"Series chụp Prague đẹp quá." - a comment from a flickr's friend, phamducminh.
My six-month stay in Prague was long enough for me to fall in love with the city; on the other hand, it was also kind of short to let me miss Prague when I'm away and naturally longing for a returning visit. I have witnessed Prague transforming from glowing colourful and bright autumn to one of the extreme cold winters over the last, probably, twenty years. Time flies, only the memory remains forever in our hearts...
Prague... so much memory that give me special emotional feelings and a sort of thought that I just simply can not describe what I have experienced in plain words. If only there is some special tool rather than words, something that can just let you see through my mind, that can restract all and then form an abstract story with detailed emotions, like a movie perhaps.
Nevertheless, here is the story of myself with Prague. It all began when I started a double-degree Master in the Eramus Mundus programme at the beginning of September 2009. Some of those might mistake this as an ERASMUS exchange programme, in which students in an European university go to study at another partner university for one or two exchange semesters. The ERASMUS programme might give an impression that it is kind of relaxing, and so as our Erasmus Mundus Masters. But in fact, they are two different programmes. Although both are supported by the European Union, the Erasmus Mundus Master is an independent study, which offers a full-time and fully recognised degree. At least it was like that in my year. Each Erasmus Mundus Master is joint-Masters between several European universities and students from all around the world can apply. It is normally competitive. The first good thing is that the sponsorship is good enough for a Master level. One other good thing is the possibility of study mobility, in which each student can mobile between two among four universities or more. Another great thing is our class had 14 international students from 11 countries - a multi-cultural experience that one will simply not forget.
So that was a long introduction, probably also to give you an idea that I was happy to be selected for the Master course. At that time I was working in Singapore since two years, things around my life was stable, happily stable. Doing a Master in Europe was the next step that I liked much to make. But little that I knew that I would fall for Europe more than I have imagined. Nothing that I knew that my life would take a momentem turn in all aspects that matter to me. And even settling down at this moment in Berlin, although the word "settling down" here only refers to a period on a basis of three years, was simply nevered considered back then. But that is life, isn't it?! Nothing much we could do about it, or could we?...
Carrying with me an open-minded, excited, eager to learn and make friends, and probably also a bit adventurous as being first time in Europe, I went to the Master, and Prague, with my mind as well as my friendly heart. I actually wanted myself to like the city, and in fact I felt in love with Prague. There was much the city has given to a stranger even from the beginning days.
You know, I have not mentioned about the studying experience so it still seems until now that it was just travelling and relaxing, but in reality, the Master was stressful. We in our SAHC Master class just tried to make the best out of our stressful challenging situation. We did it quite well actually. Nevertheless, I will write more about that later. For now, let just concentrate on my first impression and feelings about Prague.
Even now when I write about what I have felt back then, I could still be moved by my own emotions. But my feelings now, in the year 2012, when thinking back were not totally the feelings that I have had at that time. To experience the kind of my "original" feelings, I am glad that I did some short writings back then as descriptions for my photos in flickr. They will be quoted here, my thoughts corresponding to that particular date and time about two to three years ago.
"Charles Bridge"
"I'm glad that I just got the internet connection tonight, so I can share what I've visited this afternoon. Charles Bridge - a run across the century!!! It's the 1st stone bridge of its kind. "Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of 15th century. The bridge is 516 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide, resting on 16 arches shielded by ice guards. The Old Town bridge tower is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, erected around 1700." (source: wikipedia).
What a pity that the bridge is currently under repair, as you can see the white cover in the middle of the bridge landing. Otherwise, it'll look more romantic & I'll be able to see all the statues on the bridge - they all have meanings that I'll learn more about when I have time. I'm sure that I'll come back here some more times." (my note on 01.10.09)
What a pity that the bridge is currently under repair, as you can see the white cover in the middle of the bridge landing. Otherwise, it'll look more romantic & I'll be able to see all the statues on the bridge - they all have meanings that I'll learn more about when I have time. I'm sure that I'll come back here some more times." (my note on 01.10.09)
"View from Charles Bridge Tower, afternoon sunshine :-)"
"It's easy to fall in love with Prague.. Being a historic centre, Prague has collective beauty from many famous cities in Europe. It's charming, crowded but still peaceful enough that you may spend all the afternoon walking around the city centre without any rush or getting on trams round the city..
I really like trams here.
Some useful information: Prague's public transportation consists of 3 metro lines, trams and buses. The 24 tramlines run practically everywhere, & more than a hundred bus lines run mainly outside the central districts of Prague. Around midnight the metro closes, but there're night trams and buses.
Interesting note: you should not hail a taxi in the street or take one from the taxi stand. The unctuous or insolent driver WILL rip you off. On the other hand, the telephone taxi companies are reasonably honest.
A good telephone taxi company, with English speaking dispatchers, is AAA Radio taxi (provided by my friend Natalia). :-)
TGIF! I'm busy these days with this new place & few personal matters, and hardly find time for any other things here except uploading the three photos and write something above. Hope I'll have more time soon. Have a peaceful Friday & surprisingly wonderful weekend!! (",)." (my note on 01.10.09)
Just after only two original notes of myself, I can already feel the excitement in the writings, which I would not be able to transfer it now into the writings after a period of time already living in Europe.
Vltava river
If you're in Prague one day, try this: enjoy the view over Vltava river at night and inhale cool gust of wind blowing freely strongly occasionally.. :-)
"It's easy to fall in love with Prague.. Being a historic centre, Prague has collective beauty from many famous cities in Europe. It's charming, crowded but still peaceful enough that you may spend all the afternoon walking around the city centre without any rush or getting on trams round the city..
I really like trams here.
Some useful information: Prague's public transportation consists of 3 metro lines, trams and buses. The 24 tramlines run practically everywhere, & more than a hundred bus lines run mainly outside the central districts of Prague. Around midnight the metro closes, but there're night trams and buses.
Interesting note: you should not hail a taxi in the street or take one from the taxi stand. The unctuous or insolent driver WILL rip you off. On the other hand, the telephone taxi companies are reasonably honest.
A good telephone taxi company, with English speaking dispatchers, is AAA Radio taxi (provided by my friend Natalia). :-)
TGIF! I'm busy these days with this new place & few personal matters, and hardly find time for any other things here except uploading the three photos and write something above. Hope I'll have more time soon. Have a peaceful Friday & surprisingly wonderful weekend!! (",)." (my note on 01.10.09)
Just after only two original notes of myself, I can already feel the excitement in the writings, which I would not be able to transfer it now into the writings after a period of time already living in Europe.
If you're in Prague one day, try this: enjoy the view over Vltava river at night and inhale cool gust of wind blowing freely strongly occasionally.. :-)
"Sunset walking"
Tram rides passing the National Theater
Friendly Prague trams
View from Strahov hill, nearly sunset on Mid-Autumn Day
We celebrate Mid-Autumn Day in Vietnam. It's on 15th of August in Lunar calendar, when the moon's usually perfectly round & so beautiful :-). In the evening, children have a lot of fun walking, singing & playing around the streets with their different-shaped lanterns. The streets, which are lightened by candle lights inside the lanterns, look really joyful & kind of romantic. We also make various cute animal-shaped food from fruits and special cakes for this event called moon-cake. This day always bring back lots of cheerful childhood memories to me. Happy Mid-Autumn Day!!!
By the way, I love Prague view from above in late afternoon or sunset. I just can't help but feel like I'm living in a city-in-a-dream :-)..
Prague 03/10/09 (regular calendar) or 15/08/09 (Lunar calendar).
View of Prague Castle from Strahov hill
We celebrate Mid-Autumn Day in Vietnam. It's on 15th of August in Lunar calendar, when the moon's usually perfectly round & so beautiful :-). In the evening, children have a lot of fun walking, singing & playing around the streets with their different-shaped lanterns. The streets, which are lightened by candle lights inside the lanterns, look really joyful & kind of romantic. We also make various cute animal-shaped food from fruits and special cakes for this event called moon-cake. This day always bring back lots of cheerful childhood memories to me. Happy Mid-Autumn Day!!!
By the way, I love Prague view from above in late afternoon or sunset. I just can't help but feel like I'm living in a city-in-a-dream :-)..
Prague 03/10/09 (regular calendar) or 15/08/09 (Lunar calendar).
"Prague by night :x - 04/10/09"
"One thing everyone should know about Prague: the city is real heaven for any party-person! You would love to go to bars, disco any night in a week: great beers, nice atmosphere, cute girls, charming boys, great great fun... Bars've been calling my friends and me almost all nights; we've had so much fun talking, drinking & walking at night together....."
"Fantastic, like a earthly constellation of sorts, I adore all the energy of the night you've captured here, && you're too sweet in ur comments..!" - a comment from a nice flickr's friend.
Reading this reminds me that we did go out a lot, I did especially in my first month as the schedule of the class was not too overload. I arrived at the Master later than my classmates. But gradually towards the middle and at the end of the Master, because of intensive stress and the cold winter, I cut down significantly to a low level that I mostly always prefered to sleep (!). Eventually I got exhausted from work, and I could not simply cope with lack of sleep anymore. It was probablly also a sign of my aching ;-)). Thinking back then I also wondered why I could have such high physical strength to just sleep probably only four hours per night in some weeks. It was typical that during the first few months I slept quite little either going out or not, maybe because of change of the environment. On top of that, main reason that I liked to go out was credited to my two groups of friends: not only my classmates in the Master were so great, but also my Vietnamese friends, or seniors, that I got to know in the Strahov hostel where I stayed - "the legendary block" that I will write about it later, were really helpful, nice and familiar with places to go out. Those were the days, I can still recall the joyful moments with seem-like-unlimited laughters in some night-outs that we made.
Prague by night taken on Mid-Autumn night @the city central square :-). How I love the moon here :x. Me and my friends were on the way to a bar nearby.
Prague 04/10/09.
"Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song..
Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they can't tempt us
With their lies
And I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won't you try to come?
Come away with me and we'll kiss
On a mountaintop
Come away with me
And I'll never stop loving you....
And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While I'm safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me..."
"Such a splendid angle && perspective, gorgeous night time image, the lighting && tones are marvelous! wishing u peace && love from manhattan! hope all is beautiful!" - a comment from a also nice flickr's friend, i_still_believe_in_you.
"Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song..
Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they can't tempt us
With their lies
And I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won't you try to come?
Come away with me and we'll kiss
On a mountaintop
Come away with me
And I'll never stop loving you....
And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While I'm safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me..."
- Come Away With Me by Norah Jones, a song that brings up a nice mood when being out in the night. Beautiful lyrics! -
"Great shots of Prague! I love this song. It gives me a sad feeling but still I like it.
I am glad to hear your having a great time over there. Embrace this time and live life to the fullest! Enjoy, and love your friends. Share these wonderful moments with them and never forget.
greetings to Bear and Krabi." - a comment from a very nice flickr's friend, Lorentje/Jeroen.
"Such a splendid angle && perspective, gorgeous night time image, the lighting && tones are marvelous! wishing u peace && love from manhattan! hope all is beautiful!" - a comment from a also nice flickr's friend, i_still_believe_in_you.
Happy memory - something to remember.. - Prague 24/10/09 12:44am
I was with my friend Natalia in Prague on Wednesday, 21/10/09. She's actually the secretary of the Masters, very lovely and helpful!!
We had dinner at a cosy restaurant together with all my classmates to celebrate her last-Saturday wedding :-) (Yes she's newly married!!! ", ). What I really love in this photo is our smiles - the happy memory that I'll never forget. I'm having a great time in Prague, & I'm so happy that I've come here.
I actually told one of my friends that I would leave my heart in Prague when I left the city...... Sometimes in life, there're unexpected circumstances that change your life forever. I'm having one of that, in a good way.. My life'll be never the same again, so as my heart... And the feelings that I've had here..will stay at a deep corner of my heart, forever... to remember............
"Beautiful portrait work, such a radiant && charming mood created by the two of you, wonderful!" - a comment from a nice flickr's friend.
Autumn's calling, my friends!
"Từ cửa sổ trên tầng gần mái của toà nhà cũ toi^ đến thăm ở Buštěhrad, Prague nhìn ra :-) khu vườn bao quanh tòa nhà lá vừa chuyển màu."
Buštěhrad 27/10/09.
"Từ cửa sổ trên tầng gần mái của toà nhà cũ toi^ đến thăm ở Buštěhrad, Prague nhìn ra :-) khu vườn bao quanh tòa nhà lá vừa chuyển màu."
Buštěhrad 27/10/09.
"A beautiful sunny day at CVUT (Czech Technical University in Prague) - 05.11.09 :-)."
Healing Fall..
Fall's heart is healing... Time can change everything..
Prague Vyšehrad 13/11/09.
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Thu rực rỡ (glowing Fall)..
Dedicated to a special friend of mine & very special lovely girl: em Hằng Tâm, thanks for your beautiful writing about Fall love.. :-) .."Em không nghe rừng thu Lá thu kêu xào xạc Con nai vàng ngơ ngác Đạp trên lá vàng khô...." - "Tiếng thu" của Lưu Trọng Lư -
Prague 23/11/09. (the picture was taken on 05/11/09 @CVUT, now only bare branches left..)
Some comments from flickr's friends:
"Lovely picture. I like the guy walking in the corner there. And the leafs surrounding the tree. Beautiful! Hope your ok!"
"Very nice shot. The meaning of friendship with the yellow trees in the middle and the green around them..... very very nice."
"The true meaning of friendship is in you all others come last, awesome photo with the yellow leaves well done."
"Oh, friend! Loneliness in this romantic place, people are isolated! so dramatic...."
"mua` thu la' va`ng de.p wa' hen... Love these colours."
Fall's heart is healing... Time can change everything..
Prague Vyšehrad 13/11/09.
View on Large
Dedicated to a special friend of mine & very special lovely girl: em Hằng Tâm, thanks for your beautiful writing about Fall love.. :-) .."Em không nghe rừng thu Lá thu kêu xào xạc Con nai vàng ngơ ngác Đạp trên lá vàng khô...." - "Tiếng thu" của Lưu Trọng Lư -
Prague 23/11/09. (the picture was taken on 05/11/09 @CVUT, now only bare branches left..)
Autumn window
"Bởi vì mùa thu tôi ở lại
Hà Nội mùa thu Hà Nội thu
Hà Nội mùa thu tràn nỗi nhớ
Không bởi vì em hay vì em
Hà Nội mùa thu Hà Nội gió
Xôn xao con đường xôn xao lá
Nhoà phố mong manh nhoè phố mưa
Chợt nắng long lanh chợt nắng thưa
Bởi vì mùa thu tôi ở lại
Hồng má môi em hồng sóng xa
Vì một bàn tay không ngần ngại
Tặng hết cho tôi một phố chờ..."
(st)
"Because of Autumn I will stay.."
Autumn feeling..
These few days have been being hectic days for me. Aside from other important things, I'm dealing with some kind of 'my own personal crisis'. My feelings often change abruptly, although I must say I've been happy most of the time here. .."If only I could leave you alone. Alone with the whole world, where everybody else admires and loves you even more than I do...." (quoted from a friend's diary)...
If only.....
Happy Independent Czechoslovak State Proclamation Day!! Tomorrow's always another day!
Prague 28/10/09 :-).
Friendship..- Prague Vyšehrad 11/11/09.
These few days have been strange days for me.. I've been looking for the true meaning of Friendship - the 'thing' happens when you may have many friends but you still feel so lonely, sometimes... Dear friends are far away, new friends can't fill in the gap.. I've also wondered why friends are so important to me, and it's really painful when friends can hurt you deeply.. (or it's me who hurt them?..).. "What're friends for?"..
I've made a Fall collection here - my 2nd favourite season. Can't wait to share the whole collection. Nice evening, everyone! :-)
(P/s: the above is a really touching video from a friend of mine..)
Some comments from flickr's friends:
"Lovely picture. I like the guy walking in the corner there. And the leafs surrounding the tree. Beautiful! Hope your ok!"
"Very nice shot. The meaning of friendship with the yellow trees in the middle and the green around them..... very very nice."
"The true meaning of friendship is in you all others come last, awesome photo with the yellow leaves well done."
"Oh, friend! Loneliness in this romantic place, people are isolated! so dramatic...."
"mua` thu la' va`ng de.p wa' hen... Love these colours."
Complicated Fall..
It is not because of Fall, but because of the person that makes Fall complicated...
-------------------------------
I'm leaving for Paris early tomorrow morning; we have a long weekend (4 days) in Prague. Hope everyone be well and happy! :-). Prague Vyšehrad 13/11/09.
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Fall charm.. Near Church of St. Peter and Paul, Vyšehrad 11/11/09.
Comment from a friend of mine, Su: "Beautiful shot ! The colors are amazing. The bare branches in the foreground are sort of hiding the beauty behind, not allowing the colors to reveal completely in one go, thus keeping the beholder intrigued, instigating an expectation.... even after repeated views of the pic..".
In love with Fall.. :-)
Near Church of St. Peter and Paul, Vyšehrad 11/11/09.
"The colors and beauty of Fall are always fleeting and fragile; it's best to enjoy these colors as much as possible! Wonderful fall image once again...have a good rest of the weekend! :-)" - a comment from a nice flickr's friend, jmtimages.
Vyšehrad in Fall 11/11/09
Today I've found some old photos that I took during Fall, recalling another beautiful season in Prague :-). ..also recalling a kind of 'sad' memory :-). And then I remember how I got so happy after all the sadness...
It's a beautiful life! :-)
"Mùa thu ở đấy đẹp quá. Cảm ơn em nhiều. Chúc em một cuối tuần vui nhé." - a comment from a nice flickr's friend, Piero_HN.
Vyšehrad 11/11/09.
Have a cheerful Friday and great weekend filled with laughters and surprises!!! ^^ I'll be in Paris until next Monday :-). Prague 25/02/10.
(This note was written when I was gonna having a short weekend trip to Paris with three Master's colleagues. During the time in Prague, I often flew to Paris at some weekends though).
Fall has been almost taken over in Prague.. Cold gusts of winter wind blow fall leaves off the trees to the ground, leaving bare branches fighting against wind and..loneliness... Hope that I can take some more nice photos of Fall...
I'm having a fantastic weekend with lots of fun and care from friends, thanks all my friends here in Prague, in Paris, Singapore, Vietnam and also friends from flickr. You guys are the best! :-)
Prague weekend 21-22/11/09.
Someone has said that many years from now, when you look back, you will feel more regret of what you did not do rather than what you've done.. So friends, 'forgive' me for doing some 'stupid' 'funny' things sometimes (it mostly depends on my mood & happens when my mood strikes ,"), like sometimes I care too much and the other times too less (:">), or sending text messages at 5.30 a.m. in the morning, or often saying "I loveee you" even when I don't mean it (joking, I always mean it >:-D< ), or dropping love emails (short ones, like 1 sentence) for no particular reason (must be strange to some of my friends), or always want to be near you until you got fed of me, etc... I expect your 'understanding' as my friends anyway :-D :-) (",) :x.
-------------------------------
I'm leaving for Paris early tomorrow morning; we have a long weekend (4 days) in Prague. Hope everyone be well and happy! :-). Prague Vyšehrad 13/11/09.
View on Large
Comment from a friend of mine, Su: "Beautiful shot ! The colors are amazing. The bare branches in the foreground are sort of hiding the beauty behind, not allowing the colors to reveal completely in one go, thus keeping the beholder intrigued, instigating an expectation.... even after repeated views of the pic..".
Near Church of St. Peter and Paul, Vyšehrad 11/11/09.
"The colors and beauty of Fall are always fleeting and fragile; it's best to enjoy these colors as much as possible! Wonderful fall image once again...have a good rest of the weekend! :-)" - a comment from a nice flickr's friend, jmtimages.
Today I've found some old photos that I took during Fall, recalling another beautiful season in Prague :-). ..also recalling a kind of 'sad' memory :-). And then I remember how I got so happy after all the sadness...
It's a beautiful life! :-)
"Mùa thu ở đấy đẹp quá. Cảm ơn em nhiều. Chúc em một cuối tuần vui nhé." - a comment from a nice flickr's friend, Piero_HN.
Have a cheerful Friday and great weekend filled with laughters and surprises!!! ^^ I'll be in Paris until next Monday :-). Prague 25/02/10.
(This note was written when I was gonna having a short weekend trip to Paris with three Master's colleagues. During the time in Prague, I often flew to Paris at some weekends though).
Be happy :-)
Buštěhrad 19/11/09 - Master's class in-situ fieldwork for the module SA7 "Integrated Project"
Fall has been almost taken over in Prague.. Cold gusts of winter wind blow fall leaves off the trees to the ground, leaving bare branches fighting against wind and..loneliness... Hope that I can take some more nice photos of Fall...
I'm having a fantastic weekend with lots of fun and care from friends, thanks all my friends here in Prague, in Paris, Singapore, Vietnam and also friends from flickr. You guys are the best! :-)
Prague weekend 21-22/11/09.
Someone has said that many years from now, when you look back, you will feel more regret of what you did not do rather than what you've done.. So friends, 'forgive' me for doing some 'stupid' 'funny' things sometimes (it mostly depends on my mood & happens when my mood strikes ,"), like sometimes I care too much and the other times too less (:">), or sending text messages at 5.30 a.m. in the morning, or often saying "I loveee you" even when I don't mean it (joking, I always mean it >:-D< ), or dropping love emails (short ones, like 1 sentence) for no particular reason (must be strange to some of my friends), or always want to be near you until you got fed of me, etc... I expect your 'understanding' as my friends anyway :-D :-) (",) :x.
Interior of the Prague Castle
"Foggy charming Prague - View from the Prague Castle :-)"
The photos were taken during one short trip of my Master course to a part of the Prague Castle - view from the roof window. Prague in early winter 08.12.09."
First snow in Prague (",) - 15/10/09; this was taken in front of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CVUT) @around 10:40am
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I loveeeee snow! :-) I had a deep sleep & woke up at 5am. I didn't know it would be a wonderful early morning until I looked through the glass window and almost screamed out loud. Snow!!!! Hundreds of small snow crystals were falling - or flying with the strong cold wind... The white snow balls were highlighted perfectly in the dark. It was so beautiful & so special - a surreal beautiful scene, unimaginable.... It was one of the moments that I treasure life so much: I felt really lucky & happy :-). Mother Nature never fails to please us, for sure :-).. I stood still for a while with full amusement, then I needed to share my 1st snowy experience's joy with somebody, & that why I sent a text message to almost all friends that I know here (hope I didn't wake them up :-p). It was not snowing heavily on that day. I'm looking forward to more & more snowy experiences. Remember to wear a jacket with a hood otherwise ur hair'll be all wet (,"), & try to wear something water-proof too.
I loveeeee snow! :-) I had a deep sleep & woke up at 5am. I didn't know it would be a wonderful early morning until I looked through the glass window and almost screamed out loud. Snow!!!! Hundreds of small snow crystals were falling - or flying with the strong cold wind... The white snow balls were highlighted perfectly in the dark. It was so beautiful & so special - a surreal beautiful scene, unimaginable.... It was one of the moments that I treasure life so much: I felt really lucky & happy :-). Mother Nature never fails to please us, for sure :-).. I stood still for a while with full amusement, then I needed to share my 1st snowy experience's joy with somebody, & that why I sent a text message to almost all friends that I know here (hope I didn't wake them up :-p). It was not snowing heavily on that day. I'm looking forward to more & more snowy experiences. Remember to wear a jacket with a hood otherwise ur hair'll be all wet (,"), & try to wear something water-proof too.
Light snow on rooftops
Some comments from flickr's friends:
"WOW, Prague is such a beautiful city. I hope you are enjoying yourself. Don't study to hard, leave some time for the fun stuff to. So how did you like the whole snow experience? Hope you liked it. You are in one of the most romantic city's of Europe. Your pics are great. Keep up the good work and give Krabi a hug!
:o)" - Loentje.
"Những mái nhà đỏ xinh xinh. :)" - hoaibao09.
Astonishing view ^^ - QuangMinh (YILKA).
One of my friends from London, Catherina, came to Prague and we visited the Prague Castle. It was cold that day. It is however still far away from the cold that I've experienced since one month ago in December 2009".
Some comments from flickr's friends:
"Fantastic atmosphere.! Great shot.!" - Peterzpham.
"go'c chup de.p ma ca?nh cung de.p qua... Really nice shot!" - analox.
" Dep qua'! uoc gi chi cung duoc ngam nhin Prague va`o nhung luc the nay." - DoubleVirgo.
Strahov hill covered in snow - early days of the New Year!! This is on the way walking to the Prague Castle from the hostel that I'm staying & studying. Prague 03/01/10.
"Lovely scene. I like the simple colour and excellent composition" - a comment from a flickr's friend.
With my SAHC colleagues after a tough examination of the module SA2 - Structural analysis
The SAHC Masters, in my opinion, is a good intensive course with the right modules and practical projects for civil engineers in the field of preservation of cultural heritage constructions. Interesting, challenging and stressful! We had got tight schedule (seven modules in one semester of less than 6 months, one Master thesis in less than 4 months and an overall oral examination). So we did have to work a lot also during the weekends, as there was no break between each module but continuous exams every three weeks after one module, not to mention the amount of scope covered in each module is generally for a time of a whole semester of 6 months but was, in our case, compacted into 3 weeks (you know normaly one has several modules in one semester and examinations at the end of the semester). Nevertheless, the intercultural experience with long-lasting friends from countries around the world was joyful and beyond words.
Myself in the morning after a hangover (:-D). Prague 17.01.10.
"Wish i looked that well after a hangover..! ;-) hello to you and long time no see! you look wonderful and very happy having snow fun in Prague, and a nice effect used here too!" - jmtimages.
"Great idea ! I mean the multiple pictures, not the hangover ;-)".
"The hangover does not look great. But your beauty overcomes all. Nice multi-shot framing. Great idea!"
The hangover resulted from our cultural dinner the evening before, in which our talented friend Riccardo prepared so well the Italien cuisine with hand-made pizza and Tiramisu for dessert. Well done Riccardo! Only that I have drunk a little more wine than I should, especially I tried a Greek drink with high content of alcohol and that was probably not a good idea. I ended up spending the night (the second time) in the apartment of Mado and Henry (the first time was at the very beginning of the Master, on the first evening that I met my classmates, it was kind of shame on me though). The surprising thing was I got up the next morning feeling abnormally well, and even was able to enjoy playing with the snow for a while when going back to the Strahov student hostel.
Prague's Dancing Building
We passed by this place so many times after going out then caught the night bus back to the hostel
We passed by this place so many times after going out then caught the night bus back to the hostel
Petrin tower at the Strahov hill, I have read from somewhere that this tower is three times smaller than the Eiffel tower
"Nice pic dear ! Wish you all the best for your defense next week. Warm hugs for you :x".
It was initially Nela's idea that we made cultural dinner, rotating each country on Saturday or Sunday evening roughly every two to three weeks. It was a really nice idea, especially Mado, Nela and Henry stayed in a nice apartment which provided a perfect place for us to hang out rather than in our 'poor' hostel. Thanks to the cultural dinners, we were having great time as well as tasting great food.
December's birthday - 2009
It's been some time that I've uploaded a photo here in Flickr.. Life is so busy in Prague, greatly because of my study. Time passes quickly, some goods and some bads, but generally my feelings have been gradually come to neutral.. One thing that worries me is: it seems like I've lost most of my "hunger" in traveling around the beautiful Prague to take pictures. And that not only makes me sad but also makes me feel that part of my life is missing...
Prague in December is freezingly cold, the warm event that happened was my birthday celebration with my Master's colleagues.. I love snow, love the city and wonderful friends here, although the class sometimes is stressful enough that I need a break to travel to Paris or want to go home so badly.. Flickr friends, I missed saying "Happy New Year" to all of you, miss you and miss photography very much. I'll come back soon, and in any case, I'll never loose my interest in photography.. just that I need some more time for my personal life to be balanced... Happy memory 12/2009 - Prague 02/02/2010.
Prague in December is freezingly cold, the warm event that happened was my birthday celebration with my Master's colleagues.. I love snow, love the city and wonderful friends here, although the class sometimes is stressful enough that I need a break to travel to Paris or want to go home so badly.. Flickr friends, I missed saying "Happy New Year" to all of you, miss you and miss photography very much. I'll come back soon, and in any case, I'll never loose my interest in photography.. just that I need some more time for my personal life to be balanced... Happy memory 12/2009 - Prague 02/02/2010.
Comment from a very nice flickr's friend, Loentje:
"Oh no!!!!! I missed your birthday. I'm SO SORRY!!!!
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY !!!!!
I'm really sorry to read that you're feeling this way. I hope you can balance the good and bad in your life. I think all of us have those periods in time that you just don't know if your are about to smile or cry about the things that happen ( or both ). I just know that you have to watch out for yourself. Neutral is fine for a while I guess, but you tend to loose the good happy feeling about things you enjoy the most. It's easier to just not care at all because it's a lot safer that way. You can't get hurt but you can't be happy to! Studying can be hard and stressful, so relaxing and having fun become a necessity to keep it up. You are a beautiful and intelligent woman and I know that you can make your dreams happen if you want to. So if things get to hectic just focus on what is really important to you. And never stop dreaming. ( and of course shooting amazing pic's). I love this collage. You look so happy on it. Hope you had a wonderful birthday and I'm so sorry I missed it here on flickr. You lead a very interesting life, traveling around Europe, meeting people, studying and photography. I hope you are enjoying it as much as you can. Best wishes and good health and for many birthdays to come!!! :o)" - One of the sweetest messages I've received; such messages completed my wonderful memory of my six-month stay in Prague!
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY !!!!!
I'm really sorry to read that you're feeling this way. I hope you can balance the good and bad in your life. I think all of us have those periods in time that you just don't know if your are about to smile or cry about the things that happen ( or both ). I just know that you have to watch out for yourself. Neutral is fine for a while I guess, but you tend to loose the good happy feeling about things you enjoy the most. It's easier to just not care at all because it's a lot safer that way. You can't get hurt but you can't be happy to! Studying can be hard and stressful, so relaxing and having fun become a necessity to keep it up. You are a beautiful and intelligent woman and I know that you can make your dreams happen if you want to. So if things get to hectic just focus on what is really important to you. And never stop dreaming. ( and of course shooting amazing pic's). I love this collage. You look so happy on it. Hope you had a wonderful birthday and I'm so sorry I missed it here on flickr. You lead a very interesting life, traveling around Europe, meeting people, studying and photography. I hope you are enjoying it as much as you can. Best wishes and good health and for many birthdays to come!!! :o)" - One of the sweetest messages I've received; such messages completed my wonderful memory of my six-month stay in Prague!
Prague - SAHC Master,
09.2009 - 31.03.2010
Update: After my Master's graduation in July 2010, I came to Prague the second time before flying back to Paris. And then about one year later, taking a break from my German language course in Leipzig, I visited Prague the third time for a weekend holiday.. There have been many changes in my life during seem-like-a-short-but-difficult-time after my SAHC graduation. However, after the rain, the sky is getting bright again, like often. In this third time visit, my mind was light and pure as those pressures were off my shoulder... Therefore, I was able to relax myself and enjoy again a nice time in Prague, visiting old places bringing back old nice memories.. I did not have a camera for this visit, so I have not taken photos. But surely I will visit Prague again and next time, I will be certainly well-equiped. Here is only one photo taken by a nice girlfriend of a friend of mine who joined me for this trip:
Time to refresh some memory!
What I have written after the third visit: "Last weekend I travelled again to Prague. It is still charming and great, except the raining weather (and partly the over-crowded touristing season). I stayed again two nights in Strahov (it is the dormitory that I accommodated myself during my Master study and I had got plenty of incredible memory there), although I did not stayed in my old 'legendary' block 4. It was fun! And guess what, the bathroom of (at least) block 9 has been renovated (they look and work better now, it's hard for many to imagine that I 'survived' 6 months in the pre-renovated living condition). Anyway, the wonderful memory that I had got with my friends in Strahov and Prague is always a good reason to come back! :-)"
Further update: 4th-time-visit of Prague in early spring in April 2013!
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