My stay in the Czech Republic provided me with the opportunity to not only see some great places but also meet some pretty extraordinary people from various ccountries.  From August 2003 till May 2004 I worked in the easternmost point of Czech Republic in a city called Ostrava. Afterwards the remainder of my stay in Czech Republic was in Praha (Prague). My travels included trips to cities in Poland such as Poznan and Krakow, Budapest (the capitol of Hungary), Bratislava in Slovakia, Scotland, and I even visited my former college town of Heidelberg, Germany, where I studied Germanistik from 2001 till 2002.  I took over a thousand photos during my stay in Czech Republic, so the 50 or so photographs on this page can only give you a small glance of my time here.


This is from the balcony of our room in Ostrava. In the distance you can see the basketball court  where we would go to play and relax.

 
Yeah, this is how we passed a lot of time in Ostrava. Here our Rumanian friend Coco stocks his car (and then his fridge) full of beer for his birthday party.


From left to right: Simone (Italy), Coco (Rumania), Ulf (Sweden)


This is a small castle in Hradec nad Moravicí, a small town close to Ostrava.

   
This is one of the coolest churches I have ever seen.  This is the bone church in Kutna Hora. It is filled with skulls, bones, and skeletons collected over many generations.  


This a picture of one of the buildings in Roznov as evening was setting in.


From left to right: my Polish friend Michal and my Brazilian friendd Yamada outside of the church in Poznan, Poland

 
I attended one of Banik Ostrava's football games. It was absolutely insane. The fans go crazy with fireworks they bring into the stadium. Most of the time I was watching the fans and not the game on the field.


All of us loved going to Dobra Cajovna, our favorite teahouse in Ostrava, to smoke sheisha (sp?).


My relatives in Germany as I spend Christmas 2003 with them.  From left to right going counterclockwise: my cousin Heiko (partially cut), his wife Farah, their daughter Johanna (sp?), my uncle Shankar, Farah's daugher Yasmin, my aunt Heidi, and Heidi's mother.


Frozen lake at AIESEC conference in Sec.   AIESEC is the organization that gave me marketing internship in Ostrava.


As you can probably tell, I am a big fan of sunsets and other shots of the sun over scenery.  This one is over the mountains in eastern Czech Republic.

     
Winter Candles.  My reflection in front of this strange mirror in Prague.  Church in Brno.


Prague in January 2004.


I attended Steve and Sarah's wedding in Dunblane, Scotland in March 2004.  Steve and Sarah are good friends of mine who live in U.S.A. and came to Scotland to get married.  


Edinburgh, Scotland

 
As the weather became better after April 2004 we started making more trips.  The above pictures are of Krakow, Poland.  I went with Alena (Germany), Gerald (Germany), and Dima (Russia). They are pictured from left  to right.


The World Hockey Championship was held in Ostrava and Praha in April-May 2004.  This is a picture of the aftermath of the U.S.A. vs. Ukraine preliminary match.

   
Ostrava became a fun place once the weather warmed up in May 2004. There was a huge outdoor concert one day, and my favorite street Stodolni was alive with action. Stodolni is a street with over 50 bars and clubs. During this time Czech Republic along with other countries became a member of the European Union.


Budapest, Hungary


This is our huge group that visited Budapest.  There are too many people to name here. We were a group of  an American (me), Canadians, Germans, Hungarians, a Czech, a Serb, and a Mexican.


Bratislava, Slovakia

   
Cesky Krumlov

   
These are pics from my favorite spot in Prague.  The place is next to a fort called Vysehrad.  From there you can see beautiful views of the city, and my favorite beer garden Na Hradice (sp?) is there as well.  Pictured above is my American friend Caroline, and my Italian friend Simone.


In July 2004 I made a brief visit to the States to attend the Engagement Ceremony of my sister Anupama and then future brother in law Shailesh.  Here is a picture of us and Mom and Dad.


My good friend Jackson cam from Germany to visit me in Prague.  Jackson is one of my best friends from my university days in Heidelberg, Germany.


My friend Ulf had a band called Facing West Trio.  Some of my favorite memories from Czech Republic are times watching these guys play.

       
During November of 2004 I took a trip to Germany, and of course I visited my former hometown of Heidelberg. The picture on the right is my former residence hall.  The middle pic shows the passage wat to the "Alte Bruecke" (old bridge), and the picture on the left shows the castle and der Neckar Fluss (Neckar River).


My cousin's wife Farah, with her daughters, Joanna and Yasmin, and her niece Nucia (sp?).


My cousin Rene, his wife Anina, and their son Lion.

   
Berlin is a great city.  The wall of two fuys kissing is a pretty well known attraction.  On the left I am standing in front of the Brandenburg Gate.


The huge Christmas tree in the center of Prague.  This is the last attraction of Prague I would get to enjoy before I headed back to the States to start my premedical studies.