Ski Trip

I was a little surprised to find myself going on the CIEE sponsored ski trip to Italy. I missed the payment deadline and, while a little bummed, wasn't too beat up about it and was busy considering other travel options. But, about a week prior I was sitting in the the library of the CIEE study center when I heard Jana and Francis talking about getting on the trip. I decided I might as well ask if I could sneak on and got the go-ahead. 

I paid my money and went with Francis to get a rental snowboard. The place that CIEE recommended was more of a ski shop and the boards we got were terrible quality. The boots were all worn out and had to be tied incredibly tight to get any sort of stability. The board was so-so and the bindings were shifting all over the place. Regardless, they entire rental was pretty cheap and there wasn't any other option so I went with it.

We left for Italy that Thursday at around 10. The plan was to sleep on the bus, arrive early in the morning, ski all day and then check into the hotel. However, skiing is an exerting activity and a nights sleep on a bus isn't exactly good rest. Luckily my sister brought all sorts of sleep inducing drugs from the States and two nyquil's and one benadryl later, I was passed out for the duration. We woke up in the morning in the beautiful Alps. There was a quick pit stop at a gas station to get cleaned up. Walking to and from the bus I took in the scenery. Now, I don't know where Hannibal crossed the Alps, or if he did it in the Summer of Winter, but if he did it anywhere near where I was, that is an incredible feat. The entire landscape was snowy crags with the highway carving its way through the low points of the mountains. In contrast to the Rockies, the Alps are much older mountains and therefore have been weathered to a greater extent. The result is jagged, sharp mountains that are distinctly different from younger mountain ranges.

I've also mentioned that we were in Italy for most of the ski trip. This is true but was not apparent for a good portion of the trip. Upon arrival there were signs in Italian and German while the population spoke German almost exclusively. It was pretty confusing especially when we asked a waiter where we were. The dialogue went like this.

Us: Excuse me, what country are we in?

Waiter: Italy.

Us: Then why does everyone speak German?

Waiter: Because... it's German.

Eventually the mystery was solved when our tour guide explained that we were in Tyrol. Tyrol, apparently, was originally part of the Ausro-Hungarian Empire so they made everyone speak German. After World War I it became part of Italy but it's still in a state of flux. The population speaks mostly German and there is even a small portion that speaks a modern incarnation of Latin. There is also an independence movement based in Tyrol but it doesn't seem too militant. Overall, the area is tourist destination for skiiers in the Winter and hikers/climbers in the Summer months.

Over the weekend we went to three different ski resorts. The first resort had very few trails and almost felt family. The mountaintop restaurant was just a small cabin with a few drinks on sale and what felt seemed home cooked food. The place was also strangely religious with an unusually large amount of crucifixes around.

That night we checked into our pension a few towns away and it was very nice. It had a homey feel and was also a vineyard. The food there was very good and my only complaint was that the shower in our room was broken. After the day of skiing I went to bed at around 9:30 because we had to be up at 7:00 the next morning.

The second resort was called Kronplatz and blew the first place (Jochtal) out of the water. Kronplatz must have been 10 times larger with longer runs and more difficult slopes. On the front face there were several long (20 minute run) black (difficult) slopes. They didn't have any moguls and were just steep, winding runs. I spent the better part of the morning just flying down the steep drops and winding turns. As the day went on it started to get very hot and ice started to develop which, in conjunction with my crappy board, made it a lot harder to stay on my feet. The lift tickets were also electronically monitored so you could check the internet to see how far you travelled that day. I went 50km!

After the day's skiing we had a seat at the bottom of the mountain where we basked in the sun and drank beer. It was really warm, the sun was out and they had a type of beer called Weissbier which is basically wheat beer but it was delicious. It was all I drank during the ski trip. 

The next stop was an "aquatic center" with state of the art magnetic strip technology. When you paid to get in you got a magnetic wristband. Then, in the locker room, you just touched your wristband to an open locker after you put your things in and it would lock. When you came back to get your things you just put your wristband on the locker and it would open! Very high-tech stuff. The center had various pools like a hot bath outside in the cold. They also had a water slide called the Cronsplash that told you how fast you went on the way down. I think I made it to about 16km/hr.

The final day we got up at 6:00 to drive into Austria and ski at the Stubaier Glacier. This was the highest place we were going to ski and apparently they have year round skiing. When we got there we had to take a Gondola up to the glacier and then go up other lifts for the runs.

This place was incredible. It was basically a gigantic crater, completely surrounded by mountains. You would take a lift up to one of the mountains and ski back down toward the center. It was relatively calm and sunny in the center of the crater but on the other sides of the mountains it was a damn tempest. Earlier in the day I bought a pair of children's goggles because it was snowing a little and they were crucial! Looking over the edge of the mountainside you couldn't see a meter into the distance because it was whited out by the wind and snow. There was also no semblance of ski patrol and large portion of the glacier was unmarked bowls with 3 feet of powder. I've never skiied like that before in my life. For the better part of the day we would just go off the marked trails and glide through 3 feet of powder. The feel was more like surfing than snowboarding and many times you would find yourself completely alone, dwarfed by the massive white mountains, cruising in the sun on a glacier. 

One bowl in particular had a large (about 4 or 5 foot) drop over a lip. Every time we would jump off of it and I had some pretty nasty falls. But, because there was about 5 feet of powder at the bottom of the jump I was completely fine every time. It was great. 

After the entire day of skiing (I also ate a really good pretzel), we had some more weissbier and then took the bus ride back to Prague. Once again, the drugs gave me a delightful sleep and I woke up rested in Prague.

Being from Maryland, I don't get to ski in good conditions very often and recently I haven't made ventures to any nearby slopes. I had a shitty trip to roundtop earlier over winter break and that's pretty much been it. I guess my motivation to snowboard is pretty low because I wasn't even too motivated to go on the ski trip. But, after going, I had a great time. I forgot how much I miss snowboarding and the conditions were some of the best I've ever had.

Barcelona

So last weekend I went to Barcelona and it was great. At the beginning of the semester I tried to find time to go visit my friend Sarah who was studying there and only weekend was feasible; the weekend of March 12-15. This was the weekend before midterms and I knew that if I went to Barcelona I wouldn't do any studying that weekend but I figured I would go anyway. I booked a flight with my friend David who was visiting a friend there as well. After getting out of class on Thursday I ran around Prague and got everything in order for the flight. 

The flight itself went smoothly with a small layover in Frankfurt and then on to Barcelona. I landed in Barcelona at 10:50 and looked cab to Sarah's apartment. The weather that week in Prague ranged from the mid-40's to mid-30's so when I stepped outside in a balmy 65 that night it felt great. Barcelona is different from other parts of Spain in that they speak Catalan, a mix of French and ordinary Spanish. This meant that my four years of Spanish (most of which I have forgotten) would be much less useful. Immediately this became apparent when the cabbie mistook the number "ocho" for "dos". Either way, I made it to Sarah's apartment around 11:30 and we got ready to go out. 

Heading out, I looked at the buildings along the street and they felt distinctly Spanish. I can't say what exactly gave them such a feel but it was there. We headed out down La Rambla, a largely populated street littered with small shops and men who try to sell you beers for 1 Euro. We made it to a bar that apparently sells the best sangria in Spain and I have to say it was delicious as I drank the entire glass in about a minute. The next stop was a bar that specialized in shots where we had 3 shots of tequila. Tequila in Spain is usually served with sugar or cinnamon and a slice of orange and it's pretty tasty. Either way, 3 tequila shots in is not a good way to go to a club.

We took a cab to the club, called Opium, right on the beach. Dancing was going on but I wasn't quite in the mood so we all sat outside and talked in the beautiful weather. At the bar I noticed a major difference between Barcelona and Prague: the presence of Americans. Don't get me wrong, Prague has its fair share of Americans, tourists and students. But, at Opium club and around the city in general, you can go almost anywhere, hear English being spoken and see Americans. Apparently, Sarah's study abroad program has over 500 students while my program in Prague had no more than 150.

The club was fine but I spent most of the time wandering around and hanging out by the Mediterranean. We went home around 4:30 which is pretty early by Barcelona standard and got ready for a big day on Friday. 

Waking up late, around 1, we headed out for a lunch a one of Sarah's favorite tapas places. I haven't eaten much seafood in Prague and I was very anxious to get some good seafood. My first trip outside in the daylight was amazing. I wore a polo shirt, the sun was shining and the weather was borderline hot. It was incredible. We ate tapas right under a gothic cathedral in the shade of a backstreet and I ordered some steamed mussels that were huge and delicious. I also sampled Spanish croquettes which are much different from their Czech counterparts. They are fried cylinders with ham and a sort of potato mush usually stuffed inside. We ordered another Barcelon(an)? staple: bread with tomatoes spread on top which was also quite good. 

After lunch, we headed to the Parc de la Cituadella, a park in the center of the city that was highly recommended by the guidebook. We exited the metro at the Arc de Triomf. I've never seen the Arc in Paris, but this one was thoroughly impressing and beautiful. Built with red brick, it once again felt distinctly Spanish. The park was landscaped beautifully, and we had a nice afternoon looking at fountains and laying on the grass having a beer.

That night we met up with my friend David and his friend studying in Spain named Piera. Every night in Barcelona they have this large fountain that has synchronized water jets with music. This thing was great. They have a couple different shows. There's a classical/opera show, a rock show and a soul/R&B show. Good stuff all around.

That night we ate dinner at a traditional Catalan cuisine restaurant where David and I got ripped off. The menu said our fish was 12 Euros but it turned out it was 20. Fabulous.

We headed to a shot bar that was filled with blacklights so everything white was glowing. We ordered a couple of weird shots like the "Harry Potter" and "Boy Scout". One was really cool that had you light the shot on fire, drink it, and then inhale the alcohol vapor or some such nonsense. Finally, we ended up at a club called Razzmatzz which was humongous. With a bunch of different, huge dancefloors we danced until 6:00am when the club closed. At this point, we took the metro home and went to bed with the sun up. I was so proud of this fact that I took pictures of the city that morning after the sun was up.

The next day we woke up and went to grab some lunch. It was hard to believe but it was even hotter than on Friday. We went to a place called La Champagneria which is a gross little eatery that sells hamburgers, sausages and 4 Euro bottles of champagne. The line was massive but we eventually got in and had a bottle or so. The hamburgers at this place were also surprisingly good. After lunch we walked through the coastal area and sat down on the beach. The sun was out and some people were even sleeping in the cold Mediterranean. Sitting there, I was struck by the fact that I was actually sitting in Barcelona, on the coast of the Mediterranean, hanging out with my friends. It was the first time I had ever seen the Mediterranean and I spent some time pondering all the history that took place on it.

Some of the most famous sights in Barcelona are buildings designed by Gaudi, a famous modernista architect. So, we went to his master work, the Sagrada Familia. Started by Gaudi over 100 years ago, it is still under construction but still looks fabulous. After visiting the cathedral, we headed out to eat some authentic paella. While it was expensive, the Paella was incredibly good with all sorts of seafood mixed in. That night, we headed out to Kennedy's and Irish pub that was actually filled with Irish people. I talked to a few and even got a free St. Patrick's Day hat that I plan on wearing this Tuesday. We stayed at the bar for a while because they had live music (they played 90 U2 covers) and then went home around 5:00. 

I managed to get about 3 hours of sleep before waking up to go the airport. I arrived alright and made it home safely to Prague with David. Overall, I absolutely loved Barcelona. Maybe it was because of the warm weather, but it has the distinct feel of a sleepy Mediterranean town. Even so, there are very modern clubs and places to go as well. The people are generally nice and the city is beautiful.

Krakow II- Krakow

It's taken me awhile to finally get this post up but I think I still remember most of my trip.

After Auschwitz we took a one hour bus ride into Krakow to the hotel. At this point it was around one in the afternoon and I was exhausted so I slept for the entire bus ride. When we finally arrived at the hotel I went to my room with my roommate Patrick and took a nap while others went and explored the city. I woke up around 6 and went to my friend Emily's room to go out for dinner. Emily, Mary-Cait, Peter and Jacob decided to go to a traditional Polish restaurant. This place was great. The restaurant was super nice and the food was dirt cheap. I had a three course meal and a beer for about 50 Zloty (17 Dollars). For an appetizer the waiter brought some sort of spice and lard spread with bread. This stuff was amazing. Hands down the best lard spread I've ever had. This made sense because I read the guidebook later and it said that this restaurant had the best lard spread in Krakow. 

After dinner we went back to the hotel and got ready to go out. We eventually met up with Patrick and his group at a bar and started putting back 21 Zloty pitchers of Heineken. Apparently, there are fewer domestic beers in Poland and most places sell Heineken or Carlsberg. After this place we headed over to a club that sucked so we got a kebab and went home. 

We woke up early in the morning for a tour of Krakow. Our tour guide, Andrew, was a nice guy but the tour was pretty hurried. We walked around the Jewish quarter but just saw the outsides of synagogues (It was Saturday) and sites from Schindler's List (I haven't seen it). After a while we headed to Wawel Castle. The Castle was the original seat of the Polish government before Warsaw became the capital and it was absolutely beautiful. The view of the city and the river from the top was great and the church and courtyard from inside were amazing. 

Walking down for the castle we visited two churches. Apparently, in Krakow, they LOVE John Paul II (PJP from now on). PJP was originally from Poland and since Poland is incredibly catholic they have pictures and statues of him everywhere. On the way to the second church we entered Krakow's main square which was absolutely huge. The church was called the Basillica of St. Mary's and it was the best church I have been to so far. It has a massive golden altar that depicts Mary and the apostles. The entire church is covered in paintings and statues of angels going into heaven and the ceiling is a deep blue night sky with bright gold stars. Behind the altar there are three stained glass windows that are the original ones from the 14th century. There were super pretty.

After the tour ended we explored the city for a bit and the headed back for another nap. That night we went out to an Irish pub to buy cocktails and burn some money. A few mojito's and gin fizzes later we went to a club that was wild. They had two rooms. One had all sorts of poles and played Katy Perry and the other one played crazy techno and Katy Perry techno remixes. Katy Perry is everywhere. We danced to the techno and then finally went home.

The next morning we went to the salt mine. The salt mine is probably the hokiest attraction in all of Poland. It started as a salt mine in the 13th century and operated until 1996. The place is literally an entire complex of passages and salt. Every wall that isn't wood, is salt. You can literally lick the walls, and I did. Because the salt preserves everything, there are original crucifixes from the 14th century in perfect condition. The Poles also filled the mine with churches and there are all sorts of salt statues of saints. The tour was just room after room of salt statues and salt churches. The place was in limbo. It was kind of serious because you can actually get married and pray in the salt church  but at the same time they had all these damn statues of salt things. They needed to make it totally serious or just make all sorts of random stuff out of salt. They did have a salt statue of PJP which was great.

After the tour was over we took the 6 hour bus ride back to Krakow and I wanted to kill myself. It was the most boring bus ride ever. And that was Krakow.