Friday, April 25, 2008

Eastern Europe Baby!

First of all I'd like to apologize for taking so long to get these pictures up. Now from the beginning...

On our way to Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Hungry, Croatia, Austria) we flew to Girona, Spain first because of cheaper flights. We spent one night in Girona and flew early in the morning. Upon arrival in Girona we came across a park where the above picture was taken...we had lots of fun with the zip cord!

Below: Picture of Girona
Below: Some of us (Emily, and Lindsay from Tennessee, Me, and Lessi from Toronto) eating gelato on a park bench (we gelato about every other day...hehe).
Finally in Prague! Below: is a view of Wenceslas Square in Prague.
Below: Me hooping in the square!
Prague
Since we were traveling during the Easter holiday, there were many Easter markets, which is where the picture below was taken. Easter eggs!!!!
Below: Lacey (from Vancouver), Lindsay, and Emily drinking coffee before a full day of sight-seeing.
Below: We climbed the incredibly steep Petrin Hill, which had a lovely view of Prague at the top.
Below: Me, Lacey, and Lessi enjoying the view.
Prague!
Below: Part of the St. Vitus's Cathedral...very huge!
Stained glass
Inside the cathedral...very beautiful!
Below: Me outside the cathedral
Next stop...Budapest, Hungry! Below: Hero's Square at night.
Budapest
Below: The House of Terror, a museum in the former Nazi Headquarters in Budapest, and the best museum we went to.
Below: Emily, Lacey, Lessi, and I waiting for the Hop on Hop Off bus.
Below: During the Hop on Hop off bus tour we went by the Szechenyi Thermal Bath, which we went to later. It was amazing! The bath is heated by thermal spring water.View of Budapest and the Danube River. The river actually divides the city in half. The west side is Buda, and the East side is Pest. Buda has the castle distric and Pest side has the Parliament building, which is the most expensive building in Hungry with 27 gates, 29 stair cases and 600 rooms.
Budapest
The girls on the bus!
One of the highlights of our trip is the caving adventure we went on!
We look like miners/plumber...we hired a caving guide and he took us on a 2 hour cave adventure, which was incredible!
One of the few group photos of us all...(Mike from Halifax, Canada, Lenaye from Utah, Me, Emily, Lessi, Lacey, and Lindsay) standing around tired after the long caving experience.
Below: Me hooping at Hero's Square
Below: Lessi and I being silly on the train ride to Croatia.
We arrived in Zagreb, Croatia at night, and very hungry since none of us had a chance to buy snacks for the train. So, the guy at our hostel recommended a pizza place where I got this delicious olive and chili pizza....so spicy!!
Below: wandering through Croatia
Below: a view of Zagreb
Below: The girls eating gelato, yet again, in Zagreb.
Below: Mike, Lacey, and I hanging out in our very nice hostel in Zagreb
Below: Me hooping in Croatia!!
Below: Me running through a group of pigeons...
The entire time we were in Croatia it was raining, and it was during Easter, so there wasn't much for us to do. Lacey and I walked around the last, and only somewhat sunny day we were there, taking hula hoop pictures.
Last stop: Vienna!
Below: Buildings in Vienna, Austria
Below: All of us at a Greek restaurant in Vienna.
Vienna
Below: A huge butterfly we saw at the Butterfly House
Below: Me at the Butterfly House
Below: Hooping outside the Museum of Fine Arts in Vienna
Below: One of the other highlights in the trip is going on a Sound of Music tour in Salzburg. Mike and I went in a van with 6 other people and a guide. We stopped at a few mountain towns on the way to Salzburg. So, this is me hooping in front of a beautiful, mountainous lake valley in the foothills of the Alps.
Below: Small mountain village...the hills are alive with a sound of music, ahhhh.

Above and below: I love these pictures!! The water was so clear, and navy blue!! The reflection looks like a mirror.
Below: And here it is...the Von Trapp family house!!! This is the closest we could get since it is privately owned (in my opinion it should be turned into a museum).
Below: Me outside the graves, where the the Von Trapp family hid from the Nazis!! This visit was very surreal...i love the Sound of Music!!
Below: A view of Salzbug
Below: Me outside the Abbey where Maria was in the beginning of the movie. This Abbey is still in use and the oldest one in Europe.
Below: Me outside the convent
Below: Me hooping in Salzburg.
Below: The cathedral where Maria and the Capitan got married!!
After Vienna we went to Slovakia for only one night since we were flying out of Bratislava to Girona again to get back home. My friend Kalina, from Bulgaria, has a tradition of giving out red and white bracelets, called martenitsa, to friends and family on the first of March. The red symbolizes health, and white symbolizes your spirit. This tradition represents the coming of spring, fertility, and good health. The bracelets are to be worn until the 22 of March then for good luck, are tied on a flowering/fruiting tree. So, I left my martenitsa in Slovakia!
Me hula hooping outside the Girona Airport to kill time until our 5am flight the next morning. Wow, what a trip!!