Kiev and Yalta

Sorry for the long delay in posts everyone, but Ukraine is not the most Wifi friendly country we have been to so far. Nevertheless the last leg of our journey has been a great one; from rabid dogs to beutiful beaches, Ukraine has something for everyone.

Four days ago we arrived to Kiev from Prague. The trip took us on a sleeper train and a crazy flight from Poland to Kiev (more on the flight in a separate post). All in all we were up for 30 hours, before finally arriving to Kiev. In Kiev one of our friends cousin met us at the airport and took us around town. We covered around 5 miles on foot in 6 hours and literally saw every sight one can possibly see in kiev in one day. That night we went out to a Kiev night club, were not one person spoke english, leaving Derek and Tyler to trying to communicate with people in a weird sign language ... though alcohol always helps.

The next morning we boarded a 6 am flight to Crimea and arrived at Hotel Yalta at 11am. The last 4 days we spent relaxing at the pool and beach, as well as, working out at our hotel gym (filled with 300 pound Ukrainian guys taking steroids between sets). Everything in town was extremely cheep (like 25 cents), though we did somehow manage to spend 80 dollars on laundry (another post is coming on this subject).

We are now heading back on an overnight train to Kiev from where we will take a flight tomorrow morning to London.

Stay tuned for more posts!

Alex

Second Day in Prague

Our second day in Prague (locals say Pra-ha) was spent exploring the city. We started from our hotel (Hotel Astoria) and walked up Stefanikuv bridge to enter the Letenske Park. Withing Letenske Park we again stopped by the beer gardens for some cheap beers ($1.5 for 0.5 L) and continued walking through the park until we reached Prague Castle. The park is gorgeous and is perfect for spending a sunny day relaxing and drinking in. We could not help ourselves to soak up some sunny rays and relax on the grass.

After relaxing, we reached Prague Castle. The castle itself is gorgeous and is worth the visit. The only museum worth paying for is the "Golden Walk" which allows you to see how people lived in medieval times. Also it allows you to see the prison and dungeon, which was a very interesting site (complete with medieval torture devices).

After the castle we made our walk down to Charles Bridge and made our requisite wish at the statue of St. John of Nepomuk. Legend has it that St. John was court priest of King Wenceslas IV. When the priest refused to tell the king about the confession his wife gave to him, the king ordered him thrown into the river. Locals say that when the priest hit the water five stars appeared in a halo above his head and he was soon made a saint. According to legend, if you make a wish while touching the statue the wish will come true in one year, but you only get one wish in your life time.

We spent the rest of the day piazza sitting and exploring the sights of old town, all in all, not a bad day.

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

In a few weeks we will be graduating from medical school to finally pursue our dreams of becoming doctors but with this dream comes change. For some of us we are staying local, others are moving across the country to far lands where then have never been before and others are only moving a few miles away. Thus for some of us we are leaving our family and great friends of over 5 years but the good times and friendships will always last. However while somethings in life do change others don't! And for these 2 Californnia Kids and one California convert from Jersey....we maintain certain standards of a socal lifestyle even when half way around the world.

1. TURBO SUPER BRONZE

From the beaches of Jezera, Central Budapest, the streets of Prague... we never let country or weather stop us from beoming super bronze. In Croatia we were blessed with beautiful weather, phemominal beaches and Ante's Booze Cruise( Dereks Uncle taking us around the Islands on his little motor boat---post above). However as we entered Budapest, the tan skin that was abundant throughout Crotia was beginning to fade, we had to find a solution fast.

That is where we found Turbo Super Bronze Solerium(TSBS), to both maintain our Vitamin D levels and our basal bronze layer. Not only did the TSBS give us the bronze we needed but we also got a solid sauna and jacuzzi in as well( obviously banding was invovled). I hope Harvard is ready because Derek and I are going to try and convert a lounge room at MGH to a TSBS....It is for the greater good and we feel many will benefit!! Those OR lights just dont provide the bronze we need haha.

Next we ventured to Prague where the weather was supposed to be rainy but we were blessed with 4 days of beautiful weather perfect for walks through old town, the castle and of course bronzing in the beer gardens.

We are leaving Prague tonight to head to the beaches of Crimea in Ukraine where Turbo Super Bronzing will become even more Turbo... stay turned....

2.  ICE PUB--THE COLD CAN'T PHASE US

As DK posted earlier, one night we went to a 5 story club in Prague. It wasn't really our scene however to salvage the cover and journey we ventured into the ICE PUB. We suited up in warm silver jackets and thick wool gloves to enter the ice pub where vodka would be tasted and Alex would feel right at home. Upon entering the ice pub we immediatly liked the experience. The vibe in the bar was cool, ice sculptures surround the bar and a throne made of ice fit for a King( or me Alex or Derek obviously haha) added to the scene. To seal the deal we drank vodka out of cups made of ice, which in my book was a first but hopefully not a last. During this experience Alex and I quickly realized that even though we are moving to colder climates than LA the cold cant hold us back....so of course we went shirt less in the ice pub.. yes thats right... shirt less. I will say after that experience Boston scares me less and I'm alittle more excited to face the harsh winters the northeast is going to bring. Plus those jacket are super turbo cool and I cant wait to get some baller winter cloths for Boston!! The east coast is not ready for the invasion!!

3. SOUP TOUR OF EUROPE

So as some of you may know Derek, Bian and I love soup. We can eat it at any meal, any time of the day or in any weather. So taking this to heart we have converted Alex to our ways and are draining eastern europe of all its soup supply. Below are a few pictures of some of the soups we have tried. We will continue to post about fantastic soups and hopefully convince you that it is a must have appetizer before any meal. More specifics to come later.....

Milos's Gulash in croatia

Hungarian Gulash Soup

Hungarian chicken soup with vermicelli noodles

Pub crawl garlic soup in prague

Potato soup in Club Architectur restaurant in plague

-Partisan

(Non touristy) Turbosuper Baller Prague Bar Crawl

Prague is known for it's fantastic selection of pubs and the excellent Czech beer contained within. There's an extremely touristy pub crawl you can sign up for, but it lacks the character of Prague's scenic beauty. On the train yesterday I created my own pub crawl incorporating the sights and sounds of the city, check it out below:

1) Beer Factory - A brief stop in Prague's famous Wenceslas Square, Beer Factory is a place where locals come to pour beers from their own personal tap at the table and will challenge you to some competitive drinking games in the evening.

2) Pivovarsky Dum (translation: beer brewing house) - This place, famous for it's VERY extensive beer selection, while slightly more touristy in ambience, has excellent quality brews and Czech style cuisines. Beers we sampled:
1) Coffee - dark, rich stout
2) Abbey 17 - soft, Czech style pale ale
3) Brown Ale - standard affair
4) Wheat - milder than typical Wheat
5) Pivovarsky House Pale and Dark Lager Mix - excellent combination of house brews
6) Sour Cherry (with cherries at the Bottom) - enough said
7) Banana - Ladies, you will enjoy this
8) Nettle - green and bizarre, an acquired taste for the sophisticated pallate
9) "Champagne Beer" - imagine a mix of half champagne, half beer, but excellent taste

3) Globe Bookstore and Cafe - A local cafe serving beer and apps. While not a culturally unique location, it does provide free wifi and serves as a halfway point up our next destination.

4) Klub Arkitekto - For lunch, we stopped at this chi chi, underground restaurant located right underneath an art gallery. Prices are surprisingly reasonable, and here we sampled the golden pheasant pale/dark lager mixture, an excellent slovakian beer we have not seen served at other Czech establishments.

5) GoldenTiger/Great Pub - Immediately after walking in, the pub gives an aura of a great Czech soccer/football pub, with an active and older local contingent mixed with tourists looking for Prague culture. While smoky and a bit overwhelming at first, the cozy and friendly Czech ambience quickly takes over. The golden tiger stands as a highlight on our trip, a great place to watch a soccer match, enjoy a beer, and chat with the exceptionally approachable crowd.

6) Letenske Beer Gardens - The final stop on our tour takes us to the beer gardens overlooking Prague. The cheap beer, epic views of the city, and lively crowd make this an ideal final stop on our pub crawl.

All in all a very good day. Great beer, great city and great friends. PS We also found a way to band...

Derek "Wrong Way" Klarin, Super Turbo Alex and Party Hardy Tyler .... with Boris 30 minutes late as always