The last week and a half have been times of fairytale castles, fog, and lots (and lots) of food.Last weekend, (Oct 3-5), we had a program trip to South Bohemia. We visited three castles in three days, along with 4 different towns. It was a great experience and actually a lot more fun that I had thought, due to the fact that is was supposed to pour all weekend, and only did so periodically.Our first stop was the Konopiste Castle in Benesov. It was the home of the last Hapsburg ruler, whose death started WW1. It’s near Prague, but out in the country on a beautiful little lake and with all the fall colors, even the rain couldn’t stop me from wishing I lived in that cute little village. Then, we hopped back on the train to travel to stop number two, which is where we stayed Friday night: Cesky Budejovice, the home of the “real” Budweiser. Needless to say, we tried it (sadly, no brewery tour!) and I think it’s better than the American brand. That was the general consensus too. Ceske Budejovice was quiet pretty and we found a great little cafe place to eat where I had a bread bowl full of Goulash. So amazing!

The next morning, we hopped on a bus for a quick trip to Hluboka, which is modeled after the British Castles. The story goes that one of the owners went to England, saw their castles, and fell in love with them. I wasn’t really a fan, because I think castles should look old – not have been remodeled in the 1960s or so. Lastly, we hopped back on the train that afternoon for another hour to Cesky Krumlov, which is probably the most fairytale like city in the Czech Republic. We spent the night there, and the next day we toured the city. It’s beautiful, and it’s probably the most romantic place I’ve been in the country. They also have a huge castle, which I loved, more than Hluboka, but not as much as Konopiste in Benesov. After we went to the castle, we had lunch at the greatest little Pizzeria (amazing hot chocolate and four cheese pizza!)Sunday we took the train back to Prague (it was a 4+ hour journey) so we spent a lot of time either sleeping or doing homework, which has become a tradition for me on the train. Monday the weather got foggy. I actually like the fog, it’s so peaceful and quiet, but also a bit creepy when you live on the 6th floor and can’t see across the courtyard to the other rooftops. Monday was pretty uneventful, just running errands and getting things done in Prague.Tuesday I had my literature class, which I really love. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a lecture or a discussion yet, but the books sound great, and the one we’ve read already (The Joke, by Kundera) was a good read. Wednesday is probably my favorite – if most tiring – day. I have Contemporary Czech Politics and Czech & European History back to back. They are great classes. Thursdays I have a night film class, which is nice, because I (a) don’t have a reason to spend money and go to the theater and (b) get to feel nice and cultured because I’m watching little known (but so far, good) central European films. Although some of them have been a little depressing.