weinerschnitzel for all!

hello world,

well, it's a new week and we have a lot to tell about. since we last wrote, we've been to vienna and back. it was a really great trip that exceeded my expectations. i always picture vienna as a rural countryside. i suppose the only idea of austria that i have is the sound of music, even though that took place in salzburg.

so our first day consisted of alot of travelling, since it took around 5 hours to get from praha to wien. once we arrived at our destination, i was surprised to find out that vienna is very beautiful with massive monuments and statues. friday we walked as a group to the center of town, and then dispersed to explore for the evening. then on saturday morning, "z", an AIFS tour guide gave us a tour of the city. he took us to a few churches that were amazing as usual and we were also able to see where beethoven and mozart lived. i never knew that vienna possessed so much history. after the tour we were given the opportunity to go some nearby museums and do whatever else we pleased for day. this is when alie and i unfortunately got split up. i thought that she had gone off with another group of people, so my friend bradley and i when to a couple museums on our own. we went to the museum of modern art where there were some works by warhol, yoko ono, sigmer polke, and others. after that we went to the museum of fine arts which was in a beautiful building. my favorite part of that museum was the egyptian artifacts.





ok, so i'm going to let alie take over from here, but before i do, i need to take this moment to express my excitement for some recent news:
RADIOHEAD HAS FINISHED THEIR ALBUM "IN RAINBOWS" AND IT WILL BE RELEASED ON THE 10TH OF OCTOBER!!! i have preordered this album and i'm so excited to get it. i've been waiting for 4 years to get this album!!! ... ok here's alie. see ya.

hey all. when drew thought that i had gone off with another group, i was actually sitting in the grass reading a map. when i looked up, the group had dispersed. so i spent the afternoon alone, but i didn't let it ruin my experience. i, too, went to the museum of modern art. i also spent some time in a few of vienna's amazing parks, sampled their famous "sacher torte" (dense chocolate cake that was first created at a hotel in vienna), and wandered around because it was such a beautiful day. eventually, drew and i were able to meet back up in the evening and, of all places, guess where we ended up? that's right, starbucks. i'm not sure how he did it, but drew was able to go a whole month without starbucks here in prague. so, of course, we had to visit when we found one in vienna.







the next morning, we woke up early to go hear the famous vienna boys choir perform at a catholic mass. they sounded amazing, but unfortunately we weren't the only tourists who tried to take advantage of this free event (how can they charge for holy mass?), so we were left standing in the lobby of the church. that afternoon we visited the hundertwasser-krawinhaus, which is a 15 apartment complex designed by a contemporary artist. i can't really describe it with words, so pictures will have to do.



we then spent the rest of the afternoon at the schonburn palace, which was the summer palace where the hapsburgs lived, and also where marie antoinette spent a lot of time, and where the movie took place. it was gorgeous and we could have spent the whole day there. they had emaculate gardens that stretched for miles, the reminded me of the gardens in alice and wonderland. also on the grounds was a state of the art greenhouse and a zoo. we were sad to leave vienna because it was so pretty, and we both agree that we could have spent much more time there.







so that wraps up the weekend. monday we had classes, and today we had the day off because the school was closed to prepare the pipes for the winter (or something). we went to the john lennon wall, which is a giant wall that during communist regime was a representation of peace fueled by lennon's music. the wall is covered in graffiti, stating mantras of peace and love. several times, the soviets painted over the graffiti, but it kept being repainted by the czech people each time.





we then went to a restaurant that a teacher of mine recommended for their hot chocolate. i ordered this as my drink, but when it arrived i found out that it was literally hot chocolate- it tasted like warm brownie batter. nonetheless, it was a really cool place to eat at. it probably sounds like we eat out a lot, because we're always writing about different restaurants, but i promise we really don't. we only eat out about once a week.



the rest of the week looks pretty quiet. it's supposed to rain a lot, so we might visit the museum of communism and a few art galleries. this weekend we are going to cesky krumlov for the day, i won't say too much about that now because i really don't know too many of the details. the only thing i've heard is that it reminds people of a town in a fairy tale.

we miss you all, and we love hearing about what's happening back home. we're sad to miss sam's 2nd birthday on sunday, but that just means that you bergens will have to send us lots of photos.



love, alie

dobry den!

hi friends. it's been a quiet week so far. this past weekend we had amazing weather, so we spent so much time outside. we did our homework in a park, explored the nooks and crannies of the city, and did a lot of walking. actually, we do a lot of walking every day. i especially enjoy walking from our dorm, down the big hill, and into the city. it's about a 45 minute walk, but it usually takes longer because there is so much to discover along the way. walking back up the hill to our dorm is another story...

monday we went to a soccer game. soccer is huge here, so it was a lot of fun. this coming weekend we are going to vienna, austria from friday until sunday. AIFS provides a hotel for our group to stay in, so we are looking forward to nicer beds, hot showers, and an atmosphere different from the dorms.

speaking of dorm living, since this is a first for the both of us, we are adapting quite well. we do a lot of our own cooking. which is saying a lot given that we only have a hotplate, and is saying even more given the fact that the two of us are no wolfgang puck or emeril. we've been getting creative and have managed a few successful experiments. the roommate situation isn't too bad, and we enjoy having people around all the time, for the most part. however, i do miss my bed and having a little more privacy, but i can absolutely handle living with Jenn for 3 more months. heck, i lived with 8 girls at a time for 6 months, i think i can handle just one.

today was a rainy day, and neither of us had class. so what did we do? we took a break from the every day explorations and stayed in all day to watch the beginning of the 3rd season of lost. it was relaxing.

lastly, we finalized our plans for italy! we'll be in rome from october 19-23, and florence from the 23-26. a friend from church and a friend from school are coming with us. we're so excited!

peace and love,
alie

wine, napoleon, and wacky tobacky...

hey everyone, drew here...

this past weekend, as you all know from my past entry, aifs took us on a trip to moravia. while we were there we explored the city of brno, which is almost the equivalent to prague, but smaller. moravia is known for it's wine, so when we went into brno there were little booths set up throughout the square serving young wine. young wine is exactly what it means... wine that hasn't been able to ferment for very long. it has a pale yellow color and it is very sweet.

on saturday we went to a napoleonic battlefield where napoleon once commanded his soldiers. it was a remarkable thought to be standing on the ground where napoleon once stood. we then went to a wine cellar that was located in a quaint little town. there we tried 5 different wines, 2 white and 3 red. i liked one of the reds so much, that i purchased a bottle for 5 dollars.







then on sunday, our last day in moravia, we explored a beautiful church called "the pearl of moravia." it was so stunning. it literally took my breath away.





following the church, we spelunked through a series of caves. the stalactites and stalacmites were so odd because of their size and shape. the caving ended with a boat ride out of the mouth of the cave. in some areas in the underground river in the cave, the waters reached 50 meters. it was kind of eerie to think that we were over such great depths in such a confined place in this little puny boat. nonetheless, it was still amazing.





we are back in prague now, and happy to be home.



-drew

ok it's alie now. this week we started our real classes. on monday, we actually had both classes together. we started with a literature course that has us reading different pieces of literature that take place in prague and in specific sites around the city. each class we meet at a different site which is the setting for what we have just read as homework.

the next class was a contemporary czech culture class. this class really focuses on how communism has affected the current generations of people; music, art, architecture, and especially lifestyles. that was monday. thankfully we both had tuesday off, which was much needed because we had a lot of errands to do (laundry, groceries, trip planning, etc). we planned our trip for fall break, and it looks like rome and florence it is.

this morning, i had an art and architecture class and drew picked me up from school with a picnic packed and plans to go to the largest public park in the city. the park, petrin hill, is situated on the highest hill in prague, and therefore overlooks the whole city. it had some amazing views, beautiful rose gardens, and it was nice to spend some time in a quiet environment, away from the buzz off the city.



tomorrow i have one more class and drew has 2. this weekend we are going to a soccer match (football as it is called here). it should be pretty intense since soccer is so major here. riots and fights are no rare occasion at these games.

in some random news, we have both been craving hummus and we found some in an organic cafe the other day! we've since had it twice. also, my roommate and i have been getting along great, and so has drew with his, but this evening after we came home (from a great vietnamese restaurant, by the way), drew went to go to bed but his roommate and some friends were smoking the wacky tobacky and now his room smells horrible. this has potential to get really annoying, so if you could pray for him, that would be great.

we have been talking about how grateful we are to have each other on this trip, and we are really growing individually and as a couple. miss and love you all.

-alie

pick pocketters beware...

hey friends,

as some of you know, alie and i were pretty serious about finding a church once we got settled here in prague. we felt that it was vital to find an organized place of worship where we could interact with a community of believers. this past sunday we were able to find a place that met those standards. the church is called prague christian fellowship. it offers sermons in english and it has a very diverse congregation of about 75-100 people. while we were there, alie and i met 2 really friendly guys, john and ben. john actually lives in our dorm so we get to see him regularly. and because we are in such close quarters, it's really easy to schedule plans with him. we have already gotten the chance to spend time with both of them since we met. so it seems like we are finally making some friends who are like minded when it comes to our beliefs. it's pretty refreshing.

if you want to know more about the church, here is the websight:

http://www.praguefellowship.cz/pages/Default.aspx?alias=www.praguefellowship.cz/pages/church

yesterday alie and i rode the subway home from school. since we got out of class during rush hour, the subway cars were packed with people. it was so jammed that i had to run and board the next car back. since they all make the same stops it was no problem, but alie and i were temporarily separated. anyways, to make a long story short, while alie was riding the sub a big guy tried to snatch her wallet out of her purse! so what did she do? she didn't scream, she didn't scurry away, she didn't cry... she back handed the guy in the face with a closed fist!!! and this guy was huge and pretty nasty looking! after she walloped him, he left her alone and she was able to get off at the next stop with all of her possessions safely tucked away in her purse. praise God that she wasn't harmed in any way. there was no reason for that guy to refrain from retaliating. i was so proud of her! she handled herself so well. most people would have freaked out in a situation like that. as kendall said, "yeah alie!!! you kicked his ass!!!"

now we are extra paranoid about our bags.

today we took our final czech exam. with the exam score factored in, my final grade for the class was an a-. alie hasn't found out her grade yet, but i'm sure she did well, also.

well, tomorrow (friday) we leave for moravia at 10:30am (4:30am OH time). moravia is the eastern half of the czech republic. we will be sure to take alot of pictures and post them as well. we return back to prague sunday evening.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Ez-map.png


hope everyone is doing well. you are all constantly in our prayers.

love,
drew

my stomping grounds are castles and forts

hey all,

so yesterday aifs took us on a castle tour where we we explored two castles: orlik and zvikov. both of these castles were built during the 13th century, so you can imagine how fascinating they were. the first castle had been refurbished a few times, and so the furniture and decor was from as early as the 15th century and as late as the early 1900s. the first castle had cabinets full of swords and uniforms and diaries of past kings and queens who once dwelled there. one of the hallways in orlik had approximately 300 rifles lining the walls, which of course i (drew) thought was awesome. and there were over 2000 deer heads hanging on the walls throughout the castle chambers and hallways.








the second castle, zvikov, was set on a cliff which was 200 feet above a river. zvikov hadn't been refurbished like orlik. it had ruins of the original structure all around the grounds. i thought this castle was much more interesting than the first simply because it hasn't been touched since it was built in the 13th century. also, the actual grounds had been inhabited since the time of Jesus' birth. in one room in particular, there were paintings of the 12 apostles, as well as Jesus on the walls. they were faded and worn, but still very interesting. at the end of the tour, we climbed a set of (really narrow, really steep) stairs that led to the roof of the castle where we were able to see the surroundings of the the castle. alongside of the castle ran the vltava river which was lined with a vast forest. it was really beautiful.










in other news, alie's friend kate (weiant) visited prague last night. kate is student teaching on an army base in germany, approximately 2 hours away. they had dinner together and walked around prague castle. i was really happy that she was able to catch up with an old friend. she had a good time, and it was a breath of fresh air for her to hang out with a like minded friend.

as for me, i'm slowly beginning to pick up on the czech language. it's a really difficult language to learn because they use very few vowels. our teacher often says, "czechs don't need vowels." he says it in a joking way. i really do like the intensive czech course, but i'm anxiously waiting for the rest of my classes to begin on monday the 17th. i'm excited to study in a place where classical music is so popular. in fact, the other day during class we had our window open and the czech philharmonic (who's building is nextdoor) was practicing. it made me smarter (haha)! it's also really crazy to look out your school window and see a castle standing high on a hill.

overall this place is pretty amazing, so you should definitely come visit! it's starting to feel more and more like home as every day passes. but it will never feel like medina. i miss and love everyone! i'll post again soon.



love,
drew

Settling In...

Hello friends and family! We started school on Monday, we're taking an intensive Czech language class for the first two weeks. It's really not as "intense" as they make it sound though, it's only from 2-6:30. That means that we have the whole morning to explore. The czech language has some letters that make sounds which we do not have in the english language. One of them is where you roll your "r" while making a "j" sound. (By the way, everyone from Drew's class keeps telling me that he's the best in the class and that he is the only one who can pronounce things correctly!)

We live 10 minutes from the castle, and across the street is a monastary. Here is our dorm... can we say communism?



Yesterday morning we explored our neighborhood and found that we sit on top of a mountain overlooking the city. Here is the view from across the street:



If you look on the left side of this photo you can see the castle.

And here are two photos of the monastary across the street. One is of the church entrance and the other is from a little lower on the mountain looking up:





This is what we walk past to get to school:





You can see the castle again in that last photo. We haven't had a chance yet to actually go see it close up, but we pass by it several times a day. It was built in the 13th century. Crazy.

These photos do not do prague justice at all. So you really just need to come visit us :)

We're Here!

After a very fast week in London and Munich, we are finally getting settled in Prague. The past few days have been filled with lots of bus tours and walking tours (and jet lag). The group we're with is all very friendly and they definitely like to party. We are trying to find some people who are a little less wild to hang out with, which has been a lot harder than I (Alie) expected. Of course we are still just beginning to get to know people, so I know that with time I will start to make better friends. So if you're the praying type, some prayers in that area would be much appreciated.

On to the fun stuff...

The first day in London was a major blur. We arrived in 6:45AM and had no activities planned except for a welcome cocktail party at 6PM. We walked around Kensington, where a lot of the museums are and we went to Kensington Park. This is where Princess Diana's palace is and it was a really pretty park.

That night we went to Notting Hill for dinner. The next day we had tours of Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, and various other London tourist spots. After that we walked around an area called Covent Garden and Oxford street, where we ate at a pub, so Drew could get some fish and chips) and did some shopping (Crystal, Drew bought a pair of jeans from TopShop, I knew you'd be proud). Aside from that, we haven't really spend much money (except for the food in London was SO expensive).

We finished the second day by going to a small cafe by our hotel. The next morning we left for Munich at 5:30AM! What they didn't mention to us before leaving the US was that we were allowed 2 checked bags and 2 carry ons from the US to London, but to out of London we were only allowed 1 checked bag and 1 very small carry on! The fee was 60 pounds, which is close to $120! Somehow, we were EXTREMELY lucky and didn't get charged for our extra bags! We did have to consilidate carry ons, but that was the last of our worries.

We had an afternoon tour of Munich where we got to see the Olympic Stadium and downtown. It was very small, but really pretty. I (Alie) didn't have the energy to go to any "beergartens" like most people that night, but Drew got to go to a much less touristy beer hall to experience some of the infamous German beer.

The next day we left for Prague, with a short stop at the Pilsner Brewery and Plsen, and now here we are! I'm sure we will be posting tons of photos soon enough.