Potsdam, Prague, and Pictures

We got home from Prague at around 9:30 on Sunday night. Even though we have only lived here for a week, I felt happy to be back, almost like I was back home. Mind you, my home will always be Michigan, but for the next 7 weeks, this is what I've got, and I think it's really cool to have that feeling someplace else that I wouldn't have expected. But I guess I should rewind a couple of days and start with Friday morning with our trip to Potsdam.

Potsdam is this really cool old city about 30 minutes outside of Berlin. It is right on the edge of where West Germany and East Germany met. We started outside of the city looking at a bunch of palaces and gardens. Then we went into the city and saw the Dutch Quarter, which is like 5 blocks of a mini-Amsterdam. Overall, I was really impressed with the city and am definitely planning on taking my family back there when they come in 6 weeks! :) I'm sorry to go short on Potsdam, it really was awesome, but after our weekend in Prague, it just seems anticlimactic.

Lindsay and I in front of Fredrich the Great's Palace in Potsdam

We kept telling our tour guide that we had a train to catch to Prague, but he really needed to get all of his facts out, so he kept us there until 3. We had to run to the train stop in Potsdam for the 30 minute ride back to Berlin, and then run to our apartments and grab our stuff to head back on the subway to the main train station to leave for Prague by 4:30. Of course the boys hadn't even packed yet, but somehow everyone made it there, with time to spare for snack shopping.

The train ride was beautiful, and sufficiently comfortable. We had our own little cubbies, each with 6 seats and we followed along the river, passing little towns and castles the whole way. We got to Prague around 9:30pm and got completely lost.

Zack and Lindsay lost in Prague

We didn't get to our hostel until about 10:30, and when we finally found it, the street wasn't lit at all and the hostel's sign was made with Microsoft Word, printed, and taped to their front door. Hostel Friendship it was called, and I guess you can't expect much for 8 Euro a night. As we walked through the dark corridor, Lindsay and I were whispering plans of ditching the group for the Best Western we saw glowing in the distance and how our parents would kill us if they knew we were staying here. All was well though when a smiling Czech girl opened the door and showed us to our 2 gigantic rooms, one with 12 beds and the other with 8. We had an entire floor to ourselves with 3 bathrooms and a kitchen. It was no Peninsula, but for the 10 hours we spent there, it was money well spent. The group got real close, real fast living in that close of quarters for 3 days. That night, we went out to little downtown area called Old Town, and found a little restaurant/bar and hung out there for most of the night.

The outside of Hostel Friendship in Prague
It was even more scary at night.


Benny, Lindsay, Me, and Zack before dinner the first night


Zack, Kevin, and Ian at the bar in Prague

On Saturday, all of us split up into smaller groups and did our own things. My group went on a self-guided tour of the city! We walked all around the famous Old Town area, and then up to the castle on the other side of the river. The walk was about 2 miles completely uphill, but the views were well worth it.

Old Town Prague


Lindsay and I in front of the castle


Some of our group at the top of the hill
Downtown Prague in the background

After walking for hours and hours, we decided to go back to the hostel and get ready for the USA and UK World Cup soccer game. As we were walking around earlier, we noticed a huge television screen and tents being set up in the middle of the square so we decided to head back that way and check it out. The game was at 8:30pm, so we got there around 8 and found a seat right in front. As game time grew closer, the Center Square of Prague was flooded with people, many dressed up in ridiculous costumes, with flags draped all over them. They were singing songs and chanting cheers and jeers at one another. What an amazing atmosphere! I have never seen anything like it. It was kind of a pinch me moment, like hey, I'm in the middle of Old Town Prague watching the world cup game with hundreds of crazy Europeans. If you're going to watch soccer, that's definitely the way to do it.

Zack, Lindsay, and Adam before the game started


Some of the World Cup crowd in Prague

Some of the group watching the game


The World Cup Fan Park in the Center Square at half time

The game ended up being a tie, so there were no fights and not too much celebration. Afterward, we decided to go to this club a couple of Americans we had met the previous night told us about, which played all American music. When we got there, the bar was completely packed, shoulder to shoulder, with middle aged Europeans. We kind of stood out. They were all on the dance floor screaming American songs and dancing, so we all joined in. It took awhile, but the crowd warmed up to us and before we knew it, we had all the adults singing and dancing to Beyonce's Single Ladies with us. So great!

Us dancing to Beyonce with all the European adults
If you see anyone under the age of 40,
they were probably in our group!
My favorite is the guy in the far
background with the grey hair.

Sunday we woke up and got breakfast and then continued to sight see until our train left for Berlin at 4:30pm. This train wasn't quite as nice as the other, but was still comfy enough to sleep and play cards, which we did the entire ride home. When we got back, it was half time of the Germany/Australia World Cup game. The main train station was packed with fans and we were surrounded by them on our way home as they headed to their next parties. We watched the second half at our favorite Italian carry out restaurant right down the street. Germany won 4-0, so everyone went pretty nuts. There were fireworks going off right outside of my window that people were blowing up from the courtyard below. That was actually pretty scary. After that cooled down, we could still hear people yelling and honking on the streets. That was only the first game, and they were expected to win. I can't even imagine what games to come are going to be like!

Anyways, yesterday and today were our first full days of school, so the fun has settled down a little bit. We have spent the past 2 days soldering resistors and capacitors to a motherboard. It's pretty much as exciting as it sounds. Tonight we are planning our trip this weekend. We're debating between Vienna, Innsbruck, or Zurich, which are in Austria or Switzerland. We are going to a Coheed and Cambria concert Wednesday night too! I'm sure there will be more to come even with school going on in the background. :) I really miss all of you guys so I've gotta keep busy! Love you! Auf Wiedersehen!