Alecia Gurkins:
Eating dinner with the first Czech team the night we played against them!
Sarah Langley:
I'd have to say the most memorable things for me were: the stinky guys on the tram and in the restaurants, the muddy wars, Lauren wobbling away yelling "my crotch", or eating thousands of scoops of gelato!
Ashley Green:
Meeting new people, experiencing new things, watermellon gelato and fried cheese!
Kristen Piner:
Leah Stott:
Sara Cranford:
Meeting new friends, being able to interact with the girls in Prague and creating new memories in an amazing place! And of course, GELATO!
Lauren Batton:
Tyndall Brock:
Sunday, July 31, 2011
One, Two, Three, Four, I Declare A Mud War!
It's been a wet and rainy day in Prague but we've definitely made the best of our last twenty four hours here. This morning Ashley, Mr. Ray and I got up really early and went to the St. Francis Cathedral by the Charles Bridge where we experienced Catholic Mass in Czech! I definitely now have a new appreciation for Catholics having the same structure to mass ever week. I actually knew what was going on!
After we all regrouped back at the hotel, we got in touch with Andrew and Elise who informed us that we would indeed be playing today despite this nasty weather! We weren't exactly thrilled to hear it, and when we got to the field and saw the muddy mess we were about to play in the feeling of wanting to stay in bed all day only increased! But, we sucked it up and put on our "American Smiles" and hit the field, little did we know we were about to turn it into one of the best days yet!
It started when the other girls we're cleaning the field to prepare for our game and Sarah, Kristen and I offered to help but they said they didn't need us, so we took off running into the outfield and decided to create our own slip and slide! We took turns diving onto the wet grass in our raincoats to see how far we could slide! It was sooo much fun!
Then in between games, Kristen decided she was going to give herself mud war paint on her face and that's when the mud war broke out! First it started with just face painting, then it turned in to mud slinging, and then we started chasing each other with mud all over our hands and getting each other messy! We had the best time! Gurkins, Sarah and Tyndall chased Brickhouse around trying to put muddy hand prints on her pants. Sarah's goal of the game was to get Elise muddy, which she accomplished after diving into a pile of mud at first base then giving Elise a big hug! Kristen continued to throw mud at me. And after the game was over I got Elise in the face with some mud and then she and I teamed up to throw Sarah in the mud pile! You would have thought we were a bunch of five year olds out there, but we didn't care. We made the best of a messy situation!
After our mud fest ended, they presented us with the first place trophy for the tournament and thanked us for coming to play! We donated a lot of our stuff to the teams that we played so that they would continue to use it and maybe think of us when they did!
It's seriously been the best 10 days of my life. We've had such an amazing time getting to know each other, getting to know the Czech girls, learning about another country and another culture, exploring a new place, trying new things, and most importantly, spreading the word of God and showing others how we as Christians believe in and worship him.
It's hard to believe our trip has come to an end, but before we know it we'll be back again next year, hopefully! Thank you to everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers. We truly appreciate it! It's most definitely been a memorable and life changing experience to be here. We're all very lucky to be a part of the first ever Purpose Driven Softball Team!
After we all regrouped back at the hotel, we got in touch with Andrew and Elise who informed us that we would indeed be playing today despite this nasty weather! We weren't exactly thrilled to hear it, and when we got to the field and saw the muddy mess we were about to play in the feeling of wanting to stay in bed all day only increased! But, we sucked it up and put on our "American Smiles" and hit the field, little did we know we were about to turn it into one of the best days yet!
It started when the other girls we're cleaning the field to prepare for our game and Sarah, Kristen and I offered to help but they said they didn't need us, so we took off running into the outfield and decided to create our own slip and slide! We took turns diving onto the wet grass in our raincoats to see how far we could slide! It was sooo much fun!
Then in between games, Kristen decided she was going to give herself mud war paint on her face and that's when the mud war broke out! First it started with just face painting, then it turned in to mud slinging, and then we started chasing each other with mud all over our hands and getting each other messy! We had the best time! Gurkins, Sarah and Tyndall chased Brickhouse around trying to put muddy hand prints on her pants. Sarah's goal of the game was to get Elise muddy, which she accomplished after diving into a pile of mud at first base then giving Elise a big hug! Kristen continued to throw mud at me. And after the game was over I got Elise in the face with some mud and then she and I teamed up to throw Sarah in the mud pile! You would have thought we were a bunch of five year olds out there, but we didn't care. We made the best of a messy situation!
After our mud fest ended, they presented us with the first place trophy for the tournament and thanked us for coming to play! We donated a lot of our stuff to the teams that we played so that they would continue to use it and maybe think of us when they did!
It's seriously been the best 10 days of my life. We've had such an amazing time getting to know each other, getting to know the Czech girls, learning about another country and another culture, exploring a new place, trying new things, and most importantly, spreading the word of God and showing others how we as Christians believe in and worship him.
It's hard to believe our trip has come to an end, but before we know it we'll be back again next year, hopefully! Thank you to everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers. We truly appreciate it! It's most definitely been a memorable and life changing experience to be here. We're all very lucky to be a part of the first ever Purpose Driven Softball Team!
They got Brickhouse!
Mud War!!
Elise and I throwing Sarah into the mud pile!
The other team cleaning the mud off the field
Gurkins and Kristen
Just before our last game!
Sarah and Kristen grass sliding
So much mud!
Sarah started it!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
i miss my mommy
It's been raining for almost 24 straight hours now, so as you can probably guess, we didn't get to play today! Instead we spent the day walking around downtown and shopping! It's 49 degrees here too, so combine that with rain, and you get a group of lazy girls. We split up for the first part of the day. Sarah and Brickhouse ventured off to find a bakery and ended up at a giant outdoor market! Mr. Charlie took Ashley, Kristen, Tyndall, Gurkins and I to the local grocery store called Alberts where we found the best candy to bring back to friends, or eat ourselves. We also went to some shops down by Old Town Square where we found more souvenirs and some pretty hilarious parachute pants, but they looked silly on us! We miraculously made our way there and back all on our own which is quite an accomplishment for us! We we're so proud! We ate lunch at McDonalds which is extremely different here than at home, and much better!
After lunch we all met back at the hotel and together we took off for the outdoor market! It was amazing! We found fresh fruit and all kinds of other goodies! Everything is better in Europe, well almost everything. The chocolate, fruit, ice cream, pizza and even the fast food! But one things missing, our families.
At the beginning of our devotion tonight we talked about things that we've learned about ourselves and the biggest things we talked about was what we took for granted and how missed our families. Its a very different world over here. There are so many things that we've learned to appreciate now that we've had to go without them and now that we see how other people live. People here don't smile and show emotion, they don't hug, and they don't have the freedom of religion like we do. We have such a wonderful privilege of being able to believe in and worship the wonderful God that gave us all of these things that we've learned to appreciate. We have wonderful families who love us, who care for us, and who are always there for us. We've all become a lot more homesick than we thought we would. I can't even count the times I've said "I miss my mommy" since we've been here. We've all been experiencing this wonderful place and learning about other cultures and wishing our families were here to experience it too.
It's definitely been an incredible adventure and I can't believe its coming to an end! Tomorrow's our last full day here and there's so much left to do! So for now, it's time for bed, that is if we can hold back our laughter long enough to fall asleep! Needless to say, having six people in a room is a recipe for disaster! We've definitely shared a lot of laughs since we've been here and made tons of memories that we'll carry with us forever!
After lunch we all met back at the hotel and together we took off for the outdoor market! It was amazing! We found fresh fruit and all kinds of other goodies! Everything is better in Europe, well almost everything. The chocolate, fruit, ice cream, pizza and even the fast food! But one things missing, our families.
At the beginning of our devotion tonight we talked about things that we've learned about ourselves and the biggest things we talked about was what we took for granted and how missed our families. Its a very different world over here. There are so many things that we've learned to appreciate now that we've had to go without them and now that we see how other people live. People here don't smile and show emotion, they don't hug, and they don't have the freedom of religion like we do. We have such a wonderful privilege of being able to believe in and worship the wonderful God that gave us all of these things that we've learned to appreciate. We have wonderful families who love us, who care for us, and who are always there for us. We've all become a lot more homesick than we thought we would. I can't even count the times I've said "I miss my mommy" since we've been here. We've all been experiencing this wonderful place and learning about other cultures and wishing our families were here to experience it too.
It's definitely been an incredible adventure and I can't believe its coming to an end! Tomorrow's our last full day here and there's so much left to do! So for now, it's time for bed, that is if we can hold back our laughter long enough to fall asleep! Needless to say, having six people in a room is a recipe for disaster! We've definitely shared a lot of laughs since we've been here and made tons of memories that we'll carry with us forever!
Delicious licorice from the market!
Brickhouse enjoying some fruit!
The world's best fresh fruit!
Friday, July 29, 2011
So Long Old Faithful
Day seven has come and gone. I can't believe our trip is almost over. Today we only had one game and it was against a club team made up of girls from all over the Czech Republic which we won 8-3!! Before the game they asked us to do some drills with them and show them how we practice. We ran infield and outfield drills and I really think they enjoyed it! After about an inning or so, Mr. Ray pointed out to me that Gabriella, the other teams catcher, didn't have a mitt. Between innings I took Old Faithful, my first ever catcher's mitt, over to her and told her she could use it. After we finished playing she tried to give it back to me and I told her she could keep it. She was so happy! She had explained to me that she wanted to be a catcher but she didn't have a mitt. It made my day just to see her face when I told her she could have it and that it would bring her lots of luck! So coach, if you're reading this, don't worry, Old Faithful has a new home and won't be returning to Meredith! :)
After each game we always thank the players and coaches, and today it was my turn to talk. Our speech consists of three things: We always thank them for sharing their home with us and allowing us to come to such a beautiful place. Then, we tell them that we're Christians who love Jesus. And we also express to them our love of softball and tell them how appreciative we are to have made so many new Czech friends! It felt really good to be able to relay the message to the girls today and to know that they actually understood me!
After we made our way back to the hotel, showered and got ready, we set out to explore more of the city with the Czech girls that we played today. Elise, the Czech girl that plays with us, and her boy friend, the coach of the other team, along with nine or ten players, joined us for a night on the town. We shopped and shopped and shopped some more, ate a delicious dinner, and walked the Charles's bridge at night which was absolutely beautiful!! This place amazes me more and more every day! I think I could stay here forever!
After each game we always thank the players and coaches, and today it was my turn to talk. Our speech consists of three things: We always thank them for sharing their home with us and allowing us to come to such a beautiful place. Then, we tell them that we're Christians who love Jesus. And we also express to them our love of softball and tell them how appreciative we are to have made so many new Czech friends! It felt really good to be able to relay the message to the girls today and to know that they actually understood me!
After we made our way back to the hotel, showered and got ready, we set out to explore more of the city with the Czech girls that we played today. Elise, the Czech girl that plays with us, and her boy friend, the coach of the other team, along with nine or ten players, joined us for a night on the town. We shopped and shopped and shopped some more, ate a delicious dinner, and walked the Charles's bridge at night which was absolutely beautiful!! This place amazes me more and more every day! I think I could stay here forever!
A night time view of the city!
Brickhouse working with the Czech girls!
Team photo!
A Czech pedicure! The fish eat all the bacteria off your feet!
The Cathedral!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Practice Smart, Play Stupid
It's been an exhausting and softball filled day! We played two games this afternoon. We started off playing against a club team with girls and women of all ages; I had to say women because their two pitchers were both in their 30's or 40's. It was crazy! We won the first game 2-0! The second one didn't go as well. We lost 2-1 in the 8th inning. But, its okay, we still had fun, minus the gigantic strawberries that we've all acquired due to this hard dirt. Sarah and I had to get medicine from the other teams first aid kit to cover ours with so we'd stop re-opening them. It's rather disgusting; it turns the scrape green!
Other than softball we haven't done much today. We're all incredibly worn out and ready for bed. We had our devotion tonight and prayed together before parting our ways and hitting the hay. Everyone's calling it an early night, and finally we get to sleep in tomorrow!
We have five games left before we have to leave this beautiful place. I can't believe our trip is almost over! Hopefully I'll be able to report wins from here on out! Our new game plan thanks to Mr. Charlie is to "Practice Smart and Play Stupid". He's constantly reminding us it's all about having fun and doing what we do best!
Oh, before I post pictures, I just want to throw out there, sorry if I've misspelled a few things in my blogs. My internet here is in Czech so I'm having a hard time checking over everything! Sorry!
Other than softball we haven't done much today. We're all incredibly worn out and ready for bed. We had our devotion tonight and prayed together before parting our ways and hitting the hay. Everyone's calling it an early night, and finally we get to sleep in tomorrow!
We have five games left before we have to leave this beautiful place. I can't believe our trip is almost over! Hopefully I'll be able to report wins from here on out! Our new game plan thanks to Mr. Charlie is to "Practice Smart and Play Stupid". He's constantly reminding us it's all about having fun and doing what we do best!
Oh, before I post pictures, I just want to throw out there, sorry if I've misspelled a few things in my blogs. My internet here is in Czech so I'm having a hard time checking over everything! Sorry!
Our team with the second team we played against
Mine and Sarah's giant scrapes
Kristen and Ashley hanging out between games
The Sara(h)'s! aka Heather and Crandall
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
First International Win!
Today was more of a softball focused day! We played the Czech team again this morning and this time we won! We were all so excited and proud to get our first international win!
After the game we went to the Parachuter Museum where World War II parachuters, that killed the second highest in power next to Hitler, hid after their attack! You can still see the bullet holes in the outside of the building! It was actually a really informative and interesting trip, but some of us couldn't quite make it through the movie. We were beyond exhausted!
Other than that we ventured to the mall for the evening! We walked around for about three hours, checked out all the "american czech" shops, and ate all kinds of delicious meals. We did get to see the Tesco which blows Walmart out of the water! That was the biggest and most amazing supermarket I've ever seen!
It's been a much calmer day since we're all so sore and scraped up from the ball field! We all have massive strawberries on our legs from sliding on the field which feels like its made of ground up brick! I can't even explain how bad my legs hurt!
After the game we went to the Parachuter Museum where World War II parachuters, that killed the second highest in power next to Hitler, hid after their attack! You can still see the bullet holes in the outside of the building! It was actually a really informative and interesting trip, but some of us couldn't quite make it through the movie. We were beyond exhausted!
Other than that we ventured to the mall for the evening! We walked around for about three hours, checked out all the "american czech" shops, and ate all kinds of delicious meals. We did get to see the Tesco which blows Walmart out of the water! That was the biggest and most amazing supermarket I've ever seen!
It's been a much calmer day since we're all so sore and scraped up from the ball field! We all have massive strawberries on our legs from sliding on the field which feels like its made of ground up brick! I can't even explain how bad my legs hurt!
The Museum
Meeting with the Czech team after the game
Team Photo!
The bullet holes on the building where the parachuters hid!
Caio Baby Caio
Day four started off bright and early with an incredibly longgggg hike up hill to the Karlestejn Castle! We rode a train for about thirty minutes that took us from the town that we're staying in to Karlestejn; little did we know that would be our last chance to sit down for the next half of the day. I seriously didn't think we'd ever make it to the top of the mountain. Up hill and cobblestone are not a good combination. When we finally made it to the top, we paired up with an English tour guide who took us all around the castle and explained to us the history of each room. We got a private performance from a Czech musician, saw King Charles's bed, learned about all four of his wives, and saw replicas of the crowns which belonged to Charles.
After surviving a morning filled with hills, rocks and stairs, we ventured back down the hill to find some food! We were starving! The majority of us stopped at one of Mr. Jay's favorite restaurants where we experienced traditional Czech food. I had spaghetti and salad, not so traditional, but delicious! Ashley and Tyndall had chicken topped with ham, cheese and a peach! It looked wonderful! And Kristen, the brave one, tried Gulosh. She says it was good, but by the looks of it I won't be ordering it!
Once lunch was over the shopping kick started! We moseyed our way into all the stores along the street leading back down the hill. Tyndall and I bought scarves, the boys bought gifts for their girlfriends, and almost everyone bought post cards to send to their friends!
When we got back to the hotel we were all ready for naps! We spend the next hour resting and getting ready to spend a night on the town, and it's a good thing we did. Mr. Ray's friend from Prague took us all around the city teaching us the history of each part of Prague and showing us all the stores we needed to go in. We climbed the tower near our hotel and saw the city from above; it was beautiful!
Mr. Ray's friend took us to an awesome restaurant that sent our drinks to our table on trains! It was one of the coolest things any of us had ever seen!! And he took us to a little cafe that served delicious sweets. It was like we died and went to heaven. Every one ordered something different and delicious!
We ended the evening walking through the city as the sun set. As we made our way back to the hotel some random man ran up to one of the girls in the group and screamed "Caio Baby Caio" then proceeded to make weird noises with his toung!! It was creepyyy, but hilarious! Needless to say we laughed the entire night and repeated "Caio Baby Caio" over and over again!
After surviving a morning filled with hills, rocks and stairs, we ventured back down the hill to find some food! We were starving! The majority of us stopped at one of Mr. Jay's favorite restaurants where we experienced traditional Czech food. I had spaghetti and salad, not so traditional, but delicious! Ashley and Tyndall had chicken topped with ham, cheese and a peach! It looked wonderful! And Kristen, the brave one, tried Gulosh. She says it was good, but by the looks of it I won't be ordering it!
Once lunch was over the shopping kick started! We moseyed our way into all the stores along the street leading back down the hill. Tyndall and I bought scarves, the boys bought gifts for their girlfriends, and almost everyone bought post cards to send to their friends!
When we got back to the hotel we were all ready for naps! We spend the next hour resting and getting ready to spend a night on the town, and it's a good thing we did. Mr. Ray's friend from Prague took us all around the city teaching us the history of each part of Prague and showing us all the stores we needed to go in. We climbed the tower near our hotel and saw the city from above; it was beautiful!
Mr. Ray's friend took us to an awesome restaurant that sent our drinks to our table on trains! It was one of the coolest things any of us had ever seen!! And he took us to a little cafe that served delicious sweets. It was like we died and went to heaven. Every one ordered something different and delicious!
We ended the evening walking through the city as the sun set. As we made our way back to the hotel some random man ran up to one of the girls in the group and screamed "Caio Baby Caio" then proceeded to make weird noises with his toung!! It was creepyyy, but hilarious! Needless to say we laughed the entire night and repeated "Caio Baby Caio" over and over again!
Sunset in Prague
Our view from the Karlestejn Castle
A model of the castle
Ashley eating lunch in front of the castle
Our view from the tower!
Look how high up we were!
Our delicious treats!
Drinks on a train!!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Castles, Cathedrals and Guards...Oh MY!
I don't think I can even put in to words how amazing today has been! It's completely an indescribable experience to come to another country and mingle with people who are so accepting of you and who want to learn just as much about you as we want to learn about them! Today has been by far the best day of the trip so far and one of the best days of my life!
After breakfast this morning we took off with the guys and ventured to the Prague Castle which is the largest castle in the world! It's equivalent to the size of seven football fields! We were all awestruck by the sight of the massive and beautiful structure. After taking group pictures outside the castle we made our way through the crowds and into the magnificent Cathedral. The architecture, stain glass windows, and sculptures inside we're simply amazing! We're hoping to go back later in the week and tour the inside of the castle and the rest of the Cathedral.
After we finished taking in all the beauty of the Cathedral, we walked out into the plaza where the Senate buildings are located and made our way down a hill where you could see the entire city from standing against the wall. It was breathtaking. Needless to say I was in picture taking heaven! We probably spent thirty minutes posing for pictures and soaking in the city in all its beauty.
On our way to the other side of the plaza we stopped to take pictures with the castle guards who don't move or smile; but don't worry, we got them to move! One of the boys decided he was going to try and take a close up picture with the guard and he crossed the safety line which sent the guard into a rage! He slammed his gun on the ground, stomped his foot and yelled GET BACK! I was so scared, my heart pounded for the next ten minutes!
Once we recovered from the intense experience, we ventured back down to the tram, and made our way back to the hotel. It was time to get ready for our game against the Czech Republic, which ended up being the best part of the day!
After eating our meal outside the subway station, the Czech coaches drove from the fields to pick us up. When we arrived at the field we were shocked to see what appeared to be massive 16 year olds, but little did we know their ages ranged from 13-16. They we're really good for their age. We played a scrimmage which helped them prepare for the national tournament that they're leaving to play in, in Belgium. One of the Czech girls, Alice, played for our team since we only have eight girls with us! She was sooo nice, spoke really good english and really enjoyed being with us. She tried to teach me Czech but I think I'm hopeless. I've only figured out the basic words: Ahoj and Chow mean Hello, Diky means Thanks, and Dobrou Praci means Good Job (don't judge me on my pronunciation though).
Three of the girls, Alice, Bara and Eliska all speak english and are really impressive. Eliska's father is English and she explained to us that it's really hard because girls grow up talking more with their mother and her mother speaks Czech but her father converses with her in English and she attends an English school, so she knows what we're saying but she doesn't always know the correct way to answer. She was an extremely helpful translator though! Bara is learning English from Eliska and from spending her summers in England at an English school. She and her mother sat at our dinner table and we're so much fun to talk with. Her mother also speaks English! She's a pediatric general practitioner here; such a sweet lady!
We spent a lot of our evening conversing with the girls and learning about each other! They were completely shocked to find out that we don't drink in our country until we're 21! They're all legal in Prague since the drinking age is 16, but they can't get their license until they're 18. We asked Eliska what their opinions of Americans was and she immediately responded "a fat man eating a burger". We all busted out laughing!! I guess that goes to show, we have a reputation for being obese. We exchanged stories and laughed all through our dinner, which was delicious fried cheese! Kristen's day was made when she realized we were eating cheese for dinner! It was like a grilled cheese only a million times better!!
Today was by far one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life. I absolutely love being here and doing what we're doing! Its such an amazing experience and I can't wait to see what the rest of the week has in store! Bara wants to come to our hotel and take us to explore "the real Prague" with her. She also wants to come to America and hang out with us cause we're so awesome; I do believe those were almost her exact words!!
After our long and incredible day was over, we met at the hotel for our devotional. Mr. Charlie read us some verses of the Bible and explained that what we're doing is a unique and wonderful thing. We're here to be ourselves and enlighten others of Christ and his word. We prayed together and ended on my favorite verse "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". <3
After breakfast this morning we took off with the guys and ventured to the Prague Castle which is the largest castle in the world! It's equivalent to the size of seven football fields! We were all awestruck by the sight of the massive and beautiful structure. After taking group pictures outside the castle we made our way through the crowds and into the magnificent Cathedral. The architecture, stain glass windows, and sculptures inside we're simply amazing! We're hoping to go back later in the week and tour the inside of the castle and the rest of the Cathedral.
After we finished taking in all the beauty of the Cathedral, we walked out into the plaza where the Senate buildings are located and made our way down a hill where you could see the entire city from standing against the wall. It was breathtaking. Needless to say I was in picture taking heaven! We probably spent thirty minutes posing for pictures and soaking in the city in all its beauty.
On our way to the other side of the plaza we stopped to take pictures with the castle guards who don't move or smile; but don't worry, we got them to move! One of the boys decided he was going to try and take a close up picture with the guard and he crossed the safety line which sent the guard into a rage! He slammed his gun on the ground, stomped his foot and yelled GET BACK! I was so scared, my heart pounded for the next ten minutes!
Once we recovered from the intense experience, we ventured back down to the tram, and made our way back to the hotel. It was time to get ready for our game against the Czech Republic, which ended up being the best part of the day!
After eating our meal outside the subway station, the Czech coaches drove from the fields to pick us up. When we arrived at the field we were shocked to see what appeared to be massive 16 year olds, but little did we know their ages ranged from 13-16. They we're really good for their age. We played a scrimmage which helped them prepare for the national tournament that they're leaving to play in, in Belgium. One of the Czech girls, Alice, played for our team since we only have eight girls with us! She was sooo nice, spoke really good english and really enjoyed being with us. She tried to teach me Czech but I think I'm hopeless. I've only figured out the basic words: Ahoj and Chow mean Hello, Diky means Thanks, and Dobrou Praci means Good Job (don't judge me on my pronunciation though).
Three of the girls, Alice, Bara and Eliska all speak english and are really impressive. Eliska's father is English and she explained to us that it's really hard because girls grow up talking more with their mother and her mother speaks Czech but her father converses with her in English and she attends an English school, so she knows what we're saying but she doesn't always know the correct way to answer. She was an extremely helpful translator though! Bara is learning English from Eliska and from spending her summers in England at an English school. She and her mother sat at our dinner table and we're so much fun to talk with. Her mother also speaks English! She's a pediatric general practitioner here; such a sweet lady!
We spent a lot of our evening conversing with the girls and learning about each other! They were completely shocked to find out that we don't drink in our country until we're 21! They're all legal in Prague since the drinking age is 16, but they can't get their license until they're 18. We asked Eliska what their opinions of Americans was and she immediately responded "a fat man eating a burger". We all busted out laughing!! I guess that goes to show, we have a reputation for being obese. We exchanged stories and laughed all through our dinner, which was delicious fried cheese! Kristen's day was made when she realized we were eating cheese for dinner! It was like a grilled cheese only a million times better!!
Today was by far one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life. I absolutely love being here and doing what we're doing! Its such an amazing experience and I can't wait to see what the rest of the week has in store! Bara wants to come to our hotel and take us to explore "the real Prague" with her. She also wants to come to America and hang out with us cause we're so awesome; I do believe those were almost her exact words!!
After our long and incredible day was over, we met at the hotel for our devotional. Mr. Charlie read us some verses of the Bible and explained that what we're doing is a unique and wonderful thing. We're here to be ourselves and enlighten others of Christ and his word. We prayed together and ended on my favorite verse "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". <3
Ashley and I at our game!
The Prague Castle
The Purpose Driven Baseball and Softball Teams at the castle!
The beautiful Cathedral!
The breathtaking view from the ledge
The Girls! :)
Kristen, Ashley and I in front of the city
The girls again!
The scary scary guard!
Our new best friends in Prague! Eliska is in the blue wind jacket and Bara is in the red!
Our teams saying good game to each other!
Kristen loves her cheese!!
The Czech team and our team! :)
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Czech Us Out
Day two in the beautiful city of Prague has already come to an end, but what a wonderful day it's been. We woke up to the sounds of extreme snooring coming in from Mrs. DeDe's bunk. We quickly got ready and headed down stairs to eat breakfast in the hotel. After Kristen, Ashley and I finished eating we headed to the store on the corner to buy bottled water with no gas, which is hard to find and more expensive, but don't worry, we found the biggest and cheapest bottles in the city! I've never been so happy to see and drink water!
We started our day off heading towards Old Town Square and Kristen took a nice little trip down the sidewalk, falling down and scraping her knee. She's okay though, she quickly rolled over and busted out laughing. The best part about it though was the lady in front of us turned around, pointed and said "too much to drink last night". We probably laughed for a solid 15 minutes. After that little bump in the road, we continued on and visited the gorgeous St. Francis Church located in the middle of Old Town. It was so lavish and beautiful inside and out.
Our next journey took us over the St. Charles's Bridge, stopping at every statue for photo ops along the way, and into New Town where we experienced Gelato! I can't even think of words to accurately describe how delicious that was! I think we're planning on eating it every day, at least I hope we are! :)
Next stop, the John Hus statue in the center of the town. John Hus was a preacher against the Catholic Church who was persecuted for his belief that people should be able to read the bible in their own languages. His last words were "in 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed" and 102 years later Marin Luther nailed his famous theses into the church door at Wittenberg. After listening to Mr. Ray's speech on the history of the statue we separated into groups and prayed for the people of Prauge and all of the tourists from other countries asking God to guide them to follow his word. Before we took off we watched the Astronomical Clock chime on the hour, it was definitely an impressive and memorable experience!
After that we ventured off on the longest round about route to Bohemian Bagel stopping at Brickhouse's favorite store Padagonia. We also took pictures with a golden man and ventured into a massive supermarket. We finally got some food in our stomachs and we're stoked to find out that the refills were FREE! We've also had to adjust to not drinking drinks on ice, but today the soda came straight from the fountain and it was already ice cold! I had a massive and delicious turkey club on a whole wheat bagel, yumm yumm.
We then took off for the Prague Gardens but managed to stop at and sight see along the way. We crossed back over Charles's Bridge and stopped in front of a gate where Mr. Charlie proceeded to tell us about a famous fountain that was suppose to increase fertility if you touched it, so he obviously told us to not even get too close!! When we walked into the gate we were shocked to see a fountain with statues of two men peeing! Our faces we're absolutely priceless.
Once we made it to the gardens we scattered about attempted to see all of the intriguing sites. We took pictures of a beautiful white peacock, sat on the fountain of Venus, and fed the pigeons.
On our journey back to the hotel we stumbled upon the John Lennon Wall which was by far one of the coolest things I've ever seen! It was a massive graffiti wall dedicated to the Beatles and everyone who passes by signs or draws on it. Of course we all added our names and took numerous pictures in front of the colorful display of art. Ashley, Mr. Charlie and Sarah are big Beatles fans so they we're lovin this stop!
After we turned the corner we say a gate completely covered in locks! It was so awesome! Each lock had a name or initials inscribed on it of the person who put it there's lover! Brickhouse told us its used to "lock in love". Ashley happened to have a lock in her suite case so if we go back we're going to add one with the initials JC representing Jesus Christ!
We finally made our way back to the Mossaic House where we briefly checked our facebooks, skyped some family and then headed back out to dinner. This time we were set on experiencing some real Czech food, and don't worry, we found some! We made our way to a little restaurant not far from the hotel. As soon as we sat down we were immediately offered beer and shots, but we politely turned them down. The legal drinking age in Prague is 16 which is unbelievable! The majority of us ordered roasted sausage, pork or chicken which were all served with potatoes, sauerkraut (gross!!), cabbage, bread or potato dumplings. Everything was delicious!
After that I spent the last couple of hours uploading 480 pictures and working on my blog! I hope you guys are enjoying the stories of our travels!! Sarah, Gurkins and Tyndall are going to get on here and write some too!! But for now, its off to bed we go! Night yall!
We started our day off heading towards Old Town Square and Kristen took a nice little trip down the sidewalk, falling down and scraping her knee. She's okay though, she quickly rolled over and busted out laughing. The best part about it though was the lady in front of us turned around, pointed and said "too much to drink last night". We probably laughed for a solid 15 minutes. After that little bump in the road, we continued on and visited the gorgeous St. Francis Church located in the middle of Old Town. It was so lavish and beautiful inside and out.
Our next journey took us over the St. Charles's Bridge, stopping at every statue for photo ops along the way, and into New Town where we experienced Gelato! I can't even think of words to accurately describe how delicious that was! I think we're planning on eating it every day, at least I hope we are! :)
Next stop, the John Hus statue in the center of the town. John Hus was a preacher against the Catholic Church who was persecuted for his belief that people should be able to read the bible in their own languages. His last words were "in 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed" and 102 years later Marin Luther nailed his famous theses into the church door at Wittenberg. After listening to Mr. Ray's speech on the history of the statue we separated into groups and prayed for the people of Prauge and all of the tourists from other countries asking God to guide them to follow his word. Before we took off we watched the Astronomical Clock chime on the hour, it was definitely an impressive and memorable experience!
After that we ventured off on the longest round about route to Bohemian Bagel stopping at Brickhouse's favorite store Padagonia. We also took pictures with a golden man and ventured into a massive supermarket. We finally got some food in our stomachs and we're stoked to find out that the refills were FREE! We've also had to adjust to not drinking drinks on ice, but today the soda came straight from the fountain and it was already ice cold! I had a massive and delicious turkey club on a whole wheat bagel, yumm yumm.
We then took off for the Prague Gardens but managed to stop at and sight see along the way. We crossed back over Charles's Bridge and stopped in front of a gate where Mr. Charlie proceeded to tell us about a famous fountain that was suppose to increase fertility if you touched it, so he obviously told us to not even get too close!! When we walked into the gate we were shocked to see a fountain with statues of two men peeing! Our faces we're absolutely priceless.
Once we made it to the gardens we scattered about attempted to see all of the intriguing sites. We took pictures of a beautiful white peacock, sat on the fountain of Venus, and fed the pigeons.
On our journey back to the hotel we stumbled upon the John Lennon Wall which was by far one of the coolest things I've ever seen! It was a massive graffiti wall dedicated to the Beatles and everyone who passes by signs or draws on it. Of course we all added our names and took numerous pictures in front of the colorful display of art. Ashley, Mr. Charlie and Sarah are big Beatles fans so they we're lovin this stop!
After we turned the corner we say a gate completely covered in locks! It was so awesome! Each lock had a name or initials inscribed on it of the person who put it there's lover! Brickhouse told us its used to "lock in love". Ashley happened to have a lock in her suite case so if we go back we're going to add one with the initials JC representing Jesus Christ!
We finally made our way back to the Mossaic House where we briefly checked our facebooks, skyped some family and then headed back out to dinner. This time we were set on experiencing some real Czech food, and don't worry, we found some! We made our way to a little restaurant not far from the hotel. As soon as we sat down we were immediately offered beer and shots, but we politely turned them down. The legal drinking age in Prague is 16 which is unbelievable! The majority of us ordered roasted sausage, pork or chicken which were all served with potatoes, sauerkraut (gross!!), cabbage, bread or potato dumplings. Everything was delicious!
After that I spent the last couple of hours uploading 480 pictures and working on my blog! I hope you guys are enjoying the stories of our travels!! Sarah, Gurkins and Tyndall are going to get on here and write some too!! But for now, its off to bed we go! Night yall!
Lock in Love!
KP & I's massive water bottle!
The girls on the bridge overlooking the city!
St. Nicholas's Church
Christ on the Cross on the St. Charles's Bridge
Tyndall, Gurkins, Kristen, Sara, Ashley and Sarah!
The streets of Prague aligning the river!
Czech us out!!
The most delicious ice cream I've ever experienced!
The Golden Man!!
My delicious lunch
All you need is love <3
The John Lennon Wall!
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