king of the castle

This is from my other blog, but it details what we did last Sunday!

View of the Karstejn castle from the butts (or busts) of mannequins

Forty short minutes away from Prague lies Karlstejn - home to King Charles' castle. There's not much else in Karlstejn, but the views alone are worth the 60 CZK it cost to get there.  It's a 2-mile walk uphill to the castle with gift shops and zmrzlina all along the way. I'm not sure what exactly you are supposed to do if you live in Karlstejn and need to buy something other than a Czech sweatshirt, but I guess the Karlstejnians have figured it out. The town is very quaint and if you could imagine what a traditional Czech town might look like, this hits the nail on the head. Windy roads, small cars, gardens, fences, clothes lines and gnomes in windows are all included in the uphill climb. If you get lucky, like we did, you even get to hear the small Czech children donning traditional garb singing in the streets. I'm not sure what they were singing about, but holding hands, pigtails and spinning around in a circle were all part of the gig -- also worth the 3 bucks, if you ask me. 

When you finally reach the top of the hill, you feel like you've run a marathon. Luckily, there's a spot to stop and get beer about half way up the most brutal part of the climb. After you reach the top, you can pay various amounts of money to see various parts of the castle. They have some English tours and student discounts make it pretty affordable. Be wary of the English tours because the tour guides have semi-programmed the tour into their vocabulary, so their English isn't that good if you actually have a question. If you're not really into history, going into the castle won't do much for you. A majority of the inside was redone during Restoration in the 19th century. All the 'art' on the walls is pieces of the actual 14th century castle, so that's pretty neat. You also get to see replicas of some crowns - they pretty much look like replicas, though slightly more glamorous than a crown you might have worn in a 2nd grade school play. 

For me, the main draw was the awe-inspiring view you get when the tour is over. The basic tour spits you out in the castle's courtyard. The courtyard is worth exploring. If you go up and stand on something you can see the whole land, and you pretty much feel like King Charles, minus the crown. You guessed it, also worth the CZK you pay. 

When exiting the castle, there's a little nature trail that takes you around the other side of the mountain. It's scenic, you get to walk next to a stream, and I'm pretty sure it's shorter. If motivated, which you will be, have a Hansel and Gretel moment and skip down the trail and frolic in the stream. You wind back through town and then back to the train station. It's a pretty hefty walk there and back so make sure you've worn comfortable shoes. 

I snapped this particular photo mainly because I love mannequins. I have a technicolored mannequin named Janice at home -- and she's awesome. She would be proud I took this photo. It seemed appropriate because the juxtaposition was so rare - a mannequin and a 14th century castle. It's not everyday you see such a sight. Not to mention that being in a city that's so painfully touristy, every other second someone is snapping a picture of someone else in front of an iconic landmark. I felt the mannequins should also have photos to show mom and dad too- maybe even send a postcard. After having been here a week, I can safely say I'm surprised by nothing the Czechs do, so this should be expected. 

Brews and Rendezvous

Note: Starting today, I have to incorporate the academic part into my blog, so there'll be a bit more photo explanation. 

Around Here: Czech fashionisto running to catch the tram.

 Monday got off to a pretty rough start. My roommates and I went to get breakfast, and I got lost...again. I was taking pictures, I turned around, and they were gone. We were out exploring the area near our house, so it wasn't too far away from home. In the meantime, I did snap a couple cool shots of people doing stuff around the church 2 blocks away.

I hopped into a Czech bakery, knowing that delicious pastries and sandwiches awaited me. Overwhelmed with freshly baked aromas, I decided to ask for help. I spotted a man wearing a Key West shirt, immediately assuming he spoke English -- after all, he had been to Key West. BIG MISTAKE. I asked him if he spoke English, he said a little bit, but at that point, I was too committed to back back into my comfort zone. I told him politely that I wanted to know what he suggested ordering. He then proceeded to start yelling at me, telling me that there was no way he could know what I would want to eat, and so how could he possibly help me. I said pastry, he didnt understand. I said breakfast, he didnt understand. I said BREAK-FAST, he understood and told me to order anything I wanted. Helpful....not. Then he said something in Czech to the woman behind the counter, mostly likely mean, and walked out. I just pointed to something with cheese, paid for it and left. I was so upset I started welling up in the bakery, pathetic, I know. With all my rough encounters these first couple days, I've been feeling rather unstable!

Because all I managed to order was a snack, I stopped by this Italian restaurant for lunch. For 130 CZK   ($7.25), I got a HUGE plate of gnocchi with spinach and gorgonzola cheese -- it was delicious.

Then we had a brief meeting about our blogs, and went down to have orientation at the school, CET. CET is located near Old Town Square (the city center) and we live about 10 minutes away by tram. I'm beginning to learn the tram system, thankfully, I havent taken the wrong one again...yet.

After our orientation, we went to a brewery/monastery to have our welcome dinner. I ordered Grilled Vegetables and Goat Cheese -- completely heavenly, and totally picturesque.

The brewery was located at the top of "the hill", so you could see the whole city. It was completely breathtaking. We had a lovely meal and then walked down the hill through the castle at night.

Wish You Were Here: View of the City from the Brewery

As we walked down the hill, it was getting dark and I got another stunning view of Prague.

The Nocturnalist: View of City from on top of the hill near the Castle 

Angels in the Architecture: getting a sneak-peek of the Castle over some buildings. 

Sense of place: The illustrious cathedral of the Castle. This is just the doorway, you can see the scale. 

As we continued to walk down the hill from the castle, there was an overlook. I think Prague could give Paris a run for its money for the "City of Lights" title. 

The Nocturnalist: Well-lit Prague peeking over a castle wall. 

We continued to make the trek down "the hill" taking photos all along the way. 

The Nocturnalist: Group walk down the hill

Even though it was off to a rough start, it ended quite well. I'm really beginning to love the city, and the people are growing on me....slowly. We've learned a couple of Czech words -- Hello, Thank you, Excuse me, Do you speak English?...you know, the essentials. The Czechs really appreciate our feeble attempts to speak/butcher their language. 

If you'd like to practice Czech in your spare time, just clear your throat a couple times. You've probably said something really thought-provoking. 

Stay tuned, the summer's just begun. Dekuji! (DEH-Kwee) ie. thanks!