post 12

Last week was pretty great. I'll just give you some highlights from each day. Stay tuned for a Budapest post at some point in the next few days.

Monday

We had school in the morning and homework during the afternoon, but that night Elder D. Todd Christofferson came to the outreach center in Vienna to talk to all the Mormon young adults in the area. We went early to work on homework and we were leaving to grab an orange and some yogurt at the Billa up the street before the meeting and right as we left, Elder Christofferson's car was pulling up. So we hung around and became the unofficial, unappointed welcoming committee. He was very kind even though I'm sure he is tired from traveling all over Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Becca invited him to get gelato with a group of us after the meeting and he said he'd ask his wife.

Paparazzi photo of Elder Christofferson

The meeting itself was very good and he and the other speakers did an excellent job and offered a lot of reassurance and advice. It was very powerful. Afterwards we went to shake his hand and politely declined our repeated invitation to gelato. A little group of us went to Zanoni & Zanoni anyways and it was delicious and fun. I like doing things that I would do in real life (since this is fake life), and getting ice cream with friends is one of those things that happens a lot in my real life. Then I Skyped with my top dudes, Tanner and Josh, for long hours and it was the best in the world.

Tuesday

In the morning we had class and then Becca and I were meeting some girls from our group at the train station to leave for Prague. We had looked at our tickets when we bought them and determined that we had enough time to run to Billa to get some snacks for the five hour train ride before we had to get to the station. We arrived at the Wien Mitte station and we checked the departure boards and didn't see Prague up there. We pulled out our tickets to see if the Prague station had a different name but discovered instead that we were at the wrong station. We booked it up the escalator back to the U-Bahn station and asked the first woman we saw how to find the Wien Meidling station. She gave us perfect directions, but told us it would take 20 minutes to get there. Problem: our train was scheduled to leave in 17 minutes. By some miracle, I had my cell phone with me (I always forget it and even thought that I had forgotten it that day until it started ringing in my pocket) and Paige called to ask where we were. I frantically explained the situation and she told us what platform the train was leaving from. The U-Bahn seemed to take forever and at one point we were packed in like cattle. When the doors slid open at Philidelphiasbruke, we started sprinting. Our huge backpacks full of everything we needed for the next three days were bouncing on our backs and I'm sure we looked like lunatics running through the station. I think I was yelling a prayer out loud that we would make it, but everything is kind of hazy. We sprinted up the escalator to the platform Paige told us, and we were relieved to see the train still there. But we didn't stop running because all I could imagine was watching it roll away with us heaving and panting on the platform. We ran past the ticket taker, who didn't even try to stop us (which is good because I couldn't speak and I might have thrown up on him if I'd tried). We made it onto the train with seriously 30 seconds to spare. It was madness.

Five hours later we arrived in Prague and our hostel looked like the Bernstein Bears built it (in the best way). It was clean and nice and we watched The Bachelor all together before going to bed.

Wednesday

SO gorgeous.

We lucked out with the weather and it was warm and sunny and nice. We went to a little lookout on a hill across the river from where we were staying in the Old Town and enjoyed the amazing view of the gorgeous city. Visually, I think I love Prague more than any city I've been to so far. Lots of red roofs.

Prague from the Charles Bridge. It can't help it how gorgeous it is.

We walked to the castle and explored that for awhile before heading over to the John Lennon wall and Charles Bridge. There was the sweetest band of old men playing on the bridge that you must see. Don't worry, they have a website. Also, Becca and I bought a CD if you are interested. I stood and listened to them with the perfect weather and the amazing sites around me and just felt really lucky.

John Lennon Wall

We went to Wenceslas Square where we found a stand that sold trdelnik (which we fondly call turtlenecks). It's a piece of dough wrapped around a rod and then spun over coals until the outside is toasty and the inside is still soft. Then it's rolled in sugar and almonds. So, basically it's heaven. We went to a restaurant for dinner where the drinks arrive at your table via model trains. Then we went out for dessert (not that we needed it) and returned to our treehouse hostel for the night.

Train Restaurant

Thursday

The weather was a little less gorgeous, but definitely enjoyable. We went to the Jewish Cemetary, and also every synagogue in Prague (I'm not being sarcastic, we really did see them all).

Jewish Cemetary

We went to a big church (cathedral?) in Weceslas Square, then we went to see the famous clock go off. The best part was the real live trumpeter that played a little song at the top of the tower.

The clock in Wenceslas Square

Then we took the metro out to Vyšehrad to check out the cemetary and church (thanks for the suggestion Drs. Hinckley!), which did NOT disappoint.

View from Vyšehrad

Vyšehrad Church

Something weird happened to some of my photos, so I don't know why the left side of this is purple, but it's still pretty.

From there we had to hurry back to the train station to get a train back to Vienna. Only we didn't realize that there was a connection on the train back, so Vienna didn't show up on the departure board. Surprise surprise...by the time we figured out what train we needed, we had to run to the platform to catch it. But then there was a snowstorm while we were in the train and it was so beautiful and it delayed us, but our connecting train waited and we made it back to Vienna safe and sound.

Friday

Becca and I ran around the Ringstrasse after class and then we did a walk for our Vienna Walks class and then we went home because we were tired and then we went to the Naschmarkt to get lunch and buy stuff to make curry that night.

Saturday

Homework, running, eating, resting. The musicians in our group gave a really impressive concert and a few of us went back to our favorite Mexican restaurant in the Prater afterwards.

Sunday

Church, Phantom of the Opera with Becca, Skyping with my old roommates/best friends and later with my family. Successful day.