Hymn for my soul

Even before I decided to go to Prague, I was well aware that one of the best singers out there is going on another European tour. Originally the plan was to see him in Zagreb, but as I decided to go to Prague, I saw he was doing a gig here as well. And since he then cancelled the show in Zagreb, I was all the more glad to be here. And on the 12th of December, I saw one of the rare people who ruled on Woodstock and are still going strong today. After already having seen Country Joe McDonald and The Who, I can now cross Joe Cocker off the list as well.

The gig itself was amazing. It's been a while since I saw a really good concert, and Joe delivered big time. His voice is still in shape, the band is tight and the setlist included everything I expected. In short, music so good it blew me away. Sazka arena was full, and even though the Czech were not really into it (still they're not the most passive crowd I've witnessed, that title remains in Austria for now), there was some energy, especially at the peaks of the show: "You can leave your hat on" and "With a little help from my friends".

Now only Joan Baez, Santana, John Fogerty of the CCR and a possible (but not likely) CSNY reunion remain.

Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary is a small and cozy Czech city near the German border. It's a very touristic city, famos for being a "spa city", for the film festival it hosts, but mostly for a certain liqueur (or medicine, if you ask the employed there) that is made there, the Becherovka. And since it is not far from Prague (roughly 2h with a bus), it seemed like a good destination for a trip.

The idea for it fell rather suddenly on a boring Saturday afternoon, and the following Sunday morning we all gathered at the reception. The expedition consisted of Jovita, Tomas and Donek from Lithuania, Magda from Poland and Darjan and myself. It wasn't a particularly nice day, but at least it wasn't raining.

The complications started soon, though. At the Florenc bus station we were informed that we can only buy tickets to Karlovy Vary and not back to Prague as well, as all of the buses scheduled for the day were already full. There is a train station in Karlovy Vary, though, so we decided to rely on our luck for a change and bought the tickets anyway.

The ride there was smooth. The student's agency has really good buses: it has big and comfortable leather seats, there were 8 screens for a movie they were rolling (unfortunately it was dubbed in Czech), everyone got headphones and could listen to 7 different radio stations, they handed out newspapers and magazines, and you can even buy some refreshments. Most of us, however, slept.

Sleeping on the way there ...



... and on the way back.

The city itself is nothing exceptional, just a regular tourist city, and one can see everything there is to see in one day. The centre drags along both banks of the river, and there's only hotels, spas, restaurants and shops there. There's also a really nice park on one side, but since it's winter it wasn't as interesting as it would have been in a warmer period of the year. Also, along the route we took, there are countless springs of thermal water you can drink from. We saw number 65, but Wikipedia suggests there's 15 large springs and over 300 smaller ones. We tried some of the water, supposedly it's good for digestion and metabolism, but it tastes awful.

The city, the park, the dinner (?)

The day was turning out really nice, and in between, even some clouds cleared the way for some sunshine to come though. But the days are short here, we still didn't have tickets to Prague and there was still the museum to see.

The museum is located in a building that was once the main factory for the production of Becherovka. Some of it is still made there, but the majority of the operation is now located in another factory nearby. The entrance fee for the museum is 50 Crowns with an ISIC card, and for that you get a tour of the factory, some background and history, a rough description of the process (the recipe is a secret, only 2 people in the world know it) and a video. The best part of it is the video, during which you also get to try 3 different kinds of Becherovka. The first one is a classic Becherovka, found in every shop in Czech Republic. The second one is Aperitiv KV 14, and it's completely without sugar. The third one, Cordial, has some added sugar (it is 35% alcohol and 40% sugar). You drink Becherovka cold, Aperitiv is especially nice for mixing cocktails because it has no sugar and you can mix Cordial with warm drinks like tea.

The museum took a good 40 min. and after that we really had to race to catch the train back to Prague. There was another one leaving later, but the ride back to Prague takes 3,5 hours with a train. We were lucky enough to catch it on time, and soon we were on the way to Hostivař.

When we were back, half of the group decided to go back to the dorm, but Tomas, Donek and me were really hungry. We decided to seek out a restaurant near Náměstí Míru. After a while of searching I decided to just go and eat at home, and just as my luck goes, they found the place 5 minutes after I left for Hostivař. Still, it was a great day and visiting Karlovy Vary is something I recommend to anyone that wasn't there yet and has a day off. It's just the right size and interesting enough for a one day trip.

Goofing around in Karlovy Vary.

We all tried some thermal water. The expressions on the faces say it all (some people are just better at hiding it as others).

Golden Prague

With a minor delay, today's blog will describe how some of us spent the 1st of November. First and foremost let me point out that in Czech republic, this is not a holiday, it's a regular working day. So for the first time in my life on that day, I got up at 8:30 and slowly prepared myself physically and psychologically for a day at the university. I didn't feel like going, at all.

The mood was lifted by our professor, who greeted us all with the words: »Just look at what a beautiful, sunny day it is today! It's one of those days, when the golden Prague is indeed golden.«. So after class, the scholars of slovenistics unanimously decided that a day such as this, that would also be one of the rare beautiful days before winter, would not be wasted. The decision fell after lunch, and the destination was Vyšehrad (high castle), the location on which the princess Libuše prophesied the foundation of Prague. And as it was the 1st of November, the day of the memory of the dead, we would pay tribute to the great composers Smetana and Dvořak, who are buried there.

Near Vyšehrad metro station


Striking a pose

There is a big park in Vyšehrad (Karlachov park), we took a walk across it and marveled the exceptional view of Vltava and the city from it. We took a closer look to the neogothic church of St. Peter and Pavel and of course, the cemetery (Panteon), where all the great Czechs were buried since then 19th century.

Vltava harbor from Vyšehrad


One of the tunnels and my lovely hands :-)
The photographer has already been scolded


View to the other side


Striking another pose

We saw the graves of Smetana and Dvořak, and also of some other famous people, like Karel Čapek, Jan Neruda, Alfons Mucha ... A pleasant surprise occured on the full hour, when the bells of the church started to ring the melody of Vltava, a part of Smetana's masterpiece Ma Vlast (My Country).

But enough words, here are some photos and a short video clip.

Rotunda of St. Martin from 11th century


Fall's colours


Mr. Dvořak


Posing with Mr. Dvořak


Devils and Devil's pillars


What a beautiful day ...


Church tower


Slavin


Iztok, Breda and Alja paying their respects








The Cemetery


The Hands of ...?


Interesting concept :-)


Let me ooout!












Captured moments


Satisfied after a well spent day

Before the H5

It's about time to start contributing to this blog myself. Admittedly, I'm far too lazy to post regularly as I prefer photographs, but I promise to do my best to entertain you with words as much as with queer photos :-).

I arrived in Prague on September 22nd, about five days before my fellow bloggers. My parents provided the transport for myself and the luggage - it felt like a family trip to the seaside. After the initial problems with accommodation and introduction to my roommate (who is from Argentina), we set off to get some lunch.

My tutor Ivona finally called in the late afternoon and announced a meeting in the reception, where I met the rest of Erasmus students in her group: Roosa from Finland, Sara von Slovenia, Gautier aus Frankreich (we invented a slogan: "Nadraži Hostivař is a place to be":-)) and last but not least, my humble self. All of aforementioned I have of course met for the first time in my life, but the ice was broken by a visit to a pub. The following week (also known as the Erasmus orientation week) was really interesting – there were a lot of presentations, orientation runs, a visit to the ZOO ... Daily activities were followed (and still are) by mandatory parties over night – testing different brands of beer and other drinks included. Meeting at least 10 new people a day, remembering their names, where they are from and what they are studying is no easy task!

Other than that, adjusting to life in Prague isn't hard. The way to go (first and foremost) is to go with the flow – it's not worth it to get the day ruined by unfriendly (bordering on rude) and uncooperative (bordering on incompetent) receptionists and other officials ("No official hours!"). Get yourself a beer and a chair in the main hall and spend the evening (or night) in the company of brothers and sisters in Erasmus program.

More about studying Slovene language at the Faculty of arts on another occasion – enjoy the following photos ;-).

Sara, Ivona, Roosa

Gautier and me with first beer :-)

No, I did not meet my mum in the ZOO

Having breakfast in Kolej Hostivař

Me and a glass of French coffee

Pimp my Škoda

Ollie with his new best friend from the ZOO

Afraid of heights

Bilo kuda, Škoda svuda

Homemade production

Wandering aimlessly around Žižkov, Darjan and I found an intriguing "restaurant". Consisting of a railway coach and a few crude benches, it's proudly named Vagon (with a show-off Orient Express sign included). Masterfully hidden between a parking lot for trucks and a gas station, it wasn't the prettiest sight, but it seemed interesting enough for us to have a closer look. Not expecting much (except for perhaps a slightly cheaper beer), our hearts melted at the sight of the menu and it's most important feature, the naturalized Slovenian dish, the one and only, the awesome čevapčiči. Having eaten just before, we concluded that checking out just how Czech Czech čevapčiči really are is in order.

By Saturday we were all pretty excited. Alja and Breda were in Brno, but the rest of us were determined to try the exquisite yugoslavian cusine as soon as possible. Together with Pauline, the French girl from the second floor, we set our way towards the Želivského metro station. Once there, we realised there was a beautiful day outside, so we decided to go for a short walk before the meal - for better appetite.

Alas, the Czech failed us again. At 4 PM, the Vagon was still closed (which is an hour later than the opening hours note in front stated). We, the Slovenians, could hardly hide our dissapointment, and Pauline didn't really know what she was missing anyhow. We later went to another restaurant nearby, but the decision to make our own čevapčiči was made there, on the spot. The following night Pauline was hosting an international dinner, so this was an excellent excuse to try out the electric grill I brought from home. The first step was the shop, where me and Darjan bought everything we needed - grinded meat, garlic, salt and cumin*. Too late I realised the mistake we made, as čevapčiči with cumin is just not done; we had to wait for Breda to bring us some pepper. If anyone in Hostivař needs any cumin, by the way, we still have it.

After we finally got everything we needed, the preparation for what was to become the greatest meal we had in Hostivař so far, begun. It was an evening, filled with hilarious situations and laughing. Luckily, Katja was around with her camera. Thus, a small part of the event was documented. So without further ado, here are some photos and a video.

Here be dragons

Our story begins on a rainy Thursday night. We arrived at Hlavní nádraží late (I think it was around 10 PM). Compared to any Slovenian train station, the main one in Prague is huge, so we were rather lost. And since most of our tutors failed to come to the station to pick us up, we were extremely glad that at least my tutor didn't forget about us. And thus the search for Miša, the girl of many colours (as she described herself in an SMS), the savior of Slovenian Erasmus students, the Pathfinder, began.

At first, there was only three of us. Darjan was already in Prague (he was also kind enough to take one of my suitcases with him, so I was traveling light), waiting for us at Hostivař. On the way to the park, the arranged meeting place, we encountered another Erasmus student who was waving about a Kolej Hostivař leaflet. Not just another exchange student, Katja is also Slovenian - an authentic resident of Ljubljana, the capitol. We decided to search for the promised land together.

The park (also known as the Sherwood) was just outside the station. Save for the occasional by passer it was deserted, so we decided to unload all the luggage and wait for Miša there. After a few phone calls she found us at last, lead the way to the tram station and provided all the directions we needed. So 40 minutes later we finally arrived at Nádraží Hostivař - the place to be.

Darjan was a little late so I still needed to wait for him. The others, however, decided to check in. And that is when we first faced the Czech bureaucracy. The fossil at the reception could only speak Czech language and all we managed to squeeze out of her is "5000 korunas", "No official hours" and "Not possible". Since then, we heard the latter two sentences more times than we can count. After a LONG wait, we finally got our rooms - they were in tower 7. There is no direct link from the reception to that tower, so we had to go out and all the way around the campus (which, for luggage laden, half asleep, exhausted and extremely annoyed travelers translates to about 15 painful minutes of trudging uphill. Not to mention that we got lost half the way there). But at last, at 1:30, we won! We were inside, we had the rooms and we just wanted to sleep. Of course, the old hag the reception managed to mess up even the most elementary category of the room distribution, the gender, and Katja ended up in a room with a Latvian man. The room was empty on arrival and the belongings scattered around the room were not gender distinctive. The mess was sorted out the following morning, during official hours, even though it was a holiday. The friendly English speaking lady at the reception uncovered that the woman from the night before is indeed a little weird, and goes by the (very suitable imo) nickname, the Dragon-lady.

Thusly, the trials of settling in our rooms were mainly behind us. I still expected to move but alas, that is a story that goes beyond the scope of this post ("Not possible.").

Hello World!

Welcome to the H5 blog. For those of you who wandered to our little patch of cyberspace without the faintest idea of what to find here, here is a brief explanation. The H5, or the Hostivař 5, is a group of Slovenian students temporarily residing in the aforementioned area of Prague.

We don't study the same subjects, we don't come from the same city or even area of Slovenia. Some of us never even met before coming to Hlavní nádraží. But being on our own in an unfamiliar realm brought us together in a common refuge of each others' company, forming a haven of sanity and common sense in the melting pot of cultures that is Kolej Hostivař.

Surrounded by hordes of Italians, Spanish and French (not even starting to mention the less numerous nations) we find ourselves in the midst of curious events on a daily basis. This blog will bear witness to some of them, as well as note an occasional bit of philosophical thought.