ToryTaylor Tompkins

Slovak Starry Nights - a weekend in the High Tatras mountains So this weekend I went on an impromptu trip with a group of friends to Zdiar, Slovakia, a quaint village nestled among the stunning High Tatras mountains near the border of Poland and Slovakia. Three of the seven of us, incuding myself, decided to leave right after class (as opposed to a night train that got there at 6 AM, not recommended). A note on train travel: a disadvantage of day trains is they often involve a lot of transfers. We had a total of 3 transfers, and then 1 bus and a taxi to get to Zdiar.) Finally got up to the village around 1 AM and somehow found our destination, the Ginger Monkey Hostel. We were greeted by a friendly fellow-hosteler Kate who ... read more

Cesky Krumlov: fairytales, gyspy madness, and Hostel 99 Just back from Cesky Krumlov, "the fairytale village of South Bohemia" it is called. I love it, it had such charm, with its cobblestone sidewalks, babbling river (not as innocently babbling on this trip, I'll explain later), colorful castle tower, and hilly landscape. Though it is the second most visited place in the Czech Republic and has its share of souvenier shops and touristy gymics (including the Museum of Medieval torture=the the stereotype museum in every Europeon village), Krumlov has an old-worldliness that though present in the more modernized Prague is not nearly as common. Took the bus there from Prague (the bus is actually cheaper and faster than the train) and arrived around 2:00. For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea taking ... read more

Day 6, "Czech out my pot"..... No, I haven't started smoking marijuana since I've arrived in Europe, but it took me forever to find a cooking pot here. ;) Today was pretty quiet, still recovering from my illness. Started researching bands for United Islands next week. I'm familiar with absolutely none of them, which is kind of exciting, everything will be totally knew. I may go back to guitar shop the next couple days and get some top recommendations from the guy that says his band is playing in the festival though. Got out around 6 searching for a place to eat. The waitress was about my age and didn't speak any English, which was surprising. She couldn't even understand my very broken attempt at speaking Czech. Had my first authentic check meal, some sort of ... read more

Day 4 The Jewish Quarter So today I went to the Jewish Quarter with a group of people from my program. First we searched for lunch, and I do mean searched, even with a map Prague is somewhat difficult to navigate on foot and its easy to get disoriented as the streets are normally very curvy, I really need to sit down with a map and enjoy some kava mleche (coffee with milk in Czech. We finally found Bohemian Bagel, this little place our tour guide had recommended for cheap quality food. There was an English menu, which my classmates loved, and the food was pretty good to, a definite recommendation especially if your looking for something quick and easy that isn't McDonalds (McDonalds are EVERYWHERE, but surprisingly McDonalds here are much nicer and have more ... read more

Day 2 The bar downstairs This will be short. I got pretty sick, I think because I haven’t slept as there is a bar located right underneath are room that parties and plays loud music until 5 AM morning, and I’m a really light sleeper. Yes, a bar in a dorm. F.Y.I. The Czech Republic has the highest beer consumption per capita in the world, about 40 L per person a year! Had my first day of class and our group of students was given a four hour walking tour of the city. I wish I could tell you more, but I was just kind of in a coma all day.... read more