The journey began when we left Maastricht and headed to Dusseldorf, Germany to catch our overnight train (an experience in itself). Once we got to Dusseldorf, we found our platform and patiently waited for our adventures to begin. The train finally showed up, we found our car and got on! WHOA, were we shocked to find our sleeping quarters for the night. We knew that we would be in a compartment that had six other beds, but were not exactly sure what to expect. When we stumbled into our home for the night not only did we discover that we were not going to be sleeping in the same compartment but each bed had was barely big enough for a normal sized human and there was no way that you could sit up! We realized that we had just gotten ourselves into quite the european adventure!! Luckily there was only one girl in my compartment so Annika and I chatted a little with her and then she went off to bed, so I did the same. It was definitely not the best night of sleep I have ever gotten, but surprisingly it wasn't as bad as I thought it was.
Friday, Oct. 30th:
Official arrival in Prague at 10am after a 12 hour train ride!! Once we got to the train station we met Kate and took the underground and a bus to her apartment. (So nice how she can use the public transportation.) Since we were so exhausted from the train ride we decided it was best to take a small nap so we could be ready to go sightseeing!! Well rested and ready to go, we were off to the Old Square and the New Square. We walked over to the Charles Bridge on on the way stopped off in a small garden that was beautiful and there were a bunch of peacocks roaming around!!!
Walking across the Charles Bridge, there were great sights of the city and all along the bridge were vendors selling small paintings and little knick knacks. Then we went to the Old Square were there is a huge astronomical clock (one of the most popular tourist attractions in Prague). It was beautiful, but what really caught our attention was the music coming from the middle of the square. There were a bunch of people crowded around a small jazzy/blues band! THEY WERE GREAT!! Had us all dancing around, loving life, and forgetting any worries we ever had as the lead singer sang "Sweet Sue, It's You, Sweet Sue!" We walked along the streets and popped into little shops looking at great souvenirs and lots of shops full of marionettes. It seemed everywhere we turned there was another shop with more marionettes, each with its own unique characteristics. Then we headed over to the New Square where there were more clothing shops, restaurants, bars, and Kate's school.
After our walk around the city, we headed back to Kate's apartment where we had a little more relaxation, a box of mac 'n' cheese and lots of giggles! We hung out with a few other DU kids and had a fun night on the town!
Saturday, Oct. 31st:
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! We all slept in a little bit and got a late start, but weren't too excited to get outside since it was sooooo cold out. We went over to the Prague Castle to take a look at the St. Vitus Cathedral, but just as we got there they decided to start mass and closed the cathedral to (how un-christian of them)!!!! But just as we were about to go in, we saw another Tri-Delt from DU standing there and rushed over to her! Elle is studying in Prague as well with Kate and we thought she was going to be out of town all weekend, but she came back early. We walked around the outside of the Cathedral and posed with the guards of the castle (these guards are cheaters...they don't stare straight ahead, and I even saw one turn his head!!!) and looked over the city from up above where the castle sits. After the magnificent view we decided it was time to get out of the cold and have a typical Czech dish: Goulash. A soup dish with chunks of beef in it and pieces of bread. Very delicious and a great way to warm up on a cold cold day.
Back at Kate's apartment it was time to get our Halloween on and get dressed up! I was an Indian, Kate was a cat, and Annika was a trophy wife (perfect for her, totally what she will be late on in life!). We met up with the rest of the kids on Kate's program and had our own make shift Halloween! Everyone had found a creative way to dress up and we all definitely had costumes that were home made and absolutely wonderful! We all had a great time together in our make shift costumes and went to a club where they played lots of 50s, 60s, and 70s music. It was great to just dance around in our silly costumes and sing at the top of our lungs!
Sunday, Nov. 1st:
RABBIT RABBIT! Wow, it's already November, where is this time going?!
Since St. Vitus Cathedral was closed when we went yesterday, we decided to go back and hope that it was open...AND IT WAS! The inside of the cathedral was beautiful and definitely worth the second visit. There was a very lavish tomb towards the back, lots of gold and huge!! However our lovely tour guide, Kate (she had done a great job showing us around the town and was extremely knowledgeable), did not know whose tomb this was, so we just ooed and awed over what could have been a dog (pretty sure it wasn't though!!).
After the cathedral, we went back over to the New Square and got a chance to walk up and down it, and got lunch. We stopped at one of the many hot dog stands and grabbed a famous Prague hot dog! It was delicious and hot and another perfect meal for a grey day.
Before we knew it, it was time to get back to the train station and board our very own luxury carriage (and by that I mean our cramped quarters of the train). Thankfully this time Annika and I were in the same compartment!
Monday, Nov. 2nd:
Back to Maastricht around 10am and back to the guesthouse for a well deserved nap before our 4pm accounting lecture. When we got to class later that afternoon, we realized that we hadn't looked clearly at the schedule and we didn't have class today....YAY! Off to run some errands and back for some more relaxation!
It was such a great weekend in Prague and grate memories made with best friends.
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