10 Days, 3 Cities, 200 Photos

So I just got back (okay, I got back on Sunday) from my week long trip to former communist countries! Central Europe is the best!! On Friday we went to Prague, then Monday we traveled to Krakow, Thursday to Budapest, then Sunday back to Wien. The vacation was incredible. We saw soooo many sights, ate many slabs of meat, and drank many liters of beer. I made some good friends, and bonded even more with my roommates. Wunderbar! However, by Sunday I was definitely ready to take a break from touring and come home. So because I can't possibly describe everything I did, I'll share some highlights.

Prague. On Saturday, we toured the Prague castle and saw the window where the Defenestration of Prague took place! However, it made me really wish I had brought my European history textbook so I could actually remember who was defenestrated... Then we saw the changing of the castle guard, in which the Czech soldiers were trying their best not to laugh during the ceremony and some Italian woman was rubbing up against me. Awkward! That night, we went to an opera, Rusalka, and then went to a club with 80's and 90's pop music!!!! Pretty much my dream come true. The next day we saw the oldest synagogue in Europe, the birthplace of Kafka, and took a nap in a park. We looked ridiculous sprawled out on the grass- like a cult that committed mass suicide or something. But it was totally worth it, because it prepared us for another dance party, only this time on a boat!

Krakow. Poland was great because it was so CHEAP!!! Our hostel looked like a mental ward, but that's okay. In the center of Krakow there was a wonderful marketplace where I bought many Christmas presents. I didn't really go out that much at night because I got a cold (I know, pretty lame). We toured a salt mine one afternoon, that was really interesting. I also had one of the most memorable experiences of my life: a tour of Auschwitz and Birkenau. It was a really hard thing to see, but I'm glad I went.

Budapest. Budapest was also a beautiful city. We toured many monuments and memorials, but by this time I was so "toured out" that not a lot sunk in. Oh well, I still have a lot of beautiful pictures. On the afternoon of the first day, my roommates and I (along with some other IES people) went to Turkish-style baths!!! It was quite an experience- there were a lot of naked ladies swimming and having massages. So my roommates and I decided to join the nude fun! It was great. Later, we met up with some friends, and then randomly ran into some more friends, and went to a communist-themed pizzaria! It was hilarious, the booths were separated by barbed wire. The power was out so we had to wait an hour to get our pizza. My favorite pizza name was "Pussy Pussy Monica and Bill," which really has nothing to do with communism but is amazing nonetheless. Continuing with the theme, we visited a communist statue park the next morning where Hungary banished all of the monuments erected during the communist era... needless to say I got some sweet souveniers.

So that's my week off in a nutshell! This week we started our real classes. So far I like them, although they are much different than in the US. Anyway, off to sleep.

(By the way, the picture at the top is me with my roommates on top of the cathedral in Prague.)