9/1/09 cont.

My day got better! I realized I shouldn't dwell on the bad stuff so I did like my dad says, "Be a duck, let it roll of your back." I went to my second class and absolutely LOVED it! Its Prague Art and Architecture and is really more like a history class with field trips! I learned all about the "legendary" and "historical" version of how Prague was settled. Ill give a brief synopsis.

Legend: Grandfather Czech, not his real name (I can't remember that because I don't have my notebook with me), led his tribe from Ukraine to Bohemia (the area of what was Czechoslovakia) to settle down. He found a mountain (again don't have the name) that was surrounded by seven other mountains and said we shall settle here! So then he died and his son Krok took the lead and further settled the tribes. So Grandfather Czech is the symbol of "the source" or "the starter" (that's what his real Czech name meant) and Krok is the symbol of progress and settlement. When Krok died his daughter took control. She had the power of prophecy. The elders didn't like this because she was a women, big surprise. She visioned that she would marry a plow worker so she sent messengers to find the man in her vision. They married and started the first Czech dynasty. Prague is named after the daughter and her husband. She received another vision while on cliff and pointed to the place where Prague castle would be built. The words she said is a national creed and this story is played out in an Opera two times a year: Oct 28 (Czech independence from Austria-Hungary rule) and Jan 1 (Independence from Czechoslovakia). And all Czech students take a national pilgrimage to the mountain that Grandfather Czech declared the tribes would settle. I want to go see the opera and the mountain!

Historical: Slovic tribes settled in the area in the 6th century. Tribes got bigger and more settled and some prominent families emerged by the 9th century. Prague castle was built as a wooden fortress in the 10th century. In the 1200s Christianity came to the tribes. This meant the beginning of written records and further settlement. By 1230 Old Town was settled by German immigrants and all the tribes moved in side the city walls. Then the city became more trade oriented and Charles the 4th really modernized it by the late 1300's (I think...I wish I had my notebook!) The Germans really brought in the trade economy but it was Charles who made Prague an international city. On a side note, I walked by this cute farmers market in Old Town the other day and bought some grapes to eat while I walked. I learned today that this was the first market the Germans established in 1232! Its the same market today!

The Jewish community has a very interesting and different history which I will tell another time.

After my class, which I LOVE! (my teacher is great too) I got home and walked around the ENTIRE city with Mikela. We walked to a park that was way up on a hill that had a fantastic view! We sat there and talked for a good 10 min before moving on. Oh and there is an awesome "beer garden" at the top where there are about 50 picnic tables and a big screen TV with soccer on it! We are going back tomorrow night after dinner with some of the other people we have met.

Then we walked around and over to Old Town. We found one of the 13 towers that were Prague's original guard tower(from 1230, there are two left) and went up. It was such a small spiral staircase completely enclosed in brick, no windows! It was so scary and dangerous but we were laughing the whole time.

Then we walked through old town to the Jewish quarter and saw the oldest Synagogue in Europe along with the museum and cemetery. We just saw the outside but will tour everything some other time and make a day trip out of it. The cemetery is the coolest, saddest and oldest thing I think I have seen in my life. I will dedicate a different entry to it sometime.

Then we walked up another huge hill to the biggest park I have seen! We didn't go all the way through it but, again the view was just amazing. I can't even describe it and pictures do not do it justice! I fear Prague is like the Grand Canyon. You may think its cool in pictures but you really cannot get the feel or entire experience of it unless you see it yourself.

We then walked down around the Charles river, looking at the artists painting and paddle and row boats boating as the sun was setting. It was amazing. Then we saw another "beer garden" right down by the river and stopped for a beer. A guy was playing a guitar and it was just perfect! I absolutely love it here!

We then made our way back home and realized the internet isn't working AGAIN...it is very frustrating. So I am at the internet cafe again where all you have to do is buy a beer to use the wifi...excellent to me!

Tomorrow we are going to go paddle boating and then to the first beer garden we found. I also plan on working out. We walked for 5 hours today!

Well that's enough for now. Oh and I found milk (1% but I can deal) and a gym! My life is complete :)