Mission to the Czech Republic

Martina and me...she just got engaged!
bowling with my student Tereza
Premek (teacher and a good friend of mine) and Stepan Lucie (burgandy shirt, our office manager) and her bowling team (Gabka, in the stripes, beat all the boys!)



This week I'm really just trying to figure out how to get home, since there's been some mix up with the airlines and although I have a ticket I might have to buy a whole new one...long story, but hopefully I can get that worked out so I can come home in June! Looking forward to seeing you all then....

If you have ever traveled abroad, you no doubt are aware of the frustration that comes with trying to navigate a country whose language you cannot speak, pronounce, or even recognize as a legitimate form of communication. I've certainly had my share of mishaps, causing me numerous times to wonder, why again did I not go to a Spanish speaking country? In my futile efforts to participate in any conversation, my words come out as an awkward combination of Czech, Spanish, and German: Ja se dam die pollo, bitte.

My recent trip to Greece was no exception. Allow me to demonstrate:

In Czech: In Greek: In German:
No = Yes Ne = Yes Ja = Yes
Ne = No
Ja = I

The funniest story, however, was by far the experience had by my father. Picture, if you will, my exhausted parents finally making it to the train station in Prague. They manage to buy their tickets to Ostrava, but before they set off, they really just want to know what the bathrooms are. Being ever polite, my father asked, "Do you know where the restrooms are?"
If you have ever spent any amount of time in Europe, you've probably noticed that any signs pointing you to a "restroom" are labeled "WC" or "toilet." The answer he received was something along the lines of the following:
"Oh, yes, we have many good ones near the train station. If you go outside and take a left there are some fairly cheap ones. A little farther down you'll find one that serves excellent Czech food (..huh?..). There aren't many options to the right, and the ones in the train station aren't that great, but I recommend you look at this map."

After a few minutes of more confusing answers, he finally realized that Czechs do not know the word restroom. Czechs do, however, know the word for restaurant. He politely thanked the man, and decided to wait until they got on the train.

During the second week of my spring break (“spring” being questionable), my parents decided to brave overseas flights, foreign trains, and various other means of international transport and make the long venture to that black star of the Czech Republic we like to call Ostrava. After arriving a bit jet-lagged but in one piece and luggage included, they dropped off their stuff and we set out for their first experience of the city: Stodolni Street. We kept the partying to a minimum (actually we just ate dinner), but were up the next morning with for the grand tour of all the famous sites in Ostrava, which basically consisted of my flat, the park nearby, my school, the city hall tower, central square, and Tesco. I’m sure there are other important sites we overlooked, such as the mining museum or the observatory, but I have yet to pinpoint their exact location in the city. Still, my parents were able to get a good overview of my life here and the amount of walking it includes.

After two nights in Ostrava I had my first ride on the Pendolino (the fast train) as we made the trip to Prague. I must say, as much as I’ve enjoyed knowing people who live in Prague and who can take me to all the unspoiled, non-touristy places, traveling with one’s parents, especially with the convenience of off-season prices, gives the city a much different feel. It was more of an “executive” vacation. Instead of eating every meal at Bo-Bagel and sleeping at my coveted spot on the Nad Aleji couch, I experienced the Prague seen by people who actually get paid for their jobs. The highlight of the trip for me was actually our hotel, a quaint little place near the Charles Bridge that was fantastically decorated with beautiful paintings, dark wood furniture, and a variety of other ornamentation in the rooms and hallways. It felt more like a home than a hotel (we even got bathrobes!). And in my determination immerse myself in as many comforts as possible, I promptly plopped down on the bed and soaked up two-and-a-half hours of CNN and BBC. Eventually we did make it to the castle, St. Stephen’s basilica, the Jewish Quarter, and all the other must-sees of the city. Unfortunately we could only stay one night in that wonderful place, but the next day we were on a plane bound for Greece!

In true Shuler fashion, we planned the trip at the last possible minute, so I had no idea what to expect. Upon our arrival in Athens, we emerged from the metro station to a stunning view of the Acropolis. Our hotel was nearby with an equally impressive view, which was made even better when I noticed green banner from heaven blowing in the wind, with the Starbucks seal emblazoned in the center, only two stores down from our hotel. Yes, I was determined to take in as many of the comforts of home as I could.
Dad: “So, our travel book suggests that we eat at this place called the Placa.”
Me: “That’s Greek for Dominoes Pizza, right?”
I did find, however, that I really like Greek food. I don’t think we had a single meal we didn’t like. And again, being the off-season, we were occasionally given free food and wine in addition to what we ordered.

We spent our first full day touring the Acropolis and its related sites (the Parthenon, Mars Hill, where the Apostle Paul preached, and some theaters and other temples). The following day we took a full day boat tour to the nearby islands of Aegina, Poros, and Hydra. Hydra was by far the best one, with white and blue buildings built into the hillsides around the harbor. There are no motor vehicles of any kind on the island; the only means of transportation is the donkey. We saw donkeys carrying all sorts of things: cases of bottled water, parts of a bed frame, people, you name it, they carry it. What a different and fascinating way of life.

We were informed at one point that due to closures by the port authority, we would not be able to visit Poros that day. We would, however, get to spend more time at the other two islands, and would be given free wine at lunch. This was fine with us, as the crew said Poros wasn’t the highlight of the trip by any means. This did not, however, sit well with some of the other passengers, and we practically found ourselves in the middle of a mutiny as some disgruntled English speakers and one very angry Spanish man complained enough that the crew called the port authority and we were granted passage to Poros.
Mom: “Um, if we don’t care, can we still get free wine?”
Unfortunately that offer expired when we made the quick stop to Poros. I wish we could have spent more time at Hydra, but considering I just like being on boats, I was fine with it. They crew did provide us with a tasty lunch and a performance of traditional Greek dances (where I was pulled from the audience to have a go – not very successfully, I might add).

The other days we took various trips to sights outside of the city. The ruins of Poseidon’s Temple at Cape Sounion in the south provided spectacular views of the Aegean Sea, where it is said Kind Aegea threw himself off the cliffs into the water when he saw his son’s ship returning with black sails, signaling his death (his son was actually still alive, and just forgot to put the white one’s up instead). Delphi in the north took us through even higher mountains to some amazing ruins of temples, theaters, and even a stadium where the ancient Olympics were held. Much of our time was spent walking around the Placa area, looking in all the shops and stumbling upon ancient ruins we didn’t know existed. At night we dined outside at the cafes, and enjoyed hearing live music even from the window of our hotel room.

I had a very early flight back to Prague and my parents left shortly after back home. It’s strange knowing they’re headed back and I’m still here for another few months. But I can’t believe it’s almost the middle of February. Have I really made it this far?