My Day with Terrence Howard

This past saturday I had one of the most surreal days of my life.  I woke up in the morning, after having a great dinner at a cuban restaurant the night before with some friends, with the idea that I would be paddle boating and sightseeing all day.  Well, I did paddle boat and sight-see, but I also spent the day with american actor Terrence Howard.  He was in the movies Crash, Hustle and Flow and Iron Man.  This is what happened:

My friends Lindsay, Katie, Katie and I went paddle boating with two visiting friends from Rome, Peter and John.  We spent an hour floating around the Vltava river getting a tan and enjoying the sun.  After getting off the river we decided to walk towards school to show Peter and John the Lennon Wall.  On the way to school Terrence Howard walks past us.  I smile the biggest smile of my life and am left speechless.  As he passes me, I turn around and loudly say, "Oh my God, that is Terrence Howard".  He proceeds to wave us over, at this point I am thinking he is going to let us take a picture with him, but instead asks us what we are doing throughout the day and invites us up to his hotel room to see the view from his top floor suite.  We spent some time hanging around his hotel room.  He brings out his guitar, his first love is music, and plays for us a little.  After that we all decide to continue our initial plan of seeing the sights.  Terrence joined us for our day of walking around Prague.  We walked to the Lennon Wall, Prague Castle, St. Vitus, and Golden Lane.  I definitely felt like I was hanging out with the cool kid on the block because every once and a while he excused himself so he could take a picture with an adoring fan.  It was unreal.

After seeing the sights we headed back to Terrence's hotel for some drinks.  We sat in the hotel lobby and had beers and talked for an hour or two.  It was so unbelievable.  Terrence is unbelievably intelligent and so interesting.  We willingly talked about his life, career, and family with us.  I truly felt like we were friends.  He was so welcoming and interested in all of our lives, our reasons for choosing Prague, and our views on humanity.  It was great conversation and great beer.  Thanks Terrence for treating us!

This actually happened, I am not kidding.  

ps.  Today, inbetween classes, Lindsay and I decided to walk by the hotel to see if Terrence was sitting in his window.  He was, so we yelled for him to come down and say hello.  Thus, between classes today I said Hi and hung out with Terrence Howard.  So weird!  I have no doubt that I will spend more time with him during his stay in Prague...maybe I will be lucky enough to meet Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ne-yo too, they are both shooting this film with Terrence.  The movie is called Redtails and its a WWII drama being produced by George Lucas.  So cool.  So random.  So lucky.

It was an unreal weekend and I will have a great story to tell for the rest of my life.

This is the view from my paddle boat.  The bridge is the famous Charles Bridge and Prague Caslte/St. Vitus Cathedral is in the background.
Walking back to the hotel with Terrence Howard.
Hanging out at the Lennon Wall with Terrence Howard...so cute!
Paddle boating.
Another picture of us walking with Terrence Howard.

Cesky Krumlov

Cesky Krumlov Photos:

This is a picture from inside the Castle grounds, the tower in the background is the high point of the castle.


Hello again...it is time to fill you all in on my last two weekends in Prague.  Two weekends ago I went to Cesky Krumlov, a small city 2 hours outside of Prague, with a group of classmates.  The city was beautiful and I felt like I was back in the 17th century.  We had a traditional czech lunch in the town square, took a tour of the famous Cesky Krumlov castle, where four different families had lived for over 350 years, and then had time to wander and get lost on the small streets and alleyways.  Our tour guide in the castle was insanely entertaining and beyond random, it was quite an experience.  Overall it was a great day.  I spent the rest of weekend doing homework and wandering around Prague.  

   

Paris

This is the Arc Di Triumph, it was commissioned by Napoleon and honors all the men and women who have fought in the French Armed Forces.  They have a tomb of the Unknown Soldier and everyday at 6pm there is a changing of the guards to honor all of those who have died for France.  We actually saw the ceremony the first day we were in Paris.
This is Sacre Coeur, the Church on top of the hill.  From here you can look over all of Paris.  It was a hike, but worth it.
This is one of the many photos I took after I climbed to the top of Notre Dame on Easter.  The Gargoyles were awesome and looked eerily like the ones in the Disney movie - coincidence, I think not.
More gargoyles!
Eiffel Tower sparkling at night.  It sparkles for 5 minutes every hour, it is breathtakingly beautiful.
The Eiffel Tower at dusk, right when the lights turn on.
This is our version of a piggy-back ride.  Thank God Nicole is so light, otherwise this would not have been possible.
Saint-Sulpice Church.  I really wanted to see this church because it was used in the filming of the Da Vinci Code.
View of Paris from atop Notre Dame.
Versailles Palace, its much bigger than this, I just couldn't get it all in one photo.
Picnic at the Luxembourg Gardens.  It is definitely a hot spot for young people of France.
Notre Dame on my first day in Paris.

Alright, now onto my excursion to Paris during Easter weekend.

Day One: A Day of Walking

Today we woke up early, after arriving late the night before, and walked as much of Paris as our feet would allow.  We started at Bastille Square, then headed to Notre Dame, Luxembourg Gardens, the Louvre, the Arc Di Triumph, and ended at the Eiffel Tower.  Lets just say it was exhausting.  Notre Dame was beautiful and much larger than I expected.  We then had lunch and laid around in the Luxembourg Gardens.  The Louvre and the Arc di Triumph met my expectations, but the Eiffel Tower definitely exceeded my expectations.  It was magnificent, particularly at night when it was lighted.

Day Two: Versailles and Eiffel Tower

Today the four of us, Nicole, Maja, Renata and I, headed to Versailles.  We waited a while in line to get our tickets and then spent four or five hours touring the buildings and the grounds.  I wish all the gardens would have been in bloom, but the grounds were still impressive because of their immense size.  It was amazing to walk in the rooms that Marie Antoinette walked during her reign as Queen of France.  On the way back to Paris I got stuck in the Metro station.  I was captured in a tiny plastic box thing.  It was actually really funny.  I had to find someone who spoke english to help me get out of my little pickle. That night we went to the Eiffel Tower and had some wine, well the girls had wine and I had a beer.  It was a good night.

Day Three: Louvre/Luxembourg/David

We woke up early in the morning and headed to the Louvre.  The Louvre is overwhelming.  It is so large that it could take up to a week to actually see everything.  I made a point to see the most famous things, the Mona Lisa, statue of the Nike etc.  But I spent most of the time in the Roman and Ancient Egypt exhibits.  After spending a few hours in the Louvre we headed to Luxembourg Gardens for a picnic.  I then met up with David, a friend from high school, and headed up to Sacre Coeur.  It is a famous church at a high point in Paris that looks over the city.  It began to rain so Nicole, David and I headed to a local cafe for snacks and drinks.  That night Nicole, David and I went out to dinner and walked around the Bastille neighborhood.

Day Four: EASTER/Notre Dame/Musee Dorsay

Today I woke up early and made my way to Notre Dame.  None of my roommates wanted to join me on my early excursion, but I felt as though I needed to see Notre Dame on Easter morning.  I got there about 45 minutes early and waited in line to climb to the top of Notre Dame.  Although the 400+ steps were tiring, it was all worth it in the end.  The view was fantastic, the weather was great, and the sound of the organ playing during mass while I climbed the steps was beautiful.  

I then headed over and met up with my roommates at the Musse Dorsay Museum.  This museum is housed in a refurbished train station and is located across the Seine river from the Louvre.  This was my favorite museum so far because it held a large amount of pre-impressionist, impressionist, and post-impressionist art.  Meaning, I saw my Van Goghs, Monets, Manets, Renoirs, Signacs, Degas, and Sisleys.  It was awesome.

After conquering the museum, we did a little tourist shopping, the girls had gelato, and we then met up with David for Easter dinner.  As a result of peer pressure, I ate an Indian meal for dinner.  Surprisingly, I consumed it all without complaint, I actually kind of liked it.  This is a big deal.   It was a long day so I crashed after dinner.

Day Five: Final Day

We woke up, packed our bags, dropped them off at our hotel office and hit the streets.  We had most of the day to walk around, so that is what we did.  We practically repeated day one.  It was a nice way to wind down and see most of Paris before we had to fly home.  The trip as a whole was quite successful, the weather cooperated, and the experiences I had were priceless.

I will return to Paris one day, I know it.

Spring Break - French Riviera

This is a picture of Maja and I in front of the Prince of Monaco's Palace.  Grace Kelly lived here while she was the Princess of Monaco.
This is the famous Monte-Carlo Casino in Monaco.  It was unbelievable and the grounds were beautiful.

This is a picture of Maja's family.  I learned a little bosnian during my stay with them, but not enough to understand what was going on. 

The fountains in Nice. 
This is a view from atop the famous Chateau in Nice.  It was so pretty.

The coastline in Nice.
A picture of the Cannes boardwalk.
This is a picture of the gardens along the Cannes coastline.

Waterfall on top of the Nice Chateau.  It was quite a hike to get here but it was worth it.
This is the church in Monaco where Princess Grace Kelly is buried.
Monte Carlo casino grounds.
The Duomo Cathedral in Milan.  It was an amazing gothic inspired church.

Day Seven - Nice

Today began bright in early.  Maja and I headed to the train station in Rome for our long journey to Nice, France.  It was a 10 hour travel day, with an hour or so layover in Genova.  He had window seats, always a plus, and had a Harry Potter-like compartment.  Maja and I, both being Harry Potter fans, truly enjoyed this experience. (I know I sound like a dork)  The weather was beautiful and the views were magnificent.  Three of the hours we had on the train were along the Mediterranean Sea, I couldn't tell you how picturesque it was.  Once we got to Nice we were picked up by Maja's family members and taken to a family dinner.  There was a whole family awaiting our arrival, sadly everyone spoke Bosnian or French, so I had no idea what was going on.  I still felt extremely welcome and the Bosnian-French food we ate was fabulous.

Day Eight - Cannes and Nice

Maja's cousin Zdravko, who does not speak english, drove us to Cannes for the day.  Cannes is known for its famous film festival every May.  Sadly we went too early to see all the celebrities, but the city was still awesome to visit.  In the afternoon, when we got back to Nice, we climbed the Chateau in Nice.  The view was fantastic.  The pictures I will put up cannot even do it justice.  That night Maja's family all came together again and cooked us a fantastic dinner.  I felt more comfortable than the night before and the conversations were awesome, eventhough I had to communicate through Maja as my interpreter.  

Day Nine - Monaco Monte-Carlo

This was our last day in the French Riviera before we headed back to Milan for our flight home.  Maja's cousin Zdravko and aunt drove us to Monaco for the day.  We saw the Prince of Monaco's palace, the church where Grace Kelly is buried, and we walked Mediterranean beach.  Our train from Monaco left around 2 pm for Milan.  When we got to Milan, Maja's family friend Dobrinka had a Bosnian dinner prepared for us.  Again it was fabulous.  Luckily Dobrinka speaks rather good english, which makes communicating much easier.  That night we got a tour of Milan and used up the last of energy.

Day Ten - Milan and Prague

We woke up early, packed our bags, and headed for downtown Milan.  We spent the morning walking around and exploring the city.  We said our tearful goodbyes to Dobrinka, I adore her, and flew back to Praha.  It was a great trip, a great experience, and a great adventure.  I loved every moment of my spring break but was happy to be back home (Praha).

Spring Break Rome

This is a picture of me inside the Roman Forum, or the Roman ruins in Rome.  It was amazingly cool.
Spanish Steps were packed the day we walked there.
The Vatican, it was very busy because the Pope was going out that afternoon.

A view from inside the Colosseum, so cool!
Palatine Hill inside the Roman Forum.
Inside the Roman Forum.

Maja and I found this amazing park the first day  Rome.  It was on top of some ruins, down a random street, and was very peaceful and quiet.  It looked over all of Rome.  I am so glad we stumbled upon it.
Trevi Fountain on the first day.

This is the first photo I took of the colosseum.

Day Four (Rome):

Today we trained from Florence to Rome; it took a little over four hours.  The weather was great and when we arrived it was sunny and 64 degrees outside.  We walked from the train station to our hostel to check in and drop off our stuff.  We continued the afternoon by walking to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and the Trevi Fountain.  That night we had pizza for dinner, yet again, and crashed in our bed.  The hostel was busy, jam packed, and loud.  It was a tight squeeze and a very interesting night.  We were woken up at 1 a.m. to some drunk spanish roommates.  Let's just say it was an experience.

Day Five (Rome):  The weathermen predicted an 80% chance of rain for the whole day, so Maja and I prepared for the worst.  Luckily, as the day went on, we had no rain and it was a beautifully warm and sunny day.  I wish I hadn't worn pants and a jacket :(.  We woke up early this day because we wanted to get to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill as it opened.  From 8:30-10:30 am Maja and I roamed the ancient Roman ruins.  It was so peaceful.  We were one of very few people on the grounds and it felt like we were truly walking the streets of ancient Rome.  After our time in the Roman Forum we headed across the way to the Colosseum.  We spent from 11-1 at the Colosseum.  Words cannot describe how large, detailed, and impressive this structure is.  The history and story behind this amazing complex makes it that much more grand.  It is definitely a must-see. 

Our day of walking continued with the Parthneon and the Piazza de Santa Novella.  Oddly enough we ran into my friend Max on this walk.  I knew he was going to be Rome at the same time but I did not plan to run into him on a random street corner.  It was a random and nice surprise :)  The Parthenon is a unique structure and the Piazza de Santa Novella was packed with artisans trying to sell their works and amazing fountains.  We then walked to the Spanish Steps.  This was the least impressive of all the classic stops on a typical Roman tour, but still worth it.

That night Maja and I went to dinner and I had something other than pizza, yippee.  I had a very yummy eggplant dish.  After dinner we treated ourselves to some gelato and sat at the Trevi Fountain.  This fountain is equally as beautiful at night as it is in the sunlight of the day.

Day Six (Rome):

Rain was predicted for today, once again.  And again we got lucky, it did not rain until the evening when we had completed our list of to-dos.  Today's goal was to conquer the Vatican Museums and the Sistene Chapel.  Funny enough the Pope came out this day, sadly we missed him because we decided to go inside the museums than stay outside in the piazza in front of the St. Peter's Basilicia.  The Vatican was huge and impressive, but the Sistene Chapel was no doubt the highlight.  Michelangelo once again provided the world with an amazing masterpiece.  The Sistene Chapel is an amazing work of art that conveys a story that anyone can understand.  It was stunning.

That night we bought groceries, had dinner, and packed for the 10 hour train ride we were going to have the following day.  French Rivieria here we come.  Bye Bye Roma!

Spring Break - Florence

Hello All-

Sorry for such the delay but I have not had the time to update my blog.  My last three weeks have included 11 days of traveling Italy and the French Rivieria, then five days in Paris during easter weekend, then a week of school and a day trip to Cesky Krumlov.  I am going to start by divulging about my fantastic spring break trip around Italy.  It began in Milan.  We only flew into Milan and then trained, after one night, to Florence.  The trip truly starts there.  

Day One (Friday):  We trained from Milan to Florence.  It took about three hours and the weather outside was beautiful.  We arrived in Florence during the early afternoon, checked into our hostel, which was located only two minutes walk from the center square of Florence.  The hostel was really nice and we had a private room to ourselves.  That night, due to the great weather, we hiked up to the high point in the city.  We watched the sunset from the Piazzale Michelangelo.  This square had a copy of Michelangelo's David but in green marble, not white.  The view was breathtaking, as was the hike to the top :)

After sunset we walked back to the main center of Florence, over the famous Ponte Vecchio Bridge and had a pizza dinner.  After dinner we walked around,  we saw the Duomo at night, debated going on the Carousel (which I regret not doing) and listened to many street performers.  My favorite performer was an American who had a great voice and played covers outside the Uffizi Gallery.  He played songs by Simon and Garfunkel and U2.  He was awesome!

Day Two (Florence):  Today we got up early and headed to the most famous Art Gallery in Florence, and one of the most visited in the world, the Uffizi Gallery.  This gallery housed works by Michalengelo, Leornardo Da Vinci, Botticelli, and Raphael (just to name a few).  We spent the morning walking around this museum and attempting to soak in all the beautiful art.  That afternoon we decided to hit up the other most visited museum in Florence, the Accademia.  This museum, although small, houses Michelangelo's famous David.  Words cannot describe how amazing this piece of art is.  It was by far the most unexpectingly beautiful thing I have ever seen.  The David is the best piece of art I have ever seen and probably will ever see in my lifetime.  The David exceeds all expectations.  Maja and I spent a few hours just sitting in the room built specifically for his masterpiece.  I will have to go back to Florence one day to visit it, it was that breathtaking.  After Accademia, we walked around, shopped at the local vendors and found a grocery store so we did not have to spend ridiculous amounts of money on  food.  That night it poured so Maja and I stayed in and planned our adventure for the next day, Pisa.

Day Three (Pisa and Florence): It was bad weather all day.  We decided to sleep in, which was definitely needed, and then got on a train and headed to Pisa.  The train ride was only and hour and it was nice to see some different countryside.  We spent the afternoon in Pisa, but considering it was off and on pouring rain, the day was not that enjoyable.  We did get to see the sights.  Took the traditional pictures, which sadly are on Maja's camera not mine, and did a little touristy shopping.  Pisa was a cute small town, but their really is not much there.  I am glad we went, despite the fact that it poured most of the time.

When we got back to Florence we went out to dinner, had pizza once again, and listened to our favorite street performer.  It was a great way to end out time in Florence.  The next morning we were getting up early to train further south.  Roma was next on our list of stops.

The famous leaning tower of pisa.  The umbrellas and the wet pavement give you all a glimpse of the weather conditions we endured on this day. :(  It was cool though, and I was slightly afraid that it was going to fall over.  It is truly leaning.

This is the main piazza in Florence.  This piazza is right outside of our hostel.  A copy of the David is in this square and my favorite street performer played here at night.

This is another picture at Pisa.  This photo includes the church built next to the leaning tower of Pisa.

The walk from the train station to famous monuments of Pisa took us across this great bridge.  This is a photo I took from the bridge.  Pisa is a cute little river town.
This is a photo from our hike up to the high point in Florence.
Another view from our hike.
This is the famous Ponte Vecchio Bridge.
Thursday...the day this excursion began.  I looked like a turtle :)