Yay for Rotary trips! This past weekend was a short but amazing time in Venice, via Austria. Friday morning I left Trutnov at 8 a.m. and took the bus to Tabor, which is in the south part of the country. There, everyone congregated and we got on our charter bus at 4:00. We drove. Our longest stop was in Salzburg, Austria, for an hour, but we drove through the night. When I woke up on Saturday morning (yes, I managed to sleep), we were sitting in a parking lot near Venice. The city doesn't until 6 in the morning, so the locals can sleep. We drove to a closer parking lot, then walked to the center of the city. It was like walking into a fairy tale city, with all of the gondolas, canals, masks, and REAL Italian food. We had most of the day as free time, so I ate, took pictures, shopped for a mask, went into a museum, and soaked up the atmosphere. It certainly wasn't enough time, but we all met back in the main square at 6 and took a water taxi back to the bus. Most people slept almost the entire way back (10 hours) because we were so tired, and we pulled back into Tabor at 7am on Sunday. I also explored the center of that city more as I waited for my bus.
Please look at my photobucket for all 180 pictures. It also has more from Easter and other activities. I keep it updated!!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Easter
Easter!!! Czech style!!!
It certainly is different than in the U.S. I was woken up Monday morning by my host mom, who knocked on my door. I went to answer it, and then my host brother and dad hopped into my room and started to spank me with whips made from willow branches. Dont worry, its not exchange student torture, its just tradition. In return, I had to give them hard boiled eggs that I had dyed. During breakfast, more people knockes on the door. I was summoned to the door by my host mom, and saw 5 of my host brothers classmates. So, I after more spanking, they were also given eggs, chocolate, and shots of rum (alcohol is also a major part of the tradition, but only for the guys). Next, the neighbor and his friend dropped by to have their go at me and my host mom. Finally, we escaped and went on a 47 km bike ride all day. I did receive a few more whippings from various people, but managed to finish the day with no serious harm from the branches. But, I must say that my butt was aching from the wood-like bike seat.
So...the explanation. Guys hit girls with the hand braided whips in oder to make them prttier and younger. We are supposed to be super happy about this abuse and give them eggs, sweets, and alcohol. In the east part of the country, guys also throw cold water on the girls (I dont know the 'logic' behind that one..) and in return the grils also spray perfum on the guys. Fun times huh?
It certainly is different than in the U.S. I was woken up Monday morning by my host mom, who knocked on my door. I went to answer it, and then my host brother and dad hopped into my room and started to spank me with whips made from willow branches. Dont worry, its not exchange student torture, its just tradition. In return, I had to give them hard boiled eggs that I had dyed. During breakfast, more people knockes on the door. I was summoned to the door by my host mom, and saw 5 of my host brothers classmates. So, I after more spanking, they were also given eggs, chocolate, and shots of rum (alcohol is also a major part of the tradition, but only for the guys). Next, the neighbor and his friend dropped by to have their go at me and my host mom. Finally, we escaped and went on a 47 km bike ride all day. I did receive a few more whippings from various people, but managed to finish the day with no serious harm from the branches. But, I must say that my butt was aching from the wood-like bike seat.
So...the explanation. Guys hit girls with the hand braided whips in oder to make them prttier and younger. We are supposed to be super happy about this abuse and give them eggs, sweets, and alcohol. In the east part of the country, guys also throw cold water on the girls (I dont know the 'logic' behind that one..) and in return the grils also spray perfum on the guys. Fun times huh?
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Birthday Time!!
Yay!! Im 17 now!! Time for the full story....
Last Friday, I took the bus to Prague, where I met a friend of my host mom. Martina has a 5 year old son and a 16 year old daughter, and in March suggested that we get together some time. We planned a visit that just happened to be over my bday. The family lives in a suburb of Prague about 30 minutes away from the center by train. I settled in on Friday night, and on Saturday we had our first excursion. Martina, her son Tomas, and I went to a chateau right outside Prague, in the little town where Antonin Dvorak was born. There, we toured the chateau and the museum in Dvorak's childhood home. The daughter, Miroslava (Blecha for short) returned home from a class trip to Germany in the afternoon, and I met some of her friends . On Sunday, we the 4 of us went to Karlstejn for the day. It is the most famous castle in the country, and I stil hadn't seen it... The tour was really interesting, and filled with history. Once again, pretty much everything was older than the U.S.A.. I love that!! Monday (Birthday!!), Blecha and I went to the city center by ourselves and explored some places that I hadn't seen yet. First we went to a hill near the castle, where we climbed the "Czech Eiffel Tower", and went to a mirror maze. Then was snack at the best (and only) bagel chain in the country. On the way there, we saw a man break into a parked van, steal the GPS unit, and run. Note to readers: if ever in Prague, DO NOT rent a car. Our next stop was the wax museum. There were old world leaders and entertainers, but my favorite part was the group of famous Czechs. Its not every day that Kafka, Smetana, Dvorak, and Charles IIII are in the same room. Then, we went to Blecha's school for an hour. (English class, of course :) ). In the evening, the family was super kind and cooked a special birthday meal of curry rice, with mojito ice cream for dessert. Tuesday, Blecha and I had a quiet morning on the computer, watching t.v., etc. After lunch, we went to a carnival that was temporarily in town. I loved the rides, given that I hadn't had any real ride-induced adrenaline rushes in a long time. Yep, Im a roller coaster junkie. Wednesday, we took Tomas to the zoo for the day. Its really a great zoo, though the weather was a little cool. On Thursday, it was another quiet morning of packing and entertaining Tomas as we waited for our ride back to Trutnov. I was certainly happy to be back in my host house, and ready to stay there for a bit.
Last Friday, I took the bus to Prague, where I met a friend of my host mom. Martina has a 5 year old son and a 16 year old daughter, and in March suggested that we get together some time. We planned a visit that just happened to be over my bday. The family lives in a suburb of Prague about 30 minutes away from the center by train. I settled in on Friday night, and on Saturday we had our first excursion. Martina, her son Tomas, and I went to a chateau right outside Prague, in the little town where Antonin Dvorak was born. There, we toured the chateau and the museum in Dvorak's childhood home. The daughter, Miroslava (Blecha for short) returned home from a class trip to Germany in the afternoon, and I met some of her friends . On Sunday, we the 4 of us went to Karlstejn for the day. It is the most famous castle in the country, and I stil hadn't seen it... The tour was really interesting, and filled with history. Once again, pretty much everything was older than the U.S.A.. I love that!! Monday (Birthday!!), Blecha and I went to the city center by ourselves and explored some places that I hadn't seen yet. First we went to a hill near the castle, where we climbed the "Czech Eiffel Tower", and went to a mirror maze. Then was snack at the best (and only) bagel chain in the country. On the way there, we saw a man break into a parked van, steal the GPS unit, and run. Note to readers: if ever in Prague, DO NOT rent a car. Our next stop was the wax museum. There were old world leaders and entertainers, but my favorite part was the group of famous Czechs. Its not every day that Kafka, Smetana, Dvorak, and Charles IIII are in the same room. Then, we went to Blecha's school for an hour. (English class, of course :) ). In the evening, the family was super kind and cooked a special birthday meal of curry rice, with mojito ice cream for dessert. Tuesday, Blecha and I had a quiet morning on the computer, watching t.v., etc. After lunch, we went to a carnival that was temporarily in town. I loved the rides, given that I hadn't had any real ride-induced adrenaline rushes in a long time. Yep, Im a roller coaster junkie. Wednesday, we took Tomas to the zoo for the day. Its really a great zoo, though the weather was a little cool. On Thursday, it was another quiet morning of packing and entertaining Tomas as we waited for our ride back to Trutnov. I was certainly happy to be back in my host house, and ready to stay there for a bit.
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