Another weekend in Prague

Spent my second weekend here in Prague again, for the most part, save for a short day trip yesterday (though CIEE) to the historic mining town of Kutna Hora. Lots of cool pics on the flickr, including plenty from inside the incredible Bone Church - a church decorated with the bones of over 40,000 people. Creepy.

Last night, after the trip, I hung out at the house, waiting to see if anything was going on with the rest of the folks in town. While I was waiting, Vaclav came home, and we spent some time together - he showed me this awesome movie he had seen at the youth film festival held yearly in Karlovy Vary, an Israeli film called "Blue White Collar Criminal." If you can find it, it's work a watch, only 45 min long. Then, spoke for about an hour with Mike back in LA, which was awesome.

When I finally heard from someone (Paige), it was about 10:00, and for some reason a 45 minute trip to go to a club for hours, only to take a night tram back and have to walk up the hill again...didn't seem too interesting. So I was really relieved when Vaclav asked if I wanted to go with him and a friend to a bar near the house, where they were meeting another friend of theirs. It was a great time - good drinks (of course) and very nice company.

It was awesome to hear from my sister in Sydney, where she's of course having a ridiculous time and doesn't want to come home. Makes me excited to come back here in the future!

Today was a very relaxing day. Woke up late and, as always, was immediately handed a cup of coffee and some coffee cake (seriously, the homestay was the best idea I've ever had). I spent the morning researching a bunch of trips I want to take (looks like I might not get to Russia after all. But Amsterdam by plane is really cheap...and Athens isn't but it's so necessary).

The afternoon meant a short trip cross-country skiing with Zuzana and Tomas. Now...this seems normal enough, of course, but let's remember who we're talking about here. I've cross-country skied a total of one time. But hey, I figured, it's just walking with skis on!

Ah, but it's definitely not. It's more like hiking with annoying shoes on. Or downhill skiing with skis that aren't wide enough to make good turns...let's just say I entertained Zuzana and Tomas for a while, including a particularly memorable moment when I was stopped, talking to Zuzana, and then suddenly fell directly on my ass without even having moved.

The highlight of the afternoon was our brief stop in a "mini Zoo" that was along the trail. Lots of birds, some cool Lynxes and Ram-like things, and this one particular Raven with whom Tomas struck up a friendship:



That continued for a good 10 minutes.

This whole waiting-for-classes-to-start thing is becoming quite tedious. I am definitely ready to be out of my daily Czech lessons and into actual college courses again, and I am very anxious to start traveling around Europe! Any suggestions where I should go? Here's the list as of now (in no order):

-Munich
-Amsterdam
-Berlin
-Vienna
-Budapest
-assorted places in CR
-Athens, and other parts of Greece
-Scandinavia - Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo

Thoughts? Suggestions? I'm open for 'em. But now I'm going to bed.