I want to start by apologizing for the late post. These past couple of weeks have been insanely busy as I try to pack everything into my days that I want to see before I head out on further adventures. In these past few weeks I have been to Poland, Cesky Krumlov, the Moravian region of the Czech Republic, and various places in Prague. Hands down, my favorite place that I have been this far in my trip was Krakow, Poland. I took this weekend trip with about 20 other students through my program, and I was able to see so many things that I would otherwise not have been able to. The first place we stopped in Poland was Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau. This is a place that I have always wanted to experience, and I can honestly say it was far more than anything I could have ever expected. We walked down the train tracks that people were shipped in on, and through the “houses” that people were forced to live in. Furthermore, we were able to walk through and see piles of shoes, combs, and even hair that was all taken from the people who ended up not making it through. Finally, we ended in one of the gas chambers that was used for a very short amount of time. As we continued after this experience, we went to Krakow to spend the rest of the weekend. As I said, Krakow is hands-down one my favorite place that I have been so far. It had a very home-y feeling, and it reminded me a lot of Wichita (a city I love). There was a certain charm, which was only added to by the live music being played on every street corner, and the outdoor theater festival going on in the main square at night. Once back in Prague, I was able to visit quite a few different local attractions and area towns. I was able to visit Radio Free Europe’s headquarters in Prague, and that was an amazing experience. We talked to a reporter whose focus is on Iran, and he shared his experiences with reporting on these very closed-off countries. I attended the Museum of Communism in Prague, which had several exhibits about communist propaganda and the Velvet Revolution. I finally visited Prague Castle, and found the cathedral was just as beautiful as it is hype up to be. There are huge stained glass windows that are some of the most beautiful that I have seen in Europe. Lastly, I visited the Museum of Torture, which focuses on medieval torture elements which of course is something I would find interesting. I also had the opportunity to visit the DOX modern art museum here, and I LOVED the exhibit on data. Last Friday I spend the day in Cesky Krumlov with friends walking through the castle that is in the town, which just so happens to be the second biggest castle in the Czech Republic (and there is a lot). I also got semi-stuck there for a few hours, as I was unable to change my bus ticket time to leave with the rest of my group (thanks Regiojet). As the weekend continued, I went on my way to Moravia, a historic region in the southeast corner of the Czech Republic. Our program leaders had scheduled several activities for us to do, including several monuments, churches, ossuaries, and a sendoff night at a traditional Moravian wine cellar. Renata, our program leader, taught us traditional Moravian songs and dances. We spend the evening eating wonderful food and even got a small wine tasting from the winery owners. On our way back to Prague we stopped at some caves, and I was able to see one of the most beautiful sights I have seen yet, and ride a boat through a portion of the internal caves. This evening, a few of my friends and I sought out a 60 cm (2 feet) wide pizza from Pizza Letna, and proceeded to visit Letna Park and eat it all. I also visited the Prague Jewish Museum, and saw the names of the 80,000 Czech Jews murdered in the holocaust, as well as the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe, which in some places is up to 12 layers deep of soil due to this being the only place Jews could be buried for 3 centuries. I am trying to make the most of the time I have left here, however I am excited to visit other European cities after I leave. Please see the attached photos of my adventures.
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Last week summer school started, and I have been so busy since. I am taking two political science classes—one on modern Czech politics, and the other on international affairs between Asia and EU. I am really enjoying the classes I am in, however if I am honest, I do appreciate my time wandering around the city far more. I have been doing a lot of sightseeing in Prague itself, and I continue to stand by my statement that this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in. Last week, I did a lot of purposely getting lost in the city. I have stumbled upon a lot of wonderful small cafes, with some amazing food. A place I have spending a lot of time at a café called Friends Coffee House, and I has a beautiful atrium that is my favorite place to sit, especially in the rain. They also have amazing coffee, which is an achievement in Europe. I had the opportunity to attend a modern ballet last week at the National Theater called “Tremble”. Even in the nosebleed section, we were still able to thoroughly enjoy the performance, thanks to just how beautiful the theater was. After, we walked across the river to the memorial for the victims of the communist era, which directly correlated to the meaning of the ballet we had just seen. This has been my favorite memorial I have seen, as it shows the people “wasting away”, similar to what was actually happening to those in communist countries at that time. Directly after, we stumbled upon Burrito Loco—an off-brand Chipotle, that is open 24 hours. I never realized how much I cherished my Tex-Mex food until I had no way to get it. My first meal back home will for sure be Qdoba. Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Belgium and visit Brussels, Bruges, and Ghent. This was an amazing experience, and it is so hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that in 2 hours I can be in a completely different country. While there, we were able to take several tours, visit multiple chocolatiers for taste tests, and eat many waffles and fries. Out of all three cities, Bruges was my favorite. It is a quaint city, seemingly frozen in time, that still had the original buildings dating back to the 1400s. I also was able to tour a real medieval castle in Ghent, and I got to walk through the dungeon, climb up the towers, and see all of their weapons and other instruments. Overall, I have been loving my time here, and I am excited to continue exploring the city that I am calling home. Please feel free to scroll through my photos and check out the places I have been. As we have begun to settle in after our first few days in the beautiful city of Prague, I thought I would take a few minutes to reflect on this whole new world I am living in. Prague is one of the most lovely places I have been to, and I have had a wonderful time exploring what all this city has to offer. In the short 5 days I have been here, I have had so many new experiences. On our first day here I was able to try some traditional Czech cuisine consisting of sirloin, cream sauce and dumplings. This was a meal that I had never had before, and it was absolutely wonderful. The Czech Republic's prices for food are extremely low, and you can receive a full meal for around 175 koruna, or about $7. I was reminded that water is not free at restaurants, and sparkling water is the norm in Europe. In these first few days, our schedule has been jam packed with sightseeing and "survival" courses to help better acquaint ourselves with the Czech language and way of life. We learned words such as "dobry den" (good day), and "prosim" (excuse me), as well as several other important phrases and words. I have also been learning how to use the public transportation system, which is something I am not at all accustomed to. Most people in Prague get around using both the extensive tram and metro systems, and most younger people do not own cars. I can proudly say that I have yet to get lost using these, but I am sure it is bound to happen eventually. I also have had the pleasure of learning how to be a consumer in Prague. Our second night here, a group of us went to Brilla, the grocery store close to our dorm and got a few necessities. I wanted to buy some bananas as well as milk and bread, so after carefully watching the people in the line in front me, I felt fairly confident I could check out. I was the first of my group to go up, and I soon realized the cashier did not speak any english (most people here do know a fair amount of English). I began to put my items on the conveyor belt, when all of a sudden the cashier started saying very loudly "weight, weight". I assumed she was saying "wait", so I slowed down thinking that she was not quite ready. She continued yelling at me, and I soon realized that I had needed to stop at this tiny weigh station in the corner and weigh my produce. By this point, there were about 15 people in the line behind me, and I started to panic. I ran over to the weigh station with the bananas, however I had absolutely no idea how to utilize the machine, so I decided to sacrifice them in order to not upset anyone. After this fiasco, everyone in my group behind me quickly shuffled out of the line to the station. I am sure I will run into many more situations like this one, and I look forward to conquering them as I become more comfortable here. Below I have attached some photos from our river cruise on the Charles River, the Jerusalem Synagogue, Terezin Concentration camp, and various buildings and statues we have seen walking around the downtown area. |