Laundry, Garnets, and Valentine's

Wow, doing laundry is a workout here! There are no laundry machines at the Pension, so we have to go to a laundromat to clean our clothes. In order to get there, we have to walk a couple blocks, jump on a tram for two stops, and then walk a couple more blocks. Its really not terrible, but the cost is pretty steep! Not many things in Prague are expensive, but laundry is. There is a cute little sitting area where I can get work done, and the internet is speedy, which is miraculous around here! Let’s just say that I will no longer take my convenient laundry machines for granted!

For some reason, ever since I was a little girl, I have been obsessed with rings! I think they are so pretty and so interesting, and I feel strange if one isn’t on my finger. Rings are the first thing I am drawn to in any jewelry store, they are my favorite presents, and I love purchasing rings in fun places I travel. So of course, I have decided to go ring hunting while in Prague. The Czech Republic is known for their garnets, so how perfect it would be to find a garnet ring as my main souvenir from my time in Prague!! I decided that I would gradually start looking so I could compare prices and styles, in order for me to find the perfect ring. We had a free afternoon, so Kimberly and I decided to begin the search! We went to countless jewelry stores, probably around 10, looking at rings and asking lots of questions. They were all pretty, but the stones were pretty dark and all the rings were way too big on me. My fingers are tiny and it is always shocking to find a ring that fits. There were gold plated rings, but in order to get one that wasn't microscopic, I would have had to spend a lot more money that I was hoping. Then, we decided to go check out an antique shop that our program director recommended us to go to. And then I found it! The PERFECT one!! It is as if it was made specifically for me! It was much larger than all the ones in the other shops, and the nicest man helped me pick it out. He was so sweet and gave me a history lesson while I was there! He told me that the ring I was eyeing is about 90 years old and the garnets that were used in this ring actually came from the Czech Republic. All the garnets that are used in jewelry now have to be imported because all the Czech mines are empty. He also claimed that the Czech garnets are much redder than the imported ones. Haggling isn’t really a thing here in Prague, but I was able to convince the man to lower the price a considerable amount! My mother would have been so proud! I wasn't actually planning on buying a ring so soon, but it was just so perfect and I had been to enough places to know that I wasn't going to find another one with this much character! A vintage ring, that is beautiful, and in my size, at a stellar price, with garnets, made in the Czech Republic!! Prague is awesome! I just love it!

Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day in a gothic city is probably about as romantic as you can get! To make it brief, today was a pretty amazing day! It started off with a wonderful guest speaker in our studio class. We had a workshop with THE Robert Vano!! He is a very famous photographer who has an incredible portfolio. He has shot for magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Bazaar and has worked with numerous celebrities. Robert Vano is such a fun and quirky character and we had so much to learn from him. We will be spending a lot more time with him, which is something I really look forward to!

After class, I was itching for an adventure, so I pulled Kimberly along with me to climb to the top of the Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square!

 After a windy climb up many different kinds of stair cases, we made it to the top!

The scenery was incredible! The snow topped roofs added to the charm of the city view, and it was fun mapping out all the places we have been and the streets we have walked. I is much easier to get your bearings from up above!

A while later, four of us decided to enjoy a fun girls night out! We ate dinner at James Dean Restaurant, and soaked up every bit of cheesiness that the place had to offer.

 We decided to extend the cheesiness a bit further by treating ourselves to some delicious coffee and chocolate cake at Costa Coffee. And the night continues to get better! The workers at the coffee shop excitedly decided to give us every single balloon that was hanging in the store!

 Even though we were probably doing them a favor by taking them out of the store, we chose to believe that we must have been EXTRA special customers ;)

 Unfortunately, when we had to squeeze on the metro, I don’t think others appreciated our balloons as much as we did.

All in all, today was fantastic and it was definitely the most unique Valentine’s Day up to date! I also want to thank my family and friends for making me feel so loved, from so far away! Love you all!!!

FUN FACT: A goldfish has a memory span of 3 seconds.