Spring Break 2007

Or: Czech your crepe at the d'or.

So after a long wait, I know you are all dying to know about my spring break trip. I think it was a great success overall; there were four of us girls, and spent two nights each in Prague, Geneva and Lyon. We definitely had a variety of scenery and food, and it was a great experience.

Prague was first, after leaving London at about 3 a.m. We had a very nice hotel for about $20 per person per night, including two bedrooms, two baths and breakfast. Prague is really beautiful and unlike anything I'd ever seen before. It's definitely Eastern Europe/old word-feeling in all the architecture and churches. And in parts you can also see the signs of post-communism. The afternoon we arrived we were really too late to do much, and it was very very cold. But we did have some nice authentic food (meat and dumplings) and got to see alot of the city on foot, including the outside of the castle and the astronomical clock in the center of the old town.

The next morning we got up to go to the castle and had some pickpocket trouble on the tram (everyone's OK, and there was minimal loss). We did get to the castle, which is very pretty and has lots of little chapels and palaces surrounding a huge cathedral in the middle. I ran into the one person I know who's studying in Prague (weird), and we had a really good lunch on the way back down the hill. For the rest of the day we attempted to shop, thinking that it would be really cheap with the $1 = 20 czech korunas, but apparently we weren't in the right place for the deals.

But the best part about the Czech Republic for us was the candy bars. We were like kids as soon as we went into the convenient store next to our hotel. We went in there for train tickets, but instead we spent about 20 minutes going, "Ooh, what's this?!" and "Hey, look at this one!" We actually all paid for our candy before we remembered that we needed the tickets.

On Monday morning we flew out of Prague and into Geneva, where we took a train to the center of the city and walked about two blocks to our hotel. Unfortunately none of the hotels for the rest of the week were as nice as the one in Prague, but they were definitely OK for what we needed. That afternoon we walked around in the rain for a bit and then took a tram to Carouge, a nearby village with so many cute shops and resaurants. I found a yarn shop and got some adorable sock yarn (summer project #241), and we ate dinner at a very nice, very authentic restaurant. I ordered pork cheeks (yes, they're exactly what they sound like) with olive oil mashed potatoes. It was an amazing meal altogether, and we went to bed really early, which was pretty much the rule for the entire trip.

The next morning we took a tram up to the UN building and took a guided tour. I hadn't really realized how much I didn't know about the UN, but it was really interesting to be in the same building where the Human Rights Commission was meeting right then. We did some shopping, and I got a Swiss Army knife and some really good chocolate. We walked up a very picturesque street to the church where Calvin preached, and we had some very yummy crepes at a place just across the square. The next morning we went to a flea market and found some nice things, and then we hopped on a train...

... to Lyon. It was so pretty to be rolling through the valleys between the Alps, and there were some of the most picturesque views I've ever seen of rivers and little towns and lots of fields between the snow-capped mountains. Taking the train might have been the best decision of the trip. We got to Lyon and checked in, and then we walked down to the Place de Belcourt, which is the largest public square in all of Europe. We once again happened upon a farmer's market where we all bought the tastiest apples. Then we crossed the river and went to yet another church before roaming the streets of the old area of town. There were lots of shops and resaurants, and we ended up a one that had a deal where you got a really yummy salad and a crepe for a pretty good price. We walked along both the rivers that night and looked at all the lights before turning in.

On Thursday we went up to the basilica in Lyon. It's way up on top of a hill, and you have to take a funicular (slanted upwards) train up to and from the top. That afternoon we got on a nother train to go to Beaujeu, which is in the center of the wine-producing country there. The Beaujolais wine, which is what that region produces, is known for being drunk at a very young age -- about 6 weeks after the grapes are harvested. Our entire outing to the city was a little odd because it was pouring most of the time we were there and we arrive during the kinda siesta period in the middle of the day. To add to the confusion there was a funeral taking place at the church in the middle of town. We did manage to have a wine tasting in one of the caverns, and we tried the red and the rose, along with some very yummy goat cheese and excellent grape juice. Back in Lyon that night we went out for a four-course meal where I had a regional dish, the name of which I can't remember right now. We had another early night, and I flew back to London early Friday morning to spend a great weekend with my parents.

They had arrived the Thursday before my trip, and once I got back to London we spent the afternoon in the east end, going to Spitalfields Market and showing them my office in Shoreditch. On Saturday we went to the Churchill Museums and Cabinet War Rooms, which have to be my favorite museum/attraction in all of London. We also got tickets to see Guys & Dolls on stage in the west end, and it was a very enjoyable afternoon. We found a cute place for dinner, and I hung out around their flat for a bit while they packed to fly out Sunday morning. So it was a very busy week, but a very enjoyable one as well. Soon after it was back to work, about which more later. Cheers!