Krakow, Poland

On Monday night while cooking dinner, Matthew Zoey and I were discussing our upcoming "Autumn holiday". Thursday Oct 28th was a national holiday in the Czech Republic (celebrating Czechoslovakia's independence  in 1918) and most of the schools gave the students Wednesday and Friday off as well for a fall break. By the end of dinner we decided that the best way to celebrate this time off was to book an overnight train to Krakow, Poland and spend a couple days in eastern Europe!

After the nearly 9 hour overnight train ride (which I'm sure I'll never forget) we arrived in Krakow as the sun was rising. We found Matthew, who had to meet us in Krakow because he came from Bratislava, Slovakia, got to our hostel, and set off for a day of exploring the city. It was a surprisingly charming city, and thanks to our Rick Steves book we learned a lot about the city's history and it's sights. I learned that Poland is the most Catholic European country, and it shows by its numerous cathedrals that were all packed throughout the whole day. I have never seen so many people standing in line...for confession! Since Pope John Paul II was from Krakow there were many statues and shrines for him.

We explored the Warwal Castle and the "up and coming" Jewish quarter. The castle grounds were beautiful and is one of the 7 spots around the world that has a pure balanced chakra. We felt very balanced. The Jewish quarter was very interesting-since the Jews were all forced to live in one area of Krakow only later to be completely deported and their neighborhood and history nearly destroyed, this part of town had a lot more character. It was dark and not as glam as the city center, but we all enjoyed walking the synagogue tour and decided to spend the evening there for dinner.

On our last day we went to Auschwitz, but that deserves its own blog post.

our weekend in London

Me, Zoey and Cherrie in front of Buckingham Palace

Last weekend Zoey and I, after a minor delay at the London Gatwick airport, had a lovely time in London. I had never been there so we had to be non-stop tourists the whole two days. We went to the Victoria Albert Museum, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the Eye, the Globe, Tate Modern Museum, Trafalger Square, Spitefield Markets and Brick Lane, Millenium Bridge, St Pauls Cathedral (and up the 500 steps to the top!), Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, and Harrods, of course. I feel like we only saw a fraction of what London has to offer, so hopefully I will be able to visit again soon!

Trafalger Square

My cousins, Ben and Gerry, were fantastic hosts who gave us the names of perfect British restaurants, shops, museums, etc for our weekend trip. On Sunday morning they showed us around their neighborhood, Islington, and took us to fantastic markets!

Big Ben and Parliament

Safe travels

Zoey is en-route to Prague!!!! I am so excited-I've cleaned, lesson planned ahead of time, and even bought her fruit for when she gets here.

Also travelling are my parents, going for a long weekend to visit family in Illinois! 'Hi Grandma and Nanny!!'
Keep my travelling loved ones in your thoughts,
I'm anxious for my friend to get here safe and sound.
xoxo

Saturday slideshow

Lennon Wall

Yesterday Melissa and I took a leisurely walk around Prague in hopes to finally find the Lennon Wall. After an hour or so of wandering the beautiful streets on an equally beautiful autumn day, we found it! Hidden from the Communists, this wall was a dedication to John Lennon. And how appropriate that we found it on his 70th birthday!

Countdown: 11 days!!

My best friend from school, Zoey, is coming to visit!!! We're in the process of planning a trip to London to visit my cousins Ben and Gerry and possibly another weekend trip. So far plans for Spain have taken a too-expensive route, so we're still brainstorming. Any ideas??

we love scarves.

Dresden, Germany- Mission: complete

On Wednesday morning two co-workers and I had a 9 am meeting at the Czech Embassy in Dresden to apply for our one-year work visas. This was great since you technically are only allowed 90 days in Europe as a 'tourist'. I arrived on 6th August, meaning I have until early November to get a permanent work visa. In order to apply for the work visa you need a number of documents, including a work permit from a certified employer. So, in order to have this work permit you need a job. Luckily, I have a job, a great job, that has helped me throught this long and complicated process of paperwork and pleasing the Czech office workers.

With less than a month left on my 'tourist' time, I am lucky to have made it to Dresden, Germany on Wednesday to apply for my work visa. They informed me that after the foreign police finishes my 'background check' that I will be able to pick up my official work visa (to cover the temporary stamp I now have in my passport) in a few weeks.

IJV not only helped with all of the paperwork but they also PAID for the work visa! I am extremely lucky to have such a cooperative and legitimate school to work for because there are a lot of places that don't even tell you where to begin.

I am thankful that all of it is over, especially since the process began at 2:30 am Wednesday morning when my alarm clock didn't go off... but I woke up at 2:53 am, threw some clothes on and was out the door to catch the 3:03 am tram that left my apartment so I could make the 3:30 am train that left Prague for Dresden. Talk about an early morning.

Since IJV arranged substitutes for our classes that day, Melissa, Tyler and I decided to stay for lunch and explore the city. Dresden is beautiful and I even got to use some of my sparse German vocabulary! Very impressed by the reconstruction of the city after it was completly bombed in 1945, it's clean public transportation, and of course their efficiency.

hey Lennie



cute jeggings

 Cousin Lennie at Cat's baby shower yesterday! Super cute. Hope everyone had a great time, I'm sorry I missed the party :)