luckily, one of my friends speaks German fluently, so with her by my side all was fine, because as I mentioned in my blog about Krakow, mumbling Czech words under my breath did not quite cut it with German. But even without my friend or any other translator, I got around the city just fine. It seemed to me that most everyone in the service industry spoke some amount of English and if they didn’t, they were happy to deal with my pointing and apologetic smiles.

Despite never having an urge to speak German (the guttural sounds and five-words-in-one have always intimidated me), I left Vienna wanting to pick up German. I don’t know how they managed it, but the Viennese made the language sound so smooth, polished, and maybe even romantic if it’s possible. And besides, if I’m going to marry a well dressed Viennese man, I should probably know at least the basics. I already have the Viennese waltz down, so I’m halfway there, right?

The wonderful attitudes and lifestyle of the people were just part of the equation that made Vienna so appealing; there were also so many beautiful sights to see. We spent three nights in Vienna and I feel like I didn’t even see a tenth of the city, which means I must return when I’m a real person--- and to find my husband, of course.

Looking at a map of Vienna, it is overwhelming to see all of the “Imperial” sights which are all indicated by the color yellow. The map is essentially all yellow with refreshing splotches of green parks. There is a museum for everything possible located in the Museum Quartier and so many well-dressed people must be clothed somehow so there is shopping galore (Sorry parents, I couldn’t help myself…).

Naschmarkt-  A large open air market with fresh produce, meat, crafts, pastries, and an abundance of cute and trendy cafes to fulfill the fashionable lunching needs of the Viennese

The Kunsthistorisches Museum - try and say that three times fast....

Inside one of the many green parks in Vienna

I toured the Imperial Apartments and the Silver Collection of the Habsburgs. It's no surprise they had to wear such tight corsets with 30 courses at dinner.... my goodness!

The Imperial Apartments of Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth

Doesn't it kind of look like Disney Land?

We also visited the socialist housing complexes located on the outskirts of the city. The Karl Mark-Hof complex is 1.1 km long.

A pristine and quaint alleyway of Vienna where many Hollywood films have been filmed because it is so untouched by modernity.

 I enjoyed Vienna so much that I think if I had the chance to study abroad for another semester and choose a different country, I would immediately choose Vienna. No question. But since my college student budget won't allow for another semester hiatus from real life, I'll have to settle for a visit later in life when my wallet will (hopefully) allow some indulgences. 

I have a little over four weeks left in Praha and it's nerve-racking to see how fast the weeks are flying by. It feels like I just got off the plane, wide-eyed and slightly terrified in the dead of winter, and now I'm a three-month veteran of the city. The past three months have been full of adventure and new experiences and I can't wait to see what Prague has in store for my last month-- hopefully it involves some rollerblading :)

Na Shledanou!

Maarja

A little R&R in Moravia

Our exhausted emotions finally got a break as we traveled back down through the Czech Republic to Moravia. The Czech Republic is divided into two regions, Bohemia, which covers the northern and western territories as well as encircles Prague, and Moravia, which covers the eastern and southern territories.

We traveled first to the largest city in Moravia, Brno (the name just rolls right off the tongue, right?). Apparently the trip seminar used to stop for three nights in Brno, but after much complaining from alcohol- and hormone-driven college students about the lack of “night life” in the small city, they reduced the stay down to one night as a sort of pit stop. Our stay wasn’t even 24 hours but I have to give Brno some credit, it was a great 24 hours. But I also have to give my program some credit as well, more than 24 hours might have been too much. 

The main square of Brno

Other than continuing to be in my little bubble surrounded by gibberish (Czech) that I can’t understand, Brno had a much different feel than Prague despite being the second largest city in the Czech Republic. It isn’t exactly a popular travel destination, although it does have a beautiful cathedral and a castle surrounded by running paths (once again, I find myself running around castles. Seriously, can I get one in Wisconsin?) and it surely isn’t as large, but what I most noticed was how the locals were more willing to give at least a hint of a smile! Hip hip hooray!

ANOTHER castle...

For dinner, we went to a packed, rowdy, smoky and all-in-all authentic Czech pub. Unfortunately, I think I have a permanent aroma of smoke covering my whole body from my few hours in the pub, BUT it was so worth it. The atmosphere was phenomenal. Brno, sort of like Madison, is a college town. Despite it being a Monday night, the pub was full of students and otherwise young people enjoying some brew. The menu was authentic Czech cuisine, and I ordered the only staple Czech dish that didn’t appear to be the entire top half of an animal, goulash with dumplings along with a velky pivo (big beer) of course. Some of my rather adventurous and brave friends ordered pork knuckle. I tried a piece and immediately regretted putting the hunking piece of sheer fat into my mouth in one bite. Imagine the texture of something that is called pork knuckle,and you get exactly what you picture. They are brave souls. And they finished it! Brave souls, indeed.

Na zdravi!

I must now digress a tidge and share an anecdote from Brno which is specifically aimed towards my friends and colleagues that make fun of my northern Wisconsin speech…

I am what you would call a freak of nature when it comes to your typical college student- I wake up at 6AM….because I want to. Sometimes I wake up to study, sometimes to run, or sometimes just to have my much needed “Maarja time” but nevertheless I have gotten into the habit of rising early everyday. And my schedule was no different while on the traveling seminar. Waking up early tends to dwindle my odds of having breakfast companions, so in Brno, per usual, I went down to the continental breakfast to dine by myself. The room was entirely full with a departing tour group but I was lucky enough to snatch the one open table. Halfway into my breakfast however, a man in his 50s or so asked to join me as he was also dining alone. I obliged, thinking we’d simply share a table, not conversation. Obviously, I was wrong. My new friend was an expert linguist and possibly the chattiest Cathy I had ever met. But possibly also one of the most intriguing people I’ve met. As a professor at the University of Potsdam in Germany, his studies focused on the Slavic languages, specifically Russian. I inquired how many languages he spoke and what was his reply, you ask? Not six, seven, or even nine languages, but 22! He spoke 22 languages fluently. I felt so bashful with my mere English and Spanish (Czech does not count...clearly). 

The more we spoke and the more questions he asked, I began to get the feeling he was analyzing my speech. And sure enough, partway through the conversation he exclaims, “Your English is very excellent, you don’t sound American at all but more British.”I was a little taken aback but I explained that perhaps since I’m from northern Wisconsin that my English has a more Canadian sound and he said, “Oh yes, that explains it. It is wonderful!”

I announced on the bus later that day if anybody would like to make fun of how I say “bag” one more time (this happens quite frequently since most of my program is from the east coast), they may refer to my linguist friend Peter Costas. I will name drop him until the day I die. Mr. Costas has no idea how much he helped me out. 

I apologize for the digression...And now back to Brno...

After my hour-long breakfast with my new friend, the rest of the program was breaking fast as well and we headed to the only Roma museum in Central Europe. The Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe and are present in every single European country but are predominantly located in Central and Eastern Europe. They experience severe discrimination resulting in poverty, unemployment, poor housing conditions, and lack of schooling. We have been learning about the Roma people in one of my classes so it was a treat to go to the museum and walk through the Romany neighborhood. After our tour, I was lucky enough to play with two Romany children for a little bit through the museum’s community program. Despite the children speaking only Czech, I quickly learned that when it comes to kids, a smile can go a long ways and even hurdle the language barrier entirely.  

From Brno we traveled south towards the Austrian border to Mikulov, aka my future retirement residence. And by retirement I’m thinking like 30 or so, none of this 70-something business. I could make a life worth’s living in 10 years as a hard-working journalist, right? So maybe not, but luckily Mikulov isn’t going anywhere and will be waiting for me when I’m senile, wrinkly, and ready to spend my days drinking some Moravian wine and complaining about kids’ fashion ‘these days.’ 

The little town of Mikulov

Southern Moravia is the Czech Republic’s wine country. With rolling hills and vineyards as far as you can see, little vineyard towns dot the countryside and attract summer visitors. It is beautiful, there is no other way to describe it. The little town of Mikulov itself is built into a hillside and has quaint winding streets that all lead to some form of a vineyard or another. We were told by our guide that the town was influenced by Greek and Italian architecture and structure. It felt like we were on a little “island” of paradise, secluded from the rest of the industrial Czech Republic. 

Senior pic time by yet ANOTHER castle. And yes, I ran around this one too.

Our one organized activity for Mikulov was none other than wine tasting- what else would we do in wine country?! 

Our Czech buddy Rozalie was kind enough to organize the wine tasting for all of us. Thanks Rose!

For 150 Kc (a little over 8 bucks) we “tasted” seven different Moravian wines, four white and three red. And I say “tasted” because these were by no means delicate portions, but rather full glasses. Seven glasses of wine for $8- Moravia is sounding better and better, right?

Getting our taste-on

And this whole time we were sitting in a cave. Not many people can check wine tasting in Moravia in a cave off their lists- but I sure can!

Like Brno, we only stayed for one night in Mikulov, but unlike Brno, we were dying to stay more. And we would have if Vienna hadn’t been on the agenda….

Na Shledanou!

Maarja

Up Next: Well, I can Viennese Waltz…