Czech it out

We arrived in Prague early Monday morning after a very cozy night on a train. Prague is the most beautiful city I have ever visited and there is striking architecture everywhere you look. Our hostel in Prague was a bit quieter than the one in Krakow which made for three relaxing days.

 

The first day we spent exploring he city. We saw another Easter Market, had some bratwursts for lunch, saw the Astronomical Clock and wandered around by the river. That night we headed to a fountain show. I loved the fountain show in Barcelona so I was pretty pumped for a Dirty Dancing themed show in Prague. We got there and were greeted by a carnival. Except it was a sort of creepy and deserted carnival, not exactly what we were looking for. We finally found the show and bought our tickets. At this point we realized the sun would not have set by the beginning of the show...and the effect of the lighted fountain would be lost. So it would have been a really cool fountain show except we couldn't see any of the movie clips. Oh well, can't win 'em all!

The Prague Castle is one of the biggest in the world and it showcases quite a mishmash of architectural styles. There are museums, churches, plazas, fountains, other palaces and even cafes inside the castle compound. We crossed St. Charles' Bridge and climbed a huge hill to get there. We almost saw the changing of the guards but got lost and only saw the backs of the guards as they marched off. Then we ventured over to the John Lennon wall to take some hippie pictures.

 

We spent our last day exploring and relaxing by the river. We listened to a man sing some Beatles' songs on an outdoor patio (they love the Beatles in Prague!) and found a great bagel place that even sold hummus! I'm so glad I was able to go to Prague because so many of my friends loved it. And now I know why! More from spring break to come soon.

This week is my last week of classes in Madrid. I can hardly believe the time has flown by so quickly and I know the last few weeks will go even faster. Time to buckle down and get ready for final exams!

¡Hasta la próxima!

Un aspecto muy importante de la cultura española es futbol. Anoche un partido entre Madrid y Barcelona ocurrió y yo pude ver las señales de una gran rivalidad. Parece como un partido de futbol americano entre los Wisconsin Packers y los Minnesota Vikings. La rivalidad entre Madrid y Barcelona es una de las rivalidades más fuertes en España. Una chica española en una de mis clases me dijo que el estadio de Real Madrid no toca la música de Shakira porque ella está saliendo con Pique, el que es el jugador mejor del equipo de Barcelona. ¡Sabes que es una rivalidad fuerte cuando una persona puede negar Shakira! En el partido anoche el equipo de Barcelona gano 2-0, una pérdida grande para Madrid. La familia con que vivo estuvo en frente de la televisión toda la noche y todas sus parientes estuvieron en la casa para ver el partido también. Ellos estaban gritando mucha de la noche. Cuando alguien metió un gol, pude oír los gritos de la calle y los restaurantes cerca. Es muy divertido cuando una ciudad o una comunidad puede unir para apoyar su equipo. La experiencia es divertida y me siento como soy parte de la comunidad también.  A la misma vez, le extraño los partidos de beisbol con mi familia y mis amigos en Minnesota. Pero he hablado con mi padre y él dice que tenemos billetes para ver un partido muy pronto este verano.