Fall Break, Part V: London, Florence and Epilogue. November 1st and 2nd.
We took the tube home and then met up with Jill and Megan at Shakespeare’s for drinks. London is fantastic. I know I’ve said it before but it needed to be reiterated.
We were up early the next morning to go to the changing of the Guard but it got cancelled due to inclement weather. Yes, that means we stood in a downpour for an hour before they decided to cancel it. I headed back to Mickey’s to work on my architecture presentation. I Skyped with my parents right before leaving which was nice. Saying bye to Rachel was tough because I won’t see her until January but I get to see Carolyn in Dublin in three weeks so I was over that!
Aviva and I headed out to catch our bus. We got slightly turned around which stunk. When we finally found our bus, we found out it was broken down and we were waiting for another one. Once the other one showed up, everyone was loaded on and then the driver broke the back window so we couldn’t use this one either. We all had to resort to paying cash to get on a National Express bus to catch our flights. So many people lost their flights or couldn’t pay because they only had cards. EasyBus has lost my business from here on out.
Anyway, I was fortunate enough to have ten pounds on me that I lent to a guy by the name of Jacob so that he and his friend could make it to the airport. They couldn’t pay me back and didn’t have time to get to the ATM when they got to the airport so they asked for my information so that they could contact me later. It reminded me a little of what Isabella did for me on my way back from London just two weeks before.
We made our flight on time and grabbed some Starbucks sandwiches for dinner. Our flight was fine and then we took a bus back from Pisa to Florence. It was all-in-all a fantastic return journey.
This break was definitely the experience of a lifetime. I’m really glad that I was with a group of girls who were all about immersion in the cultures that we were visiting. I saw much stuff, ate so much great food, laughed so hard, saw so many good friends, and really just had an amazing time.
Thank you to those who helped make the Break awesome. Thanks first and foremost to the girls! Aviva, Mick, Rach, Dana, Megan, and Jo – you guys made the Break for me and I can’t imagine having gone any better! Thanks to Rich, our travel agent in London, who set us up with really cheap places to stay but in GREAT locations and modes of transportation! Uncle Leon, thanks for the tips along the way! Mom and Dad, thanks for the cash-ola. Katie, thank you for pestering me to post this. Thank you to all of you who have read this faithfully and are continuing to follow me through my semester abroad. It means more than you know!
Now it’s off to Venice for the weekend!Fall Break, Part IV: Prague/Praha. October 29th, 30th, and 31st.
We had breakfast at our hostel and tried to plan out what we wanted to do for the day. We were essentially lost because for the other two cities we had had the guidebooks that Megan was able to check out from the SUL library. Someone had gotten the Prague one before she could though, so we were at a loss for where to start!
We decided to head down to the Old Town Square to find the Free Tour. Free Tour is this really cool initiative that college students started to give Tip-Only tours in major cities around the world. It’s really a great thing. So, we met up with our tour guide, Justin, and then made our way around Prague. The history of the city is INCREDIBLE. The poor Czechs have got the shaft end of everything and only been a free people for 20 years now. In fact, I think it was 20 years ago last week. Read up on the Czech Republic if you don’t know much about it.
Our tour took us through the Old Town, New Town, Wenceslaus Square, the Astrological Clock, the Jewish Quarter, examples of Kubism architecture, St. James’s Church (which I will explain in more detail later) and then showed us across the Charles Bridge to the Prague Castle. While we were in Wenceslaus Square, I heard someone shout out, “Emily, over here!” It was Viviana. Her, Kelsey and Julia were in Prague too! It was so funny. We kept running into them for the rest of the day too!
We also saw them at Bohemia Bagel while we were getting lunch. Bohemia Bagel is by far one of the best bagel places on the planet. Although, it may only seem that way to me because I haven’t had bagel since I left the States…Yikes.
Once the tour was done, we went back to the Jewish Quarter to do the museums and see the Synagogues there. The Jewish cemetery is incredible. You need to really Google this. I can’t even describe it. Especially you, Dad, you’ll really enjoy it. It was a historical afternoon and was really worth it.
After that we stopped at this place called the Bake Shop and treated ourselves to cookies, cupcakes, and hot chocolate. It was delicious! Trying to find our way back to the hostel, we walked in a circle even though our hostel was almost right next door to where we were. Super funny!
Once we finally made it back to the hostel, everyone showered and got ourselves together for the fun night ahead. We had decided to go to the traditional Czech restaurant right next door to the hostel. They really didn’t speak any English and didn’t have an English menu. We tried communicating to the waitress that we wanted tap water and she immediately went and got her manager who spoke really broken English. She was super sweet though and basically explained the entire menu to us. We told her that we were there for the experience and it was okay if we ate Czech food – that was the point. So, after a really filling dinner, we set out to do the infamous Prague Bar Crawl. It was a fun night that took us to five different bars and clubs. It was really inexpensive and a definite quality experience.
Friday morning we all slept in and decided to make the Museum of Communism our first stop. Uncle Leon said that the place was intense as well as, “tongue-in-cheek” and it was indeed. I really appreciated the opportunity I had, in all three countries, to really dive into the history the culture and people.
We went to lunch at Bohemia again but this time we ran into girls from the SU Florence program! Kari called me out from across the restaurant and she was sitting with Stacy and Monica. We killed some time there and then headed off to meet up for the Prague Castle tour.
This one we had to pay for. We got to the meeting spot and then Remi and Cameron showed up! Those two are also SUF students. This world is too small. Anyhow, the tour took FOREVER. I think it was 4 hours long or something ridiculous like that. The Castle is HUGE. It was absolutely freezing and I am not usually one to admit that I’m cold or that it is cold outside. The tour was really informative and was indeed fun.
Immediately after it was over, we set out to find some hot beverages. We found Au Gourmand and got some hot chocolate, ice cream, and hot wine. We were just trying to kill time at that point. Then we went back to Molly Malone’s to get our t-shirts from the Bar Crawl. We sat there and just hung out for a while which was really nice.
For dinner we tried going back to our first restaurant but it was booked so we went to another little place around the corner. They put the six of us in a back room away from all the Czechs. It was really weird. Our waitress’s name was Staina. She was so adorable. She was scared that she wouldn’t be able to serve us to the best of her ability because she didn’t speak great English. We told her it was fine and she smiled the biggest smile I have ever seen. She was a very animated character and actually sat and talked with us for a while once we were done eating. The food and beer were fantastic!
We went back to the hostel and really had to rally ourselves in order to go out. We were all really tired but decided that we couldn’t let our last night of Fall Break go to waste. So, we ended up getting our lazy selves together and heading out to Karlovy Lazne which is Prague’s infamous 5-story club. There were four different music floors and a lounge floor. We spent time on all four just letting loose. It was so much fun. We were all there in sweaters or turtlenecks because it’s all we had left for clothes and it was freezing outside! Short and sweet of it was that we had a blast and were back to the hostel by 3.
We were up at 9am and had breakfast before we checked out. We went to watch the Astrological Clock go off. It was very anti-climactic but we knew that going into the experience so it just ended up being funny to watch the other tourists become incredibly disappointed once the bell stopped ringing.
Then it was off to the Church of St. James. We also called this Shriv Church. You see, there is a shriveled, mummified arm hanging from the ceiling in the church. Legend has it that there was a robber who went in to take a gold necklace from around Mary’s neck. She came to life and grabbed his arm and wouldn’t let go. When the priest found the robber in the morning, he couldn’t pry the arm from Mary’s grip so they had to cut his arm off. His arm is still hanging there today to ward off anyone who has any foul thoughts coming into the church. There is really a human arm hanging from the ceiling. Anyway, we endearingly called this, The Shriv.
From there we headed off to actually cross the Charles Bridge. There are a lot of statues and monuments on the bridge and it was packed with tourists so we didn’t stay long. We headed towards the John Lennon wall which is the only place in the city where graffiti is allowed. It’s a really cool spot. I signed it with, “Emily Allen 10-31-09 Let it Be”. It was an awesome experience.
We found a café for hot chocolate, coffee, and hot wine and sat there for a while. We still had three hours to kill until we had to leave to find the airport. So we just wandered around looking in different little shops and things. Then, of course, headed back to Bohemia bagel for lunch and snacks for the road, and a Halloween treat.
We went back to the hostel to grab our stuff and then took a train and bus to get to the airport. We were an hour and a half early, which I really appreciated. Megan fell asleep and ended up leaning on me so I had to legitimately hold her up. It was quite entertaining. Our flight was delightful. We sat six across in a row and just took some time to rest and reflect on our awesome week. Touchdown in London town – no problem.
Fall Break, Part III: The Rest of Vienna. October 26th, 27th, and 28th.
Our day on Monday started off quite hysterically. I woke up to my keys sticking in my back because I had somehow managed to fall asleep on them – Dana had flooded the bathroom – our roommates were a bunch of goofballs that we couldn’t seem to figure out – and ultimately, I think we were all just still super tired. We had breakfast downstairs in the hostel with a kid named Melvin from Amsterdam and a former Peace Corps volunteer who spent two years in Niger.
First stop was St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We climbed the tower and Joanna, Megan and I decided to make our climb down easier by singing songs from the Sound of Music, which is clearly what you do when you’re in Austria! Needless to say, the others weren’t to pleased with us. At any rate, we continued on to the main shopping street in the city. From there we landed ourselves at the Hofburg Palace.
Inside the Hofburg, we went to go see the Imperial apartments, the silver and china collections, and learn about the history of the Hofburgs in Vienna. Those are some great stories if anyone is interested in reading some good non-fiction.
We also ran into Kelsey Weimer, Viviana Quevedo, and Julia Ruskin who are all also studying in London this semester. It was good to see them! As we continued on into the center courtyard, we discovered that we had landed ourselves in the middle of yet another National Holiday – Proclamation Day. It was when Austria and Hungary split for good. I’m going to assume it was along the same lines as Budapest’s reason for celebrating then…? Right, makes sense. It was a huge carnival type of celebration in the middle of this palace. We tried all of the local delicacies such as bratwurst, schnitzel, beer, and this really sweet meringue pastry.
We headed off to the Ring Strasse from there. We were all really giddy so it was quite an interesting. There was a Free Hugs girl outside the palace so I of course gave her one. If you’re not sure what I mean about the Free Hugs thing, you can either check my Facebook for the picture or Google it. It’s a really cool campaign. Another thing for instance, was that I saw a store that was called, “Frey Wille”, so immediately pointed and shouted out, “FREE WILLY!” I think we all almost fell over laughing. Not too long after that, we almost got trampled by a horse and buggy that just appeared out of nowhere. Oh, Vienna.
We made it to the Opera House in the Ring Strasse and discovered that Swan Lake was being broadcast LIVE onto the screen outside from what was happening inside. So, we sat out in the rain and watched the Viennese Ballet perform Swan Lake. That’s pretty cool.
After that we headed off to the Leopold Museum. There was an exhibit by the guy, Munch, that made The Scream. It was really cool to see! From there went to Parliament and the Town Hall. They were both really gorgeous buildings and were even more awesome because they were illuminated at night! We took all of the touristy pictures as was necessary.
We went back to the hostel to recuperate and then rally for the rest of the night. We went to go have dinner at a restaurant on the corner and then went back to the Wom-Bar for drinks and staying in for the evening. Some great conversation ensued as we had some beers, wine, and other drinks. It was nice just to relax with them and have a good time.
Tuesday started off with breakfast at the hostel and then the Belvedere Palace. We didn’t go inside but the gardens were a sight enough to see. After that we went to Karlsplatz to see the church that was built in thanks for delivering Vienna from the plague. Only Carolyn and Rach went in and the rest of us stayed outside and chilled at the fountain. On our way to find the market for lunch and the Secession Building, we ran into the Liberation monument which was also partly a fountain. I faked throwing Aviva and Dana in which was quite entertaining. We found the outdoor market for lunch and all ate quite well indeed.
Next was the Schonbrunn Palace which was the summer home of the Hofburgs. It was unbelievably gorgeous. We took a tour there as well. Inside the Palace were the following two rooms: where Mozart held his first concert at the age of six and where JFK and Khrushchev met for the Vienna Summit. That’s amazing stuff. The gardens here were unreal. We climbed to the top and had a better than postcard view of the city of Vienna. It was breathtaking. We got some great pictures there.
We went back to the hostel after that because we were all exhausted. We just took some time to relax before we went out for dinner. We went to 7 Stern Brau for dinner, which is like a Viennese Beer Hall. It had a really awesome atmosphere. I had Viennese potato goulash and Wiener Helles, which is a Viennese beer – cheap too! We were all exhausted and in bed by 11.
Wednesday was an early day. We had to check out and also wanted to head up to the opposite side of the city to see the Danube. We took the metro and found ourselves at, what was essentially, an amusement park! It was called Praterplatz. Aviva and I rode the Dizzy Mouse, which was our favorite one at Oktoberfest, and then I did my first open air steel coaster! It was awesome! Rachel, Megan, Aviva, and Dana did it with me!
We took the metro back to Stephansplatz and went to Demel for cake and coffee. Demel is where Empress Sisi used to pass her time. It was her favorite café. We each made sure to get a different type of cake so we could sample everything. We all basically got different types of coffee or hot chocolate too! I got the Irish coffee and the house cake. Those, if I do say so myself, were very good decisions on my part.
We took the tube back to the hostel and then unfortunately said goodbye to Jo because she wasn’t spending the rest of break with us. Our train to Prague left at six! On the train we listed all the presidents, all the states, and all the capitals. Those are some great time killers if you need them! I loved that train ride J We got in at 9:30, had to find our hostel despite there not being any English ANYWHERE! The hostel was a little sketchy and we couldn’t find anywhere for dinner except this guy that was closing down his pizza shop. We all crashed pretty much when we got back. The rest is tomorrow!Fall Break, Part II: The Rest of Budapest and beginning of Vienna. October 24th and 25th.
To start the day off right on Saturday, we went to the Farmer’s Market across from our hostel. It was incredibly large. So much cool stuff to see! From there we were off to climb Castle Hill. Castle Hill overlooks both sides of the city and is a memorial to the country’s liberty. It had some amazing views. At the top of the hill was a medieval fort and there I had the opportunity to shoot a bow and arrow – so I did. I’m as good as Robin Hood.
After that, we took the funicular up to the Castle and National Gallery. That was a rather short trip. After that we went back across the river to go see Parliament. It was a really great example of Gothic Architecture. It was also Hungary’s National holiday so there were tons of people around.
Next on the list was a boat cruise down the Danube River. It was one of the funniest things I have ever experienced. There were two narrators, one for Buda and one for Pest. They would fight and exchange witty banter while trying to explain the history of the city. We couldn’t stop laughing. With the purchase of the ticket for the tour came a free drink and a free tour of St. Margaret’s Island, which is in the middle of the Danube. That was really fun.
From there we headed to the train station to check-in for the next day. We took the tram back to the hostel and rested for a while and got ready for dinner. Our tour guide, Anna, had recommended this place called A38 which was an old cargo boat, still on the river, that was transformed into a restaurant upstairs and techno club downstairs. It was quite the place. Our food was really good!
After we were done eating we were going to head downstairs and then Justin showed up! Justin is one of my best friends from school and was visiting Budapest at the same time we were! It was so awesome to see him. I missed him so much.
The club downstairs was a ton of fun and we were basically the only people there. I had a dance-off with some sketchy Hungarian guy but it was totally worth it J We headed home not long after that and all slept really well.
The next morning we realized that we had forgotten about daylight savings time and were ready and rearing to go at 8 instead of 9! Haha, funny stuff. Anyhow, we found Coffee Heaven, which is essentially the Starbucks of Hungary. From there we took the metro to Hosof Ter to see Heroes Park and monument.
We walked down the main street to the House of Terror which is a museum focusing on the communist occupation of Hungary. It was really intense and really informative. We saw Sam Buchbauer there who is another friend from school who is studying in Strasbourg.
After that was the Opera house, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and the Jewish Quarter. We went to the 2nd largest Synagogue in the world and the largest in Europe. It was thoroughly impressive. We went to a restaurant in the Jewish Quarter, had some kosher food and then headed back to the hostel to get our stuff and head out for Vienna.
Our train ride was a lot of fun. We had to split up into different cabins but that’s fine. Our hostel, the Wombat, was right next to the train station and PHENOMENAL. It was clean, secure, friendly, and just downright amazing. They directed us in the direction of a place that had good food and would give us a discount because we were staying at the Wombat. The name of it was Mozart-Stube. I got turkey with rice and peas and Viennese beer. I was a happy camper. We all went to bed promptly upon our return to the hostel.
So it begins,
Fall Break, Part I: Getting to London and Budapest. October 22nd and 23rd.
So yeah, I was done with midterms and leaving school by 4:45 and somehow managed to be packed, showered and at the bus stop on my way to catch the train from Santa Maria Novella by 5:45 – insanity. I met up with Aviva and Catherine there. It’s so much more fun to travel with people as opposed to alone! We got to the airport just fine and our flight went off without a hitch!
When we landed at Stansted, it took an hour to get through customs and then Aviva and I finally got our National Express bus to Baker Street. From there we caught a cab to Carolyn and Rach’s apartment. The cab driver was awesome. Cabs are an interesting part of London life. In London, being a cab driver is the third highest degree that you can graduate from University with. They go to school for at the least, seven years. It’s ridiculous.
Anyhow, upon arrival at Mickey’s at around 2am, we stayed up for a while and just talked and laughed. We slept for 2 and a half hours and then caught the tube and EasyBus to get to Gatwick. We had an AWESOME American-esque breakfast and then caught our flight. The flight was fine except for the fact that I had the most awful ear pain that I have had to date on this particular flight. My hearing wasn’t fully restored until the next day. Absolutely wretched.
I almost forgot to mention our travel group. It was Aviva, Carolyn McChesney, Rachel Brenner, Dana Manochi, Megan Hess, and I. Other than Aviva and I, the other girls are Syracuse University students at SU in London!
When we landed in Budapest, Hungary, it was one of the most overwhelming experiences I have had. The language is impossible to decipher. We found someone who spoke English and let us know how to get to our hostel. We took a bus to the metro and then the metro to Kalvin Ter, which is one of the main streets of Budapest. It was completely deserted when we came up from the metro station. It was rather creepy actually. There was almost no one around. We spent a good ten minutes trying to figure out where we were on the map and consequently in relation to our hostel.
We finally figured out that we were on the Pest of Budapest and we were staying at a pretty great location in the city. We all basically collapsed in our OWN ROOM! at the hostel. It was fantastic. Joanna Hardy, who is studying in Strasbourg, joined us as well! Heck of a group. From there we went out to dinner at this really authentic Hungarian restaurant. I had cream of garlic soup, stuffed turkey with cinnamon and cheese, and Hungarian beer. The currency in Budapest is really odd. Just as an example, we spent 23,614 HUF on dinner. That’s the equivalent of about 84 euro, I think.
After dinner we just went to walk around the Buda side of the city, which was really nice. We just walked along the river and relaxed. Parliament looked really cool because it was illuminated with red, white, and green –the colors of Hungary. All the bridges and Castle Hill looked so majestic. I knew it was going to be a fun city. After our walk we were all really cracked out so we just hit the sheets.
Part II tomorrow, stay tuned.
