BOATS N BREWS

I have been enjoying the bliss of doing absolutely nothing but relaxing the past few days. There's that little angel on my shoulder urging me to: "GO WRITE THE ITALY POST, DO IT, DO IT!" But the devil on the other side is telling me to just relax, go with the flow, you can do it later.

Well, today I have a day off from work for the first time since starting in February so I get to spend my day at the gym then at the park with friends and then finally at my university's annual ball. Not sure how excited I am...I have been to enough homecomings and proms in my day but hey, why not see what this dance has to offer. The venue is amazingly beautiful and in Vinohrady, a beautiful neighborhood here in Prague (we actually looked at flats there). Okay, so maybe I am excited...I'll share pictures with all you wanderlusters in tomorrow's post.

If we backtrack to Wednesday evening, I got out of my last class for the week and one of the last of the semester, so I ran home (literally, because the trams were broken), grabbed my roommate and we headed to the river for a paddle-boat ride. When we finally got there, we had to walk a long ways because the trams were not working, we bought ourselves a nice Plzen beer and got to paddling. As we were on the river, the sun was setting behind the Prague Castle and it was just one of those "lucky to be alive" moments. Breathtaking actually. My roommate and I were laughing about how if we got sucked into the fast waters, it would be okay because at least we got to see a beautiful sunset in Prague on the river (god forbid that actually happened though, I would be a woman overboard!)

Of course, we took one too many pictures so here are some of my favorites:

As we walked, I was amazed that I felt like I was actually walking somewhere in New York and Paris. It was as if we discovered an entirely new Prague. We also found out that where we are moving to, there is a lovely jazz club on the water with delicious smelling food just around the corner from the flat. SCORE.

If these photos do not make you want to move to Prague or at least visit...you crazy! Then again, maybe it isn't for everyone. If you do ever come to Prague, wanderlusters, make sure to take a paddle-boat ride on the river; for one hour it is 250kc, which is about $12 USD aka worth every single penny.

Off to the gym and the rest of today's shenanigans!

Travel on wanderlusters!

KAZAKHSTAN

Okay, to be honest when I first heard of this country, in Borat some years ago, I thought it was somewhere in the Middle East/towards India. However, about 5 months ago, at my school's annual International Night, I learned it was in Central Asia...I was mind-blown!! It borders Eastern Europe and the Ural River of Russia.

Borat's native land's capital is Astana and the total population is almost at 17 million. The national language is Kazakh and Russian, however in recent years there have more and more native English speakers living and moving to Kazakhstan. In Astana, there are three districts: Almaty District, Yesil District and the Saryarka District. Several tourist must-sees in the country's capital include visits to: The Palace of Peace and Harmony, Baiterek, Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center, the Museum of Modern Art, the Nur-Astana Mosque, Durman Center and the Museum of the Presidential Center of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In Astana, the city that looks like it's from the year 2050, go out and explore what the future holds!

1. Relax at the Palace of Peace and Harmony...ommmmm.

2. Explore the City Center/Islamic Center.

3. Save a cowboy and ride a horse at the Tulpar Horse Club.

4. Go in the winter to do some cross country skiing or visit the Ice City.

5. Take an evening stroll along the Ishim River.

6. Relax and breathe easy at the Laelia Spa or the Rixos Royal Spa.

7. Bet big money on the horse races at Altyn Taga.

8. Bring out your inner nature-man/woman at the Burabay National Nature Park.

9. Play in the pools at the Suntana Aquapark.

For the foodies visiting Astana, get your bellies hungry and try: 

1. Arablet-- a 24 hour restaurant with great food and Viking decorations...my kind of place, seeing as I am half Danish, therefore, half 'Viking'. 

2. Assorti-- a popular chain restaurant in Kazakhstan...so, Americans, think Wendys, Carl's Jr., etc. etc.

3. Arystan Restaurant-- food for the backpackers and students visiting Astana.

4. Astana Nury-- a beautiful river-side restaurant with many different ethnic foods and Kazakh favorites.

5. Chilli Peppers- for you Westerners visiting Astana, this serves an all around favorite: pizza...and for cheap prices.

6. Europe-Asia-- like it sounds, dishes from Europe and Kazakh specialities.

7. Capital Music and Pub Restaurant-- blends both entertainment and food in one.

8. Fusion-- grab a quick bite before partying below at Fashion night club, a popular nightclub in the city.

9. Epoch-- Soviet flags and decor served with wide varieties of bold dishes.

10. Kishlak-- Uzbek foods and decor that changes into a party spot on weekends.

11. La Riviere-- get your fancy clothes on and wallets out, this is one of the city's most expensive restaurants, all inclusive with live piano music and incredible food.

12. Line Hall-- a medieval inspired beer hall that serves 'Kazakhstan's best steak and barbecue sauce'. 

13. Samovar- traditional Russian food with a quaint feel, vine draped ceilings and beautifully painted walls. 

14. Most Restaurant-- you cook the food but the staff cleans it all up for you...a win-win situation! Almost like The Melting Pot for you Americans reading this.

15. Pivovaroff-- get your drink on with German beer and satisfy those drunchies with traditional German cuisine. Danke!

16. Princess Turandot-- if you are CRAVING Chinese food in this Asian country, satisfy your craving here for authentic Chinese food prepared by Chinese chefs.

17. Vaquero-- tengo hambre! Latin American cuisine makes for the perfect lunch or dinner in the city.

18. TGI Fridays-- yes, there is a Fridays here...are you surprised? 

19. Muller-- for European cuisine and beer...who wouldn't miss that when traveling?

20. Tiflis-- looking for delicious Georgian food in Astana? Look no further, this place also does not have a closing time, it's just whenever the last customer leaves. So, if you are having a late-night craving and you are the second to last or even the last person there, no worries, no pressure, take your time. 

If you are visiting the more southern region of Kazakhstan, the city of Almaty (borders with Kyrgyzstan  is another popular destination for tourists. If you make it here, maybe before going to Kyrgyzstan, be sure to: 

1. Make a trip to the beautiful Bolshoe Almatinskoe Lake.

2. Take a gander at the Alma-Ata Tower.

3. Enjoy some mountain time at the Kok Tube...let's be mature here people...

4. Grab a snack at the Zelyony Bazaar (also known as the Green Market). 

5. Get holy at the Zenkov Cathedral...it's a Russian Orthodox cathedral made only of wood...and no nails, hmm.

6. Walk around Republic Square aimlessly and act like you know exactly where you are going.

7. Take a bath with fellow Kazakhs at the Arasan Baths house. 

8. Get holy, yet again, at The Cathedral of the Holy Ascension. 

9. Take a ride in a cable car to the tippy top of several surrounding mountains. 

10. Snap some background worthy pictures of the snow-capped Tien-Shan Mountains. 

11. Skate and bruise your knees at the Medeu Skating Rink.

12. Go back in time by visiting the Abylay Khan statue. 

13. Spend a rainy day at the Central State Museum. 

14. Take a walk through the park, literally, at Park Panfilov. 

15. Grand Canyon? Nah, its the Charyn Canyon here in Kazakhstan.

16. Visit the ceremonial square of Respublika Alanghy. 

17. See the mythical bird legend of Kazakhstan, the Bayterek Monument. 

18. Grab some lunch or dinner at either Zheti Qazyna, Samovar (Russian cuisine), Kishlak, Printsessa Turandot, Yubileyny, Namaste or Biskvit.

19. Be a hipster at the Kazakhstan Museum of Arts. 

20. Drop your jaw at the Kol-Say Lakes.

21. Enjoy a night full of live music at Cuba.

22. Drink the best coffee in all of Almaty at Coffeedelia.

23. Climb some rocks at Kan Tengri.

24. Spend some tenges (Kazakh currency) at TsUM department store-there are smaller boutiques within it).

I hope you won't go hungry when you visit after this list...if you do, you got to give things a try, that's all part of the 'traveling to new places' experience! 

The next post will be on: Estonia in Europe!

Travel on wanderlusters!

Prague Takes Over Paris

In the land of crepes, chocolate croissants, gorgeous French men, great architecture and fashion...I fell in love, with the city, that is.

I've always seen it on Pinterest and in the movies so I made a promise to myself years and years ago that I would take a trip there, even if it were just for a weekend...which this was, but I will most DEFINITELY be going back for longer. My friend from growing up is currently studying in Paris so that was a plus but she ended up not being there that weekend. Not sure that the French men on their little Vespas, the statue I sexually harassed in the Louvre Museum, the chocolate croissants and crepes were ready for us crazy Prague girls.

So, we left Prague on Friday evening, took a 14 hour bus ride through the Czech Republic then Germany and arrived in Paris at about 9 AM.
About 20 things happened in the 14 hours we took over Paris:
1. We first climbed the Eiffel Tower...took the stairs which was the death of us...and got REALLY rained on.
2. Walked around aimlessly with our cameras pointed at anything and everything.
3. Ate some authentic Parisian crepes.
4. Walked along the Seine.
5.  Was asked for directions (compliment, yes) and replied successfully, "je ne parle francias".
6. Went to Champs Elysees Blvd.
7. Saw the Louvre...for real and not on the computer or tv screen.
8. Louvre Museum and hung out with my girl Mona Lisa and saw some other famous paintings and sculptures.
9. Saw the Opera House
10. Walked across the Love Lock Bridge and saw the Univerisdad de France
11. Frolicked down Parisian streets, just as they do in the movies
12. Ate like a non-French woman in a restaurant with delicious steak and french fries
13. Had a chocolate croissant for dessert given to us by a cute French boy
14. Got successfully but happily lost. This led to being a tourist and buying souvenirs.
15. Wandered over to the Notre Dame Cathedral.
16. Had a jaw dropping moment when we stepped foot into the Cathedral.
17. Lit candles in the Cathedral and said "Namaste".
18. Got lost again and had a temporary freak-out moment walking right by the Seine because we couldn't find our tour group.
19. Boarded the night river tour boat, saw the BEAUTIFUL Eiffel Tower at night, shining radiantly even from afar, saw all the bridges and almost got hit in the head by one of them upon going underneath it, saw a majority of Paris' famous buildings/ landmarks from the view of the water.
20. Fought the rain then sadly, got on the bus only to fight the urge to kick the guy across from me for attempting to play footsie every 10 seconds...

Even though I was bummed that my friend was away from Paris, all in all, I would say it was a pretty successful 14 hours in Paris. Until the next time we takeover Paris...

Travel on wanderlusters!