Yum!

Well, I think it’s about time I update this. What is it, October already? Geez. I really haven’t been loyal here.  Since I’ve already written this and never got around to posting it, I’m going to start with a quick recap of summer. While that soaks in to your brains, I’ll get my act together and do another recap of the first month and a half of school!

For those of you who don’t know, I am still here teaching 1^st and 2^nd grade at Varosligeti Iskola. I’m having a great time, despite feeling worn out at the end of the day. Autumn is looking rather cold right about now, but at least the central heating has been turned in. More to come soon, but now summer!

I’m sure all you followers of my blog out there have been waiting on the edge of your seats to hear about my summer! While there’s much more to say than what I’ve written below, I thought I’d give the highlights. Please feel free to ask me any questions if you want more information, especially if you’re considering traveling to any of these destinations.

Country #1: Croatia

We started our trip in Croatia; we ended our trip in Croatia. First up was Zagreb, which was very green, and very relaxed. If you’ve been to Prague or Bratislava, I’d have to say it felt like a mix between the two. We took some time to explore the

Awesome roof on a church in Zagreb

cobblestoned streets overlooking the busy downtown area, walking past the first pharmacy in Europe and an awesome-looking church roof. At night, we found a microbrewery with some

Cevapcici...uncooked!

cheap food and my first taste of cevapcici! If you’re ever in this area, forget eating anything but these tasty “minced meat fingers.” They will change your life. Forever. Maybe.

After exploring Zagreb, we met with Nick, the US guy living in Italy, and headed to Plitvice. The waterfalls here are breathtaking. Not to be missed. Enough said.

The view with two hooligans in the panorama

Towards the end of the trip, we spent several days in Dubrovnik. I was here a couple years ago, and largely due to my lack of world awareness, I didn’t really grasp the effects of the fighting here that took place in the not-too-distant past. As you walk along the wall, you’ll notice the houses with newer, orange roofs. Those were all bombed. Stunning. We came to Dubrovnik following our travels through Montenegro and Bosnia, making the impact that much more real. According to Rick Steves’ guidebook, Dubrovnik citizens hid in the wall and were able to successfully fight off attempts to be overtaken by Serbians. Please don’t quote me on that; I’m just reading the book.  We also took the ferry out to Lokrum, an island worth a walk around, unless you want to find a cove to swim in without repelling 100 feet to, as it is solely a nude beach. If you’re into the birthday suit style, you’ll love it! Back in the city, look out for a hole in the wall, where you can chill with locals while overlooking the serene waters. Jump in, dry off, have a beer, rinse, repeat.

Our first beer of the trip, Karlovac, Croatia

 

 

Plitvice Waterfalls

Plitvice Falls...stunning!

Our own private cove, Korcula

which is made only there due to a grape that grows in the sandy dirt of this island alone. We also found a cove to swim in, with some nude bathers — none worth complaining about, though! As you leave Korcula for the mainland, make sure to buy your car ferry tickets early — otherwise you’ll wake up at 4:00 AM only to wait 2 hours for the next ferry due to the long line of cars with the same idea as you!

Nobody should be up this early to catch a ferry

Overall, Croatia is a great escape from some crowds you’d find in other countries, while still enjoying the beach. The food is delicious, but not the affordable prices I had envisioned for seafood. Having a car really made things a lot easier. For instance, we got to stop in a town called Ston, in between Dubrovnik and Korcula, which had Europe’s oldest (or longest) wall, as well as salt fields, some of which I purchased at a souvenir shop in Zagreb.

View from the minaret, Mostar

Country #2: Bosnia

Bosnia was the cream of the crop of this trip. If there’s anything I’ve ever done that surprised me beyond belief, it was driving through Bosnia. Several days before leaving, Nick and I were bouncing emails back and forth about pirates that will pull

Mostar Bridge, Bosnia

us over, rob us blind, and leave us to die. Well, that was not the case whatsoever! Our first experience of Bosnia was Bihac, right across the border and a short drive from the Plitvice

Waterfalls in Bosnia

waterfalls. Tip to the wise: don’t drink so much that you’ll end up sweating bullets trying to cross back into Croatia. Those border guards are intimidating, but at least you sober up pretty quickly! The pizza in Bihac is also delicious, especially when doused with Louisiana hot sauce! The sauce was so good, the waiter let me keep BOTH bottles!

Our real experience of Bosnia started as we actually drove through the countryside. I was expecting to see bombed out remnants everywhere, and that wasn’t exactly the case. Most houses had been rebuilt, but most of those houses were also not finished. We made stops along the way, including some catacombs in a town called Jajce. Makes you want to roll the dice and yell

Jajce, Bosnia

“Yahtzee!” no? Anyway, our main stop in Bosnia was Mostar. Mostar has a beautiful crooked bridge and a lively old town to meander through. We went up one of the minarets, which gave us a great view of the entire city. Too bad someone left their dirty underwear up there!

One thing throughout Bosnia that was interesting was the number of mosques. There’s a collision of religions here, but mosques were the most prevalent of the religious buildings. Only on a few occasions did we hear the prayer call, though. On the second day in Mostar, we drove out to some waterfalls, which we were able to swim in (unlike Plitvice). This was a great find, and definitely worth doing if you can get there! Even better was the fortress we walked around on the way back. Beautiful houses line this hillside, but above is an old fortress. We were plenty worried that there had been no renovations to the one tower you could climb in, but braved it anyway. We started doing some trekking beyond the fortress, but worried about landmines and with no goats to sacrifice, we quickly backtracked out of there!

The water was...freezing!

After leaving Mostar, we stopped in Sarajevo. To be honest, I was not thoroughly impressed with Sarajevo, but look forward to going back to revisit some of the historical aspects, such as

Jamie, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Nick

the tunnel tour I did not get to do. This tunnel linked Bosnians to the airport so they could escape without being killed in an area known as  “Sniper Alley.” I did, however, get a Sarajevo Shave here, which hurt. The haircut, however, was one of the better choices of the trip. Thanks, Nick! Without you, I’d probably still be looking like Cousin It or something! Also, don’t

Inside the abandoned fortress

forget to eat Burek in Bosnia! This tasty pastry, filled with cheese, spinach, or meat, is mouth-watering. I could seriously live off of burek and cevapcici!

Overall, Bosnia left us all with a sense of awe. Here we were, in a place that not too many have probably visited, and it may be a while before even more make there way there. The food was great, the countryside was just stunning, and the sites were worth visiting without a doubt. Mostar should be on everyone’s must-see list!

Country #3: Montenegro

Montenegro was hard to find, at first. Despite a useless GPS that only showed that we were going somewhere, without any imagery of freeways, cities, or any other helpful marker, we found the road to the border. Unfortunately, it was a one-lane road made of dirt with cows to pass by around every other turn! Luckily, a car drove by and confirmed we were headed in the right direction! Once we got across the border, we made our way to our bungalow/campsite along the Tara River.

Near the Tara River, Montenegro

Another experience not to be missed: River rafting the Tara.  While the river itself is tame, especially compared to rivers like the American in California, the canyon is amazing. You can’t help but not paddle, like our German companions who probably didn’t know what a paddle was, as you look up along the canyon walls. Our river guide said no more than, “Stop, go,” but that’s all we needed to survive that ride! We stayed there for two nights just to relax, and that’s exactly what we did! The place was all-inclusive (except drinks), so it was easy to choose what to eat (what’s in front of you) and what not to eat (what’s in front of you).

Sveti Stefan, Montenegro

Following our river rafting adventures. We drove towards Kotor Bay. After a quick stop in Cetinje, Montenegro’s first capital, we made our way to the Bay. We also stopped at a monastery built into a hillside WAY up. How did they do it? Who knows! Props to Nick for backing uphill about 60 feet while a tour bus that should never have been on that one-lane road cruised

The dam we really weren't supposed to take a picture of! Montenegro

upward towards us. Even the cars behind us were applauding his efforts!

Kotor Bay, Montenegro

Once we got to Kotor, we settled in and walked around the bay. Starving for calamari, we walked towards some yellow umbrellas I spotted. Oh, it’s a bar! Well, let’s have a drink. I offer to buy the first round. Three beers come our way, and 20 Euros go the bartenders. “No.” He won’t take my money?  Oh no, it’s not enough! Maybe they don’t take Euros here! Nick’s going to have to sell himself or something here! Wait, what’s this? Opening night of the bar? Free drinks for all? Sweet! What way to start our time in Montenegro. And to top it off, we found calamari back at the hotel. Score!

View of Kotor Bay from the hotel

The rest of our time in Montenegro was spent hanging out at the beaches in an area called Sveti Stefan. We’re positive that in the next few years, this destination will only allow access to the beaches to those who pay to stay at the neighboring hotels, so go now! Kotor, once a stronghold of Venice, is a cool old town to walk through, but very reminiscent of Venice (narrow walkways without canals). There’s also lots of yachts around, as well as cruise ships, making Kotor one of those up-and-coming tourist destinations!

Beautiful Tara River

Best Food: Cevapcici and Burek for a close 2^nd!

Worst Food:  Semi-torched squid

Most surprising place to visit: Bosnia, especially the countryside

Most rewarding place to visit: Mostar, Bosnia

Most disappointing but still worth visiting: Dubrovnik ONLY because of the number of tourists. We spoiled ourselves with the less-touristy Bosnia and Montenegro before arriving at this amazing city.

Best Bar: The hole in the wall in Dubrovnik, or the open bar in Kotor Bay (but that was a one-time deal)

Best Game: Rummy at 2 in the morning

Worst Game: ABC Signs and License Plates. You try calling a letter out of the Cyrillic alphabet!

Worth a splurge:  Steak at Domino Restaurant in Dubrovnik. Definitely was time for a decent steak in Europe!

Don’t bother: Spending more than a day in Zagreb. There’s so much more to see in Croatia!

I’m sure there is plenty more to say about this trip, but that’s a pretty good chunk of it. Following this trip, we headed back to the US for a couple of weeks to divulge in friends, family, and food! From pizza to Mexican to Chinese, I made sure to enjoy some of the things I knew I’d miss before coming back to Hungary for round two! Also made sure to go to Santa, Cruz, South Lake Tahoe and even an amusement park (Great America) before hopping on that plane!

Lake Balaton: The start of summer!

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything here, and I’m sorry for that. I’d be lying if I said nothing has happened since the last post, as we’ve been plenty busy! I just haven’t had time to prepare some of the media that I wanted to for the entries.

In a nutshell, school has ended, the rain has finally stopped (for now), and we are into week one of our summer vacation! We started in Lake Balaton, saying goodbye to some of our fellow teachers in the sea of Hungary! Pictures to come, but for now, all I can say is that I was reminded of Lake Tahoe while being near the lake…except the water here was much warmer!

We leave tomorrow morning for Zagreb, Croatia, which thus begins the big adventure of summer 2010. Here’s a breakdown of we’re we are heading, in case we lose contact and someone needs to know the last place we may have been seen. Nick, who just finished moving his family back to America, is back in Italy until tomorrow, when he will then head to join us on this epic journey that will last about 2+ weeks.

June 25-26 Zagreb

June 26-28 Plitvice Waterfalls

June 28-30 Mostar, Bosnia

June 30-July 2 Scepan Polje (white water rafting in Montenegro)

July 2-4 Kotor Bay, Montenegro

July 4-6 Dubrovnik, Croatia

July 6-9 Korcula, Croatia

July 10-12 Zagreb, Croatia (and the World Cup final match!)

July 12-14 Budapest, Hungary

July 14-August 21 San Francisco, California, USA

So there you have it, our travel plans! Hopefully during my time back in America, I’ll have plenty of free time (and, believe me, I will) to catch up on some blogging.

Before I sign off for the next few weeks, let me leave you with this: WordPress allows me to see what people have searched for to somehow end up on my blog. Here are some of those searches, along with the number of times it’s been searched:

jacob frisbie hidas (17); 6 horned sheep (6); jamie stubblefield (5); goose liver (4); zoo architecture (4); hungarian hedgehog (3); rocktogon (3); sweaty vagina (2); a guy trap in the zoo (2); real birds that start with a (2); hungarian hedgehog police (2);  gypsy mansion (2); alex hidas (6).

Some of them seem okay, but then you really have to wonder who’s looking for sweaty female genitalia, or someone to arrest a hedgehog.

View from the castle...so green

Raven-stone the UNESCO Heritage Site

A couple weeks ago, I was invited on a field trip with one my first grade classes to Holloko (For more information, also click here). Located about 1 1/2 hours from Budapest, the village is a representation of what life was like. From my understanding, this village, a UNESCO World Heritage site whose name means ‘Raven-stone,” exists today because they decided to build a new village nearby rather than repave the roads.

After an early morning bus ride, we made it to the village and had a light snack. What do you do with 30 kids in a village? Arts and crafts, of course! So we started with the kids (and teachers) making candles, bracelets, or decorating pouches and bandanas. After the craftiness was finished, we meandered down the one street in town before it started to rain. We hid from the downpour under a roof, followed by inside an old church with a wooden steeple, and lastly, an old house with one main bedroom where nobody slept.

The roofs of the houses had beautiful designs cut in the front that were more than just for making the house look nice. To have a chimney meant you’d have to pay a chimney tax, so instead of doing so, villagers cut the holes to let out the smoke (see picture, below). Now that’s what I call a loop-hole!

Almos and David making a bracelet

Er...bandana making?

Eszter making a candle

Boti impressed by his work

Kids Storming the Castle...and they had fun!

Once we had replenished our stomachs with lunch, we made our way to an awesome castle! The castle, which is in better condition than most throughout the country, avoided being bombed early on because the bombers thought it was too small to worry about. Inside the castle are trap doors that were used to take the floor right out from under enemies (literally), and a water system, too. After enjoying the views of the surrounding area, we made our way back to Budapest.

What was most amazing on this trip is that this is the same class I went to Szentendre/Skanzen with earlier in the year, and I was blown away by the progression of their English. If only they would use those skills more in my class…

What a loop-hole! Also, it's pouring!

The Original Potato Masher!

Old Woman on the porch

Traditional Family Room - nobody sleeps here

Inside the Castle

Trap door for enemies to fall through

And now, the match that you’ve all been waiting for…

While waiting for the next train in Esztergom since we missed one by 30 seconds, we popped into a small bar at the station. The bar owner and another old gentleman were playing billiards, so we took over the foosball table. After playing a couple rounds, the old guy challenged us to a match. And so began the…

FOOSBALL SHOWDOWN!

This is definitely something we’ll never forget. I don’t really know who won, since the last round one of us teamed up with an impressive Hungarian who worked for MAV, the train company. Either way, we had a great time!

Now it’s time to go enjoy a sunny Saturday in Budapest on the first of May, 2010.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, the video you’ve all been waiting for, the Scoppio del Carro (or at least what we saw of it):

Enjoy!

Esztergom Panorama!

Between being sick and, well, being less sick, Jamie and I have tried to enjoy the first few sunny weekends of Spring! A couple weeks ago, we went caving. Apparently, Budapest is not just the City of Spas, but the City of Caves as well. These caves were formed by the very same water that we swim in at the bathhouses!

Oooh...cave!

If you come to the city for some caving, I recommend you do both caves, as they can easily be done in a couple hours, but start with the Palvolgyi Cave first. There was more to see, and it felt more like being in a cave than a cemented path you just follow (which is what the second one is like).

Jamie exploring!

We also made a day trip out to Esztergom. Though all the guidebooks exclaim how it’s just a train away, they fail to mention the construction and detours involved. If you plan to go to Esztergom, be prepared to hop off and onto a bus (follow everyone else), and then onto another train to Esztergom (again, follow everyone else). You’ll do the same on the way back. Esztergom was cool for a day trip. On a sunny day like we had, the views are spectacular. We unfortunately missed going into the Crypt, but we had an excellent time nonetheless!

Stork in Tokaj

To top off our weekend adventures, we went with several other teachers to Tokaj, AKA white wine country. Unfortunately for me, I had the displeasure of being sick. The fun doesn’t stop with a sore throat, that’s for sure! We walked through the town and into several wine cellars, had some good food, and bounced a ball up and down the street until one of us lost it (cough, cough, Jeremy). We even bought a (reused plastic) bottle of wine from a very old guy who knows how to suck the wine straight from the barrel! 3 puttonyos (stars) Aszu!

Jamie overlooking Slovakia in Esztergom

The bazilika in Esztergom

Szent Istvan and the Bazilika

The way to Slovakia

Back to Hungary!

Jamie and I spent the last weekend recuperating from being sick, which was a bummer except for the fact that we started a new show: Heroes. I have to say that I’m digging it so far. Next weekend, pending our health, should be another Magyarorszag Adventure!

Americans versus Hungarians!

Coming soon…video of the SCOPPIO DEL CARRO!!!

Florence, Italy

Okay, so that may not have been funny, but regardless, Jamie and I still spent our spring break in Northern Italy. We were a little worried about planning a trip that might break our bank, but let me assure you that we still have enough to eat top ramen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. After some back and forth emails with my Italian-residing friend, Nick, we booked a flight on Wizzair.

Wizzair is one of several budget airlines around Europe. While these flights are cheap, the add-ons add up, oftentimes quickly and sadistically. Jamie and I packed lightly, but paid to check an extra bag, just in case. The other catch with these airlines is that most often they land in a city away from your ultimate destination. We landed in Treviso, about 45 minutes from Venice.

Days 1 and 2: Venice, Italy

After arriving in Venice, we made our first purchase: a Rolling Venice card and a 3-day youth pass. For those considering a trip to Venice, know that the transportation is not necessarily cheap. At 6.50 Euros for a one-way, 60-minute waterbus ride, the excursions can quickly add up. The Rolling Venice card also offers some discounts at other places, but we didn’t use it too much.

The first challenge was to find the hotel. However, with my excellent navigation skills (and a blurry Google Map), we were able to drop our bags off. The hotel, Ambassador Tre Rose, is located literally 30 seconds from Piazza San Marco. Turn right, and another right, and BAM, the piazza. We grabbed a Panini, meandered, and made our way to Doge’s Palace.

Doge’s Palace, home to the Bridge of Sighs, is a must-see in Venezia. We decided to take the Secret Tour, which takes you into some rooms that make it worth the extra 6 Euros. Tip: Purchase tickets from the correct website if doing so online. My mistake, and we almost didn’t get to go on the tour. But since we did go, I can tell you that we got to see Casanova’s two prison cells, learn about how he escaped, and even how we could destroy the ceiling of one of the largest rooms in the palace with the drop of a coin.

After exiting the palace, we did what any visitor to Venice does: Get lost. We found ourselves walking every which way, finally ending up near the Naval Arsenal. For most of the day, the weather had been sunny. And then it rained. Not just rained, but poured. Long story short, we made our water bus passes worth the money.

One of our biggest concerns in Italy was eating, especially in Venice. However, with some research, you can save some money. We ate at a restaurant

EuroCheapo Recommendation!

recommended by EuroCheapo, which for 18 euros, included first plate, second plate with side dish, and dessert. On top of that, sparking water and bread were free! What a steal and a deal!

The night ended with lightning and thunder, and a bitter spritz (with Campari). I’m not going to say I recommend it, but at least try it while your there. It was cool drinking a spritz among all these other Italians also enjoying their spritz drinks.

The Venetian Spritz

1 part white wine
1 part Aperol (medium sweet) OR Select (less sweet) OR Campari or San Bitter
1 part seltzer/sparkling water (it helps if you can blast it into the glass)

Combine the above with a little ice, an olive, and a slice of orange / lemon / lemon
respectively, according to your choice of aperitif mixer.

And that ended the night.

The next day was consumed of more walking. We walked the Jewish Ghetto, which is also the first ghetto…EVER! After consuming pizza for lunch, we made our way to Murano, home to glass making, and Burano, home to lace making. Both were cool in their own rights, but the houses of Burano were very unique and colorful.

Burano

Our trip to Venice may have been only two days, but we accomplished a lot, and the trip wasn’t even close to being over! The next step was heading out to the countryside of Vicenza! Near the Santa Lucia train station is a fast food restaurant called Brek. Definitely worth a stop for a quick, cheap, and delicious bite before heading out and about. We arrived in Vicenza around 10, met Nick, and went for a view of the city and a drink. And so it continues…

Day 3: Marostica, Bassano del Grappa, and Asiago

Jamie, Ida, and Nick

After waking up at Castillo LaForgia to some cute kids, we enjoyed an all-American breakfast of pancakes with syrup, bacon, and scrambled eggs. It was just what the Italian doctor ordered.

With one of the kids in tow, we started off with a stop in Marostica, which has remnants of a castle on a hill, a giant chess board, and some nice views. Once we’d had enough, we moved on to Bassano del Grappa for some bruschette, which was probably the best meal of the trip. The day ended with rain and a brisk walk through Asiago (along with some cheese purchases), before heading back to the Castle to sleep before Easter Sunday.

Day 4: Florence

Similar to our Thanksgiving adventure here in Europe, we made sure Easter was an untraditional as possible. Instead of hiding eggs, we watched a cart filled with fireworks explode next to a basilica! Woohoo! Let me just say that the Scoppio del Carro was one of the coolest things that I never actually saw…ever. I was literally holding my camera up by the mini-tripod, hoping to get some footage that I could watch later on. Luckily, I got some great shots. What a surreal way to ring in Easter! A good fireworks show equals a good harvest year, and I’d say that this ought to be a great year for whatever you’re growing at home!

Florence was a busy city, but we managed to walk, take some pictures, enjoy a beer or two, and even see Botticelli’s Birth of Venus at the Uffizi Galleria. I am not a big art aficionado, but this was a great museum. Not too big, had some great paintings by some awesome artists, and then you’re done. No harm, no foul. Long lines, but that’s why we had reserved tickets online.

The Scoppio del Carro!

The night ended with some more drinks, some staggering through Florence, and then crashing at the hotel. Our trip was coming to a close, but not without one…more…day.

Day 5: Siena and Monteriggioni

To end the trip, we stopped off in Siena. Located south of Florence, Siena has some cool streets, old buildings, candle holsters on the walls, and a large area used to race horses to their death. After meandering around and eating pizza with potatoes inside (strange, but good), we headed out.

Rather than go straight home, we decided to detour to a totally walled-in city called Monteriggioni. It was on a hillside with nothing else around, but it was a great place to stop. Who would’ve guessed?! We even got to try armor on at the museum there! Now that’s especially worth a stop! After we’d had our fix, we hopped back in the car and sat in traffic for a while. It’s a good thing we didn’t run out of gas — but close to!

Monteriggioni, the walled-in city

While the end of the trip was kind of quiet, we’re glad we got to get out to Italy and have a great time! Thanks again to the LaForgia family for housing us. Their awesome hospitality is greatly appreciated (along with the pancakes!).

I also want to add that we ate plenty of gelato every day, but could’ve used at least one last scoop before our 8:00 AM flight Tuesday morning!

Who knew that during my time teaching, I’d find myself with a mystery to solve! Solving mysteries in Hungary?! I feel like Scooby Doo! Let me start this post by saying that teaching English has been quite the experience thus far. It’s fun, it’s tough, it’s different, but I’m having a great time.

Despite all the fun I’ve been having, I’ve also had some trouble as of late keeping them quiet in my class. I’m working on keeping control, but seeing as how teaching kids is new experience for me, it is a skill I’ll continue to acquire.

Earlier this week, I had just got one of my rowdier second grade classes quiet so we could continue our work with The Little Red Hen. All of a sudden, a student I’ll call “Zoltan” starts shaking his leg.

Startled, I ask, “Zoltan, what are you doing?!” Zoltan keeps shaking his leg. After some hard jolts, a blue pair of underwear fell out of his pant leg.

Zoltan looks down at the underwear, looks up at me, looks back down at the underwear, and then picks them up. He examines them, looks at me, throws them at the ground, picks them up again, throws them at the ground, and finally, exclaims, “MYSTERY!”

He stands up, and I asked him if they were his. Smiling from ear to ear, he exclaims they’re his with a quiet “yes.” Before I could tell him to put them in his locker, he bundles them, puts them in his pocket, raise his arms in the air and states, “OK!

The whole class burst into laughter, myself included, and I wasn’t sure any of us would regain enough composure to cut some wheat, grind it into flour, and make some bread for the Little Red Hen to enjoy.

MYSTERY: SOLVED?

Prague from atop the Castle

While the Hungarians recognized the day of the 1848 revolution on Monday, March 15, Jamie, me, and 4 other teaches decided to take advantage of a 3-day weekend and head to Prague/Praga/Praha.

1st Graders commemorating the 1848 revolution

Prague is a fairy tale of a place, and easy enough to get to that it fit perfectly for a weekend trip. We all found different means to get there, whether it be plane, train, or Student Bus Agency, but we all managed to meet up for some good times.

Jamie, me, and another teacher (we’ll call her “Eleanor”) took the bus from Budapest (or Gyor) to Prague. It was a seven-hour ride that included Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Czech subtitles, Ocean’s Thirteen with English subtitles, and a movie called Lonesome Jim, starring Casey Affleck and Liv Tyler. It was strange, but I have to say I enjoyed it.

When we arrived in Prague, it was 11:30 at night. We booked an apartment near the Old Town Square, famous for it’s astronomical tower. It was a good location for a great walking city. After walking around for half an hour, we found the apartment, and met Jeremy inside. Let’s breakdown the weekend, but for those who are not interested in that, let me first give some general thoughts on Prague.

For me, Prague was a great weekend trip. You could easily see most of the sights in a single weekend, most of which by foot. Like Bratislava, I felt like Prague was right out of a fairy tale, with his cobblestone streets and old buildings. The prices were pretty similar to Budapest, which is nice coming from America or Western Europe, but not the price break I had imagined coming from Hungary. Regardless, it is still very affordable. It’s also a clean city, English-friendly, and has plenty of delicious beer.

Thirst Quenching Czech Beer

Anyone who has the chance to should definitely see Prague at least once.  Now, onto our itinerary for the weekend, which is more than you care to know!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

• Enjoyed a bagel (yes, a bagel) at an ex-pat favorite called Bohemia Bagel
• Watched the coolest show ever at the Astronomical Tower (see video)
• Walked around the castle, and saw a really big church
• Enjoyed delicious Thai food
• Walked across the Charles Bridge, famous for tourists and knick knacks
• Admired but did not purchase Absinthe or Cannabis Vodka. Big mistake.
• Walked, and walked, and walked
• Drank a beer sampler at a microbrewery. Beers sampled included: wheat, dark, coffee, banana, nettle, marzen, and a light beer
• Ate dinner in a 12^th Century cellar
• Guzzled Czech beer as well as the Palinka cousin known as Slivovice
• Ended the evening with some of my wonderful hypnosis skills. No comment on the parties involved, but this included swimming on the ground and snakes in one’s pants

I forgot to rotate the video, but it’s probably more exciting watching it sideways anyway!

Jamie tried, but couldn't get the guy to crack a smile!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

• So impressed by the bagels, that we went back to Bohemia Bagel
• Toured the Jewish District of Prague. Saw five synagogues, a Jewish cemetery with bodies layered on top of one another, and even the home of the Golem
• Ate lunch at a big lunch hall called Lokal. Excellent bread dumplings and meat, along with beer to wash it all down
• Followed our tour guide, Betsy, until our feet fell off as we searched for cheap beer. By the time we went to the bar (post-dinner), beer was sold out. Instead, we enjoyed a lightning and thunder and snowstorm show

Monday, March 15, 2010

Seeing as this was the last day in Prague, we thought we’d try and see something awesome! We headed to some old church and cemetery that was very cool. The gravestones were quite intricate, making the experience all the more memorable. Jamie and I were having so much fun that we tried to switch our bus to a night bus, but we were out of luck. We did, however, enjoy an amazing milkshake before heading home.

Another view of Prague

It was great to get away from Budapest for the weekend, and now Jamie and I are preparing for our next adventure, Venice, Italy!

This guy looks pretty comfortable sleeping!

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…
Nellie the elephant packed her trunk and
said goodbye to the circus
Off she rode with a trumpety trump
trump trump trump

Nellie the elephant packed her trunk
and trumbled off to the jungle
off she rode with a trumpety trump
trump trump trump

(Nellie the Elephant by The Toy Dolls)

Jamie and I decided to take advantage of a sunny Saturday and go to the Budapest Zoo. Too bad that sun doesn’t necessarily mean warmth. The zoo is actually pretty close to us, seeing as how we are near to the Varosliget (City Park), which happens to also be home to the zoo. Now, I, like many people out there, don’t appreciate seeing animals locked up in cages. However, I have to say that most of the animals seemed pretty happy to be there. The zoo was a pretty big place, so we had a lot of ground to cover!

Seeing as how it was still cold out, and the fact that it was breakfast time, many of the animals were inside smaller enclosures eating a delicious meal. We had the chance to be especially close to the rhinos and hippos. Speaking of hippos, we walked into a very Middle Eastern-esque building, and as we turn the corner, we hear a loud SPLASH and caught some water spritzing into the air. We were literally two feet away from two hippos locked inside to avoid the cold weather. They were beautiful creatures, happily swimming in their unfortunately cramped quarters.

Very cool building, home to the hippos

We were THIS close to the hippos

After the incident in San Francisco with the tiger jumping out of her enclosure, it was a pleasant surprise to be able to get so close to some of the animals. We felt entirely safe walking throughout the zoo, admiring the different architecture and

Jamie feeding an elephant!

feel throughout the zoo. Jamie and I even fed some elephants. As one of the trainers was carrying a bucket of apples outside, one of the elephants stretched their trunk through the fence and snatched an apple before the trainer could snap at the big guy. Jamie and I braved the elephant feeding, which seemed more like vacuums as they sucked up their apples and carrots from us.

Jamie decided to feed her sweater to a baby goat

I wonder who that foot belongs to?

While we didn’t see any butterflies or penguins this time around, we spent quite some time in the gorilla enclosure admiring a mother and a recently born baby gorilla. It was definitely the highlight of the day, as the little tyke clung on to mom while she meandered through the enclosure, looking for a place to sleep.

Our new washing machine!

Next to the gorillas were some orangutans, which was the perfect way to end the day. One of the orangutans was playing with a pink bucket full of water. After splashing it around for a while, he grabbed a shirt and began to wash it!

If only we had him doing our laundry! He would wash it, squeeze it, try it on for size, rinse, lather, and repeat!

This rhino's got an appetite!

After carrying the water around for a while, he accidentally knocked it all over and decided to put the bucket on his head instead. With his lack of vision, the orangutan swung himself right into the glass. After a while, he took the bucket off, and started licking the glass. With that, we knew it was time to go, and so ended our day at the Budapest Allatkert!