Blanka

Back in Canadia

2008-03-17T22:36:00.003-06:00

Yes it's true, I've left the beauty that is Prague and Europe and have returned to the great white north. I hope to follow soon with some updates.

Stay tuned!

Blanka

Pivo

2007-11-27T02:15:00.000-07:00

It may or may not come as such a surprise to you that I drink beer...depending on which side of the Atlantic you met me. Before leaving Canada I'd never drank a whole one in my life, not that I hadn't tried, I just couldn't down a Budweiser for the life of me. Fast forward to Prague and I even impressed myself with my ability to finish off a whole pint after several attempts. Don't start "ass"uming that I'm a boozer or anything like though.

Beer culture (who would have thought the two words could go side by side) is part of life in Prague. After a couple months of being here its not hard to imagine why. The original Budweiser comes from the Czech Republic as does the original Pilsner. More importantly however is the price of beer where you can get yourself a pint of original Czech brew for average of 30czk or $1.50 for us Canadians. What's even more is that's the same price as getting a 0.3l bottle of water or a soft drink (it's very rare to be able to ask for tap water for free). So as logic would have it, most people opt for the Pivo; lunch, dinner, night out and for the professionals, even breakfast. I've seen it many a time walking by a local pub in the morning. Most importantly is the fact that the stuff actually tastes good, its a lot lighter than Canadian beer and doesn't leave you feeling like you've eaten a loaf of bread afterwards.

I rest my case...

Side note; for all you future Prague visitors, don't ever and I mean ever pay 90 czk for a beer at the Old Town Square or other tourist trap. I'm sure the beer ancestors would roll over in their graves when hearing of that inflated price. Max 45czk.

As I am not a subject matter expert, I will suggest you check out my friend Jenny (and friends) comprehensive Beer Blog Dobre Pivo.

Na Zdravi!

Pa Pa Papageno

2007-11-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

This is just one of the songs that was left stuck in my head after attending the opera of The Magic Flute. While my opera voice leaves much to be desired, the folks performing here in Prague know what they are doing. Be it opera, theatre, or ballet, Divadlos (or theatres) can be spotted just about everywhere you turn. I'd say the Calgary equivalent would be your local 7-Eleven. The arts scene is booming here and on any given night, you can catch a performance for a very affordable price. Take for instance the National Theatre here (Narodni Divadlo), absolutely stunning theatre, with world famous performance, offers seats in the top section of the theatre for 80 czk which is $4 dollars. Naturally you don't have the best view, but if you're catching an opera for instance, then the sounds is just as good as anywhere else in the theatre.

I've tried to catch a bunch of performances while I've been here and every time I enter one of the breath taking theatres, I'm blown away. My favorite show was Swan Lake which I caught at the National Opera House here. Everything from the dancing, to the costumes, to the music was very well done and left me dreaming of becoming a ballerina one day.

It's great seeing people in their best evening gowns or top hats, out for the ballet on a weeknight. Although I've also witnessed some rather strange outfits including a lady with a dead animal wrapped around her shoulder. If you look hard at the picture below, you can spot her in the background. This is definitely one aspect of life in Prague that I wish I had taken advantage of more while it has been so available to me.

Estates Theatre; first performing arts theatre in Prague

State Opera

Swan Lake

Every theatre has to have a fancy chandelier: this one at the National Theatre

Those 10 inch squares

2007-11-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

First on the list of Life in Praha: Cobblestones! Those 10 inch squares covering a major part of Prague streets and wreaking havoc to the heels of unsuspecting tourists who opt for "non functional" footwear. I admit it, first I was charmed by them. Then I learned how unforgiving they can be if you don't pay attention while walking, that for a brief moment I almost despised them. Over time however, I've regained my appreciations for these beautiful rocks that have been here for centuries and learned to walk with my eyes firmly placed on the ground in front.

Here's an example of just how prominent they are: Last week there was an attempted Neo Nazi march in Prague which was met with a lot of police opposition and major media hoopla. Nothing really significant happened but the one of the articles I read after the event put a smile on my face and made me think "only in Prague." Apparently one of the scuffles included some left-wing extremists who attacked police with cobble stones of all things! Because throwing regular rocks is for the rest of us common folk.

Life in Praha

2007-11-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

The other night I finally had an evening to myself and time to just relax, read my book and reminisce about the wonderful life I've led for the last year and amazing memories I now have. The one memory that will remain constant even after others begin to fade is my love of Prague; its narrow, cobblestone roads, the countless spires, rich cultural scene, and beer aplenty. I'm getting all sentimental becuase my time here is slowling ticking away making me take a couple extra seconds each day to marvel at my surroundings. This includes all of the people I've met here, who have become another family to me and I know that it will be incredibly difficult to part with them.

So in the next couple weeks, as I unproductively wind down my time at work (sorry boss) I hope to pay tribute to this city, the people and my life in Prague by sharing some of my favorite things about being here. I can only hope I will feel the same sense of inspiration on my next journey.

Barcelona

2007-10-12T08:33:00.000-06:00

After 10 months, my old roommate Miriam and I meet up once again, this time on her turf. I had planned to visit Miriam ever since she left me in Slovakia. In the short time that we lived together, we went through a lot and handled the emotions together as if we had known each other for a lot longer. Miriam moved back to Barcelona in December and found herself a really interesting and challenging job which I am ubber jealous of, but at the same time very happy for her.

I got to take another week off from work (I know!) and first headed to England for Alex's cousins wedding then to visit his grandparents in Bournemouth. In my third visit to England in this last year, I was met with the same rainy, drab weather that really makes me question how people can live there. Luckily the sun came out on Saturday for the wedding but it was still pretty chilly especially when you're in a dress and high heels. I realize the sensible thing to do would have been to wear a jacket, but I'm a girl in a pretty dress, shoes that scream voila, and not willing to ruin the ensemble with a jacket. Plan B: drink lots of champagne in the garden before the reception. The wedding and reception was beautiful and the evening was capped of with fireworks behind the marquee after dinner. It was totally different from any Croatian wedding I've been to but I still really enjoyed myself and got down and boogied with the English.

I shipped Alex back to Prague after Bournemouth and headed to Barcelona to meet Miriam and my roommate from Prague, Alice, who was also there at the time (not by coincidence). I was so glad to have Miriam pick me up from Girona airport because I completely didn't notice that the flight was going there. All I was focused on was how freaking cheap it was at 1 pence! On our first night, I got to meet Miriam's mom, whom I'd heard a lot about and she exceeded my expectations with generosity. We had a yummy meal then headed close to a popular street, La Ramba, for Sangria!! Miriam took us to a couple great places and we took in the delights of Spain.

I can honestly say that for the first time this past year, I did nothing in terms of preparation for this trip other than book my flight and make sure that Miriam would be there. I let her be a tour guide for the whole time we were there and she filled the shoes. I've also never walked so much in my life and thought my legs might fall off by the third day (I know I've thought this before but really this was a new level). My favorite part of Barcelona, apart from all of the Guadi buildings and architecture, was the vibrancy of the city itself and how much there is to do and see and eat and drink, not to mention the beautiful weather (+25 in October is alright with me). Its a very lively place. I took so much pleasure in eating tapas, paella by the beach, drinking sangria and cava than I did in all the other touristy stuff. Alice and I both kept saying that we really wanna live there!

The girls and I went through most of the major sights and I'd say that my favorite place was Puebla Espana or Spanish Village. It's this compound with architectural styles from different parts of Spain and has cute little shops and restaurants scattered about. This really made me want to see more of southern Spain....in due time. I was very impressed by Sagrada Familia, the Gaudi church which is still very much under construction, something I was surprised by cuz clearly I didn't do my readings. I also really enjoyed the musical fountain close to where the Olympic ground are, especially after they played this famous Croatian song and synchronized the fountains to it; Miriam told them I was coming. I was kinda disappointed by the Picasso museum as I thought it would be a lot bigger and once again the paintings did not have English translations by them.

Alice and I at Casa Battlo: One of Gaudi's famous buildings

Inside Spanish Village

Sagrada Familia

Alice left on Saturday to go back to Prague and Miriam and I decided to go shopping for a few hours. I loved the clothes there but didn't have enough time to poke around every shop. In the afternoon, she took me to Sitges, a small beach town close to Barcelona which was really charming. I realized that I am immediately happy and peaceful when I am near water and dipped my toes in the Mediterranean once again. That night we celebrated Miriam's 25th birthday and I realized that I'm getting too old to stay out till 6 in the morning (ha that sounds like an R. Kelly song).

Miriam and I in SitgesStepping into the Mediterranean; realizing the water is a little chilly this time of year

Overall it was a great trip with a little bit of everything. As my time in Europe draws to a close, I'm starting to appreciate all of the people and places I see a lot more because I don't know when I will have a chance to see them again. This is especially the case with Miriam and we were both sad to have to say goodbye but I am holding onto the faith that life works in mysterious ways and we will meet again in the future.

On another note, I am sad to report that I have exhausted all of my holiday time from my job and now am forced to quit to continue with my travels! I love Europe for their HR policies and the mandatory 4 week holidays. Most firms even offer 5! Canada, you must reform.

Krakow, Poland

2007-09-26T14:28:00.000-06:00

About a month ago. we headed back to Poland once again with our Polish connection Lukasz, this time visiting Krakow and the surrounding area. After another death defying drive courtesy of Luksaz, we made it. On our first night there we headed out to the Old Town Square which happens to be the biggest in Europe. It put Prague's Old Town square to shame because it was about 5 times the size.

On Saturday morning Alex and I headed off to sight see and our first stop was Wavel Hill where the castle is. There is a lot to see up there but we only did a tour through the Cathedral where we visited a famous bell that is very old and only rung on very special occasions as well as the royal tombs including King Kazimierz's (I love saying that name). I really liked the area around the castle, there is a lot of flowers and greenery and definitely felt more relaxed than Prague Castle.

We made our way back into the Old Town to meet Lukasz and Magda and enjoy a proper Polish lunch. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around the Square. On a whim we walked into St. Mary's church and it turned out to be probably the most beautiful Catholic church I've ever been to....well minus St. Peters.

St. Mary's Church

The night scene in Krakow is pretty good based on what I saw. It's a big University town so that helps but then they also cater to tourists a lot, especially the Brits. I'm not gonna mention what time I saw some drunken people walking around. We wanted to see something more unconventional so after a couple drinks in the square we headed to the Jewish district where there are lots of smaller pubs and bars around. There was definitely a different crowd there and we had a good time just having a few drinks and chatting.

Krakow used to be home to many Jews and has an interesting Jewish district. Again I found myself comparing it to the Jewish District in Prague but they are nothing alike apart from the fact that both have synagogues. The one in Krakow is a lot less polished and some parts literally look like the ghetto. You can almost imagine what life would have looked like on those streets when the tanks rolled in.

Walking around the Jewish Ghetto

Since we had the time, we headed to Wieliczka salt mine (another UNESCO site) situated just outside of Krakow. This place has been around for about 900 years, hard to believe really, has about 200 km of passages, and the worlds biggest museum of mining, underground of course. After a 64 meter climb down winding stairs we got to the oldest part of the salt mine. Literally everything around us was made of salt, we even tested the walls by licking them; I'm ashamed to admit. The most impressive part is the Chapel of Saint Kinga, adorned with beautiful chandeliers, statues and very high ceilings.

On our final day in Poland, we made a trip to Auschwitz. I knew that it would be difficult to see first hand all of the remains of what was once a horrible place of destruction, but I also felt that it was important to go. Needless to say, I felt somber as soon as I walked through that barbed wire fence into Auschwitz 1. I'm not gonna go through the details of everything I saw, but it certainly opened my eyes to a lot that I was completely unaware of before. After seeing Auschwitz 1 which is the sort of administrative center of the whole operation and has the brick buildings, we then headed to Auschwitz 2 or Birkenau. This is the camp that appears in all of the movies about Auschwitz and has the big watch tower with the railway down the center and hundreds of wooden housing. Most of the exterminations happened at Birkenau and you get a real sense of what conditions must have been like as they've tried to keep it in its original form. I learned a lot that day and it was a very humbling experience that I will remember for a while to come.

What all Polish People look like :)

The famous bell inside cathedral on Wavel Hill; I'm very proud of myself for not having a panic attack in all that. Alex and I by the river.

Puff the Magic Dragon.... Just kiddin; Dragon at the bottom of the Castle at Wavel Hill. You can send him a text message and he writes back right before he blows fire. Genius Marketing!

It's been a Year

2007-09-25T03:08:00.000-06:00

Today marks one year since I left Canada to come and work abroad. To say the least, it has been the most amazing/challenging/inspiring year of my life and has significantly shaped the person I am today. Had you asked me a year ago, where I would be today I would have probably thought back in Calgary. Having said that, one of the most important lessons I've learned is that life is difficult to plan, despite where you are and how sure of things you might be. So much happens that is out of your control, circumstances change, and as a result you as a person change too.

Being away from everyone and everything that you're comfortable with, really makes you hit a lot of highs and lows but with time you learn to adjust. I went through a phase where I had never felt lonelier in my life, and where I was resentful toward the people and the culture around me, and where it seemed so difficult to get anything done. But then I hit a phase where I developed strong friendships with the people around me, and felt empowered by all of the opportunities in front of me and even loved not being able to understand what was going on around me (still do...keeps me out of a lot of drama I presume). Because of all of this, I know that I have changed and that I have a different outlook on life than I did a year ago.

To sum it up, in the last year I've:
-Lived on my own for the first time
-.....in 2 different countries
-Rented my first apartment
-Had 6 roommates from 4 different countries
-Worked in 2 different countries
-Had my first business trip
-Travelled to 11 countries and more cities than I can count
-Stepped onto Asia for the first time
-Learned "basic" Czech and Slovak (very basic unfortunately)
-Tasted many varieties of food and drink
-Drank my first full Pivo...and several after that
-Made friends from around the world

I suppose the list could go on and on because I seem to constantly encounter new things and that's what makes this whole experience so captivating.

Thanks to my family and friends for supporting me even though we're an ocean apart.

Blanka

PS: I forgot to mention that I've notably contributed to the tourism industry in Prague :)

Cesky Raj

2007-09-06T08:18:00.000-06:00

I’m trying to catch up on writing about all of the trips from this summer before I forget everything. I guess a big part of why I do this is for my own selfish reasons so that some years down the road I can look back at this blog and not have to struggle to remember. Of course for now it’s all about the people back home and others I’ve met along the journey!

I did a trip to Cesky Raj or Czech Paradise, a region in the north, back in the beginning of August with a huge group of friends from Prague. We were all looking for an excuse to leave the city and for a weekend pretend like we’re nature folk (you all know what I mean… I don’t deny that I’m a city girl). So about 20 of us met at the train station and headed off to Semily, a little town in northern Czech Republic. It took 3 hours and 3 different trains to get there but I was impressed we managed considering our big group. Somehow the wine bottles were open before I even sat down on the first train.

The hotel we stayed at was a completely communist looking building that reminded me a little bit of the dorms in Slovakia, but it was dirt cheap and fairly clean. The people at the hotel were nice enough to find us a restaurant that can seat 20 people at 10 o’clock at night, 20 non-Czech speakers at that. I realized how inflated the prices are in Prague compared to the rest of the country. We had beer at several places for 18czk a pint (that’s less than a dollar Canadian), the average in Prague is 30 at least and I’ve seen places in the Old Town Square that charge 90 even. Such a crime really.

Our first day there we went on a hike to Mala Scala which is this region with rock formations that literally rise out of the ground like trees. Getting going was tough for all of us. Everyone was huffing and puffing and removing items of clothing after less than half an hour of hiking. Once we got our heart rate going though, we were ok. All the trails are really well marked and there were a few great lookout points. But keeping all of us together was a bit of a challenge and we kept having to stop and wait for others to catch up. Patience is not my greatest virtue I’m afraid. The area was different than anywhere I’ve ever been before because there were these huge boulders in the middle of the forest and they would come out of nowhere.

After lunch, we headed off for another hike to get to this little church on the mountain but unfortunately we got lost in the forest and didn’t make it. I started thinking something was off when we had to climb over fallen trees and other debris. Not a huge loss though. Instead we went for a couple more drinks as everyone was so excited about the prices!

That night the plan was to go out and party, but being that it was a small city, the club is only open on Friday nights. Should have figured. Some people went back to the center while I stayed back at the hotel with several of the boys to play Texas hold em poker. It was my first time actually playing through the whole game and to add to that I WON!! Everybody in the rooms below mine knew it too because they heard me jumping around doing my happy dance at 3 in the morning!

Half of us left for Prague Sunday afternoon while the rest of them stayed back and did some more hiking. I was so exhausted when I came home and that when I realized that I had the flat all to myself I decided to take a nap which actually turned into a 3 hour break from reality. It was a great end to a an exceptionally great weekend!

Konopiste Castle

2007-09-06T07:25:00.000-06:00

I received several recommendations from Czech people to go and visit Konopiste Castle that when the possibility for a day trip came up, it was a good choice. Matt and Tori were in town for several days so we headed out to see the castle and hoped to fit in a brewery tour as well. Unfortunately this particular brewery only caters to early risers because the tours end by 12pm on a weekend. Who drinks beer before noon anyway?? Never mind that question is answered every time I walk by a pub on my way to work.

Konopiste is located about an hour away from Prague in Benesov. The castle is famous because it was the residence of Franz Ferdinand (no not the band). I read up on it a bit before going there and learned that Franz was quite the avid hunter and by avid I mean the man shot anything with a heartbeat and 4 legs, not to mention all of the birds. The castle is situated in a really nice forest complete with a pond and lots of walking trails around.

We were all eager to do the tour so we could see a small portion of the 300,000 plus animals he killed neatly hung around the castle for decoration. Unfortunately there was not a single tour being given in English, so we joined a Czech one because that is the only way to get into the castle. I was quite surprised (and a bit ticked off) by that considering that it’s a weekend and there are tones of English speaking tourists in Prague which is in pretty close proximity. So the language part took a bit away from the tour because she would stop in certain rooms and the tour guide would talk about this and that. The interesting part was all of the antlers hung on the wall in the main hallway, and the huge armory collection in several rooms. I’ve never seen so many guns in one space in my life. Beside each set of antlers or other stuffed creature was an inscription of when and where the animal was killed. This is how he kept the long log going as well.

Overall it was definitely worth the trip. I’d like to go back and walk around some of the trails because the landscape around there is beautiful.

Milano

2007-09-05T07:35:00.000-06:00

Next stop in Italy was Milan, aka the fashion capital of the world. We had a lot of reasons for wanting to go here: shopping, shopping and shopping! Also some valid ones like that it was close enough to Rome to go by train, and more importantly that my friend Christina who I met only once in Brno, now lived in Milan. Even though we only met face to face once, we kept in touch through emails and chat and promised to meet again and really get a chance to hang out!

The first thing I noticed when I got off of the train in Milan was the pollution. It was really hot (I think I might have mentioned that once or twice in my previous posts) and it felt like this thick air just hits you. Christina was nice enough to meet us at the train station and take us to her apartment. I was really surprised by how old the trams are in Milan, even Prague has nicer ones. After a couple of hours of chit chat, and my sister realizing how Christina and I became friends, we headed out for dinner. I’m not gonna mention what we ate because its embarrassing to admit but I’m sure you can guess.

Here’s the next thing I noticed in Milan; MOSQUITOES. Hundreds, thousands of those sneaky little buggers ate me alive while I was there. I seriously had whole colonies of bites forming on my back. Everyone in Milan carries bug spray in their purse because it was so bad this year. Apparently one of the canals dried out and the heat only added fuel to the fire. Somehow though, bug spray was no match for them.

We ended up going for drinks in this district along the canal. There was tones of restaurants lined up next to one another and packed to the brim with people. I really liked the relaxed atmosphere of just sitting around having some drinks and people watching!
The next day Anela and I had our first proper sleep in for our whole vacation although I’m not sure that it counts because I woke up about a million times during the night because of the heat. Our only goal for the day was to go shopping, I didn’t even look at what there is to see in Milan other than the Duomo which is the big Gothic Cathedral. Pretty impressive I might add. We didn’t get to go in because we forgot to wear shirts that cover our shoulders. If I had it my way that day, I would walk around with nothing on. The other touristy thing we came across was in the mall in the main square. There is a bull on the tiles along the floor and you are supposed to spin 3 times on your heel on the bulls balls! Now all that is left is a big hole from all the spinning.

The last thing I noticed about Milan was how expensive it is! I think we had a cappuccino and a croissant for breakfast each and it came to about 15 euros. Certain parts of the city scream expensive too; the cars, the clothes, the fancy restaurants, its definitely a lifestyle for those who can afford it.

We didn’t have as much luck with shopping as we thought we would. Yes there are the big Gucci, Prada and Versace stores but those are a little out of my price range these days. Anela looked at a tiny card holder from Prada which was 125 euros. Ridiculous! We managed to find a couple good buys before heading home. Later on we realized that we had missed one street that looked like it had a lot of good stuff.

It didn’t help that we were both coming down with the flu so our energy level wasn’t very high. I barely got myself through the rest of the evening as we went for drink at this outdoor bar behind the castle. And that night I actually had the chills and covered myself with a blanket even though it was still 30* outside. Not a good way to end my vacation.

I think I would need to spend more time in Milan to get a proper view of it. My initial reactions weren’t good but the more we walked around and hung out, the more it grew on me. Christina says that it’s a great city to live in other than the expensive part. I’m interested to see where our next meeting place will be!

Roma

2007-08-29T03:24:00.000-06:00

When I first left for my internship almost a year ago, the original plan was for me to finish my 6 months in Slovakia and then spend the rest of my time traveling including a trip with my sister. Well I've learned that nothing in life is ever certain and plans change while life is happening making it rather impossible to plan too much! I still had every intention and desire to keep my promise to travel with my sister Anela and so the planning began! (I swear I should become a personal travel agent) After looking at all of our options we decided that Italy was the best one because of its close proximity to Croatia and because we could see a lot in the short time that we had.

Our first stop was of course Rome! We managed to make it on a train into the city from the airport but not without witnessing quite the debacle; the train was clearly leaving as per schedule (and packed to the brim I might add) but this guy thinks he can stop it. He manages to hop on the train as the doors are closing with his baby carriage no less. Then he proceeds to press the door opening button over and over again, as well as the emergency button because well he left his wife and the BABY on the platform! It appeared that the train conductor wasn't having it so he just kept on and didn't stop the train. Again I found myself wishing I could understand another language because he spent the rest of the train ride huffing and puffing into his cell phone. I would have loved to hear his reasoning.

Anywho, we took a taxi to get to our hotel and for all their bad rep, this taxi driver in particular didn't rip us off. I spent forever and a day researching hotels in Rome and it really paid off because our place was amazing both for the price and more importantly the location. It was a cute little Bed and Breakfast located between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. I was all over the air conditioning after sweatin in the heat in Croatia which also continued in Italy.

Anela and I fell in love with Rome right from the first night. We went out for a walk and happened to come across an open air concert with opera and classical music in front of a beautiful church. Seemed like a big deal so we stuck around for a while. Then we went and found a cute little restaurant in a small side street close enough that we could still hear the music as we ate our pasta and drank our wine. Perfection! (and my new happy place as you can see).

The next morning was an early one because I was told that we should get to the Vatican very early in order to avoid the lines. In my mind I was prepared for a long wait, but luckily for us, the rest of the tourists slept in that day and we managed to go in right away, no line up whatsoever. I was absolutely amazed by the sheer size and magnificence of St. Peters Basilica. We bought a guide book on our way there so I tried to keep up with the significance of everything that I was seeing but after a while I gave up and focused on what was in front of me. The visit to the treasury inside St. Peters is definitely worth it, some of the pieces housed in there are incredibly old and represent very significant points in the life of the Catholic Church. The free audio guide was definitely a bonus! While in St. Peters we also went to the Papal tombs but opted out of going up to the tower because the line up had started to develop.

The rest of the day was spent at the Vatican Museums as we gawked over one masterpiece to another. I would strongly suggest getting the audio guide, I remember it being a bit pricey but well worth it. Unfortunately mine broke towards the end but they were kind enough to refund my money. I think my favorite part of the whole museum was all of the fresco's on the walls especially in the Raphael rooms. I think it goes without saying that the Sistine Chapel is amazing in a word. Anela took about a million pictures so I can always go back and pretty much relieve every piece in the whole museum.

All of that only bring us to about late afternoon of day 1 but it was enough to get our appetite going. When picking a pizza place in Rome however, make sure you stay away from the main streets. Our first pizza was pretty terrible (didn't think you could get bad pizza in Italy) but from then on we always picked a place on a secluded side street and it was always delicious. I say every time because that’s literally all we ate, and caprese salad. We got our fix!

For the evening events we headed to Trevi fountain and the Spanish Steps. I was blown away by Trevi Fountain, less all of the tourists of course. I had my only encounter with a mean Italian at a Gelato shop close to Trevi. So of course I’m craving ice cream, and more so than usual in the heat. Anela and I stop in this shop and there is what seems like a 100 different flavors. I ask the guy if I can try a little piece of the crème caramel before I go for the big scoop, standard practice in all ice cream shops I’ve ever been to. They even have cute little spoons that they designed specifically for this! But this guy says to me with a straight face “NO.” So I try again thinking he doesn’t understand what I want, maybe its my sloppy English and still he says no and adds “ You buy You try!” Anela and I were just floored and can’t do anything but look at him with our mouths open. Then he has the audacity to say “so you want to buy.” Yeah no thanks buddy, not from you. You’ll be happy to know that I did get very good gelato from the place next door and got to try it before hand as well! Italian’s do know their ice cream.

We spent our second day at the Coliseum area. Didn’t get up as early cuz Anela was starting to call me Hitler for cutting short her beauty rest. But then we ended up in a long line to get in. I heard that you can skip past the line if you do a tour so I hopped outside and signed us up for one. Unfortunately I don’t think it saved us any time because we just missed a tour and had to wait for the next one to begin. And in all honesty, I didn’t learn a whole lot more from the tour that the guidebooks didn’t tell me. I also wasn’t as blown away at the Coliseum as I thought I would be, and I actually liked the view more from the outside than I did from the inside especially at a cost of 21 euros.

Good part about doing the tour though was that it included another tour of Palatine Hill. This tour guide was a lot better and gave us a lot of interesting little tidbits that we can use for dinner conversation down the line! Like for instance did you know that the expression “short end of the stick” comes from the Romans use of a “toilet brush” or our form of toilet paper nowadays? Apparently, the brush part would fall off and all you were left with was a stick….it was dark….you fill in the rest. It could have all be a huge joke for him but it kept us entertained. Plus Anela and I received a personal tour of the Roman forum afterwards so all in all I guess we got our money’s worth.

By the end of it we were so exhausted from all of the walking and the extreme heat but I made Anela walk with me to Circus Maximus which turned out to be a big, dried out field. Needless to say she wasn’t impressed with me and insisted that I take a picture of it since I wanted to see it so badly. They should really leave that off the tourist map or at least put something on there to look at.

The rest of our time in Rome we walked around to some of the smaller monuments plus we tried to do a little bit of shopping. Both of us snagged some good Italian wine and I also brought back a big block of Parmesan cheese, olive oil and olives. I can say that we felt like we’d seen everything we wanted to see in Rome, plus we got to take in some of the culture. A lot of catching up was done over pizza, wine and fresh air! Our trip couldn’t have gone better.

Bosnia and Croatia

2007-08-23T09:40:00.000-06:00

When planning my summer holiday this year, the motherland was a natural selection as my family was going to be there and quite frankly there is no other place on earth more beautiful to me. Plus I really needed a beach vacation as I've taken many city breaks this past year which are by no means relaxing. Basically you run around like a mad man for 3 days making sure you pack in as much as possible and not miss a thing. Don't get me wrong, I love every minute of it, but once in a while you need to get up in the morning and think hmmm I have absolutely nothing to do today but lay on a beach!

So we started out going to Bosnia to visit my extended family and celebrate my Grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary, a crowning achievement in my eyes and one that few get to these days. I've always admired the marriage that my grandparents have because you can see how happy they are to be together and how much they love each other. The celebration was in the works for a while so a bunch of my extended family in Calgary was there as well. 2 birds with one stone I guess. My parents came to pick up Alex and I from the airport and the first thing we wanted to do was eat some Cevape! Nobody in the world makes them as good as in Bosnia. After that was settled, we spent the rest of Saturday visiting with family. It was easy for Alex to blend in since we were there for Christmas so everyone already knew him, and his Croatian had improved by about a percent (we'll keep trying!)

Sunday was the big celebration and it started at the local church, same one that my grandparents had been married in 50 years earlier, where they renewed their vow's in front of all of us. Right after the ceremony the singing and dancing began outside of the church as an accordion player was hired to play away Croatian folk dance songs. I have to say that for 70, my grandparents still have the moves! Then it was back to their place for a family lunch and more singing. Lets just say we like to celebrate. The official party happened in this restaurant in the city where we again, you guessed it, partied the night away. I loved seeing my mom with all her brothers and sisters celebrating this special occasion with their parents. Actually, we also commemorated my parents 25th wedding anniversary at the party so there was more to drink to. We spent Monday recovering from all of the festivities and visiting some more with family then it was off to Croatia!

Since there was 6 of us all together and only a 5 seater car, Alex and I ended up taking the bus to Croatia which really wasn't bad at all. First stop was Split, and then we switched to another bus which took us to Makarska. In the meantime my family had enough time to get there and find an apartment for the 6 of us. They were lucky to find a 4 bedroom apartment at a killer deal of 10 euros per person per night (this is for all those people whom I've been trying to convince to go visit). Naturally our first stop was the beach and it was so nice to jump into the clear water with temperatures hovering around the 40* mark every day that we were there. I think we must have used the same phrase every time that we stepped outside for those 8 days "I think today is hotter than yesterday!" Seriously though, it was HOT. And my skin can handle it but Alex, well he's another story....We kept trying to hide him in what ever shade we could make with the two umbrella's we got right away.

Makarska

I've been to Makarska several times before and loved it although this time it was a bit too packed with tourists. Because of this, we ended up going to other smaller towns along the riviera to escape the crowds. The second day we were there, we took a boat trip to two islands, Brac and Hvar. The first stop on the trip was to a small port town called Jesla on the Island Hvar. Its quite a popular boat and the "captain" does a lot to make the trip more fun and interactive with music and drink pouring from the early hours (we boarded at 8:3o am). Alex and I took the opportunity to walk around the small town in the little time we had there while the rest settle down for some cold drinks. Walking around, I was really intrigued by how people must live in such a small town on an island nonetheless. Anywho, we boarded the boat once again and then headed off to Brac where there is the most famous beach in Croatia called Bol. On the way, we saw many smaller islands out in the sea and several nudy beaches lets say.

Bol was absolutely beautiful and had the clearest water I've ever swam in. I was afraid that it would be really busy but the beach wasn't that packed at all. I pretty much spent the whole 3 or 4 hours we were there in the water and Alex and I swam from one end to the tip of the long beach. The scenery around there is just breath taking and I definitely plan to do another trip to Croatia where we can rent our own boat and do some private island hopping. On the way back to Makarska everyone was just exhausted, the sun really took it out of us and being on the top deck of the boat certainly didn't help. We all came back with sun burns and I was sporting a very noticeable tan line across my face where my sun glasses had been. Took a couple days to even it out but embarrassing nonetheless.

Bol Beach

A couple of the other days we headed to Brela which is another city about 15 km from Makarska where we met some family from Canada and spent the day on the beach there. Alex bought a snorkeling set and we had fun checking out the undersea creatures in the rocks below (lots of sea urchins). Brela is recognized for this big rock that's separated from the rest of the beach and stands alone in the water. Couple of people were climbing up and jumping off the top. I thought about it only for about a second and then I snapped back to reality and realized that that I would never have the guts to actually do it!

The rest of the time we literally just laid on the beach and relaxed. Only got up to go for lunch, ice cream, and lots of water to rehydrate. One of the nights in Makarska, there was a fisherman's night where local fisherman set up stands along the pier and fried all kinds of sea food. We didn't think of this before we went and loaded up on seafood in a restaurant along the pier, bad planning in hindsight. Alex was in sea food heaven and we had to stop several times as he poked his head in every stand to see what was cookin. I made sure I got my fix of fish and all things sea food while I was there because now living in a land locked country, you really start to miss good sea food. On our last night there, my sister and I shared a whole kilo of scampi of the barbecue and I can't even explain how good it was!

I parted ways with my parents and my little brother in Split but not without tears. I realize that I will see them in several months when I move back to Calgary (God that's scary to even think about) but I'm terrible at goodbyes and it doesn't get any easier no matter how many times I do it. This time was especially difficult because we had such an amazing summer together and it was hard to see them go. But I had my trip to Italy with my sister to look forward to and that helped to raise my spirits. Overall though, one of the best holidays I've taken in my life and lots of good memories to hold on to. Not to mention the gazillion photo's all thanks to 4 camera's floating around!

Some People I wonder about

2007-08-20T11:59:00.000-06:00

I really need to update this blog about my amazing summer holidays but first I want to bring peoples attention to this:

So the story goes as such: I'm standing at a touristy square (Malostranske Namesti) waiting to meet my friend Lise for dinner. People watching was on the forefront of entertainment and this couple caught my eye for some reason. In the beginning I didn't even see the dog and that's where half the fun of it comes from. What I saw was the guy struggling to buckle the straps on what I thought was a baby carrying device. He was having lots of problems because her hair was too long and getting in the way. Finally when he got it, this woman turns around and I see this dog hanging from chest! Needless to say it freaked me out a little cuz I was expecting to see a cute little baby, but seriously who does this?? Clearly they're tourists too judging from the map they're holding onto, camera strapped along the side and fanny pack in front. Why would you drag your poor dog to Prague and then subject him to siting strapped on your chest while you prance around doing the tourist thing. I don't get.

PS: Check out the matching purse! Diaper bag I presume.....

PPS: If You the couple happen to see this, please start having some babies.

Champagne

2007-07-11T03:05:00.000-06:00

We took a day trip to the Champagne region during our 4 days in Paris. Figured, 3 days was good for me to explore Paris and Matt and Alex came up with the idea to tour some caves and do some wine tasting, or Champagne tasting I guess. Why not!

Alex and I met Matt in Savigny so that he wouldn't have to drive into Paris with the rental car. Paris drivers come up a close second in the craziness scale, next to those from Istanbul. I guess in a city of that many people and that many complicated roads, you have to be aggressive lets say. It wasn't too difficult managing our way onto Paris highways and heading east towards Eparny where we planned to visit Moet and Chandon. This happens to be the biggest producer of champagne in the world and makes a fancy bottle known as Dom Perignon (might have heard of him...). Unfortunately there was some construction on the highway so we were stop and go for a good hour and it took us a bit longer than we thought to get there. Alex and I were so sleepy cuz we went to bed so late and got up at 7 to switch hotels and get to Matt's. We kept dosing off in the car and weren't very good company for our driver!

So many grapes!

The drive through the country side is just gorgeous. Fields and fields of wine growing everywhere you look. It reminded me of the abundance of wheat fields in Alberta (wine fields...a little more cool though). Once we arrived in Eparny, it took a couple turns around the traffic circle to figure out where the tourist information center is. Naturally they were closed for lunch so we went straight across the street to Moet and scheduled ourselves in for a tour. We opted for the best one because really when you're in Dom's house, why would you drink anything less (OK that's not totally true cuz no one gets to drink Dom Perignon on a tour, rather we had a vintage bottle from 2000).

In front of the Moet and Chandon building.
The tour started out a bit cheesy with a video of what makes them the best. "Turning Nature into Art" is the slogan they used! It had some good info about the 3 grapes that are used to make Champagne (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier) and what makes this region different from others thus allowing them the coveted title of Champagne rather than sparkling wine. Everything is done by hand, no machines to harvest the grapes.

So here is what I learned:

The champagne region is located pretty close to the northern limits of wine producing grapes so its difficult for the grapes to fully ripen. The coolest thing about the area is that underneath the top soil, the ground is composed of chalk. And its the chalk that helps to absorb the heat from the sun and also retains the moisture in the soil. Its also used for the caves to keep them at a certain temperature ( I think he said 12*) and very damp. While we were walking through there was several occasions where water dripped on my head. The caves at Moet, were 28 km long, can you imagine getting lost in there. Our tour guide joked that for his training, they put him in the caves and wouldn't let him out until he knew everything about champagne.

They can fit 20,000 bottles in a cave.

Champagne is made by mixing the juice from 3 grapes in different proportions (50/30/20 for instance) and from a blend of years. There's an expert that mixes the combination to get it to taste like previous versions (lots on reserve for them to choose from). What makes it different from wine, is that after the initial fermentation in the big barrels, the wine is bottled and then they add some more yeast and sugar to the bottles to continue the second fermentation (this creates the bubbles). Depending on the amount of sugar they add is what distinguishes a brute, from a sect. The bottles are then stored in caves for a minimum of 3 years. A vintage is made whenever they have a great season and only use grapes from one year. Also the vintages are stored for 7 years. This doesn't happen every year and the last vintage is from 2000.

To get the residue out of the bottle, they take them from the caves and place them upside down and slanted in these wooden storage units. Then comes the Riddler, who turns the bottles a quarter turn each day for about two months I think. Imagine having that job, turning 100,000 bottles of champagne a day. He must have some strong wrists!

After all the residue has settled in the neck of the bottle, they take the bottles and freeze that top portion so that an ice cube forms with the residue, genius if you ask me. When they open the bottle, the ice cube shoots out, and they quickly cork the bottle so as not to lose any of the pressure (a machine does this nowadays). And bam, you've got yourself champagne ready for sale.

So after all this, we got to go to a nice room to finally taste some Champagne. We each got a glass of the 2000 vintage brute and the rose and it was very tasty. Of course they lead you into the store right after so the temptation to buy something is right there in front of you. We gave in of course! Oh and here's a tip; never wash your champagne glasses with soap because soap kills something on the glass that helps keep the champagne bubbling.

Sipping on some bubbly!

We wanted to do another tour but there just wasn't enough time because most places close by 5 or 6pm so we drove through the beautiful country side and made our way to a smaller producer for a tasting. This other place operated straight from their home and we did the tasting in the guys garage. He didn't speak a word of English which was OK for the guys but I got a bit bored while they chatted away...leading me to drink a couple more glasses of champagne.

Clearly a couple glasses too many!
Overall it was a really fun trip and so nice to get away from the fast pace of Paris and head to the country side. We had to say goodbye to Matt at the end of the day and headed back to Paris for one more night.

Matt, Alex and I among the grapes.

Bienvenue a Paris!

2007-07-10T05:14:00.000-06:00

Just got back from my first trip to Paris and it was everything and more than I expected it to be. Alex and I decided to go there mainly because our friend Matt from Calgary is currently living and playing baseball just outside of Paris in Savigny (yes they have baseball in Paris). So it was a great chance for me to see the city, and at the same time hang out with Matt. Plus it helped that we had a 4 day long weekend from work!

Our Parisian Connection Matt and I.

Things didn't start out so well as our flight was delayed by over an hour (no clue why) and we didn't get into Paris until late Wednesday evening. We were worried that we might miss the last train into Paris from the airport but luckily we just caught it (that would have been one expensive taxi ride). The harder part was finding a taxi once we got into the center, to the point where we walked for about half an hour toward our hotel until finding one. I saw all these taxis flying by with lights on and then Alex had to patiently explain that in Paris the yellow light on top means they're taken. How about you just turn the light off like the rest of us??

Our first hotel was in the Bastille area. It wasn't anything fancy and after the first night I realized that for the price we paid, it was pretty good. My next trip to Paris though will be a couple stars up. Maybe I'm spoiled but having a nice hotel room makes the whole experience more enjoyable.

On Thursday we headed out early for our first Parisian breakfast, coffee and croissant. I really much prefer this than a big English breakfast in the morning, cuz I can still walk afterwards instead of feeling stuffed! Unfortunately, the weather was not particularly warm and it was pretty cloudy and windy outside. Poor Alex wore shorts and froze. Inside Notre Dame was quite nice, especially with all of the candles lit. There was a mass going on and I felt really bad for walking around the place being a tourist while people were sitting there in prayer. I wanted to go up to the tower but the line up was ridiculous and apart from me being an incredibly impatient person, we had the excuse not to wait because we had to meet Matt! Jeez its been 10 months since we'd seen him.

We went for a nice lunch with Matt in this little Brasserie. Thing with French restaurants, cafes etc. is that its all very cramped quarters. So you end up sitting prety close to your neihbors and every place we visited or walked by always seemed to be full. Us Canadians are used to a lot more space but I found it cozy being in a restaurant that was full and buzzing with converstation. It was also nice to listed to another language other than Czech, and French sounds so sexy. Throughout the weekend, I really wished I spoke French and thanked my lucky stars that I had Alex and Matt there as the French speakers.

On our way to the Luxenburg gardens we stopped off at a Patisserie (ha I finally figured out the difference between a Brasserie and a Patisserie) and grabbed some beutiful looking cakes. As we were ordering we beared witness as to how rude the French can be when this girl came up and asked one of the people working there if there was a toillette. Apparently she responded with "no, but you can go out there on the sidewalk," and then proceeded to laugh histerically! I guess you have to speak French to understand the full offensiveness of it but the guys understood it as pretty bad. Anywho, we enjoyed our treat in the Luxenburg gardens as I so wished for sunshine.

Yummy!The rest of the sighseeing day was spent walking from the gardens, through some nice parts of Paris, down to the Louvre, up the Chaps D'Elysees, and to the Arc du Triomphe (which was cordered off for some reason). I didn't realize how far apart everything is and what a huge city Paris was. We hopped on the Metro (packed to the brim like sardines, I'm surprised I didn't have a panic attack) and headed to a nice pub in the St. Georges district for Happy hour!! Believe me, this really counts in Paris where cocktails are 8 euros a piece. Paying half the price makes them oh so enjoyable!

The boys and I at the Louvre.

I was pretty much exhausted after happy hour, so all 3 of us retreated back to our hotel for a short rest before heading out for dinner in the Bastille area. We found this lively street packed with restaurants, clubs, etc. and stopped off in a Cuban place I think for appe's and a bottle of wine of course. Great place to catch up and discuss some future plans (haha all very uncertain). Matt headed off to catch the last train to his place but we learned the next day that there was a strike and the train didn't run so he got home at 4 am, woops, those French unions.

Friday, early day once again. Alex and I tried to go and see St. Chappelle but the line up was extremely long....pass. We met Matt by the Eiffel Tower and proceeded to take some classic pics by the enormous structure. Seriously, its huge and boggles my mind how such a thing was built. I didn't want to go up just then becuase I thought the weather would be better on Sunday and I wanted clear blue skies, didn't really happen though. Alex read up on Rick Steve's about a market close to Eiffy on Ru Cler, so we headed there and picked up some goodies for a Parisian picnic in front of Eiffy. I think that guy at the fruit stand ripped us off but the rasberry's were too damn good to complain too much. Oh and the cheese, probably the best brie I have ever had. I could quickly get used to living that lifestyle!

Our picnic by Eiffy!

Then we were off to Montmartre where the famous Sacre Coeur is located. I have to say I liked the church a lot better from the outside and the views of Paris were great. After Matt left, Alex and I walked around to the bottom steps and I witnessed one of the biggest scams that takes place in Paris. Right at the entrance to the steps to go up to Sacre Coeur, there is a bunch of black guys standing around. As you come up, they grab your wrist, or a couple fingers, and proceed to make a bracelet out of some string while you're stuck in this position. After they finish, they ask for some money for the "nice" bracelet they made you. Alex had told me about this but watching it in action is something else. I felt so bad for the people that they got a hold of cuz they seemed kind of helpless. And the ones that pulled their arm away seemed to really piss off these guys, and lets just say with 5 of them and one of you, its not exactly a toss up who would win the battle.

That night, we visited the Louvre for free (every Friday from 6 pm for people under 26). Saw the Mona Lisa, yes its an impressive painting but a bit smaller than I thought it would be and the huge glass pane in front kind of takes away from the beauty of it. We barely saw one wing of the huge museum and I was getting really frusterated because all of the paintings only had descriptions in French beside them! Even museums in flippin Slovakia have English translations (not grammatically correct I might add but you get the jist of it). I'm assuming this is done on purpose but it really took away from the whole experience from me becuase I'd like to know what I'm looking at, and what the significance of it is. We also saw the Venus de Milo statue, and the Egyptian exhibit which was pretty cool. The building itself though is a work of art and so ornate.

Three hours in any museum is enough for me especially after a day of heavy sighseeing. We took a walk across the bridge and went for a nice dinner. I wish I got to see more of Paris by night because it is so pretty but there just wasn't enough time and by night fall I was so tired.

On Saturday we took a day trip with Matt to the Champagne region which deserves a post on its own....

So I'd left Sunday for the Eiffel tower and to go shopping! I accomplished the first but again line ups. We made our way to the second platform by climbing the some 700 stairs. I'd definately recommend this option as it is cheaper, and most importantly, the line is shorter. Plus the stairs are manageable. I had to steady my nerves a little becuase of the height but I managed. Once you get to the second platform though its another line up for the elevator to the top. Did I mention how much I love waiting?? In all honesty it wasn't too bad and you have something to look at while you wait. It was definately worth it getting to the top and the views are even more spectacular from there. All in all it took us about 3 hours for everything.

On our way to Ru Cler again, I had what could possibly qualify as one of the most embarrasing moments of my life as I bailed face first right in front of a busy cafe. I don't get it; after what should be a simple little slip, my body reacts automatically by lurching me forward onto my hands and knees. Oh and this time I even had some side impact with a parked car. Alex was behind me and had a look of utter shock when I turned and asked for help in getting up. It wasn't so much my knees as it was my ego that was bruised. I walked so fast away from the cafe only to have Alex poke fun at me and comment on how impressed he was that I didn't cry! I should have charged for the show as I'm sure many people got a good chuckle out of it. Actually sitting here writing about it right now, I'm laughing as well but at the time; not so funny (simultaneously I am looking up lessons on falling gracefully as walking seems to be beyond me.)

We ended up spending a lot of Sunday on the Metro as everything is so darn far apart. Tried to go shopping at a big mall and apparently all the stores are closed on Sundays....darn, I was really looking forward to doing some shopping. I was determined though and made us trek back to Chaps D'Elysees where I proceeded to purchase a pair of sneakers at the Nike store. I've been looking for sneakers for a while so I was satisfied and ready to head back to Prague after that. We came back to Prague late Sunday night, and I'd never been so happy to see my bed!

Busy week again this week as we have Kent visiting us from Cairo and then head out for Croatia on Saturday morning. I can't wait to lay on a beach!

My Family Visits

2007-07-03T08:36:00.000-06:00

It had been 9 months and 4 days since I headed out of Calgary this past Friday and way too long since I had seen my family. I figured that since they were making the effort to come and visit me in Prague on their way to Croatia, I might as well do something special for them as well. So a couple of weeks ago I decided that I would go to Munich and surprise them at the airport. I'm quite impressed with myself that I didn't allow it to slip in the many conversations before hand as I directions for how they should get to Prague. I had a bit of a scare cuz I called to buy a bus ticket to Munich 4 days before hand and Student Agency was all sold out, thus squashing my wonderful plan. But with the help of some folks I found out that Eurolines has another bus leaving from Prague to Munich at midnight. FYI, don't ever take a night bus anywhere, especially when you have a woman in front pretending not to notice that you have told her numerous times to move her damn seat up. Seriously, that's just common courtesy. I had another scare when I arrived in Munich and realized that the bus does not stop at the airport, rather that I had to figure out the metro system at 5 am with no sleep and no knowledge of German. Getting quite good at reading these metro maps but 8 euros to get to the airport...seriously?

I arrived at the airport at 630 am, T minus 6 hours until my family was scheduled to arrive. Found myself a half descent bench and tried to sleep a bit but to no avail as the loud speaker kept turning on to remind people to keep an eye on their belongings.... OK we get it! The rest of the time I spent walking around the airport, reading and thinking how badly they needed a hostel at an airport for situations such as mine. Just a bed for a couple hours, that's all I'd need. Hmmm this could be a potential business plan for me in the future.

My heart was pounding so hard as I waited for my family at the arrival gate and of course they took their sweet time. Not to mention they went out the opposite side of where I was standing. Never mind. Despite the lack of sleep, the surprise was totally worth it. They had no clue I was coming and several happy tears were shed.

The drive back to Prague was interesting as we tried to figure out who was smarter...the car navigation system with German orders nonetheless, the printed Michelin maps or yours truly. Took a combination of all 3 but we figured it out. Alex was so good to us and had dinner prepared and waiting for our arrival. Everyone was pretty exhausted so we packed it in and headed to bed after dinner and a short walk to the old town square.

On Saturday we did the most intensive sightseeing tour that I have yet to give to any of our visitors. At least 5 hours of all of the major sights (Charles Bridge, Castle, Old Town etc.) with a couple breaks for pivo in between. Can't have it any other way. Anela still doesn't believe that I can drink beer and STILL thinks it tastes gross even though Czech beer is way better than Canadian. That evening we went out for dinner at this nice restaurant called Mozaika and even took a metro to get there. Quite the sight for me to see my dad taking the metro! All of them were so impressed with how steep the escalators are but I think I've just gotten used to it and don't really notice these things anymore.

Toni and my parents packed it in for the day after dinner, and Alex, Anela and I went out to meet some friends of ours at a cocktail place. We had two of our good friends leaving to go back home; Helena from Norway, and Claire for the UK. Sad to see them go and they will always be a part of my memories from Prague. On another note, many of the boys were very excited to finally get to meet my sister whom they'd seen pictures of. Yeah I think I don't need to explain much....I had my eye on them though.

Sunday was a lot more relaxed. We sat down for a long time for breakfast at a French style cafe. Don't know if the long time was by choice or because the waitress was so darn slow! Then we took a walk around the Jewish district and off to Letna park for some beers at the beer gardens. Alex and I love going here because it has some of the best views of Prague and its also a great place to relax. After a couple beers we decided to take a boat trip on the Vltava. I've been meaning to do this for a while so it was a great opportunity to enjoy it with everyone. I guess you get what you pay for because the trip costs about 12-15 dollars Canadian per person and lasts for an hour. Beers on the boat however were ridiculously over priced. The boat we took takes you under the Charles Bridge with good sights of the castle, then back the other way for half an hour. The weather was perfect though and offered more photo ops, as if we hadn't already taken enough!

Everybody was in the mood to try out some traditional Czech goulash so we went to our usually touristy but yet Czech style restarant in the Josefov district. Lets just say that we all ate way more than we should have and had to retreat back to my apartment for a nap. At night we went for a final stroll and grabbed ice cream. I suggested that we walk down to the river so that they could see the castle at night and to our surprise there was fireworks beginning just as we arrived. We were so close to them and the display was absolutely beautiful and lasted about 15 mins. My dad kept saying "OK that's it" and then they would start again. Some tourists asked me if I knew what the fireworks were for and I said that it was for Canada day which is totally false but it fit the occasion.

I had to say goodbye to them on Monday morning until I meet up with them in Croatia in a week or so. I really didn't want them to leave because the weekend was just so much fun and it was great to get to be with family again. Can't wait to join them for more quality time.

I'm off to Paris tonight for 4 days with Alex. Its my first time in the city so I am very much looking forward to it. Will try to update next week. Bone Voyage!

Czech Business Culture

2007-06-14T05:28:00.000-06:00

I have to vent about something that really irks me here at the office. I realize that all I ever write about seems to be travelling but I DO actually have a job here as well...surprise, surprise.

OK so here it goes. Two things mainly. One is that whenever I make a phone call or receive a phone call, I generally start with "hello how are you" or in many cases "please stop talking I don't speak Czech." In any case, people are really taken aback when I simply ask how are you. More often than not I hear a snicker on the other end of the line or they just skip past my attempt at pleasantries and get to the point. Maybe its just me and I'm used to manners of this kind but it really bugs me when people skip past the "how are yous."

The other thing I really miss from Canadian corporate culture, is the water cooler chats! Nobody and I mean nobody does that here. Perhaps its cuz I don't speak the language but I don't even see Czech people doing it. I was telling my other Canadian co-worker about this and we decided to go and have an impromptu water cooler chat just for the hell of it (it felt very unnatural though). I used to love doing that at my office in Calgary, best way to kill half an hour in the morning when really you're not productive anyways so you get to know your co-workers.

Finally, turns out there is actually three things that bug me (or at least that I want to vent about online) almost every Czech company has a system for tracking employee hours. Basically you're given an ID card that you punch in when you arrive and when you leave to make sure you put in your 8 hours. Now my company has even introduced the necessity to punch in and out during lunch time as well. As to why, its really beyond me because you're generally only allowed a half an hour lunch anyway. After a couple months I'm still not used to this. So many times I punch out for lunch and then realize 3 hours later that I forgot to punch back in. As for taking a sick day, well you better have a doctors note to prove it. Am I the only one that realizes that if I'm sick, the last thing I wanna do is get out of bed and go see a doctor for the common cold. I just get the general sense that employers don't trust employees and vice verse which is really too bad because it just seems to create this vicious cycle of mistrust.

Its not all bad though, I do enjoy the flex hours even though I rarely get to use them with my position. Plus the automatic 4 week holiday is great!

Dresden, Deutschland

2007-05-22T07:15:00.000-06:00

Dresden happens to be only a two and a half hour train ride from Prague, making it the most convenient city outside of the Czech Republic for me to go and get my work visa. For some reason though the lady in HR kept telling me to go to Vienna or Bratislava which are at least 4-5 hours away. If you've ever visited a consular office then you know that they work very favorable hours, for them at least. Usually they are only open from 8-11 am. Meaning I would leave from Prague at night to make it to the other cities on time. Unfortunately the train ticket is pretty pricey whenever you head west in Europe. Wow, way to make a long story long!

OK so another country, another visa (we all know how much I love dealing with that, but luckily this time I had someone else do all the paperwork for me). When all is said and done, I will have gone a total of 3 times to Dresden; once to apply for both short term and long term visa, once to pick up the short term (takes about a week and this one is good until your long term one is finished) and then again 2 months later to pick up the long term. I didn't get to see much of the city the first time around. I literally arrived there, ran to get to the office on time, and then hopped on a train again to go back to Prague. The second time around I went about a week later and took advantage of a public holiday in Czech Republic. So I got there on Monday, bright and early on the 6 am train. It took me all of about 10 mins to pick up my visa and then I had the rest of the day to explore the city till Alex came to join me that night after he left work (Tuesday being the holiday-so stupid here how they don't combine public holidays with a weekend and make it a long weekend instead).

All things aside, Dresden is a beautiful city. It was hit really hard in a somewhat controversial bombing during the second world war but a lot of attention has been paid in restoring it back to its original shape. Its actually still in the process of reconstruction and the famous Frauenkirche church was just completed last year I think. It looked beautiful from the outside, but I was too lazy to stand in the really, really long line to get in. I spent pretty much the whole day walking around on my own but trying not to see everything because I would have to do it all over again the next day with Alex. I realized that I'm not a huge fan of traveling on my own, basically I get bored by myself and sitting down for lunch in a crowded touristy area on your own, kinda sucks. It was probably all in my head, but I swear people were staring at me.

The city isn't huge so you can walk it which I like. After about 6 hours of walking I found a very nice park to go and relax in before I checked into our hostel. Taking a nap at the hostel though was pretty much impossible because I kept hearing doors slamming. After Alex arrived, we went for dinner at this Mexican place (I know its weird to be eating Mexican in Germany but I had a craving). Unfortunately the food sucked and forking out euros for a crappy meal was difficult to do. I thought they might take it off my bill because I barely touched my quadruple deep fried whatever (blah), but no this is not Canada so pay up. We strolled through the historical part of the city at night but it wasn't as nice as Prague is at night, I think they might need more lighting!

Sleeping in the hostel was something of an adventure. The place was really clean and quite nice actually. We stayed in a 6 person dorm with bunk beds! What they fail to mention on the website is that there is a bar right across the street from it, that plays loud pumping music till 4 am. I thought I might lose my mind, after having only 4 hours of sleep the night before (I always get paranoid about oversleeping when I have to get up early). It just went on, and on and Alex commented that at least they were playing good music. At that moment, all I could think about was how I could have paid 20 more euros for this hotel room across the city.

I was a bit out of it the second day in Dresden from the lack of sleep but we still did a lot of walking. Pretty much saw everything in the historical district and even did a tour of the Semper Opera House. Its a really famous opera house for its acoustics I guess. I was amused with the marble that was painted by a guy so that it would look like wood. Because the Opera house burned down in a fire or 2, the architect felt it was better to use non flammable materials so they painted on wood instead of using real wood. Pretty boring job I'd say but it looked very believable. After that we walked through the park I had found the day before. Alex insisted on going all the way to the end of it to see this summer Palace which was so not worth it after the long 2 days I had had. Nap time in the sun then back to Prague! I realized later that I should have maybe done more of the galleries in the Zwinger Palace so maybe the next time I go I will check out the porcelain museum.

Oh and as for food, we did eat a bunch of very delicious bratwurst with mustard. More importantly though, or not, we found a Burger King! They don't have them here in Czech Republic so we downed some whoppers for dinner. Funny the little things you tend to miss.

Istanbul, Turkey

2007-04-26T05:35:00.000-06:00

Hmmm where to begin?? This is exactly why I need to start writing in my travel journal as things are happening. Its a good thing I have the memory of an elephant!

Ok so the trip to Istanbul came about a bit sporatically because we hadn't specifically planned on going until a great deal literally dropped into our inbox. A friend, of a friend, of a friend, aka the Prague Trainees mass email list told us abotu it. The price was amazing for flight, hotel, transfers and best of all, there was a couple Turkish guys going who would show us around. Done deal! I'd never gone on a big tour group trip before so I was a little aprehensive about it, but it turned out really well and we met some great people.

Our Tour group

Since we only had 2 and a half days to explore Istanbul, I wanted to make sure that we packed as much in as possible and boy did we ever. We arrived late on saturday afternoon and the biggest joke of the day was how I, the sole Canadian (Alex uses his British passport) had to pay more than double than everyone else for a tourist visa once we arrived. 45 Euros to be exact and everyone else was paying like 10-15. I gotta look into Canadian-Turkish relations becuase that is just ridiculous for 3 days! The Turkish guys had some fun at the hotel too and said that the price was higher there for Canadians as well. Real funny...

After settling 60 people into a hotel, we went for a walk around the coast line of the Bosphorus and the historical part of Istanbul. So many people, so many camera ops, equals 3 hours of walking to get to our dinner destination. The two main sights we passed by was the Hagia Sofia-this is the oldest building I have ever stepped foot in and has such a long and rich history. It was originally built in the 6th century as an Orthodox church, then during Latin occupation, turned into a Catholic church, and finally ordered by the Turks to be converted to a mosque in the 15th century. It stands on one end, while the Blue Mosque, or Sultan Ahmed Mosque, stands on the other end of the square.

The place for dinner was definately original and worth the 3 hour walk. It was in a dining room in the garden of a mosque, fit for royalty but without the pricetag. After dinner most people headed off to bed but we were looking for more adventure which we got in Taksim, the club and bar district. It was so crowded there that I was hanging onto Alex for fear of losing everyone. After we found a bar, I soon realized that no I cannot drink a BIG beer in Turkey. It was HUGE 0.7l to be exact. The real excitement came with finding a minibus to take us back to our hotel. Picture this, traffic bumper to bumber at 1 am, no lights or pedestrian signs and 7 of us running back and forth between eight lanes. I think my heart skipped a few beats every time we gunned it across but somehow our street smarts prevailed and we made it back in one piece.

The funny think about being with a tour group is that it actually forces you to get up in the morning at the agreed upon time. Sure Alex and I always have good intentions to get up at 8 and see the city but when the alarm actually goes off, we think, meh whats a couple hours. So breakfast, shower and we were out by 10 am on Sunday, or what will forever be remember as the busiest or most packed day of my life. Lets see, we started out by going into the Blue Mosque, shoes off and everything. I'm still perplexed by the grand size of both the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia.

After this we headed to the Topkapi Palace, the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire, where all the Sultans reigned. Again, it was fairly large and we saw a good chunk of it in the 2 hours we were there. Everyone told us not to miss the Harem which is the living quarters of all the women in the empire as well as eunuchs (castrated men) and slaves that served the women. While it was interesting, it wasn't worth the extra 10tl to enter and there was too many people around to really get a good look at everything. My favorite part of the palace was the gardens and the great views it gives of the Bosphorus. Oh and the jewel collection that is apparently the most expensive in the world; not surprising judging by the 84 carat diamond we saw encrusted among a couple dozen other diamonds. A girl could only dream :)

All of this was enough to build up a good appetite for some Turkish food. We went to a place that seriously had a line up to get it. I felt like I was going to some exclusive club. It was very local and the meal we had was pretty much the same as cevape in Bosnia. Actually its funny because the menu consists of only this one dish and soup or salad if you wish. But it was good enough to keep the whole restaurant full and more waiting outside to get in.

The Hagia Sofia was next on the docket. I was more facinated with the history of the building then I was by anything else. It's interesting to see dispays of two of the worlds biggest religions under one roof. On one side you have Christian mosaics and on the other Islamic mihrab and Arabic writing.

Our final stop on this busy sight seeing day was the Bascilica Cistern, the largest underground water holding chamber that was built by the Greeks in the 6th century. Lots of marble columns . Strangely enough there was also 2 Medusa heads positioned upside down or on its side in the corner of the place.

And just when you thought the day was ending, we've only come to 4 pm. To sum up the rest of the day, our tour guide took us to a traditional tea and sheesha room to relax. Melon was the flavor of choice for us and we also had this apple tea that tastes like jolly ranchers! That night our whole tour group headed to Taksim and we danced the night away at a restaurant.

Sunday morning, another painfully early morning after heading to bed at 3 am., we all headed tothe Grand Bazaar. This is the big shopping center I guess you could call it, where you get to practice your negotiating skills against some tough Turks. Everyone had such rave things to say about it before I went there but I honestly found it to be a stressful place. Everyone trying to sell you something.... try listening to "yes please" "excuse me" and "where you from" about a couple dozen times and tell me how you feel. My first attempt at negotiating a price for a ceramic bowl I wanted didn't go so well and I walked away empty handed. But then just down the street I found the same bowl with this "oh so original" marking on the bottom of it for the price I wanted to pay. The Turkish guys told us that anythign over half the price was too much and we were being ripped off. Even a third of the price is too much if you ask me. There wasn't anythign that original there... lots of little touristy nick nacks which I hate, fake designer stuff galore, and general "Tourkish" memorabilia (coffee pots, carpets, gold jewelry, tea cups...). Alex and I opted to sit down for a coffee while everyone else ran around the place. We wanted to conserve our energy for the Spice Market!

Just a short walk down and around some winding and crowded streets is where the Spice market lies. Here is where you will find some amazing food related items. Spices of course, dry fruit, Turkish delight for days, and many other sweets. The merchants at this place were generally more friendly and most importantly let you try everything and anything you saw! We even had Turkish Viagra; a dry fig with a walnut in the center. Yumm. Our goal was to buy lots of spices so we can make real curry, Turkish Delight of course and a strange assortment of dry fruit.

Packed with all our goodies, a bunch of us headed for a boat trip organized for us along the Bosphorus. We had the whole boat to ourselves with nice comfy pillows and couches inside. During the 4 hours we stopped along several points and even stepped off on the Asian side of Istanbul. Didn't spend a lot of time there so didn't get to see much but I now have bragging rights that I've stepped onto Asia! Beautiful scenery but it was so windy on the water if you went up to the top deck and I thanked my lucky stars that I purchased a pashmina before getting on. That lucky guy made a killing off of our group that day.

And that about covers my Istanbul adventure. We had to leave early on Tuesday morning and I thought I would come back to Prague and sleep all day. But the weather was so nice in Prague that we opted for laying around in the sun instead. Not a bad trade. I am happy to say that I was really pleased with our tour and that I'd definately go back to Turkey.

More pics are up on My Picture site!

Easter in Poland

2007-04-12T03:12:00.000-06:00

After my previous boring post about wasting time and doing absolutely nothing, I hope to bring some life back into this blog with my latest adventure in Poland. Be warned, I have a lot to say!

So I hadn't done a lot of traveling since Christmas, apart from the back and forth between Prague and Zilina while I was still living in Slovakia (definitely not missing that train ride) and with spring coming, I decided it was time to kick up into high gear again.

Before I get to Poland, I have to mention the trip we did 2 weekends ago to Kutna Hora, a small town west of Prague that is famous for its so called Bone Church (actually it is a cemetery chapel with an ossuary that contains the remains of some 40,000 people). I'd heard a lot about it because practically everyone living here had seen it other than Alex and I. We'd decided we were going and then I convinced our friend Cedric (from Belgium) to join us as well because he missed out on the big trip with others while helping me move into our new place. Such a nice guy! Luckily Cedric has a car here so we drove there, parked the car and headed out to explore the area. The biggest attraction is this bone church, but there are lots of nice cathedrals and statues as well. Especially St. Barbara's cathedral seen below.

We walked around all day, then finally made it to the bone church. In all honesty, I was a bit disappointed. Yes it was definitely original and like nothing I had ever seen before, but I really thought that it would be bigger. This is what happens when you see lots of pics and ads for a place. I also thought it would be more creepy, but it really wasn't at all. It was almost comical especially with Cedric and Alex goofing around. While I understand the history behind it (you can read more about it here), I'm still a bit divided on whether I think this whole idea behind the church it is disrespectful to the dead or a tribute to them.

OK, moving on to Easter in Poland. Our friend Lukasz had suggested that we come and spend Easter with his family at his home town in Poland after Alex and I were hard pressed to find somewhere else to go where tourist attractions would be open, it being Easter and all. We packed our bags and headed out early from work on Friday. Lets just say that the ride to Wroclaw, the city of the University that Lukasz attends, was not enjoyable in the least. Not because the scenery wasn't beautiful, but because it was wizzing past me too quickly and I was completely focused on the cars approaching us as Lukasz continually passed the cars in front. I could be over exaggerating but I'm not a fan of fast driving. We had a good laugh about their drivers licences because the picture needs to show a side profile with one of their ears showing. I suggested that this was because they constantly have their head turned looking for the chance to pass the car in front!

We made it to Wroclaw safely and headed out for dinner that night. Because Poland is a VERY Catholic country, there wasn't many people out for the night and several of the bars were closed. After a nice dinner with some friends of Lukasz, we headed to a lounge and had a couple more drinks. Unfortunately I had a migraine that day, so I asked that we pack it in early that night. The city square was beautiful at night though and we got up early the next day so that we could have a walk around before heading to Zielona Gora. The town hall is really impressive with its Gothic exterior and there was many other beautiful buildings that have recently been reconstructed although you could definitely notice that communism had reigned here before because just outside the square, there was still some very functional, ugly buildings. My favorite part of the square is this big area where tonnes and tonnes of flowers are being sold. Lukasz said it was a great way to end a date by purchasing a beautiful flower for the lady. I like!

Then we were off for another exciting drive to Zielona Gora, Lukasz's home town. He continually warned us that his parents don't speak English and that they might be shy but it turned out that we had no problems communicating with them through Lukasz as our translator. And not to mention that they were extremely nice and accommodating. Our first mission in Zielona Gora was to take the Easter basket to church and have it blessed. Being that I was the youngest lady, but most probably because I was a guest, I got to carry the basket. Lot of pressure, let me tell ya. I survived and no eggs were harmed on the way.

The rest of the day was spent basically eating, drinking, and even a nice little nap in between. That night it was off to church for a 3 hour mass. Wow, I'd never attended a mass that long. Apparently they had combined the midnight mass with the Sunday morning mass and made it one long one from 10-12:30 am. One of the neat things that they do at the mass is that all of the lights are turned out, then the priests go outside, light a fire, from which they light the big Easter candle that will be used in the church for the next year. Then as they make their procession inside, everyone in the pews lights their own candles from this light. Of course when we got home, another meal was long overdue! And more Vodka (Polish love their vodka)

In Poland, Easter breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The food that was blessed the day before is served with numerous other traditional dishes. Everyone in the family puts on their best suit and it is quite formal in a sense. Alex and I felt a bit under dressed for the occasion but nevertheless, it was really interesting to see.

That afternoon we headed to a sporting event known as Speedway. I would describe it as drag racing, where 4 guys get on to these special dirt bikes, and speed around a track with no breaks, so when they take the corners, they are literally sliding on the track. Its so popular and people were standing everywhere in the stadium to watch this. I thought it was cool, but after about 5 races, I got the jest of it.

In the end the home team lost and so there was some not so impressed fans, who had had more then their share of booze for the day. Many of them started throwing things onto the field, and even going onto the field toward the other teams cheering section. I wouldn't say it was out of control or a riot, but there was no security to be seen. Finally after about 15 mins of this, the riot police came out and all those oh so tough guys came running off. Really cool experience though, with such passionate fans.

Sunday night we headed to a "club" in Zielona Gora and I got to do some great people watching which is always fun! It got pretty busy and loud I might add so we headed to a nice, quieter establishment to continue to chat with some people whom we met. We headed back for Prague on Monday afternoon after another nice meal with all of Lukasz's family. The ride back was through the mountainous area of Poland, so a lot of winding roads, enough to make me car sick! We stopped of at a national park with a nice waterfall. Getting back into the Czech Republic, the boarder guard tried giving me a hard time because I hadn't received a stamp going into Poland (not my fault he didn't stamp my passport). Then he tried to give me a load of you know what about how much money I need per day to stay in the Czech Republic, health insurence, blah, blah, blah (tough guy act). It really pissed me off becuase I know my rights as a Canadian citizen, not to mention that I'd crossed into the Czech Republic many times before this with none of these requirements.

All in all, it was great being able to spend Easter with a family and getting to experience their Easter traditions. We owe a world of thanks to Lukasz and his family, especially his mom for the good cookin!

Off to Istanbul this weekend; I get to step onto Asia for the first time-can't wait to tell you all about it! Oh and more pictures from both weekends are up on my picture site.

Wasting Time

2007-03-22T05:14:00.000-06:00

Its been a slow and I mean slow couple days at work so I've consumed my time with pointless excersizes on the internet. And since today is another one of these days, I thought I'd satisfy those of you who've told me to update my blog (after you read this you will see why I havent).

For those familiar with wasting time on the clock, you know exactly what I mean. First you read the papers, catch up on world events so that if something really "newsworthy" actually happened, then you'd be up and up on the conservations (of course you know about the stock market slowdown...). As is the case usually, I don't really find anything that blows my mind other than the general back and forth, upa and downs of life in todays day and age. Seeing as how I haven't watched TV in lets see, about 6 months, internet newspapers are the next best thing and I have to say way more enjoyable as I can select what I wanna read. Theres a couple that I frequent; bbc.com(for the "international view"), cbc.com (for the canadian stuff), calgaryherald.com(naturally I only look at the weather forecast which usually brightens my day), and economist.com (business and interesting perspectives). Recently a friend of mine emailed me a list of websites for celebrity gossip and all else Holywood but I just haven't gotten into them yet. Although I think I might have been the last person on earth to find out about the Britney head shaving incident. Clearly importnant journalism.

Then there is Facebook, email and catching up on other blogs. I'm not even going to start with Facebook other than saying that I, like many others are ashamed at how adictive it has become. Seriously; people I thought I'd never talk to, and probably for a reason, I can now snoop on and see what they are up to. Why this gets me going? I have no idea and so I will blame it on being abroad and lacking close personal relationships with those I miss (excellent excuse I think).

Finally and probably the most exciting thing to do, which is why it should be at the top of this post but its not, is planning my trips for the next oh lets say 6 months. Couple things on the go include a very likely escape to Istanbul in the middle of April because it is ubber cheap and well I haven't traveled outside of the Czech and Slovak republics since Christmas. Then in May, a possible trip to Barcelona to visit my old roomate. The summer of course needs to include lots of travelling as far as I'm concerned. It will start in the beginning of July in Paris, thanks to an unexpected 2 day Czech holiday! The last two weeks in July will be spent with the fam dam whom I'm starting to miss terribly. I'll meet them in Bosnia and then we are off to the Croatian coast line for a week and then my sister and I will head to Italy for a bit. Final plan, if holiday time and money willing, is a trip to Greece in September.

I'm getting just giddy thinking about it, so I've spent a lot of time searching out flights, hotels, etc. and researching tourist info. I'm getting frusterated though with not being able to find flight times that would suit my schedule to the cities I wanna visit. Jeez, why didn't they consult with me first before coming up with these timetables.

Anywho thats that. I leave you with parting words from my friend Cedric that said "some people don't get bored."

PDA's, and I'm not talking about your handheld

2007-03-07T03:27:00.000-07:00

Ever since I moved to Prague I am becoming more and more aware at the ridiculous amount of "Public Displays of Affection" everywhere I go. Don't even think that I am over exaggerating because I am not the first to notice it. Let me even go as far as to state that I'm all for holding hands in public, or a little peck here and there; but when it becomes borderline indecent exposure, then I'm a little annoyed. The escalators to the metro are the breading ground for much of this activity. Guy stands on one step (generally the lower one as he is taller), girl stands on another stair, and bam, you have a minute or so of prime time for making out. I'm talking tongue action, to the max. Actually come to think of it, the transportation system in general seems to bring out the majority of opportunities for this behavior. Oh and the other night I was walking home from having some drinks and this couple was having a very passionate goodnight kiss outside their building....seriously, take it upstairs.

I'm still trying to figure out why I am growing more and more annoyed by it as the days go by. Plain and simply, I just don't have any desire to see it, nor hear (that's right hear) the sound of strangers getting it on. Sometimes when there is older people standing around or within the vicinity, I'm borderline embarrassed for the kissing bandits.

As far as I can tell though, this doesn't seem to be a taboo here. Whereas in some cultures it is all but outlawed, and in others publicly unacceptable, the alternative is true in Prague. To put a positive spin on the situation though, lets say that maybe they're just more in love than the rest of us. What do I know.... other than that I'm trying very hard to turn a blind eye to it.

The Czech Dream

2007-02-23T05:58:00.000-07:00

Last night, a few friends and I went to see a Czech movie called the Czech Dream. I didn't really know what it was about before it started, only details I was provided was that it was a documentary about advertising in the Czech Republic. My thoughts were "ooh goody, an independent film."

So here is the background to the movie that is being called the largest consumer hoax the Czech Republic has ever seen. Two film students used a government grant for their final project and developed a big scam about a fake hypermarket that was opening in Prague. Basically they set out to explore the psychological and manipulative powers of advertising by creating an ad campaign for a store that doesn't exist. The film follows them as they develop the idea from just a thought, to the advertising campaign, full with print, radio, and TV commercials all well researched and constructed. They print and hand out fliers with fake store brand products, and even record a catchy jingle. Finally they construct the front facade of the store with a huge banner out in the field by Prague airport that will be the stage for the final reveal.

In the end, thousands of people catch on to the massive amount of advertising and show up for the store opening, that was never going to happen. It was hilarious because they keep it going up until the last minute when the shoppers storm out towards the fictitious store out in the field only to find that its all a big scam. Naturally many are pissed off, while others find the humor in it and recognize the idea behind their motives to do this. I felt bad for the elderly making their way out with their trolleys in hand.

Consumerism in the Czech Republic as it turns out is quite the phenomenon. Communism definitely contributed to this where before consumers were very limited with both quantity and quality. Now even I'm overwhelmed sometimes at the number of different brands that are available for any given product, in particular I noticed this with the yogurt aisle or I should say aisles. Many people interviewed in the movie talk about how much they love going for an afternoon shopping trip to Tesco and what a relaxing experience it is. My trips to Tesco have been about as far away from relaxing as it gets but I guess that's because I come from a different background and I'm highly impatient. Generally I avoided the Walmart's back home largely due to the massive amount of people all trying to save a couple pennies and contributing to the cult of "everyday low prices." Well it appears that Tesco is attempting the Walmart effect across Central Europe. That's my rant...

Another issue that the movie brings up, which I was unaware of, was the Czech Republics campaign to enter the European Union. Apparently this same type of ad campaign was used where Say Yes to EU was the only message offered to the public. I guess it worked and goes to show just how easily we are influenced by advertising. Overall, I thought that this was a really eye opening movie, especially for me. If you're interested, here is the link to the Czech Dream.

The Last Month

2007-02-22T06:33:00.000-07:00

I realize that this is long overdue but I will do my best to try and recall some of the more memorable events of the past month.

Leaving Zilina

I completed my internship at the end of January with Snow Paradise. While I didn't have the professional experience that I was hoping for, at the end of it I felt like I did accomplish something. More importantly though, living in Zilina for four months taught me more about myself than any other time in my life. Being on my own, in a different country, with a different language put a lot of things into perspective for me and that is what I will take with me from this experience. I survived through a lot of lonely days and times when I questioned why am I doing this to myself. The entire effect of it though will probably not reveal itself for a while to come. I am however already starting to notice changes in myself, most importantly how much more independant and braver I have become as a result.

And to the friends that I made in Slovakia, Dekujem (Thank you) for all of your help while I was there. I couldn't have done it without your support. Oh and a shout out to mother nature who screwed with my opportunity to become a professional skier. Yeah the snow came, the LAST week that I was there ironically so no skiing for me.

Moving to Prague

Moving to Prague was the natural progression for my life right now. I love this city, Alex was already here working, there are lots of opportunities and well I'm not ready to go back to Calgary just yet. So I packed my now even heavier bags and moved here.

Searching for an apartment I realized is not a fun thing to do in any city in the world. As an aside I'd like to mention that searching for a furnished apartment is even more difficult. I must have viewed about 20 different flats on my own and by the end of it my head was starting to spin. And someone needs to put these apartment owners in their place. Charging a ridiculous amount of money for a box, with old communist furniture, is not justifyable by my standards. We lucked out in the end and found a beautiful flat, very close to the city center of Prague. I finally have a kitchen I can cook in and we've already come up with some great meals. Being a 10 minute walk from the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square also has its perks when going out.

The roomates include Alex, and a Brazilian couple, Alice and Andre who are also part of AIESEC and working here in Prague. We had a housewarming party last weekend that was a lot of fun but we quickly learned that our neighbors are not the party type. Shame really because we were out of here by 11pm on a Saturday night. Nothing too wild and crazy by any standards.

Other than that, I have been hanging out, exploring the new area and trying new things. Alex and I went to the Opera at the National Theatre here a couple of weeks ago. The opera itself was really stupid and had a bad story line but being in this beautiful building around all these people dolled up for the theatre was really interesting for me. I'm hoping to go and catch the ballet soon, Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet are playing.

Its still an adjustment moving to a new city. So far I'm quite impressed with my navigation skills and my new found ability to use a map!! I even anaged to find a Toshiba service center out in the boonies of Prague. Funny how outside the touristy area here, Prague is just like other cities with its suburban areas and run down buildings. The weather has been wierd as is the case for this whole winter. No snow other than a small dropping that quickly melted when I came here, and just this overcast kind of gloomy weather, followed by really nice and sunny days that remind me of spring in Calgary. Mind you spring in Calgary doesn't occur until May...

So there is the basic update. I'll try to keep it more regular from now on. Oh and if any of you are coming to Prague, send me an email!

I've Moved

2007-02-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

Quick update; I decided it was time for a change of scenery and I have moved to Prague a couple of weeks ago. Lots of stories to tell but no time to do it right now. I'll try to give more details soon!!

Manchester Holiday Show

2007-01-18T02:29:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I headed to Manchester, England for the Holiday and Travel show, basically a tradeshow to try and make people such as myself aware of all of all of the other places in the world that I have yet to visit (screams danger to my bank account). My reason for being there is what I like to call the "culmination of my internship experience," or in plain language to promote the Slovakia Ski Region to the UK market. My boss, the marketing director for our ski resort, and another director from another ski resort, were there to represent the top 5 ski resorts in Slovakia. Let me tell you that tradeshows are no fun for the people standing at the stands, as I learned after the first day. Nevertheless it was a great experience and I'm gonna break down the 5 days as follows:

Drinking with the Slovaks

I had to get up super early on Thursday morning to drive to Bratislava and catch our flight to Prague and then Manchester. Gotta love Slovakia for not having direct connections. Anywho, while waiting for the flight, at 9 am, I was notified that a drink was in due order. When I rejected, the response was "we didn't ask if you want something, we asked what you want" Ok so thats that. Then while waiting for the connecting flight, same thing. I had to prove myself but really inside I was thinking, Jesus I'm glad we only have to stop at two airports. Oh how wrong I was. It didn't stop there. Once we got to our accomodations, a big bottle of Demenovka, Slovakian brandy of sorts or again as I like to call it, really sweet mouthwash. This was supposed to go down like water! Then it was off to dinner at a nice English pub at which point I decided to switch to beer cuz I can drink it slower. By 11 pm, after a long day of traveling and drinking, I was so ready for bed, only to have to get up at 6 am the next day for more of the same.

I have to admit that after the first day, the drinking slowed down a little but I realized that business dinners can be pretty exhausting. I never thought of them that way in Calgary because all I had to do there was show up and look pretty and schmooze with the investors. Well here I actually had to try and impress them with what I knew about the tourism industry in Slovakia, skiing, etc.

It's Slovakia, not Slovenia, and no not Yugoslavia either

I have to say that the school system in Britain needs to go through a major overhauling especially the geography department. The representatives from the Slovakian tour operator we shared a stand with and I, spent the whole weekend giving geography lessons. So many people came up and these were the responses upon reaching our stand:

"Oh I've been to Slovenia" WRONG its Slovakia, different country

"Yes we were in Yugoslavia last year and visited" WRONG again, and if you wanna be totally correct, Yugoslavia as a country has not existed for 15 years.

I didn't realize that people knew so little about where this country was located, yet they knew about all of the surrounding countries, like Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary. Well this stems down to the lack of promotion by the Slovakian Tourism Board. Little companies cannot do it on their own, there needs to be a joint effort supported by the government to raise awareness, jee I learned a lot.

Sure we have Snow***

So the demographics at the tradeshow did not work favorably for the skiing industry as 65% of them were senior citizens, and trying not to be age discriminatory, they are not looking to break a hip any time soon. I know it sounds terrible but several of them told me so themselves making it appropriate for me to say so, its heresay! Anywho, the people that I did get to speak with and try to promote skiing in Slovakia, for its great trails, beautiful scenery and most importantly cheap prices, asked me about the snow conditions. Well if you know anything about the weather in Europe this winter then you will know that places like the Alps are even having problems with a lack of snow. They've even had to move some world cup races becuase of this. So what do you tell people; well technically we do have "some" snow, at least in the High Tatra's but I said "sure we have snow." My logic for this goes like so: by the time they decide that they are gonna come and try skiing in Slovakia, book their trip and get their butts over here, well that takes us to about the middle of February, at which point there better be snow or else me and mother nature are gonna have to have a good talk. So sure we have snow.

Finally, I have to mention, the great area that we stayed in. Because everything was booked up and accomodations were expensive in Manchester, we found a cute little Bed and Breakfast out in the country outside of Burnley. This is about 40 km north of Manchester so a long drive in every morning. Totally worth it though because this house was amazing; it was over 300 years old, had the nicest, cozy living area with a big warm fireplace, and books over a century old and the owner made a mean English breakfast. It was so nice to go back to after a long and hectic day. Oh and the village close to it, has a mens store that apparently David Beckham comes to shop at. That was the other thing, I didn't get to go to the Manchester United Stadium or see much of Manchester for that matter. The downtown is not that great in all honesty but has a huge mall that was overwhleming even for me.

I came back to Zilina on Monday, just exhausted becuase we had an even earlier wake up call of 3:45 am. Then I settled down and started looking over all of the travel brochures I picked up and the wheels started turning.

Back it up

2007-01-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

This is probably the most serious that you will hear me speak in a while but it deals with important matters. You know how people are always telling you to back up your documents, and save them in another spot, blah, blah, blah, (this is what I was hearing), well it turns out it's said for a reason, and I mean big time important reason. I had the misfortune of finding out just how important it is yesterday after the hard drive on my computer crashed. Wanna know how much I never thought that this sort of thing would happen to me? So much so that I didn't even bring the backup disks for my computer. The stupidity of my actions is amplified even more when I looked in my cd case and found that I brought the backup disk for my ipod, webcam and even my digital camera software; really now how did I expect that my Ipod might crash without my computer crashing in the first place. grrrr its only a year and a half old.

I think the look of panic was very apparent on my face yesterday morning at work, as I contemplated the thought of losing everything I had stored away on this piece of equipment especailly the last 4 months of photos from Europe. Yes I do like my pictures, apparently 4,4 GB of pictures to be exact! Oh and lets not forget the presentation I made for a tradeshow I'm leaving for tomorrow in Manchester, try running that old: my computer crashed and I have nothing to show for excuse, by your boss. Its like using the dog ate my homework excuse in elementary school. The way I saw it, this wasn't an option, there had to be some way of extracting all of my precious data from a computer that would no longer even start because there was a configuration error, whatever the hell that means.

So I quickly headed to the dorms where lots of computer engineers are present that would for sure be able to fix my problem, technical university and all. Four hours later, I was beginning to realize the seriousness of the problem when all possible resolutions to the problem had been exhausted by the guys. I felt like throwing the thing at them and saying "what the hell do you go to school for." Ok so I'm kidding, it was more like I felt terrible for taking them away from studying for their exams to fidget with my computer. My justification for it was that this was their real life practice test which they failed I might add (again totally kidding!)

The saga continues after we opened the computer and realized that the hard drive was actually a Fujitsu Siemens hard drive and not Toshiba as it says on my laptop. Tricky.. I'm starting to realize this is the case more and more with many products. Lights go off in my head that my friend works at the Siemens here in Zilina, they have to have a service center there I though.... wrong again. But this did lead me to some solutions. Two of the guys from Siemens, whom I am greatly indepted to now, spent all night last night figuring out how to save my files and then today trying to reformat my hard drive. Let me say that Linux is an amazing operating system for this sort of thing. That is if you know how to use it, which I clearly don't.

Long story even longer, we managed to salvage a good chunk of my files and they are safely tucked away on a DVD now. Not doing me a whole lot of good as of yet. What is still unknown is whether I will have a computer to go back to after all is said and done or if the hard drive really is done and done as "there is a high possibility" of this, or so they say. Lets hope that warranty kicks in globaly if not! What can I do but exhale a long breath and maybe one day laugh about this... I did learn a valuable lesson, which I am passing on to all of you, in hopes that the computer gods take pitty on me and reward me for my act of kindness; back up your documents once a month so that you may avoid the same fate.

How were my Holidays you ask??

2007-01-08T03:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who received my email about my holidays, well then here it is again with some more details!

After a nice long two week Christmas holiday I am back to reality, with lots of great memories and new experiences to share. Before I begin with all of that though, I want to wish you all a very happy New Year, I realize I'm a week behind but I have yet to write 2007. So here it goes, I'm hoping that 2007 is a memorable one for everyone. Plan on making the best of it and take every opportunity to try and make yourself and the people around happy.

Now onto more exciting news! As some of you know, I took a much deserved break (from my point of view) and headed for Christmas holidays which saw me traveling through three different countries in two weeks. This year Alex and I decided that since we weren't home to be with our immediate families, we would visit the close family we have living here in Europe. Our trip started by heading to Bosnia to visit my aunts, uncles, grandparents, and many cousins. After four days, we probably gained 10 pounds as there was no point in time when we weren't eating or had food in front of us while being urged to continue eating. We had a great time through it all, eating, drinking slivovica (homemade plum brandy) and visiting with all of my family. I got to play the role of translator for Alex and he impressed all the Croatians through his willingness to experience a true Croatian Christmas. One of the big highlights was getting to roast a pig or four I should say on Christmas eve, as this is the traditional meal on Christmas day.

We then headed to Zagreb, Croatia to visit some more family. As with any major city in Europe, we saw yet another Christmas market and more boiled wine was had. This time only white wine was available which was different from other markets I have been to. I do have to say that the nostalgia of Christmas markets has worn off.

The next day it was off to London where we were met by Alex's brother and his wife. For future reference, anyone traveling to Luton Airport, don't take the bus into London, apparently there is a direct train service. This would have been useful information before we got stuck in rush hour traffic in central London. We spent a couple nights just outside of London at Alex's country aunts house which by the way was so big that many of us wish we had a map when we first got there. While exploring London, I went to many of the famous sights like Big Ben, the Parliment Buildings, Westminster Abbey and even stopped in for some tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace ;) In true England weather, the rain started coming down, which was welcome by us at the time because it meant a chance to duck away into a cozy English pub and an escape for the ridiculous crowds outside. Apparently though, you would be hard pressed to find a true independant English pub in many cities, especially London, as they are all linked to some brewery or chain. The BIG splurge while in London didn't happen at the boutiques or Harrods as would be expected of me, rather at Jamie Oliver's restaurant called Fifteen. Here I had the most expensive meal of my life and while my expectations weren't entirely met, it was still something interesting I can now check off my list! Since the restaurant is called Fifteen, it appears that a lot of time was spent on ensuring the address was 15 whatever street, that there was 15 tables in the restaurant and other little insignificant 15 things. And no Jamie Oliver was not there.

Alex and I began New Year's eve with an early start to the London Eye which is a must do while in London if for nothing else than to say you've been on it. Unfortunately it was still raining a little outside but the view still provided great photo opps. We spent New Years Eve outside of London with Alex's family enjoying a fantastic dinner provided by Rupert (Alex's brother), playing games, and watched the fireworks by the London Eye on TV. It was some of the most impressive fireworks I have ever seen and a great way to ring in 2007.
Our final leg of the trip, was spent in Wimborne at Alex's grandparents in southern England. There we got to relax, eat some good cooking provided by his grandma, and listen to some great stories from two very interesting people who can say they have had "Princess Elizabeth" over for dinner. I particularly enjoyed heading to the coast in a nearby city, Pool, where I collected some sea shells along the beach (Alex had to stop me cuz I could have done that for hours). We also headed to Corfe Castle in Dorset, which was totally different than many other castles I have seen thus far and very impressive at over 1000 years old. Oh and I have to mention that England has the greenest grass I have ever seen, and this is in winter. Mind you "winter" is an ambiguous term these days with mild temperatures and no sign of snow even in Slovakia.

After writing this, I'm beginning to realize that the overall theme appears to be food but I guess thats what the holidays are for. I could fib by saying that new resolutions see me making to a gym sometime in the next year but that's highly unlikely. What is more likely is that I will continue to explore Europe and make it up many more steps, and cobblestone walks I'm sure!

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

2006-12-19T05:31:00.000-07:00

It's December 19th and I'm having a really difficult time getting into the whole Christmas spirit if you will, because it just doesn't feel like it. Be warned that I am writing this while laying in bed because I caught a bad cold right now of all times. Last year on this day I was likely stressing out about having to write an exam or likely already writing an exam stressing about all of the things I still had left to do after I finish writing this exam. There was snow outside, my house was nicely decorated, my sister was playing her favorite Christmas music as she likes to drive us crazy, my mom was cooking up a storm and I had an endless list of presents that still needed to be purchased. Oh and lets not forget about all of the fancy schmancy Christmas parties I was supposed to attend.

This year there is a big change of scenery and an unlikely amount of free time on my hands. First of all Europe is going through some weird weather patterns and everything is brown and muddy outside, not to mention the cloudy skies that have been around since I can remember. While I'm not complaining that it is not freezing cold, I would like to see some of the white stuff for Christmas (come January I may regret saying this). My living space consists of a dorm room with three beds, three desks, three girls and all their belongings. This leaves little room for Christmas decorations even if one of us was in the mood to actually go out and purchase any. Part of it lies in that none of us will actually be here for Christmas. The only Christmas music I've heard is coming from a big tree in the main square of the city which I have to admit creeps me out a little the few times that I have walked by. As for presents, well I had to consider that over a month ago so that I can send it half way across the world and have it arrive in time for the big day. My list was also significantly shortened as well. So that was taken care of a while ago, except for a few things I am bringing to my family in Bosnia.

This brings me to the revival of my Christmas spirit for this year. On Saturday Alex and I are boarding a plane and heading to Sarajevo to spend Christmas with my family in Bosnia. It has been 14 years since I spent Christmas there and I honestly don't remember what it was like. My hope is that I will be reminded of what Christmas was like in my childhood. More importantly I am looking forward to all of the food and good times we will have. Having some family around will be good for my soul. Then we are heading to London for New Years, and afterward to Winborne to visit Alex's grandparents. A two week break to disconnect from everything and be around close family and friends is just what I need right now.

So wherever you are spending Christmas this year, I hope that it everything you wished for and that you are surrounded by lots of food and good people.

Is it that obvious??

2006-12-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

There seems to be this reaccuring theme that happens every time I introduce myself as Blanka from Canada. It happened again today. The converstation goes as followes;

Me: Hi my name is Blanka
Stranger: Where are you from?
Me: Canada
Stranger: Blanka? That doesn't sound like a Canadian name, and you don't look very Canadian...

Interject Miriam: What are Canadian people supposed to look like? (This always perplexes them)

Finally I reveal that I have Croatian roots and that I was born in Bosnia. This is followed by a self assuring "Ahhhh, I knew it, I knew there was something else going on there." Mystery solved.

But this has brought me to question what people outside of North America think Canadians look like. Do they have this mold inside their mind or is it just that they associate certain characteristics such as my dark hair and Slavic features (I guess) to some other country, ergo removing me from the Canadian look alike contest. But thats the beauty of Canada, we don't have any one certain defining physical characteristic that classifies us as Canadian. If we really want to get technical then the First Nations people would be the only ones considered to look like a Canadian. I've spoken about this to some of my "white" friends (oh god how impolitically incorrect of me) living abroad who never come across this. Maybe that's the label of a Canadian.

In any case, while I am utterly proud of my Croatian roots, I also consider myself to be Canadian, look alike or not.

Its not Turkish after all

2006-12-06T01:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I wrote about how I discovered my newest favorite sweet, Turkish Honey. I was really interested in what it was and how its made but every time that I looked up the term Turkish honey, it didn't lead me to any answers. This morning while talking to my friend Jason in Calgary I learned that it in not called Turkish honey, in fact it is not even Turkish. I think that Slovak and Czech Repulics just call it that.

The true name of it is Gaz nougat or honey toffee and it is a traditional Iranian sweet. The honey, Gaz, comes from the juices of a desert plant called Angebin and then it is combined with a bunch of other ingredients including pistachios to become the nougat form. If you go here you can watch a video of how the sweets are traditionally made. Its yummy!

Brno and the discovery of Turkish Honey

2006-12-05T00:44:00.000-07:00

Miriam and I took advantage of our last unofficial weekend together before she goes back to Barcelona by heading to Brno, Czech Republic. I painfully realized that I have not taken full advantage of her by using her for Spanish lessons becuase after two months of living together my vocabulary consists of common words I've heard her use in conversation over the phone. Oh and so long as I know "Donde esta" (pardon the spelling) then I should be able to navigate my way around Spain without a problem.

I digress. So we were greeted in Brno by Miriam's friend , Alba, from Spain as well, who was so kind to let us stay at her place for the weekend. And by her place, we mean her mansion of a flat, compared to our living conditions (Alba we are so jealous!). Friday night we headed out for some beers and then met other trainees at a couple of clubs and danced the night away. I was quite impressed that we were able to stay up as late as we did but when we finally went to bed, we were out like a light. I am proud to say that I gave Miriam her first beer hangover, an accomplishment I will hold high for some time to come.

Our hostess Alba!

The sightseeing tour of Brno was not as extensive as most cities that I go to. Usually I fee like I need to see everything there is in the guidebook, but it was really cold and windy that I welcomed a nice warm coffee shop instead. Alba, Miriam and I had some really good heart to hearts over warm tea and coffee. Then as it appears is Central European tradition, we headed to another Christmas market. This is where the good part comes in because we all discovered Turkish Honey. I wish I could explain it better but basically it is more like a nougat, white very hard with nuts inside, I will try to update a picture later. You need a knife and another utensil to break off pieces as I painfully learned trying to bite off a piece with my bare teeth. We bought some, tried it, realized we wanted more, went back and bought some more. Then we thought, this would make great Christmas presents, especially at $1 per 100gr, so we went back again. I can imagine what the shop owner was thinking. It will be my guilty pleasure for the next month and my dentists future paycheck as I'm sure eating all this sweet stuff is great for my teeth.

Here is an interesting sightseeing story; apparently the architect who created this church and statues in front, got pissed off because he was not paid enough for his work. So in a last dire effort to prove a point, her curved the tip of the structure. Clever guy! I got such a kick out of this.
Oh and I almost forgot about the Bulgarian Party. Saturday night, Alba took us to a Bulgarian party at a community hall in Brno. All Canadians who have roots in some other country will know what I am talking about as I was suddenly reminded of Croatian parties back in Calgary that were exactly like this. They had a performance with traditional folk dress and dances. I got the sudden earge to call my dad and let him hear the music becuase he is the John Travolta of Croatian Folk dance (holy roaming charges though!)

All in all I hope to go back to Brno in the spring sometime when it is a lot nicer outside and the city doesn't look so gloomy to explore more of the sights. It was so easy to meet and become friends with some of the interns even though our time together was short so I hope to visit or see them sometime in the future. Thats the thing about meeting people who are in the same position as you, an instant bond is created.

The Language Barrier

2006-11-30T05:20:00.000-07:00

I'm quickly beginning to realize that this blog is turning into the travel channel so I thought I would humor both myself and everyone with an actual post about "living" abroad. Long story short, it is not all coming up roses all of the time. There is this period of five days during the week where the opportunity to travel to another city does not present itself and I have to deal with the day to day like most normal human beings. Being in a strange country, with a different language and culture though makes these five days a little difficult at times.

Before I left Canada, I didn't think that the language barrier would be a problem for me. I was so sure that my knowledge of Croatian, which is a Slavic language, would be close to Slovak. The other bigger misconception I had was that "everybody will speak at least a little English." Well I kind of struck out twice. Yes there are some words that are similar to Croatian however these are few and far between. Listening to a conversation, I maybe catch every twentieth word and lets hope this word has some significance to the central theme of the converstation. Usually I lose interest in trying to figure it out that I just zone out. Secondly, NO not everyone speaks English and expecting it was kind of foolish of me and a bit ignorant I must admit.

With this in mind, every day normal tasks become not so everyday. I was really disapointed that certain institutions like the bank, post office, or the "foreign" police did not have an english representation. When I went to open my account I had to have an AIESEC representative with me who couldn't exactly translate everything. Bottom line was "sign here." The funny thing is that there are signs in the bank that are posted in English. I also received a phone call from them the other day and when I expressed that "nerazumijem" (I don't understand) she told my co-worker that someone would call me back in English. Well we're still waiting on that phonecall. I'm not even going to allow myself to rant on about the foreign police because I could probably write a book about it. Moral of the story is that if you don't have someone who speaks the language to help you out then you would be hard pressed to get some of these things accomplished on your own.

Other tasks like going to the grocery store or buying a bus ticket or going out for dinner require you to speak some Slovak or become a professional pointer (sorry mom I know its rude to point!) Most of the menu's do not have english translations so you pick something and hope for the best. Luckily you'd be hard pressed to select something that doesn't taste well.

I've learned to deal with all of this by learnign some of the common words here and using hand gestures, and no its not the kind you are thinking of. You become more bold after some time and don't hesitate as much in trying to ask for whatever. The thing that I am really missing though is being able to communicate with people through everyday conversations. You know, the water cooler talks. I know I like to talk a lot and I'm sure Alex and my sister can attest to this the most but I also like listening to other peoples stories and it kills me when someone cannot explain what they are trying to say to me. I try guessing but that often leads to what I like to call the "I give up so I will agree with her ! YES." It seems to come down to that individual not wanting to feel stupid by not understanding so they just agree with what I say in an effort to get off of the uncomfortable topic. Really they shouldn't though, becuase I don't understand most of whats going on around me so we're kind of in the same boat.

At work, my two bosses speak ok English but sometimes I will ask a question and the answer will be something way off in left field leading me to the conclusion that he did not understand my actual question. Getting down to exactly what is expected of me also took some time. When I go for lunch with a couple of co-workers they talk amongst themselves and they will try to involve me as much as they can but I sit there eating my soup in silence, not being able to contribute. One guy that I work with seems like such a joker and I wish I could understand his humor. When my boss brings me along to meetings they always start out by saying; Blanka we will just speak in Slovak for a couple of minutes, and an hour later I am still sitting there staring off into space. Because I have all of this time to just sit there with my own thoughts, so many things cross my mind that it is borderline annoying. I need to learn how to meditate and just block everything out.

All of this is not wasted on me though. I'm starting to value knowing anothing language that much more. I'm trying to take advantage of the spaced out moments to get to know myself better. And I know that one day more important lessons about this experience will become apparent to me.

Stodolni Tour

2006-11-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

In an effort to meet trainees from other countries, my roommate and I decided to tag along with the Czech interns at the famous Stodolni tour in Ostrava. It is a yearly event that is comparable to a pub crawl except that all of the bars and clubs are on one street "Stodolni" hence the name. After a two hour train ride, and red bull in hand, we were ready to party like its 1999. Figured we had a lot of making up to do after a lack of it here in Zilina. Ostrava as a city has yet to shed its past communist looking buildings and industrial background but it has Stodolni street so a reason to visit!

After a nice lunch and a sightseeing tour (in the dark), we headed to the Pilsner Urquell restaurant where we were met by trainees from all over Czech Republic. The entertainment for the evening began with a good old fashioned drag queen show followed by some less professional drag queens (I wish not to elaborate... "he" can tell you about it himself!!). This is the perfect time to adopt the Las Vegas saying that what happens at Stodlni Tour, stays at Stodolni tour.

The rest of the night was open for bar hopping from one place to the other although the majority of people congregated in one bar for the night. I went and explored the whole street only to find that really there is only a couple great clubs. Oh and as per usual, I sampled some more food;) This time it was some juicy burgers, perfect after a long night of partying. Overall a really great time was had, met some awesome people, with great stories, and hope to see them all in the future sometime. I was so happy to become reacquianted with my pillow this morning at 7 am.

Brrrr sucks to be in Calgary

2006-11-23T03:36:00.000-07:00

I have this daily activity of checking the Calgary Herald website for the latest news and weather. I donno, maybe a way to still feel like I'm still in the loop. So today I was checking the weather forecast and I was shocked at how cold it will be in the next couple days. -29 as a low and a woppin g -25 as a high, brrr. I feel a little bad gloating about the +10 degrees here for the next week (nah actually I don't feel so bad). Still I forgot how cold it gets to be in Calgary. I don't think the warm weather here is the norm and its certainly means bad news for ski resorts but I'm not complaining.
Bundle up Calgary!

"Cheese" Burger

2006-11-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

Here is something to know for anyone that is planning on eating a cheeseburger in Slovakia. Last night I went to the Buffet at the dorms to grab a quick bite to eat, didn't feel like cooking. I ordered a cheeseburger with fries, without thinking twice about it. What I got was not a meat patty with cheese on top. Instead I got breaded fried cheese in a bun!! I was pissed but I had to laugh about it because to everyone here it was so obvious that a cheeseburger is literally fried cheese. When I tried to explain why I thought it would be otherwise, I ended up proving myself wrong by mentioning other "burger" possibilities such as the chicken burger. Anyways FYI.

Vienna Christmas Market

2006-11-20T05:35:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that Vienna and the Christmas markets lived up to my expectations. Brace yourself, this is likely to be a long one because there is so much to tell.

I arrived in Vienna on Thursday night after a really comfy four hour train ride. To say the least, I was buzzing with excitement and had to concentrate to keep from smiling to myself. While I waited for Alex to arrive, on the "not so on time" bus schedules, I decided I would start experiencing Vienna in true fashion with a Viennese coffee known as melange (probably not the smartest thing to be drinking at 9 pm). Once Alex arrived, it was off to our hotel. Lately I'm always weary of how accurate the room pictures online are comparable to the actual, trick photography and fancy lighting can do wonders. Luckily this one stayed true to website photos and for the price it was great. It was also in a really great location with a tram stop directly across the street from the hotel that went into the city center. The transportation system in Vienna is so well designed; we never waited more than 2 minutes for any metro or tram to come by and it was so easy to get around.

We spent Friday exploring the "Ring Road" or the inner city sights. Actually, unbeknownst to us, our first sight turned out to be the University of Vienna. This building was absolutely beautiful and I think if I could, I would never stop going to school there. Suddenly I am contemplating a master degree ;) Other significant sights within walking distance included the parliament building, Alex was absolutely amused by the modern technology on the inside; Hofburg Imperial building which was huge and house to many other sights such as the butterfly house (yes we blew the 5 euros to go in but I would recommend skipping it); Natural History Museum; National Theatre and St. Stephens Cathedral. Because there is so much to see in Vienna, we didn't get to do many of the tours, rather we sampled a bit of everything. At night we also made it to the Prater, a giant ferris wheel that overlooks the city. Being that it is the middle of November, the sun sets pretty early and cuts down on a lot of your sightseeing time.

Saturday was the day that I was really looking forward to, the start of the Christmas market. We started the day early by going to the Belvedere Palace and taking in the art collections as the palace now acts as a museum for the most part. I realized that I am not a big fan of portraiture especially after seeing what felt like hundreds of them. What I did enjoy however was some of the more recognizable painting by artists like Edward Munch, Monet, Van Goe, Renoir, Manet. They were all lined up one next to the other and I was really impressed to be able to see some of these paintings in person.

The first Christmas market was at the Shonbrunn Palace, yet another monstrous, beautiful building that was the summer residence for the imperial family. Things took a bit of a downward turn when we found out that the apple strudel cooking demonstration in the palace cafe was not available because they were hosting children's Christmas cookie baking classes. Freaking Kids get to have all the fun! Yes I realize that we are pathetic but the idea of watching the pastry chef prepare the apple strudel and then being able to eat it fresh out of the oven was something that really appealed to both of us. It wasn't a total disappointment because we still got to eat the apple strudel after some traditional Viennese schnitzel. The meal was HUGE and I don't know how one person can eat the whole thing so we were glad to be sharing it.

As we made our way outside to the market I was overcome with by all of the sights, smells and sounds that will forever remind me of Vienna. It is essential to start your Christmas market experience with some Glubwein, aka boiled wine. While sipping on hot wine, we walked around the different stands that were selling everything from crafts, toys, chocolates, cookies, liquor, etc. the list goes on and on. Sampling the food was probably our favorite part, trying everything from roasted chestnuts, to melted cheese sandwiches, to salty potato pancakes, to chocolate covered strawberries. In the background, the big Christmas tree was lit up and carolers were singing on the stage. I saw so many cute kids laughing it up and I hope to one day be able to bring my own children to experience this.

The other market was in front of Rathaus or city hall. This one was even more elaborate and certainly more crowded. While the glubwein was still flowing, we continued to sample more street food and walked around the Christmas stands. The trees around the park in front of Rathaus were decorated with different ornaments such as snowmen, or wreaths. I was very amused by all of the decorations and the lights. After we had our take of everything that the Christmas markets had to offer, we headed into the city center to see what was happening there. I was further charmed by a cello player performing Ave Maria in the city square and the reality of it all gave me goosebumps. This was the perfect way to end the day and I slept like a rock that night; I suppose 10 hours of walking will do that to you.

On Sunday we had one mission and that was to find the Hundertwasser Haus, a colorful, unconventionally designed set of apartment buildings just outside of the city center. Among all of Vienna's ornate buildings and statues it was really interesting to see this building that looked like something out of a cartoon. While we wanted to walk through the Natural History Museum, there was not enough time for it. Capping the weekend off with a big lunch and another visit to the Christmas market was perfect.

University Graduate

2006-11-14T02:05:00.000-07:00

Today I officially graduate from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary with a Bcomm in Marketing. Seeing as how I am thousands of miles away from Calgary, I will not be attending my convocation ceremony, rather my degree will come in the mail. I'm a bit sad that I don't get to experience walking across the stage to receive my degree and that I won't have those Kodak moments from such an important day. Part of it is more for my parents with me being the first one in my family to finish University. I will take solace though in knowing that I worked really hard to get there and if ever in doubt I do have my grad photos as proof.

As for celebrations, well I partied hard with the fam dam in Calgary before I left and tonight I plan on commemorating the day with a bottle of Slovak wine with my roommate. Thanks to my folks who are helping to sponsor my trip to Vienna this weekend as part of my grad present although they have done so much more than that. I wouldn't be where I am today without their support. So to the class of November 2006, congratulations and best of luck in the future.

Weekend in Svit and the High Tatras

2006-11-13T00:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went with my friend Josef, a member of the local here in Zilina to his hometown Svit, a village just outside of Poprad. Now here is a little bit of irony; up until the last decade, Svit was originally named Canada because the village was established by Bata shoes company who sent engineers to Canada in search of better factory and building designs. My understanding of it is that Bata had a company policy of setting up villages around the factories for the workers, hence Svit, or previously Canada, was born. I thought they might be pulling my leg about the whole name thing until Josef introduced me to his friend and said "this is Blanka from Canada." His friend became a little confused thinking that I was from the village Canada and he didn't believe him. Josef had to reassure him that I was from the REAL Canada.

Being so close to the High Tatras, the famous high mountains that run through Northern Slovakia, on Saturday we drove up to have a closer look. The mountains were quite beautiful but again pale in comparison to the Rockies. We walked up to the ski resort, Strbske Pleso, and people were already taking in the ski hills. Because the High Tatras are at a higher elevation, they already have snow unlike many of the other ski resorts in Slovakia. We then srolled around this lake in Strbske Pleso and the whole time talked about how we both live so close to this beautiful scenery and yet we rarely take advantage of it and explore it. The rest of the day, and much of the weekend was spent eating, and eating some more becasue his mom and dad were so generous and took very good care of me.

On Sunday we headed to Poprad where we took in the spa at Aquacity. This spa was really nice and had many different attractions to offer. We had access to several indoor pools, outdoor thermal pools and vital world which is a collection of many sauna's, steamrooms, and other relaxation areas. I've never spent more time in sauna's as I did yesterday and by the end I was thoroughly relaxed. All in all it was a great weekend to just hang out, eat, and take in the sights. Thanks to Josef and his parents for being so welcoming.

Sit Down Already

2006-11-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

Not having used public transportation all that much in Calgary, it was a little hard getting used to taking a bus to get to where I want to go here in Zilina. Don't get me wrong, its not like I never stepped on a bus or train in Calgary, once in a while from work or from the university into downtown but then once I got home I had my car. It was just easier hopping into my gas guzzling machine. With Calgary being so spread out, taking public transportation was sometimes beyond impossible, especially to the newer suburbs. Here I can get from the dorms into downtown within a matter of 15 mins and its pretty easy to figure out where the bus lines run. Only downfall is that if you want to go out into the city, then you better head home early because they stop running by like 10:30 pm. Apparently there is a night bus every couple of hours but I usually opt for the taxi because I am impatient and hate waiting.

Zilina busses; powered by electricity!!

I have come to understand bus etiquette the longer that I am here but I am still perplexed by one thing: when seats open up why don't people just sit down?? This morning the bus was packed and this situation could have been relieved somewhat if people would just sit down. Too bad I was stuck in the middle of it because I would have sat down so fast.

This all stems from the bus etiquette; you stand up for the elderly or others who can't for some reason stand. Ok fine, I got that much in Calgary or manners in general. But some people take it to a new level. There are two stops when many people get off; that being the main bus and train station. After that, you can find a seat no problem. However, for some reason people keep standing as if waiting in anticipation of the next stop when they might have to stand up again, but that's usually not the case. I used to sit down, not knowing otherwise and then one day a Slovak woman screamed at me because another woman with two small children had gotten onto the bus. Apparently I was supposed to jump at the sight of this and offer my seat. It's too bad I don't speak the language; one because I would have liked to know what she said to me, it sounded pretty bad, and two because I would have told her that she could have gotten off of her lazy ass too! Ok maybe its better that I don't know the language in that situation. In any case, even though I sometime feel like I'm being glared at, I will continue to sit down whenever I can, because I can!

The Cure for a Bad Mood

2006-11-08T05:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I woke up in a really crabby mood and then it progressively got worse. I opened my blinds only to be confronted with a thick block of fog. Weather tends to play a big part in this equation. Then my bus decides that today is a good day not to show up making me stand outside in the thick fog for another half an hour. I arrive late at work to find both of my bosses there bright and early, something that never happens. After a somewhat productive morning at work, I still can't shake the crabbiness. Then as I was researching ski operators in Europe, I came across Austria, and it reminded me that I am going there on the 16th.

So here comes the cure.... start planning your next trip. I researched everything there was to do and know about Vienna. In particular I was really amused by the Christmas market that will begin the weekend that Alex and I will be there ( http://www.christkindlmarkt.at). The Viennese Christmas market dates back 7 centuries and it looks like it has retained much of its origins. The market is set up in the square in front of the City Hall, around elaborately decorated trees, with different stall featuring delicacies, roasted chestnuts, boiled wine, hand made crafts and jewelery. The Schonbrunn Castle is also decorate and features another market in front.

In short, I am ubber excited for this trip. It looks so charming and I really hope that it lives up to the high expectations that I have developed as a result of all this research. It was definately the cure for my bad mood though because by the end of the day I had perked up a lot. So give it a shot; I realize Vienna is something exceptional but even a trip to Banff for all the Calgarians could work. Come to think of it, I haven't really explored Banff for everything it has to offer (I guess a weekend trip to the bars thinking you're escaping the Calgary crowd, only to find the same people there, doesn't count).

All Saints Day

2006-11-03T03:23:00.000-07:00

Couple days late but here is a picture from the entrance of the cemetary in Zilina. November 1 is All Saints day and it is customary that people visit loved ones graves and put flowers and candles on them. I'm not going to get into the spiritual background of it but it was quite the sight in the evening with all of the candles flickering in the wind. I walked to the top of the cemetary and looked down and pictures just don't do it justice. It's a beatiful tradition.

Its Snowing!!

2006-11-02T05:40:00.000-07:00

That's right, winter has arrived in Zilina with the first snowfall of the season. So far its barely enough to cover the leaves that have fallen from the trees but its floating in the air. Apparently there was 10 cm at the ski resort though so here's hoping that it keeps up for business! I felt a little out of the loop with the fashion trends today though because everyone showed up at my office in a turtleneck sweater. I generally hate turtleneck's and find them constricting but I guess that will have to change. I'm also starting to catch a cold so I better bundle up.

Quote from Last Weekend

2006-10-31T01:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Miriam and I went to Lucas's (LCP Zilina) home town of Topolcany. Just like most other Slovakian towns it had the usual city square, with a church in the center and surrounded by little shops etc. We had a really good time on Friday night as we finally got to go to a dance club. Good to know that I can still shake it! It really irks me though that clubs in many European cities have not adopted the concept of . Really, if I want a vodka seven, then mix it for me, instead of giving me a shot of vodka and a whole bottle of Sprite or Seven Up. Its just a hassle.

Saturday, we headed to Nitra and yes you guessed it, there was another castle. Well this one was more like a church on a hill surrounded by castle walls. Very nice inside though with beautiful painted ceilings and sculptures. After Nitra we headed to a smaller village outside of Topolcany where there is a Ranch of sorts, something like our version of a petting zoo. Perhaps if I was 15 years younger, and not hungover from the night before, I would have been more interested. Nevertheless it was all worth it when Lucas said the most bazaar thing I think that I have ever heard; "I want to buy my mom a monkey for her 50th birthday!" What made it even funnier is that he said it in all seriousness.... A MONKEY, for the house, one that she could take care of while Lucas was away. Really I'm just gonna leave it there because there is nothing more I can say other than good luck.
I'm sure it's no sweat getting a pet monkey in Slovakia.

The Answer to the Pigeon Problem

2006-10-31T01:23:00.000-07:00

Every time I am in the city square I notice tonnes of pigeons flying around (ok so thats over exaggerating a bit but there are enough to notice). I don't understand why? And its not just in Zilina but several other cities I've been to including Prague. This morning I got my answer! I get off at my bus stuff for work and what should I happen to see but a young woman chopping up small pieces of bread and throwing them out around as far as she can. There was enough to feed a small family! If I was a pigeon then damn right I would stick around for the free food too.

Lets Adopt Meal Tickets

2006-10-24T06:03:00.000-06:00

Slovakia and much of Europe by the sounds of it has this wonderful concept known as meal tickets. Your employer provides you with meal tickets which are basically as good as money at many restaurants or even the grocery store. The amount varies but it is usually around 80 Slovak Koruna, or about $3.50 Canadian. Many restuarants in the town center here in Zilina have their "Daily Menu" or lunch menu for about 80-85 skk. It includes a choice of a soup and a main dish containing a meat and potatoe or rice, etc. The best part is that these are big hearty meals and usually very delicious. When I think back to what I could buy in Calgary for $3.50 it doesn't even compare to the lunch here in Zilina. I'd say that companies in Canada could take a lesson from Europe and provide their employees with lunch! Anyone want to start a petition with me....

On another note, while I was at a restaurant today for lunch with a couple co-workers, I met an American guy from Michigan here on business. I assume that it had something to do with KIA automobiles because there is a manufacturing plant outside of Zilina. He was also sitting with a couple of Asians and thats usually a given here. In any case, I was having yet another craving for something sweet so we went to the front of the restaurant where cakes, cookies, and fruit bowls are available. While I was enjoying my chocolate marvelka, this guy walks up and automatically assumes that everyone should understand him and know how to speak English. The waiter of course did not and looked a bit flustered the more that the American tried to ask him what kind of cake is this. I went up to try to help; well actually I was just excited to speak English with someone. Turned out that he was kind of ignorant and asked me how can I live here, it was so depressing to him. I on the other hand have found a lot of charm in this city so I didn't appreciate his comments. Could we call this loyalty on some level?

National geographic LIVE

2006-10-23T02:12:00.000-06:00

Did I mention that we have a snake as a company pet?? Yeah, not the most attractive of creatures but a pet nonetheless. Today is feeding day! This means that as I speak, there is a poor little white mouse running for his life in the cage.

I'm sitting here in awe. Its like watching a national geographic show live. All I need is the dubbing of the narrarator who will give me the play by play or whats happening, the predator vs. prey relationship. I wonder if the poor little guy knows whats coming for him. Its taking the snake forever to find him and catch him (I may have to update this post later.)

Sure enough here is the latest and greatest. The first mouse was a fighter! He lasted at least an hour before the snake devoured him. I actually missed it because we went out for lunch and when we came back he was gone. The second mouse though was not so lucky, or maybe he was. He was quickly snatched and eaten. It all happened so fast and it's definately not a sight for the squeemish. I sat there with a disgusted look on my face the whole time but I saw it all. Ahhh what an exciting day, I need to get out more!

A lesson….on how to bail

2006-10-23T02:03:00.000-06:00

I’ve never considered myself to be the most coordinated or graceful individual but I did think that I had left my clumsiness days behind me in high school. Thursday night proved to me that this is not the case. After a really fun evening at a new trendy lounge in Zilina with my roommate and a couple of guys from upper management in her company including the CEO, we proceeded to leave and make it to the car. What followed was one of the more embarrassing moments that I have had in a long time. Keep in mind that I had only had one drink, a delicious long island ice tea I might add. So I’m leading the way to the parking lot, walking along the edge of the sidewalk, my first mistake, when I slip and fall to my knees. The whole time though I am thinking “woops,” but that I still have control of the situation. It’s just a small trip, ha ha, we’ll laugh it off and that will be that. Second mistake. Somehow, my body thought otherwise and I am witnessing myself fall flat on my face sprawled out on my stomach; it was more like a dive I suppose. The worst part is that it felt like something out of a cartoon, or a slow motion funniest video clip. I saw everything that was going to happen, before it actually did, and I had absolutely no control over it.

Of course everyone is all of a sudden shocked by my acrobatics. The general “are you ok” remarks are exchanged. I of course pretend to be super great, no problems because I feel like such a goof ball in front of everyone. In the meantime Miriam is laughing her face off uncontrollably, and while at the time I didn’t find the situation to be very funny, I can now see the humor in it. I was so anxious to get home because as soon as we got in the car I realized that I had scraped up my palm pretty bad. Upon later examination, it’s actually really bad and hurts like a you know what! I’m trying not to be a big baby about it but it continually throbs and all I can hope for is that it is not infected. I should have a nice scar to remember the evening.

In the meantime, I have a bruised ego to cure as well. The trick is to shed my new reputation as the clumsy Canadian girl!

All in One Weekend

2006-10-17T14:35:00.000-06:00

Alright so the past weekend was kind of a rollercoaster. It started out with me managing to get lost in Zilina. Thats right, as small of a town as this is, I conquered the feat of running around in circles while trying to find the main bus station. Once I left my office, I was so disoriented but at the same time so sure in my mind of where I was going... WRONG. It was so frusterating not being able to ask for directions either. Luckily I had Katka, a friend of mine from the local AIESEC come and find me. Bad news was that because I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, we missed our bus to a conference that we were going to. Don't even ask me to pronounce the name of the village. So off to the train station, another bus, blah blah blah, and we end up in the middle of nowhere in Slovakia. Seriously though, we came to a set of cabins where the conference was occuring, no phone signal or anything. Miriam and I felt a little out of place because there was a lot of younger people at the conference and the majority of sessions planned with in Slovak language.

Castle in Trencin

The solution as we saw it was to head to another city and do some more exploring. We got up on saturday mornign after getting only 3 hrs of sleep, and walked about 5km to the nearest city bus stop. With minimal knowledge of Slovakian we managed to get to Trencin. This city boasts a beautiful castle atop of a hill. We did the castle tour (you always have to do the castle tour otherwise you only get to see the outside). Unfortunately for us that was in Slovakian too, so we walked around the castle and looked all of the paintings, artifacts, etc. without understanding the stories behind them. This is the first castle that I've been to that allows you to take pictures inside including pictures of the art work. Flash photography is probably not the best thing for 18th century paintings. I was amused by some of the spelling mistakes that I found printed in English beside the paintings. Last I checked Queen is not spelled like "Qeen." Miriam couldn't get over the fact that I take pictures of everything and anythign. Memories hello...

At night we found a great Mexican restaurant and had a good bottle of wine, Frankovka. We checked out some of the nightlife, which was pretty good for a smaller city. Bedtime came early due to the lack of sleep the night before but boy did we ever make up for it. 11 hours of sleep will certainly rejuvinate you. Once we got back to Zilina, we went shopping for the essentials for our place, and now we are nicely settled in. Anyone want to come over for coffee? cuz we have mugs and everything..

Check out the pics from Trencin.

The View From the TOP

2006-10-17T13:36:00.000-06:00

Last Friday I had the pleasure of going to the top of the mountain of the ski resort that I am working for with my boss Marcel. It was definately an off road drive and I'm sure his car wasn't happy about it. The name of the resort is Snow Paradise Velka Raca and it is due to open, weather and snow permitting, at the end of November. The highest point at the top of the mountain is 1050 meters. I know what all of you Calgarians are thinking, and yes it pales in comparison to our Rocky Mountains, but nonetheless, the view was beautiful. I especially love this time of year when the leaves are turning and there is so many different colors on the trees. Autumn doesn't really exist in Calgary as far as I remember. The city that I live in is about 25 km. away from the resort so there will definately be some weekend skiing happening. Time to start looking for a ski bunny outfit!!

On the bright side

2006-10-12T08:51:00.000-06:00

Today was the day that made me realize that everything works out in the end. It started out with a meeting with my company, Snow Paradise, here in Zilina that went really well. I found out the details of my new job, half of which I can't exactly explain right now but more details to come once I start doing it. Tomorrow I am going to tour the ski resort with my new boss and then Monday I will begin my regular work hours. My office is in the city center and seems like a relaxed enviroment, no penguin suits thank god. I'm quite ecstatic about how the meeting went because my job appears super interesting, and my supervisors have some big plans for me. Because I've had so long to prepare for this, it was nice to have it turn out to be better than I expected.

The rest of my day was spent sampling Slovak delicacies. I had bryndzove halusky for breakfast. It is a popular Slovak dish made with a local cheese. My best way to describe it is like our mac and cheese only with a white cheese and no crappy macaroni noodles but something along the lines of gnochi. I later went out with another friend and had some burcak, a drink that is made up of the liquids before they become wine. Basically it is like a sweeter, less bitter version of wine. After that, I tried langos. This is a quick meal you can grab on the go, comprised of a deep fried piece of dough with garlic spread on top and whatever other condiments you wish to put on there. We had cheese and sour cream, but ketchup, mayo, etc. is also available. Dessert time included a fruit cup with a really thick cream. Needless to say we walked back to our place to work off some of the calories.

Cesky Krumlov

2006-10-09T04:59:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was spent at Cesky Krumlov, one of the best preserved Medieval towns in all of Czech Republic, perhaps Europe. I decided that I really ought to take advantage of all of this "vacation time" that I have nowadays. So I packed up my bags and came to Prague to meet Alex, and one of my good friends from school, Megan and her boyfriend Dave. I was feeling quite independant woman like after conquering the local bus in Zilina, train to Prague, and the metro here in Prague. Dave, Meg and I, tried to purchase bus tickets in advance but the very unpleasant lady at the ticket office said that there were no busses leaving for Cesky Krumlov even though the schedule says otherwise. Needless to say there was, however you had to transfer busses in Cesky Budejovice. Details I suppose. We all stood in line for the bus, got on and soon realized that there was way more people than seats meaning we had to stand!! I've never seen this, standing on an intercity bus, a bit dangerous don't you think?? We stood for an hour and a half which after a 6 hour train ride was a bit too long for me but something different. Luckily we got a seat for the rest of the way.

I booked us a bed and breakfast in Cesky Krumlov which turned out to be so great after a long day. The guy even came and picked us up from the bus station. Pension Sebastian Rocks. Super nice place with a big washroom, and nice clean beds. Before departing for bed though, we all thought we were due for a beer after that experience. Our host suggested a place down the street, VERY local, and boy was it ever. I had a local burley man who had way too much to drink, try and romance me (ok thats being generous, he made grunting noises and gestures and all he knew how to say in English was "me normal"-not so much buddy). Alex, Meg and Dave, felt sorry for me but at the same time really amused by the whole thing.

We spent saturday touring the town and the castle, before going for a hearty meal and some drinks. By 11 pm we were at a local discoteque putting our dancing shoes to good use!! I love dancing in clubs that you know you will probably never be back at. It means 80's moves are absolutely permitted and encouraged I might add. Dave and Meg left for Vienna on Sunday morning and Alex and I went and toured the city some more. We went to the Castle Theatre tour which turned out to be a bit disappointing, it wasn't so much of a tour as an entrance and history lesson with a very nervous tour guide. Pics are up so check them out, link is on the side.

I'm back in Prague now. I plan on going to do some more exploring on my own, maybe check out the national museum. Its quite nice outside though and after a chilly Saturday I feel compelled to stay outside and enjoy the sunshine while its still around. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I hope you got your turkey fix for the year. Send some my way!!

My week in Prague

2006-10-05T07:26:00.000-06:00

I thought I’d take a couple of minutes to provide some more details about my time in Prague for those interested and for my own future reference. As stated numerous times before, it was AMAZING. From the moment I landed in Prague, I was so anxious to get out of customs so I could see Alex. Luckily for me there was only one counter open for all non EU passport. Oh and they don’t tell you this until you make it to the front of the line, at which time they point to the line you should be in.

Tuesday night and Wednesday were spent getting over my jet lag. I couldn’t really eat much and I was waking up at strange hours of the night. Thursday we took a day trip to Karlovy Vary, which happens to be such a nice little town. I could retire there. It offers mineral water fountains which you can drink from. The water is supposed to have healing properties, although after several sips of hot salty water, this point was lost on me. It was really cute to see the locals though as they just sat on the benches with their weirdly shaped cups, sipping on mineral water. Guess like many things, it’s an acquired taste. The mineral water fountain at Karlovy Vary

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent doing the tourist thing around Prague. I got to visit many monuments, half of which the names escape me right now. Of particular note was the Loreto, Main town square, Charles Bridge,Jewish Cemetary and Prague Castle which I didn’t realize was so big. We will have to go back to the castle and explore St. Vitus Cathedral, so beautiful and intricately designed that words can’t do it justice, St. George Bascilica, Golden lane and the Castle Towers. As you can tell I’ve been reading travel books!! On Saturday night we sat by the river and drank a bottle of wine as we watched the sunset behind St. Vitus Cathedral, so romantic. Sunday, it rained in the morning so we went and caught an exhibit of the World Press from 2005. It was a collection of photographs that won awards for capturing certain news, sports or general life stories.
Sunset with Prague Castle

Here’s some other details about Prague that caught my eye;
¨ Ladies, put away the high heels, you won’t be needing them. A) because you walk so much that your feet would be dead by the end of the day, and B) because cobblestones cover most of the sidewalks and streets meaning your heals would be trashed anyways
¨ Everyone owns a dog, I’d never seen that before in a European city
¨ McDonalds and if you can believe it KFC rule in the fast food world
¨ The metro and tram system is incredibly well designed. You can get everywhere with it and in efficient time, that is if you figure out where the trams go
¨ Gulash and Pilsner Urquel is a must. I know, most of my girl friends must be thinking “since when do you drink beer” but Alex told me as soon as I got that that everyone drinks beer so why mess with tradition

I also got to meet a lot of the other trainees in Prague all of which were super friendly and had so many interesting things to say. And I think that about sums it up as if it’s not enough.

Welcome Back

2006-10-05T07:10:00.000-06:00

So I realize that my promises to keep my blog updated have gone to shame in the last couple weeks. I have however tried to keep everyone posted with the mass emails so I don’t feel so bad. Anywho, its about 1 am here in Zilina. I had a really busy day and got to see a lot more of the city than the confines of the university dorms. It’s a cute little town with a nice center square, actually two. I went and had lunch there today, and while it was a bit chilly to be sitting outside, I could imagine how nice it would be in the summer. I even opened a Slovakian Bank account today.

The AIESEC local here has been great. They’ve been with me since I got here and have helped me with everyday tasks that I would normally have no problems with in Calgary. Being the self dependant person that I am, it’s a bit hard for me to constantly ask for help with such mundane tasks as going to the grocery store or even buying a bottle of water, but I guess I should be happy that I have someone who is willing to help me out until I get used to things here. The language is somewhat similar to Croatian and I can pick up some words but at the same time once the locals start speaking quickly, I’m totally lost. I went to a recruiting presentation by AIESEC Zilina and watched a whole hour presentation in Slovakian knowing what it was about, but not understanding a word anyone was saying. I was just looking around and watching for cues of when to laugh because someone told a joke, unbeknownst to me. I even got to have my own part in the presentation, talking about why an exchange with AIESEC is such a great experience. Mind you it wasn’t my greatest speech but I figured the audience couldn’t understand half of it so I was safe.

I’m starting to get settled in. I’ve had my room to myself all week as I wait for my roommates to arrive. Miriam from Spain is arriving tomorrow and I am really looking forward to meeting her. It will be nice to speak with someone who is going through the same things I am. Being the first one here meant that I got first dibs on a bed and a desk. I think I’ve left my mark on them!! I’ve also partaken in a local drink known as tatranski caj, or as I now like to call it “hangover in a bottle.” My first night in Zilina, I think I can show off to the boys in the club and four shots later, I wasn’t feeling so hot. Needless to say the next day was spent drinking plenty of water while I sat at the recruiting table (Layial, Peter and Andrew, you would be so proud of me!!). Oh and for all of you fuse ball players, just wait till I get back to Calgary, I'm getting lots of practice here.

I’m heading to Czesky Krumov this weekend with Alex and my friend Megan and Dave from Calgary. I will attempt to take the city bus and then train to Prague on my own. It will be so great to get to see Meg half way across the world. I hear this town is supposed to be really quite charming.
I've posted more pics of my time in Zilina, I swear I didn't drink all of those shots!!

Finally Time to Go

2006-09-25T01:28:00.000-06:00

Well its about 1:30 in the morning on the night before I leave and my new best friend insomnia has decided now is not the time to part with me. I was talking to Alex online who happens to be starting work as I'm sitting up in bed wishing I could sleep, that I don't really know what I'm feeling right now. Nervousness in not the right word for it, luckily I haven't had a bad case of the butterflies all week. Perhaps they will kick in tomorrow when its too late. I guess I just almost feel numb about the whole situation. I can't imagine not being in my bed tomorrow night, or sitting down for dinner in my kitchen, but I also can't imagine what life will be like for the next little while. Being the control freak that I am this should usually send off red flags but again, numb. Maybe I've just come to terms with the whole situation seeing as how I've known it to be coming for a while. So lets focus on the positive, at least I know that in twenty four hours time I will be in a different time zone, exhausted from a sixteen hour trip and likely able to sleep.

Truthfully, I am so excited to go and see what the next year has in store for me. I know it's not gonna be all coming up roses all of the time, but I'm sure the fresh air will bring new buds to light. So I will leave it at that. Hopefully I will be able to post an update of my time in Prague sometime this week. Can't wait to see Alex. Then I'm off to Zilina on Oct. 2.

Oh Oh

2006-09-24T01:13:00.000-06:00

I hate goodbye's, here come the waterworks!!

I have the greatest family in the world

2006-09-23T01:57:00.000-06:00

My parent's held a big party tonight at my house in honor of my graduating university and leaving for my internship. It turned out to be one of the best nights of my life. Everyone was in such high spirits that anything went. It all started out with a big Feast, and I mean feast, my mom knows how to cook and my dad even braught out the roasted pig (believe me its delicious) followed by more treats and plenty of drinks. What can I say, we're Croatian, we know how to eat well and drink well, and most importanly we know how to have a good time. I'm sure my neighbors weren't impressed but we belted out one song after another, and danced like it was 1999. I even got to have a Cuban cigar with my dad to remember this special night, we'll finish it off when I come back. Word's can't even begin to express how much I will miss them, and how much all of thier kind words and support have meant to me. They've all played a big role in shaping me into the person that I am today and for that I raise one more glass to them. Zivili!!

Stay tuned, pictures are coming tomorrow; believe me, theres some good ones, along with more from Thursday night at Melrose. Thanks to all of my friends who came out to celebrate with me. It really meant a lot to me. I promise I'll keep in touch.

Pampered

2006-09-20T17:57:00.000-06:00

Today was a day where I pampered myself from head to toe. Figured I was due for a good clean up before I leave. I started out by going to the salon to have my hair done. I chopped off quite a lot of hair and I colored it a solid dark shade. I'm sure many women have experienced this, and probably some men, but after you change your look dramatically, it takes a bit of getting used to. You pass by the mirror and shock yourself by the figure staring back at you for a couple days. After my hair appointment I had a nice long massage and then I went tanning (figured I looked a bit pasty with the dark hair). Every time I go and get a massage I always wonder why I don't do this more often. Think about it, how often do you go out and blow at least $60 on a night of drinking and then forking over that money for a massage is somehow difficult? I strongly suggest the foot massage, it's like heaven!

Love is in the Air

2006-09-17T19:48:00.000-06:00

Wedding season is winding down and I happen to attend two weddings this weekend. My good friend Sherry married her long time love Alex, and my cousin Tina married her husband Mario.

Both of the brides looked absolutely beautiful and the wedding's were memorable. It was a lot of running around from one end of the city to the other but well worth it. You can check out more pictures at http://blankaspictures.spaces.live.com

My Farewell

2006-09-14T17:55:00.000-06:00

Hello AIESEC Calgary,

It's about that time!! I am getting ready to leave for my internship and I would love to get together with everyone at AIESEC Calgary for one final farewell drink (or several, depending on who you are.... hint hint). Please come out to the Yardhouse in Kensington this upcoming Monday between 8 and 9 pm. Let me know if you'll be able to come at blanka.dido@gmail.com and I will try to reserve us a couple of tables. If there is another location that is more favorable for everyone, do let me know and I can change the location.

Hope to see you all there!!

I am now a Croatian Woman

2006-09-12T21:00:00.001-06:00

I have officially been crowned a REAL Croatian woman after successfully learning how to make Pita. I know this seems like a bit absured but for those of you who understand the Europeans, you'll know that they are big on cooking. My mother has for years been hounding me to learn how to make Pita and my response was that I'll learn when I have to; well now I have to. Pita, by the way, is a national Croatian dish, very delicious too. I would describe it as a rolled up pastry with fillings inside like meat, potatoes, cheese, you name it. What really matters though is that I am now in the elite group of women who can make Pita, although mine wasn't anywhere close to my mother's who by far makes the best Pita I have ever had. Many of you who have been to my house can attest to this fact.

I even took pictures (yes thats how big of a deal this is) so that there would be no doubts!

Trust me, it tasted damn good!!

Follow Up on To Do lists

2006-09-12T20:54:00.000-06:00

It turns out that the story I read in Cosmo about the Life to do list is a lot more popular then I had previously thought. I was watching Ellen yesterday, in my unproductive state, and she featured the parents of the lady who started the Life list. Turns out that she's touched many people's lives and inspired them to create their own lists. As an aside, there was one viewer who had a really good point to add to the list; Learn to say NO without feeling guilty. That one hits close to home for me because I'm always struggling with trying to find a way to say no without all of the feelings of guilt that come attached with it. Guess you can't please everyone.

Am I spoiled??

2006-09-07T22:21:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I had a conversation with my TN manager, Radoslav in Slovakia. We were just going through some final details in regards to my arrival in Zilina. I've been pretty vocal about trying to get my own private room as far as accomodations are concerned. I figure I'll be going through a lot of emotions, moving to another country and all, and I'd like my privacy. Apparently, its not gonna happen, at least not for now. I will likely be sharing a room with two other girls who may or may not speak english, should be interesting.

I know he's gonna kill me for saying this but the notion came up that I'm spoiled, mainly because I want my own room. I've always justified the idea by thinking that its really not too much to ask, but ever since yesterday I'm starting to think that I might be wrong. Perhaps I am spoiled. I live in a great house, in a nice part of a big city, I have a big room with a comfy bed, TV and laptop at my disposal. Many people live with much worse conditions. I know that I've had to work for a lot that I have but then again, my parents have helped me out a lot as well. I'm greatful for that but I've never considered myself spoiled; hmmmm

When a Stranger Knocks at Your Door

2006-09-03T19:03:00.000-06:00

I just had a really great experience with stranger that just happened to ring my door bell at the right time. I was settling down to write a post about how I went camping this weekend in Sylvan Lake, and what a jolly good time I had, but now all of that seems really irrelevant.

The stranger at my door was a man named Tam, and he was from Israel. He came bearing a load of paintings with him from student artists all over the world that will be featured at an art show in downtown Calgary, in two months time. He wanted just a minute of my time to show me the paintings and tell me about this show. When I told him I wasn't going to be here in two months time, we got to talking about where I'll be going and what I'll be doing. Surprisingly I felt like I could tell this complete stranger my whole life story. He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say and I was genuinely interested in hearing his story, not just about the paintings but also how he got here and where he was headed in the future. Ironically, his mother and I share the same name. Twenty minutes later and fifteen amazing paintings, with even more amazing stories behind them, we parted ways, probably never to meet again. Nonetheless I'm left with a really exhilarated feeling having met someone so interesting and in such a weird way.

I guess it goes to show that you never know who will come knocking at your door....

To do lists

2006-08-24T19:08:00.000-06:00

I've recently become a major fan of to-do lists, especially after watching Alex actually accomplish everything he had on his list before he left. So in my pledge to stay organized and not forget anything before I leave, I've started writing things down as they pop into my head. Its a really great feeling to cross off things that you've been avoiding to do, such as my visit to the travel health clinic today to get my vaccines. Not only did the visit hurt my arm, but it also hurt my pocket book, as per usual (apparently I'm made of money). The only concellation was that I could now cross that off of my list! However this leads me to another task which requires that I get my shots, but thats a whole other story.

Speaking of lists, I've been known to talk about general things I'd like to do before I die, you know things I can cross off my list. Apart from going to work abroad, there's a lot of things I'd like to experience in the future. There's the general; be happy, get married, have babies kind of stuff (don't worry, not any time soon) but the real exciting things include learning to ski, visiting as many countries as possible, going to the next world cup in South Africa, scuba diving, volunteering for a charity with children, stomping on grapes at a winery, cooking with the Iron chef (highly unlikely) and the list goes on and on.

Interestingly enough, I read an article in the latest Cosmo titled "The Life List you Must Write" by Molly Triffin. It talks about how writing a list of goals you'd like to accomplish can keep you motivated and remind you to live by those goals. The list in the article was created by the mother of a woman who passed away on September 11th. Her daughter had started the list before her death. I liked that her list include simple things like be a good friend, kee secrets, never be ashamed of who I am, and take time for family and friends. I will certainly be adding these to my list and I encourage everyone to make a list, as short or as long as possible of the goals you'd like to accomplish, and include even the things that seems totally impossible, or absurd. Check back on it periodically and add more. Who know's, you might surprise yourself!

Alex leaves for Prague

2006-08-21T21:47:00.000-06:00

Today was the day that Alex and I have know to be coming for a while now, him leaving for his internship, nonetheless it was still hard to see him leave. I felt like I was going through all of the emotions with him, and then I get to go through the same thing in a little while on my own. I guess we've both seen each other through this whole process, so it only makes sence that we understand how it feels. I am so excited for him and I know that he will do well in his new role. We'll meet up again in a month in Prague to start planning new adventures together. Can't wait!

It's Official

2006-08-15T10:47:00.000-06:00

I just got off of the phone with Travelcuts, after booking my flight for my trip. I will be leaving on September 25th flying from Calgary to Franfurt and then to Prague. I'm kind of on a high right now and can't focus much on anything productive, other than telling everyone and their dog that its official!

The first of many

2006-08-13T14:19:00.000-06:00

I've been convinced that I need to start my own blog just so I will now have written proof of my emotional outbursts. Has anybody caught the TLC commercial that says Merlot and email don't mix? Its a great life lesson. This could be trouble but here it goes!

Anybody that has had any contact with me in the last couple months has been privy to my rants and raves about my pending internship, and some more so than others :). After an extensive battle for my work Visa, I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Mind you, I don't have the visa in my hands as we speak, nor will I have it before I leave the country, but I'm optimistic it will be ready for pick up in Zilina. The waiting game has begun. (As an aside, my trainership is in Zilina, Slovakia working for a ski resort, Velka Raca)

Here's a couple tips that I've learned along the way; make sure you speak with several different sources before going forth with anything, paperwork is KEY, and yes you will pay for it so start saving, bite your tongue even when your better judgement thinks you should spit out a few choice words, and finally as difficult as it may seem, keep your spirits high and know that what doesn't kill ya only makes you stronger. I know the cheeze factor on the last one is pretty high but it's what helps me sleep at night!!

Test

2006-08-09T21:49:00.000-06:00

My first post.