this is what happens when computers break

Hello, all blog followers. I realize I've been especially terrible about posting updates recently. My laptop broke while I was in the Prague. I tried to take it to Basel to get it fixed, but the repair center was in fact non-existent. So, I will attempt to give a brief run-down of my trip to Central Europe (Krakow, Poland; Prague, Czech Republic; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Budapest, Hungary).

So we flew out for Krakow on Friday, March 20. We took a bus (as we generally do) to Stuttgart and then flew out of the tiny airport there to Katowice. In case anyone ever tries to tell you that Katowice is the same as Krakow, or is German for Krakow, they're lying to you. It's a town an hour away from Krakow. When we arrived, it was grey and cold, which felt strangely appropriate for a former member of the Warsaw Pact.

The first night that we were there we went downtown to eat dinner, since none of us had eaten in a while. We went in a group including Daria, Alison, Matt Shoemaker, Kyle, Ray, me, Brett, and Rachel (that's more for my benefit than for yours). We were starving, so we decided to go to a tacky tacky restaurant called Sioux, themed after the American Midwest during the 19th century. I ate fried cheese and cheese bread, since it was a Friday. The waiters wore costumes and the walls had saddles on them, among other things.

The only full day we were in Krakow, we went to several sessions, from which all I remember is the presenter arguing fervently for the proposed missile defense shield. (I'm actually writing a paper on that right now, if you want to know more about it, I can post the document. I'm putting actual effort into it, a big change.) Then we bought souvenirs, including a cane that I bought for Buschie or Pappy (whomever can use it, I bought it to replace the carved cane that Pappy lost). Since I had bought the cane during the beginning of the day, I had to carry it around with me for the entire tour. I got a lot of flak for it.

The tour was awesome. (Although, for the record, it's still cold in Krakow in late March.) I got to see the Basilica (where I attended Mass that evening... more on that later), where Pope John Paul II said Mass and lived while he was the archbishop of Krakow, and the castle. Seeing where JPII lived and preached was awesome. There was definitely a lot of pride in him, even after his death. The castle, too, was cool, as castles often are. There's a metal sculpture of the dragon that Krak had to defeat to defend the city: it has seven heads and breathes fire every five minutes.

While I was there, I ate traditional Polish food twice. I got pierogies once, and they were delicious. Grr... I forget the second meal. But the subject of food should be covered, because it relates to the subject of money. Even though not all countries are eligible to use the euro, it's certainly a pain in the butt to exchange money and remember exchange rates. Poland uses the zloty, and the exchange rate is 1 euro to 4.4 zloty, which doesn't make for simple math. The exchange rate, the question of tipping, and the fact that ATMs only dispense big bills continued to plague us throughout our trip.

Mass in Polish is much, much worse than Mass in German. I can pick up some German, and I'm becoming familiar with some German words and prayers. Polish is another world. Without my missal, I would be completely out of luck. The church we went to was gorgeous though. If freezing.

Alright, I need to get back to work on my paper, as I'll need to leave the computer lab in an hour. I'll try to post more tomorrow with stories of Prague.