A Night at the Biggest Party in Europe

PRAGUE - If you can picture yourself in Europe’s largest nightclub with people from all over the world and more languages spoken in one building than choices of alcohol on the menu, then Prague, Czech Republic is the place you are partying. Located right next to the famous Charles Bridge, Karlovy Lazne is considered the largest nightclub in Europe with five dance floors to ensure a once-in-a-lifetime experience to bring home and brag about to your friends.

The club’s historic building was built back in the 14th century as a once was bath house. The mosaic tiles preserve its originality and classic European feeling. It was also a café at one time and a publishing facility for Czech Journalist Karel Havlicek Borovsky’s newspaper. The late 1990’s brought reconstruction to the neglected building, introducing it as a popular tourist hot-spot in 1999.

So, I said Nazdar (hello) to Karlovy Larzne and have never set my leather patent heel back into another American nightclub since visiting Prague. I’ve had my fair share of nightclub experiences, mostly in the city of Philadelphia, to which I was not very impressed by to go back to again. My hopes for those night clubs in Philly have been shot to hell. Once you’ve been to the best, it’s considerably difficult to take a step down. Even if nightclubs consider themselves to be “the best in the tri-state area,” I would still have to reject.

Unlike in nightclubs in the U.S.,the European lifestyle is a little more lax, easing the underage minds of my roommates and I while waiting in line. Just how laid back are they at Karlovy? Well, let’s just say they didn’t even ask me for identification. When visiting Prague, it’s easiest to take a Tram or a taxi, which is what I did to get to and from the nightclub from my hotel. Upon entrance to the nightclub is a quick general security check which was a nice break compared to the one I dragged through at the airport. The cover is dirt cheap, equivalent to a few U.S. dollars taken in Euro dollars only. A convenient coat check upon entrance is also available at a low cost for those who prefer to double-fist their drinks instead of holding on to their belongings. The dress code in Karlovy was casual, and in the dead of winter when I went back in January, the idea of wearing a typical clubbing getup in 12-degree weather was the last thought on my mind when deciding what to wear for the night.

Each floor is different in style and music but all of them have exhilarating colored strobe lights and lasers. The first floor, which was my favorite, is the most crowded and plays today’s popular hits and some of the past decades—all American music and artists. Even in stores and restaurants throughout Prague you will hear American pop artists like Madonna and Michael Jackson by which the European culture is widely influenced by—especially ‘80’s pop music. There is also a computer café for free internet access on the ground floor.

Make your way up to the second floor and you’ll start to hear the pumping sounds of techno and trans music, followed by house music and pop/rock sounds. The encounter my roommates and I had on the final fifth floor seemed to be geared toward a specific orientation, with only men dancing with each other. It was not until the absinthe wore off that we were able to think clearly and understand why we were second best.

The club is not full of Czech residents, but if you’re looking to meet people from every part of the world, then this is definitely the place to converse. After having quite a few conversations with people at Karlovy, I was blown away that all of them knew English. I met people from all over the world: Italy, Poland, Australia, Greece, Brazil, Greenland, Canada and more than I can remember in the four hours spent there. Being twenty years old at the time in Prague, the age range in Karlovy varied some but not by a great stretch; I met someone who was still in high school, a man who was in his late twenties and some college students. As some would say though, it’s not the age but the state of mind.

A tip to remember, fellas…dancing with European ladies is a no-no to some of them. As a Czech bartender told me during my 10 day stay in Prague, European women do not follow the dance-grind styles that young Americans do. Instead, they prefer dancing solo or with their group of friends. This stereotype may not be true to all European women but if you get dirty looks on the dance floor, just remember, it’s not you, it’s them.

Perhaps the reason I loved Karlovy Lazne so much was because I met so many people from all over the world and knew it would be a once in a lifetime experience…or maybe because I was in the biggest nightclub in Europe. I knew in just a few hours, the best party of my life would eventually come to an end, just like yours will when you visit this mega dance house. Don’t get too sad though, because when your time is over at Karlovy Lazne, you can stop by the hot-dog hut attached right next to the club to satisfy your late night cravings from all that dancing. And keep in mind, the fun may not end for you until four in the morning but the public transportation ends at midnight.

Cost: 50CZK/$2.92(USD) before 9pm or 120CZK/$7.01(USD)
Address:Smetanovo nábřeží  198, Praha 1, 110 00 Tele: +420 222 220 502  Web: www.karlovylazne.cz

Live and Taste Jamacia, in a Philadelphia Setting

PHILADELPHIA - It is common for a college student to get stuck to a repetitive school schedule and forget that there’s life beyond the campus borders. What would one do with time that was usually spent in class but has now been canceled? Considering the class is at night, this leaves more than one option other than a quick nap in-between classes. A night doing homework could have substituted the hours that would have been spent in a classroom, but instead, a fun break was in the works.

Actually, my stomach was the one who prompted me to plan what I was going to do Monday night. That plan was to go have dinner at some place that doesn’t take meal plans or diamond dollars. I was itching to get away from the same bland tasting options that I have been limited to for the past three and a half years, so a change of scene was definitely on the top of my mind a few hours before dinner time.

I love trying different foods. It’s the closest feeling of new experiences I can get, next to traveling. The chance to indulge myself into different ethnic foods that not many people have had before or do not have on a typical basis is what also sparks my traveling curiosity. This is a big world--why limit myself to typical foods that I have on a daily basis? A little place that satisfies my curiosity hides along South Street right off of Broad Street.

This cultural wonder is named The Jamaican Jerk Hut--a place where I have went back to twice. It is not a typical restaurant, but more like a mini-cultural experience. It has been a while since I’ve ventured to this delightful abode and there I went to reacquaint myself with a place that packed a lot of energy in every aspect from food to décor.

So, off I went Monday night with the roommates to bring back the fun and spicy memories of this jerk hut. A trip through the oh-so-glorious SEPTA subway made me think of wanting to get there faster…and out of the sub.  The short ride is worth going through to spend a couple hours in a little place I call Jamaica. The streets of Philadelphia always change from welcoming to skeptical and as I walked west on South Street, I got that feeling once again. Right in-between Broad Street and South until you reach the hut two blocks in, I always get this feeling that I’m heading in the wrong direction. I don’t know why that is, but maybe some of the vacant buildings and open lots have something to do with it.

Usually during the summer and warm spring days, the hut has a huge outdoor grass lot where customers can dine and listen to soft reggae music, but this Monday night, the hut’s outside yard looked like a ghost town. Since the fall weather has crept up quickly, I opted to go inside where the spicy flavors would keep me warm. It’s easy to bypass this little row home-like building since the front exterior’s length is that of a small pizza shop.

Happy to be back here once again, everything looked familiar to me. The menu was spread across the entire wall, written in hand, making the small restaurant seem more personal and one of a kind. Vibrant Jamaican
prints, drawings and pictures were everywhere in the small room. The hut has about seven tables for guests to seat themselves at, which is covered in entirely by a brown paper bag-like paper that you can draw on with chalk inside the box on the table.

The woman at the register fit the typical Jamaican idea that many would think of especially since her outfit and accent came alive when she asked me for my order. I walked up to her intending on trying something new like usual. This time it was the jerk wings with sweet fried plantains and a side. My friends and I passed time by mapping out our plans for the weekend on a big piece of scrap paper.

The best part, yet the worst, was that we had to wait only fifteen minutes for our food but the time ticking by was very much a tease for us. The same way a recently quit smoker craves a cigarette when they smell one burning, is the way I felt when I smelled the spiced meat being seared and cooked. Upon arrival of the food, my stomach had that uprising feeling, from the anticipations, feeling almost as if I was on a rollercoaster about to dive into something worthwhile.

Right in front of me sat a plate of heft. Real meat and food for once covered the entire plate. I liked the idea that this specific meal I ordered was made just for me and not for twenty thousand other people just as it is done every day at school. The jerk chicken tasted just as it should with some spice and kick.

The fried banana plantains were the sweet treat and reason why I love coming back to this little restaurant. It is rare that I have a dinner that includes something sweet, spicy, sour and salty all on the same plate.

When the fork hit bottom, a great feeling of accomplishment exuded. A rare occurrence to my pallet that night was highly worth the effort or putting up with some of the undesirables during my travel to the quaint hut that takes me out of Philadelphia and into another setting.

Doylestown Borough; A Look at a Quaint Yet High-Profiled Suburb

The Borough of Doylestown, Pa., is probably one of the few places that can keep anyone’s interest no matter what season is upon us. Main Street cuts right through the heart of the borough, which hinders what to expect beyond that street. It’s worth getting lost down the side streets that show off great detail of why this area is put up on a pedestal. The borough is like a tight-knit suburban area with a city feel, except without some of the negativities that would come with an actual city environment. Residents and visitors can have it all within just a few blocks: dining, entertainment, government involvement, shopping, the arts and culture.

The beginnings of Doylestown started back in 1745 with a man named William Doyle who built a tavern at Main and State Streets.  That intersection, which is the heart of the borough, links to Norristown, New Hope and Philadelphia. The borough wasn’t established until 1838 when technology advances were brought to the area, bringing in businesses and culture.

This sector of Doylestown is known by many names: Downtown Doylestown, The Borough of Doylestown or simply, the borough. A more common word for the whole town used by the younger residents in and around the area is D-town. Though, whatever you prefer to call it, many people all have a general idea of this place and what it’s known for in that area.

It’s that kind of place that you can take a walk around with your significant other or friends. That place where you can go with your parents, siblings or grandparents and it still will stay the same throughout the generations that come through it. A place that people share because it doesn’t draw one specific crowd. Even if you don’t have anything that you are looking for in particular, it’s just as enjoyable to walk around and take in the beauty of this quaint town.

Going up Main Street will make you quickly notice that the borough serves many interests for people. It gives you something on both sides of Main Street that’s worth a look -- just like those moving carts you sit in at Disney that give you a full tour of the surroundings. The best part is the second floor atop a corner store near Main & Taylor Streets. On that floor is a dance studio, where you can see ballerinas warming up along the bars that are up against the window.

This place is reminiscent of tinsel town when the snow blankets the streets and tops of houses. The colonial and Victorian houses are unique in their own way with the detailed work on the façade, setting itself aside from the typical suburban developments with house designs that mimic each other.

Many businesses like real estate firms, hair salons and doctors offices are not found in typical company structures -- but in old houses that once served as a family home. The minimum of typical company buildings preserves the home-like feeling of the borough. A walk inside a privately owned shop displays unique crafts that you can’t find duplicated anywhere else. What’s also great about this sector of Doylestown is that there are no buildings that look out of place or that have an extremely different design.

Inside a mini mall along Main Street, line a few stores and two restaurants. One with exceptional soups and fish and another that catered wine and cheese delicacies. The center of the mini mall had a big table with a running train set, decorated with lighted houses for the holiday season. I walked into one store that only sold jewelry and jars of sauces. The jars had interesting, colorful labels on them that were most likely from small or local businesses. The other two thirds of the store were filled with one-of-a-kind jewelry. The old friendly worker at the shop told me that all the jewelry is handmade by a woman in the area. Yet again, this shows that many of the shops in Doylestown are operated by small or one-person businesses.

There are no chain eateries, except for one or two near the start of the borough. In the Poor Richards shop I walked around surrounded by a plethora of home décor including statues, wall art, trinkets and garden decorations. What I love about this store, like many in the borough, is that each item seems to be the only one there.

The popular Michener Art Museum and Mercer Museum rest together off to the right of Main Street. The Jim Henson’s Fantastic World exhibit which left the Michener Museum about a week ago, showcased Henson’s work of the Muppets from his early to late career. Walking around this gallery brought back childhood memories of the shows created from his great mind. Right next to art museum is the Bucks County Free Library along Pine Street. Many childhood trips with my parents and school field trips took place at this library. The courtyard has giant bizarre works of metal artwork that sits right in front of the library.

The community of Doylestown gives much attention to art and music. You’ll find galleries within the heart of the borough and a painters shop called Mixed Media Arts along South Main Street, where artists can find their supplies and walk through a gallery of displayed artwork done by students and locals--where one of my own paintings was once displayed there many years ago.

Let’s not forget about the County Theatre along East State Street. This place is a nonprofit community-based theatre that features foreign film, and other independent arts. The County Theatre gets their community involved by hosting a Saturday Kid’s Matinee, classic Hollywood films and showing local filmmakers work. They also have discussion groups and lectures. The theatre, which was originally named Hellyer’s Movie House in 1907 along South Main Street, was replaced by what is now known as The County Theatre in 1938. The theatre had some ups and down and renovations since that time but now runs smoothly thanks to the community’s ies love for the arts.

Go a little north-west from the theatre and you’ll see the local courthouse on the right side of Main Street. The sidewalks of this quaint town will give you no worries about getting lost in the dark. The availability of parking also doesn’t seem to be a constant worry either.

The best parts are during the winter when the holiday lights are stringed along the houses and draped on the trees and bushes. It definitely makes window shopping worthwhile with all the décor and lights put out. The sight of the borough during the winter is like looking through a snow globe that has a perfect little town inside it.

The summer time is even better with more people walking around, listening to the outdoor music venues playing performances. The restaurants have outdoor seating, which is very common during the spring and summer months. The boutiques bring out their racks of clothes to entice those strolling along the sidewalks.

The borough is like a retreat from the daily grind and sights that I see every day. It’s a nice feeling coming back to this place, even if it’s just for a couple hours. For not seeing much of Doylestown since I started college, it was a reassuring pleasure to finally revisit it this weekend to see that it still remains the same borough that I used to visit. It’s the old clean, classy and cultured borough that still serves its community’s interests.

The Aloha Experience

Getting more than a summer internship on a pacific paradise island.

HONOLULU, Hawaii - I've already done the typical journalism internship stint in Philadelphia. My "been-there-done-that" feeling of where most of my college peers have interned pushed me to take my last internship credit and make good use of it in every aspect. I didn’t want to do another one where probably a third of the journalism students interned before. Don’t get me wrong--I loved my jobs interning in some of Philadelphia’s most notable media industries, but I wanted to do something out of the ordinary. Before applying to just any old summer internship, I wanted to make sure it to included travel, fun, and some beach time. So, what did I do to make all that possible? I went to Hawaii.

After finding my final decision through the Institute of Cultural Ecology, I was able to intern in the public relations department for the Manoa Valley Theatre in Honolulu. I roomed with two other girls who were doing different internships through this I.C.E. which is created by a University of Hawaii professor. For the 
entire summer, I lived in a high-rise in downtown Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Oahu is about a third the size of the big island, and has over about 80% of Hawaii's population. A country, city and suburb setting all in one is found only on Oahu. The past summer living and working in Hawaii was something I thought could only happen in my dreams.

As beautiful as Hawaii was in my mind, I started to have feelings of regret on my connecting flight going there. What if the internship turned out to be not worth all the money I put out? What if my roommates were horrible? What if I got homesick? It also didn’t help ease my mind that I would be living halfway across the world from home.

By the time I landed and got to my place to meet my new roommates, all those thoughts from the hour before seemed to wash away like sand on the beach. When I started work, I would take the bus, which would go through different scenic routes and eventually stopped in the middle of Honolulu’s suburbs--far away from all the Waikiki tourists. The Manoa Valley Theatre was set in the middle of an old Hawaiian graveyard and drew customers from the surrounding suburbs.

There I would be, a few evenings a week, attending rehearsals and taking pictures to blog on their Facebook site and theatre web page. Since the Public Relations Director for the theatre worked from her home, this meant that I could do work from anywhere I wished on my laptop when I wasn’t at the theatre. So, how's writing an article while sitting on a balcony overlooking mountains ahead and a volcano to the right sound to you?

I did interviews with the music and theatre director, cast and even dipped my feet into doing some public service announcements and press releases. I attended a brunch event off of a pier with the cast, where they performed a number from their upcoming play,“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee“, for the well-known Perry & Price radio personalities. The cast and people I worked with were extremely nice and enjoyable to be around. The atmosphere of working and being in the theatre was very laid back and it went well with the feeling of the summer.

So what was a typical day like forme? It might be a little opposite of what most students do during the summer. I would wake up around 6:30 a.m. to have breakfast with a little sunrise on the side; a 10-minute bus ride to the beach for a few hours; back to the condo to do some intern work that was e-mailed to me; out for a little sight-seeing; down to the theatre to watch rehearsals with the night ending out in Waikiki with a couple mai tai's with the roommates. Not a typical 21-year-old’s day in the summer, I'd say. Don't forget climbing Diamond Head Volcano, hiking to secret waterfall in the rain forest, and seeing a polo match besides the beach among other things during free time.

My summer was exactly what I wanted and Hawaii was exactly where I wanted to be for two months. Now looking back, I’d say there were two sides to my trip: my internship and my personal experience outside of work. I loved the fact that I could say I worked and lived in Hawaii instead of just saying I was a tourist. That kind of thinking made me feel like I was more of a resident, which helped me blend into the setting better. One week into our stay, my roommates and I met people in the Navy, whom we ended up spending a good amount of time with and building some close friendships. It helped that we were able to meet people who lived there since we were could go out with them, travel around and find out little discreet things that some tourists might not know about the island.

I am very fortunate I was able to have this opportunity and was lucky enough to have some money set aside for the trip. I put out around $2,700 for housing--which is a steal for Downtown Honolulu. I got more out of it than I expected and the cost I put out for it was well worth the experience. Some people have asked me why I worked in a theatre doing public relations instead of a newsroom since I am a journalism major. I simply tell them that I wanted to expand my experience in the communications field and not narrow my options down to one specifically. Some of the work I did was journalism-related and will give me more working options when I graduate college. I was glad I got to do something a little outside the box in a place that I fell in love with--and hope to go back to in the near future.

Life Lessons On a Jet Plane

My mother always told me to not talk to strangers, but I deemed it necessary when I started traveling solo this year. Within the past year I have gone on two long trips--six and twelve hours each way. That’s quite a long time to keep to yourself. After my two travels across both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean to see Prague and Hawaii, I finally understood the meaning of the phrase, “half the fun is getting there.”

Just as some people learn to make friends at school, I learned how to make short acquaintances with diverse people who were coming from and going to places all over the country and world. I met these “friends” sitting in the terminal, next to me on the plane ride and waiting in line at my connector airport to receive a new ticket for my delayed flight.

These bonds are short; you pack a lot of conversation and knowledge into them and before you know it, the person who intrigued you has left--you’re likely never to meet again.

On my first trip to Europe, I talked to a U.S. marine who sat next to me on my flight from Philadelphia to Atlanta for the last 30 minutes of our two-hour flight. He was on his way to Afghanistan and I was on my way to Prague. I talked to him about wanting to be a foreign correspondent and reporting on war--he talked to me about being a marine and how soldiers felt about how news media reported on the war in the Middle East. He was not happy, of course, and I agreed on some thoughts. Then, without me asking, he opened up about his personal life and family to me. That, right there--a connection. Again, this was all in only 30 minutes. Our flight pulled in late and overlapped with my next one but he made sure I was alright getting to where I needed to go before we parted.

In Atlanta, I stood in line for a grueling three hours to get another flight. Atlanta International Airport was like a living nightmare which I was stuck in for the entire night, trying to get assistance for my pushed-back flight that caused me to miss my next one to Europe. Every 10 minutes I would move one step forward towards the customer service desk, which looked like it was conveniently located at the end of the world.

An elderly man, whose wife was resting in a nearby terminal while he stood in line, began chatting with me about the typical disappointing airline service that he’s constantly seen in this airport. He told me how “back in his day” airline service was different and how it has become a thankless job. When he found out how young I was and that I was  traveling by myself, it seemed like he suddenly took over that fatherly--or in this case, grandfatherly approach. He made sure I was being taken care of and getting help--just as the marine did. Similar to the marine, this older man reminisced with me about his life: what he used to do before retirement, and where his family and grandchildren live--which turns out is only 20 minutes away from my hometown of Bucks County, PA.

Not only have I seen this type of interaction, but so have some of my friends. After my trip back from Prague, the girl that I roomed with in Europe said she met a young man on her flight back to Philadelphia and found out that he’s a student at University of Pennsylvania--only a short car ride from our school, Temple University. They have been together ever since their plane ride home. 

Next to me, on my flight to Hawaii, I talked to a man in his mid-forties. I told him I was going there for the summer to do a journalism internship. That sparked unique conversations since his brother was a main editor of a small newspaper company and taught journalism at a community college around my hometown. He gave me his business card so I could look up his brother’s work and company if I was interested in knowing more.

Just in this small window of time from traveling, I have learned that the person in the chair next to you on a flight might have something worth talking about and could be going to the same place you are going--starting a new relation, whether it’s for friendship, romance or business. I’m starting to believe that there’s a very good reason why people say “don’t judge a book by its cover,” and trust me, sometimes it’s worth an attempt to read.

Welcome to my travel blog

Hello followers!

Welcome to my traveling blog! All blogs in this forum are from my travels internationally and within the United States. My love for traveling will hopefully take me to other interesting countries and states to which I hope to share my experiences with you!