Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumlov






This was our last faculty lead trip of our program and I would say it was one of the best. We started by driving to Kutna Hora and made a couple stops on the way in. One stop was in a small town named Letchy (not quite sure if that’s right). In this town there was a mass murder of nonjews who were not supporting the war effort. It was a large area of grass where you could see areas where houses used to stand. In each place of a house there was a memorial statue of a cross. Then we were off to Kutna Hora where we made our first stop at a church made of bones. This was amazing. Every wall was decorated with human bones. There was even a coat of arms made out of bones. Then we were taken to our hotel and then we were off to the silver mines. This was actually one of my favorite tours that we were given. Literally crawling through the tunnels underground was so fun. It was dark and very hard to move around. It was definitely a different experience and I recommend it to everyone, except if you are claustrophobic. Then we were left on our own for the night where I went off with three other girls exploring the quiet town of Kutna Hora. We ate at a small restaurant where I had one of the better meals of the whole trip. The next day we were all up early to go to the large basilica. This basilica was one of the most beautiful structures I have ever encountered. I took many pictures of it because it was so beautiful. The tall structure and teal colors amazed me. The fact that this big of a structure was located in such a small and quaint little town shocked me as well. After viewing the basilica and a small memorial outside of it we headed of to Cesky Krumlov, but on the way we stopped at the Budweiser Budvar Factory. This apparently is a completely different kind of beer than Budweiser back in the states. I didn’t think I would enjoy the factory as much as I did. It was so cool, like really cool. The best was seeing the assembly line and all the bottles going through the washing stations and then being filled and packaged. Just a little sneak peak into how it all works. Definitely worth the time stopping there and the beer was great!

Cesky Krumlov is beautiful. I could have lived there. It was full of small buildings tight together next to a river and painted all sorts of colors. It was small enough to walk everywhere without being too small. We got there in time to explore for the rest of the day. I went out and walked the town and through the park. Then casually sat down, had a beer, and walked around some more. We then found a dinner place and then hung out in our hostel room with a couple girls. The next day was the best day of the whole weekend. RAFTING. It was a blast. The small river that goes around the town was quiet and nothing like white water rafting. It was casual and we all made sure to grab a couple beers before we headed out on the water. We had too much fun on that raft. Everyone met up at a halfway point at the river and we all shared a couple drinks and laughs together. I am so thankful for our faculty leaders Martin and Jan. They were the best and such great company for every trip.  After the quick pit stop everyone got back on their rafts and headed towards the end of the river. This is where the fun just began for my group. We decided to take it slow and take as much time as we wanted because we were in no hurry. Well, little did we know we still had about a two-hour trip down the river and that was with actually paddling. So, our trip took a little longer than two and those couple beers caught up to us all and for a while there we were paddling in circles. Oh man, it was a great time. We were the last group to arrive at the end, but we didn’t care and we had fun. We then had dinner with the whole group and headed off to bed afterwards. It was a wonderful end to a great weekend. It was bittersweet as well. We all knew our trip was coming to an end and I know I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Thankfully, I still had a 5 day trip planned to Barcelona to look forward to!

Friday, May 16, 2014

End of Travels


PACKING AND TRAVELING:
I packed:
3 jeans
2 yoga leggings
2 yoga capris
4 tshirts
6 nicer shirts
1 nike ¼ zip jacket
1 hoodie
4 tank tops
3 running shorts
4 cardigans
1 winter coat
2 outdoor jackets
socks
underwear
tights
1 swim suit
shoes: tennis shoes, boots, 2 pairs of toms, vans, flip flops
I wish I had left the 2 outdoor jackets at home. I wish I had brought more going out clothes. A lot of what I packed were pretty basic shirts, which were nice for layering, but sometimes I didn’t feel dressy enough for going out.

MAIN ADVICE:
My one piece of advice for traveling is: Whenever you travel or go to a new city on your own without a guide always do some sort of walking or bus tour. It allows you to get a feel for the town and is usually a great experience.

SOCIAL LIFE:
It was hard for us to meet people from the Czech Republic because we were gone so often and we didn’t live with any of them and had no classes with them. I only met a few during the first week when we took this hike with a group of them.
I feel like I never had free time in Olomouc. We were always traveling, but I loved going to the park and to Holy Hill at the edge of town. There were also some really cool festivals/fair type things that went on in the town center and those were always fun.
I also really liked that there was a free concert in the park for all the students. It was full of all Czech students and traditional music. We did get a chance to interact with some Czechs there and it was fun.
I would tell future students studying in Olomouc to take full advantage of all the free festivals and concerts. Definitely attend a traditional Czech Easter celebration. I didn’t have the chance to do that, but the pictures looked amazing.

SCHOOL WORK:
Palacky was different because we had classes just with each other. We did not integrate with other Czech students or international students. The relationships with the professors were a lot different too. For example, one of our professors told us to pick a pub to have our last lecture. A few of our other professors were a bit stern and boring, but for the most part they were easy to talk to and wanted us to ask questions. Our UNK professor handled all of the grading. She communicated with all of our professors to get the appropriate grades. School was very easy. I hardly remember studying. I studied for my finals, but I think that was it. All of the lectures were so interesting that I retained a lot of the information easily. The only thing that hindered our learning experience was the fact that it was a tad bit unorganized. We never had a set schedule for classes. They were all random lectures at random times.

MONEY & COMMUNICATIONS:
I would recommend $5,000, just to be safe and allow plenty of money for traveling. I didn’t have any foreign currency when I came over. I just went straight to an ATM. I used a debit card and then sometimes a credit card.
$0 on books, <$5 on school supplies I bought two notebooks and a pen
$10 a day (averaged out to be) food, but more on away trips
Depends on what you do for entertainment
Relatively cheap bus/tram/metro day passes are cheap $2 or less for local transportation
Depends on where you travel
$30 toiletries
$30/40 on laundry

COMMUNICATION:
I talked to my parents over wifi. All of my family has iphones, so while on wifi we could use imessage. I would also use a phone app called whats up and viber. As long as I had wifi it was easy to communicate with anyone.
You’ll more than likely buy clothes over here. Bring old tshirts you can toss or clothes you know you can part with. It will make packing for home much easier.

MUST-DO-ACTIVITIES
Any chance you have to go up in a tower or to higher ground, basically anything to see the whole city you’re visiting, do it. The views are worth the climb, everytime.
Budapest is a must. Go stay at a party hostel and they’ll help you from there.
Go to Holy Hill in Olomouc. Your bus pass should get you there. It’s only a short 20-minute bus ride out there.
Take a stroll through the Olomouc park. Grab and beer and just relax.
Any chance you have to go to Prague, take it. It’s an amazing city with plenty to do.
Go to every school event possible.
Go to Black Stuff. Take tram 2 past café 87 stop and get off on the left side. Try the Leffe.
Crepes are always a good idea. There’s a stand right across the street from café 87.
Don’t forget to have days to yourself where you explore Olomouc. Sometimes, those are the best days.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Krakow: Auschwitz

We woke up on Monday morning ready to tour Schindler's Factory Museum before we headed out to visit Auschwitz. The museum was not a factory anymore, it had been bombed after the war. The museum was more of an overview of the ghettos and the holocaust rather than the actual work done by the jews in the factory. However, there was a video at the beginning of the museum that showed interviews of actual workers, Poles and Jews. It was interesting because it gave the different viewpoints of each of the workers. Come to find out, Schindler treated neither better than the other. He treated all workers equally. I walked through the museum alone and focused in on a few things. One of the main things was at the end there was a room filled with quotes from some people describing their situations in the ghetto or in the camps. One young boy said that when they were getting in groups he would manage to stay towards the inside so he could avoid being hit by the guards batons. I really enjoy reading personal quotes and stories. They are always my favorite parts about the museums. After the museum a group of us went and got burgers at this place around the corner from our hostel. I like burgers, I think they're good, but these burgers made me love burgers. So good. I got the "Jacques." It had 3 different types of cheeses, onions, tomatoes, and more. Delicious. We then packed up and headed back to the bus. Everyone was pretty much silent on the bus preparing for our arrival at Auschwitz. I remember pulling in and immediately getting a sinking feeling in my stomach. We all got off the bus, no one was talking. I remember seeing other groups around us talking and some laughing. I immediately just thought to myself, "How can you even laugh in a place like this?" We then were lead into the beginning of the tour and given our headsets. We were greeted with the same sign that millions of others have been greeted with, "Arbeit Macht Frei." This was the moment it truly hit me that we were in Auschwitz. Such a typical thing to say or think, but it couldn't be any more true. As we were walking all I could think of were the feelings all of the prisoners were feeling. We then went into the first block this block was filled with pictures describing where all the prisoners of Auschwitz were transported from. Then she lead us into another room with a big display of what an actual gas chamber looked like. It was detailed with little people in there all crammed and she explained how the process worked. I did not imagine the gas chambers being as big as they actually were. She then showed us the display of the zyclon b cans. Each can averaged 700 people killed. The amount of cans piled together equaled well over 200. I just remember standing there and thinking 700 people with that can, 700 people with this can. It was just nauseating. And to think that those were not even all the cans that were used, there were probably hundreds if not thousands more. The next room we went into I wish she would have prepared us a little more for. All she said was, "No pictures because this is sacred." We walked into a display of human hair cut from all of the prisoners in Auschwitz. I just remember being in shock, no tears or anything, just pure shock. Mounds of dark hair piled together and laid out in a window that stretched across the room. Jess walked by me sobbing and usually I'm a sympathy crier, but like I said I was just in shock. Almost numb from the horror that this simple display of hair brought me. But it wasn't just simple. I mean in actuality it was just a room with the one window full of hair, but it was so much more than that. It belonged to people, real human beings and now, for some, that was all that was left of them. We left that building and headed to a different one, I think. I don't know, I'm not sure. Everything blended together, I'm not sure which displays were in which blocks. Anyway, we then got to the display of the suitcases and children's shoes and then the adult shoes. I remember walking in and seeing the suitcases that had actual names on them. These people brought their belongings with them because they thought they were going somewhere where they could keep them. Then the small display of children's shoes. There were hundreds filled up from the floor to the ceiling. That was a moment where I immediately thought of my younger sisters and wondered about the young children who used to fill those shoes. All of the children's artifacts always makes me think about my sisters and what I would have done if I were in Auschwitz with them. I would have to be the strong one and I have been questioning myself ever since that moment if I actually would be strong enough for them. I pray to God I never have to be put into a situation as horrific as that to find out that I am strong enough for all three of them. Then we walked into the next room with all of the adult shoes. There were thousands and thousands. Once again, from floor to ceiling. It was silly to think, but as I was standing there looking at all the shoes I was trying to find the matching pair. In that moment I thought, how stupid of me. Out of all the things to think about in the room here I was trying to find the matching pairs. But then it occurred to me, I wouldn't find the matching pair. These shoes were just thrown away in a hurry, not cared for and lost their matches. It was, in a way for me, a symbol of how the Jews were treated upon arriving in Auschwitz. Stripped and separated from their families never to be matched again. Then we were lead into another room with all the pots and pans taken from the Jews. It just looked like a huge swimming pool full of blue, green, and gray. Pots that once fed families, now just sitting in a huge display. Then there was the display of all the combs, brushes and tooth brushes. While in our class discussion I think it was Jacob who mentioned this display. He said it was a little harder for him because it was a very personal item. This made a lot of sense with me. I mean, I have had one of my brushes for a couple years and I've become so attached to it. It just clicked with me when Jacob mentioned it and it made an even bigger impact. We also saw the displays of glasses and prosthetics. The glasses just looked like a black mass, but up close you could see how many different types of glasses were actually there. Imagining some people with such poor eyesight without their glasses just hit me, they were probably sent straight to the gas chambers, or weren't able to work to the fullest so eventually were killed. Something so little with such a huge impact. I feel like that's how all of the displays of personal items were. It was something so simple, but that's what made it have such an impact.

Then we left those blocks for block 11, which was the punishment block. Here we walked in and immediately I saw the post that Kami had talked about in class. The posts that were used strictly for torture. As I was walking past I didn't want to get to close. I felt like the ground around it had too much history and too much suffering. I didn't want to be apart of it, but just by being there I was apart of it. My mind was flashing photographs and imagining a prisoner hanging there. Terrible thoughts, just awful. Then we saw the "death wall," where many prisoners were shot and killed. There was a little memorial with flowers at the bottom and some candles lit for the victims. Seeing this area was rough knowing the history behind it. I was so thankful to know the history behind it, but almost at the same time it really sucked knowing the history and knowing you were standing on the same ground as the victims and the persecutors. We then headed into the cells of block 11. There were standing cells, dark cells, and starvation cells. The dark cells were the ones that I was most afraid of. I just imagined going day in and day out in complete darkness. No one to talk to and hardly any food to eat. I imagined the prisoners going crazy and beginning to talk to themselves in search of something to pass by the time. It was just a very creepy place to be. The standing cells were much smaller than I imagined. Literally only  enough space for you to stand straight and never sit. If you attempted to sit, you would most certainly be killed. The starvation cells, well they just speak for themselves. We then walked over to the gas chamber and crematorium. Auschwitz I was not necessarily a death camp. I mean many, many people died there, but it was not an extermination camp, it was a work camp. I believe this gas chamber and crematorium were the only ones on site at Auschwitz I. We had a chance to walk in and see the chamber and the ovens. In the area of the ovens you could see the charred walls and that's when I got the full visual of what went on in there. I remember walking through all of Auschwitz I kind of in a daze, some sort of shock. I think that's why I never cried. I thought for sure I would have come out of there with red and swollen eyes. Instead I just came out as I went in, silent. I was trying to wrap my head around what I had just witnessed, while trying to understand and cope with the fact that there was still the extermination camp of Birkenau to go to.

We took a short bus ride to Auschwitz II: Birkenau. This was the extermination camp of Auschwitz. Walking up to it I didn't know what exactly to expect, but I remember expecting more buildings and then immediately feeling guilty for thinking that. But then as the tour went on I began to realize that there was so little here not because it was old, but because there actually was so little here in the beginning. That really struck a cord with me. It was also very beautiful that day. I remember thinking how peaceful it was and wondering how the prisoners considered beautiful days. Were they thankful for a beautiful day or did they hardly notice because of the horrible conditions and pain they were in. I thought about this for our whole entire walk to the gas chambers at the end of the camp, which was a long time. Birkenau was massive. From the entrance to the gas chambers it was probably a 8-10 minute walk. I can only imagine what was going through the prisoners heads as they left the cattle cars and were walked to the gas chambers. They had no idea where they were going, so I wonder what their thoughts were of. I'm sure confusion was one of the top things, but I wonder if some were thinking of family members or maybe of escaping somehow. We made it to gas chambers  three and four, if I remember correctly. They were both bombed by the Nazi's before liberation of the camps in attempt to destroy the evidence. All that was left were the bricks and some of the chimney. Our tour guide mentioned that the human ashes were put in ponds by the chambers or in the forest beyond. She mentioned the trees that the prisoners had planted during their stay and I remember looking at them thinking that they were tall, healthy and green. These trees grew of off the ashes of the murdered. These trees, in a way, were some of the Jews. That was a beautiful thought for me. It was kind of like, how appropriate that they are apart of these gorgeously healthy and green trees. We then made our way to on of the barracks where they slept. It was just horrendous. They slept on plywood that was lined with insect infested straw. There was no floor, only the bare ground. The bricks that surrounded the barracks had some words carved into them too, but I didn't get close enough to read them. I just imagined everyone crammed into this little area and forced to sleep literally on top of one another. I couldn't have gotten out of there faster. Then she lead us to the barrack where all of the toilets, if you could call them that, were. There was just a long rectangular sheet of cement that had circles cut into it and they were all lined up together. The prisoners had to take care of themselves literally centimeters away from another person who was trying to do the same thing. On top of it, a guard was watching. It just really put things into perspective. The tour ended there and honestly, I was ready for it to be over. I had enough to think about for the rest of my life.

This blog was tough to write and I feel like as I was writing it I just wanted to hurry up and get through with it. I didn't want to have to think of everything I visited and saw. I didn't want to replay those images in my head and I didn't want to feel the things I felt while there. However, I think it was good to talk about it and share with others.
                                                                       Glasses
                                                                    Prosthetics
                                                                  Pots and Pans
                                                                      Suitcases
                                                                 Adult's Shoes
                                                                           Brushes
                                                            Entrance to Birkenau
                                           One of the bombed crematoriums in Birkenau
                                                      Community toilets in Birkenau
                                                                    Zyclon B cans
                                                       Entrance to Auschwitz I


I am glad that I had the chance to visit Auschwitz. I don't think I would go again. It is one of those things where I know I will remember how I felt seeing the hair, the glasses, the shoes, the toilets, the living barracks, I literally will remember everything about that place. I will be able to tell my future children of this place and make sure they are fully educated. It was something I am glad to have been shown, but at the same time I am upset that I have been there. I didn't take many pictures on purpose because I have mental images burned into my brain. These images will stay with me forever and I am not quite sure how I feel about that yet.











Krakow: Weekend

We spent the weekend in Krakow and I fell in love with the city. It was just enough city for my taste without being too crowded, while having a bunch of history. On Saturday we visited the Jewish Quarters which were right next to our hostel and were where a bunch of bars and restaurants were. Then we took a short walk to the jewish museum where there was a display of pictures of before, during, and after the war in Poland. Some of the pictures were very powerful. One of them that stuck out the most was the one of all the young people walking through Auschwitz during the present time, carrying flags and showing respect. The caption said something along the lines of we must educate the younger generation of the holocaust. Then we walked over to Schindler's Factory, but it was closed. Then we were set free for the rest of the day. All of us went to the main square for lunch and for a little shopping. I went to lunch with Travis, Julie, Ali, Sarah, Steph, and Kait for some homemade perogi's. We stopped at a small little restaurant and they were delicious. My perogi's were filled with potatoes, onions, and cabbage. Very good. Then we stopped in a little Polish pottery shop where we all fell in love. All the handmade cups, bowls, plates, etc were beautiful. I think we spent an our in there deciding what we wanted and just admiring the artwork. Then we went for a little dessert at a cupcake bakery. The best cupcakes I've ever had. I got a peanut butter and chocolate one and Ali got a vanilla pistachio and we each split ours and shared. So worth it. Then we headed back to the hostel for a little nap before dinner. Then I went to dinner with Travis, Julie, and Steph at Alchemia. I highly recommend the bar/restaurant. It was dim and lit with candle light and felt like we were inside some creepy abandoned house. It was also packed. I would definitely go back there again. Martin also joined us there which was a nice surprise. It's always nice to get to pick his brain. He is one of the most intelligent people I've ever met and so easy to talk to. Then it was off to bed for me.

                                                                           Perogi's
                                                                    Cupcakes

Sunday we toured the castle and the dungeon. I honestly would say something more, but I am all museumed (if that's a word) out. The castle was filled with old swords and cannons and it was very interesting, but I seemed to breeze through the exhibit. The dungeon was a lot smaller than I thought, which was disappointing. I thought it was going to be some super big underground jail, but no. It was just an underground cave. Either way, I'm still glad I toured the castle and dungeon. Afterwards, a group of us ate at an outdoor festival. We had some street food and then headed back into the main square for some more cupcakes, couldn't resist. We also went to a two story chocolate factory. We were able to sample some chocolate and then a few of us bought some. It was very good chocolate and I'm pretty sure I was on a sugar high for about two hours afterwards. Then we shopped around a bit, but Abby and I decided to head back to the hostel because it was freezing. The beginning of May and we were all wearing our coats and scarves. So disappointing. But then we all kept it pretty simple for the night mainly in preparation for Auschwitz the next day. Ali, Jess, Tara, Abby, and I went to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner. It might have been the best one yet. It also amazes me that at each of these restaurants I've never had the same meal. Then we headed back and everyone went to bed fairly early.
                                                           Vegetarian Restaurant
                                                                Chocolate Factory
                                                                          Castle
                                                             Krakow Main Square

Krakow: Salt Mine

We left for Poland on Friday morning and took a quick stop in Ostrava, an industrial city in the Czech Republic. We toured the Steel Plant and got an inside look at how they made the steel. It was a cool tour, but not the best. Our tour guide was awesome though! She made the plant a little more interesting. It was a short tour and then we all got our lunches and we headed out for the Salt Mines in Krakow. It started raining right when we got there, like down-pouring. Thunder, lightning, the whole shebang. We waited it out a little then we entered the area to get tickets for the Salt Mines. We had a little while to wait before our tour, so we walked by all of the souvenir stands and I grabbed a coffee. Then we were able to enter for our tour. We had to walk down an outstanding amount of stairs to get to the entrance of the first mine. I'm talking insane amount. We made it to the first level, which was like 200 feet under ground, kind of scary to think about. We began our tour and the salt mines were actually super cool. Not at all what I expected. As we were touring she mentioned that at any point we could literally lick the walls to taste the salt. So I did. And it was salty. Very, very salty. But we kept going deeper and deeper into the mine, I think we went up to 400 feet deep. However, the best part were that there were chapels in the mine! There was a beautiful one with chandeliers and an alter and sculptures carved into the salt walls. Apparently, people actually get married down there and have galas down there. After seeing it, I am not surprised. It was breathtaking. Then we kept walking through and had an option to go to the museum or leave and everyone was hungry and tired so we decided to head out. Thank goodness there was a lift for us to get out of the mine. We didn't have to climb 800 stairs like the salt mine workers did.
                                                         Entrance to the Salt Mine
It's blurry, but I snuck a picture of the chapel/gala room in the Salt Mine!

Kromeriz

Our short day trip on the weekend to Terezin was followed up by another day trip to Komeriz on the following Tuesday. Here we were viewing a museum in the Chateau of the Archbishop. The first room we walked into the walls were covered with trophies of all the game hunted there. It was wall to wall and floor to ceiling. Kind of creepy. Then we traveled through the rest of the Chateau viewing the antiques and many paintings. All while wearing little slippers over our feet to protect the wooden floors. It was a huge home and very beautiful. Then a few of us went to a vegetarian restaurant for lunch. I am beginning to search out these vegetarian places because they are just so good! I hope they're as easy to find in the states as they are here. After lunch we had a scheduled winery tour and wine tasting. I have never been inside of a winery and it was very interesting. It was dark, cold and I didn't exactly enjoy the smell. However, it was very cool. Some of the barrels were huge! They were very old too, aging the wine and everything. After the short tour we were able to do a wine tasting. I think it was good Moravian wine, but I don't really care for wine so I mainly just poured my glass into Tara's after two sips haha. After the wine tasting we all got back onto the bus and drove home. I love the bus rides through Czech Republic because this time of year there are yellow fields everywhere! They are beautiful. Definitely one of my favorite parts of the country. I will always remember the yellow fields.
                                                                    Wine Cellar
                                                         Huge barrels to hold wine
Yellow Fields!
View of Kromeriz

Terezin

After spring break we had a week back at school before our next trip. It was a short day trip to the Terezin Ghetto/Concentration Camp. We got on the bus and drove 4 hours to our destination. It was a small fortress where many of the prisoners were held before being sent to a larger concentration camp or an extermination camp. When we were walking in I wasn't sure what to expect. The first thing we saw was all of the graves outside of the camp built in memorial of some of the prisoners. There were hundreds and many of them had the little stones on them. Then we entered through the front gateway and started our tour. Like many of the concentration camps before entering the camp overhead there was a sign that says "Arbeit Macht Frei," work makes (you) free. Then we were able to see the living quarters. They were terrible. Cramped, cold and bare. As we walked into each room he stated how many people we had in there, which was 30, and then stated how many prisoners were actually forced to live in there together. This really struck a cord. One room was specifically for jews. No beds, no toilet, only one window. They were forced to stand. We had 30 people in there and it was difficult to move and the tour guide said that they had 60 people living in there. Gasps were heard all around the cell and it really hits you how insane it truly was. These people were forced to stand in this cell without any toilets or food, it leaves your mind to wonder what was going through the prisoners heads. Then we walked over to the shower rooms and the decontamination rooms. No personal privacy. I think that would be very hard for me. I wonder how many of the prisoners struggled with the privacy issue in the camps. Then we were able to walk over to the barber shop or hair salon, something like that. It was a room with sinks lined on each side of the room and the purpose of this room was to use as propaganda. This room was created to show allied forces that the concentration camps were not as bad as they seemed. Some of them worked. We were also able to watch the propaganda video where the prisoners were shown smiling, playing soccer, and mingling throughout the camp. Of course this was a facade. Many people died in Terezin. We were able to walk to a separate part of the fortress where there were more bunks and where he told us about escape attempts of some prisoners. He said if prisoners tried to escape they were killed. Some of them were stoned to death by their fellow prisoners or, in one situation, the person who tried to escape had to chose someone to be shot along with them, as an example. There were a few people who did escape. I think it was two or three men who escaped and were able to hide out until the war was over.
                                                                Propaganda Room
                                                             Stones on the graves
                                                        Just some of the graves
                                                             Entrance to the camp

After the camp we took a short ride into town to go to a museum of the ghetto and the people living in the Terezin Ghetto. The museum depicted the culture in the ghetto and the lifestyles of the inhabitants. There were so many rooms with so many artifacts. Everything from personal possessions to paintings and mock children's magazines. They tried to make life as normal as it could be. The best and worst part of the museum were these two pillars where journal entries were depicted. It only had short two or three sentences from someones journal. Many of them described the living conditions. They were horrible. One talked about all of the kids being sick and not knowing how to keep them alive and another talked about a pregnant woman and how she was not allowed to have the baby, so she was most likely killed. Just horrible things that I could never wrap my head around. We were also able to see the inside of what the living quarters were like in the ghettos. It was terribly dark and cramped. It seemed that everyone only had their bunk and somehow all of their possessions were supposed to fit in that small area. There were bunks all over the room, I think about 40 people lived in a room that was maybe twice the size of my room at home. Insane. We also saw many pieces of artwork and the music culture in the ghetto. They tried to keep it as normal as possible, putting on plays and concerts.

Thankfully, a few of us were able to end the day on a high note. There was a little antique shop across the street full of so much junk, but the good kind of junk. It was fun to see all the history in one room. Then we got on the bus and headed back to Olomouc.
Poem by a little jewish boy in the Ghetto