Emik was in Prague 04/05

05-08-15 Masarkas pictures

2005-08-15T22:32:00.000+02:00

Part of going abroad is to meet new people and to make new friends. I met a lot of people and made a lot of new friends. On this slideshow are the pictures took in Masarykova kolej, my dorm, with my friend either in their room or somewhere in the kolej. Often it was for parties or just to hangout beside a beer or even better, gluwine, hot wine. Enjoy and smile like I smile when I look at them.

05-08-15 Flaties pictures

2005-08-15T22:25:00.000+02:00

In the previous were the pictures of Prague, but you know a lot also happen in our flat. I want to show you some weird, funky and sometimes bad pictures… Also here are my roommate and flatmates that I had for the year. Amazing they were, as high as I respect and like them, I am posting those pictures in regards to them.

05-08-15 Prague pictures

2005-08-15T22:09:00.000+02:00

Dobry den everybody, some days ago I came back from my trip around Eastern Europe and, my exchange year also came to an end.. ☹ So in the last few days I have made a selection of my favorite picture of Prague actually. Since in all the previous post you see everything that I have done but where I mainly past my days, Prague. This beautiful, majestic, amazing and nothing less than gorgeous city, which I fell in love with. Unfortunately it is already being really popular for European tourist, so you really should hurry to go there and try to not go there during the really peak of the tourist season, I hear it is so crowed that planes can’t land!!!!! So enough about my love and enjoy the mighty Praha.

05-08-05 Marcel at Celnice

2005-08-05T11:36:00.000+02:00

05-06-17 The trip start today!

2005-07-12T22:11:00.000+02:00

So for the next few months, I won't write on this blogue since it is about Prague and I am leaving for a trip around Eastern Europe. I don't know for sure exactly where I will go but, we know we star with Croatia and the city of Split, them well I'll keep you inform. To know about this trip go to Eastern Europe trip and I hope you'll enjoy it. See you back here soon. Mani

05-06-16 GoodBye Flat Party

2005-06-16T18:00:00.000+02:00

Like the title says, this is the goodbye party of our flat. In fact the next morning we have to be in the train FOR CROATIA!!!!! Jupiiii like they say in Czech. What we did was, just invite all of our friends. I didn’t realize how many friend I had made before they were most of them there. I was really incredible party. It was even going on in the corridor of the dorms. Lucky us we were in the last floor so the security didn’t bother us until late, but I mean really late. So we they came we just went out in some bar. I think I slept this night something like 3 hours. And then we had to get our backpack on out back and get going to the train station!

And now some special words, ya it will be cheesy, and probably really
First of all, to all my friend thank you, those who are know it and if you read this it is probably because you are a friend. Thanks so many time for the greatest year that I have passed with you. I mean it and that’s why I am writing it here. This year will be one that I’ll remember all my life for sure, but not only in general but every small detail. And you’ll always be somewhere in my mind. I promise. I also hope to see all of you again one day and that on that day we’ll celebrate our reunion!

So enough,... IT was one of the best nights I ever had, to see all of the friends from the semester and the one that I made outside the ERASMUS circle and to have the chance to say good bye, now the real challenge will be to keep in touch. That is always the hardest part. Anyway even if we talk once in a month it doesn’t mean we don’t care…. For sure more than once in a month I’ll think of you, since you all made a great and unalterable mark on my life which I’ll cherish on and on….

So we lived happy ever after

Ciao ciao and see you soon….

05-06-04 Muzeni Noc

2005-06-04T17:42:00.000+02:00

The fourth of June was a special night in Prague, it was Culture night. Most of the museum and other touristy attraction were open late. I went to see a modern photography exhibition à the Rudolfinum and than I met with my friend and we went in the tower of the Charles Bridge which closed usually during the night. So we were able to see Prague by night from a close point of view. As you can see from the picture it was beautiful. We had some bottle of wine to, that me and Max brought back from Hungary so we took then and open them and drink it while we were walking around in Prague. Beautiful Europe were we can drink in the streets and enjoy the town with friends!!!! There was special exhibition all around Prague, there was some electronic music and light show in front of the National museum quite nice. We then wanted to go see inside the museum but it was about to close so we couldn’t make it. So that it… It is almost time to leave Prague. Ho no I’ll get sentimental… not now…

05-05-26 Boat Party

2005-05-26T23:27:00.000+02:00

Remember the tram party, well this semester it was a boat party, so we went on a boat and made huge party, the theme was angel and devil. So we had to get costume on this theme. It was a really nice party a hell lot of people. One down side is that some people don’t know how to do party and so some people thrown table and glasses in the river!!!! Crazy people…. But beside that I was great and it was the opportunity to see everybody one last time before the end of the semester. So we saw the sunset on the Vltava, what an amazing view. And a great party what more can I say.

05-05-22 Marco birthday

2005-05-22T22:21:00.000+02:00

Marco my good Italian friend was doing his birthday at the summer house of his girlfriend. So we brought nice Czech beer, steaks and we had a really nice barbeque and wood fire afterwards. It was a great day. Some of our good friends were there and it was nice to see them and Czech Republic nature is just great.

05-05-20 Climbing Trip

2005-05-20T22:16:00.000+02:00

So this semester again we went in a climbing trip. At the same place, well we weren’t staying at the same hostel, but the weather was really better. We went climbing on sand stone outside and because one of my friend had his birthday I had to come back earlier so I didn’t went in the rock city, but I went there last semester so, but you can still se the picture from the people. This time we had more beginner people so we done some easy stuff, but still it was amazing. Well it is only that. Enjoy.

05-05-16 Cesi do Toho!!!

2005-05-16T22:11:00.000+02:00

So Canada lost the World Cup but Czech Republic won. And me and Gerd went to Staro meska namesty to welcome the team back, dressed with our proper jersey, Czech Team. It was jam pack with people screaming stuff in Czech, like we are the champion or go! Czech go! And other stuff that we could understand.

05-04-28 Canada Vs. Czeska Republica

2005-04-28T22:02:00.000+02:00

You remember the World Championship in September that Canada. IT was going on in Czech Republic. Well this is friendly game of Team Czech against team Canada, In preparation for the World cup. Like you know we won the World Championship but lost the World Cup, such a shame.

05-04-23 Graz

2005-04-23T21:45:00.000+02:00

Do you remember of Sebastian, Rene, Marina and Simone that I used to talk about so much? Me and Gerd decided to pay them a visit in Graz. So we took the train and Graz here we go. It was the second time I went to Graz, I went there with my father some year ago. But still it was nice to see the town again and to have private guide. So we visited the town. But it was really nice to see my friend again. We were staying at Sebastian place, where his parents as really well decorate the house a lot of handcraft by them. One night we went out and Sebastian lent me his camera, he shouldn’t, I took like a thousand or more pictures!!!! So the next day we went outside Graz in part of Austria that produce wine, so we did some wine tasting, I mean proper wine tasting with some food. We also visited an old castle in ruin in which wine was growing, yes can grow out of the ground didn’t you know that? And not to forget bought a really nice bag!!! I really had a lot of fun seeing my friend again. I hope I’ll see them again….

05-04-20 Kanak Presentation

2005-04-20T22:42:00.000+02:00

Like last semester we made an other country presentation. This time we were more so we made some food like Shepard pie This time it was Canada and Great Britain presentation, we presented our countries one after the other. This time I didn’t do as much as last time. The presentation was a success and student really liked it. Take a look.

05-04-02 Cesky Krumlov & Hluboka

2005-04-02T07:57:00.000+02:00

This time we went to the castle of Hluboka and the magnificent town of Cesky Krumlov. This was a trip organized by ISC, the wonderful people that have organized most of our trip during the whole year. Thank you very much. So first we made a stop to the nice castle of Hluboka. This is one of the only castles that actually look like a castle. You know like we usually imagine it. Big and strong!!!! Unfortunately we couldn’t take any picture inside but as I remember it was beautiful and full of wood. Then we proceed to the town of Cesky Krumlov, which I most say after Prague this is probably the second most beautiful town in Czech Republic. If fact I found it really similar to Prague but really more small. We were staying a little bit out of town in something that looks like a trucker rest place only it was small houses. Just look at the really women picture we had in our house and…. Or at the nice beds. Anyway we can’t complain it was nice beside that it was cold. If it would have been too much comfortable it would be call travel. So we arrive in the afternoon, we ate and then we went for an evening visit of the town. Basically, looking for a pub... We found one, had fun, dance and went back on foot to the hostel with a beautiful night sky over our head with lots of stars!!! The next day we had a visit with a guide which said a lot of stuff, Interesting… but you know guide stuff. Twelve thousand date, say all the type of architectures, I would like to remember all but it is impossible. One last thing there is a special thing there, which is a circular outside theater. That is characteristic of the communist era. The public would sit on benches the can rotate when the action is somewhere else.

05-03-30 Prague Julie-Mariline

2005-03-30T02:41:00.000+02:00

Two of my friend from school came to visit me... They had finish their bachelor and was doing a trip to celebrate and they decided to visit me. They are so sweet!!! I try to show them a little bit of Prague, but you know school.... But anyway we had a great time togheter...

05-03-24 Hongrie

2005-03-24T08:21:00.000+01:00

Me and Max went to Hungary. Max knew a girl, she went to Canada as a primary school exchange with his primary school, so he got in touch with her and we went to visit her, Budapest and her family for Easter. It was really interesting how other country celebrate Easter, they do have tradition. Not the Cadbury one!!! So first we took an over night bus from Prague to Budapest and we arrive at 6 am I think. So she came to pick us up and we went to her flat. We made a small nap and then we went to visit. We also met one of her friend, she showed us the town a little bit. We went to take some wine we even went out in a salsa club. Budapest is a beautiful city, like Prague but I think it is a little bit dirtier. And since Hungarian is really similar to Finish language, my ears still have to get used to it. But still, one of the best aspects of the town is their bridge. And the old part, the castle and the huge Parliament. I think it is the biggest gothic building in the world. Really amazing. So we visited Budapest and we then went to Eger, her home town to celebrate Easter in her family. When we arrive we visited Eger, it is small but charming. During this stay at her family house, I never ate that much in my life. Her family is really charming. Ya I forgot to say even she didn’t really practice French since she came in Canada during her primary school she still knew French really well. So since her family didn’t really know English and less French , also Czech wasn’t helpful (Hungarian is really a different root) she was doing the translation for us. So the Sunday of Easter we woke up and then ate. The tradition in Hungary, is that the guys make a visit to the girls of the family and close friend. Everybody is really well dressed. So most of her friend/cousin/uncle came to visit her and at there arrival they splash the girls, the tradition is with water but they do it also with perfume. It should bring health and wealth. And of course everybody stayed and ate and drank wine. It is one of my best souvenirs, I will never forget how nice, warmful and charming her and her family was.

Easter in Czech republic

They do something really similar to the people in Hungary, instead of spraying perfume they hit the girl with a stick. It should be a special stick from a young bush. The girls are hiding from the boys and the boys try to find the girl and hit them. They do that when they are young probably because guys are not that strong… And the stick should bring too health and wealth to the girl…

05-03-05 Daphne-Claire Prague

2005-03-05T02:35:00.000+01:00

My little sister came to visit me with one of her friends, what a nice thing. I showed her a little bit of Prague but i think in the end what she liked the most was the club and party.... I didn't saw her since i left so it was nice that she came.

05-02-16 BerlinTrip

2005-02-16T07:38:00.000+01:00

Achtung Baby!!! After the beautiful and nice, not to mention humid Amsterdam, I went alone to visit Berlin. I arrive there during the day. I didn’t reserve any hostel, but some of my friend had told me about one, so I just went there and ask if they had room. Fortunately for me they had, the only downside is that I would have to change room everyday…. Anyway I took it. And so I was off to visit… I mostly walked around, it is a beautiful city and best of it I was there during the Berlinale. But there was no more interesting ticket. Berlin is really a big city and I tough it felt well after all those small cities that I visited in the past months. One really interesting exhibition that I saw was the Topology of Terror, which was free but outside, it was really cold when I was there. I was going in cafes every 3 to 4 hours. I also went out in some club, I most say that Berlin has a really interesting night life. I went to a club call Tresor, which is in an old bank vault, to get in you have to pass bay a parking lot and then knock on a big old steel door. Then the bouncer open and let you in. What is interesting is that on the table to pay the cover, beside some sandwiches there was something looking like ecstasy pills!!!! Then I also met really interesting encounter, some Australian and also the brother of a friend of mine. He was a student of my school and while I was in Prague he was in Paris for an exchange. We met by a really unusual way. The last day that I changed room, I enter my room and there was some people making a nap. So has I enter one of the two guys get up and start talking with me. So I figure by the accent that they speak French, has we start to speak French the other guy which had a hood over his eyes sit in his bed and say I know him. And so it was that guy which I know from school. The world is really small and so we passed the evening together and finished it which a nice drink at Café de republic a really nice bar!

05-02-13 Amsterdam

2005-02-13T19:53:00.000+01:00

Me and the Kanack decided to go to Amsterdam. In fact went to London before and we joined at the hostel. I took the train from Prague to there it took me a hell lot of time, less than when I went to Montpellier but still. I am happy to have taken a Eurail pass… With the distances that I covered it would be really more expensive. So we stayed there for four days. I visited of course……… the brewery Heineken, the Van Go museum. I must say that it is quite an interesting city but I doubt that it is representative of the whole country. It is such a tourist city. Also I think they have put the concept of liberty a little bit too far. I think it is alright to window shop for clothes, put not for prostitute. You know you see a nice or ugly piece of clothe, you might think: those pants are nice or sexy or I don’t know what more, it is the same with whore, you make judgment on their physical and you basically buy the one that you like the most, like you would buy any object. I guess that what I don’t like about who libertine tough are implemented in Amsterdam is the way prostitute advertise themselves, like object instead of like human… Also people that live in Amsterdam are really fucktop, I would say disconnected, maybe too much easy going. But I most also say that it is a beautiful city! All to channels boat and bicycles… Ho my god, so many bicycles, locked on every fence!!!! You most see this city.

05-02-09 Emanuel Birthday

2005-02-09T19:15:00.000+01:00

So it is my birthday….. My thoughtful friend made me a tyramitsu, with pineapple! And my other friend brought me a special cake, a Sacher torte. It was delicious! Thanks to all!

05-02-06 Sazka Arena

2005-02-06T19:11:00.000+01:00

Today, new student from my school arrived. They will be called Kanack…. Since some of my friend had left and so some of my flatmate, there was free places. They took those places, so now they are my new flatmate. So we passed from a flat governed by German language to French language, isn’t it nice? Well poor Gerdie!!!! So today we went to eat near the dorm and then we went to a ice hockey match in Sazka arena the new arena.. ya that you already saw before… So here again some pictures.

05-02-05 Stana Party Radotin

2005-02-05T18:53:00.000+01:00

One of my nicest friends from Prague, ya she is!! Made a party at her place, so me and my friend went there. We had quite a lot of fun! We had vodka orange juice I think for about 5 can$, beautiful Cz Republic… So we dance talk, there was also some of her friend witch we didn’t know, so we had a lot of fun. Beside the fact the she live in Radotin wicht is next to the far ass of Prague, it was nothing less to expect with nice people like that!

05-02-01 NaSlamniku

2005-02-01T22:30:00.000+01:00

The best Czech restaurant is NaSlamniku. It is near Masarykova dorm and when you enter before even getting a place of have a half-liter beer in your hand. So cheerful! Also there is sometime the funniest, and nicest garage band playing we had a lot of fun going their and not to mention that they have really good Czech food. This time we went there to celebrate because Sebastian was leaving. He was my first Erasmus friend and I really like him, nice friend to talk, he has a lot of culture and he is great fun to party with. So I really regret him. And missing him… So we had a great meal, eat a lot has you should when you eat Czech.

05-02-01 HCSparta VS SLavia

2005-02-01T22:25:00.000+01:00

As I think I already said it, Prague has two soccer teams and two hockey teams, so much for Montreal hein! So this was a game between the two team of Prague, has you can see it was full. It was in the stadium of Sparta it is an old stadium, because the other team has a new competition class stadium, where the last world championship September 2004 took place. Also, well I don’t think hockey picture are so interesting, but you’ll see how much advertisement there is. And by they way, they probably need all of those advertisement because it is so cheap, something like 6 CAN$ for a really good place and a lot of fun!

As usual enjoy!

05-01-23 Snow Ball Fight Mk

2005-01-23T18:55:00.000+01:00

It was the first big snow fall and a lot of the Erasmus student of Masarykova dorm and Sinkule dorm, just gather in front of Masarykova the have a big snow fight. I was marvelous. We were like children again!! As you can see it was the 23 of January… Snow is later here than in Montreal but they have some, less in Prague but in the surrounding they have a lot. The night before, we went out in a flat party. And when we came back by tram it was snowing humongous snow flake and we made a little snow fight while waiting for the tram. What a beautiful way to end a night. My Canadian roots were all happy and I was smiling. I missed snow a little bit. You know bad weather is less bad when there is snow!

05-01-15 LatinoPles

2005-01-15T18:48:00.000+01:00

One really nice tradition that is present here, I should say in Europe in general, is balls. At the end of the semester usually in January, all of the universities are making a ball with a different them each. Our was latino, it was big, in the several conference room of the dorm prepared for tradition dancing. I am making a difference here because it is also in their custom to learn dancing like waltz, rock, etc when they are in high school. In fact they take course to prepare for the prom. I think it is something that we should do also, ya we sometime have balls but they are far from the class that they do. Everybody is really well dress and beautiful. Also we should start to learn other dance than the mix Euromerican one that we dance in club. Anyway, I must say that I love ball, we all become gentleman again and women are pleased by the good manner…

05-01-09 Yamen Birthday

2005-01-09T06:44:00.000+01:00

Those are the picture of the birthday of one of our friend, Yamen. We were celebrating in his flat on the second floor until the security from the dorm, came several time because of a %$/& guy bellow… So anyway we went to my flat on the fifth floor, very far from the security. :)

05-01-01 Fireworks Letna

2005-01-01T11:06:00.000+01:00

The day after the St-Sylvester, ya the first day of the year…. There were fireworks organized by the city in the park near the dorms, Letna. We went their, we were a little bit tired of the day before, but the fireworks were beautiful. Sebastian did a great job to take those beautiful pictures, with really nice and vibrant colors.

04-12-31 Silvester Prague

2004-12-31T08:08:00.000+01:00

So here we are New Years Eve, or Sylvester. I think that Prague is the best place to celebrate Sylvester. You’ll see on the picture. One of my friends from Montréal came to visit me during this time and we had a lot of fun together. So for this special day we first had a diner with all of our friends, we made it in the corridor of one of our flat, the flats are too small for the number of people that we were. Then we went to see the fireworks at midnight from Letna park. And finally, there was a huge party at Masarykova, I must saw that at the time of the party I almost don’t remember a thing; we started party soon, so…. Anyway I was great. For diner we had huge keg of wine and Sebastian and Marco cook a wonderful meal. Then the fireworks were amazing. Just imagine, a whole city blowing up of fireworks from people in the streets. Everywhere that you look, you see bright colors and here a lot of bang… Most of them were coming from the Old town square. It will be one of the greatest memories that I will bring back from Prague for sure.

04-12-24 Noel at Montpellier

2004-12-24T07:55:00.000+01:00

What is nice about studying abroad is to travel. So I bought a Euro-Rail pass for 3 countries, France, Germany and Benelux (Belgium, Netherland and Luxemburg). For Christmas I went to see some friends of mine from Montréal. What a nice time it was, especially to see them again. I passed Christmas with them. It was weird a little bit to not have all my family but I still liked it. So I went to MontPellier, in fact she lives in Clermont L’Héraux, but Montpellier is the biggest closest town. We went to some lake near by, I think it is called Salagon. We had great meal etc… To get there I spent 20hours in the train. It was of course overnight train, so it wasn’t that bad but something that I found really funny happened during the trip. One of the passengers was definitively a soldier. When I saw him, he was sitting right next to a girl and at that moment I tough about those American movies where the soldiers always get the girl…. Well he did, it was funny to see that it is reality :) . After Christmas I went back to Prague for New Years Eve.

04-12-16 Tram Party

2004-12-16T07:32:00.000+01:00

So I guess you are wondering what a tram party could be. No we don’t just go to a tram stop and make a party there… We rent tree or more trams and do a party inside them, and best of all, we even had drivers to move us all around town, crossing Vaslavske Namesty and going all around Prague. This was the best and biggest party I saw here in Prague. Despite the fact that I didn’t had diner before because I had an exam and I was almost late for the departure. But I made it…. Just look at the picture you’ll see how debauchery it was. Ho ya I forgot to tell, it was free beer too. This party is also the fair well party for those that are leaving, to tell them that they will miss us and to exchange contacts. A great party and hard party….

04-12-07 Walters Flat Diner

2004-12-07T07:01:00.000+01:00

So this night we had diner at Walter flat instead of the diner that we usually do in our flat. We played Uno, what an amazing game, nice food, wine, friends and UNO!!! to change of Mikado that we were playing at the beginning of the term. That is what I like the most from my time here, to share nice meals whit friends talk about everything. It is really enjoyable and especially with them they are so nice. Ok enough for now I’ll get sentimental.

04-11-26 Dresden

2004-11-26T07:12:00.000+01:00

Now this was nice. My roommate is German and he is from Dresden. We went to Dresden for 3 days and we were quite occupied. First we visited the town. It was all rebuild after it was destroyed to the ground by allies during the world war. We also went in an architecture party that was taking place in the whole faculty (unfortunately I don’t have picture of this party). Just one word amazing, imagine walking in corridors and at the intersection there is a dance floor or best, a dance floor in a class room or in a lab. Wonderfull. Then we visited the town during the day, really nice they have rebuild it like it was. WE also saw the Semper opera, this is definitively something to see so gorgeous. Then we went to the Volkswagen glass factory where they produce only one kind of luxury car, I don’t remember. What is special about this factory is that there is not really any wall, or better to say they are made of glass, so you can see la the process of building it. Really nice, we even drove it, in a simulator but it was interesting. Then of course we finish it whit a party, it was a house warming party of a friend of my roommate. During this trip we all had a great time, eating Döner (Turkish food, really cheap) and visiting.

04-11-25 Bouldering

2004-11-25T06:58:00.000+01:00

One thing that I have started in Prague is rock climbing. I had done some before but I never got really in to it. And since Czech Republic is known for this or at least a lot of people practice it I equipped myself and me Gerd and Simone were doing a lot of bouldering, which is climbing without rope (Ya we were kinda of extreme) but bouldering is not really high and there is a big puffy mattress under us. So no risk! Also a nice thing about it is to see girls climbing; anyway I let you dreaming on this image and to look at them. The images, not the girls bias mind!!!

04-11-23 Sparta vs Fenerbahce

2004-11-23T06:53:00.000+01:00

So this was the last Champions League match that Prague was playing. I saw it and they lost. From what I was told they have a good team but all the game I saw from them the lost…. So I went there with some of my really good friend and some friend of them. You see it was the 23rd of November. It was freezing, I had my winter jacket. I wouldn’t want to play and to fall on the frozen grass.

Ciao

04-11-17 November 17th

2004-11-17T08:07:00.000+01:00

I am kinda a new kid Kodak. Since I left I discovered photography and I like it. So those pictures are about a remembering of a manifestation that was strongly repressed by the police. The students were manifesting against the communism and they got beaten by the police, so now every year students are going in the street in a symbol of evolving…

04-11-14 PizzaParty

2004-11-14T08:02:00.000+01:00

Now this is interesting, me Sebastian, Marco, Grant, Gerd and Yamen had quite a lot of fun together. We also made often diner in our flat where we invited a lot of people, we were often 8 in our little microscopic flat and having a wonderful meal done by our 2 chief cook Seppi and Marco, we, the other were merely helping and hope to not spoil their work! But every time it was great. And we had so much fun. So this night we decided to make Italian pizza. Marvelous, see for your selves:

04-11-12 Doris Geburstag

2004-11-12T07:57:00.000+01:00

What more can I say about those, it was the party of Doris a German girl and we all went to the club of Strahof, the dormitory to have fun. She made sangria, which we drank before going there, but her recipe is a little bit different than mine. She put absinth in it. So we had a lot of fun and I had the chance to practice my Czech again I talk to some Czech girl, let say that the communication was really hard and we never saw each other again fortunately. If party picture interest you…. Help yourself:

04-11-10 Can_Fr Presentation

2004-11-10T22:38:00.000+01:00

One aspect of ISC (International student club) is to promote the contact with different culture. To do that, they propose to each student of a country to make a presentation about their country. Ours was today. Me and Geneviève made something, for only two person it is quite a lot of work but we succeeded to do something usually people make also food but we decided not to…. We were making our presentation with the French, so you’ll see French flag in the pictures. So look at those pictures where we taught a little bit about Canadian culture.

04-10-31 Krikova Fontana

2004-10-31T07:52:00.000+01:00

Those picture are from a light and music show that we saw in Prague. The music was the one of Smetana, the Valtava (Moldau) and Muj Vlast (My country). The picture are really nice, but kind of redundant, always fountain. But the show was a nice experience to see.

04-10-22 Moravian trip

2004-10-22T07:50:00.000+02:00

This trip was probably the one with the one in Adrspach that I liked the most. We visited the beautiful city of Telc, which is protected by the UNESCO. We went to a wine cellar, to taste the nice Moravian wine, which is all right. It was a really hard night, because we went after that in a bar and continued to drink… The day after the organizer bring us at the top of a hill to see the town where we were, Mikulov. With the mist of that morning it was gorgeous. Then we went to some caves, where I felt like entering a fantasist world, especially when we emerge in a hole that we could see the sky, it was like if we were in middle earth, and we could see fairies…. Please have a look:

04-10-19 Champion League: AcSparta VS Manchester

2004-10-19T07:44:00.000+02:00

So here again was the second game of the Champion League that my friend saw. It is the only one that I didn’t saw… But, all of my closest friend where there. It was Sparta against Manchester, unfortunately they lost…

04-10-13 Adrspach Climbing trip

2004-10-13T07:38:00.000+02:00

Now this was beautiful. Adrspach, is and place in the north of Czech Republic, a place of predilection for climbers to climb on sand stone and it is also there that Rock city is. Imagine sand stone pillar so huge!! And you at the bottom. Amazing!! So we went climbing on the easy ones and we also walk in the rock city. We also have done some hiking; we took the train to scaly mesto (rock city) and then walked our way back. On the way we saw amazing belvedere and panorama. My god this is what I prefer to date of Czech Republic. Even Czech girl don’t match with this place. Ok it is also there country so they can’t be in competition… Often I was amazed by the panorama… Anyway, look at the picture and see for your selves.

04-10-09 Therezin

2004-10-09T06:32:00.000+02:00

Today, Saturday, I went to Therezin. What is it? It was the biggest transit camp of Jews during the Second World War. It is an underground fortress so it is really hard to say it size. During the Hapsburgs reign it was used as a politician prison. And there was also a Jews ghetto. So we visited it, we saw the dorms, the bathroom that was never used by the prisoners. There was one of my German friend with us and I remember he told me that it was hard for him and that even his grand parents don’t understand why he go she those places. I think that a lot are still ashamed of what happened. I don’t find that fair since the German youth is not responsible for all of that and yet they are still paying the price. Here look at the pictures…. Nothing to say more.

04-09-28 Champions League - AC Sparta VS Olympique Lyon

2004-09-28T23:09:00.000+02:00

Everybody knows that Europe is about soccer. Well in Czech Republic it is also true. Even if Hockey is as popular. So after watching my really first soccer game in a pub with Konstanin and Seppi. They ask me if I would like to go to some of the World Championship game of AC Sparta. So Today was the first game Ac Sparta against Olympique Lyon. Even if soccer picture are not really interesting you’ll see some of my friends. What was funny is since the rival team if from France they translated everything from Czech to French. So I in return translated what they said in English. I almost forgot to mention the most important. It was my first soccer game in a stadium. We were beside the Sparta fan box and I have to say that there is a lot of action and supporting from the fans. It is really fun to see those guy singing shouting and drinking of course… (

Enjoy and see you soon!

04-09-25 Kutna Hora & Kostnice

2004-09-25T11:52:00.000+02:00

So today guess what it is still raining. But anyway, we challenge the bad weather and go to our trip to Kutna Hora and Kostnice. First we arrive at Kostnice, or in English the bone church. Yah, nice name no? Of course it is called like that because it is made from bones. You’ll see it on the pictures. If I remember well, their was either a war or an epidemic and the cemetery was full so they put the bones of the dead inside the church and made those chandelier and pile of bones like an hotel. Talking about the chandelier, in it there is at least one bone of every bone in it. Disgusting right! But I found it quite amazing and some what beautiful. After looking at the cemetery outside we take the bus again to go to Kutna Hora, which it an old rich mining town.

Kutna Hora was the most prosper when there was still mine of mint but after it became less influent and left alone. Although, as you can see on the picture it is quite charming and it would be more if it wouldn’t rain! But anyway enjoy the picture. I forgot to mention that it is a UNESCO protected city. In it you can see a beautiful cathedral but it never was finished. It is called St. Barbara’s Cathedral. It is a gothic cathedral but that was redecorated in baroque style. Then later they uncover the hidden panting on the wall and now it is a mix I between. But it was nice to see the old painting directly on the walls and the really amazing ceiling. We also visit the mining museum which is really interesting. It was a very imported town so a lot of Czech history is related to it. It is also very beautiful and old building and old architecture.

Look at the picture and see for your self!

04-09-23 Guided tour of Prague

2004-09-23T13:02:00.000+02:00

So today is the guided tour of Prague. I am not sure if I’ll go, since it is raining, and a lot… Haaaaa. I’ll go I will learn so much. So we visits all the tourist attraction (Prague castle, Charles Bridge, St Vitus cathedral,…), the guide tell us so many date, architecture style. I mean how can-you remember all that stuff... I wish I could it is so interesting to understand how when and why things are there...

04-09-22 Big Welcome Party

2004-09-22T23:45:00.000+02:00

To night is the first party that is only a party, so we have to celebrate it.. No? And since school is suppose to start next week, no worries!!!

04-09-22 Karlovy Vary & Krivoklat Orientation week trip

2004-09-22T16:33:00.000+02:00

So today Wednesday, it is a cloudy day :( . I think it will be like that for all the week. It is not nice to visit under the rain… /$&&?*$ Autumn! So I am going to Krivoklat hrad (Krivoklat castle). I was a king residence, one that stayed there was Franc-Joseph, the husband of Sissy. I was also used as jail for politic prisoners. You’ll see the torture instrument on one picture. On the way there I could look at the nice and beautiful Czech landscape. I found it similar to the Quebec one. I guess that trees and hills always look the same at some point. We first go to the castle, it is early in the morning (ok not that much but still before noon!!) We arrive there and meet with guide (she have a funny accent in English), we visit it. What can I say more.. Look at the picture they talk for themselves. Afterward we are going to Karlovy Vary. This city is renowned for its thermal springs. It is raining now… :( It is a beautiful small town. A lot of nice houses along the river, they are in different color. Also it is from there that come the palicinky, the original one and the nice and loved herbal liquor Bechorovka. With it you do a Beton (Becherovka and tonic). I will miss that drink… I would say that it is a picturesque town, like most of them, even the big one are amazingly beautifully picturesque.

04-09-21 2nd Informative Meeting and party :)

2004-09-21T11:35:00.000+02:00

So after this long night of dancing and having fun, we were supposed to be in front of the rectorate a 9h!!!!! They are insane! But I have made it… I ate my usual breakfast: Muesli with yogurt and a big/huge cup of coffee. There we meet a girl name Lenka, she is in charge of all of us misfit of the society which is physical engineering, to go choose our courses. I guess you know bureaucrat, so imagine worst and double it! So we arrive there, the person that is suppose to take our indexes (and index is a little booklet in which you write your courses that you wish to take), so she is not there. She will be there on Monday. So we write the courses down in it and we give it to Lenka, she will take it to the person on Monday.

By the way all the people here from ISC team and all the other working from far or near are making an amazing job. They are genius. The work that they do for us is humongous.

So after all of that, I go to the electrical faculty to subscribe to other courses that I want to take there. I WAIT 1h30!! So that they can tell me that I need to first subscribe to Physical faculty!!! So it was a kind of unproductive day. But I now know more of the Czech bureaucratie, want something, wait a month or two (yes of course it is the same thing in every country, and we all criticize it!)

In the evening is the second informative meeting in the club of Masarykova, in my dormitory there is a club, a pub, a restaurant and a cafeteria. Great no? Drinking eating and having fun and I don’t have to go outside!!!! Wonderful. So at the meeting they talk again on various subjects but the most important stuff is the inscription of the trip during orientation week. The week from the 20 of September to the 26 of September is call orientation week. It is a week where a number of activities/trip/parties are offered to us and we choose. So I decide to go to the Krivoklat castle and to Karlovy Vary on Wednesday and on Thursday there is a guided tour of Prague and finally on Saturday I decided to go to Kutna Hora and to its bone church Kostnice.

Of course afterwards was a party as shown on the picture.
Notice: The picture here may not represent the reality

During the party, Americans showed us a game call flip cup. If I remember it well (correct me if I am wrong) there is two team, one in front of each other each team members have a glass of beer (in plastic, in CZ the normal glass is half a litre it was destroying). Then the first person of each team starts, they place one plastic glass on the edge of the table and they try to make it flip, if they succeed the other person of the other team shug his glass and you pass to the next person in the team. The goal his to make all the people of the other team drink. Nice no? It is also a nice time to get to know all the ERASMUS people. There are great, funny and nice people and I get along with a lot of them. I hope, I will keep contact with them for years… And that they will become true friends.

04-09-20 Integration day

2004-09-20T06:19:00.000+02:00

Today is Integration Day!!. Get integrated or else… Heu I am kidding...

So it starts with a first information reunion, we make our ERASMUS (Ya even if I am from Canada, they consider us like being part of ERASMUS, hi l’Auberge Espagnole) so they talk about a lot of stuff and we met a little bit the ERASMUS people, from everywhere: Austria, Germany, Estonia, France, US, UK,…… The reunion finish, but I have to be at 13h30 in front of the rectorate to go to the immigration police, to say hi I am here look at my visa my health insurance and by the way I won’t leave before a while so…. We better be friend no? Usually they say nothing look and probably do something, which is yet unknown and you leave, but it take most of your afternoon. It is like on the moon of the ass of Prague so you guess how far it is… So I then go to the reception of Masarykova (my dormitory) and I do all the paperwork and they give me a second key for my new room! Yahoo. I then go to the police bla bla bla I said it before. So I come back move my stuff from the room 280 to my new room 516 (3 stories higher)!!!!!! The nice thing is that Seppi (Sebastian) is just the room beside me. And I leave for the integration day activities…

It is all going on the parking lot of the other dormitories of the university, it is call Strahof and it is on the hill of Petrin. So we drink (ya soft drinks :P ), the one that drink too much sing at the karaoke. But here something funny, on my way to Strahof in the bus a drunk Czech sit down beside me and start to talk to me. I kindly say to him in English (ya I don’t know really Czech yet): “Sorry but I don’t speak Czech”. But of course, he continues to talk to me and I don’t understand a word of what he says…. So I do like if I understand a little bit, I don’t want to offence him. So I let him talk and I kind of say yes… Every time the bus turn he fell on me.. So finally he asks me where I am from so I say Montreal, and him to answer me Ahh Montreal the Canadian of Montreal. Dam we are worldwide Known :). So finally I arrive and I realize that Maruska is on the bus with me. What is funny is that she was wondering if the guy that was talking to the guy was me but she was unsure since the guy seem to understand thee drunk guy… So I am good to fake a real conversation!!! By the way the guy was saying only stupid stuff, like Women are empty inside. So I arrive and the party is starting, we play some game like the flag game (se the picture) This night I meet with a really nice Polish girl her name is Beata and she speak really good French. The French way of saying stuff and she is laughing at me about my Quebecian way of saying the words…. We end up this night by going to ROXY (I like that place, like I said time to time, eventually later during the semester we have our routine of club, one almost for each day of the week) So we go there me Beata and Other ERASMUS people. Let say that me Beata do some drinking contest, Polish people have some pride to be good drinker, I kind of won the kind of contest Of course I took care of her! I am a gentleman after all.

Ciao Bella, a pusu

Mani

04-09-19 My first week in Praha

2004-09-19T22:16:00.000+02:00

Nowadays the fashion is about first time, so here is my first week in Prague!

It has now been a week or so that I am in Czech Republic and it as been a busy week. First, last Tuesday I went in a pub to watch a soccer game, Fenerbahce against AC Sparta (Fenerbahce won, anyway…) with Sebastian and one of his friends, Jan. Here like in all Europe soccer is really popular, as much as ice hockey. Jan is a German that is studying health care in Prague. It was nice to talk to him, because he already went to Canada, in fact in Quebec. So it was nice to talk about it, what he saw,… you know…. This same night I have tasted my first Czech beer. It is good beer, tasty enough and big and cheap. Not like our Molson, that taste like water and ….. So after some nice beers and talk we decided to go to the biggest night club in central Europe, so they say, the Karlovy Lazne. It I 6 story tall and have as much dance floor each with a different ambience and music. It is also the place with the most tourists, in fact there is almost only that, and Czech that want the “meet” tourist. With that much dance floor we had to choose one, and we mostly stayed at the 80’s one, I think they have really nice 80’s music, I found it different but I guess it is the same. Here I am not talking about Czech music but in general. Since club are open until 6h in the morning, you guess that we stayed there pretty late. When we left we said that we should go to ROXY a night club that I have heard when I was looking on the net before leaving.

So now we are Wednesday and we, me Sebastian Jan and Konstantin (Jan flatmate also studying health care in Prague) should go to ROXY, so we arrive there, but it is close on Wednesday (By the way nowadays the club is close). So guess what where we are going? To the Karlovy Lazne again!!!! (I will never go there again to time in a row, they play the same music IN THE SAME ORDER!!!!) So when we left there we said that we will go on Thursday at ROXY.

So Thursday, me Jan and Konstantin and one of their friends Emma, it is a girl from Australia that they know. She is a really nice girl and really fun to talk to. ROXY is a place with a lot of Techno and hard beat, if you like, I like it sometimes, but not all the times. Now I kind of have some little experience in Prague night life and I can tell that they know how and like to have fun and do the party! Usually, at least with me people are friendly, nice, and amazingly beautiful hihihi…. Something different than here in Quebec, people are less shy, or are not afraid to dance with you for the evening…

Now on Saturday, I go with Emma, Konstantin and Emma to a little pub on the corner of their flat, to taste Absinth!!!! God that is hard, 70% of alcohol, but I am still alive!! I can believe that you see green fairies after some of these. So all night, we talk and play foosball (as they say in Germany and/or in UK), we call it babyfoot. I have a nice night. Emma says she might come to Quebec next year who knows. I like to talk with her especially about similarity of the relation of Australia/Canada with England.

Ok see you next time with school that start!

Mani

04-09-13 My first first day in Praha

2004-09-13T23:58:00.000+02:00

Today I woke up at 3 IN THE MORNING all congested!!! ARGGGG!!!! My cold is really not nice with me !! I am feeling so bad because of Sebastian, I just arrive and I am sick and making a lot of noise with my nose ( bad word play) At 7h I am still not sleeping ( jet lag probably) so I get… I went to eat at the cafeteria of the res. Really cheap but good well … heuuuu good enough. In the beginning of the afternoon I went to walk a little bit in the town. I remember how I was surprise to see so many different type of architecture all beside each other… Praha is amazing and beautifully amazing. I back to walk on Vaslavske Namesty to then go see Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) There is so many tourists!!!! I heard that you can’t even move on that bridge during June and August. One of the statues on that bridge is suppose to bring luck to the person that touches it. Yeurk and every body touch it and take pictures. So there is no more place to walk; or almost no more. Then I walked to Staromeske namesty (Old town square). There, there is the “famous” astronomical clock. In front of it there are so many tourists that are taking picture.. It is suppose to make something special, At that time I didn’t saw it yet but I can tell you there is nothing special about it… The town is really amazing and calm. To walk in the little streets is charming and to look at all those beautiful and different building…

I then met Maruska, with whom me and Genevieve went to Vysehrad (now it is a church but before it was one of the 5, I think, castle). It is a little bit out of the city centre and on a hill. So we have an astonishing view of the town. Maruska told us a little bit the story of Prague and the history of this hill. Sorry I don’t remember all of it now. So Prague is build from the merging of 5 cities, which each of them had some sort of castle, but it is the one, the one of Prague, that became more important so all the other cities fell under the control of that castle. Finally we went to eat at Einstein Pizzeria, with an ISIC card you can have 2 pizza for the price of one. And the finally to night I went to bed at 23h and got up the next day at 9h. And still my cold was making me suffer.

04-09-12 Arriving in Praha

2004-09-12T21:25:00.000+02:00

Dobry den Praha

6h A.M. the plane landed, hurray. Clap clap clap.... (Before leaving I was getting sick, it is so not funny to take off and land with a full nose!!!) Now wait until the plane completely stop before standing up and leave the plane. It was a cloudy morning not to clod but still. And it will be a cloudy day.

So basically I was so happy. From the plane we saw this multicolor city, amazing. After this long wait and only seeing pictures, finally I was there. We got out of the plane, enter the airport main building, and bang, heuuuuu, what is written there? Don't know.... By chance beside it a translation in English. We walked, not really sure it was the right way but we got to the luggage ring. We waited for our stuff and made our way to the custom. Nothing to declare... you may go and welcome in Czech Republic!!! On the other side the buddy of my friend was waiting for us. My buddy wasn't there because she couldn't be there; she was in England at that date.

Buddy, at CVUT there is a buddy system, it is a person, maybe more like your first friend in Prague. She (ya I define that buddy is a feminine word) will help you with the accommodation and a lot of stuff. Like telling you the necessary thing.
Her name is Maruska she says. She is a nice holka, divka mozna, nevim. Her father was also there, really a nice man. It was the first time in Prague, but really not the last that I was confronted with somebody that didn't spoke English. We then proceeded to our student accommodation (Masarykova). On the way we talked, about a lot of different stuff. We got to know each other. And with the time she became a really close friend of me, she also helped me a lot during more difficult time, thanks Maruska.
We finally arrived at Masarykova; it is not really far from the airport. Once there, Maruska talked to the receptionist and helped us by translating the papers. The Czech, especially the receptionist can sometime be impatient, but in general they are really friendly and nice, above all beautiful people. My first room until the 20 of September is the 280, and then I'll have to move. We arrived sooner, and the dedicated room for me wasn't ready and in the room that I am somebody will move in later. He left stuff here, one drawer is locked, under and in some cupboard there is some stuff.

So Maruska accompanied me to my room. This is when I met my first ERASMUS friend. And I am so glad I met him. His named is Sebastian; he is from Graz (Austria). Unfortunately I woke him, last night he was at a party night for him (like most the night) He is Austrian and studying Electrical engineering and sociology. I unpack a little bit, and after a really good shower, we went to eat at Klara’s place, a friend of Geneviève. We then went in the royal garden. Once there, we started to fight weariness. The garden are magnificent, beautiful road, trees, and building and we saw the castle it is so magnificent, it is on a hill and we can see most of Prague from Hradcanske namesty. By the way the president is still living in the castle. After walking there we went on the very popular Vaclavske Namesti. Breath taking, at one end the amazing Narodni Muzeum and the other a really nice pedestrian street. We then went to eat diner and we played Scrabble in Czech. Me and Klara against Genevieve and Martin, they won :( . We then listen to Pulp fiction, we were getting really tired. Geneviève fall asleep. So I went back home. So I then walked around the residence a little bit and I went to sleep at 9h… I was kind of tired !!!!!

That all for today good night!!!

Emik

04-09-11 Leaving Montreal

2004-09-11T20:56:00.000+02:00

I remember, me and Geneviève were in the airport, both with our parents. It is quite difficult to say how I was feeling inside. It was a mix between an excitement in front of the adventure and a fear of leaving to live alone. Has you probably know I was still living at my parents house. So we were waiting to get in the plane. My mother, her boyfriend, my father, his girlfriend and my sister were there. Nobody cried. I was about to leave for a year in a country that wasn't speaking my language. A country that I didn't know anything on, beside that his prime minister was Vaclav Havel, a writer. And nothing in my thoughts. Well nothing extraordinary. This is real life I guess. I was thinking about the plane trip, that it would take 7 hours. I was happy to have a cd-player and my music. Nobody cried. We checked in my two really luggage, we walked to the gate. We waited, I didn't had really anything special to say. I, like everybody ( I guess) was feeling a tensed atmosphere. But in general I was happy deep inside me to leave for this adventure. Somebody came for Geneviève. I said goodbye to my parents and my sister, nobody cried, and we left to get inside the plane. In the plane me and Geneviève we talked, we both were eager to get there. I remember beside us, their were a old woman who talked with us about Prague, like the river Moldau in french is named Vltava. She also said something about Smetana. But you know old people talk too much some time :) . While in the plane there was a hockey game that I would have really wish to see. Canada against Czech republic, Canada won of course, :) . My first contact with Czech culture was in the plane. They showed us Vcernicek. It is really nice and funny.