Couldn't resist...

I wasn't going to post this, but I changed my mind because it is too freaking adorable. Check out the cutest lemur of the year

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Happy St. Wenceslas Day!

Dearest bloggies - HAPPY ST. WENCESLAS DAY! It is a national holiday here in the Czech Republic, which means that I don't start classes until tomorrow. Alex and I spent our last weekend of pure freedom exploring and enjoying Prague while the weather is still splendid. We had brunch on Saturday at this great bookstore/cafe called The Globe. We also went back later that night for live Latin music and dancing! Yesterday, we decided to rent a paddle boat and just cruise around the Vlatava River for an hour. What can I say? It's a hard knock life for us. ;)

This is just a short video of us on the river. I tried to zoom in on the castle and bridge, but instead it just looks like the Blair Witch project at the end. Apologies!

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After paddle boating, we spent a couple of hours at the Prague Zoo. It was surprisingly big, and we didn't have time to see it all. The strangest part about the whole thing is that for a mere 20 crowns (~$1) you can bring your dog to the zoo. You might think this is pretty much the worst idea ever, like we did. At one point, a huge German Shepherd jumped into the moat around the monkey enclosure and was splashing about. The monkeys instantly ran to the edge of the water and started screaming at the dog. It seriously looked like we were going to witness 20 monkeys attack a German Shepherd. Luckily, the idiot owners got him out just in time, but it was quite a scare! Besides that excitement, my favorite animals were the lemurs by far, and you could get so close to them! In fact, one guy swatted at their tails. Some people are just idiots. If I was a lemur, I probably would have attacked him.

Today, we ate lunch with a friend at an adorable cafe and had delicious salads for lunch. And good salads seem to be very difficult to find! Then we took the tram up to the castle complex and walked around all afternoon. We are going back next week on a more official tour with Z, but we wanted to make sure we saw it in this gorgeous weather!

Next up is actual classes for me. Although I am really excited to have a normal schedule, it will quite difficult to get into school mode... haha. I am taking a couple European history classes, one on Czech art and architecture, and a film class. I am also on the waiting list for another class specifically about Prague, but we will see if I get in!

I hope you are all doing well at home. Know that I miss you all!

This is Julia Miller reporting for The Blague. Stay tuned! ;)

Just gettin' into the Routine

Hello again readers! I will start my update with the announcement that I took my final test in Czech class today, and I believe it was a success! Too bad UPS does not acknowledge intensive language as a "pedagogically sound method of teaching," and I will get no credit for my brilliance. 

Anyway, I have started to settle into somewhat of a routine here in Prague! And for everyone that knows me at all, you will know that I love a good routine almost as much as I love a good check-list. (And yes, I always put things I have already done on my check-lists just so that I can check them off. It drives my mom crazy. Tehehe.) Alex and I have found some great cafes and restaurants, and have a pretty good handle on the metro system. We actually just got back from one of our fave coffee shops, CoffeeHeaven, where I fell asleep in a comfy chair reading Sense and Sensibility. :)

In reference to my promises of the previous post, I will elaborate on my exciting list. First Prague fashions. Well, there's not much fashion in this city to be completely honest. It seems like most people are about 10-15 years behind in the fashion area. When Alex and I dressed up for the opera last week, we definitely got a lot of odd looks! 

Second, and one of my most favorite Prague trends, is hair. Honestly, I am pretty sure there is an underground movement here to revive the MULLET. They are everywhere - on men and women, short and long, symmetrical and asymmetrical, purple and striped. If you want to grow and mullet and still feel socially accepted, come to Prague!

The drunk man bit is pretty self-explanatory. He was stumbling down the stairs and absolutely covered in his own urine. And he tried to grope Alex. Luckily I warned her just in time, and his slow reaction time helped us to escape! Although I'm pretty sure I saw someone else give him a good shove as we ran away. 

And about odors. Let's just say that body odor is now a part of daily life. Especially on the metro with everyone lifting their arms to hang on to the posts. Stinky!

Also, the opera can get really hot! The building is from the 1700s, and has pretty much no ventilation system. I was wearing a thin shirt and skirt and was definitely glistening like a pig. 

And one other thing, that I forgot to mention in my last post... PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION. The culture around expressing your physical attraction to the person of your choice is very different here in Prague. I have seen endless couples making out on the escalators in the metro - I mean, hey, it's a long ride down to the depths of the metro. I have also seen (twice) men with hands up the shirts and kissing their lady friend's breasts with joy. It continues to shock me when I am tired in the mornings and really not expecting the 14-year-olds next to me stick their tongues down each other's throats. But hey, at least their in love... right?

Here are some random pics to show some parts of my life here!

This is the first night we managed to make dinner on the sad little hot plates in our dorm! We actually made a quite delish spaghetti (and yes I found whole wheat) bolognese.

Another picture involving food... this is goulash! It's my favorite Czech dish so far. Those fluffy white things on the side are dumplings, a very dangerous side dish that usually comes with goulash.

This is one of my new favorite places - Pruhonicky Park, just outside of Prague.
This is Alex, Jill, Elaine, and I on a walking tour with one of my favorite people. Zdenek, or "Z" as we call him, is honestly one of the smartest people I have ever met. He has taught me so much about Prague and helped me with my Czech! I am so thankful for him and the cultural activities he plans for us.

That's all for now! Next week I start real big-kid classes, which I am very excited for. 

This is Julia Miller reporting for The Blague!

Adventures in Moravia and Praha!

Hello loyal Blague followers! I have officially started my Czech language classes and am hopefully going to stop embarrassing myself quite soon. "Jsem unavena!" (I am tired!) and "Nemluvim Ceske!" (I don't speak Czech!) are currently my most used phrases. I know you are all so very impressed with my Czech skills, but I will humble myself by admitting that I am still having trouble pronouncing the number four - "ctyri." It is impossible. 

Ok, let me rewind a bit to this past weekend before language classes. We had barely arrived in beautiful Praha when we were whisked away by AIFS to the eastern part of the country - Moravia. We were constantly on the go visiting churches, a Napoleonic battlefield, and even some amazing caves. 

 Above is a beautiful church in Krtiny, accurately nicknamed "The Pearl of Moravia." The ceilings were absolutely amazing, as was the gorgeous alter in the picture. Alex and I are assuming much of the credit for this visit, as most people were complaining that they didn't want to go. Even though it was the end of the trip, we boldly raised our hands in favor of visiting this beautiful church. We were, of course, later thanked by many. :)

This is a picture of Alex and I in an open part of the caves we visited. It used to be underground, but the ceiling collapsed creating this green abyss. In Czech, it is called "The Stepmother's Abyss," because at some point a stepmother tried to murder her stepson by pushing him down. He fortunately clung to a tree on the side and was rescued. Unfortunately, her punishment for this attempted murder was being thrown into the abyss. And yes, I found it creepy.

Did you know there is a Moravian Freedom Movement? Neither did I! This is a parade in the main square of Moravia's capital, Brno. And don't worry, they have no fringe terrorists groups. They just sang Moravian folk songs and danced around in flowery little hats! It was simply a great thing to witness. I didn't even know Moravia existed before this trip, and now I know that part of the Czech Republic wishes they had their own country! Haha. 

 This is beautiful view of the castle from the Charles Bridge - us locals know it as Karlov Most. No big deal. 
And here is Alex and I enjoying a beautiful day in Prague!!!

Coming up in my next post...

Prague Fashion 

Common Hairstyles

Drunk Man in the Metro Who Peed Himself and Tried to Lift Alex's Skirt

Common Prague Odors

How to Overheat at the Opera

This is Julia Miller reporting for The Blague!

The Real Prague Blague

Now my blog will officially be named correctly, because I am actually in Prague! So much has already happened, but I will start by finishing up London. Because, of course, you are all dying to see a picture of the creepy yet wonderful British man we all know as Uncle Timmy. Well here he is in all his glory! With him is me, Elaine, Alex C, and Alex M - all of us loving every minute of it. 

I will skip most of Munich, because as wonderful as it was, I was totally exhausted the entire time. We took a bus tour and I was fighting to stay awake. But to no avail! I'm sure the tour guide was confused as to why everyone on the bus was asleep, but there was just no fighting it.

The next part of my journey of course is: arrival in Prague! The first couple days consisted of meetings and short tours of places we would need to get to in the city. But the real adventuring began when my roommates and I ventured to Tesco (think Walmart) to get much needed accessories for our dorm rooms. The ultimate goal was a decent pillow, which of course, they did not have. We did, however, manage to get dishes and notebooks and toiletries. All of which we somehow had to carry back on the metro. There were quite a few moments of awkwardness as we bumped and jostled our way onto the subway car with all our bags. 

One of the greatest experiences thus far in Prague was a "Boat Party" put on by the academic program for study abroad students at Charles University, called ECES (East and Central European Studies. We floated up and down the Vltava River just laughing, sipping wine, and taking in the beautiful sites. 

The next big trip was a trip to Pilsen (or Plzen in Cezch), where the brewery of the Pilsner Urquell Beer is located. We learned a lot about the history of the town and climbed a VERY high tower. Lots and lots of stairs. But I did eventually make it to the top! After touring the synagogue and main town square, we went on a tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery. Which is where I realized that beer is almost a religion in this country! Seriously, they LOVE their beer and relish the history and tradition of it. As a non-beerlover myself, I never knew there were such beer enthusiasts out there. And even though I'm not the biggest fan of beer, I did get a chance to taste the unfiltered, unpasteurized Pilsner straight from the oak barrel in the cellar. I also received my own beer glass from the brewery for free!

Yesterday, we journeyed to Telc (actually pronounced Telch) which is a medieval town in southern Bohemia. Telc is 2 hours away by bus, so I enjoyed a nap on the bus and woke up to beautiful rolling green hills and ponds. The town is quaint and beautiful, and is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Their castle, or chateau, is small and beautiful. We even saw two weddings about to take place in the castle!

I haven't met the Czech equivalent of Uncle Timmy yet, but I hope to find him before I leave. Next on the list is a trip to Moravia (eastern Czech Republic) this weekend and the start of Czech language classes next week. More pictures to come. 

This is Julia Miller reporting for The Blague. 

London Calling

The official adventure has begun! 

We arrived in London yesterday morning at 10:30 local time, and were shuttled immediately to our hotel in South Kensington. We were then set loose on the surrounding neighborhood to find snacks, exchange currency, and explore. After we settled into our rooms and took much-needed showers, Alex and I walked to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The V&A is a fashion, furniture, and art museum, great for just wandering and admiring. Then we spent a relaxing hour relaxing in the V&A cafe, where I drank an entire pot of peppermint tea! We then proceeded to our first official function - "Welcome Drinks," where the free bar welcomed many of the less jet-lagged among us to partake of wine and beer. After this, I was in DIRE need of food, and I went with a small group to a nearby pub. We were all exhausted and hoping for some fish 'n chips, and looking forward to collapsing onto our rock-hard hotel beds. But no - instead, I introduce to you all...

ADVENTURE ALERT!!!

Before we had even opened our menus, an elderly British man sporting glasses and a blazer introduced himself and began telling us stories and dropping some rather lewd comments. Obviously well on his way to intoxication, this professor lookalike insisted that we call him "Uncle Timmy" and proceeded to order two expensive bottles of champagne for the table! He obviously took an immediate liking to us, and shared wisdom with us on many subjects - including banking (J.P. Morgan is the best in the world), Playboy Magazine (a true historical primary source), skinny dipping (a favorite pastime), and the proper way to treat a lady (never ever ever spank a lady). So there we were in a crowded British pub, soaking in the life stories and sexual innuendos of a welcoming British stranger. It was absolutely surreal and the perfect way to start the trip! :)

Unfortunately, jet-lag kept me from a good night's sleep. Although I got to bed at 10ish London time, I continued to wake up and sleep throughout the night. This morning was the all-inclusive London Coach Tour, in which we toured the entire city of London from the comfortable seat of a bus. We ended the trip at Covent Gardens, where I enjoyed my very first Cornish Pasty - a sort of pastry with meat inside. Then, Alex and I walked to the British Museum, which houses the famous Rosetta Stone. We also got to see some really awesome mummies and Egyptian statues in the Egyptian wing. Completely exhausted, we then trekked to the nearest tube station to get back to the hotel, and grabbed our computers for the internet cafe. So here I sit, dreading the fact that I have to be in the hotel lobby at 5 am tomorrow morning. And then off to Munich!

This is Julia Miller reporting for The Blague. Talk to you all soon!

The Adventure Begins

Today begins the great travel adventure! I am leaving for the airport in approximately 35 mins, where I will board a plane bound for Chicago and then London. It's been wonderful to have a few days in Tacoma to say goodbye to everyone - I will miss you all!

So here goes.

This is Julia Miller reporting for The Blague.