PRAHAHA...or some just call it Prague

Prague got the best of us. Literally.

When I booked this weekend back in January, I had no idea what I was signing up for.  I thought, ok the last weekend in February is open, it is a good time to go to Prague, and after talking to Carly, Amy, and Katie we decided to book it.  Well, duh, how did I not know it was Michigan spring break at the time?? Anyone who is anyone would obviously be there!!! Woooo... OK, so that is not why I booked Prague this weekend, but it ended up being so much fun.

We arrived in PRAHAHAHA Friday morning and went straight to the hotel.  We stayed at the Best Western Hotel Pav. It was clean and located right over the Charles Bridge on the old side of town.  It was just a five minute walk to the Old Town Square, and since Prague is a walking city we had no problem getting around.  When we got to the hotel, I anxiously waited for Carly and Katie to meet me there (Amy had a later flight) so that we could walk around.  Lets just say, Prague got the best of Katie Thursday night.  We walked around Friday afternoon and made our way over the Charles Bridge just to walk around and catch up.  I was in Prague two years ago and was able to navigate everyone around with no hesitations.  Even with the narrow streets, and the fact that I stayed on the other side of the bridge last time, I was able to pick up right where I left off two summers ago.

That night, the four Tripp Lakers went to Como for dinner.  It was located in Wenceslas Square and right near the Beer Factory and Lucerna.  The four of us sat at dinner for three hours, talking, laughing, and asking the question, "why aren't we abroad together??"  Oh, did I mention that the music at dinner was purely 80's and 90's?  Carly had a few solo "woooooos" during dinner (she tends to do that when a song she likes comes on).  After dinner, we went to the Beer Factory to meet up with everyone who is abroad or from the tri-state area.  I have to say, Beer Factory was actually pretty cool, the music was great..but it was not until we got to Lucerna and then the night actually started.  The line was long, but somehow we went through a back door and managed to cut the entire line.

Lucerna. Great music. The club only played 80's and 90's music (a theme in Prague I guess?) and Whitney Houston even came on, people were shouting TOO SOON.  I think Zach Hiller (here is your shout out, guest blog post coming soon) WON LUCERNA 2012.  Killed it...well, kind of.  Carly, Amy, Katie, and I stayed until the wee hours of the morning, and I think we might have been the last American's there.  One more thing I have to point out about the atmosphere at Lucerna...the one thing that shocked me was how every Jewish boy knew the words to Abba's Dancing Queen...should I be worried?

Saturday morning, Amy, Carly, and I popped out of bed, and then an hour later Katie did (any Tripp Lakers surprised?)  We went to brunch at Cafe Savoy (highly recommend this place) and once again sat for about a three hour meal.  After brunch, we met up with the other AEPhi girls and Jared and Dan at the Lennon wall and took the typical abroad pictures.  First it was the IAMSTERDAM sign, and now it was the Lennon wall...I can't really think of anything else that screams abroad?  After the pictures, we walked up to the top and hit the cathedral and took even more pictures.  The views from the top were beautiful and it overlooked the entire city.  We then walked back over the Charles Bridge and made it to the Old Town Square where we saw the Astronomical clock.  We did not go to the top this time, but I suggest that it is something that you do if you want a pretty view of Prague.

We went to dinner that night at Lary Fary, I think it was Czech cuisine, and it was good. We then went to Rivers to pregame (for those of you who do not know, Rivers is a "dorm" "frat" whatever you want to call it).  Every apartment you walked into, someone knew someone.  It was a big game of Jewish geography.  After the pregame, we went to SaSaZu.  SaSaZu was fun, until we were dancing and I got whacked in the face.  After icing my face (to avoid a black eye) for two hours, we went back to the hotel.

Riana and I woke up early this morning and went to the Jewish Quarter. Oh, and if anyone asks, Jared was there too.  He came with us to the Synagogue.  We walked around the Synagogue and the cemetery.  The cemetery still gives me the chills when you walk through it.  Last time I was there it was sunny and beautiful out, but when you were walking through the cemetery, it was hard not to get the chills.  This time, it was raining, and just made the experience that more erie.

The flight back to Barcelona was quick and easy and the weather here is beautiful.  I cannot believe midterms are already this week.  Rome next weekend!

To sum up: Katie won Thursday night
Zach and Amy won Friday night
I won Saturday night (I've got the eye to prove it)

*Jared and Dan -- how did I do for this blog?

FIELD TRIP #3: A look at the Born District

This past week, we went to the Born District with Xavi.  While we were at the Born District, we visited the narrow streets where 'Els Gremis' used to live.  We started off passing L'antic Teatre which is an old theatre that serves beer to local students.  Students from after class would stop in L'antic Teatre for a beer.  Once again, Xavi pointed out a spot for locals that I would probably never know about.

When passing an example of a "la casa-taller" Xavi pointed out the structure for the workshop.  The owners had these buildings where at the bottom it contained their workshop, whether they owned a shoe making shop or a metal making shop, that was always located at the bottom of the building.  The next floor contained the noble's flat and then at the top of the building, the servants had their apartment.  The buildings were narrow, as well as, the stairwells.

As we continued to walk down the streets of the Born district, I noticed a sign that said "Entrada" with a horse on it.  Xavi explained that this meant horses and their carriages were able to walk down that narrow street.  (There is a piece of history you readers probably did not know about!)

We also passed the market of Santa Canterina, where the roof was just put on.  It is extremely modern, and to me, looks out of place in the Born district.

When we finally entered the Born district, each street name was dedicated to craftsmanship of trades.  An example of this is Placa de la Llana, this was the middle of the Guilds and the wool stock market area.  Another street in the Born district is called Carrer de les Candeles, and this was dedicated to candle makers.  Another street is Carrer de las Cordes which was dedicated to the rope makers.  Ropes were used for everything back then.  The ropes and wool stock market were located right next to each other because the shepherds needed the wool and ropes for their work.  Another street is Carrer dels Cotoners and that was dedicated to the guild of cotton.  And Carrer de mirallers was for the mirrors.  Those who worked with the mirrors also made the stain glass for Santa Maria del Mar.  This all occurred around the 1300's and it is amazing that the Born district still has all of these streets dedicated to the craftsmen ship and traders.

A lot of the architecture in the Born district is from the 1300's.  The apartment buildings are still narrow, and some cannot even fit modern furniture.  Elderly women can live in some of these apartment buildings for as little as 100 euros a month because of the rent controlled apartments.  However, I personally think that the Born district is a bit ruined from all of the new architecture sprinkled through -- like the banks right outside the Santa Canterina market.

We finally ended up taking a look at Santa Maria del Mar.  The church was built from 1329 until 1383.  It is a perfect example of Catalan Gothic architecture.  The floors are covered with tiles that represent the artisans and people who donated money to build the church.  What makes this church different from the other churches, is that the people built this rather than the church.  We also looked at El Fossa de les Moreres which was located right next to Santa Maria del Mar.  El Fossa de les Moreres is a park built over a cemetery that had people buried there from the seize of Barcelona at the end of the War of Succession in 1714.

I think that the Born district is interesting and it allowed me to see a new part of the city that I did not know anything about.

"ALO, ALO, ALO" BERLIN!

Let me begin by saying, THANKS DAD! Honestly, Berlin could not have been done without you.

Riana and I left Thursday afternoon for the airport at around 5:45 and were through security by 6:05. Lets just say, we have never had it that easy.  Everything was just going really well, and I knew that this was going to be a great trip.  We flew EasyJet from Barcelona to Berlin SXF.  Here is the trick when flying an airline like EasyJet, usually the flights are not full and you can sit two in a row, keeping the middle seat open which is what Riana and I did.  Riana and I put all of our stuff in the middle seat, because lets be honest, who would want to sit in the middle seat?  We somehow got away with this to Berlin and on our flight back!  I watched Limitless on my iPad and I actually really enjoyed the movie, but this blog is not for movie reviews, it is for my travels...so...here we go...

We arrived in Berlin Thursday night and arrived at the famous Adlon Kempinski Hotel (http://www.kempinski.com/en/berlinadlon/Pages/Welcome.aspx).  The hotel was beautiful and had so much history to it, something that I really enjoyed.  Not only was it the hotel that Michael Jackson held his baby out of the window, yes, Cally and I actually googled which window he held his baby out of, but it is also famous because of World War II.  It is located right by the Brandenburg Gates, a beautiful site to see as well.  If you travel to Berlin, I would suggest just taking a look at the hotel, even if you do not stay here, the lobby itself is beautiful.  Carly was waiting at the hotel for us (wtih room service, yum!).  She arrived in Berlin at 9am on Thursday, but do not worry, she kept herself very occupied.  She worked out, had a coffee in the lobby, and went to the spa-- where she swam (on a noodle) and sat in the steam room!

We woke up at 7am on Friday morning because we were being picked up at 8am for a whole day of touring (and met Cally and Perri who came with us too!).  We started off at Sachenhausen. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous to see a concentration camp because I did not know what to expect.  The day was gloomy, and when we arrived to the camp, we were the only ones there.  I think that us being the only ones at the camp made it even more erie.  Our tour guide, Johan, walked us around the camp.  I could sit here and write about the horrific things we saw, but I think that if one has the opportunity to travel to a camp in their life, they should.  I do not think words can describe what we saw, and that everyone's experience at the camp is different.

From the camp we were taken to the Reichstag to a special lunch at Kafer, the restaurant located on top of the Reichstag.  The restaurant was beautiful and quite the experience.  We thought it would be an hour lunch, but it ended up being a little over two hours.  The views from the restaurant were beautiful and after lunch we walked around the Reichstag before returning back to the car.  We were then taken on a tour of Berlin to see parts of the Berlin wall, museum island, and then ending at the Jewish museum.  We were all a bit run down from the day, but we still walked through the museum.  I suggest you use the audio guide for the museum if you are not traveling with a tour guide.  The Jewish museum was huge and had a lot of interactive exhibits.  From the Jewish museum we returned back to our hotel.  We reached our hotel and saw that they were setting up a red carpet!  What I was unaware of (and honestly cannot believe a celeb obsessed girl like myself) was that it was the Berlin film festival.  The Adlon was hosting a party for the festival, so I immediately went to my room and began googling which celebrities could be in attendance at the party.  After dinner, we sat in the lobby until 1am waiting to see someone.  Unfortunately, we think all of the big names, like Angelina Jolie, went through the back door, but hey, maybe we saw the next Martin Scorsese or Liam Neeson.

We ate dinner at one of the hotel's restaurants, Uma.  We also did one of the most American things at dinner, we were offered the cake from the family at the table next to us, and at first we politely declined, but then as they were leaving they offered us their leftovers and well, we took it.  After another three hour dinner, we returned back to the lobby to stalk.  Cally and I watched every person walk out of the party trying to see who we could recognize.  We could have fooled Carly saying we saw any actor, as she really did not know too many people.  That is okay, we still love her!

The next day we woke up and went to the Holocaust Memorial.  Once again, words cannot really describe the memorial.  It was very well done, but each person's experience is different.  The memorial was designed to have your own interpretation and I honestly believe that.  It is definitely a place worth stopping at.  After, we did an audio guide of the information center downstairs.  It was so well done, and very informative.  From there, we walked around the city of Berlin.  After a nap and a stop at the steam room, we went to dinner at Bocca di Bacco.  Good food. Eh service.

So far, Berlin was my favorite city to travel to because of all the history.  I actually feel like I did something and learned something on this trip, which was important to me.  I know I have had the opportunity to travel a lot and I appreciate all of the trips, but I think that the history surrounding the Holocaust  is so fascinating and interesting, so for me, I enjoyed Berlin.  It is different than stopping at all of the Jewish Quarters in the different cities.  Berlin is a city, growing up, I never thought I would go to, but I am happy I did, and will definitely be back one day.

FIELD TRIP: Jewish Quarter and Gothic Quarter

The Jewish Quarter in Barcelona surprisingly has very little left to it.  I remember visiting Barcelona a few years ago with my family, and I really thought I saw more in the Jewish Quarter, but I guess not.  My family and I travel a lot and every time we travel to a new place we make sure we visit the Jewish Quarter, something that is very important to us.

In the 13th century, this was the center of Jewish life, but now this area is so small that it really does not seem like there is much life left. It is located in the tiny streets of El Call (the Call) right near Plaza St. Jaume.  Usually in a Jewish Quarter, there are little shops opened that sell Kosher meats and little gifts, but it is sad to me that there is very little left in Barcelona's Jewish Quarter.  The Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter is one of the oldest in Europe, yet there is very little life around there. I wish that we could still see the Synagogue, but only one level is opened to visitors.  One thing that I noticed though, was the Hebrew inscribed in the wall of the city, which I thought was pretty special to see.

In class we learned that the Jewish community had a good relationship with Jaume I because of the good navigation system the Jews had.  When the Jews were exiled from Spain in 1492, the Synagogue had been pretty much forgotten about until the 20th century.

After the Jewish quarter, we walked through the narrow streets of Barcelona and ended up in the Square Sant Felip Neri.  Like I said for my last field trip, I really enjoyed this because it was something that I might never have seen or know about.  Square Sant Felip Neri is an enclosed square that has only two entrances.  The church was built in 1750 to honor Sant Felip Neri, however in the 1930's it has a sad story.  Over 20 children were killed in a bombing raid that took place in 1938 because of Franco's raids.  Regardless of the awful events that occured in the Square of Sant Felip Neri, the church's facade is beautiful, and it is modeled after the baroque style.

I liked that in the narrow streets, Xavi pointed out little shops and cafes that are not usually known towards tourists.  I think that since it is my fifth week here, I should try and just get lost in the city of Barcelona and discovering what these narrow streets have to offer, instead of all of the touristy places I have been told about.  

Feliz Cumpleanos a mi y Futbol Americano

I honestly could not have asked for a better birthday weekend! It all started off with a "surprise" visit from my mom.  Well, it turned out to not be a surprise because the night before I left for abroad I had a meltdown because I could not fit everything into my suitcases and well the surprise was ruined (oops!).  Anyways, she flew in Wednesday morning and I was able to have a nice lunch with her, followed by running some errands.  I could not blow off all of my classes because I had a quiz in one and a field trip in another.  After classes, my mom finally got to see our lovely apartment.  I grabbed a few things from the apartment and went back to her hotel, The Mandarin Oriental (I highly suggest this hotel if your parents will ever be in Barcelona, beautiful, trendy rooms and such accommodating staff), because I heard the shower was amazing, and I definitely needed a good one!  We rested a little bit, and then got ready for our 22:30 dinner time.  At first, I thought my mom would be tired, but surprisingly she was cool with it.  If we were at home, she would probably be in bed by that time =).  When the clock struck 12, I was officially 21.  We started taking pictures (obviously) and toasted to a glass of wine.

After dinner, we said goodbye to my mom, and we went to Bling and then Sutton.  I had fun.  Maybe a little bit too much fun, but that did not stop me for doing a little retail therapy on Thursday.  I got up, took my time getting ready, and then eventually, my mom and I were off walking up and down Passeig de Gracia.  We got a few things, and then went to Las Ramblas to pick up little candy goody bags for the girls coming for the weekend.  I got back to my apartment, to be greeted by Hilary and Carly!! If you saw my itinerary for the weekend, yes Riana and I made an itinerary, you would know that Hilary and Carly were right on time.

Dinner on Thursday night was at the hip CDLC.  My mom took all 18 of us to dinner, but what she did not know when she made a reservation, was that there was a show that night.  The theme was "Red Light District" so I will let your imaginations run wild, because I am sure you can figure it out.  The show did not stop us from having a great time at dinner, eating great food, and yes, taking a lot of pictures.  After dinner, we headed next door to Opium.  We got there a little early (1am) and our table was not ready yet.  I think the London girls were confused because in London clubs close at 130, but in Barce, some do not even open until 130.  We finally got to our table, which was filled with champagne and sparklers, my mom even had a little sip! But then it was time to say bye to my mom because she had to be up in five hours for her flight.  I am soooo happy she came.  The night was still young, and we were there until 430.

Friday morning, according to the itinerary, consisted of brunch at Milk (really good) and then walking down Las Ramblas, stopping in La Boqueria, and then an afternoon snack at Bo de B.  I really think everyone enjoyed the day, and if you could not tell, we took a lot of pictures.  There are probably eight albums on Facebook now for you to see.  Friday night, Jacob came (wins the award for best PEARLSTEIN cousin this weekend) and we went to La Xina for dinner, and then after we went to Shoko.  Thank gd we had our own little table, because there were a lot of people trying to get in.  Becca even tried to kick a few out.

We got up Saturday morning (I let the girls sleep a little later) and went to Parc Guell and then to La Sagrada Familia.  Once again, we took a lot of pictures, and each time we took another picture we screamed RUSH VIDEOOOO...Jacob, being the only guy, probably wanted to kill himself.  We went back for siesta, and then went to dinner at Princesa 23 (a new favorite of mine).  After dinner, we tried to go to Chupitos (hoping someone would order the Monica Lewinsky) but it was too crowded, so we went to Dow Jones instead.

Sunday morning, I said goodbye to everyone, half asleep, and really could not have been happier to have had all of them here for the weekend.  Thank you to, and here are your shout outs, Carly, Hilary, Jess, Cally, Perri, Hayley, Becca, Jaclyn, Lauren, Lara, Jacob, and then Rott & Jordan, and especially Riana, Mattie, and my mom, for this weekend would not be possible without you guys.  Jeez, I felt like I just won an Oscar, hope I did not leave anyone out. (Ok, jokes, I know)

The weekend was not over...one last thing, I promise.  Sunday night we went to a sports cafe on Las Ramblas to watch the Super Bowl. We had a pool going, but I, of course, did not win anything, but it was pretty cool to watch the Super Bowl in Barcelona.  It would have been even cooler to watch the Super Bowl in Indianapolis, but that was something that my dad and brother got to enjoy.

Amsterdam this coming weekend, stay tuned...

xoxo

FIELD TRIP TO THE OLD ROMAN CITY

Last week we went on a field trip to the Old Roman City in Barcelona.  I am glad that we got to take this trip with my class, because I honestly do not know if I would have ever known about the old city walls of Barcelona.  I am currently enrolled in Barcelona Past & Present, a class that takes a look at Barcelona starting with the Romans and brings us up to the present.  My teacher, Xavier Alcon, really has a passion for talking about the material.  When taking us on the field trip, we met outside the metro stop Jaume I, and we walked around before looking at the old columns.  The area surrounding the old Roman city really has a lot of history, because today it is not very commercialized like the rest of Barcelona.  There are still the narrow streets, small shops for tapas and Catalan food, as well as, an old bakery.  It was also fashion week when we were on our field trip, so it was exciting for me to see them setting up for the shows outside!

When we walked into the area that contained the columns, I was surprised by how well in tact the columns were.  I stared up at the columns, and could not believe that they have been there for thousands, and thousands of years.  I included a picture that I snapped on my phone of the columns, so enjoy!

After looking at the columns, we then went down into a museum that contained the walls to the old Roman city.  We learned that the Roman symbol was a cross and that this was how they constructed their towns.  It was Christianity that adapted this symbol to be its own for their religion.  (Also something I never learned in any of my religion or history classes).

We took an elevator down into the Roman city and saw the remains of what once was a city thousands of years ago.  I think that we can all agree that the Romans were good engineers because everything is kept in tact so well.  They were even smart enough to know how to keep the clean water separate from the dirty water.  Another thing that the Roman's did was public baths.  I do not think that this would have been okay in today's culture, as we view privacy very differently than the Roman's did.

We ended our tour of the Roman city with the wine area.  Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, was word we learned on our tour.  The Romans had huge basins in their cities where they made the wine.  The city was very well thought out and had a clear system and order to it.

This past weekend, my friends and I returned to the Gothic area of Barcelona to visit the Jewish quarter. I cannot wait to go back to this on a field trip, because I do not remember the Jewish quarter in the Gothic area of Barcelona.