Kutná Hora

This is the first weekend of my CELTA course. It's been fun with a bit of work, but not heavy yet. So, I decided to get out of town. Kutná Hora is a UNESCO listed town and the first Czech town I've seen outside of Prague. This place is well worth a visit!

Notice the horse-drawn carriage in the background:

This random little house reminded me of the middle ages for some reason:

I spent about five hours wandering around this town by myself feeling as though I were the only tourist for miles. Then, as I entered the main square in search of food, a bus full of Japanese tourists arrived and proceeded to take over the town. It was wild! Everyone kind of stopped and stared for a moment as they snapped pictures and chattered loudly.

I ended up eating some marginal pizza and then slipped back into the empty alleyways and parks in hopes of keeping a step ahead of them.

England

My first stop was Gary's place near London. I stopped for a few days before Prague to get used to Europe and a new time zone before I got used to working my ass off! (thanks for the hospitality Gaz!)

Here's Gaz, Spike and myself at their local: The RAF wouldn't take me...color blind...

The front of Hampton Court Palace:

There are more castles in England than people care to see, well British people anyway, but I can't get enough of castles. Europe is soon to be at my fingertips and I have never been so excited in all my life!

Crater Lake

Next on the list was Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States. This place is something else. I have been to dozens of national parks now, but each time I go to a new one it forces my memories of the previous one into the depths of my memory. The United States has, without a doubt, some of the most incredible natural places in the world! Crater Lake blew my mind!

This perfectly round, deep blue lake with Mt. Thielsen keeping watch from the north may well be the most peaceful body of water I've ever set eyes upon. Wizard Island sits like a stolid sentinel in the middle of the lake. We hiked to the top of a peak called The Watchman to get a proper view of the lake and the surrounding area. And after about fifteen minutes of marveling at it we decided we had to get closer.

We ambled around the edge of the lake until we reached a trail near Cleetwood Cove that went down to the shore. I nearly ran down the trail as the allure of the sparkling blue lake was pulling me in like a tractor beam. When I got there I immediately noticed a large boulder near the edge that hung over the lake about ten feet.

Patrick and I after a dive:

I stripped down to my swimming trunks (which I had stashed in my backpack) and dove in. The water was frankly freezing, but very refreshing. Patrick and Shane jumped in also. I repeated this activity probably eight times before heading back up the trail and into the shade of the forest.

Canadian Rockies

I just accepted a placement in the CELTA (Certification for English Language Teaching of Adults) program at International House (IH) in Prague, Czech Republic. I am leaving in late August. I just quit my job and will be traveling as far and wide as possible for the next few weeks.

My friend Patrick and I decided to take off for the 4th of July and head to Canada. July 1st is Canada Day, so we figured there would be plenty of action. We drove up from Spokane through Idaho and into southeastern BC. Our first stop was Kootenay National Park. Though it is a lesser-known park due to its neighbors Banff and Jasper, it is no less breathtaking!

The drive from Banff to Japser is a very dramatic one! The scenery from the road alone is enough to make your head spin. There are myriad peaks between 10-13,000 feet high in every direction!

This picture is from the Johnson Creek Falls trail. I figured it would put the falls into perspective better if you could compare them to me.

I was half asleep in the morning one day and suddenly saw this black bear foraging on the side of the road. We got pretty close to him and he didn't seem to care very much.

We saw some mountain goats and elk too, but that was about it.






This lake is called Peyto Lake after an explorer named Peyto. Doesn't it look like the head of a wolf or coyote? I think so. Anyway, the ridge of mountains behind the lake seemed as though it never ended. It's pretty humbling to be in a place where nature is in full control. You can't quite tell, but the distance from where I am to the lake was about five football fields.

San Francisco

This city is one of those American cities that fervently captured my attention as a child along with New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. I have always wanted to see it with my own eyes. So, this trip could have gone in any direction...I had a long list of spots I wanted to check out.I took the early (6 am) flight out of Portland. The flight is only a couple hours so I was there by 9am. I negotiated the BART into the heart of the city and got off at the City Hall stop. I slowly, with mouth agape, made my way down to Union Square.

From there I made the obligatory journey to the Haight/Ashbury district. I saw this on the sidewalk and laughed pretty hard. There were people with dogs everywhere!

There is a massive music shop in San Francisco called Amoeba Music. I had figured out where it was prior to my trip and set aside an hour to check it out. It was huge! After looking through the jazz section, I realized it had already almost been an hour. More importantly, though, I was starving. I bought a few classic Blue Note cd's and went around the corner to find the bus top that would lead me into the Presidio. I walked around the Presidio for ages until my stomach lead me to the Embarcadero and the Ghirardelli area. I got food somewhere and suddenly spotted the streetcar rumbling past. I followed the line up towards "The Crookedest Street in the World".

Next, I had to check out Chinatown. I rambled down crowded streets until I was at the base of the TransAmerica Building. Looking up I noticed the Sentinel Building (Columbus Towers). I found the San Francisco Brewing Company caddy-corner to the Sentinel Building and decided I should sample the wares. After several small pours and a proper pint, I was not impressed.

Next, I went to the Thirsty Bear Brewery and the beer was an improvement but the clientele was not. I had a quick beer and left to meet Patty in Oakland at the Oakland Brewery. Now this place was great! Good people, good beer!

This was my friend as I enjoyed my bread bowl near Pier 39: