In Good Company

Sorry its been so long since an update but because my family was here we were busy many hours out of the day and sleeping the rest. It was awesome having them here! There is just too much to relay blow by blow so I am going to give you some highlights from having them here:

-Spending lots of quality time with my father in the airport on Saturday between all the delays in arrivals

-Re-doing all the touristy things with my appreciative family

-Watching dad make friends with homeless [?] Czechs and mom taking many pictures while the children cracked up. Then stopping to take a picture and dad saying "We are not stopping here, keep going."

Dad and his friend.

-Eating lots of good food in good company

Good beer in good company.

-Showing off my family to my friends here and reaffirming that my family is superior

-Eating a free hotel breakfast every morning

-Swing dancing with my brother in a bar and Alex cutting in because I taught him how to dance too. This ultimately led to many others wanting lessons.

-My family thinking that I can't go anywhere in Prague without seeing someone I know

-Spending some great days with my sister re-doing all the things I already did with my dad

-Karelyn being "chased" by a muskrat at Terezin. [It was really more of the muskrat turning and looking at her because she was walking up and then she took off up the hill and thought that the noise her backpack was making was the muskrat chasing her and all she could think about "were razor sharp teeth sinking into her calf." HAHA

The Muskrat

-Me being chased by a dog enclosed in a fence in Terezin and yelping in fear.

-Our Slavojova Family Thanksgiving dinner cooked by Beeler. It was amazing!

Chesky's dad carving the goose for our feast.

-The Slavojova Turkey Bowl. Teams: Me, Sis, Nick, Max, Alex, Matt Shoots vs. Orange, Andrew, Andy, Adnan, Donnie, Nathan. This also includes slipping all over the place, Andy and Adnan scoring touchdowns, having to go to "College overtime", Karelyn and I explaining to our team that we need to pick it up because we don't loose, the ball going into the river and Andy and Alex fishing it out, me face planting in the mud, me sacking Orange twice, Andy saying the worst position on the field was blocking me, and waking up very sore the next morning!

-Watching the lighting of the tree at the Old Town Christmas market.

The lit tree.

-Me and Karelyn serenading Matt Shoots on the way home from the Christmas market and then missing our stop. Also, sprinting to catch a tram back to the right stop.

All in all, it was a great week+. This morning [at 3.50am] I woke up and took my sister to the airport, concluding the family time. It was great!!

The Lennon Wall

Outside the Krematorium at Terezin


Inside the Czech Senate.

Dad/Dave at the controls once more with my final(?) installment as guest blogger on Bonnie's site. Just want to complete the report on my time in Germany before the rest of the Foleys' descend on Prague tomorrow.

Should also set the record straight on dates. They're correct below, but off by a day in my earlier messages. The error seems a fair reflection of the general difficulty I've had figuring out what day of the week it is ever since I got here. Actually, I kind of like that about vacations.

Stuttgart - 16.11.08
Landed at Stuttgart on Sunday morning in a state of high excitement despite 15 hours of travel and almost zero sleep. The few short periods of unconsciousness I was able to achieve were interrupted by the sound of snoring nearby! My outrage was tempered by the discovery that I was the one doing it. Wonder who else I was keeping up.

The whole Selje family was there to greet me - Martin, Eva, Julia, and David. Any concern I might have had about my reception evaporated in a series of hugs and smiles, and we were soon off on a series of adventures: a walking tour of the Hohenheim area near their home during which we discussed the differences between castles and palaces; a drive into the Stuttgart city center where we watched the clock at the old castle strike noon - a spectacle that must be seen to be believed; a trip to Esslingen for lunch and a brief lesson on the proper pronunciation of spaetzle.

Waiting for the show to start at the Old Castle

Neither of them would say so, but both Martin and Eva have plenty of English and with Julia, who recently spent seven months in Australia, there to fill in the gaps, we were able to talk at length. I enjoyed everything we did together, but nothing more than that.

Well, except maybe the 11 hours of sleep I got once I went to bed!

Next day, the 17th, Julia was my tourguide throughout the morning, and we visited two towers on either side of the valley that envelopes Stuttgart. The first was a 150 meter behemoth that provided striking panoramas of the area but also wind blown temperatures of about 7-8 degrees Celsius, or 'bone-chilling if you're used to thinking in Fahrenheit. The second was just 30 meters, one you climb up yourself, but much nicer climate-wise.

After lunch, it was Martin's turn. We took the scenic route - the very scenic route - out to Lichtenstein Castle. Pulling into a nearly empty parking lot I observed that one of the nice things about traveling in November is that there are so few crowds to contend with. On the other hand, the down side of traveling in November is that many things are closed during the week. And so we found the castle. We consoled ourselves with a brief walk around the perimeter and then one of the best hot chocolates I've ever had at the Ritter chocolate factory.

Now that's a castle!

Wanted a shot of myself here, but Martin insisted on being in it himself

The highlight of the day was dinner at the 'un-restaurant' (my term). If I understood this correctly, it's a house in town that the owners turn into a business for two months out of the year (April and November), during which they serve a fairly simple menu and their homemade wines. The setting could not have been better suited to having more fun conversation with the Seljes.

Two glasses of wine and one of schnapps saw Martin and I a fair way toward unlocking some of the important secrets of the universe. It started, as these things often do, with a discussion of music - The Beatles, the Stones, Jethro Tull, and that exquisite harmony at the beginning of the Beach Boys' 'In My Room'. At one point, Julia mentioned something about black holes and the next thing I knew we were trying to figure out the meaning of everything.

Perhaps a later evening, another schnapps, or just greater facility with one another's language would have brought us success but, it being a school night, we all needed to hit the sack. Besides, what would we have had left to talk about next time?

So, tomorrow's airport day - Karelyn arriving mid-morning and Jean and Tommy after dinner. Look for other guest bloggers as the week wears on. Finally, three pictures from Bonnie's and my hike around Prague today.

A rare bit of sunlight - would love some more


Temperature dropping...


March of the penguins

No Need to Panic

Dad/Dave again, with dinner now behind us. I recognize nothing I say from this point on will compare to the drama of Bonnie's last contribution, but I continue nevertheless.

Regensburg - 18.11.08 (continued)
I woke up in this small city/large town to light rain and heavy overcast, but by the time I'd eaten breakfast and checked out of my hotel the clouds were breaking up and bright blue patches of sky showed here and there. Regensburg, it turns out, is a beautiful place when you're not driving around its sidewalks in the dark.

More on that shortly.

I took a long walking tour of the city and managed to see most of what lies inside its walls. This was partly the result of planning, partly the result of getting lost with some frequency. The most notable sights had to be the view from the far side of the Donau river which, based on all the postcards, is probably the city's most picturesque vantage point, and the inside of St. Peter's Cathedral, a massive Gothic church that is beautiful, inspiring, intimidating, and cold in equal measure.

From here it's off the Prague, and the excitement of seeing Bonnie has me smiling most of the way.

Stuttgart to Regensburg - 17.11.08
A thought on the drive before I really get started. There's no need for panic, or even concern, when you enter the Autobahn, but it is worth an 8-10% increase in your pulse rate. You (I) spend a lot of time getting out of people's way on this road and I'm going a good 75 mph for most of it. I learn something very early on. I learn (and readers with tender sensibilities should avert their eyes here):

Drivers in the left lane
DO NOT FUCK AROUND.

So, anyway...

My ability to read simple maps and clear highway signs having remained in California, I have some trouble getting out of Stuttgart. Things go well enough as I depart the airport in my rental but somehow, instead of bypassing the city center as planned, I'm soon headed straight for it. Taking rapid, but in the end ineffective, evasive action, I ping around the north side of town for a while and end up driving right past the park and climbing tower Julia and I visited yesterday. I have to say, it was much more fun with her along.

Somehow or other, by way of a route never to be duplicated, I find my way out of the city. Two and a half short and scenic hours later, I pull into Dinkelsbuhl for lunch.

If I did not already know Dinkelsbuhl is an example of a small and charming German medieval walled town, I might easily have mistaken it for a Disney-built replica of a small and charming German medieval walled town. It's that perfect. Think cobblestones, crosstimbers, pastel colors and gated towers and then throw in a scenic stream flowing past it all.

I enter a nice looking restaurant and order the Dienstag special instead of the 'Obama Hamma', (the chef's enthusiastic but otherwise unidentifiable culinary endorsement of our president-elect). I am served a breaded fish filet the size of a catcher's mitt (karpfenfilet in the local vernacular), along with a load of roasted potatoes that, under the circumstances, can only be considered gratuitous. I eat most of it all, and a chunk of one of my chocolate bars once I get back in the car. Autobahn driving is hungrier work than I thought.

After a relaxing drive along some scenic secondary roads, I enter the Autobahn for another breathless sprint and am soon on my way into Regensburg. A left turn for the city center springs up well before I'm prepared for it, and I opt to continue along in the right lane instead of acting like a Californian at rush hour. I figure it will be a simple matter to work my way back in that direction when the opportunity presents itself.

Two very quick turns later it appears I am driving on the sidewalk. This is just a theory. The cobblestones look a lot like those you see on many of the roads, but the increasingly narrow surface and the close proximity of pedestrians argue strongly in favor of it. And I suppose I should mention there is no curb and I can just about reach out and touch some of the shops I'm passing.

Alternating between first gear and neutral I pick my way carefully through a throng of shoppers who, I'm interested to note, appear completely nonplussed by my presence in their midst. But boy do I want to find a street!

Finally, as I round one corner of what turns out to have been Neupfarrplatz - complete with a pretty little church sitting in the middle of it - I catch a glimpse of some actual traffic and make for that with all possible haste. Getting back on to a legitimate road is like being able to breathe again. I congratulate myself on my composure in a tight spot.

Two turns later I find myself on another sidewalk! For Heaven's sake! Luckily for all of us it leads back to the platz I was just in so I already know my way around. This time, when I inch myself back to the one street I've been able to find, I park. I reconnoitre on foot for an escape route and find one that involves only a short 'pedestrians only' segment. After all the felonies I've committed it seems silly to quibble over this little misdemeanor, so I return to the car, take one more tour of the dreaded Neupfarrplatz, and am finally free.

I resolve to try the whole thing on foot in the morning.

Now, nearly 23:00 here in the present, I gotta go to bed. I'll return another time to report on my arrival in Germany and my too-short stay with the Seljes - complete with photos - as well as on Bonnie's and my continuing adventures in Prague.

"Just in Case"

So, for those of you who don't already know, I had a little incident involving my stuff being stolen and then sold back to me. Because I have told it many times and have become exhausted, I am just copying Beeler's blog about it and I'll add in details should the need arise. Here goes:

I guess there are moments in everyone’s lives where it feels like they’re in a movie. Where everything is so surreal, you can‘t believe it‘s happening. I often feel like I’m wandering a movie set, and sometimes I am, when I’m in Europe. But it’s not very often that I think I’m reading a Jerry Bruckheimer script, too. When I have to stop and ask “Seriously? Is this really happening right now?”

But that was the collective group thought amongst the Slavajos one day when we awoke to Bonnie, purse missing, sleeping in Orange’s kitchen.

Now, that in itself is not unusual. In fact we thought nothing of it. But when we returned to our favorite late night eatery, Kebab Kebab Pizza, where we had made a 4 am pit stop the night before, to find the purse gone, we were a bit bemused.

Contained in the little clutch was Bonnie’s phone, tram pass, credit card, debit card, keys and scarf. She had her money and ID on her, luckily. Andy texted the phone, asking that the finder message him back and Bonnie asked her parents to cancel her cards, and off we went to see the new Bond movie (sub-par, by the way). Before we entered the theater, Andy’s phone beeped. A message from Bonnie: “We have phone, cards, tram pass. Meet max. 4 pm. 1000Kc.”

Bonnie’s clutch was being held for ransom.

We called Petr, unsure of what to do, especially since we barely spoke any Czech and were susceptible to being cheated. Petr was even more useless than I had anticipated, and after grappling with him over details and whether or not the bag was actually stolen, he finally told me to call Geiger. This situation was way sketch and therefore more Geiger’s bag.

Geiger was remarkably enraged and immediately promised to meet Bonnie. Despite the early hour, it sounded as if he had been in a Herna bar (a sketchy, 24 hour gambling place) for hours. The only place the purse-snatcher would meet was Chodov shopping center, way in the suburbs and in, to say the least, a creepy part of town, so Bonnie left immediately by metro to meet Geiger.

She found not only Geiger, unshaven and in his orange cargo pants, at the shopping center, but also his backup in the form of George, whom he brought “just in case.”

George was six foot two if he was an inch. He had ponytail down his back, wore a baseball hat and leather jacket, and carried a switchblade “just in case.” He had an intimate knowledge of the “underworld” of Prague and, while they waited outside the shopping center for nearly half an hour, he walked down the street, greeting every Crazy around as an old friend.

Finally, a dirty looking Czech man, forgettable and average looking, approached them and passed a grubby paper to Bonnie. Folded inside was her tram pass, credit and debit cards. He immediately snatched them back from her, leaving her with only the paper which she realized was a hand drawn map to the rest of her things. Drawn in incredible detail, it showed herna bars, tram stops, phone booths and even trees. An arrow titled “Black Guy” pointed to the bar where she could find the rest of her stuff.

The man then demanded 1000Kc for the cards and tram pass, promising that “Black guy” would give them the rest of the stuff for another 1000Kc. Bonnie and George stood awkwardly by as Geiger started screaming at the man in rapid Czech. Who knows what they actually said, but the argument continued for twenty minutes, Bonnie thinking the whole time, “Seriously?”

Finally, she paid him 800Kc for her cards and tram pass and the purse-napper disappeared into the shopping center.

“What the heck happened?” Bonnie asked.

Geiger pushed forward, read the posting on the tram, and returned. “Uh, I think something is caught under the tram. Like someone got hit.”

And then George freaked.
He was concerned that it was his girlfriend, who is legitimately crazy, under the tracks. He refused to move until it was firmly established that the tram had hit a dog, not his girlfriend.


Finally, they reached the bar they were directed to. The walls were covered with Bible verses and creepy religious artifacts. It’s only inhabitants were four black guys at the bar, as the map had promised.
George took the lead this time.

They at first told them nothing, then said that their brother would come, tonight or tomorrow, with everything else. Then the four men climbed on stage and began playing the bongo drums and refused to answer any more of George’s questions.

Frustrated, the trio called it a night and left the bongo players to their religious artifacts and booze.

While Geiger called Jan to ask about filing a police report, Bonnie was left with only George as company. He said hello to a few more crazies, threatened a group of crazies he didn’t know with his switchblade, and held one way conversations in Czech, supposedly with Bonnie.

Finally, Geiger claimed this was the strangest thing he had ever seen (and if you couldn’t deduce this, he’s pretty strange). George agreed whole heartedly. And George is really strange.

Bonnie decided to give it up and come home, but before she could leave, George scooped her up in a big bear hug, and, according to Geiger “George says he is very happy to meet you and hopes to see you again soon on the streets of Prague.”


Bonnie ran to the tram stop.

And so goes life in Prague.

The Story So Far...

This is Dad. Bonnie's dad. Having wrested the computer from Bonnie's grasp, I'm taking this opportunity to update all of you (well, both of you) who have been waiting excitedly for reports of my adventures.

It is 18:40 here in Prague on 20.11.08 and raining. Not that much, but the drops are really big, the kind that hurt your head when they hit it. Especially if you have a bald spot. That doesn't worry Bonnie so much but I, well, you know... So we are killing a little time before going in search of dinner and some excellent Czech beer.

Today was my first day in Prague, having driven over from Regensburg in Germany late yesterday afternoon. We made it a full one. Tons of walking and great commentary from my tour guide to make the sights that much more interesting. Apparently, Bon has been a stowaway on many of the History class's field trips and takes a lot of good mental notes.

I'll spare you the laundry list of things we did, but should mention breakfast in the hotel here. It comes with the price of the room - as in many European hotels - but I've never been to one that has such big fat chocolate creme-filled donuts! Congratulated myself on eating just one, but can't promise that sort of restraint on a continuing basis.

Our beautiful and informative tour guide.


Hanging with Hus in Old Town Square

How come Bonnie gets to do the big arms?



Statue of Franz Kafka and another weird individual

YESTERDAY - Arrival in Prague - 19.11.08
Fate balanced its books with me this afternoon. Fair enough, after my escapades in Regensburg yesterday evening. The relative calm with which I cruised into the city exploded very quickly into a battle against no-entry and one-way signs. Apparently I missed one of the former, otherwise there would have been no need for one of Prague's polite young police officers to welcome me to his city with a traffic ticket. My misdeed seems to have cost about $27.50, though I'm doing that exchange rate in my head, so really not such a disaster after all. The nice thing is, I was having a hell of a time finding a bridge into the main part of Prague, and was able to get directions from him after the official paperwork was fully completed.

Enough for now - the rain seems to have slackened and it's time to eat and drink. More on events preceding my arrival as well as the future in our next installment. With thanks to Bonnie for her technical assistance, I now sign off.

Karlovy Vary

Thursday night a group of us from Slavojova, Katie, and Katie's friend Joyce [visiting from Paris] went to a bar called Mother-in-Laws. Its a cool bar that we had been to before, on Sean's birthday. When we got there, Caitlin was there so that was really fun! We hung out there for a while before leaving for another bar that we vaguely knew the location. So we walked around for a while trying to find it and then gave up but went to another really cool bar. It was an underground bar. We sat around and had some good talks. When we went to leave, it was pretty late and the door was locked. Everyone thought I was kidding when I said that it was locked but it wasn't. It was doubly funny because Katie is irrationally afraid that we are going to get locked in somewhere and the Czechs are going to attack and kill us. Haha. So silly. But then the bartender finally came up and let us out. That night there were four of us in my two beds: Me, Caitlin, Katie and Joyce. It was pretty hilarious.

Friday night a bunch of us went out to a bar called Blind Eye. There was a really big group of us, but it got continuously smaller as the night progressed. At Blind Eye there is a dance floor and they have good music so when it was just me left with some of the guys they all wanted me to teach them to Swing dance. It was really fun! I was teaching Alex and then Max cut in and I asked him if he knew how to swing dance and he said, "Do I know how to swing dance?" Haha, and then an argument ensued between him and Alex, because apparently he didn't know how but had just been watching me teach Alex and now "Alex looked bad because his brother knows how to swing and he doesn't." It was hilarious. Adnan and I also did some salsa dancing. It was exceptionally fun! When we were coming home there was an incident on the tram where Max and Alex were holding the doors open for Donnie and Nick and then some police officers came over and almost literally through Alex off the tram for no reason. It was freaky and Max was really pissed. When we finally got back we stayed up to make sure the other guys made it home okay and talked. It was a really fun night!

Saturday morning Andy, Pat, Sean M, Nathan, and Andrew left for Karlovy Vary. Thats a little down northwest of Prague. [Its the town that Queen Latifa goes to in the movie The Last Holiday.] When we got off the bus we had no idea where to go and just started walking. We ended up in the wilderness surrounding the town and walked an extra 50 minutes. But we got to see the whole town. All over they town they have the "healing waters" that you can drink. We decided they all taste different but still like dirty bath water. And apparently there are strict "commandments" that one is supposed to observe, but we definitely didn't. Like you have to use the special porcelean cups, you can't water plants or pour it out on the ground, you're supposed to drink it while you are walking, and you are supposed to drink it while standing at the spring. We didn't adhere to any of those. Oops.

The town

Erinn actually adhering to the commandments by drinking out of the special cup

Town from the "turret" as we dubbed it.

Our hostel was really nice. When we got there it was closed and we didn't know what to do. But there was a grill sitting on the deck and jokingly, Pat said "I'll just fire this up" and when he opened the grill our key and information were in there. It was really funny. Chesky was meeting us there so we went back down the mountain to meet up with her for lunch and ran into Erinn. So she joined us and we had lunch. She also introduced us to the "spa wafers" that were only 7Kc and super delicious. We wanted to go get massages but for some reason there aren't massages to be had on weekends, unless you want to pay an arm and leg. So we decided against it and instead payed 20Kc for five minutes in a massage chair. Haha. We didn't really know what to do next so we went back to the hostel and went to the bar connected to it. We played some cards and some Wii before heading up the street for dinner. My dinner got messed up so I ended up with a huge plate of mixed fruits and veggies. It was weird, but definitely the most healthy meal I have had since my arrival. Haha. We also got some dessert before going back to the hostel and just hanging out. This morning we woke up pretty early to get the included breakfast before exploring the town more and then getting on the bus back to Prague.

The hotel from the movie

Karlovy Vary is really cool. It kind of feels like you are on a movie set the whole time because its just too picturesque.

Scenes from Life

I decided that I would update you on life back in Prague before continuing on with Fall Break. Mainly, so that I don't forget about stuff that has happened.

Last weekend, starting Wednesday night, all of us who live in Slavojova went out every night. It was really fun. Andy's friend Katie came and Chesky had some friends too.

One night Katie Ryan had all of us over to their apartment for a "house party." It was really fun. We hung out, listened to music, played some Beer Pong, and had lots of fun. That night I had my first McDonald's Big Mac. I can't believe I ate it. Max had 5 cheeseburgers, Matt had 7 cheeseburgers, Donnie had 2 Big Mac meals. It was really funny, and then the rest of the night we were all saying things like "I Mclove you guys" and "Its Mclate right now." We were cracking up. We also were out so late that we caught the first morning metro. Haha.

Me, Sean, Katie, Sky at Katie's.

Group hug with Sean and Sky.

One night we went to a bar called Chapeau. It was fun. A lot of them had been there before but not me. Its a cool place and it goes down 3 levels so its huge. We danced a lot and had tons of fun. Katie and I also met some Norwegian guys that were very nice. And Katie accused me of "stealing her Norwegian" when I told him I was from LA. Haha. It was really funny and the Max came and saved us but we saw them later again. They were nice. That night I hung out with Andy's friend Katie a lot. She is really great.

With Max and Katie at Chapeau

The Norwegians.

Andrew, Cheksy and me.

On Wednesday night my stuff got stolen and so I was locked out of my apartment for the entirety of the weekend, until Tuesday morning actually. So I bounced around beds until I settled in the boys' upstairs [Max, Alex, Nick and Sean] couch. It was really funny. Nick always woke up really hungover and grouchy until I started laughing at him and then he would lighten up. It was hilarious. One morning he was baking hot cause the sun was shinning right on him so he tried to open the window. But they have latches on the top that you have to get out of bed to reach. He really didn't want to get of bed so he tried for a good five minutes to open it, and he started yelling. I was laughing hysterically. It was a treat. Haha. There's been talk of a moving out party for me, I'll let you know.

Last night Max, Orange, Alex, Erinn and I went out. We didn't know where to go to so we just started walking. We stopped at the first bar we found. It turned out to be really fun. We stayed there for a while. Max met this guy up at the bar and then he kept buying us bottles of champagne. Then he told us that he is a Czech pornstar. Haha. It was super freaky so i went to play pool with Erinn, Max, and these two Czech girls we met. It was fun. Max and I also did some more planning for our John Muir Trail hike. I can't wait for that! When we got home Erinn and I cooked some delicious pasta for the five of us so they are cooking for us tonight. Hope its good!!

Earlier today Nathan, Nick, Donnie, Matt and I went to the park to play. Nathan and I were later so when we walked up Nick was running down the street with a branch in his hand, a whole branch. The football and the soccer ball had fallen into the river and they were trying to get it out. After Matt fished out the balls we went over and they played some basketball and I made friends with two little Czech girls. They were super cute. I played some soccer with them and then some football with the boys and then finally some soccer. There was another guy there who played with us too. It was a lot of fun and I definitely needed to run around!

We also saw the new James Bond. For some reason it came out here before it did in America. Its very entertaining.

Banska Bystrica

By the time we got to Banksa Bystrica it was night time and we really had no idea where we were going. So we got out my Lets Go Europe and picked a hostel to stay at and attempted to make our way over to it. The train station is a terminal stop for the buses that come so we had to wait a while before getting on one to what we thought was the main square of the city, but we were wrong. We got off the bus and couldn't anything that was helpful so we ducked into the Apotheke to get directions [Beeler remembered Jan saying that pharmacists usually know English because they have to use it in their learnings]. He was very nice and drew us a map and even called to make sure the hostel was there. So we said our thanks and went on our way, but when we finally arrived we couldn't get into the hostel. We're not really sure why, even now, but we left to try and find some place else. We found a nice little pension that we decided was a little expensive but worth it because we were so tired of walking around with our bags. It was in a perfect spot, right by the actual main square of the city. For dinner we decided on a pizzeria which turned out to be a mistake, and got even worse when Beeler ordered Mexican food. After dinner we called it an early night, went back and read, followed quickly by sleep.


Next morning we woke up early to walk around and find another place to stay. So we explored the area surrounding the main square and found a fresh flowers market and a cool church. For breakfast we went to a little cafe and got huge balls of chocolate marzipan and Viennese coffees. Not the most healthy, but very delicious. After breakfast we headed over to the new hostel which had a kitchen, so we went to the market and bought some food for dinner. Then we decided to explore around more. We walked all over BB and found the National Uprising Museum.

Apparently, BB was home to the underground resistance after the Nazis breached the Slovak border. The museum is freaky shaped and there are all sorts of tanks, anti-aircraft artillery, and even a plane outside. It was really cool. We also met a very amiable Slovak girl right outside. She spent her holidays in Scotland and so when she heard us speaking English she stopped to chat and she told us she has a friend studying in Prague. After the museum it was getting pretty cold and dark so we headed back and made some dinner before crawling into bed and reading for a while. Another early night. Suprised?

Next morning we were planning on going to the castle Bonjice but it didn't work out so we spent a while, many hours actually, in the BB train station before catching a train to Budapest, Hungary. The train wasn't bad and I made friends with a little Slovak boy. We listened to Coldplay together on my iPod, it was pretty funny.

Kosice

So, we got back to the train station just in time to catch the morning train to Kosice, a city in very eastern Slovakia. We were in for a big surprise. As the train pulled into the city we all looked at eachother dumbfounded; all there was were Communist Bloc buildings. It was something that you see in pictures but don't ever really expect to see. It was pretty eerie.

We trekked across town to the hostel we were going to stay at and then rested for a bit. It was pretty freaky because there was almost literally no one walking around. We figured it was because it was a Sunday but it was "post-apocalyptic" as Pat said. We also stumbled upon this huge Communism memorial that was really bizarre. It was weird to see something from that time; something that was praising Communism. Freaky. So as we were all deciding that we made a mistake in coming to Kosice we found the main square and it was awesome.


There was a great church there and an opera house. We stopped at the "best ice cream in Kosice" [which was surprisingly cheap] before wandering around some more. It was really interesting because once you crossed the street it was back into the obviously Eastern European. We stopped at a bar called Relax that had lots of pool tables and we played some more cards. And I got lucky because they were showing the Arsenal game. So of course we had to have a late dinner, the others were very obliging. After the game we went to dinner at a little place that was really delicious. We were all pretty tired so we decided to call it a night, espescially since Pat and Andy were leaving the next morning to return to Prague before heading on to Rome. So we all decided that although Kosice isn't Stola, it was still pretty neat, and interesting to see. Definitely the furthest east I have ever been.

The next morning Beeler and I walked around a little more before getting a doner and then heading to the train station to catch a train to Banska Bystrica. When we got our tickets the ticket lady didn't speak English, not one word. So we did a lot of pointing smiling before getting our tickets. We then realized that we had no idea where to go. So we did some guessing and then decided that wherever we ended up is where we were going to stay. Thankfully, the maintenance lady was clear enough in her very slow Czech and we were on the right train. It was a great feeling. Halfway through the ride we thought that we had arrived at our stop. We well hadn't and then we lost our seats so the ticket taker in the train tried to talk to us but we aren't proficient at Czech so we were lost. But my great German skills came in handy and she was able to tell us in German that there was room in a different car and that we should go down there because we still had a long time. Good things my darling German friends taught me so much. So Beeler and I were pretty proud that we actually made it to Banska Bystrica.

Little Side Note

Last night, as I am sure you all know, was election night. We, being Max, Alex, Orange, Beeler, Katie, Heather, Nick, Donnie, Kate and I went to the Globe to watch it. The Globe is an English speaking bar/resturaunt/internet cafe/bookstore where we watched the debates, and they show American TV. So we went there and it was a madhouse. Standing room only from about 11pm to 5am. It was crazy. So we wandered around aimlessly trying to find a place with a TV that was showing it. Turned out to be more difficult then we imagined seeing as it was already 12.30am. Someone came up with the great idea to go to a sports bar and see if they were showing it. So I ran, literally, to the bar we watch soccer and football at. They didn't have it on but when I asked they turned it on for us so we got to watch. The bar closed at 2am but they let us stay longer which was very kind. Didn't get home until about 4.30am which was sooner than my other friends [Chesky, Andy, and them] who didn't actually sleep last night. But a great night it was. Great for us here, and great for America! Hope you're all as happy as we are!!

"Take care of your Women"

[pictures: 1. from the chairlift; 2. Andy and Pat enjoying lunch time; 3. a gorgeous lake at Strebske Pleso; 4. the high tatras; 5. our cabin (Andy's picture); 6. Beeler and Pat following Andy down the non-trail; 7. the crew headed up the peak; 8. Pat and Andy hanging out on top of the world; 9. Andy and the stunning view; 10. Beeler, Pat, Me, and Andy enjoying our Pivo at the summit; 11. the lake we hiked to the second day; 12. Andy and the bridge]




So we boarded the bus that took us to Stola, [pronounced Sh-tola ]finally, and were on our way to meet our Slovak landlord, Jaroslav. Jaroslav had been e-mailing Andy throughout our dilemma and said that if it were necessary he would pick us up. We all had different images of what we though Jaroslav would be like, none of them right. But we got to Stola and then waited in the freezing cold for Jaroslav to come pick us up from the bus stop. He came, picked us up, and drove us about 2 minutes to our cabin. When we got out of the car it was snowing! It was awesome! Our cabin was perfect. There was a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room with beds and a loft/attic type room that was "the boys room [high five]". We were also informed by Jaroslav, or Jaro as we affectionately called him, that the Queen of England was staying there as well. Pretty cool. So that night we made plans for Jaro to come by in the morning and give us suggestions for the day. He also told us to beware of bears and for Pat and Andy to "take care of your women" which is doubly funny when you consider that in reality, I would probably take better care of them, had the need arisen.

Next morning I woke up to dear Andy singing "Rise and shine and give God your glory, glory" making me feel right at home. Jaro arrived and gave us some great suggestions which we decided to follow. [As a side note, Stola has only one convenience store/market and one restaurant that we made reservations at twice.] We took the bus up to Strebske Pleso and milled around for a little bit before getting some lunch at the Olympic training grounds. We didn't know it at the time but thats where we were. We also met the Czech Olympic coach for high jump, triple jump, and long jump. He was very amiable and told us that some US athletes were there as well for the altitude training. So that was pretty cool. Then we started on a hike but instead found the chair lift to take us to the summit. It was awesome! It took us to a pretty high summit and then we hiked up the rest of the way. The view was amazing, like from the top of Mammoth. There were tons of clouds but we were above them so the view was stunning. We hung out at the top for a little taking it all in before returning to the summit and having a pivo, and what a great pivo! We walked back to the chairlift to discover that it had stopped running about an half hour earlier so we had to hike all the way down. We weren't really sure where to go and somehow managed to pick a bad way every time. First we tried to go down what I'm pretty sure approximated a black diamond slope, and then in trying to get back to the other path, traversed a non-traveled, wooded area. Andy face planted in the snow, Pat got soaked, Beeler crawled up the slope, and I almost peed my pants laughing at them. When we finally made it back to the other trail we saw the athletes training and then tried to get down a different way. Andy was the leader, first mistake, and basically blazed his own trail that included swinging from a railing. It was pretty hilarious. But we all made it down in one piece. We caught the sunset, kind of, before heading back down to Stola. We had a delicious dinner, three courses with 2 drinks each, and all for about 7 dollars. It was awesome! So naturally we made reservations for the next night as well! We went back to the cabin and hung out, read and listened to music before calling it a night.

The next morning Andy again tried to sing but I was awake before he could manage. We stopped at the Potraviny to get some breakfast and some food for lunch before heading to the bus stop. We didn't take into account that the bus schedule is different on weekends so when Andy called Jaro to see why the bus didn't come, we all felt like idiots when we were informed that the bus wouldn't be there for another hour and an half. So we went back to the cabin and made a disgusting amount of pasta that we then had to consume exceptionally fast. We went up to Strebske Pleso again but then caught the tram to the next stop over and decided to do a hike up to a lake. It was much colder and wetter. The trail was basically impassable in parts but we pressed on like true hikers and made it to a gorgeous lake where we had lunch and then some coffee before heading back. It was a very enjoyable hike.

We got back to the cabin at the same time as the day before and then went to the restaurant for another delicious meal. Probably the best two meals I have had on the trip. After dinner we went back to the cabin and drank some wine from our jug. Haha. Pat and Beeler taught me and Andy how to play Yuker, which we kicked their butts at. It was really fun. The next morning we packed and headed out. Jaro met us on the way out and told us that there was a problem. We were nervous, not knowing what it could be, and then he said "You two can go [to Pat and Andy] but the women must stay." It was freaky to say the least, especially since he was dressed like I imagine a Slovak mobster would be dressed. And then he added, " That's how we do it here." Andy and Pat were freaked out and laughed nervously, trying to diffuse the situation, until Jaro finally smiled. Close call. Haha, but I think I could have taken him.

Anyway, Stola is definitely the gem of Slovakia, and one of my favorite places I have been in Europe. I loved every minute of it!!