Day 7 - Heroes, near misses and clubs.

Friday in Prague and I once again played hooky from the company visits. I visited a memorial to the bravery of the Czech people during WWII and the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. Then I wandered downtown to do se shopping, picking up some goodies for my nieces at the Lego museum. More walking and picture taking followed, and then lunch of a gigantic baguette with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, as well as a rustic French fry dish with some kind of cheesy gravy on top. I have no idea what it was, but it was delicious. Beer goes down so well with lunch!

The group came back from the company visit and people headed their separate ways for the afternoon. Tina, Judy, Robert, Anu and I went to Hard Rock Cafe because they wanted to continue their tradition. Since I had already eaten I just drank a beer and people watched. (only tina could get me to a hard rock cafe!) After lunch Robert and I headed downtown to rent bicycles at Bike Prague.


What an adventure! Cobblestone streets, narrow walkways, lots of turning around and switchbacks, and even one run in with a car. We were riding on a sidewalk next to a high courtyard wall as there was no space between the trolleys and the curb. Suddenly a Mercedes Benz wagon pulled out of an archway right in front of me. No time to really brake so I hit his front quarter panel and sent my bike askew. I stayed upright through sheer will. The driver was a bit freaked and Robert just about had a heart stack but all was fine. We kept going and rode all over lesser town. There was consideration given to traveling to the top of the hill to get to the miniature Eiffel Tower, but the hill was too much for our sad mountain bikes and rubbery legs. A set of statues at the park showed a man in varying stages with pieces missing, signifying the impact of Communism on people's lives. Next Robert and I hefted our bikes up over our shoulders and up the stairs onto the Charles Bridge, which dates from the 1300's. It is filled with artists and street vendors and is pedestrian only. Back to the hotel and off to dinner.

Fast forward two hours and the group took two cabs across into lesser town with the intention of eating Thai at Noi. Without a reservation we were subject to the wrath of a rather bitchy server. So we ended up at a Mediterranean place a few doors down, Luka Lu. We sat in a sort of treehouse suspended above a lovely courtyard. Several folks complained that the food was bland but I really enjoyed my risotto with chicken and sundried tomatoes. We wandered around as a large group getting gelato and trying to go to bars. Then things splintered. First we were sent to U Prince to wait for the rest of the group. Then Melissa and I joined David, Lauren, Wendy and Jessica in a basement bar with some graphic artwork, illicit smoke and lots of graffiti. Then we headed to Roxy in Josefov where we danced to house and trance music while watching young Czechs dance like maniacal zombies in worship of the DJ. I confirmed that I am too old to go clubbing. ;)

Day 8 - Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, boat ride and Boom

Morning broke on our bus ride with Merrick across the river into Lesser Town. At Prague Castle we started in the second courtyard and moved into St. Vitus' Cathedral. It was finished in the early 1900's and is an example of gothic architecture. The architects put themselves into the design as statuary.

Walked inside and saw the stained glass and the tomb of St. Wenceslas., made completely of silver. Then we walked into the Old Royal Palace, with its large reception hall used for everything from dinners to jousting tournaments. We also saw the room where the defenestrations took place that started the thirty years war. Then we moved into the gallery with portraits of the Hapsburgs including Joseph and his mother Maria Teresa (mother of 16). Out via the horse stairway and into the courtyard again.

Next came the shopping area called the Golden Lane. Rumor is that alchemists lived here but in reality people worked with gold. Later artists saved the area from being torn down. Frank Kafka lived in the blue house at #22. We passed through the little houses and displays to the courtyard with the statue of a naked boy. The whole statue is black except for his privates which are gold from people rubbing it for luck. After came the changing of the guard and lunch at Restaurant Vikarka, open since 1360. Schnitzel and mashed potatoes, soup and beer for me. Yum! Goulash for everyone else.

It was about 85 degrees as we walked down through the shops to the Charles Bridge, stopping to take pictures at the Lennon wall and the site that recorded floods. We walked across the bridge and about 75% of us decided to go for a boat ride, complete with ice cream and beer. Our tour guide spoke in English and german about the sites along the river. It was nice but between the heat and the late night, I nearly fell asleep.

We shopped through Indian stores and local fare like manufacktura for more presents for the family. Drinks in the lobby and out to Lemon Leaf for dinner.

We had a wonderful Thai meal with about 12 of us while Anu and Sal has the fish pedicure. Bob gave a toast and we gave Judy and Tina their gifts. The evening wrapped up at Boom with gelato and back at the hotel to watch soccer with about 75% of the group.

Day 6 - wandering in the rain in Praha

Started the morning with a run down to the water. It was quiet and overcast. Once again I ran to the bridges then got a bit off track, only to find myself in front of the Lego museum! I sprinted through Wenceslas Square and back to the hotel in time for breakfast with some colleagues. A few envied my playing hooky. I spoke to Merrick, our guide, to find out where we would be headed to for our full day tour on Saturday. We agreed that Old Town and the Jewish quarter would be a good place for me to visit today. A quick shower and out into the rain to go explore.First I headed to Tesco to get chocolates for our friend Caleb (he taught English here a while back). It was huge, basically a department store. I tried to take a photo in the grocery section and got busted by security. When I came out of the front, I found myself back at the Lego museum so I did some browsing.Fast forward through 20 or so minutes of walking, I was finding Prague and the weather a bit dismal (sort of like London on Boxing Day). I was enjoying getting lost but taking very few pictures because it was raining too hard and I was handling my umbrella, backpack and guidebook. (International access on he iPhone would have helped here). Hot chocolate and free Internet at au gourmand in old town and I was refreshed and ready to go.Bought a ticket and climbed all the way up into the old Clocktower. I was able to see all sides of Prague, as well as be there for the playing of the trumpet at 12 noon from all four sides of Clock tower. W would have really liked to see this. I took photos of some British tourists and they returned the favor. Afterwards I paid the equivalent of 10 cents to use the WC and almost got stuck inside with an unwieldy lock. Then I continued to wander through Jewish town and went into the old new synagogue. There was no photography allowed inside. It is amazing that they're today less than 6000 Jews left in Prague after all of the progroms from the end of the 19 century through World War II. These ancient pieces of history all around the Jewish quarter are surrounded by high-end stores like Elie Saab, Gucci, Marina Rinaldi, and more. Odd. Everything is negotiable in Prague, exchange rates, tour fees, everything. I got rid of my Euros and change and got 500 off my audible tour guide through the museums by accident. Went to two money exchanges near the clock tower to get three different rates that ranged by 200 czn or $10. It's crazy how the prices increase as you near the museums. There are lots of street vendors. I had to navigate through them while visiting the many areas that make up the Jewish History museum. More later on the museums...I sobbed at the exhibit of children's art from the camps. Things are so different when I put things in perspective as a parent. It also made me miss my boys. That and seeing all of the little cutely clad munchkins wrapped up against the rain today.Visited a store that had some cute art of cats and picked up a present for someone in the family. Actually met the artist too! On to visit some of Zane Lamprey's haunts....poor W....so wish he could be here. U Vejvodu - home of the beer hall and the stinky cheese. I walked in to find two crusty guys at the bar. They referred me to David, the designated English speaker. He questioned my ordering of beer cheese informing me that it had a "strong smell." Bring it! Yummy! Cheese, onions and mustard, big farmhouse bread and a large Pilsner Urquell. Writing my blog and people watching. Walked back to the hotel to catch up with the group just getting off of the bus.

Day 3: Yamamay, shipping, Duomo and dinner

Day three in Milan found our group visiting the first of many companies. Yamamay is an Italian company that manufactures swimwear and underwear for women, children and men. Gallarate is a small town about 45 minutes northwest of Milan. The company headquarters are housed in a 10 story or so, modern building in the middle of suburbia. Reportedly most Italians don't come into work until around 9 AM so we were a bit early for visit. We waited in the lobby for about 20 to 30 minutes until all of the marketing and public relations staff arrived. We were escorted into a small very modern training classroom that houses the YamAcademy, and also has a small training display store. Company professionals with varying degrees of English language mastery walked us through the marketing plan, impressive 10% year on year sales growth, and production capabilities. Afterwords we walked through the design studios and met with employees and interns. Interesting to note that the company says it was inspired by Victoria's Secret, but many of their bath and body products bear a striking resemblance to what is currently offered in the Pink line.

We left Yamamay at a little after 11 and headed back on the bus with our tour guide Barbara. Back at the hotel it was a tossup between exhaustion and hunger, but hunger won out and five of us walked the short distance to a small café that served pizza, Panini, and sushi! We had a bit of a problem with the language barrier but overall it was a good experience and we left the restaurant refreshed and ready for the next adventure. Anu, Melissa and I wandered around shopping at Zara, a toy store and Yamamay. Then we headed back to the hotel to meet up with the group to try and plan our evening.

Robert, Bob, Anu, Melissa, Ashley, Mark, and I put on our walking shoes and headed towards the Duomo. While on our arrival day we had gone inside the Duomo, today our goal was to go climb up to the top of it. For seven euros you could climb the 260+ stairs, or for €12 you could take an elevator all the way to the top. We chose the former. The view overlooking Milan was absolutely stunning. We took pictures from lots of angles, and wandered along the center top of the roofline. Tina had challenged us earlier in the day to do something completely different and this was definitely it! Afterwards we bought gelato and wandered around shopping.  Some of the group went back to the hotel so that they could get ready for the opera at La Scala.  Melissa and I went on a hunt for a jacket at the Zara across town.  While it was successful, we got caught in the rain on our way back.  With no umbrellas, we were soaked by the time we reached the hotel.  

After cleaning up, we headed back to the same restaurant from our first night - Restaurante Romani. Bobo saw the six of us (Tina, Bob, Mark, Judy, Melissa and I) and immediately began taking care of our table. It was a very different experience from the prix fixe menu from Sunday.  Bobo started us with prosecco, calamari and caprese salad.   We ordered family style and shared risotto Milanese, gnocchi, a veal dish,  spaghetti, and grilled vegetables. Um wow! We had to order seconds of the spaghetti and gnocchi.  Dinner was filled with raucous laughter that had a few of the Italian patrons shooting death stares at us.  Tina felt so full that she took off her belt and placed it on the table, eliciting lots of commentary.    The meal was complete after some homemade limoncello and cherry vanilla ice cream, both on the house.  We tipped Bobo generously while confusing the heck out of the woman ringing up the checks.  I also apologized to our English neighbor for causing such a ruckus.   Back at the hotel for a drink and then off to bed.

Day 2: Como, Bellagio and Lugano

Day two of the trip found us with a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. It had everything from antipasti to yogurt to mountains of Nutella.

We departed on the bus from the hotel at 9 AM. It took us approximately 1 hour to drive to our ferry stop at Lake Como. Highlight of the morning: getting yelled at by an Italian for being stupid Americans; we were on a pier taking pictures and weighed too much. We grabbed waters and coffees at an overpriced café right on the waterfront and then stood in line for the ferry.

What came next was several hours that I never expected to experience, traveling up the Western side of the lake, stopping at quaint vacation spots and drooling over villas tha could only be described as the Italian version of Newport. Our destination was the seaside town of Bellagio, where we ate lunch of white fish and pizza at Baba Yaga. The town is set on the side of a hill and lined by cobblestone streets. Shops beckoned but the gelato won out. The bakery owner gave me a postcard with a picture of his father on it. The store opened in 1919. Then most of the MBA class stood in line in a small, single owner shop that sold cheap scarves and amazing leather bags. We panicked at the time, flying to catch our boat, only to have our guide Andrea deadpan 'boat is gone.'

Das corraled us under the trees while we waited another 25 minutes for another ferry to take us across the water to catch our bus. The road was made up of 45 minutes of switchbacks and insane passes and the journey ended in Lugano, Switzerland. We only had an hour to visit but we are the only MBA class to make it to three countries in one trip! All of the stores were closed at 4:30 on a Sunday. Instead we admired dogs, the Mojito bar, francs, and watches. (BTW...you need a password to get into the restroom in Burger King).We climbed in the bus and most everyone slept the entire hour back.

 For dinner we went to L'isola del Teatro for Italian food. Lots of confusion and some interesting interpretations of food later (including my dinner smiling at me). We wandered home to bed.

Day 1: off to Milano

Although I recently graduated from the MBA program at Elon, the program allows you to travel for the international business trip for the following semester after graduation. I took this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and decided to go with the group to Milan and Prague. Currently searching for jobs right now so why not. The only downside of this trip is being away from the boys for 10 days.

We took off from RDU airport at about 215 in the afternoon, 15 of us including our trip adviser, Judy, and our professor, Tina. We flew to JFK airport and then departed for Milan Italy at 6:15 at night. For the most part it was an uneventful eight hour journey over the ocean, punctuated only by rude talkers in the middle of the night. Despite two glasses of wine, two Benadryl, and the movie The Vow, I slept about an hour. Our bedraggled crew landed in Milan at about 830 in the morning and met our tour guide Andreas. It was about a 45 minute ride into downtown Milan. We parked our bus by one of the largest, oldest castles in Italy, and walked over to a café to get some breakfast. Then it was off to the Duomo, which was overwhelming and its size and its beauty. We had several hours off in the afternoon we walked around in small groups, most of us getting gelato and a sandwich along the way. The gelato here is absolutely amazing! Our small group went to a museum where we had the chance to see many of Leonardo da Vinci's drawings as well as several famous paintings. Then we met up with our group to see Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. I was very surprised to find that it wasn't actually a painting hanging on the wall but was a mural painted on a wall in a crumbling church. The church was bombed during WwI, but luckily two walls stayed standing including the one which contain the Last Supper.

At 4 o'clock in the afternoon we finally made iabout he Hotel Dei Cavalieri about two blocks off of the Duomo Square. The rooms are small but functional and very clean. Our room looks out over the square and a large statue of a man on a horse. After checking one of my colleagues and I went for a run around the castle and through the park. We stopped to take pictures at the Arch and then ran back. It was great dodging people and running on cobblestones and just feeling light and unencumbered by luggage. After shower I feel like 1 million bucks. The group then walked across the street to a little Italian restaurant where we were served very capably by Bobo. Most of the group declined the sodas that were included with the meal, so the server substituted in wine without any extra charge. Bonus! I was treated to some of the freshest, most wonderful pasta I've ever in my life. A glass of wine later and it was off to bed.