Mountains and Castles and Tests, oh my!

Well, hello again blog! It's been awhile. My most sincere apologies for the long absence, but I do have a valid reason: I was studying to write my MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) and therefore didn't really do anything exciting in the past month. Actually, I don't think I left Prague for a whole month which was brutal as I watched all my fellow exchange-mates jet off to Budapest and Krakow and Amsterdam. However, all that is over and done with and I am free to enjoy my last month (?!?!!) in Europe!

Some might ask, why would you spend your exchange in Europe studying for your MCAT? Well, that's a good question. To explain, I'd have to jump back to December, when I realized that I have loads of free time on my hands due to a schedule of courses that are both easy and not time-demanding in any way, and one can only travel SO much. Since I'm graduating next May, my post undergrad future is fast approaching and in order to get the ball rolling for what I'm going to do afterwards, I decided to take advantage of my free time. I didn't know when in the next couple of years I would have that much of it again, between work and school. Studying in Europe was a challenge, especially when the weather was gorgeous this spring and all my friends were off on trips or hanging out on the hilltop in the nearby park or wandering the streets of Prague. It definitely tested my motivation and determination and stress levels, but I think considering the circumstances everything went as well as it could have. Now all that's left is to wait for the results!

Anyways, enough blabbering. The weekend before the test was Easter and although it probably would have been wise to stay in Prague and study some more, I couldn't handle another weekend in my dorm room so I traveled to Zakopane, Poland with my good friend Kasia to spend Easter with her and her family. It was an absolutely wonderful weekend! Zakopane is a stone's throw away from Slovakia, so right at the southern border of the country, and set in the beautiful Tatra Mountains which form the natural border between Poland and Slovakia. I felt right at home in the mountains. Actually, I think that the landscape and lifestyle where Kasia lives is the most similar to where I come from in Canada of anywhere I've seen in Europe. We spent the weekend eating copious amounts of delicious homemade food, hiking around in the mountains, relaxing in a spa (Bukowina thermal resort, which boasts 6 indoor and 6 outdoor swimming pools, 5 types of saunas and, most importantly to me, a hydromassage pool!), and watching an Easter Monday tradition in Zakopane. Huge thanks to Kasia and her wonderful family for having me!

Morskie Oko, just a 20 minute drive from Kasia's place. Heaven!

Mountain selfie! (Bestemor and Bestefar, sorry about the sunglasses but the snow was too bright to take them off!)

It was great to experience some Polish Easter traditions. One of them involved filling baskets with Easter eggs, oranges, sausages, chocolate, and other little trinkets and taking them to church on the Saturday to have them blessed, I think? I'm not entirely sure of the significance of it but it was neat to see almost every person, or at least every young person, walking around town with one of these:

Zakopane natural ski jump. In 1997, Pope John Paul II (from Poland) celebrated a mass at the hill's stadium. For the 1962 FIS Nordic World Ski Champs here there were 120,000 people in attendance in this small town of 28,000. 

I just loved the architectural style here! Most of the buildings are wood structures but beautifully crafted with amazing, intricate designs in the wood.

We attended church in a mountain chapel on Easter Sunday morning, then walked back through the forest to Kasia's house, casually passing by this view:

Rusinowa Polana (Glade). A popular summer hangout spot. (I wonder why?)

Then we road-tripped into Slovakia and my hosts led us to this spectacular view of the whole Tatra Mountain range:

On Easter Monday, there's an awesome tradition in Zakopane that almost the whole town attends, where men and women dress themselves up in traditional mountain clothing and don old wooden skis and poles then attempt to ski down a small slalom course on a ski slope above Zakopane. Kasia and I walked the 30 minutes up the mountain to take in the spectacle. It was a very entertaining morning, watching everyone attempt to descend the hill on the mushy spring snow, as well as meeting a ton of Kasia's friends. I love Poland and it's people so far! Everyone is very friendly and spirited and nature-loving, the food is delicious, and the mountains are nothing short of magnificent. I think it's the small-town mindset, because I felt like I was back in Nelson at the Slush Cup at Whitewater, although hearing the language and seeing the traditional garb brings me back to Poland.

After a fantastic weekend with Kasia and her family we took a really not fun overnight bus back to Prague, arriving at 5am.. I was leaving 36 hours later for Munich for the test so I basically unpacked, did laundry, and put everything back in my pack, as well as fitting in some last minute studying.

I couchsurfed with a lovely British-German girl and her Canadian flatmate for 3 nights while I was in Munich. It was great having a local to tell me what I should do and show me around and introduce me to the best ice cream place in the city! I did some sightseeing on the afternoon following the test to see the sights in Munich (I've been to the city before, 3 years ago exactly, but my memory needed refreshing).

The Old Town Hall

The New Town Hall, which ironically looks (to me at least) older than the Old Town Hall pictured above, due to the Gothic Revival style 

Outside the Theatine Church there were a ton of beanbag chairs and hammocks for people to hang out on!  Perfect to catch some sun or read a book on a hot spring day.

My host told me about the Scholl siblings, who were members of the White Rose, a student group in Munich, that distributed flyers against the dictatorship of Hitler. They were caught at LMU (the main university in Munich) and sentenced to death and killed by guillotine in 1943.

The day after the test, I took a train for 2 hours into South Bavaria to check out the Neuschwanstein castle which was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle and has been in several movies. It was an absolutely wonderful day and I fully enjoyed my newfound freedom soaking up the sun and the beautiful mountain scenery.

Hohenschwangau Castle, the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, which is just next door to the castle I came to see.

The show-stealer: Neuschwanstein Castle 

Alpsee and Hohenschwangau Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle from Marienbrucke

To escape the tourists I continued on past the bridge and up the switchbacking trail along the ridge of the mountain to get a bird's eye view of the castle:

I can see why it's popular in movies!

Pollatschlucht, the waterfall below Marienbrucke next to the castle

Dipped my feet in the Alpsee before reluctantly leaving the mountains behind

The next day, I had intended to go to Salzburg before heading back to Prague but I was unable to find accommodation there due to my last-minute planning so I simply booked a bus home for the afternoon and spent the day wandering Munich. I got a bit too much sun yesterday so my energy level was significantly lower than usual, but I was free to go at my own pace so it was still an enjoyable day. I mapped out where I walked once I got home and it was over 15km, and in the hot sun too, so needless to say I was happy to sit and relax on the 4.5 hour bus ride to Prague.

Nymphenburg Palace grounds 

Lilacs are in full bloom everywhere right now! So beautiful and very fragrant

One of many beer gardens. Germans really do love their beer!

Well that's excessively long, so I think I'll stop here. I'm back in Prague now, with 4 weeks until my flight home and still so many things that I want to do and experience! Next up on the list: Portugal next week!!!!! Stay tuned.

Cheers,

Sonja