Brussels and Amsterdam

Brussels and Amsterdam…my first real trip, by myself, with no counselors guiding me, no parents holding my hand, and certainly no grandparents paying expenses. This was also my first trip in which I was only allotted one piece of baggage for the entire duration, of which I chose my backpack. First mistake of the trip was forgetting two of the most essential things to my happiness and hygiene: my eye glasses and my hairbrush because I am blind and I am notorious for the nappiest hair known to female kind.

Second mistake was the sandwich I got at the airport…just plain old gross. Okay, back to the trip. So we were able to make it to the airport in no time because of the blessed European public transportation services. We flew about 2 hours to Brussels Charleroi in a pink and purple plane under the airline known as Wizz Air. The plane had free seating which was rather chaotic amidst a million angry Czech travelers.

BRUSSELS

In one sentence I would describe Brussels as an adorable city with an unbeatable gastronomical experience. If you are headed to Brussels, Belgium you must certainly leave your diet behind for the weekend and put on your stretchy pants because boy, oh boy, it is delicious!! Highlights for me were: Mussels in Brussels and a Belgium waffle with the most delectable Belgium chocolate these lips have ever tasted!

YUMMY! Look at that face wafting in the scent of that tasty tasty goodness!

Liza and I rented bikes on Thursday and rode around Belgium exploring. It was a nice day out and about a gazillion degrees warmer than Prague so for that we were thrilled. We had ourselves a blast riding around the cobblestone streets, totally something I would recommend to anyone traveling in Europe. We took a nice stop into the Museum of Musical Instruments, it has the largest collection of musical instruments in the world. Pretty cool.

Liza and I riding our bikes in Grand Place

The Peeing Boy Statue

For some inexplicable reason Europe has an obsession with young boys peeing, this little guy is one of Brussels biggest sites to see!

Not everything about Brussels was all fun and games though. Let me tell you! Our hostel was comparable to Alcatraz, yes the prison, I am still in shock I actually PAYED to stay in this facility. First of all it smelled like somebody had a beer pong tournament three weeks ago and turned the heat on high, forgetting to clean up. Secondly, the sheets were stiffer than a scrub brush, and I do not even want to mention what the remainder of the rooms looked like. Basically we were running on zero sleep for two days.

The people in Brussels were so kind, especially compared to the grumpy Czechs. When I was lost with a map in hand a little old lady came up to us and whispered, “Vous cherchez quelque choses?” translating in English to, “are you looking for somethings”. It was the sweetest thing ever, and I was happy to learn that I still was able to recognize some francais from the good old high school days.

I also was happy to have had dinner with my friend from high school Nils Peterson. Literally couldn’t remember the last time I saw him but it was really nice! He took us to a great place where we got gyro sandwiches and sipped on some amazing Belgium beer.

AMSTERDAM

We woke up early and hoped on the train to Amsterdam. In one sentence to summarize Amsterdam is probably Vegas but weirder. If you do not know marijuana is legalized and women stand in glass windows in the Red Light District selling their bodies. For men I can compare this to window shopping, and the hustling and deal making that goes on late night in these streets is hilarious. It took me the entire weekend to actually believe these women were real, I kept thinking they were mannequins.

Such a pretty open market with amazing flowers.

My favorite part of Amsterdam was the Van Gogh museum that was great, very crowded though. And ran into a good friend of mine there. My second favorite part would probably be the Sex Museum, where they displayed people’s personal photographs from the 1930’s to now that had my jaw dropped in awe the entire exhibit.

RED LIGHT DISTRICT

BULLDOG HOSTEL since 1975
HAHA! Oh giftshops in Amsterdam....

Our hostel in Amsterdam was an UPGRADE from our shit hole in Brussels, and thank god for that! We got a great deal for the bunk bed, Liza and I shared a MONSTER bed that was so big we didn’t even know if each other were there. We were the only girls in the room of about twelve boys from everywhere from Salt Lake City to Brazil. It was a great time. By day two my hair was so dreaded out I looked like I really belonged in Amsterdam. I forced Liza to join me on a brush hunt, of which ended well, but took literally two hours. Do people not brush their hair in Europe?!??

To be completely honest I did not love Amsterdam, there was no real culture other than a bunch of tourists coming to get high of their rockers. It was obviously very cool that Holland's laid back attitude allows for the decriminalization of marijuana but I like a country with a little more original flavor.

The travels home were LOOOOONG totaling about 12 hours. We got on a three hour train ride from Amsterdam to Brussels, then a one hour bus from Brussels to the airport, then a plane to Prague, another bus and FINALLY the metro to our lovely stop off the green line-Jinho Z Podebrad. :)

Needless to say, hopping in my own shower without flip-flops, brushing my hair, doing laundry, getting into bed, and taking out my contacts was simply priceless. AHHH it is good to be back.

Also.....R.I.P. Abby Schmabby

First FULL Week in Prague!

This week has been absolutely insane.

Classes were fine, they are 3 hours long each and I'm practically SCREAMING to get out by the bitter end. My favorite class will definitely be Prague Art and Architecture where we will be learning about the various types of architecture displayed throughout the beautiful buildings in this marvelous city. We will be taking weekly field trips which I am also very excited about!

The night life here is wild. Bottom line.

I haven't gotten home before 4 a.m. once this week due to the fact that I cannot tear myself away from these unbelievable dance floors! Everyone is just busting a move like there is no tomorrow.

TOP THREE PLACES IVE BEEN THUS FAR:

1. U Sudu-one of the coolest bars I have ever been to in my life. The entrance way feels like a wine cellar, then you walk further inside and realize this cavelike area goes on for a while. You can make many turns and find different bars hidden everywhere. It is a maze, but one that I would love to get lost in for days! People are just rolling spliffs and cigarettes on their tables while conversing and sippin on some brewskis. Majority of people in this place have dreadlocks and they have reggae-like music blasting from the speakers. AWESOME PLACE!

2. Radost-This bar took us an eternity to find, but well worth the struggle. The upstairs is decorated lavishly with neon green furniture and black and white walls. There are about 10 chandeliers and a million mirrors decorating this charming upstairs bar. Once you enter the downstairs the mood changes completely. It is a straight up dance club with a stage and great dance floor. Amazing DJ playing tunes from the Jackson 5 to Ke$ha to Biggie.

3. Lucerna-We hit this monster Euro club up on its infamous 80s night, and they did not disappoint!!! This place was insane! Boys were dancing on stage and stripping down to their boxers (I have pictures) to old music by Madonna!! It was hilarious beyond belief. We danced for four hours straight until we were actually soaking wet and it was last call.

I love my life. Its my main goal of the week to figure out the night tram, because it took Liza and I approximately 1.5 hours to get home three nights ago. We ended up being so starved that we stopped at a McDonalds and ate with a group of Isreali's who are from Tel Aviv but live in Berlin. Wild group of boys. Also we are pretty sure that this nice girl Nina who helped us navigate home was just getting off her night shift as an exotic dancer....Oh Prague, you are one crazy city!

We are headed off to Brussels and Amsterdam on Wednesday next weekend! Super excited for my next adventure.

Krakow is Anything but Whacko--POLAND

Our group left on Thursday evening at nine p.m. at which time we met our 8th and final group member, Kevin. 2 thumbs up for Kevin, he broke the ice a little. So we got on the train and settled in to our overnight bunks, please note this was going to be a ten hour train ride. Soon after we get a knock on the girls train by the boys suggesting we start heavily drinking to pass the time. I am almost 90% positive our group of 8 were the best customers this conductor has seen in a loooong time. One huge bottle of beer cost after conversion $1.50-mind you I spent $7 in the NY Airport on one beer at Chilis. This means that my intake could technically be at least quadrupled without wasting a single cent! We started playing the game where the group knows the name posted on your forehead but you do not, and you figure it out by asking questions. If the group answers "no" to your questions, you drink; if the group answers "yes" then the group drinks. And so that went for a few hours til it was time to pass out.

Breathtaking Zakopane. Check it out. Border of Poland and Slovakia.

Licking the salt off the wall in the salt mine...yummmmyyy

Group on the train


After minimal sleep we arrived in Krakow at about 7 am. The cold chill of the city could not break my smile, I immediately loved it. The town used to be the capital of Poland but is now just one of the oldest cities in the country with the youngest population. The streets were crowded with young students dressed adorably ready for school or work. The buildings were so beautiful with gorgeous architecture.


We soon arrived to our hostel, my first hostel experience, which goes by the name of "Mamma's Hostel." So adorable. We napped then ventured out to explore Krakow. We went inside one of the oldest Cathedrals in Poland which if you ask me personally the tour was about an hour tour long, then ventured to a town 45 minutes away to visit the second oldest salt mine in the world. The salt mine was mind blowing. We took 54 flights of stairs downstairs literally to this underground world and toured it for about 2 hours. Our tour guide was absolutely ridiculous. Her game plan was to make sure her tour left no room for questions, so at the end of every sentence she would add something like: “And no those horses are not real,” and pointed to the clearly stuffed animal. After the salt mine we returned to the hostel and took a long needed nap.

Salt crystal chandelier

Jump for joy!!!

After we awoke from our naps we found that the boys in our group ditched us so we went out with some kids in the hostel. One kid was named Andrew and had been traveling Europe by himself for four and a half months; Krakow was his final stop, also James who was an English self-proclaimed bad boy who had ran out of money in Krakow and decided to get a job at Momma’s Hostel, and we also went out with 2 kids who were coincidentally studying in Prague.

I must inform you, dear reader, that Liza and I had never intended for this night to get as crazy as it did. In fact, while we were getting ready for the evening we repeated over and over how we just wanted to get a “healthy buzz.” So why when we showed up at this small and homey pub did we decide it was a good idea to take an Absinthe shot with James…I will never know. EDIT OUT DRINKING. So we decided this pub was becoming to familiar and wandered on over to another more hoppin pub where we met up with the fellows in our group. This is where things start to get fuzzy! Drinking, laughing, having a great time at this pub, real group bonding. We want to dance, so we head over to a night club. Crazy, crazy club or that of which I can remember haha. I start dancing with this cutie from Poland named Robert when Liza decides she’s ready for bed. I guess I give Robert my e-mail address because I wake up with this amazingly hilarious email:

Hello

I met you yesterday in the disco, we spent a great night dancing together, don't you?

So if you want to spend next gorgeous night, tell me what time could we meet and where?

I will come to you, I promise. You are the most beautiful and charming girl in the world.

Lots of Love

Robert

HAHHAHAHA. Don’t you?

Our wake up call the next morning was for 8 am because we were going to Aushwitz by a two hour bus ride. Well from my description of the evening before you could tell that my morning after was going to be less than pretty. After lying in bed and screaming “WHHHYYY!” I decide to try to get up. Imagine Liza and I sitting in a bus whose seats were so upright I felt like I was leaning forward dealing with the worst hangovers of our lives. Long story short, Liza puked in her had and I in a Lay’s Potatoe chip bag until the driver saw me in the rearview and pulled the entire bus over. Classy, the other riders really enjoyed that visual.

After two hours we arrived in Aushwitz and immediately the weather drops 10 degrees and the sun was no longer shining. It was the saddest place I’ve ever visited. I must complain for a second, the welcome video and the tour guide were so impersonal and unemotional that I was very unhappy with the effect they left on me. The facts the tour guide was repeating were common knowledge about the Holocaust. However bad the tour was could not deter from how heart wrenching it was actually being at Aushwitz the place at which 1.3 million people were slaughtered. Birkenau was the half of the tour that really made me ill, seeing the bunkers, the train tracks at which people were dropped off, standing in the place in which Jews were chosen to either work to death or walk straight into the gas chambers, experiencing one of the cold days in which they had to stand outside in and work for 12 hours. It was something I will never forget.

We spent the evening going out to a nice group dinner and hitting up a few pubs. The people in Poland dance so very weird.

On our last day in Poland we took a two hour bus ride to the town of Zakopone to see the spectacular and awe-inspiring mountains. We took the gondola to the very top of this mountain and it was simply unbelievable. Of course I couldn’t walk the entire trail because I slipped on my ass four times before we even started. Then on the gondola back the radio was playing, “Time After Time,” and we managed to get a majority of people to sing aloud and it was hilarious. The town was very cute and after a delicious meal of grilled sausages we head back to Krakow. Say goodbye to Momma’s Hostel and take the train back to Praha.

Classes begin today.

Miss you all.

Please Note: Do Not Put Your Feet Up on the Train!

So yes, maybe I was a fool for coming to Prague without a visa but things just didn't work out so I attempted to get one here at the Czech Embassy in Dresden, Germany. Low and behold I find out I am missing multiple documents of which need to be notarized. Hmmm.....where do I get a copy, a printer, and a notary in the Czech Republic?

I left it til the morning of our already booked train ticket to figure this stuff out. After multiple nightmares of notary lines being out the door and me missing my train I decided to get up at 5 am and spend good time on the internet googling...all of which were dead ends.

I whisper to sleeping Liza, "hey Liza I'll be back in about a thirty minutes." "Ya..Molly I doubt that will happen." Dear Liza was right.

Imagine me: alone, 7 am in Prague, soaking wet from the rain, confused. If you know anything about me it should probably be I am a fool with directions, so finding General Copy was a joke, an absolute fucking joke. I'm standing in the streets of Prague crying to myself blabbering under my breath, "come on you can do this Molly." Of course I couldnt.

We decide to go to Dresden anyways because we bought a ticket so we hopped on that train and rode it. The trains were awesome, nice seats and private rooms with shades. The ticket dude RIPPED open our shades and screams at us, then he sees that OUR FEET WERE UP ON THE SEAT OF THE TRAIN and he GROWLED at us! I could tell he was thinking "DUMB AMERICANS" such a meany!!!

We get to Dresy and well I decide to hit up the embassy anyways in case maybe some slim chance the lady is super nice to me and wants to make my life easier....that didnt quite happen and here I am visa-less.

What a day. Back in the apartment just bought a cheap ass bottle of rum and are planning our trip to Amsterdam with a night stop in Brussels. That'll fix any rough day.

Oh yeah, fuck the Euro. The Czech Crown is the best piece of money on the planet. I have taken out $75 dollars, which is 1500 crowns and somehow im still rolling in the dough. :)

PICTURES TO COME SOON!

Okay! Here I am.

My trip started out rather hysterically. I get on my flight to New York and there are these loud ass black people screaming in the row behind me. The girl is yelling at her main man screaming, "My life is on the line right now, my life is on the line." It was her first flight. Upon exiting the plane we learn that they are flying to New York to be on Jerry Springer, the episode titled: "Sisters with the same baby daddy." Classy people.

I almost miss my flight to Prague because I was eating at Chili's Too and did not go to board at the right time, but I made it and had my first encounter with the horrible language barrier that exists between Americans and the Czechs. Tried to sleep and landed a little early. No one was there to pick me up so I waited, and waited, and waited. BBMed Liza off the HOOK! PING!!! Eventually got home. We went on a 6 hour tour of Prague afterwards. Saw the Prague Castle, went up on a funicular and walked approximately 450 steps up to the top of a fake Eiffel Tower and saw the most breathtaking view of the city. Liza and I were wearing the most improper clothing and froze our dumb asses off.

Our group is nine kids. NINE KIDS. Pretty whack. We live with a girl from Ukraine who is the group leader sort of and this other chick.

Our first night out was ridiculous. Things I learned: buy a bottle of booze before you go out, heels and cobble stone are not dear friends, the metro closes at midnight so maybe you should figure out the tram schedule, and that Prague nightlife is fucking insane.

I have taken 75 dollars out of the ATM which is 1500 crowns, and somehow someway I still have 600 crowns left and I have been spending and spending. Everything is cheap as dirt and beer is cheaper than water. Oh yeah, did I mention I only have classes on Monday and Tuesday?? Yeah, Monday and Tuesday.

If only it would warm up a bit life would be simply perfect.