prague Q viva! 050330 ... Zoe he was so excited about studying abroad. he emailed me when he got to prague. said that he was having so much fun getting drunk and wondering the streets. only he would go to a country that didn't speak english, considering he didn't know a lick of czech or any other language for that matter. he was taking the semester to slack off he said. i think he was taking four classes and they were joke classes. he loved our college, and said he missed it. but the beautiful thing about our college is that it never changes. when he got back the freshmen would still be slutty, the partiers would still be drunk, the campus would still be gorgous. he wrote for our school paper and continued to do so in prague. during his spring break he wrote in the paper that he was going to go visit friends in rome. he loved his college friends so much he had to meet up with them. one night they went out to a couple clubs, he stopped at the tiber river and decided to go for a swim. he was never foung again. italian authorities today told our president that they believe they have located his body. they identified it by all of the lance armstrong armbands he had. he will be forever missed on our campus. he was so full of life and love. in the last article he wrote in the paper he ended it, "In life, the gains come on slowly, and the losses happen in an instant. Life is tragic. If you're reading this, that means you're alive. Do something with it. You don't want to die without any scars, do you?" RIP. 050330 ... u24 so you're finally going to prague, eh? good choice. It's a funny old place, full of tourists, but the architecture and general ambiance more than makes up for it. You can do it in a few days but to get a real feel for the place I'd suggest a week. You can get a serious reduction in price for meals by just going one street down from the central places, they'll also be a lot more authentic. the locals are not unfriendly. Do *not* eat from the burger vans. trust me. we ordered a cheeseburger from one and got a microwaved spam and cabbage burger. avoid. the coffee is ok though. the museum gets some bad reviews but I really don't know why - it's not been changed since the 1900s - a museum piece in itself. takes a day. Go to a concert at least once. the Rudolfinium is the best for atmosphere. most of the side streets are plastered with adverts for upcoming concerts. if you have one, take your student card, if you don't, most places don't ask anyway. big price reductions. The Jewish quarter is overcharged, but the cemetary is worth the price. the remembrance hall is chilling. If you know anyone who likes amber or garnet, tell them you can get anything they want dirt cheap because every 3rd shop is packed with the stuff cigarettes are cheap as chips. almost every church has some kind of exhibition on; poke around. we found dali and goya that we never knew existed. haggle. the christmas markets are full of tack so don't get your hopes up, but the place looks beautiful in the snow. the golden lane is also too commercial. the cathedral in the palace complex is stunning. the castle/palace area is nice but a good walk from W square. don't be afraid to order the food, some of it sounds weird but believe me, smoked salmon and pork is a wonderful combo. everyone speaks english. wander, the buildings are waiting to suprise you. you won't need to use the metro if you're anywhere near the center. hostel le papillon is good value and -very- central. relax, have fun. ---- (submitted feedback, thought blather might find useful) 060128 ... unhinged praha i played a concert in the rudolphinum (sp) back in the day. unfuckingbelievable acoustics in that place. we also had a really awesome tour guide on our walking tour. oh yeah, and st. vitus somewhere off the main square with that funky ass clock. they've been building that shit since like 1100 a.d. and it's still not done. crazy....and insanely beautiful. i'm beginning to forget; i want to go back. 060128 ... u24 i have photos back at home, I'll upload somewhere in a few months if you wanna see. i miss it already and it's only been a month. 060128 ... unhinged that would be cool my photos of that trip are hidden somewhere in my parents' basement back in ohio. budapest was cool too; but i'm not sure i would go back there nowadays. buda...pest, chicken paprikash...mmmmmm. it's been almost seven years since i was in prague. i heard some flood a couple years back destroyed good portions of the city. 060128 what's it to you? who go blather from