I first off want to apologize for not updating my blog recently. I spent three nights and four days in Riomaggiore, Italy. I had an amazing weekend in this beautiful town nestled on the hills of one of Italy’s more beautiful natural parks, Cinque Terre. I took the train from Milan to Monterosso and then transferred to Riomaggiore. Cinque Terre is composed of 7 beautiful towns. The towns are La Spezia, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernaza, Moneterossa and Levanto. Each town has its own unique characteristics and where stunning. These villages where created by peasant farmers hundreds of years ago and have not grown much since. The towns have been carved into the rocks on the sea. Some of the towns are perched up on top of a mountains cliff overlooking the city. I have many photos but most of them are on a friend’s camera. I will contact this person and get a hold of those photos. I stayed in a hostel called Cinque Terre Holidays. It was just ok. It was fine for being an inexpensive hostel, but next time I will search elsewhere for a hostel. I am sure I can find a better hostel for the same or less money. The room I was originally in had seven other males who where all friends and from Australia. They were very nice and I was talking to them about their travels and where they plan on going. Three of the friends will travel in total for six months. I was taken aback when I asked how long it took them to save for the entire trip. One of the three kids said, “Oh, yeah, we saved up money for about six months”. I don’t know what kind of jobs they have that in six months they can save up to survive on the road consistently for another six months. I am sure they are having their parents pay a huge portion of the trip. I don’t really care how they are affording it but I just felt like he was suggesting I was stupid if he thought I would believe his bogus story. Getting back to my main point of this blog, I met three wonderful people in Riomaggiore. These three people lived below me in the hostel. I was on the third floor and they were on the second. The three people where three sisters from Barcelona, Spain. Their names are Nuria, Roser and Mireia. They all are one year apart in age, the oldest being 29. I met them in a very funny way actually. I was walking out of my hostel building and one of the sisters asked me if I had electricity in my room. Of course I had electricity in my room and asked if they problem was in the part of the room or in their entire hostel room (kitchen/dinning room, bedroom, bathroom). She said it was just in the bathroom and that while she was blow drying her hair the electricity turned off. I knew that she probably blew a fuse and they hostel workers fixed the fuse and the lights went back on. Since I am traveling alone I hung around making conversation and waited to see if any other of her friends would be coming outside. I saw two other females walk outside and I started talking to them too. To make a long story short I ended up becoming best friends with these three girls. I did not know how old they where till I asked them what they do for a living and I was told, a lawyer, school teacher and a nutritionist. I knew right away that they were much older than me. I didn’t mind I just did not want them to think I was a little kid and not take me seriously when I am almost a decade younger than the oldest sister. I hung out with the three sisters for three days and three nights. I had a great time hanging out with them and they really liked me. They actually invited me to sleep on their spare bed in their private hostel room so I would not have to stay in the 8 bedroom room and pay 25 Euros for an extra night. This was a really nice gesture and I knew that when they offered me to stay with them that they trusted me and enjoyed my company. They even took me out to dinner last night. It was an incredible dinner on the ocean. We had a great meal of seafood and pasta and a huge seafood dish, baked in a huge ceramic pot, and two bottles of wine. It was amazing. To make the night better off in the distance there was a Beatles concert (they actually sounded really good), and a pretty good firework show following the concert. The dinner was expensive and I wanted to pay my share but the sisters insisted that it was my last night and that they wanted to treat me to a special dinner before I left. I hope to remain in contact with these three Spanish girls and I made sure to get all of their contact info before I left. The oldest sister even offered me to stay in her apartment in Barcelona for free while I am in the city. I will text or email her to see if I can arrange for that to occur. This encounter has really opened my eyes to the types of people that you can meet in the simplest of places, and develop potentially a long lasting relationship. I invited all three of the sisters to come stay with me in Philly or New York. I hope that they can visit the U.S.A. and I can somehow return the hospitality that they showed me onto them. During the three days that I was in Riomaggiore I spent a lot of time thinking. I had dinner alone for two of the nights and watched the sunset on the ocean. It is truly a special thing to see and really makes you think about life and want you want in your future.
I have decided that I will pursue French classes again. I will take French class this fall at Drexel. My schedule already has 17 credits so this might be a problem. I can always take an online version with something like Rosetta stone. My friend Daryl who I met in Prague told me that he has a copy of Rosetta stone that will allow you to view and learn every language they offer. I will follow up and ask him about this. I also want to volunteer for the Peace Corps after college for one year. I really want to volunteer and get out and see the world. This is a great opportunity to learn another culture, add something unique to my resume, and help people who really need help. I will start the application process and figure out what I need to do to make this happen.
I did not take that many photos during my stay in Riomaggiore because my camera ran out of batteries. I took any photos on my friends camera and I will get them from her. I am writing this from the train that I am taking to Florence. I so far have had a great time traveling and it is amazing. I like how people I meet seem to think that an American traveling alone is something amazing. I guess they don’t imagine Americans being so ambitious and traveling so far away from home by themselves. That’s just makes me unique and I like talking and hearing peoples perceptions on American. I really want to explore American more. I have not traveled around America and it is a shame. There are so many beautiful things to see and I would like to see my own country before I go out and explore the rest of the world. I will try and go on road trips of long weekend trips to various parts of the country. It really is not as expensive as you may think if you plan ahead. Planning ahead and finding the good deals would be crucial for this to happen.
After I go to Florence I will head over to Rome and then into France. Since my encounter with my three Spanish friends I really want to go to Spain and experience the culture. It was interesting to hear how these three people felt about the country and how different the north of Spain is from the south of Spain.
I would like to come back to Europe with one friend. It is fun traveling alone but sometimes it is strange being alone in certain places in which everyone else is with friends.
I will write more later as I know that I will have internet connection in the hostel I will stay at in Florence. I actually have not booked a hostel in Florence. I will just wing it when I get there. Hopefully it all turns out well.
Turns out the hostel I am in does not have wifi. Sucks. I am at an internet cafe posting this.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Milan
Good afternoon!
I am in Milan currently and I had a marvelous day.
I walked throughout the entire city and saw many interesting things.
This morning I awoke in Prague around 4:20 AM. This was later then I had wished and I packed quickly and made my way out on the streets looking for the proper tram to take to the airport.
I was looking for 15 minutes for the proper tram and gave up. I was running out of time and needed to get to the air port quickly. Deciding that taking a taxi was a better way to the airport was simple, either miss my plane because I wanted to save 20 bucks or take the taxi and relax at 5 AM in the morning. I took the taxi. 25 bucks later I was sitting in the airport, first person at the terminal, waiting for the Sky Europe plane to Milano, Italia.
Let me go back a few days and go from where I missed. Nick arrived in Prague on Friday. When he arrived I had already finished all my classes and received grades for the classes (I got two A's by the way). I wanted to show Nick a good time and I think I did. The entire study abroad group has a closing dinner at this decent restaurant on the river. It was traditional Czech food and unlimited beer and wine's. It was a nice dinner. At the dinner we also displayed some of the photography prints that we made for Photo class. I picked my two favorite photos and will upload them to the blog to show you all which two are my favorites. It was a nice dinner and kinda of a sad ending to the marvelous trip and friendship building experience that we had.
After the dinner I went out with some friends to a relaxing bar and had a great night, Nick came to the dinner after we finished easting and I introduced him to all of my new friends and he came out with us that night.
The next night Nick and I went out on our own and hit up as many places to get a beer at as we could. We went to a beer garden in Prague. This is just a group of 100 tables with some background music and a bar inside a shed serving beer. Another shed is serving food and another one is serving mixed drinks. It was a relaxing atmosphere and I had a great time. Nick and I met these two Czech locals who just talked about how important tourism is to Prague and about life. Nick parents where staying at this really nice hotel called Landels. It was beautiful. Nick and I got a hostel one night and it sucked. The hostel was basically a school dormitory that was a hotels when the students are on summer break.
Milan today was marvelous. I got lost getting from the bus at Milano central station onto the subway. The signs where not very clear and I spend 20 minutes walking back and forth before I finally figured out where I was going. The person who I am staying with is very nice. He made me coffee and toast right when I got to his apartment. His name is Antonio and he has a three bedroom apartment. His roommates are out of town for the week so I am staying in one of their bed rooms. Antonio drew on a map for me where I should go visit and what walking route I should take so I don't miss anything important. I took many photos of what I saw and will be uploading them soon.
I also took videos of where I was because it is so much easier to see exactly what I saw from a video. I saw so many expensive stores while walking. I saw every Italian, French and famous fashion designers store while on my walk.
I walked into a few of these stores to check out what kind of prices they had. The only store that I loved and could actually afford was a store called Zara. It was amazing! I loved and wanted to buy almost everything in this store. The prices where also very reasonable. They have a few stores in America (22 to be exact) and will be going cloth shopping in this store in the future. They also sell women clothes and they also looked very nice and affordable.
I forgot to mention that on Saturday I went to Terazine. This was a concentration camp during WWII. It was a moving experience and I loved almost everything about the trip, besides the walking. I took photos of that trip too and will be putting those on FB soon.
I am tired from waking up so early and am going to fall asleep.
Love, Corey
I am in Milan currently and I had a marvelous day.
I walked throughout the entire city and saw many interesting things.
This morning I awoke in Prague around 4:20 AM. This was later then I had wished and I packed quickly and made my way out on the streets looking for the proper tram to take to the airport.
I was looking for 15 minutes for the proper tram and gave up. I was running out of time and needed to get to the air port quickly. Deciding that taking a taxi was a better way to the airport was simple, either miss my plane because I wanted to save 20 bucks or take the taxi and relax at 5 AM in the morning. I took the taxi. 25 bucks later I was sitting in the airport, first person at the terminal, waiting for the Sky Europe plane to Milano, Italia.
Let me go back a few days and go from where I missed. Nick arrived in Prague on Friday. When he arrived I had already finished all my classes and received grades for the classes (I got two A's by the way). I wanted to show Nick a good time and I think I did. The entire study abroad group has a closing dinner at this decent restaurant on the river. It was traditional Czech food and unlimited beer and wine's. It was a nice dinner. At the dinner we also displayed some of the photography prints that we made for Photo class. I picked my two favorite photos and will upload them to the blog to show you all which two are my favorites. It was a nice dinner and kinda of a sad ending to the marvelous trip and friendship building experience that we had.
After the dinner I went out with some friends to a relaxing bar and had a great night, Nick came to the dinner after we finished easting and I introduced him to all of my new friends and he came out with us that night.
The next night Nick and I went out on our own and hit up as many places to get a beer at as we could. We went to a beer garden in Prague. This is just a group of 100 tables with some background music and a bar inside a shed serving beer. Another shed is serving food and another one is serving mixed drinks. It was a relaxing atmosphere and I had a great time. Nick and I met these two Czech locals who just talked about how important tourism is to Prague and about life. Nick parents where staying at this really nice hotel called Landels. It was beautiful. Nick and I got a hostel one night and it sucked. The hostel was basically a school dormitory that was a hotels when the students are on summer break.
Milan today was marvelous. I got lost getting from the bus at Milano central station onto the subway. The signs where not very clear and I spend 20 minutes walking back and forth before I finally figured out where I was going. The person who I am staying with is very nice. He made me coffee and toast right when I got to his apartment. His name is Antonio and he has a three bedroom apartment. His roommates are out of town for the week so I am staying in one of their bed rooms. Antonio drew on a map for me where I should go visit and what walking route I should take so I don't miss anything important. I took many photos of what I saw and will be uploading them soon.
I also took videos of where I was because it is so much easier to see exactly what I saw from a video. I saw so many expensive stores while walking. I saw every Italian, French and famous fashion designers store while on my walk.
I walked into a few of these stores to check out what kind of prices they had. The only store that I loved and could actually afford was a store called Zara. It was amazing! I loved and wanted to buy almost everything in this store. The prices where also very reasonable. They have a few stores in America (22 to be exact) and will be going cloth shopping in this store in the future. They also sell women clothes and they also looked very nice and affordable.
I forgot to mention that on Saturday I went to Terazine. This was a concentration camp during WWII. It was a moving experience and I loved almost everything about the trip, besides the walking. I took photos of that trip too and will be putting those on FB soon.
I am tired from waking up so early and am going to fall asleep.
Love, Corey
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Last week in Praha
This has been an extremely busy week. I had a film that was due today and had so much trouble editing and bringing the taped files to my computer. I also had a photo project due on Monday and today. I have everything done now, but it took some late nights and a few nights of only 3 hours of sleep. This is the video that my group partner Lauren and I made.
I think I have finally tentatively finalized my plans for after Prague.
I will be going to Milan, Italy, on Aug 10th to the 12th. In Milan I will be couch surfing for my first time. On the 12th I will be going to Cinque Terre, Italy. I will stay two nights and go to Florence, Italy, for three nights. Two of the nights I will be in the country around Florence and one of the nights I will try and find a couch surfing place to crash at in the city. I will then go to Rome for two nights. I will either get a hostel or couch surf, possibly one for each night.
I want to then make my way over to Barcelona, Spain and spend 3 nights there. After this I will make my way over to France. I am not sure what I will do first in France but I will decide in the next few days on my plan.
I have to go to class but I will update my blog later with more plans and photos of my trip to Budapest.
I think I have finally tentatively finalized my plans for after Prague.
I will be going to Milan, Italy, on Aug 10th to the 12th. In Milan I will be couch surfing for my first time. On the 12th I will be going to Cinque Terre, Italy. I will stay two nights and go to Florence, Italy, for three nights. Two of the nights I will be in the country around Florence and one of the nights I will try and find a couch surfing place to crash at in the city. I will then go to Rome for two nights. I will either get a hostel or couch surf, possibly one for each night.
I want to then make my way over to Barcelona, Spain and spend 3 nights there. After this I will make my way over to France. I am not sure what I will do first in France but I will decide in the next few days on my plan.
I have to go to class but I will update my blog later with more plans and photos of my trip to Budapest.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Budapest
I had a great weekend at Budapest. They sure do know how to party in Hungary.
My trip to Budapest started at 4 in the afternoon on Thursday. On the bus ride to Budapest the highway was closed due to an accident so the driver had to reroute around the blocked highway and through the countryside. This bus seated 65 people and was at least 4 meters in height. Maybe this bus was the biggest bus I have ever been in. The small roads that the bus driver rerouted onto where only 4 feet wider than the bus and where extremely windy and had no shoulder. I thought numerous time that I was going to die and not survive this incredible bus ride. I took some photos of how small the road was and will post them on my Facebook.
When we arrived in Budapest Vince and I got lost and walked around for 30 minutes before we could find a cab. Walking around allowed us to see a lot of the city and how beautiful it was. European cities are gorgeous. We finally got to the Hostel and could not check in because we where to early. We where going to sleep on a lawn chair at the hostel but we made friends with these girls who gave us their beds because they where checking out in a hour. I have a lot of photos of our cool hostel that I will also upload to Facebook.
The next day Vince and I met up with our other friends at the Hostel who came earlier that day. We all ate breakfast and went on a tour of the city. It was a free tour that we went on. The tour guide relies of tips to make money. The tour was so boring that we left early and went on our own tour. I took a few videos and photos of our walk to the Budapest Castle and the surrounding areas. I walk to much in Europe that my shoes are so bare. I need to get new shoes when I come back to the states immediately. Vince, Mike, Andreas and myself went on a little exploration of this construction site on the Castle grounds. I have a video of where we explored and how cool it was.
That night we went to this awesome bar in Budapest. The entrance to this place was a tiny door on this small side street but inside revealed a massive bar that blew my mind away. The door lead you into a basement that lead out to 10 other basement rooms all with there own music and most of them had a bar. A staircase lead you to the courtyard of the building. In this courtyard another bar was 40 or so tables packed with people where placed. Then we found another staircase going upstairs. Another level of 10 rooms where packed with people. This level had 14 pool tables, an arcade, 20 or more tables, a huge balcony and a massive bar. In the winter when it gets to cold to be outside and at many of the outside clubs around the city, 5 more floors like the one I just described are opened up. This was one of the most massive and impressive lounge/club I have ever been too. The entire group I was with decided to do karaoke for fun. We sang an N'sync song and a Micheal Jackson song. It was so much fun seeing the locals at the bar giving us a thumbs down and laughing at our singing. After this bar we went to an outdoor club on an island. This place was packed and was so crazy. They party so hard in Budapest I was amazed. I was tired so I just mostly talked with my friends and watched everyone at this place.
The next day everyone went to this spa/bath called Gellert. It was amazing. The entry fee was 15 dollars but it was well worth it. I felt like a king when I was in this place. Budapest is know for the hot water natural springs and this bath uses exactly that. I have some photos of this place and will put the on Facebook because I can not describe what this place was like in words. Inside this bath/spa they have one indoor pool and one outdoor wave pool. They also have two massive natural spring heated hot tubs. A part of the spa was only for men and only for females. This was the truly impressive part of the spa. This area contained two baths, one was 38 C and the other was 36 C. They also had a steam room, cold tube and various other water message rooms. The decor, in this area was breathtaking. I will find photos and post them above this post.
Everyone should experience this when they go to Budapest and I will always remember this experience.
We ate dinner at this buffet. This buffet had unlimited beer, wine, champagne and food for 15 dollars. Not a bad deal. This will be the nicest dinner of the trip so I spoiled myself that day with the spa and dinner.
I later went to this massive outdoor party. I saw some of the most beautiful women of my entire life at this outdoor party. Every person I saw was just so beautiful. No one really speaks English in Budapest. This is from asking people if they speak and getting a mean NO as an answer.
The next day we took a bus ride back home to Prague.
I had a great weekend.
My trip to Budapest started at 4 in the afternoon on Thursday. On the bus ride to Budapest the highway was closed due to an accident so the driver had to reroute around the blocked highway and through the countryside. This bus seated 65 people and was at least 4 meters in height. Maybe this bus was the biggest bus I have ever been in. The small roads that the bus driver rerouted onto where only 4 feet wider than the bus and where extremely windy and had no shoulder. I thought numerous time that I was going to die and not survive this incredible bus ride. I took some photos of how small the road was and will post them on my Facebook.
When we arrived in Budapest Vince and I got lost and walked around for 30 minutes before we could find a cab. Walking around allowed us to see a lot of the city and how beautiful it was. European cities are gorgeous. We finally got to the Hostel and could not check in because we where to early. We where going to sleep on a lawn chair at the hostel but we made friends with these girls who gave us their beds because they where checking out in a hour. I have a lot of photos of our cool hostel that I will also upload to Facebook.
The next day Vince and I met up with our other friends at the Hostel who came earlier that day. We all ate breakfast and went on a tour of the city. It was a free tour that we went on. The tour guide relies of tips to make money. The tour was so boring that we left early and went on our own tour. I took a few videos and photos of our walk to the Budapest Castle and the surrounding areas. I walk to much in Europe that my shoes are so bare. I need to get new shoes when I come back to the states immediately. Vince, Mike, Andreas and myself went on a little exploration of this construction site on the Castle grounds. I have a video of where we explored and how cool it was.
That night we went to this awesome bar in Budapest. The entrance to this place was a tiny door on this small side street but inside revealed a massive bar that blew my mind away. The door lead you into a basement that lead out to 10 other basement rooms all with there own music and most of them had a bar. A staircase lead you to the courtyard of the building. In this courtyard another bar was 40 or so tables packed with people where placed. Then we found another staircase going upstairs. Another level of 10 rooms where packed with people. This level had 14 pool tables, an arcade, 20 or more tables, a huge balcony and a massive bar. In the winter when it gets to cold to be outside and at many of the outside clubs around the city, 5 more floors like the one I just described are opened up. This was one of the most massive and impressive lounge/club I have ever been too. The entire group I was with decided to do karaoke for fun. We sang an N'sync song and a Micheal Jackson song. It was so much fun seeing the locals at the bar giving us a thumbs down and laughing at our singing. After this bar we went to an outdoor club on an island. This place was packed and was so crazy. They party so hard in Budapest I was amazed. I was tired so I just mostly talked with my friends and watched everyone at this place.
The next day everyone went to this spa/bath called Gellert. It was amazing. The entry fee was 15 dollars but it was well worth it. I felt like a king when I was in this place. Budapest is know for the hot water natural springs and this bath uses exactly that. I have some photos of this place and will put the on Facebook because I can not describe what this place was like in words. Inside this bath/spa they have one indoor pool and one outdoor wave pool. They also have two massive natural spring heated hot tubs. A part of the spa was only for men and only for females. This was the truly impressive part of the spa. This area contained two baths, one was 38 C and the other was 36 C. They also had a steam room, cold tube and various other water message rooms. The decor, in this area was breathtaking. I will find photos and post them above this post.
Everyone should experience this when they go to Budapest and I will always remember this experience.
We ate dinner at this buffet. This buffet had unlimited beer, wine, champagne and food for 15 dollars. Not a bad deal. This will be the nicest dinner of the trip so I spoiled myself that day with the spa and dinner.
I later went to this massive outdoor party. I saw some of the most beautiful women of my entire life at this outdoor party. Every person I saw was just so beautiful. No one really speaks English in Budapest. This is from asking people if they speak and getting a mean NO as an answer.
The next day we took a bus ride back home to Prague.
I had a great weekend.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Budapest
Good afternoon:
Budapest is hot!!! It was almost 90 degrees today. The city is really nice though and I am taking a lot of photos. Today we walked around the city for 5 hours exploring so many cool and interesting things. I am with Vince and three other friends. Andres, Lauren and Mike. Us five are having a blast and I cant wait to go out tonight.
Last night was a mess we got into Budapest early and we had no place to stay for the night. I ended u making friends with these girls who where checking out at 5 am. I just talked and waited for them to check out at 5 and I stole there bed when they left. I basically stayed for free that night.
The hostel does not have AC so it gets very hot during the day and at night when you have so many bodies in one crammed room. The hostel is marvelous and so nice and new. It has only been opened for 3 weeks and it not even done being constructed.
I have a lot more to say but I am tired and want to take a nap. I have met a bunch of people so far and its really cool learning about them.
I will write more later, but I am safe in Budapest.
Next time I will explain about my bus ride and how nerve racking that ride was.
Corey
Budapest is hot!!! It was almost 90 degrees today. The city is really nice though and I am taking a lot of photos. Today we walked around the city for 5 hours exploring so many cool and interesting things. I am with Vince and three other friends. Andres, Lauren and Mike. Us five are having a blast and I cant wait to go out tonight.
Last night was a mess we got into Budapest early and we had no place to stay for the night. I ended u making friends with these girls who where checking out at 5 am. I just talked and waited for them to check out at 5 and I stole there bed when they left. I basically stayed for free that night.
The hostel does not have AC so it gets very hot during the day and at night when you have so many bodies in one crammed room. The hostel is marvelous and so nice and new. It has only been opened for 3 weeks and it not even done being constructed.
I have a lot more to say but I am tired and want to take a nap. I have met a bunch of people so far and its really cool learning about them.
I will write more later, but I am safe in Budapest.
Next time I will explain about my bus ride and how nerve racking that ride was.
Corey
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
I love Prague
Hello!
School is getting busy and I am going to Budapest this weekend. I have been busy.
I have been uploading photos that I have been using for my photography class. I hope you all have been liking them.
I have many more photos but these are just some fun photos that I have taken.
Today I went shopping and bought a few things that I really needed. I bought a bunch of socks and boxers. I also got a pair of white pants, a shirt, and a button down.
I have not went cloth shopping in a long time so it was nice to get a few things. I might end up returning some of the items because I don't really need them but I just liked the items so much I had to get them.
I want to do a coop abroad next year. Instead of working for six months in the US, I would like to spend the time working abroad for a company. It would be so much more fun and a good experience for myself. I am going to look into this being a possibility for my coop.
I am going to run to the gym and will write more tomorrow.
Corey
School is getting busy and I am going to Budapest this weekend. I have been busy.
I have been uploading photos that I have been using for my photography class. I hope you all have been liking them.
I have many more photos but these are just some fun photos that I have taken.
Today I went shopping and bought a few things that I really needed. I bought a bunch of socks and boxers. I also got a pair of white pants, a shirt, and a button down.
I have not went cloth shopping in a long time so it was nice to get a few things. I might end up returning some of the items because I don't really need them but I just liked the items so much I had to get them.
I want to do a coop abroad next year. Instead of working for six months in the US, I would like to spend the time working abroad for a company. It would be so much more fun and a good experience for myself. I am going to look into this being a possibility for my coop.
I am going to run to the gym and will write more tomorrow.
Corey
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Half way done
Good morning!
I cant believe that my stay in Prague is already half way over. Time just flies bye!
This weekend was a lot of fun. On Thursday night the entire group went out to a club. I had a lot of fun. The next day most people went to either Budapest or Berlin for the weekend. When everyone was gone it was kinda bring and slow around the dorm. Vince and I where going to go out Friday but we where very tired from the previous night. We just hung out with some of the other kids who did not go away this weekend and talked all night. I went to the gym twice this weekend. It felt really good and I do not think I have lost any strength since I have been in Prague. I also went food shopping and picked up some pasta, yogurt and toiletries.
Today it is two peoples birthday. I have to go out and celebrate with them. It should be another fun night!
Today I am going to go to Petrin Hill. It is a hill with a similar looking structure to the Eifel tower over looking the city. The views are supposed to be breathtaking from this location and cant wait to see what it looks like.
I found a place to stay while I am in Milan, Italy. I used coach surfing and found this nice person who has hosted over 48 other people from around the world. I will be staying with this person for two nights and cant wait to experience coach surfing on my own.
I also touched base with Tasha and Francois in France. These are family friends who are going to be in St. Cyr, France, the same time I will be in France. I am going to go stay with them for two nights. It is really going to safe me a lot of money by staying with friends/family and utilizing coach surfing on my trip.
I booked a ticket to visit Budapest next weekend. This ticket cost me 47 bucks round trip via bus. I think that it was a great deal considering that the train ticket was 200 bucks and only 2 hours faster each way. I do not know where I will be staying while I am Budapest but I will be looking forward to staying in either a hostel or maybe coach surfing. I will probably stay in a hostel because it will be fun.
The weather has been so nice lately and I have been loving this city. I already feel like a local in a sense and get mad at tourists who walk so slowly and do things that make them stick out. I really love Prague and cant wait to bring some of my friends or family to Prague in the future and show them around.
I also did laundry yesterday and it was long overdue. I can not wait that long to do laundry again. I got lucky because the women gave me to may tokens mistakenly and now I have another free laundry cycle for free. I was thinking about informing the women of her mistake but I will take a free laundry cycle this time in my life. In the future when I have a steady income I will not take advantage of someone mistake.
Nick is visiting pretty soon. I cant wait for that. It will be tons of fun!
I am going to get ready to explore Petrin Hill.
Love, Corey
I cant believe that my stay in Prague is already half way over. Time just flies bye!
This weekend was a lot of fun. On Thursday night the entire group went out to a club. I had a lot of fun. The next day most people went to either Budapest or Berlin for the weekend. When everyone was gone it was kinda bring and slow around the dorm. Vince and I where going to go out Friday but we where very tired from the previous night. We just hung out with some of the other kids who did not go away this weekend and talked all night. I went to the gym twice this weekend. It felt really good and I do not think I have lost any strength since I have been in Prague. I also went food shopping and picked up some pasta, yogurt and toiletries.
Today it is two peoples birthday. I have to go out and celebrate with them. It should be another fun night!
Today I am going to go to Petrin Hill. It is a hill with a similar looking structure to the Eifel tower over looking the city. The views are supposed to be breathtaking from this location and cant wait to see what it looks like.
I found a place to stay while I am in Milan, Italy. I used coach surfing and found this nice person who has hosted over 48 other people from around the world. I will be staying with this person for two nights and cant wait to experience coach surfing on my own.
I also touched base with Tasha and Francois in France. These are family friends who are going to be in St. Cyr, France, the same time I will be in France. I am going to go stay with them for two nights. It is really going to safe me a lot of money by staying with friends/family and utilizing coach surfing on my trip.
I booked a ticket to visit Budapest next weekend. This ticket cost me 47 bucks round trip via bus. I think that it was a great deal considering that the train ticket was 200 bucks and only 2 hours faster each way. I do not know where I will be staying while I am Budapest but I will be looking forward to staying in either a hostel or maybe coach surfing. I will probably stay in a hostel because it will be fun.
The weather has been so nice lately and I have been loving this city. I already feel like a local in a sense and get mad at tourists who walk so slowly and do things that make them stick out. I really love Prague and cant wait to bring some of my friends or family to Prague in the future and show them around.
I also did laundry yesterday and it was long overdue. I can not wait that long to do laundry again. I got lucky because the women gave me to may tokens mistakenly and now I have another free laundry cycle for free. I was thinking about informing the women of her mistake but I will take a free laundry cycle this time in my life. In the future when I have a steady income I will not take advantage of someone mistake.
Nick is visiting pretty soon. I cant wait for that. It will be tons of fun!
I am going to get ready to explore Petrin Hill.
Love, Corey
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Heat wave!
Good morning!
A heat wave has struck Prague. The weather is very unpredictable and changes very often in this country. Two days ago the high was 50 degrees and now it is approaching 90. This may not seem that hot, but to a country with no AC in any building it is. Not one building has AC in this country. Walking a restaurant is a nightmare because a heat wave over takes you as your step into the building.
Besides the heat everything is going really well.
I completed my first video for my documentary film class. Here is a link to the video on youtube.
Tell me what you think of it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGYAiCORsyw
I also completed another photo assignment. I uploaded the photos to an album on facebook that contained the photos from my previous class submission.
This week has flown by so quick! I am going to try and do some day trips this weekend in Prague exploring the city further. I am going to purchase a ticket to go to Vienna tomorrow. I will be going for 3 nights. I am excited to visit this city because I have heard so many great things about it.
My roommates and I decided to purchase a pot so we can cook pasta and some food in the dorm. It will really save everyone money by eating in for some meals and I cant wait to make some pretty good food really soon.
I have been going on a lot of field trips in my classes lately and I cant complain! I still am suprised that I am actually earning college credit for these classes I am taking. I am learning so much about to city, how to take great photos and how to film a video using proper angles and camera techniques.
I am tired because I am only sleeping 4 or 5 hours every night. After my nap I have class and we are going to a photo show in a convention center. This show is the largest photo expo currently in Europe and I cant wait to see some of the beautiful photos.
Ttyl
A heat wave has struck Prague. The weather is very unpredictable and changes very often in this country. Two days ago the high was 50 degrees and now it is approaching 90. This may not seem that hot, but to a country with no AC in any building it is. Not one building has AC in this country. Walking a restaurant is a nightmare because a heat wave over takes you as your step into the building.
Besides the heat everything is going really well.
I completed my first video for my documentary film class. Here is a link to the video on youtube.
Tell me what you think of it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGYAiCORsyw
I also completed another photo assignment. I uploaded the photos to an album on facebook that contained the photos from my previous class submission.
This week has flown by so quick! I am going to try and do some day trips this weekend in Prague exploring the city further. I am going to purchase a ticket to go to Vienna tomorrow. I will be going for 3 nights. I am excited to visit this city because I have heard so many great things about it.
My roommates and I decided to purchase a pot so we can cook pasta and some food in the dorm. It will really save everyone money by eating in for some meals and I cant wait to make some pretty good food really soon.
I have been going on a lot of field trips in my classes lately and I cant complain! I still am suprised that I am actually earning college credit for these classes I am taking. I am learning so much about to city, how to take great photos and how to film a video using proper angles and camera techniques.
I am tired because I am only sleeping 4 or 5 hours every night. After my nap I have class and we are going to a photo show in a convention center. This show is the largest photo expo currently in Europe and I cant wait to see some of the beautiful photos.
Ttyl
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I love the Czech Republic
Good evening!
I have been having so much fun since I have been in Prague. It is really an amazing place. I like so many things about this city. The public transportation and cost of living costs are extremely low. Public transportation is a dream come true for any tourist. It is very simply and extensive. All of the city is accessible via bus, tram car and subway. The cost of eating is also very low.
School has been getting busier but I have been able to keep up with the work. I am really enjoying all of my classes and I am very happy that I my teachers are also excellent and extremely nice people.
I have been resting more this week and I feel better.
I woke up to photograph the city during the sunrise and I enjoyed seeing the city in a different mind set than before. Normally the streets are packed with tourists and locals who are going about their day, in the morning I was one of a handful of people awake so early. I liked seeing the city in a more tranquil setting and plan on doing that with every city I visit.
I have been roaming the city a lot on my own. Almost every day I go for a two hour walk on my own exploring and sightseeing. I normally don't talk to anyone while I am roaming but I really have just been observing people and city life. I have heard a lot of American tourists while I have been walking alone. Normally these people don't look to happy. People need to smile more often.
I will comment more about my solo journeys around Praha as I experience more things.
I am looking into my after Prague trip and I am getting nervous. I dont know where I am going to do and I am slightly nervous of being on my own for almost three weeks.
I have some photos to take for my photography class.
Have a great evening!!
Love, Corey
I have been having so much fun since I have been in Prague. It is really an amazing place. I like so many things about this city. The public transportation and cost of living costs are extremely low. Public transportation is a dream come true for any tourist. It is very simply and extensive. All of the city is accessible via bus, tram car and subway. The cost of eating is also very low.
School has been getting busier but I have been able to keep up with the work. I am really enjoying all of my classes and I am very happy that I my teachers are also excellent and extremely nice people.
I have been resting more this week and I feel better.
I woke up to photograph the city during the sunrise and I enjoyed seeing the city in a different mind set than before. Normally the streets are packed with tourists and locals who are going about their day, in the morning I was one of a handful of people awake so early. I liked seeing the city in a more tranquil setting and plan on doing that with every city I visit.
I have been roaming the city a lot on my own. Almost every day I go for a two hour walk on my own exploring and sightseeing. I normally don't talk to anyone while I am roaming but I really have just been observing people and city life. I have heard a lot of American tourists while I have been walking alone. Normally these people don't look to happy. People need to smile more often.
I will comment more about my solo journeys around Praha as I experience more things.
I am looking into my after Prague trip and I am getting nervous. I dont know where I am going to do and I am slightly nervous of being on my own for almost three weeks.
I have some photos to take for my photography class.
Have a great evening!!
Love, Corey
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Fun weekend
Hello yall
Sorry for not updating my blog for the past two days. I have been busy with a few school projects and hanging out with my friends.
I looked in the mirror the other day and saw how much I have been going out has changed the way I look. I look so tired. I have never seen such bags under my eyes in my entire life. I am going to relax more and catch up on my sleep that I have not been having for the past week.
Friday night was a fun time. It was my friends Andres 22nd birthday. We pre gamed in his room with the entire group and went to this club called Duplex. The entire group was so drunk. We where ridiculously loud on the train and singing songs and acting so retarded. The club we went to was very fun. We ended up paying 200 crown entry fee which was not a bad deal at all. The night was really fun and I ended up getting back home around 4 am. I got lost on the way home and walked forever to get home.
I was so tired that I could not wake up early enough to go on the trip to Terazine, which is a concentration camp in the Czech republic. I am sad that I missed this trip but I was really tired and I needed to sleep in and catch up on the sleep that I was missing.
I also filmed my video project this weekend. The film we have is really good and I will be uploading it on youtube/vimeo this week for you all to see where exactly I have been. I also have some nice shots of the subway/trolly cars in the film I am making. The public transportation is so good in this city. I know when I get back to Philly I will be disappointed.
I have also been taking photos for my first photography project. My object, a bottle, is pretty boring but I managed to take some really nice photos. I will put them on my facebook album for you all to see.
I went grocery shopping today so I can stop spending so much money on eating out for every meal. The kitchen that we have is just a hot plate and a sink. This does not leave the opportunity to cook many items. I will need to go buy a pots and pans and utensils if I wanted to cook anything.
I am going to go shower and change and will catch up with you all later.
Have a great day :)
Sorry for not updating my blog for the past two days. I have been busy with a few school projects and hanging out with my friends.
I looked in the mirror the other day and saw how much I have been going out has changed the way I look. I look so tired. I have never seen such bags under my eyes in my entire life. I am going to relax more and catch up on my sleep that I have not been having for the past week.
Friday night was a fun time. It was my friends Andres 22nd birthday. We pre gamed in his room with the entire group and went to this club called Duplex. The entire group was so drunk. We where ridiculously loud on the train and singing songs and acting so retarded. The club we went to was very fun. We ended up paying 200 crown entry fee which was not a bad deal at all. The night was really fun and I ended up getting back home around 4 am. I got lost on the way home and walked forever to get home.
I was so tired that I could not wake up early enough to go on the trip to Terazine, which is a concentration camp in the Czech republic. I am sad that I missed this trip but I was really tired and I needed to sleep in and catch up on the sleep that I was missing.
I also filmed my video project this weekend. The film we have is really good and I will be uploading it on youtube/vimeo this week for you all to see where exactly I have been. I also have some nice shots of the subway/trolly cars in the film I am making. The public transportation is so good in this city. I know when I get back to Philly I will be disappointed.
I have also been taking photos for my first photography project. My object, a bottle, is pretty boring but I managed to take some really nice photos. I will put them on my facebook album for you all to see.
I went grocery shopping today so I can stop spending so much money on eating out for every meal. The kitchen that we have is just a hot plate and a sink. This does not leave the opportunity to cook many items. I will need to go buy a pots and pans and utensils if I wanted to cook anything.
I am going to go shower and change and will catch up with you all later.
Have a great day :)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Děkuji (Thank you.)
Waking up today was murder! I played some loud techno music and that always does the trick. I slept 4 hours last night. My breakfast was delicious as usual. The yogurt in this country is amazing.
My documentary film class had a guest in the class who was an American film maker who has lived in Prague for the past 15 years. This gentleman showed the class a documentary film he made about bagpipers in the Czech Republic. This film was incredibly boring and did not spark one tiny interest within me. After the film was over he answered questions and talked about production and how he created the film from original idea to dealing with editors and distribution. I guess it was interesting hearing about the process but the class room was incredibly hot. Today was the hottest day of the year in Prague (86F) and no buildings in the entire city have AC.
After this class I went back to the dorm and took a one hour nap. When I woke up I had to rush to photography class. Today in class we went on a little field trip to places that the teacher wanted us to practice our techniques for adjusting aperture, ISO, shutter speed and white balance. I started to learn how to understand how to adjust the depth of field for your photos by changing the aperture and shutter speed together. I have some demonstration photos on Face book.
After class I found out that there was a gym in the dorm building. Vince, Nolan, and I went to the gym to get in a nice quick workout. It was really small and dirty gym in the corner basement of the dorm. I ended up getting in a nice workout with the measly equipment that they do have in that gym.
Last night I was hungry so I went to the ending machine. I noticed that in the vending machine that beer was being sold, cigarettes where also being sold. I also noticed that in the breakfast line beer was an option as a beverage to get with your purchase. This is so different from the states and still seems very strange.
On another note I really love this city. I know the city so well now and don't even look at myself as a tourist. I know where all the train stops go, where the street cars go, and how to get to any store to get anything I would need.
I am going to look into getting a co-op abroad. I really would enjoy doing something like that and it would really be awesome! I could see myself living abroad for at least a year after college. I want to learn french and that would be the best way to make sure that I do indeed learn that language.
I don't think I am going out tonight. I will be going to sleep early and messing with my cameras settings and reading my photography book.
I want people to comment on what I am writing. I don't know if anyone is reading this because it does not say how many viewers I have.
Have a great day back on the east coast.
Its six hours ahead here!
Corey
My documentary film class had a guest in the class who was an American film maker who has lived in Prague for the past 15 years. This gentleman showed the class a documentary film he made about bagpipers in the Czech Republic. This film was incredibly boring and did not spark one tiny interest within me. After the film was over he answered questions and talked about production and how he created the film from original idea to dealing with editors and distribution. I guess it was interesting hearing about the process but the class room was incredibly hot. Today was the hottest day of the year in Prague (86F) and no buildings in the entire city have AC.
After this class I went back to the dorm and took a one hour nap. When I woke up I had to rush to photography class. Today in class we went on a little field trip to places that the teacher wanted us to practice our techniques for adjusting aperture, ISO, shutter speed and white balance. I started to learn how to understand how to adjust the depth of field for your photos by changing the aperture and shutter speed together. I have some demonstration photos on Face book.
After class I found out that there was a gym in the dorm building. Vince, Nolan, and I went to the gym to get in a nice quick workout. It was really small and dirty gym in the corner basement of the dorm. I ended up getting in a nice workout with the measly equipment that they do have in that gym.
Last night I was hungry so I went to the ending machine. I noticed that in the vending machine that beer was being sold, cigarettes where also being sold. I also noticed that in the breakfast line beer was an option as a beverage to get with your purchase. This is so different from the states and still seems very strange.
On another note I really love this city. I know the city so well now and don't even look at myself as a tourist. I know where all the train stops go, where the street cars go, and how to get to any store to get anything I would need.
I am going to look into getting a co-op abroad. I really would enjoy doing something like that and it would really be awesome! I could see myself living abroad for at least a year after college. I want to learn french and that would be the best way to make sure that I do indeed learn that language.
I don't think I am going out tonight. I will be going to sleep early and messing with my cameras settings and reading my photography book.
I want people to comment on what I am writing. I don't know if anyone is reading this because it does not say how many viewers I have.
Have a great day back on the east coast.
Its six hours ahead here!
Corey
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Beer is cheaper than water
Beer is a lot cheaper than water. It really is. A bottle of water for the cheapest I found was 37 crowns. A bottle of beer can be bought for 18 crowns. Both are .5L. Its so weird...
Wine is also incredibly cheap. I bought a bottle of wine for 60 crowns. That's like 3 bucks. I also found cheaper bottles for 50 crowns.
I am going out for my friend Justin and Pierre's birthday.
Bye :)
Wine is also incredibly cheap. I bought a bottle of wine for 60 crowns. That's like 3 bucks. I also found cheaper bottles for 50 crowns.
I am going out for my friend Justin and Pierre's birthday.
Bye :)
Tired
Good evening:
I was so tired today. I have not been sleeping over 5 hours each night. I take one hour naps between classes and that holds me over sufficiently.
It was pouring rain today. A torrential downpour started just when I was leaving for classes. I brought an umbrella with me on the trip and to class this morning. I still got soaking wet because the rain bouncing off the ground and splashing me and huge puddles all over the street formed.
Almost everyone else did not have an umbrella, sucked for them! Some people in class where drenched head to toe with water. It is so uncomfortable being wet in class, I do not know how they managed to go 5 hours of class being wet.
My photography class is shaping up to be a lot of fun. I cant wait for the chance to complete some of these projects. I know that my photos are going to be great and I already got some amazing ideas. The first project is to take a photo of an object using different aperture, shutter speed, ISO settings and white balance settings. I am not really a big fan of this assignment. Our second assignment is going to be a blast!! I will not explain exactly what it is, but you will absolutely love it. I am really getting into photograph and love what you can create with some patience and an imagination. I want to get a really nice camera some time in the future so I can take some even nicer shots.
I went to a cultural program that the group that I am with was sponsoring. It was extremely boring and I feel asleep.
It is two peoples birthday today that are in our group. This can only mean one thing. We have to go out and drink for their birthdays! I have to go get ready to go out and eat dinner. Its already 20:25 (24 hour time). Its getting late.
I will post more later.
Corey
I was so tired today. I have not been sleeping over 5 hours each night. I take one hour naps between classes and that holds me over sufficiently.
It was pouring rain today. A torrential downpour started just when I was leaving for classes. I brought an umbrella with me on the trip and to class this morning. I still got soaking wet because the rain bouncing off the ground and splashing me and huge puddles all over the street formed.
Almost everyone else did not have an umbrella, sucked for them! Some people in class where drenched head to toe with water. It is so uncomfortable being wet in class, I do not know how they managed to go 5 hours of class being wet.
My photography class is shaping up to be a lot of fun. I cant wait for the chance to complete some of these projects. I know that my photos are going to be great and I already got some amazing ideas. The first project is to take a photo of an object using different aperture, shutter speed, ISO settings and white balance settings. I am not really a big fan of this assignment. Our second assignment is going to be a blast!! I will not explain exactly what it is, but you will absolutely love it. I am really getting into photograph and love what you can create with some patience and an imagination. I want to get a really nice camera some time in the future so I can take some even nicer shots.
I went to a cultural program that the group that I am with was sponsoring. It was extremely boring and I feel asleep.
It is two peoples birthday today that are in our group. This can only mean one thing. We have to go out and drink for their birthdays! I have to go get ready to go out and eat dinner. Its already 20:25 (24 hour time). Its getting late.
I will post more later.
Corey
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
First day of classes
Today was the first day of classes. I had to wake up very early to eat breakfast, shower and get ready for our first day of classes.
I woke up at 7 and was absolutely dead tired. I went to get breakfast by 7:45 and ate 7 egg whites, and a yogurt. I enjoyed having people stare at me like I was so weird buying all of those hard boiled eggs.
I don't know if I explained how the breakfast works in this dorm. If I did forgive me but I will explain it again. Every person in our group has a pass for 100Kc every day to purchase a breakfast. If you go over the 100 Kc maximum you need to pay the difference out of your pocket. If you are below 100 Kc you can either get other items to raise your bill to 100 Kc. If you are below 100 Kc you can also just walk away without maximizing your pre-paid breakfast card. I normally max out my card because I like to get and eat. :)
So today I had two classes. The first class was documentary film making. This class was fun and I think I am really going to like it. I have to make a one minute movie about how beautiful Prague is. I have been brainstorming ideas and have some good ideas. I then had a three hour break from classes and went to sleep in the room. I overslept my alarm and had to rush to my class. My next class was photography. I think I am going to enjoy this class. It is going to be a lot of fun but it is pretty fast passed.
Vince and I after class went to eat a snack at McDonalds. The menu was weird because a combo meal comes with a soda, a bottle of water, large fries and the sandwich you ordered. Why would you want two drinks with your meal. The soda and bottled water are huge bottles!
I have two assignments due on Monday for my classes. I will post links to all the assignments so you can see the videos and photos that I am taking for my class.
Last night I went to the basement of the dormitory to the bar. I had a few beers and hung out with my friends. It was a good time.
I cant wait for so many more epic adventures.
Corey
I woke up at 7 and was absolutely dead tired. I went to get breakfast by 7:45 and ate 7 egg whites, and a yogurt. I enjoyed having people stare at me like I was so weird buying all of those hard boiled eggs.
I don't know if I explained how the breakfast works in this dorm. If I did forgive me but I will explain it again. Every person in our group has a pass for 100Kc every day to purchase a breakfast. If you go over the 100 Kc maximum you need to pay the difference out of your pocket. If you are below 100 Kc you can either get other items to raise your bill to 100 Kc. If you are below 100 Kc you can also just walk away without maximizing your pre-paid breakfast card. I normally max out my card because I like to get and eat. :)
So today I had two classes. The first class was documentary film making. This class was fun and I think I am really going to like it. I have to make a one minute movie about how beautiful Prague is. I have been brainstorming ideas and have some good ideas. I then had a three hour break from classes and went to sleep in the room. I overslept my alarm and had to rush to my class. My next class was photography. I think I am going to enjoy this class. It is going to be a lot of fun but it is pretty fast passed.
Vince and I after class went to eat a snack at McDonalds. The menu was weird because a combo meal comes with a soda, a bottle of water, large fries and the sandwich you ordered. Why would you want two drinks with your meal. The soda and bottled water are huge bottles!
I have two assignments due on Monday for my classes. I will post links to all the assignments so you can see the videos and photos that I am taking for my class.
Last night I went to the basement of the dormitory to the bar. I had a few beers and hung out with my friends. It was a good time.
I cant wait for so many more epic adventures.
Corey
Monday, July 13, 2009
Fun day
Good morning!
Today was a great day. It started rather early unfortunately.
The group had to be awake and ready to leave the dorm at 8:15am. I am sure not one person in our group went to sleep before 1 am, the group was rather tired, including myself. The entire group attempted to eat breakfast, along with most of the other residents of the dorm, 10 minutes before we where supposed to be leaving for the castle. This obviously did not work and some people could not eat or had to cut there dinning short in order to make it for our special castle tour at 9 am.
We went for a tour of Prague Castle. It was an amazing building! The rooms we visited where stunning. The decor and attention to detail in this massive building was breathtaking. I will post some great photos in my Flickr and Facebook later on today.
I also have good news. I bought a ticket for 50 bucks to Milan, Italy. My ticket was 50 dollars and I am leaving Aug 10th at 6 am.
After the castle tour we went walking around the city and ate lunch at a subway. Vince and I found out way back to the dorm somehow. I was pretty proud that we managed to find our way back with out asking for assistance.
Last night was really fun. We went out to eat at this restaurant and stayed on the rooftop for the night. The rooftop was very nice. After staying on the rooftop for awhile we moved over to this so called "leopard lounge". It was two coaches that where leopard print and a nice leopard rug. I will upload photos so that you can all see exactly what it was like. The lounge and restaurant where located on the river. It was a truly stunning view. We drank so much at that lounge. We must have had a handful of wine glasses each at dinner and then 3 drinks at the lounge. The lounge gave use two free drinks/shots each. It was a really nice gesture on there part and we do plan on going back to that place.
I was at the lounge last night with Jesse, Christina, Julie, Allison, Teddie and Vince. I really had a great time. It was so far the best evening of the trip and I cant wait for many more!
I have taken hundreds of photos so far. I will take many more on this trip. I dont want to be a creeper take so many photos but I really want to be able to remember and look back at the photos and remember all of the fun and awesome people that I met on this trip.
I am exhausted and trying to get ride of this stupid jet lag. I am going to take a nap and upload more photos later.
Till next time,
Corey
Today was a great day. It started rather early unfortunately.
The group had to be awake and ready to leave the dorm at 8:15am. I am sure not one person in our group went to sleep before 1 am, the group was rather tired, including myself. The entire group attempted to eat breakfast, along with most of the other residents of the dorm, 10 minutes before we where supposed to be leaving for the castle. This obviously did not work and some people could not eat or had to cut there dinning short in order to make it for our special castle tour at 9 am.
We went for a tour of Prague Castle. It was an amazing building! The rooms we visited where stunning. The decor and attention to detail in this massive building was breathtaking. I will post some great photos in my Flickr and Facebook later on today.
I also have good news. I bought a ticket for 50 bucks to Milan, Italy. My ticket was 50 dollars and I am leaving Aug 10th at 6 am.
After the castle tour we went walking around the city and ate lunch at a subway. Vince and I found out way back to the dorm somehow. I was pretty proud that we managed to find our way back with out asking for assistance.
Last night was really fun. We went out to eat at this restaurant and stayed on the rooftop for the night. The rooftop was very nice. After staying on the rooftop for awhile we moved over to this so called "leopard lounge". It was two coaches that where leopard print and a nice leopard rug. I will upload photos so that you can all see exactly what it was like. The lounge and restaurant where located on the river. It was a truly stunning view. We drank so much at that lounge. We must have had a handful of wine glasses each at dinner and then 3 drinks at the lounge. The lounge gave use two free drinks/shots each. It was a really nice gesture on there part and we do plan on going back to that place.
I was at the lounge last night with Jesse, Christina, Julie, Allison, Teddie and Vince. I really had a great time. It was so far the best evening of the trip and I cant wait for many more!
I have taken hundreds of photos so far. I will take many more on this trip. I dont want to be a creeper take so many photos but I really want to be able to remember and look back at the photos and remember all of the fun and awesome people that I met on this trip.
I am exhausted and trying to get ride of this stupid jet lag. I am going to take a nap and upload more photos later.
Till next time,
Corey
Sunday, July 12, 2009
First full day begins
Good afternoon!
I woke up early this morning for our group orientation.
We ate breakfast at the dinning hall in the basement of the dormitory building. The yogurt was awesome. I was not so impresed with the danish that I ate but I now know which items are the best and worst in that dinning hall.
Our orientation was long and boring. We all got our info for our classes and the times. I have class Monday to Thursday at 9 or 9:30 till 11. Then I have class 2 or 2:30 to 5 on the same days. I sorta like having the two hour break between classes. I will soon find out on Tuesday when classes start if I actual do.
Last night I went with a big group of drexel kids to walk around the city and get a few beers. We walked into the old city and around all of the tourists spots. This city is truly incredible. The architecture is amazing and feels almost surreal that I am actually here. The streets as you get closer and closer to the river get more narrow. The streets are all cobblestone and bumpy.
I have to run to the tour know and will write more about my evening later.
Take care,
Corey
I woke up early this morning for our group orientation.
We ate breakfast at the dinning hall in the basement of the dormitory building. The yogurt was awesome. I was not so impresed with the danish that I ate but I now know which items are the best and worst in that dinning hall.
Our orientation was long and boring. We all got our info for our classes and the times. I have class Monday to Thursday at 9 or 9:30 till 11. Then I have class 2 or 2:30 to 5 on the same days. I sorta like having the two hour break between classes. I will soon find out on Tuesday when classes start if I actual do.
Last night I went with a big group of drexel kids to walk around the city and get a few beers. We walked into the old city and around all of the tourists spots. This city is truly incredible. The architecture is amazing and feels almost surreal that I am actually here. The streets as you get closer and closer to the river get more narrow. The streets are all cobblestone and bumpy.
I have to run to the tour know and will write more about my evening later.
Take care,
Corey
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Viewing Photos
Just a reminder,
I created a Flickr account that I will put photos online, this is the url http://www.flickr.com/photos/40393240@N08/
I also will be putting photos on facebook.
I recommend the photos on Flickr because they are higher quality by far.
Ok, I am off to dinner and I am fully exhausted beyond belief.
I will update this later,
Corey
I created a Flickr account that I will put photos online, this is the url http://www.flickr.com/photos/40393240@N08/
I also will be putting photos on facebook.
I recommend the photos on Flickr because they are higher quality by far.
Ok, I am off to dinner and I am fully exhausted beyond belief.
I will update this later,
Corey
First adventure in Prague
Ahoj!
I finally got settled into my room. I unpacked and explored the dormitory building.
The dorm building is huge! This building is designed really weird as the hallways are labeled strangely and the numbers do not go in order.
I went with a few friends into the city to get cell phones and explore briefly. I got a cell phone for 977 Czech Crowns with 200 Crown credit for SMS and calls. I ended up getting a pay as you go deal with Vodafone. I went into O2 to look at there prices but they where significantly higher.
I got a beer and a sausage for 100 Crowns and ate and drank the beer while walking on the street. I really did feel awkward walking the streets while drinking a beer. Evan though it was legal I still thought I was going to get arrested.
We stopped to get coffee at this local bistro. It was really nice and not to expensive.
Tonight in one hour we have a dinner for the group at a restaurant next to the dorm.
I am excited to meet everyone and see what they are all like. The dorm building has so many people from all over the country and world. I am excited to meet new people!
I am going to get ready for tonight and rest up. I have not slept in over 24 hours and the sleep deprivation is really starting to sink in.
If anyone wants to send me a text of call me they can. This is my phone number in Prague. All incoming calls do not deduct minutes from my balance. All texts that I send and receive even from the USA cost about 20 cents.
Here is my phone number:
0042 0777 2721 68
I finally got settled into my room. I unpacked and explored the dormitory building.
The dorm building is huge! This building is designed really weird as the hallways are labeled strangely and the numbers do not go in order.
I went with a few friends into the city to get cell phones and explore briefly. I got a cell phone for 977 Czech Crowns with 200 Crown credit for SMS and calls. I ended up getting a pay as you go deal with Vodafone. I went into O2 to look at there prices but they where significantly higher.
I got a beer and a sausage for 100 Crowns and ate and drank the beer while walking on the street. I really did feel awkward walking the streets while drinking a beer. Evan though it was legal I still thought I was going to get arrested.
We stopped to get coffee at this local bistro. It was really nice and not to expensive.
Tonight in one hour we have a dinner for the group at a restaurant next to the dorm.
I am excited to meet everyone and see what they are all like. The dorm building has so many people from all over the country and world. I am excited to meet new people!
I am going to get ready for tonight and rest up. I have not slept in over 24 hours and the sleep deprivation is really starting to sink in.
If anyone wants to send me a text of call me they can. This is my phone number in Prague. All incoming calls do not deduct minutes from my balance. All texts that I send and receive even from the USA cost about 20 cents.
Here is my phone number:
0042 0777 2721 68
Plane ride and landing
I am now waiting in Amsterdam for my connecting flight to Prague. My flight to Amsterdam was uncomfortable and long. I was sitting window seat and got up frequently to walk around and go to the bathroom. I am sure that the people sitting next to me got annoyed. The plane was full of a large soccer team from Philadelphia. The team had 63 people flying to Stockholm for a soccer tournament.
I did not sleep for more than 15 minutes on my flight to Amsterdam. I know that later on today I will be dead tired. It is 2:00 AM Saturday currently as I am typing this post.
I had the worst stomach ache on the plane trip. I can confidently say that eating that double cheeseburger and fries at Nathans before getting on the plane was a terrible idea.
Now I am waiting for my connecting flight and I have over an hour still to wait. Walking to my correct gate I passed by a few stalls in the airport which I must add is quite nice. I was surprised to see alcohol being shown and sold in almost every store. If the store sold cold drinks or magazines they also sold beer and spirits. It was interesting to see people drinking beer so early in the morning but I guess that this is the society that I am now living in.
On a lighter note the bathrooms were very different. They where different in that the stall doors where like doors to your house. They covered the floor to ceiling and each stall was a room with a real wall and not a divider as we have come to know in America.
Well I wish everyone could be seeing and experiencing what I am seeing. I will put some photos up when I have a chance. I took a bunch of photos on the airplane of the sky which I found to be very cool.
I am going to try and rest up before my next flight in about an hour.
Till next time, Corey
Friday, July 10, 2009
Let the adventure begin.
I am now sitting in the airport. Newark International Airport, terminal C, gate 75. I am taking off to Amsterdam at 5:20. I am tranfering planes in Amsterdam to go to Prague. I will be changing plans at something ridiculous like 5 AM local time.
I am getting excited quickly and cant wait to actually start my vacation.
This entire trip has been approaching for a long time and is finally here.
I cant believe that tomorrow this time I will be in Prague, Czech Republic.
I hope that some people will read my journal/blog but I really dont care to much in actuality. This is more of a journal for myself that I hope my family and friends can follow my trip as I traveling.
I saw one person that I kinda knew checking in way in front of me. I was going to yell at them to say hello but I decided that it would be weird and I will see the person soon anyways. On second thought I really dont know the person. More of I know the person and she does not know me. I added her on FaceBook but that does not really mean you know the person.
Anyways I want to start planning my trip after Prague. I know that it would be fun if I could make my way down into Italy and Switzerland. I should get on top of planning my trip after and make a nice route for my journeys.
If I make any progress on my after Prague trip I will be sure to share it on this blog with everyone.
I made a Flickr account that I will use to upload photos of my trip. I also have higher quality of all of the photos that I post that can be available if you just ask.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40393240@N08/
I am going to listen to some music and I will check back in with you all later.
Corey
I am getting excited quickly and cant wait to actually start my vacation.
This entire trip has been approaching for a long time and is finally here.
I cant believe that tomorrow this time I will be in Prague, Czech Republic.
I hope that some people will read my journal/blog but I really dont care to much in actuality. This is more of a journal for myself that I hope my family and friends can follow my trip as I traveling.
I saw one person that I kinda knew checking in way in front of me. I was going to yell at them to say hello but I decided that it would be weird and I will see the person soon anyways. On second thought I really dont know the person. More of I know the person and she does not know me. I added her on FaceBook but that does not really mean you know the person.
Anyways I want to start planning my trip after Prague. I know that it would be fun if I could make my way down into Italy and Switzerland. I should get on top of planning my trip after and make a nice route for my journeys.
If I make any progress on my after Prague trip I will be sure to share it on this blog with everyone.
I made a Flickr account that I will use to upload photos of my trip. I also have higher quality of all of the photos that I post that can be available if you just ask.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40393240@N08/
I am going to listen to some music and I will check back in with you all later.
Corey
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