I have to go to class??? Also, Prague Castle!

Good evening Blagueies! Well, it is actually about noon for you. But you get the general idea of salutation. I have just completed my first week of classes in Prague, and it is a very different learning experience from good ole Puget Sound. It is definitely a more independent and self-motivated system of learning, with a lot of lecture. For example, lecture for three hours in a row! I have enjoyed all my classes so far, but I have not enjoyed the fact that I have homework. I was so excited for class - and then I remembered I actually have to work. Man, it's such a tough life.

Speaking of tough life, I drink beer now! Not very often mind you, because it fills me up quite quickly. I never really liked beer before, but THE Czech beer Pilsner Urquell is pretty good. This is a picture of Alex and I with our "small" beers. And yes, this is what you get when you order a small beer. And how much did this set me back? 22 crowns, or about $1.25. :)

Apart from classes beginning, this week also marked my first trips to Prague Castle! Now let me enlighten you all on something that quite confused me until I asked my personal Prague tour guide Alex. There isn't actually one particular "Prague Castle." The name Prague Castle refers to the area where all the royal buildings, palaces, president's residence, and St. Vitus Cathedral are. Or at least that is my understanding of the matter. The famous spires on the skyline of Prague are actually those of the breathtaking St.Vitus Cathedral! Fancy that. Anyway, Alex, another friend, and I explored this area last weekend, and then I went on an AIFS group tour yesterday. Then I actually learned something about what I had already seen! Haha. Earlier in the semester, Alex and I had already signed up for an event after the walking tour at Lobkovitz Palace, which is the only privately owned building in the castle complex. They led us to a beautifully decorated room with a magnificent view of Prague, and gave us delicious coffee and giant slices of apple strudel! It was amazing. Then, we got to go on a free audio tour of the Palace galleries, which had everything from ancient family portraits to original Beethoven and Mozart music scores. It was a really great and interesting audio tour, and it was actually narrated by the current Lobkovitz owner, who happens to be from America. And I was especially interested because I had two cups of very strong coffee beforehand and was pretty jazzed on caffeine!

There is so much to do and see here in Prague, it is blowing my mind. It is a fairly small city, but I have been here a month and still have so much to see! I've posted some of my favorite recent pictures below, so you can enjoy the sights of Praha along with me.

Well of course I had to take a picture of the delicious apple strudel!

Alex and our suitemates, Lauren and Laurie, having coffee at Lobkovitz Palace.

View of St. Vitus and the castle complex from the Royal Gardens.

This is Alex and I at a view point of the city! It is soooo beautiful. :)

These are some of the amazing stained glass windows inside the cathedral.

I absolutely HAD to photo document this amazing salad. It is the first legitimate salad that I have had since I got here! Mine had peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives. And Alex's in the background had goat cheese, apples, and walnuts. (Note to parents and Annemarie - I am taking you to this restaurant!!!)

This is a video I took of the view of the city form Prague Castle. Hopefully it will give a little better impression of how gorgeous the city is!

This is Julia Miller reporting for the Blague.