Olomouc

After the assessment I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders, and my German friend Anne suggested at the perfect moment that I should go to Olomouc with her for a few days. Olomouc is town about 1½ hours north of Brno. People had told me that it was a pleasant place to visit, and I have been keen to see more of the Czech Republic and stop being tempted by all my surrounding countries.

We rendezvoused there, Anne having travelled from Pardubice. And we soon checked into the very homely and friendly Poets corner Hostel. Lovely place. In fact that very evening the staff kindly invited us out with them, to see some very good, very cheap, live jazz at the ‘Jazz Tibet Club’. It was a great evening.
Anne in soaking up the sun

Olomouc is a lovely small town, with a very impressive main square. It has something of Krakow about it. The surrounding town is full of parks and lots of narrow roads very reminiscent of Prague. There is also an astronomical clock to rival Prague’s, it has the added novelty of showing all the name days of the year. There is a good art gallery, two thumbs up from me, and there is a nice café culture. The big university attracts lots of students, which means there are lots of cool bars. Sadly when Anne and I were visiting it was absolutely freezing. There was lots of snow, which enhanced the beauty of the town, but the cold meant that we couldn’t wander, as we would have liked. Instead we spent hours and hours in cafes nattering away about all sorts of rubbish, my kind of holiday.

Here's the Astronomical clock dad!

Back in Czech land

I thought that I would post an amazing picture that the visiting Rich took whilst we were hanging out in Prague. To all those who doubted I could fly!

My journey home

I don't know if I mentioned that I had booked my return flight to London from Berlin. I don't think I did. Well it was a very spontaneous descion, it was dirt cheap, and I thought, hey, why not. However there was the little problem of actually getting to Berlin. This problem soon became an opportunity. An opportunity to see a bit of Poland and then spend some time in Berlin! I will post some of the pictures of my journey home. I traveled only for a week, but it was very eventful...

Sadly I have to look quite far back for this entry, I have been neglecting my small audience. This retrospect takes us to Poland and Berlin before Christmas… are you with me? It all starts in mid November. I was sitting at my computer deciding when I should return home. I was searching through the normal cheap, substandard economy airlines when I saw an advert for cheap flights from Berlin. This got my imaginative juices flowing. ‘Travel to Berlin and then fly home!’- Brilliant idea Marish!

The original plan involved the Tatra Mountains and quite a few cities in Poland. However looking at money and time this just wasn’t going to be possible. The final cut was Krakow, Wroclaw and Berlin. What a super trio it was.
Krakow

Kirstie was to be my very willing travel companion. Mostly for the reason that she wanted to try all the Polish food I had been raving about, and of course, who doesn’t want to go to Berlin? The journey started on a long train journey, a stop in the notoriously horrible Ostrava train station, a confusing few hours of trying to get a train out of Katovice and then FINALLY to Krakow. We quickly found the very hospitable Bling Bling Hostel and Kirstie and I hit the city.
Wawel Castle in Krakow

Think back now, how you felt when Christmas was not 11 months away but only a few weeks. Now imagine the biggest square in Europe filled with the most magical Christmas market. Krakow had to be the most festive place in the world. It was amazing. Every other stand selling some sweet or hot delight. It was hard to pull ourselves away. Sadly there was no snow. That would have literally been the icing on the cake. Instead it was a freakishly warm 15˚C.
Krakow again

Our first evening we visited the much recommended Wieliczka Salt Mines. Maybe my expectations were too high, with all the hype these caves received. But I really wasn’t very impressed. There were some very interesting sections, but overall I found the whole tour quite dull. The following day we made our way to Oswiecim. Home to Auschwitz. This has to be the most terrifying place on earth. An example for us all of the absolute extremes of human behaviour. The scale was awesome, so much bigger than I had ever imagined. It was a visit that I felt I had to make.
Kinga's Cathedral

The next day we were in Wroclaw, staying at the hidden away Stranger Hostel. It was only a stopover before catching another train to Berlin the following day. But I was very surprised with Wroclaw, it had a very pretty square and a very youthful, exciting feel about it. I believe that in a few years it will be unrecognisable, defiantly a city on the move.
Wroclaw
Me in Wroclaw

Talking of moving, next stop was Berlin. After navigating ourselves around the huge, and at first pretty confusing metro system, S-Bahn or U-Bahn if you please? We finally arrived at the very hip and trendy Helter Skelter Hostel. Berlin is a city oozing with history. We went on two walking tours, we just couldn’t hear enough about what had happened. It is one of the few cities I have visited that I can’t wait to return to. The night scene was cool and unpretentious and the city, although not at all attractive, had a real pulse. I was sad to leave, but this was cancelled out by my excitement to return home.
Berlin, East side, West Side.

Since Budapest

Wow, I cant believe that I haven't updated my blog since Budapest. Well after my return there were actually a few weeks where nothing very dramatic or exciting happened. I went to Prague for one last time before christmas. It was for my friend Gulliaumes 23rd birthday. It was a huge party, and it was so nice to see everyone from my language course. Quite a few of them wil be leaving the Czech republic soon after christmas. Their semester here will be over. It is strange to think that a whole new wave of people will be arriving. I had a great night followed by a superb pancake breakfast, wipped up by my Belgium friend Jonas. You must all try a Belgium pancake; ice cream, and melted Belgium chocolate. Absolutely to die for. Amazingly none of my European friends had ever heard of a lemon and sugar pancake. I was very proud to introduce something to them, seemingly unique to Britain.

The following weekend there was a bit of a get together in Brno. About 5 of my friends in Prague came to visit for the evening. It was really fun. We had a huge meal and then went out in Brno. I have to say, Brno is a great night out. So many bars, all so closely located. I really think you should all come out and sample its delights.

Leading up to the end of term there where lots of parties to go to. Most of the Erasmus massive organised different events. Belgium party, Spanish Party and then lastly the French party. It was a busy few weeks. The English group. There is only four of us, had to organise a presentation about our fair land. We spent quite a long time on it, and by the end of all our work I have to admit it wasnt half bad. However when it came to the night, and there were quite a few people waiting patiently for the show... NOTHING WORKED!!! I was so gutted. I really didn't think I cared. Hopefully we will be able to give the presentation after christmas.

The last few days in Brno were filled with preparations for my journy home...

Celakovice and BUDAPEST

The week after Francis left was full of socialising and going out. It was a fun week and I really felt like I got to know some of the other Erasmus students even better. We even went to see a Czech band! They were called -123 minutes. They were Ok, they started well, but their music was a little too varied and eclectic. At one point it sounded something like the Islamic call to prayer. But it was good to do something a little different.

That weekend Kirstie and I were invited to our tutor’s house. This may seem a little odd, and at first I would have agreed with you, but there were four of us going, so it didn’t seem risky. He lives in a small town on the outskirts of Prague called celakovice. It was a booming town before communism took over, where all the rich landowners lived. However, communism really killed its high society and left the horrible scar of numerous estate blocks where there were once beautiful manor houses. Now it is on the up, with many of the richer Praguians choosing to live nearer the country and commute into Prague. We spent the weekend really sitting around and talking. We got to know the other English student out here, Matt, a lot better. We had had a bad first impression of him, taking him to be arrogant and pig headed, but being forced to talk to him for a few days, in a confined space, something we would have initially never wanted to do, we discovered that he is actually a good egg. Our tutor was a great host, making us lots of delicious food and keeping us entertained. It was still quite a surreal weekend. However it was an interesting experience to be in a real Czech home.

BUDAPEST


Just before I left to go to Celakovice I had the idea to go somewhere the following weekend. Friday the 17th was to be a national holiday, and I thought that maybe someone would like to go on a little trip with me. My first thought was to go to Krakow. I did a lot of research into it, and although it was possible, I didn’t want to take someone on a trip that had the potential to have any hiccups. Sam (the other English girl) was to be my travelling companion; Kirstie was to have friends visiting that weekend and was not able to join us. We met on the Tuesday morning to discuss where we should go. Very quickly we decided that it had to be Budapest, so we went on the search for tickets. We unfortunately were too late for the extremely cheap bus; they were all booked up, so we ended up getting train tickets. I have to admit that I would have wanted to go by train anyway; it’s such a nicer way to travel.

We arrived in Budapest on the Friday morning at 10.30am, we had already been on a train for 5 hours, and you can imagine we weren’t feeling our best. However we found the hostel we had booked very easily, and they were thankfully very welcoming and helpful. We then dumped our stuff and hit the road as quickly as we could, we didn’t want to waste any time.

Budapest is a lovely city. We strolled around, got on the very nice, huge trams, and sometimes got the metro. On our wonders I feel like we got a really nice feel for the city. The people are not at all intimidating like they are in the Czech republic, you do not feel at all ashamed all guilty that you don’t speak Hungarian. This meant we were happy to wonder into places that didn’t have English menus in the window, we were far freer to explore. Thankfully I was given a few very helpful hints from some of my friends that either had been all live in Budapest. From these we discovered some amazing bars. The best was down a street we would never have thought of walking down, and then through a door we would never in a million years have gone through. To then find a huge space, half derelict half trendy bar, with lots of atmospheric lighting. The space felt like it was in between two buildings. It was partly open air, there were outdoor heaters keeping the place cosy. It is so difficult to describe.

One of the highlights of Budapest was going to a Turkish bath. Budapest is famous for its thermal baths, there loads of them. I went to the biggest called ‘Szechenyi Baths’. The ticket gets you in for the whole day, and you get money back if you come out within 2 hours. I was unfortunately only in there for about one and half hours, Sam didn’t have a swimsuit or a towel so I couldn’t be there too long because she was waiting for me. It was a real shame she wasn’t in there with me, because it is the perfect place to wonder around and chat. It is a HUGE place, so many pools, all different sizes and temperatures. I was even swimming outside! The weather was amazingly warm; it wasn’t even too painful to go from the door to the pool. Another highlight was climbing Gellert Hill. Stefan had said that it was a must do for Budapest, but when I saw it on the Friday morning, still felling the affects of the train journey, it looked like mount Everest; I wrote it off. However, the next day, we felt a lot better, and that evening, we made the climb. It was well worth the effort, what a view!

I can’t wait to go back, it is one of those cities that I feel there is so much yet for me to do! I look forward to returning when my friends are living there again, then maybe I can get a little more out of those menus

Winter Wonderland

So on the 2nd of November Francis finally arrived in the Czech Republic. I say finally because it felt like a lifetime of waiting. But the 2nd of November was the arrival of something else as well… SNOW!

That’s right, that morning I woke up, already bursting with excitement, to look out of the window and see a winter wonderland. The normally green view was now completely white! I couldn’t believe it! I had heard rumours of snow. But at the beginning of November?! I told them; you’ve got to be having a laugh. And mum and dad can both vouch for the fact that the previous week was glorious. Sunny, warm, dry, it was the perfect autumnal weather.


I text Francis that morning to give him prior warning of the night time blizzard. But nothing could have prepared him for the chill factor. With the snow, also came a taste of the cold weather to come. I am really almost a little scared of that kind of cold being a daily occurrence. It was frrrreeezzzing. I even bought the warmest coat I could find, almost in a state of panic. However the weather was quite the novelty for Francis, visiting from the city that at best only sees sludge in the winter, he seemed to enjoy seeing a bit of the white stuff. It didn’t hinder our weekend in the slightest. We had a lovely time of lazing around, seeing some of the sights of Brno, and eating, eating played quite a key part. Francis became a little addicted to a popular snack over here called ‘Parek v Rohliku’. It basically consists of a frankfurter covered in mustard and then shoved inside a Rohlik, which is basically a bread roll. He couldn’t get enough of them. I will have to try and bring back some of the ingredients so to make him one on my return.

I couldn’t have had a better weekend. Francis being here and the freak snow, it was really quite special. Quite poetically the moment Francis left, the last of the snow melted away. Brno was the same old Brno

The visitors…

The weekend after the first tutorial was the beginning of my busy week. The first wave was a visit from my German friend Johannes who was visiting from Prague. He arrived on the Friday and left the Sunday night. On the Friday night we all went to an Erasmus party. It was Spanish themed, with sangria flowing and Spanish music playing. It was a great night, with lots of games to encourage mingling. My favourite was the couple’s game, in which everyone was given a sticker with a name, and you had to find your famous, or obvious partner. I, quite appropriately, was given the ‘queen’ sticker. My ‘king’ turned out to be Manos, a jolly Greek guy; we took full advantage of our positions of authority. The night was a blast, but sadly ended a little sourly when we missed our bus and sat outside for what felt like hours!

The next day, as you can imagine was a bit of a write off. However, my friend Johannes was very keen to visit a modernist building, designed by a German architect who is internationally acclaimed, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. It took us an age to find the building, which is located in a very unimpressive residential area. Finally when we found it, we discovered that visits were by reservation only. Luckily there were free places the following day for the tour. The Villa Tugendhat (www.tugendhat-villa.cz), is a bit of a land mark for modernist architecture in the 1930’s. It is vast in its proportions and really a very impressive building. The exterior and some of the interior are in desperate need of some TLC, and it was sad to see it in such a sorry state. However, Brno is very proud of this building and I think it is only a matter of time before they start some serious restoration.

For the rest of Johannes’ visit we wondered around Brno and talked about how different it was to Prague. I think we both agreed that Brno is far more of a relaxed and calm place compared to Prague. It has an air of a holiday town, somewhere people go for a break.

This calm atmosphere was short lived with the arrival of my parents the following day. The madness was very welcome, as I was so thrilled to see them walk through the arrivals gate at Brno airport. It was to be a crazy week of sight seeing, eating and drinking in excess. In their short time in Brno it unfortunately rained almost the whole time, I think they saw what a friendly town it was through the grey clouds. We went first class to Prague on the Wednesday, never travelled so comfortably before, to have a few gloriously warm days. I was so pleased that the sun came out, I think they really saw Prague at its best. Not overly busy, the tourists don’t arrive until the weekend. Also, with my friends recommendations and my ‘ellen tours’ practice I planned an enjoyable but thorough schedule of events. I had such a fun few days. Seeing my friends and spending loads of time with mum and dad, it really couldn’t have been more perfect!

I think mum and dad enjoyed themselves. My mum got to enjoy the beauty, culture, jazz and classical music. And dad got to indulge himself on very reasonable beer and meat, served like you have never seen before. I got to see a more sophisticated side of Prague that only through mum and dads generosity I was able to experience.






By the way, I went to the opera whilst I was in Prague. It was really fun getting dressed up, and with tickets in the gods only two quid, I think I could get used to wearing my finery.