So I posted this on Xanga and Facebook awhile back but I'll add it on here.
Thursday, 3/18 - I woke up around 7:00 and headed to Little Rock with mom and Caiden shortly thereafter. After a quick stop at granny and grandpa's, we were on our way. We detoured on 365 through Mayflower and Maumelle due to interstate traffic, but even so we were able to make it to the airport by 9:15. On the flight from LIT to CLT, I said next to a grandma from Stuttgart who was taking her daughter and granddaughters to Rome, Paris, and London. The first day of March Madness was today. I was able to watch a little bit of Florida/BYU, Robert Morris/Villanova, and Murray State/Vanderbilt at the airport before leaving. On the flight from CLT to MUN, I sat in seat 43A next to Mrs. Chiolino. I watched an awesome Indian movie called Tum Mile, and I'm actually typing this somewhere over the Atlantic.
Friday, 3/19 - I slept for maybe two hours on the plane. I also watched an hour of The Invention of Lying; I wasn't able to finish it due to us landing. I am currently in the Munich airport waiting to start the day. We leave for Budapest at 11 (it is currently 9:30) *later edit* When we arrived at Budapest, we didn't have to go through customs (we're definitely not in the U.S. anymore), and were met by Paula our tour guide. We suffered through an awful drive to the hotel (we went in circles, basically) then walked to Millenium Monument/Heroes Square. In our 15 minutes of free time there, I walked by Vajdahunyad Castle and Szechenyi Baths. Then the group walked down Andrassy Street. The high schoolers and I stopped at Burger King, haha. Then the group went through part of Vaci Utca. I split from the group to walk by Inner City Parish Church before loading the bus to go to dinner. It takes us an hour to get to dinner. We passed the same museum THREE TIMES; I'm beginning to think Vaclav, our driver, is rather clueless. Anyway, we ate dinner at "Veranda," or something like that. I sat with Katherine, Hailey, Jake, and Zach. Very good mushroom soup. After getting back to the hotel, I set out for Margaret Island alone at night. I improvised with a security guard by stomping and pointing to my feet to show him that I only want to talk around the park (free) rather than park a car (pay). I saw all the old ruins and such. The views over the Danube as seen from Margaret Bridge were gorgeous. On the way back to the hotel, I met two attractive Hungarian girls downtown who asked me for money so they could buy a drink. I said "I can't speak Hungarian" in Hungarian, and then they started talking in English. However, aware of schemes like that, I politely declined and said I had none. While walking back up Vaci Ut, a guy tried to ask me a question but I didn't understand. A few feet later he came back and said, "have time?" We tried to do a little conversation up Vaci Ut. He also helped point me in the right direction when the road split, and I gave my appreciation by saying, "Kussi!" which I learned earlier means thanks. I stopped at a random hole-in-the-wall to get a drink. I apparently butchered "one Arany, please" because some Hungarian guys behind me laughed. They were mostly nice, though. And the lady who ran the bar was awesome. I don't think she spoke any English, but she let me in just as she was locking up and served me with a smile.
Saturday, 3/20 - In the morning, we drove around Budapest, with our guide G____ (I forgot his name). We went to the Heroes Square for a minute, then drove around by the Vajdahunyad Castle, the zoo, and the Szechnyi Baths before one more time to Heroes Square. I was afraid the day was going to suck at this point, but he later turned out to be quite a good tour guide. We drove down Andrassy, eventually to the Great Synagogue. Then it was a drive-by the incredibly fantastic Parliament (freaking huge) before crossing the bridge and going to the Citadella for a stunning panoramic view of Budapest. We got out for a little while then and took some pictures there. Then we drove down to Castle Hill, where we stopped at a minute at the Royal Palace, walking about the white house (Sándor Palace) and eventually going to the Mátias Church. It was pretty cool. Loved the multiocolour roofs. Then, we drove out to the Elizabeth Bridge for some free time from 12ish-4:30. My free time consisted of me walking up Vaci Utca and having lunch (gholoush, kolbasz, Dreher) at a little cafe; browseing the central market hall, amused by all the meat and paprika stores; walking across Liberty Bridge to the Cave Church and Gallert Spa; going to the Hungarian National Museum, which had an absolutely amazing photography exhibit; walking and taking the tram to the majestic St. Stephen's Basilica; and finally walking through Vaci Utca (where I saw guys playing soccer) before getting back on the bus. The group rode out to a boat, took a Danube Cruise (I mostly hung out with the four Dardanelle kids)and then ate dinner (vegetable soup/gholash/rice/dessert) on a different boat (I sat with Mrs. Tipton and Mrs. Burroughs though I talked to the kids behind me a lot). Then we took the bus back to hotel. A few minutes later, I walked with Katherine, Mrs. Burroughs, Mrs. Tipton, Jake, and Zach down Vaci Ut to the West End shopping centre with a goal of finding "the most beautiful McDonalds in the world," as described by our guide, Paula. We browsed through West End stores for a bit before eventually finding the McDonalds next to the train station. It was a pretty nice one, I must admit. I had a nagy shake and Jake had some ice cream but the rest didn't eat anything. Afterwards, we attempted to catch a Metro ride, but that fell through when I couldn't understand the operator guy because a) he knew no English, and b) I couldn't understand him through the microphone. So, we just walked back (regrettably; I wanted to ride the metro anyway).
Sunday, 3/21 - This was the day of our bus ride from Budapest through Slovakia en route to Kraków. After a couple hours in the Hungarian countryside (which is very pretty), we stopped at Slovakian border at gas station which charged 20 euros to use the bathroom (we found another one a little bit down the road instead) and get our money changed if desired (I didn't; ATMs only for me, thanks). We got further and further into Slovakia. You could tell it's still catching up to the development of Western Europe. The largest town we passed was Banská-Bystrica at the foot of the Tatras. As we got into the mountains, increasingly more snow appeared. The Tatras are beautiful. Eventually we stopped at Sport Hotel Donovaly for a nice lunch. I sat Katherine, Hailey, Jake, and Zach again. Lunch was chicken noodle soup and chicken/rice then ice cream. Then, the long drive continued. I sat next to Mrs. Tipton the entire day. Paula showed the Boy in the Striped Pajamas on the last leg of the journey. After checking into our hotel, the entire Dardanelle group walked around Old Town Kraków. We stumbled upon some random/creepy church service/protest in the street. I attempted to ask four Polish policemen if they spoke English (in Polish!) but none did well enough to tell us what was going on. We eventually got ice cream things at an awesome little place on the square (Slotki Wentzl). I got tiramisu, Katherine got a creme boulet, Zach got a Pinokio, Jake got some sort of bear, Mrs. Burroughs got a cappucino, Mrs. Tipton a scoop of ice cream, and Hailey an iced coffee. *edit* So I looked up St. Mary's Church's website and found this: "Academic Way of the Cross through the streets of Kraków, run by Fr. Cardinal. Stanislaw Dziwisz In Defense of the Holy Cross 21 March 2010; Time 19.30. The Mass; 20:15. Getting Started; Way of the Cross; Stations of the Cross Meditations; -Fr. Card. Stanislaw Nagy; St. Nicholas' Cathedral. Anne Street. St. Anne's 11 at Krakwie." So apparently that was the creepy thing we saw.
Monday, 3/22 - In the morning we went to Kazimierz (the old Jewish part of town) with our tour guide Tomasz. Highlights included the Old Synagogue, Isaac Synagogue, Ariel Restaurant (where Spielberg/Neeson/Fiennes alledgely ate almost everyday while filming Schindler's List). From there it was off to Wawel Hill. We walked up to Castle, saw the fire-breathing dragon statue and a beautiful view of the city, visited the Wawel Cathedral (climbed up to the Sigismund Bell, saw the sarcophagus of Jagiellan, a cool statue of JP2, etc.). Afterwards we had free time in Old Town. I went to Pizzeria Pronto with Zach, the Collins', Mrs. Chiolino, Mrs. Ivey, and had some sort of pierogi. Then I walked around with Zach for the half hour or so we had left. We saw the Franciscan Church, Cloth Hall, and St. Mary's Church. Then the group took a bus to tour Auschwitz I, where we met our guide. After spending a couple of hours there, we rode the bus over to Birkenau, a couple of kilometers away. It was a lot more like the image of a concentration camp I had in mind than Auschwitz I was. Zach and I walked down the tracks to memorial after the guided tour of a couple of old buildings. Then the group rode back to the hotel to have dinner. Afterwards, I went with Hailey, Jake, Zack, Mrs. Chiolino, Mrs. Ivey, and some kid from Alabama to walk around the Old Town (approached by random cigarette guy, looked for soccer shops) before going back to the ice cream place. I had a cherry tort (ahhhh I'm eating so unhealthy on this trip). We just messed around in the Old Town before going back to the hotel.
Tuesday, 3/23 - I started off by running a little late; I thought we were leaving at 8:30, but it turned out to be 8:15. Oops. About 20 of the group went out to the Wieliczka salt mines. All of the Dardanelle adults except Mrs. Burrougs went. Apparently the kids just walked around shopping and such. The caverns were amazing. We had to take 350 steps of stairs down, haha. I spent the last bit of time talking to a cute girl from Colorado. Then we all had to take a tiny, cramped, super-fast elevator up (six people at a time). On the way back to the hotel, we went by Oskar Schindler's old factory. I definitely have to watch Schindler's List again soon now. I left immediately after we got back to the hotel go to some museums and then the soccer stadia. I went by the Collegium Maius at Jagiellan University of Kraków around 1:30. However, I saw that tours after 2:00 were free, so I decided to wait 'til then. I went to grab some lunch, and just as I left the building, I saw that Hailey had called me. So I went to meet up with her and the guys at the Cloth Hall. They'd already had lunch, so I stopped by a kebab place/hole-in-the-wall and got something called a Zapiekanka (a foot-long piece of toasted bread with cheese, mushrooms, and ketchup). We were all gonna go to a museum and then the stadiums, but they went back to the hotel to meet their new friend Zane from NC, leaving me to go back to JUK alone. You had to have a guided tour, which in my case at 2:20 consisted of me and the guide. Kind of awkward, but overall pretty cool. Lots of old relics there, included some related to Copernicus, Jagiella, John Paul II, etc. I stopped by the "English Football Club" on the way back to the hotel to get a Carlsberg beforehand (I thought Hailey said Zane wouldn't be there at the hotel til 4). At the bar, I saw an advertisement for "Wisla Kraków v. Lechia Gdansk" on TV at 8:00 tonight. Whaaaaaat? Anyway, I went back to the hotel at like 3:10 under the impression I had plenty of time. But as it turns out, he was going to be there at 3, and I got there just in time to have Hailey run back to get me. So we left. The group of us (me, Hailey, Jake, Zach, Zane, and the boy from Alabama) all headed to the two soccer stadia. By this point I'd decided to forfeit the National Museum since we were running kind of late (and I was only going there because the museum I wanted to see, Czartoryski Museum with the Da Vinci work, was closed). It was about a 45-minute walk out to the Cracovia stadium. We could see the Wisla stadium from there, but it took some work to get around it. We walked down an abandoned old run-down street that scared Hailey and maybe Zane so they initially turned back, but we convinced them to forge ahead. We walked all around the stadium and, much to the chagrin of Jake and I (who wanted to visit the team shop), kept going back to the hotel and arrived at like 5:30, after walking around the Planty and eventually the Barbican and Forian Gate. Dinner was at 6:30. In the time between, I looked up the Wisla v. Lechia game and found that it was a Polish Cup quarterfinal match, hence the reason I'd missed it when I'd looked at the Polish league schedule earlier. So I got my hopes up, but the concierge guy said he called the office and said they said tickets were sold out. Had I been on my own I would've attempted to go and buy one off the street, but since I was with a group, I couldn't. I was pissed off. The entire Dardanelle group went to that ice cream place again at 8:00, but I was so mad I didn't want to be around them. So instead, I left and went in search of a place to watch the Wisla game. I don't even know the name of the place where I finally went, but it was okay. I had a Tyskie and watched Wisla lose 1-3. I got back to the hotel a little after 10 and hung out with the kids for a few minutes before going out and walking around the old town square one last time.
Wed, 3/24 - We hit the road around 8 and headed west. After driving through southwest Poland, we crossed the Czech border, though we had a delay when the police checked our bus driver's info. We got to the old town of Olomouc shortly after 1. Our group got out and walked into the old square with a huge trinity column and a magnificent city hall. We were told we had like an hour to wander around; so, of course, I did. At first I went east (?) to another old square. I found an ATM and some nice statues/fountains. Then I went back to the main square and headed northwest (?) along some backstreets, saw some beautiful churches and houses and buildings. I eventually turned back around only to find out I was completely lost (in regards to which street to take; I knew I needed to go south). I soon found myself walking in a park alongside a river, with what looked to be old town walls around it. It was so great. I thought I was gonna be late, but I ended up finding the main town square around ten minutes before I was supposed to be back. I ran into Thomas and some other Carolina people before going to find some quick food. I saw a place selling smyrna syr (?) and french fries, so I settled on that unhealthy creation (good thing I'm walking a lot or else I'd be gaining 40 pounds this week). I then walked back to the main square, and we left after taking group pictures. The Czech countryside was stunningly gorgeous. We rolled into Prague right around sundown. After we'd checked into the hotel and had dinner, the group walked by the Novy Smichov mall and took the tram from Andél to Malostranské Námesti. We walked across Karluv Most (Charles Bridge) and into the old town. After being awed by the street shops, we found our way to the Old Town Square. Then the group walked to Mustov and took a metro ride home, but I, of course, stayed and explored some more. I walked down Wenceslaus Square (Václavské Námesti), looking at the shops and views and whatnot. I stopped at the end to eat at *sigh* McDonalds (I hate myself for that). The view of the National Museum was extraordinary. What a fantastic building. Then looking back down the square from the Wenceslaus Statue, wow. Just imagining it being filled with hundreds of thousands of people gave you chills. I saw the Victims of Communism plaque and then the balcony from where Havel and Dubcek addresses the crowds in 1989. I walked back to the Old Town Square, where I looked at a bunch of Franz Kafka-related sites. Very cool. I walked back across Charles Bridge to the Lesser Town. My first stop there was the Lennon Wall, which was absolutely amazing. I stayed for like 30 minutes there. I then went by the U.S. Embassy at the Shoenborn Palace on my way to the Nerudova street houses. I walked by the church with the baby Jesus of Prague on my way back to the hotel. I got to my room around 1:30 and after getting on my laptop for awhile down in the lobby (I didn't use it in my room so as to not wake Thomas), I got into bed around 2:00.
Thu, 3/25 - The Group got on bus, drove by Strahov, and eventually arrived at Castle, where we were met by tour guide Karolina around 9 a.m. Hailey developed a kidney stone on the bus, though, and had to go to hospital, so she, Mrs. Collins, and Coach Collins weren't able to go with us. I felt bad for them =( Well we went through the first courtyard and took some pictures with castle guards; they're like the ones who can't move at Buckingham Palace (only without the ridiculous hats). We then went through the second courtyard (built largely by Maria Theresa) and began our tour of St. Vitus' Cathedral, which was absolutely incredible. You have to see the pictures. After that, we walked down the Golden Lane and visited some of the little shops on our way to the Dalibor Tower/dungeon. We then left the castle grounds (we never actually went inside the Royal Palace, which frustrated me to no end) and walked through a little section of Lesser Town before walking across Charles Bridge. One notable street performer we saw was a guy on a deridgedoo who was pretty good. We then went through the Old Town again, and were free to go on our own after like 12:15. I did a quick walk-through the Easter Marker and got a couple of souvenirs, had a quick power lunch of a slice of pizza and Gambrinus, then headed to the Museum of Communism, which was pretty cool. I then walked over to the Powder Tower and Municipal House, the place where Kafka worked, the Estates Theatre (where Mozart premiered Don Giovanni), and Charles University (my future home?). Karlova University's location is absolutely incredible, though the facilities aren't all that great. I then stopped by a few little shops before going back to the Old Town Square. Then it was off to Maiselova Street and the Jewish town. Unfortunately, I got to the place to buy tickets to the Jewish Museum just as it was closing at 4:30. Oh well. I at least saw the exterior of the synagogues and other places, and discovered a hole from which I could look in at the Cemetery (the main attraction of the museum). So it worked out anyway, I suppose. Ironically, the "ghetto" now has the stores like Gucci, Louis Vitton, Burberry, Prada, etc. I got back to the Easter Market/Old Town Square, where I ran into Zack and Jake and the other guys for the first time in a few hours at a little after 5. Then I remembered the Bethlehem Chapel, the place where Jan Hus preached, and tried to make it there. Unfortunately, the church interior closed at 5:30, and I got there at 5:33. I at least saw the exterior. I then headed back to the Old Town Square (common theme here) to meet up with the group for dinner. Sadly, I got there at 6:03, and missed the Astronomical Clock show at 6:00 =( I sat with Katherine, Mrs. Burroughs, Mrs. Tipton, Mrs. Chiolino, and Mrs. Ivey at dinner. We had Czech gulas (beef, potatoes, bread) that was pretty dang good. I wanted to go explore the city more and perhaps see a musical performance, but I was told by our tour guide Paula that Mrs. Collins wanted everyone back at the hotel. Suckage. So I went back and soon thereafter decided to walk around Smichov a bit (I hate staying in hotels while on holiday for any time other than when I'm sleeping). I ran into my roommate Thomas at the mall, and when I saw the Tesco, a light went off that they might have Jaffa Cakes. I looked and looked but eventually could only find a Serbian variation. Though not quite like the English kind that I like so much, they're still good. I got four packs' worth, haha. Then I went back to the hotel and went to bed around 11.
Fri, 3/26 - Wake up around 4:00 a.m. (!!!) and got on the bus to the airport. Upon arrival, I went to the restroom and briefly saw a mini-exhibit about TVs/radios/computers. Our flights were from Prague-Munich (30 mins), a 3 hour layover, then Munich-Charlotte (~9 hours), a 5-hour layover, then Charlotte-Little Rock (~2 hours). On the transatlantic flight, I watched Pope Joan (Die Paepstin), An Education, More Than a Game (LeBron James high school documentary), finished The Invention of Lying. and I think something else. When we got to Charlotte, the four high schoolers and I went to eat at Chili's. nom nom nom. Now I'm chilling in Gate E at CLT, trying to decide if I want to attempt a recap of my two days in Prague or just watch Tennessee/Ohio State on the computer before we board the plane. I'm thinking the ladder, so peace. *edit* The guy I sat next to on the MUN-CLT plane and I didn't say a word to each other the whole flight (yay for no awkward conversations). On the CLT-LIT flight, I sat next to a Chi Omega from Fayetteville and we shared a decent conversation. There were 40 of them coming back from Playa del Carmen, Mexico. At CLT, I had talked to my friend Courtney a bit, and she asked if I'd like to watch a movie, and since I haven't seen her in forever, of course I did. Unfortunately, it took us forever to get our bags at LIT and my mom and brother had left way too early so they couldn't bring my truck to Atkins, so it would've been like 2:00 before I got to her house. And by then it was too late. FML. So I got home and went to bed around 2.
