Krakow, Budapest, Last Week in Prague

I haven't written in a while so this will be unbearably long, but first here are a couple pictures of things I like in my room.

Background on my computer; I accidentally found all these pictures online some girl took of her cat in a cherry blossom tree and they are ALL hilarious. Especially THIS one (link).

Postcard Mikey sent me; this is one of my favorite pictures. I first discovered it when Mikey's friend had a book about Star Trek and sexuality or something (she's writing her senior thesis and eventually a PhD thesis on it) that had this on the cover of it.

Postcard from Kerry-- written entirely in Spanish.

Also, If I haven't sent you this already, PLEASE click THIS link and watch what has been bringing me joy recently. I am going to be like him and do hoodrat things with my friends this summer.

Back to Europe...

I went to Krakow two weekends ago with my program so almost everyone went. It was a super long bus ride and bad weather when we got there, but it's Poland so we weren't exactly expecting sunny skies. We went out and got pierogis for dinner, because Aisling was more excited about it than I've ever see her be for anything. We ended up trying to go out somewhere and we did for a bit at some Prague-like bar and then on the way somewhere else I got separated from all my friends somehow and ended up being left with the two worst people to be left with in the world. In other words, two awkward boys who drunkenly thought the bouncer at some club trying to charge them to get in was being anti-semitic (they charge boys almost everywhere in Krakow and sometimes even girls), told me I was essentially a MOT (member of the tribe) then discussed how I could convert if I married a Jewish boy even if I didn't believe in Judaism (which I told them would be dishonest lol). Luckily I knew my way back to our centrally located hotel so I went back and fell asleep to a delay-dubbed version of the apocalyptic horror movie "28 Days Later".

The next day my friend Laura and I found our friend Elizabeth finishing up her manicure / pedicure at the hotel spa and sipping on espresso at like 9 am. It was hilariously tranny-glamorous and I loved her for it. We went on a tour, window shopped, got coffee and this DELICIOUS poppyseed cake with walnut ice cream, went on another tour, window shopped, and then went to passover seder dinner. Most of my gentile friends were going to the indoor water park nearby, but I didn't feel like it/bring my bathing suit so me and Elizabeth decided to be Jewish for the weekend with Laura, my suite mate Julie, and some other kids.

It was so fun and hilarious, because I went to passover at Mikey's house once and thought it would be like that (they said a quick non-religious prayer and then proceeded to eat delicious brisket), in fact it took HOURS. They made you keep drinking wine at certain points in the program on your empty stomachs, so everyone was being silly--- I caught a Polish lady sneaking matzo before we were supposed to eat and we locked eyes; she just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. LOL. We started to eat at 11 and were out by 1 AM. Some 45 year old who helped run the seder has since contacted my suite mate Julie via e-mail (he got her e-mail address under the pretense that he would pass it on to someone who could get her a job in publishing) and suggested they meet up in New York to "get a drink and run around the city together." Disgusting. I may not be Jewish, but I know that seder is not to be used by 45 year olds like JDate. Needless to say, passover was a hot mess and I wish I had pictures.

Rainy and gray.

Wet streets.

In the main square. I like the cut outs at the top of the building. The size of the square reminded me of Italy, specifically Siena.

Giant head.

The Pope; flashed him a peace sign.

God. Poland is really Catholic.


"Cowgirl with Cowboy"... severely over priced.

Stolen picture of Laura and I-- I look surprised? Annoyed> Who's to say?

Elizabeth and I trying to do a crossword puzzle.

Another stolen picture to show how long my hair is!

Last weekend Aisling, our friend Mike and I went to Budapest via train. We were unhappy about it at first because the bus (which was all filled up) was cheaper, but in the end it was faster or comparable and much nicer. Most of the time we had our own cabin which was great. Once we got there we were supposed to stay in a hostel, but the people whose room we were supposed to get extended their stay, so they gave us an apartment instead!

The first night we walked around on the Buda side and then got great $1-$2 crepes at a non stop that was crazy; one of the tables was sort of in between the floors (there was a loft-like second floor) and was reachable only by climbing a little ladder on the steps. The next day we went to the hostel for our free breakfast, but it was slightly delayed because they had to buy more food; some upper middle aged Australians were staying at our YOUTH hostel and hunkered down from 8:30-10 in the morning and ate ALL the food they had-- when they brought more food, the Aussies ate some of that too! Then we walked around and laid in a park on an island in the river.

After that we went to one of the bath houses. A lot of people we knew who went to Budapest bath houses said they were creepy, but we didn't think so at all. In fact, I thought they ruled; it was special thermal springs water and they had all different temperature pools, a sauna, a steam room and then this special steam room that smelled like peppermint!@$#% We didn't discover the outside part until near the end, but it was beautiful and had pretty fountains, a fast lazy river, and was so warm (this was the best part for me, because regular pool water is usually too cold for my liking).

One of the most important things about Budapest was that Mike knows a woman who owns some franchises of a pizza place in Budapest, and she had someone drop vouchers off at the hostel for us-- she gave us like $140 worth for A PIZZA PLACE. After cleaning up from the baths we went to one of these pizza places and ordered the most expensive stuff and not pizza (I got tuna steak, they got salmon), appetizers, dessert, coffee etc. My cousin Shirin who lives in Sweden, but is studying outside Budapest, came and met up with us (her friend came too) and had dinner. I had never met her before so it was funny; they came back to our apartment for a bit and then we went to some cute bar with comic strip stuff everywhere and free popcorn at the bar. Eventually Aisling, Mike and I went to a different place that was also really cool and had a whole room of bike racks for you to hang your bike up on (they bike much more than Prague because they don't have cobblestone), an old fashion footed bath tub turned into a couch and a cute bear lamp. We met two Hungarians there and talked to them a lot.

We had dinner with Aisling's parents the next night, because they happened to be visiting Budapest that weekend before going to Vienna and then coming to Prague. We used their nice hotel's sauna etc. and the next day we went to a smaller more local bath house. It was so nice out that we laid out in the sun in our bathing suits for a bit before getting pizzas to go and catching the train back. While waiting for the pizzas to be ready I pet such a pretty (cinnamon color with blue eyes) and friendly puppy that loved me. The pup's Hungarian owner asked if I had a cold; this was the moment I realized that I did, though I have been thinking it might be allergies. How perceptive of him to realize!

In the train cabin on the way to Budapest. I had to post this picture of Aisling, because I just don't know why this face happened.

Mike in our cabin; we closed the curtains like jerks to keep it OURS.

Snack and attempt at working on my paper.

Outside the train window; field of yellow flowers. There were pink fields too.

Our apartment.

Cute little cabinets in the kitchen.

Pup in our apartment.

Two peas in a pod.

Steps by the river that we hung out on a couple times.



Iron (?) shoes memorial?

We were thinking it was for people who had jumped into the river, committing suicide?

Chain Bridge.

We walked up to this big hill on the Buda side (our apartment was in Pest) where fancy people were being served champagne outside by waiters. [Note: the city is separated into two sides-- Buda and Pest. Also, "S"s are pronounced "sh" so it's said "Budapesht".]

Pretty colors at dusk.

Aisling looking at the wall of money from different countries in the hallway of the hostel.

Sitting in the park.

Trash can ruining the picture of the island park.

I believe there is a museum here dedicated to some composer who used to live here. This was on the way to the Pest-side bath.

Pond by the baths.

Balloons!

Ceiling in the lobby of the baths.

Hallway and lobby in the baths.

I didn't take this picture, BUT this is the outside of the Szechenyi baths.

Bad picture, BUT I met Shirin! Don't worry, I've since trimmed my bangs.

Ceiling in "Szoda."

Next to our apartment.

Looks like the picture of Krakow streets, but with better weather.

Little guy.


Beautiful last day.

Flowers everywhere!

I am obsessed with these flowers.

We got this (Milka bars are the best chocolate I've ever had) in addition to pizza for the ride back. I think they accidentally got dessert wine; they said it tasted like grape juice.

This weekend is my last weekend here. I finished all my papers before most people started them, so hardly anyone could hang out which was lame/the opposite of my plans. Aisling's sister came to visit though, so I've hung out with them a fair amount. I didn't do anything spectacular or crazy, BUT I have experienced a series of small miracles.

#1 At Cross Club last night we had been sitting at some table talking for so long when out of no where I realize there is a cold, unopened can of coke in front of me. It was like God was smiling down upon me. Everyone thinks I'm a loser for being so happy about this but I DO NOT CARE.

#2 After a bunch of us got a delicious brunch at the vegetarian restaurant here, we went to this thrift market they have every Sunday at the train station. Since it was the first Sunday of the month everything was 5 koruna instead of 30 (33 cents compared to $2). I found a pair of somewhat high waisted black shorts that we've been calling "tap shorts", a few cute kids' shirts that fit me, Elizabeth found me a cute belt, Aisling found me a cute little girl's baby doll trench, and I found a pink hand knit sweater with a sleeping gray cat on it. Total = $2. Everyone would give me stuff they found and liked, but was too small.

#3 At dinner at Cafe Louvre, my favorite professor (that everyone here is obsessed with) walked by and then said hi when he passed again. We were hoping we would FINALLY get a chance to see his wife and baby, but alas, he was just with friends.

As I rode the tram back alone (because Aisling and her sister were headed somewhere else and I needed to take a shower before our water went cold for the night), some lone man on the street waved good bye to me, thus signaling the end of my last weekend in Prague, and most likely the end of this luck.