last couple days in Europe

View of the Saint Charles Bridge

The next day was relatively relaxed as we started around 9 am with a city tour. The woman that led our tour was born and raised in Praha (Czech word for Prague) and we walked for about 4 hours straight around the city, which is a lot bigger than I though. Prague really is a fairy tale city, with very decorated buildings, monuments and statues that make it look like it sort of belongs in Disney World. We saw the Saint Charles Bridge, one of the most famous bridges in Central Europe. It crosses the Vlatava River and during the day is lined with vendors selling jewelry, souvenirs, and some other really neat stuff. We also saw the astrological clock, the old town square along with many others. The Prague castle was one of my favorite sights to see. There were some awesome artifacts, paintings and a connection to the beautiful St. Vitus cathedral in addition to gardens and towers.

Prague Castle

After the tour we went out to eat near our hotel at this awesome Czech place. I had beer (as usual) and then a delicious lemon/berry chicken dish. YUM! One of my favorite parts of Europe is being able to try the beers, which really do vary from country to country. It was nice being able for some of the meals to be able to eat with our professor, his wife and our study abroad advisor. We could ask them questions, advice about job opportunities, or really anything in general. Luckily after lunch we had some free time so I went with my roommate Mary to meet with some of her friends that were actually studying abroad in Prague.

Lennon Wall

 Her friends showed us the Lennon Wall (A wall full of graffiti that started after a persistent artist kept stenciling Lennon on the wall) we also saw some very weird modern art, their university and we were also able to walk along the banks of the river. I was exhausted, so I took a quick nap before dinner. 
We went to this very traditional pub/brewery style where they specialize in meat. My friend Austin got a huge pig legs on one of those rotating stick things… all that is man haha. He ate most of it but almost everyone got a huge meat dish such as pig calf, and others that looked a little too extreme for me. They had some pretzels in the table that seemed free at first glance, but they actually cost about 2 dollars each… very tricky. 

awesome view

I tried some of the Pils Urquel beer which is huge in Prague before as usual, a group of us went out for the night. We went to this interesting place called the Iron Curtain, which was a Soviet themed bar with matching military bartender outfits, to maps and Russian propaganda along with hidden rooms with concrete walls. It was pretty fun but felt a little weird to be in such an establishment.  We decided to go somewhere else which was a mix between a bar/club. I met some French guys who thought it was hilarious that I only wanted to speak French with them when they obviously spoke English fluently…. But I really wanted to practice my French ahaha.

out!

The next day was our last day in Prague and our last day for me in Europe. We woke out early in the morning to go to the US embassy and met with a guy who works at the embassy and is in charge with the commercial interests of American companies in the Czech Republic and vice versa. It was really interesting to hear his story and about some of the strategies used to promote business. 
There is a great predicted growth in the Czech Republic economy and he mentioned some of the great opportunities that American companies have in the Czech Republic. We asked him lots of questions about working abroad and the benefits of working for the government. It was really interesting to hear him speak about his adventures.

more prague castle

After the US embassy we had a break for lunch. I went exploring a little on my own after buying some really cool souvenirs for my family and friends. I had a delicious pizza with ham and spinach, and of course covered with hot sauce. One of my favorite things was this beautiful garden full of peacocks and statues... pretty cool.
We met back up together and then we went to the Lobkovicz Palace which is a part of the Prague Castle complex family. The Lobkovicz family was once one of the reigning families in the Czech Republic but after the Iron Curtain there is no longer titles of the Royal family. We first started by watching a classical music concert that included classics by Mozart, Bach and many other famous composers in a gorgeous concert hall. It was a great concert, but we followed it up by a meeting with "Prince" WIlliam Lobkovicz, who was educated and lived most of his life in the US. It was really neat being able to talk to someone whose family was so influential and important to Czech history. He gave us a brief history of his and his families lives and then about the history of the castle. After we took a tour through the castle which included artifacts, paintings, scultpures, and even one of  Mozart's original 5th symphony. It was great to be able to see everything and I learned a great deal about Czech history. 

Astrological clock

I woke up at 3 am... yes! I took a taxi to the airport with my friend Mary, and then flew from Prague to Paris. Luckily my good friend Valentina let me keep some suitcases at her place so I was able to pick them up, and after a couple complications make it to the airport and on my way back to the states.
It was a really sad ride home... but I just kept thinking about some of the amazing experiences that I had, the friends that I made, and the memories I will cherish forever. I know this post is very late, but better late then never :)
Thanks for everyone who reads my blog... and I will occasionally update with my job search and summer adventures but it definitely won't be as fun to read as my Europe one!