Prague: Feb 16

In the morning, I took a 30-minute walk to Vyšehrad, the castle ruins south of the Old Town. There isn’t much of the castle left, but there’s a gorgeous cathedral on the grounds. Inside, it has the most amazing gilding and decoration. The colours of the stained glass windows were phenomenal. The church also contained a collection of pontifical treasures (chalices, monstrances, reliquaries), all made of precious metals and stones. The most common jewels were garnets, which the Czech Republic is famous for.


Click on the pictures to enlarge them!

The view going up to Vyšehrad.

Stairs to the church.

Doors to the church.

The church from the outside.

 

St. Martin's rotunda

 Outside the church is a cemetery where some very famous Czech people are buried. It was very peaceful, and there were even some green leaves still growing! In February! I found the graves of both Dvořák and Smetana! It’s really amazing to be there, seeing the place where these people were actually there. I’ve played lots of Dvořák’s music, but I hadn’t really thought that I would be visiting the place where he lived and worked.

In the cemetery.

There were some beautiful monuments.

Dvořák. 

View of the church from the cemetery.

Smetana.

 

In the afternoon, I walked to the Old Town where I visited some famous astronomical locations. First stop was the Kepler museum, located in the ground floor of the building where Kepler lived. He was an astronomer who lived from 1571 to 1630, and discovered two important planetary laws while working in Prague. (I did research on his work last year, so I was really excited to visit!)

Entrance to the Kepler museum.

Kepler's house.

Afterwards, I walked to the main square where I saw the famous astronomical clock – the third oldest in the world and the oldest that is still working! An astronomical clock displays astronomical information in addition to the time (often charting the position of the Sun and the Moon). This one in Prague dates back to 1410. Across the square, I visited the Týn Church, where I had the chance to see the gravestone of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe.

The astronomical clock.

Explanation of the different components.

Týn Church across the square.

Finally - goulash for supper! It was delicious. J

Back in Graz!

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to post an update that Tiny and I are back in Graz after travelling in the Netherlands for a week. We had a wonderful time and our flight home was very smooth. The best part was that we had a surprise waiting for us at the Graz airport...in the form of a Canadian flag and our wonderful friends E & P!!!

(I realized just how tired I was when I couldn't figure out why Tiny was so excited until we were standing right in front of them. ;-) Thanks again for such a lovely welcome back! :-D

Ok, now it's time to get some sleep. ;-) I will be playing catch-up first on Prague, then on Holland. (It'll all be eventually posted, I swear! ;-)

Prague: Feb 15

For those of you who don’t know, I was in Prague for the last 4-5 days! I went ahead by myself, and met up with E, P & A on the night of the 17^th. It was a really fantastic trip.

Day 1, Wednesday: Woke up at 5am to catch my 6:42 train. I am not a morning person. ;-) But I love train travel, so the trip itself was very nice. I even got some work done on the way!

I arrived in the mid-afternoon, and I walked to my hostel. It was really lovely! Welcoming and clean, and the owners really made me feel at home. Met a really nice girl from Mexico who’s studying in Switzerland. It was great to chat about our experiences.

My hostel, common area (click to enlarge).

Kitchen.

My dorm.

Down the stairs...:-)

 After I dropped off my things, I went for a walk in the Old Town. See the photos! (Click to enlarge.)

Charles Bridge and Castle (far left).

Charles Bridge (built 1357!).

The river Vltava (or "Die Moldau",
the inspiration for Smetana's famous piece).

Part of the Charles Bridge.

Statues on the Charles Bridge.

Can you guess? ;-)

Old Town Square and Astronomical Clock
(left, you'll hear more about it soon!).

Valentinstag!

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope everyone who reads this has had a chance to send a message to or  spend some time their family and friends. Tiny and I have been very VERY lucky today. Here’s why:

This afternoon, I came home from errands to find Tiny just ecstatic. She held up a shoebox. “Care package from home!!!” Inside was a wonderful assortment of cookies and Mars bars – like Nanaimo bars, but with rice crispy and no coconut. She very generously offered me some. J

Just as I had taken my first big bite, and was savouring the chocolate goodness – RRRRRRRRRRRRRRING! The door buzzer rang! I don't think I've ever swallowed food so fast as I when reached for the phone.

"Hallo?” I mumbled through my Mars bar.

 “Hallo – Blumen!" (Flowers!!!)

I quickly told the postman which floor, but then, in my excitement, hung up the phone before pressing the button to let him in! Fortunately the front door was open, and I soon had the bouquet in my hands. Brought it back to the room, and Tiny took photos while I...eventually...unwrapped them. (Unfortunately, I have a history of having trouble opening things. For more information, see Tiny’s blog. ;-)

The wonderful bouquet. :-)

Wine card!

From above...

And who, might you ask, sent these? There’s a wonderful guy in Canada, who made a guest appearance on the blog in December and January. He was very careful to make sure I was in Graz to receive them…J Thank you, C, this really made my day! I love you. J

I also want to say how lucky I am to have such a loving and supportive family. I love you lots and I wish I could be at home to spend time with you in person.

Our Valentine's spread!

The pot shot. (Yes, it turned out that our
cooking utensils make the best vases...;-)

Snowy Schlossberg

On Sunday, Tiny and I met up with the new exchange students to explore the Schlossberg. Except this time, there’s snow! I think we will have pictures of the “green hill” in all seasons…J

Afterwards, we got kebaps near the university. Mmm…the perfect finish to the day.

Take a look at the pictures!

 

 

 

 

Summing up the Week

An account of some of the things I did this week:

On Tuesday, I finally went to the public library. I got a card! The main library is really lovely – there’s lots of carved wood inside and many nooks to sit and read. Not so many outlets to work with the computer, but I went to the media library next door (they have all the CDs and DVDs) and found a nice spot.

Main desk (picture courtesy of the library website).

Music listening area (also from website).

My picture - outside the library.

My workspace in the media library.

I worked on my musicology paper a bit, and then went out to meet Tiny and friends for a farewell dinner for A, who is going home to Finland this week. We will miss her a lot, but we’ve promised to keep in touch via email and Skype. (And there’s a good possibility that we’ll see her not long from now, since she wants to come back to visit in May!)

A receiving her photo album!

Teddy for A. :-)

M & H.

N and Tiny with the TU bear!

Most of our dinner party.

It was a very nice dinner, and my spatzle had more vegetables than I had ever seen in a pasta before. Mmm…

My spaetzle! :-D

Chandelier shot. You can see some of the people
at our table (click to enlarge).

Thursday was more paper-writing, but we met with E & P to plan for Prague. We are visiting next week and I’m so excited! However, there’s a lot of stuff to do before then.

Today, Tiny and I did a big grocery run. We checked out the new Spar near our apartment, and were actually brave enough to ask for ribs at the counter!! (I’ve been intimidated by the meat desk ever since I got here, but no more! We have decided to diversify our meals. ;-) Tiny then made the most delicious sauce for the ribs. J Had a quiet night in, but I did some apartment rearranging and I think we have a bit more space now. (It’s amazing how much housework you get done when you’re avoiding writing your paper…;-)

Very Sad News

Today, I heard that a friend from home, Monica Harbeck, just passed away. She was a extraordinarily kind, generous, and loving person, and we will all miss her a lot. N, T, and R, we’re thinking of you and send you all our love in this very sad time.

“Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you; because I go to prepare a place for you. And if I shall go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself; that where I am, you also may be.” (John, 14:1-3)

Quote Project - Back Again!

Hello everyone! Time for another blog post. I finished my last two exams this week (musicology and climate change) and I think they went very well. Now I just have my paper for my other musicology class!

Remember, way back in November, I mentioned that I had a quote project? A big circle divided into ten pie slices, where each slice represented a month? The goal was to paint each slice and fill them with quotes I picked up from that month. Well, the project lagged a bit with the onslaught of school work...but I'm happy to say that it's back on track! (Well, at least October is...;-). I'm almost finished October, and am posting pictures so you can see. 

Please comment if you want a quote to be included! 

(C, your watercolours are being put to very good use. :-)

October and November. Click to enlarge.

The acorns still have to be painted
(top left corner).

My watercolour set. It's amazing!!! Travel size. :-)