Prague

I am writing this in this beautiful garden is Paris to the tranquil sound of the water running through the fountain. I have been terrible at updating my blog, but I will try to do that now because right now seems like the perfect time. Also I wrote a guest blog on my sister Madelaine's blog: www.madaboutfood.blogspot.com Check it out!

Prague:

I spent five nights in the beautiful city of Prague in the Czech Republic at the beginning of April. Two of my friends from Emory were studying there and there were more from Emory whom I knew. I got in around 11:00 PM on Thursday night and immediately went to my friend Josh’s apartment. The cab ride was interesting because the driver didn’t speak any English and I had no idea what to expect in this country. I was greeted with Czech beer and a big group of people to hang out with. I wasn’t staying at Josh’s apartment, so after a few drinks, I went with my friend Ben to his place to drop of my stuff and get ready to go out. We went to a club and had a great time. The clubs in Prague are not as pretentious as the clubs in Paris which was a relief. The night was fun and Ben and I ended it with a late night snack and a movie.

Friday, I woke up and ate lunch at a Moroccan take out restaurant. The owner was really friendly and we spoke in French. The food he cooked was delicious and I never expected to be eating Moroccan food in the Czech Republic, but I guess that is globalization! After lunch, we went on a walk through the main areas of Prague, saw some of the architecture for which it is famous, and made an important stop for some ice cream. We met Josh once he finished his classes and grabbed a beer in one of the main squares. I admired the architecture and lifestyle that was so different from any other place I had ever been. I continually forgot to bring my camera with me throughout the trip so I don’t have pictures. After hanging out for a little bit of time, we decided to grab dinner at a traditional Czech restaurant. The food was really good, but really heavy. We shared this huge plate of meats, dumplings, and vegetables. The meats were ham, pork, and chicken. The dumplings were good and different from other I had had before. They were doughy but a little dry at the same time. The vegetables were cabbage and sauerkraut (not really a vegetable I know). That night we went to another club and met some people from Slovakia which was interesting.

This is really difficult to recall a month later.

Saturday was a lazy day. We woke up late, got food at the Moroccan place, and hung out for a lot of the day. It was time to pick classes at Emory so we went to an internet café and chose classes for senior year. It was an interesting experience to be thinking about year. College has definitely gone really quickly, but it has been filled with a lot of fun! We decided to BBQ on the patio at Ben’s apartment that night so Josh came over and all the guys and girls the Ben lives with were there and it was fun. The food was good, the beer was good, and it was a nice way to start the evening. That night I think we took it easy, but I don’t remember exactly because it has been a long time.

Sunday the Moroccan place was closed so our morning/afternoon routine was ruined. We had to do some more planning for senior year and we hung out a lot of the day. We walked around some of the parts of the city I hadn’t seen before. That evening we went back to the traditional Czech place and had dinner. After that we went to a bar that my friends love and had a fun night. Ben had class in the morning, so he left the bar early and I had to get myself home. It was a little bit of an adventure, but I had a grasp of the city and it’s not as big as Paris so I got myself to Ben’s.

Monday, I did some sightseeing with Josh. We went to a park, the famous castle where we saw one of the actors from Prison Break (William Fichtner), and then we went to these cool gardens that were enclosed on one side by this amazing rock formation. We relaxed in the gardens for a while and planned the rest of our day. My friend Josh had a lot of work to do, so he couldn’t go out that night. We said goodbye and I hung out with Ben and his roommates. We went out for a little while and had fun in the main area of town, but we got back at a decent hour because my flight was at 6:30 AM.

I woke up bright and early Tuesday, got a cab, and left the Czech Republic. It was nice to be back in Paris, but it was only for a few nights until Spring Break. SPRING BREAK…Coming Soon

Reims

EDUCO offered weekend trips and I signed up and was selected to visit Reims in the Champagne region of France. The arrangements were all taken care of by EDUCO and I was to stay with a family for the weekend. Reims is near all of the major Champagne companies and it is home to one of the most amazing cathedrals in France. The evening of Friday, March 23, I departed on the TGV (France’s High Speed Train). The ride was quick, and the scenery was beautiful as I arrived in the Northern part of France. Although the plants were dead, the hills and vineyards reminded me of the Tuscan region of Italy. I arrived at the train station and was greeted by my “Host Mom” for the weekend. We met her husband in the parking lot and drove back to their house on the outskirts of the city. As we drove back, they showed me some of the important areas of the city. We arrived at their house, had a nice dinner (not gourmet like my family in Paris, but I enjoyed it). That evening we didn’t do much, but I watched TV with their children. We watched a lot of the Simpsons in French which was really funny. The next day, I awoke later than I expected and I was disappointed to see that it was raining really hard. I had breakfast and a late lunch, and then we went into the city to visit the cathedral. Our first stop was the famous Cathédrale Nortre-Dame. It was beautiful and gigantic. Then we walked around the city seeing some of the other cool sites like city hall and the main pedestrian area. It was a nice town, but it made me appreciate everything Paris has to offer. Our next stop was a bakery. In Reims they are famous for their biscuits. However they are not biscuits like you would find at Popeye’s (which I miss a lot!). They are sweet and crunchy. They are actually a cookie. The famous biscuits in Reims are rose biscuits. They are pink in color and have a sweet taste with a hint of a strange flavor. They are very good and go back to the 1700's when they were first made to accompany wine, especially Champagne. My family bought me a few boxes of biscuits to bring home with me. They were delicious. That evening we returned had dinner and watched a very important soccer match between France and Lithuania. France won and it was a great game. It was fun watching with French people because they were very emotional during the entire match. Sunday we went to Champagne country. The drive from Reims to EpernayChampagne where many of the companies are located was great. We went through little towns, over a mountain, and then arrived to find vineyards and champagne houses. We visited the Mercier Champagne House (Champagne Factory). We went on a tour of the wine caves and they are so large that we took a train to travel through the caves. I learned a lot about the process of making Champagne and the history of this individual company. The story behind the company is interesting. To promote his product, Mr. Mercier went to Paris with a hot air balloon and took important people of ParisChampagne. for rides in his balloon while they tasted his The Champagne was brought in a huge barrel with him to Paris that had to be pulled by oxen and horses. At the end of the tour we were able to sample a glass of the Champagne. It was tasty, but I didn’t notice a difference from other Champagne I have tasted. From the factory, we took the scenic route back to Reims. We stopped at this very old mill that overlooks the entire valley. We then drove back to their house, I got my stuff together, and it was time to head back to Paris! It was a relaxing weekend and I enjoyed the sites of the region.