Sorry for the time between posts but we have been so busy the last few days!!

On Wednesday we took a tour of the city and saw St. Vitus Catherdral and the surrounding area, the Charles Bridge and the Clock in Old Town Square. The first place we went seen to the left is the presidential square where the President's office is. The picture next to it is a building used for offices and governmental meetings today. The last photo here is a view from the top of the hill where the Presidential offices and building are. The panoramic photo doesn't do the view justice at all. The city is so beautiful and full of history. I am so happy and I love this city!!!




St. Vitus Cathedral has some of the most beautiful Gothic architecture I have ever seen. There is also some interesting history behind it. Saint John, not the apostle, is buried in the foundation of the church. Also one of the windows in the cathedral is not stained glass, it was hand painted by and the famous Czech painter Alfons Mucha and depicts the story of creation very intricately. The tomb of John of Nepomuk, the national Saint of the Czech Republic is also inside the cathedral and is made of 250 tons of silver. We could not get close to this but it is an insane amount of silver.

We then walked to Old Town Square were we saw the Astronomical Clock of Prague (The Orloj). The Orloj is on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall in the square and is a very popular tourist attraction. There are three components: the astronomical dial, represents the position of the sun and moon and displays various astronomical details. "The Walk of the Apostles" is an hourly circulation of figures of the Apostles at the top of every hour along with the ringing of the bell by a skeleton. There is also calendar dial with medallions representing the months of the year. The mechanical clock and astronomical dial dates back to 1410. There are four figures above the clock which are set in motion at the hour The four things represented left to right is Vanity, represented by a figure admiring himself in a mirror. Next, a Jew holding a bag of gold represents greed or usury. Across the clock stands Death, a skeleton that strikes the time upon the hour. Finally, the infidel Turk wears the Turban. This is a very historical and famous clock that attracts many people to the square every hour to see the clock at the top of the hour. The clock holds many years of history and its amazing how it keeps track of the time, day, month, year, and the sun and moons positions.

I signed up for classes on Thursday morning. I am taking four classes. The first is Building Structures in Civil engineering (Lecture: Wed 9-12, Lab: Thurs 6-8) where we learn about vertical loads, joints, materials to use, and design concepts. Second is Waste Water Treatment in mechanical (Lecture: Wed 1:15-4:45) which we learn about waste water treatment obviously and renewable sources of energy which will be good for my energy studies minor. The third is Energetic and Ecological systems part of the civil department and will also help the minor. This class meets Monday 8-10 or 10-12 depending on what section i am in and lab is 12-2. We will be learning about water supply, drainage, gas supply and heating systems. The last class is the Czech Culture class which will count towards out culture requirement for Union. Not sure when that class meets yet. Signing up took most of the day becasue I had to get each class approved individually so I had to go back and forth from mechanical to civil buildings. Thursday night Liz and I walked back to New Town to get dinner and walk around a bit. We then walked to Old Town square to see a concert. There was a Serbian band playing in the square. It was a very different type of music but there were people of all ages and nations standing in the same square have a great time dancing and laughing. As you can see the location is one of a kind. It was definitely something I will remember.

Yesterday, Friday, about 40 of us went to Czech Paradise. In order to get to paradise we took a very small two hour train ride into the northern countryside of the Czech Republic. We hiked through the wilderness and saw some amazing views very different than Prague. We played a lot of silly camp name games but they did help us meet more people and learn names. We hiked from about 11 to 4 and stopped at a few castles through out the hike. The first was Valdštejn and the view from that castle is the picture with the girl in the purple shirt. This is one of the oldest castles in the Czech Republic. The last photo is our groups creative photo. Each group of people that went on a trip had to think of a creative photo and the most creative photo gets an prize at the beginning of next week. Angela and I thought of spelling out Czech Paradise with people becasue we thought of the "Z" which is not shown well in the picture, it was much better in practice. We had a long train ride home and were exhausted from our 8km hike. Not only was this trip full of beautiful scenery but I also met a ton of people, created new friendships and strengthened existing bonds. Another beautiful and successful day in the Czech Republic.

Our veggie stir fry came out great! I am so happy we have a systems of guys and girls who all help cook and clean! Yesterday at orientation we just went to an informative meeting and learned the times of our registration for our faculty (major) and some tours and trips and the rest of the surrounding area. In the mechanical engineering building there are these really cool elevators. They have no doors and one side goes up and one side goes down. You have to jump in and out of the elevator in order to switch floors. The left side you jump in to go down and the right side goes up! Its really cool, once I get a camera I will take a video or a few pictures and post them. After orientation Liz, Kristin, Allie (a girl we met from Kansas), Nick and I went to pay for our internet at the bank. Kristin and I also got our cell phones which are nothing extravagant but they will get the job done. We walked around the town of Mustek for a little bit where I must go back to. The architecture is absolutely beautiful!! The buildings are so full of detail and color! We then went to the next town on the metro, Andel, and found the best store to buy everything needed here, its basically a super Wal-Mart but better and cheaper. I could have spent hours in there, but we needed to get back for our international student club (ISC) first party and bonding event in Prague 2 at the P.M. Bar. There was a live band playing and it was so much fun. At one point they were playing 50's swing stuff and me and my ISC buddy we dancing the night away. It was so fun! We all had a really fun time and were back in our rooms in bed by midnight becasue we were so tired from all the walking and dancing. Now off to have some breakfast of fruit and probably more touring today!

I am finally all registered and have all my swipe cards and what not. The international student club people have been very helpful showing us the city and telling us where to go! Two nights ago Nick, Angela and I went to find Ikea in Zlicin and were successful, we aslo found a huge mall with H&M, sweet! At Ikea we bought plates and silverware and some stuff for the room. When we got we went to the basement bar for an international student party and it was German night. We had a lot of German food and candies and gummy bears, I didn't know gummy bears were German. The next day, Saturday, Angela, Nick and I went to the grocery store and got some food to make dinner. We got chicken, apples, nectarines, bread, a peach, pasta, sauce, eggs, yogurt, and a bottle of wine for only about $35!! When everyone came back to the room last night we all made dinner together, we were like a little happy family! I cooked up some chicken and some pasta with sauce and it was a delicious meal. Mind you I have not had a full meal in about 5 days with all the traveling and trying to figure things out. After dinner, a very late dinner, we went to the popular 5 story club which was very fun. There is a different type of music on each floor, its pretty cool but very hot on the bottom floors. We got in very late last night, 6am but had a great time with the whole group. We woke up today, Sunday morning and Marc made us all scrambled eggs and we had some bread with butter and jam. Orientation starts tomorrow so there will be more to do and we will learn the city better. There are a bunch of trips that the club has planned for us. Tonight on the docket for dinner is vegetable stir fry with spaghetti. Off to the market to get some more things we need!

Well Liz and Marc arrived safely and we went to bed early so we could get up and get a few registration things done. Everyone else arrived randomly through out the day, tired, sweaty, and relieved but everyone is safe! We moved into our dorms and my roommate is Angela from Union. Our suite is a 6 person suite with 2 people in each of the three rooms. Angela and I are in one, Nick is next door and Marc and another kid Dan from Union are the next room. Five out of the 6 of us are from Union and 4 of which are guys which is not what I was expecting but it will be fine. In the basement of our dorm is a restaurant and bar area. Last night Hillary, Liz, Kristin, Angela and I all got pizza and then went next door to the bar. We ended up meeting a bunch of kids from Texas. So even though we are not living with people outside of Union we will meet plenty of people along the way. Went to bed early again since Angela had not slept in a long time. We are going to get Angela registered today and try and buy some necessities like towels, hangers, detergent...and much more. We were only supplied with a sink, stove top, and refrigerator. We will also need to buy many cleaning supplies, its kind of an old dorm and kind of gross, but oh well we will get by.

Well a lot has gone on since you have last heard from me. Our last two days in Santorini were spent on the beach and us catching up on some sleep. We left Santorini at 8pm and arrived in Athens by 9. Robin, Liz, Hillary and I stayed at the airport to catch the first standby seats while the rest of the group went back to the hostel in Athens. Our original airline, SkyEurope, went bankrupt so we had to wait for the 4am flight to Prague on Czech Air. We were the first to check in under stand by but when we got to the end we were the last ones left along with 3 other people. She chose someone at random and and it was me! I did not want to fly alone but then again i did not want to sleep in an airport again. So I took the flight by myself and arrived in Prague at 6am, saw the sunrise in Prague too, not as pretty as Santorini. I met my international student club buddy, Onderj along with my friend Lukas from the University who was at Union last year. They brought me back to Czech Tech and I was able to leave my luggage in a club room and check into the hostel for the day. Ondrej and I walked the city until about noon. He took me to one of the highest points in the city and you could see all of Prague and it was amazing. I wish i had my camera. We got my metro card as well. I can just walk on any bus or subway and ride, there are no tickets, it such an easy system. At noon I came back to my room and took a much needed nap and woke up around 5 to take the subway to meet Ondrej. Yes, I have not even been in this city for 12 hours and I am already walking around and taking subways alone...scary but kinda fun. I met Ondrej and we went to the airport to pick up Robin, Hillary and Liz. But when I got there no one was there and as soon as I arrived I got service and three text messages explaining that the girls who were promised a seat on the next flight were not given one. Marc and Liz were the only ones allowed on. And I have no information about the rest of the group. So when we got back from the airport Ondrej took me to the grocery store and I bought stuff to make a sandwich. Now I am just waiting for Liz and Marc to get here. Hopefully they won't be too much longer because I am getting a little bored and lonely in this small hostel room. Things are crazy here because everyone is split up now and we have no control over anything. At least tomorrow Liz, Marc and I can get things settled here and we can move into our dorm rooms. I believe all the Union girls are living together in an 8 person suite. Not what I was expecting but at least I now have a place I can call home base for the next 3 months. Hopefully the rest of the group will be here tomorrow, Robin and Hillary have been sitting in the Athens airport for 24 hours now, I can't imagine how fun that is.... Liz, Marc and I will probably explore the city more tomorrow and try and get school related things done asap!

Yesterday we went into the capital city, Fira and walked around a bunch. In order to get to the water from the top of the cliff you needed to either walk, take a cable car down or take a donkey. All seven of the girls started to walk down but then Paola and I decided we would go back up and walk around the shops plus I needed to use the water closet anyway, WC for short. We went to a bunch of shops and I ended up buying a little painting of the Fira landscape. The rest of the girls came back from coming up the cliff and they rode donkeys up!!! Sounds like a good idea but these things are crazy. I know it would have been a good experience but I think I will be experiencing enough while I am over here. The walk down and up the cliff was excruciatingly hot and we are very sore now. I don't think I have ever been more sweat except for today but more about that later. We left Fira and got back to the hostel around 9 got gyros for dinner and then Angela, Hillary, Paola, Liz and I went to a new bar and met a local waiter, he was really sweet and ended up coming with us to the next club to meet the rest of the group.

This morning around everywhere. There were about 100 people on the boat with us and directions and information were given in Greek, Spanish, German, and English. Sure am learning a lot of new cultural stuff. First we went to the dormant but still active volcano and climbed to the top. Now this was a super hot journey. Just think no breeze, black rocks radiating heat... The view was absolutely amazing from the top of the volcano, we got a great group picture! After that the boat anchored outside of a cove and we were able to jump in and SWIM IN THE AEGEAN SEA!!! The water was so clear and warm. We swam from the sea into a cove where there were hot springs and the water was like a hot tub. From there we went to a small port between Fira and another city Ia and docked there and we were able to walk around the town a little bit. Angela and I went swimming again and let me tell you this is the clearest water in the world. We were sitting on the shore and we opened our eyes underwater and could see bottoms of boat way out and could see the bottom go on for about 100 meters and this water was the prettiest blue i have EVER seen in my life. Its my new favorite color. We then were dropped off in Ia to watch the sunset which is said to be the greatest sunset watching in the world but personally, 10 Pokanoket trail is the best place in the world to watch a sunset. When we were dropped off in Ia we needed to climb up the cliff again. So by this point we were all so tried and sweaty and gross and were not in any means getting on any donkeys we decided to run up. Crazy i know but we got there faster and more sweaty but we rewarded ourselves with ice cream at the top. I swear i lost 10 pounds today i really wish i had a scale. We got back tonight at around 9 and we are all getting ready and showered to go get dinner. Trying a new restaurant tonight!!

Hello from Santorini! We arrived here two days ago at around 6:30am on Thursday. Because it was so early we could not check into the hostel (which is the white building) so instead all 11 of us slept on the beach for a few hours, not a bad place to sleep at all. Once we all got into our rooms we hung out on the beach and just had a lazy day to catch up on sleep. That night we went out to dinner at this place next to our hostle and got free apps and wine, the locals tend to give the tourists tons of free stuff so we come back....its working! Then we stopped in at the Beach bar and danced our way into the night and walked along the beach and just watched the waves and moon. It is gorgeous. Friday we hung out at the beach during the day and then did sunset wine tasting at Santos Winery (view from the winery is seen above). We got six different wines all of which were very different in taste. After we got a bus back to Perissa beach, where we are staying by camera decided to got in the fritz and not turn on, great huh, I am in one of the most beautiful places in the world and have no camera. Mom and Dad if you see a charge for a camera, thats why. Friday night we got a small dinner of crepes at this little restaurant down the road. The crepes were amazing!! Soooo fluffy and warm and good!! We are off to get some breakfast of greek yogurt which is sooo good. They serve it here with honey and fruit and it is to die for. I bet they make it with whole milk thats why its so good. But its worth it!

We are okay!

So apparently there was a car bomb in Athens today, but we are all fine and didn't even know about it until I talked to Mom today. Athens is huge and we realized that when we did our touristy stuff today. Me and the girls went to Acropolis and saw the Parthenon and all the ancient ruins in the area including the Olympic Stadium, Temple of Zeus, and a sports field. It was super hot and we we gross sweaty and very jet lagged but pushed through because we knew this was our only chance to do this. Plus we were basically homeless seeing as we checked out of the hostel at 10am. I am currently sitting the Athens airport waiting for our flight to Santorini. We have been here since 1am (it is 2am now) and our flight leaves at 5:35am. Its amazing how many people are here tho sleeping waiting for early morning flights. We arrive in Santorini at about 6:30 and we might be homeless for the day there too because we might now be able to check in until a reasonable hour when people are awake. We will find a place with some strong greek coffee and hit the beaches or a museum or something. We are kind of taking one step at a time and winging it. Well going to try and hit the hay and get some sleep in the 2 hours we have until we can check in. We'll see how well that goes on a cold marble airport floor.....Goodnight, good morning, whatever time/day it is...still so confused.

Got to Greece safe and sound!!

I left at 9:40 from Boston on time with Liz, Hillary, and Paola. We met two other kids from Union on the flight who were going on the central Europe term abroad. Got to Zurich in 6 hours and 25 minutes. The food was good and they had free wine!! I didn't sleep much at all, I think I was a little excited, just a little. I watched a bunch of CSI:NY and Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian, there was really nothing else. The Zurich airport is super since and you had to go through security twice before we got to the gait. When we were getting on the flight to Athens we met a guy who is the tour manager for Municipal Waste who is a metal band doing a European tour and they are preforming here in Athens tomorrow night! We might check it out. All our luggage arrived safely as well. We had to take an hour bus ride from the airport and walked about 20 mins to get to orur apartment, and yes it is a sweet apartment. Its small but way better than I was expecting for a hostel in Athens. We are a block away from the Acropolis as well so some great photo ops there!! We can't figure out how to turn on the lights here... there are 7 engineers in the room you would think we would be able to figure it out!! Well me, Liz, Paola, Hillary and Angela are off to get dinner and hopefully meet up with Robin and Jodi. We are going to tour the city tomorrow and have a flight to Santorini at 5:35am (early Thursday morning). We are going to leave for the airport at midnight tomorrow night and sleep there so we are there and don't have to worry about getting to the airport in the wee hours of the morning. Ill write again soon, got to get food we are starved! Love to all!!