I've been so many places and done so many things that I can't even REMEMBER THEM. They are lost in the tin box in my brain labeled "Fun Things." This box contains many things: Skittles, snap-wrist bracelets, Beanie Babies, Bubble-yum, and the last few weeks.
So I've been to Prague, and I've (accidentally) been to Vienna. I've been to Florence and Rome (and Naples, briefly), and last weekend I was in Switzerland. This weekend is finals, and then we go to London and fly home. Here, how about I write something on each of those:
PRAGUE: Unfortunately, I did not buy any paraphernalia bearing the phrase "Czech Me Out," but I did buy a stuffed mole. Why? Oh, I will tell you why. I was passing a shop when I saw a T-shirt decorated with a strangely familiar cartoon mole. Hey, I thought. Who dat mole? Then, dear reader, I remembered. That mole was the star of a series of videos (appropriately titled "Mole") that my brother and I used to check (no pun intended) out from the library when we were little. It turns out that this was a Czech cartoon! I never would have guessed that as a little kiddo I was watching a cartoon from a country where I would one day visit and buy a stuffed replica of said cartoon star. My life has come full circle, and so soon.
Anyway, I also got a last-minute ticket to the Don Giovanni opera, which was pretty good except that I literally had the worst seat in the theatre and I eventually had to stop leaning over the railing to see because my neck had become so strained that my head actually rolled off my shoulders and plummeted into the crowd below. They had to stop the show for a few minutes so that someone could toss it back up.
A couple of nights later I went to the coolest club ever. It was so cool, man. You don't even know. First of all, the entry fee was about equivalent to 6 U.S. dollars. Second of all, the club consisted of five floors, all of which played different music. I didn't pay much attention to the first floor because it was particularly Euro-trashtastic, the second was techno (which I do not know how to dance to and I think I permanently scarred a particular German young man who witnessed my incessant karate-chopping and robot-ing). The third was some sort of classic rock floor on a terrific multicolored dance floor that reminded me of a Rubik's Cube. Fourth was hip-hop and fifth was the chillout/too drunk to function room. It was pretty great. Laura and I had the great idea of finding guys to buy us drinks, and the moment this thought occurred to us, two Serbian guys appeared before us like Genies and shook our hands. A lot of whispering transpired between the two guys, and they kept running off to go find money (classy!), but eventually Laura and I each had a shot of tequila in our hands. I asked "my" guy if he wanted to dance, and he said emotionlessly, "I don't dance," and promptly left, never to be seen again. Hey, thanks dude. Saved me the trouble of doing exactly that.
So that is Prague in a candy-coated shell. There were a few more museums and castles in there, but help me if I have to look at another altarpiece. NO DANK U WELL.
VIENNA: So, after an overnight train from Prague, we were supposed to spend a day in Venice. This did not happen, because our train was inexcusably late and we missed our connection. We couldn't get a train to Florence until 7 that night, so we decided to just explore Vienna. Vienna was very charming, but I didn't really notice because I was too busy being incredibly cold. So, while I appreciated Vienna, I did not enjoy it. I enjoyed the heated, cozy cafes in Vienna, however. But a picturesque freezer does not a fun time for Rachel make. Oh well. I'll try not to be too cranky about it.
FLORENCE: This place is small! Ashley and I walked and walked around, and refused to spend any money on museums. This means that I sadly missed seeing Michelangelo's David, but, you know, there is only so much original art that one can take. And I took a lot.
We ate our weight in gelato and then joined up with some other kiddos for a makeshift Thanksgiving dinner. It was only Wednesday but we had no plans for Thursday so it was the best we could do. We went to a delicious and cheap Italian restaurant and I had MORE MUSSELS. Oh man you guys. I love mussels. Especially over Italian pasta.
NAPLES: While I was napping, "we" decided to get up at an ungodly hour the next morning and head to Rome. After checking into our hostel, which was adorably named the Two Ducks and looked like a kindergarten classroom, we went back to the train station to go on to Naples. I don't know what we were expecting Naples to look like, but we weren't expecting it to look like a huge dumpster, which is indeed what it resembled. There was literally so much garbage in some areas that you couldn't see what was underneath. It was totally sketchy and gross and we instantly regretted coming. We got lost and finally found the train station and had our calendar-Thanksgiving dinner at a McDonalds. Ick. Also, if anyone else tries to argue with me that it wasn't a complete waste, that at least it was a different culture, I will smack them, preferably into a Naples ravine. Garbage is not culture. It is just garbage.
ROME: We spent two wonderful days in Rome. Oh Rome, I am so in love with you. The first day was clear and warm and gorgeous and we spent most of it wandering through ruins, in particular the Colloseum. We again ate our weight in gelato and ran into a zillion other Emerson kids at that one famous fountain, in which I indeed tossed coins over my shoulder.
The day after that we went to the Vatican, and unfortunately we did not get into St. Peter's Basilica because they were inducting a new cardinal, which you know really means hazing him and tying his underwear to the Pietà . Instead, then, we stood in line for a million years to get into the Sistine Chapel, which was amazing. Also confusing. It seemed like we were at the end of it because the rooms were turning into modern art displays, and we were all "Huh? Did we miss it? Where's the ceiling?" We did not miss it, though, and soon found ourselves in the extremely crowded Creation room, where guards kept screaming "SILENCIO!" and "NO PHOTO!" I got a photo, though. Pbbbblllllt.
SWITZERLAND: The next weekend, fifteen of us went to Switzerland, which was incrediblllllle. The first day a few of us went paragliding, which was terrifying and beautiful. I got to go at sunset which was particularly amazing. The day after, we headed to the mountains to go snowboarding and skiing, and while I'm as horrible at snowboarding as I remember, it was still great. We went to thermal baths after that, which was literally on the mountainside. That night, we did wine tasting, which was educational and delicious but it was also just a lot of wine. I spilled some on my hands, and, because we did not have any soap, I ended up smelling like a wino for the entire trip back. Nice. Just another day in my classy life.
It's almost time to come home, which is sad, but I am also ready to leave. I miss home and I need to get away from here so that I can really appreciate my time here. I want to come back, definitely, but I have no idea when I will be able to do that. There are so many places I still want to see: Spain, Luxemburg, Greece, Ireland, Berlin, Venice, to name a few. Maybe I will become independently wealthy sometime soon and can travel back. Or wait, I'll marry rich. That makes more sense.
Gross, a ladybug just landed on my screen. There are so many ladybugs here. I had to vacuum up about a hundred of them because they were all over my luggage. Gross, now it is on my keyboard, right on the "D." It bounces every time I type "D." Ew. Alright I better go now and get ready for our Chanuka celebration and one last night at the local bar. Bleh it's making it's way to the "R." Now it's caught between two keys and kicking its feet. Okay so long bug. And readers. Tot ziens.
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