Laura Visits!

April 3^rd-8^th, 2014

3^rd- Today after a very long day at work, even longer for Heavens, we got ready and drove to our hostel in Leipzig the Space Hostel. We checked in and relaxed while we waited, even took a little nap. Then went to the airport to pick up Laura!! We were so excited each time someone walked through the gate, Heavens had a sign and finally there she was!! YAY!!! Then we all went back to the hostel and hung out talking and being excited she was here!!!

4^th- Today we got up early and ate breakfast at the hostel before checking out and heading into town.  We parked the car and then ventured into the city. We walked around a bit looking for a church and finally found the Bach museum and church. This is where Bach played, but only after two other people rejected the offer.  We looked inside the church although I did not find it that pretty looking, especially the ceiling. After we walked around, we tried to find the Stasi museum but we ended up walking in the wrong direction. A nice man on a bike stopped us and gave us directions. We finally found the museum but in the end it wasn’t really worth it as everything was in Germany and we didn’t feel like paying for the English audio so we looked around quickly, used the toilet and left. We decided to go to another museum- Zeitgeschichtliches Forum which sounded cool and had an American Way themed expo going on.  Again we got lost lol. A nice woman stopped us and helped us find our way whilst also giving us some tips on the city. She was from Devon so that was cool. We got to the museum and it was very cool. America stuff everywhere ande information on how West Germany was helped by the US after the war. We travelled through the different time periods seeing things that were common then. Then we went to see the rest of the museum and saw the original checkpoint Charlie sign and Heavens and I even got to listen to a lovely video in Germany from the German man who did not listen when I said we only spoke English! Lol. It was however very funny! Next we went to the little alley way the woman suggested for lunch and went to an Irish pub, of course I had Guinness. Then we found Nickolach kirch- Nicholas church which had a beautiful ceiling. It was really pretty inside and we really enjoyed this church. After the church we picked up the car and drove to the Volkerschlachtdenkmal. This monument was built after a battle to show victory and is absolutely huge. We basically ran to it because Heavens had to pee and after took some pictures. We didn’t go up it because it was quite a lot of stairs and we were tired. Also it is kind of a dreary place to be, it did not feel very happy so we didn’t stay long. Then we drove home and changed before heading out to Glauchau for the Sternen Nacht- or starry night festival where the shops were open late and there was music and food. We just walked around a bit and did some shopping then headed home for pizza, wine and a movie- Crazy Stupid Love. All in all it was a great first day with Laura and we really enjoyed hanging out with her.

5^th- today we got up early for breakfast made by Heavens then got ready to go to Lichtenstein for Mini World! It was really cool as we saw all the monumental sights from the big cities around the world…and tiny cities in Germany, all miniaturized. We saw things like the Eiffel Tower, Munich Airport, Taj Mahal, the Jesus from Rio, etc. It was cool but we thought we would be there all day and we were only there about an hour and a half, so it was okay. Cool to see once. After we went back to Meerane and went to the hot chocolate café to have a hot chocolate and lunch. We relaxed there chatting a bit then went home to watch Pitch Perfect before getting ready to go to the American Diner for dinner with Annette and Manu. We ate good food and had drinks and chatted for a long time. It was really nice and we had a great time.

6^th- Today we got up for breakfast then drove to Frankfurt to check into our Hotel Europa. It was very posh. Luckily they found us a parking space and then we checked into our room which was fancy. Although a bit weird as there were stickers on the window of the bathroom but it didn’t cover the entire window so from your bed you could see into the shower in the bathroom. Meaning you could see who was showering. So we had to make a make-shift towel curtain. Then we walked into town to the National History Museum. We got the English audio guide and started at the top with the mammals and birds. Next we went to sea life and insects (although I skipped the spider room). Almost all of the animals were once alive and now taxidermies. This was a bit weird and I didn’t like it very much. Finally we went to the dinosaur and large animal room which was cool seeing the dinosaur bones put together. Overall it was an okay museum but I prefer to see my animals alive. I did learn some interesting facts though on my guide. After the museum we walked to the tram stop to go on the Ebbelwei express tram. This tram was very colourful and took you around the city whilst giving you apple wine (made in Frankfurt) and pretzels. It was actually really cool. We saw things we probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise, we got to eat and drink, and it was really relaxing. We really enjoyed it, especially the lady dancing to the music of the tram! Once our tram ride was over we walked along the street and found an Italian restaurant for dinner. Then we went back to the hotel to shower, relax, and play monopoly deal before bed.

7^th- What a day! Heavens and I got up really early so that I could take her to her medical appointment for her green card. We got ready and went for our free breakfast at the hotel…like I said posh! Then I drove her to the place and we waited for it to open. After I dropped her off, the fun began lol. On my way back I kept getting lost with all the weird streets. Then I thought I was parking near our hotel (which later found out I had if I had gone the other way) but instead wound up by the train station. So on my walk back I found Nutella in my hair from breakfast. I waited for the elevator and said hi to the woman who came out. Once in I was looking in the mirror to make sure there was no more food in my hair and when the doors opened I saw the same woman who had just gotten off and I was wondering how she managed to get to the fifth floor so quickly when she told me I had gone to the kitchen! Oh boy lol so I finally got back to our room and Laura was awake. She told me she got up and was looking out the window and a man half naked was looking out his window and they saw each other. Then twice more as she looked out he was there lol. Then we went to have breakfast then checked out of our hotel and put our bags in the car. Then we walked to the souvenir shop which was closed so we walked along the street looking at all the shops then walked back and the shop was open and we got some souvenirs but they didn’t have any badges for Heavens and so Laura and I decided to try to find another shop. We looked and looked and looked and couldn’t find any souvenir shops, although we did find a very angry woman shouting in the street for a long time. Heavens finished with her medical so she was going to walk to meet us as we were ten minutes away from the car. On the way we stopped to get her a Starbucks and when we got the train station she was not there. She had gotten lost and almost a half hour later finally showed up, very upset as well. Not good. We then drove to Eisnach to the Wartburg Castle. We parked and walked up the steep steps to the top. It was beautiful. Not only was the castle beautiful but also the view. We decided not to go inside the castle but we looked around outside and found a tower you could go up for .50p. So cheap. So we walked up and looked at the view from up there. Once finished we walked back down and drove into town to find a place to eat lunch. We found this little restaurant with amazing food.  Then we drove home and watched Sinister and Dinner for Schmucks whilst eating a German dinner- bratwurst and sauerkraut. Then we ate our cakes from the hot chocolate café and went to bed.

8^th- Today was a day of mixed emotions. We started the day with breakfast then we drove to Leipzig zoo. We walked around looking at all the different animals. First we saw the birds and fish. The fish were really cool there were some parts you could look through a magnifying glass to see them up close and the fish liked to follow us in the tank. There were even fish you could pet! Heavens got to see the sea horses up close. Then we went to Gowandaland which was all enclosed but looked like a green house. We went on the boat trip first which at first was really scary because it was like a ride and all dark but then it got really cool with holograms and waterfalls. It was one of my favourite parts, all relaxing and we even saw roaming monkeys! Then we went to see the animals inside the land like the leopards, monkeys, and my favourite the orang-utans. They were really cute, playing with each other and even doing a maze for food! Then we went up the high ropes bridges to see everything from high up which was cool but very scary as the bridges swayed so I didn’t like it very much. We even got really close to one of the little monkeys. Then we went to see the Elephants which were so cute! Laura loved them! One even did a little dance for us! And if you lived across from the zoo you could look out your window and see them! Heavens loved all the Buddha’s. Then we got to my favourite part- the giraffes!!! YAY!! They were so cute and in with the zebras which was cool! They had tons of space to run around! And we decided this is probably where we will have our dinner in May. Which is so cool! Next we saw the rhinos and meerkats, then the otters which make a creepy cat like noise that I had no idea they did that! We stopped to have lunch along the way and when we finished seeing everything we decided to go back to the sloths as when we first went there we couldn’t see them. We went back and again we couldn’t see them but there was a zoo keeper in with them so when she came out Heavens asked where they were and if we would be able to see them. She said they were hiding in the trees but in an hour would be feeding time so we decided to go have ice cream and look at the gift shop before heading back. When we got back we were in luck because the two sloths slowly but surely decided to climb down the trees into perfect view! One even going into a box to sleep! AWWW!! Heavens was in love! We stayed watching them for a while and then headed into town for a dinner and to talk with Laura before taking here to the airport to see her off. It was sad saying goodbye but we know we will see her soon! We are so thankful for her coming to visit us and we had an amazing time!

Until next time,

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Prague 2

March 21st-23^rd, 2014

21^st- Today we began our journey by getting up early and driving to our hostel in Prague- Sir Toby’s, the same hostel I stayed in last time I came to Prague. We checked in and parked our car in the Japanese crazy, creepy car machine elevator. Then we went to our room, a very nice lovely looking room- Morning Dew. We then ate lunch and got ready to head out. We got the tram and went by the castle and walked to Charles Bridge to have a look. We got some souvenirs and presents and enjoyed the lovely scenery. Then we went to the Rolfidorm to meet up with our tour guide Martin. He was really cool and we found out he used to live in Ithaca as a kid! How cool!! On our tour of the castle we learnt a lot about the history of the country and we took the tram to the castle. We learnt about crazy Rudolph, one of the kings to live in the castle..he would shoot deer out of the window…sounds familiar, and he collected anything and everything..sounds familiar lol. He even collected Mona Lisa’s even though he knew they were probably fake, as he didn’t want to pass one up in case it was real! He stored everything in the Spanish house. He had a small zoo on the outskirts of the castle and loved his Lion. Due to his astronomical sign he was ‘connected’ with this lion and when the lion got sick and died so did Rudolph. Unfortunately during all the wars all of the things Rudolph collected was taken and moved to other countries. Next to move into the castle was Maria Theresa. She changed the look of everything. She changed the wooden draw bridge to a stone one and made the buildings all look French Renaissance to match each other.  We also saw where the current President works and learnt about his history of being drunk in public and stealing pens lol. Next we went to the Cathedral which is actually modern although it doesn’t look it. It doesn’t look this way because the project started and stopped so many times that by the time it was finished it was considered modern but the way they built it copied how it would have looked if it didn’t keep stopping and starting. We went inside to see the beautiful work and the beautiful stained glass windows…even the insurance one. One window was paid for by the insurance companies of the Czech Republic to remind church goers that they need insurance for such things as buglery, fire, etc. We then went outside to look at the architecture and learnt about the man who worked on the pavement and fountain and steps to make all the features go together. Then we saw the column with the gold triangle on top which was put there on an anniversary, however after the long journey from getting this giant rock as it was being lifted off the truck it broke so they went back for another piece and again the same thing happened. Therefore this time they left it and years late the gold triangle was placed on top to finish it. We saw the mosaic on the Cathedral which depicts good people going to Heaven and bad people going to Hell. In one picture of people going to Heaven are three naked men together….possibly homosexuality? There are over 1 million pieces to the mosaic. Then we took a walk to get some good luck with fertility…however Heavens declined to do it! It was a statue of a young boy with a golden penis. When first put up though he was castrated due to the nature of the piece, but after debate from the community as castrating a statue of a ‘young boy’ seemed cruel, it was welded back together and is now a place where people come to rub his penis to get good luck with fertility. Heavens wouldn’t rub it though….lol Next we were given a small break and we went to see the view from the Castle then down Gold Lane to see the souvenir shops. We got some drinks and talked to Martin about living in Ithaca. Then we walked back to the Cathedral to see the gargoyles outside and saw how some were animals like frogs or lobsters or eagles. Next we saw the statue of the first President of the country and how he was a feminist even back then and he changed his middle name to his wife’s maiden name when they were married. We saw the changing of the guards and then walked down to see another spectacular view and could see the ‘Dancing Houses’ also! They represent people dancing as they look like they are moving and have a reference to Fred Astere. Then we walked down the big hill to see the John Lennon wall. This wall was painted on by people to send an anti-communist message. The government did not like it and would paint it white but overnight it would be filled again with hopeful messages. When John Lennon died people used this wall to remember him. However, now it is turned into a graffiti wall and anyone can write whatever they like on it. We walked down the street to the John Lennon bar and saw where the flood levels were when in 2002 the whole place alongside the river was flooded. It was crazy how high it was and it was because they didn’t have anything in place to stop it from happening. Therefore after that now they have barricades to put up. We walked to Charles Bridge and Martin told us that during the flood the water was almost to the top of the arches and how crazy it was. It also moved the bridge by 2cm because of the pressure from the water. Martin ended the tour by telling us the story of a seal who during this flood escaped from his pen at the zoo (as most of the water animals were left because they could barely get out the rest of the animals). He swan away and continued swimming, despite stopping to eat some of the food left out by the people trying to catch him and bring him back, all the way to Dresden in Germany which is about 300km! Many people claim it was his swim to freedom although the trainer suggests otherwise and he died a few months later because of the trauma from the swim. After the tour we wanted to go hear some Jazz music so Martin gave us a suggestion but by the time we got there we realized there was a cover charge and it didn’t start for another hour. So we walked into town to find a Jazz place and saw the ‘Dancing Houses’ along the way. Although a no go for Jazz. We saw the Astronomical clock and saw it chime at 7pm with its doors opening and people coming out. Then we finally found a Jazz place but the music wasn’t starting for another hour so we decided to only eat dinner there and then go back to the hostel as I was not feeling well.

22^nd- Today we got up early and headed into town to meet up with the tour guides for our free walking tour. We got some Starbucks coffee and breakfast then began our tour right in the square. Although I recognized something familiar about our tour guide Colin and lo and behold he was the same tour guide I had 3 years ago when I came to Prague! How weird! First a tour guide who lived in Ithaca and then the same guide I had three years ago! So we began our tour by looking at the Adam and Eve spires of St. Nicholas church, one spire being a little wider and bigger than the other (obviously the Adam spire). Then we saw the statue monument for a leader who was burned to death because he wanted religious freedom. We saw where the town hall used to be as it was the only building destroyed during the war, from a fire from a bomb and saw the only remaining small part of it. All the other buildings in the square are originals. We saw the astronomical clock- the 2^nd most over-rated tourist attraction. Colin explained that the bottom part of the clock is the name of every day of the year and this part of the clock does not move. Inside is the time of the year with the harvesting schedule and inside that is the zodiac signs with the crest (like a Caslte) in the very middle. This has four statues, two on either side representing what advancements were happening at the time- writing, religion, science and academics. The next clock above is the moon and sun positions in the sky with four statues, two on each side representing our fears- vanity, greed, death, and converting (religions). These are the oldest statues. Above this is two blue windows that open every hour on the hour from 9am to 9pm and the twelve aposotles spin around in a circle and finally on the last ring of the clock the golden rooster at the very top clucks. As you can see- over-rated. And it was also rated the third best thing to see in Prague- with the Castle and Bridge being one and two. Next we walked to one of the oldest Opera houses and the only Opera house still standing where Mozart premiered. Then we walked down the boulevard and saw down the street where at the end there was a memorial of two heads in the ground. This represents two men who committed suicide by burning themselves alive in the square as a protest against communism. Unfortunately their efforts were in vain as nothing was done by the people who were scared and some preferred communism as it gave everyone a job and a place to live. Some older people want it back as their children cannot find jobs or places to live. At the end of the street is the National Museum but it is closed for renovations. It has been in the movies though as Prague is a very famous place for films. We saw the Powder tower, the only tower still standing from when the city was walled in and it used to house the gunpowder. Next Colin warned us about the fake money that some people get back as change or are conned into giving their real money for as the Czech money is very large amounts and very different to other money. After this we went to a pub for some lunch and a small break. We met two girls on our tour from America but living and studying in London which was cool. After our break we went to see a very large statue of a naked pregnant woman that was done by David Cerny who is famous for his provocative and risky artwork. He previously made a hand with the middle finger sticking up in the river so when the president opened his windows that is the first thing we saw- taken down by the president only days later. He also made a statue of men peeing into a fountain and he made it so the men moved their hips back and forth and even though it still stands you can no longer buy a telephone number from the gift shop to text a phrase to have the men write it in fake pee lol. It has been rumoured that a proposal happened that way…not sure if I would say yes… Then we saw the Kafka Man statue that was weird. He had a dream he was on the shoulders of a giant cloaked man without feet, hands, or a face and so this is the statue. Then we walked to see the pendulum which is where an old Stalin statue used to be before it was blown up. This pendulum represents the end of Communism. We saw the oldest synagogue in the Jewish quarter and inside is rumoured to be the golem which is a giant who was built to defend the Jewish quarter although was never needed…We also saw the Jewish cemetery which is stacked 12 high with graves because not enough room so they would put dirt on top of the graves then put another grave then again and again. We saw the Jewish memorial Museum where there is artwork from children whilst they were in concentration camps. A teacher in the camps had the children draw pictures to take their minds off of things and then had them smuggled out as most if not all of the children and the teacher were killed. Finally we ended back at the Rulfordom. We decided to go on a boat tour as it was beautiful outside and there were many boats on the river. We chose the small wooden boat because it offered free ice cream and it went in the small canals which the bigger boats did not do. We got on our boat and got a free drink and ice cream and went along the river and under Charles Bridge. We learnt how the river used to freeze in the winter time and they would collect ice to sell, although it no longer freezes. We saw pictures of the flooding that happened in 2002 and how it practically reached the top of the arches. We saw how part of the bridge collapsed and three sections are no longer originals. We saw the president’s house and the prime ministers house- both at the exact same height. We went into the canal and saw the water wheel that now is motorized but used to help provide power. We also saw the water level of the floods which was crazy. We saw the pendulum from the water and learnt that the Stalin monument beforehand took 6 years to build and only 6 seconds to blow up. We saw the old house that used to be the toll for Charles bridge as it used to be the only bridge that crossed the river. The toll bridge was replaced by a wider bridge now the Charles bridge. After our tour we decided to check out the Charles Bridge museum as we got in free with our boat tour ticket, however it was very strange and we realized why it was free. But there were some cool pictures of the bridge. Then we went back to our hostel to change and get ready for the opera. We went to Pet Penza for dinner which was just down the street from our hotel and I realized I had been here before when I came to Prague last time. Then we made our way to the Opera house and got settled into our seats, they were really up high but not a bad view. They had subtitles for what they were singing both in Czech and in English, however despite this we had no idea what the opera was about. Something about a fox who is taken captive and escapes and finds a boy fox to marry and have babies with and is then killed whilst the farmer who caught the fox was cheating on his wife and wanted to catch another fox but didn’t. Very strange but we can say we have been to an opera and stayed all the way through! After the opera it was raining so we got some souvenirs and got the tram back to the hostel.

23^rd- Today we got up early for breakfast and ate at the hotel. Then we checked out and went into town to go to a special effects museum. It was really cool. It was about a guy named Karal Zemen who is really, really famous for his special effects- all different kinds. It was also cool because not only did it tell you about the special effects and show you how he used them in his films it also gave you the chance to try them out. So we got to be an astronaut, sit on the moon, fly in the sky, etc. It was really fun. We also saw some of his films and how he used the special effects and what he used to do them. For example for smoke he used colored dye in water and filmed that over the images of the people. He would also use clay puppets or fake animals instead of real ones. It was really neat that he came up with ways to do this and so long ago. We got some souvenirs and then headed back to the hostel to get our car. Then we drove to many different gas stations for Annette lol and finally home to skype before an early bed. 

This trip to Prague was wonderful, even though I had been before I did so much this time I didn’t do last time and I’m very happy about the company I was in! 

Until next time,

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