Frigidarium
Colosseum
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Spring Break Part One: Rome
For Spring Break a group of 7 of us decided to go to Rome and then fly out to Malta. We woke up early in Venice on Monday the 14th and took a high speed train to Rome. I think high speed trains are the way to go... much faster than regular trains and it didn't drain me for the rest of the day. We got to Rome and first on the agenda was to find our hostel. This turned into a 2 hour walk, probably more, around Rome with all our backpacks. It was also quite warm out and we were all sweating. Eventually, we found our hostel, which was actually an apartment that we were renting out for the next couple of days. We were a little early for checkin so we grabbed a quick bite to eat down the way from our apartment. Then we were able to be let in and we settled in and decided what to do for the remainder of the day. We all decided that a bus tour would be the best way to start out the trip just to get an understanding of our surroundings. So we walked out to find the this bus tour and it turns out that we were actually extremely close to our apartment when we got into the train station. We just decided to take a right do a whole loop around, what felt like, the whole city instead of taking a left and going literally straight to our apartment. Any-who, the bus tour was a magnificent idea. We saw so much and it was a nice way to relax and unwind after that exhausting apartment hunting. After the bus tour we went to a grocery store near our apartment to buy groceries for dinner. We bought homemade noodles, bread, sauce, and little things for breakfast the next day. The noodles were amazing. You could definitely taste the difference. After family dinner we decided what to do for the next day and got a rough plan set up. We decided on visiting St. Peter's Basilica and The Vatican. Once plans we set we went out to find gelato. WE FOUND THE BEST GELATO IN ROME, I SWEAR. I am pretty sure we got gelato a total of like 6 times in the 3 days that we were there. It was so worth it. It is called Frigidarium and I definitely, highly, extremely recommend it. So. Good. Then we took a walk around the square near our hostel where the capitol building, Campidoglio, is located. That made for a good night and a good sleep. The next day, Tuesday, we woke up early to get a head start on the day only to be welcomed by cold showers. Our water heater went out sometime during the night and we were forced to take freezing cold showers. It was truly wonderful. After that refreshing wake up we headed out for St. Peter's Basilica. We stood in line for only a short 20 or 30 minutes. Once inside it was amazing. Absolutely huge. Apparently, you could fit 2 or 3 smaller basilica's into St. Peter's, it was just huge. We also downloaded the Rick Steves podcast tour for the basilica. One of the smartest decisions I've made yet. I was able to learn so much more about St. Peter's. Specifically one part, Michael Angelo's sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding her deceased son, Jesus. The sculpture was brought to life while listening to the podcast. Rick described the specific sculpting techniques used and what they meant. Apparently, Mary was made to be larger than Jesus to represent that she is still the mother figure. Also, fun fact, the statue is behind bullet proof glass because one man broke into the church and attacked the sculpture with a hammer. Just a ton of cool information that I would have otherwise missed. Then we were off to the Vatican. Thank goodness we bought fast pass tickets to bypass the line. We would have wasted at least 2 hours waiting in line. Once inside it was basically a huge museum. Everything was amazing and interesting, but seemed to get a tad repetitive. Although, my favorite part were all the ceilings. All of them had numerous paintings and patterns. Pretty sure I took at least 20 pictures of just ceilings. The last stop in the Vatican was the Sistine Chapel. Immediately, walking in we were all surprised on the size. It is a rather small room. Tons of tourists were packed into this small room all will their necks cranked up towards the famous ceiling. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but I managed to snap a few... I couldn't resist and, in my defense, others were taking pictures too! We all downloaded the Rick Steve's podcast for the Sistine Chapel and yet again, I am so thankful we did. We were able to learn that all the bright colors that were visible today were once not there. There were two corners that still remained with the original colors and it was so dark you couldn't even make out the figures. We also learned cool things about certain characters in the murals. Definitely one of the highlights of Rome. After that long tour we got back to the apartment and made dinner again. This time spaghetti with meatballs. Gotta get our pasta fix! After dinner we decided to walk to the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon. The Trevi Fountain at night is beautiful, plus there weren't so many people there. We were all able to easily go up to the fountains edge and toss in our coins with wishes. After a relaxing half hour there we all walked back to the apartment for another good night of sleep. The next morning, Wednesday, Molly and Jesse had to head out early to catch their flight to Malta, because those two had separate flights than the other five of us. They made it to the airport safely and we headed out on the town for the last part until our flight at 7pm. We decided to walk to the Trevi Fountain during the daylight. It was insanely crowded and we only stayed for a few pictures. Then we went off to the Colosseum. Now that was a structure to remember. We did not get a chance to go inside, but the outside was incredible. Just thinking about the history that it held was indescribable. Then we walked off and walked past some old Roman city ruins and the chariot/racing park. Of course on the walk back we all made sure to grab our favorite gelato before packing up to leave Rome for our flight to Malta! We got back to the apartment so excited to pack and get to warm weather and the beach! However, that feeling only lasted a few minutes until we figured out that Molly and Jessi missed their flight to Malta. At first we didn't believe them, but as time went on and we didn't get a response we realized it was real. We were all so upset and hoped that maybe there was still a chance they'd be at the airport when we got there. So we all continued packing up and we headed out. Boy, oh boy do I just love the trams in Rome... So ridiculously packed. My face was jammed right into someones backpack and we all got separated. We weren't sure what stop we had to get off to get to the train station, but thank goodness to some American aboard the tram. He guided us in the right direction and we found our train station easily and got our ticket to the airport rather quickly. We arrived at the airport and reality sunk in that Molly and Jessi really didn't make their flight. It was sad and we were upset, but we couldn't do anything about it. So we all just were thankful to make it to our flight. After only an hour wait we were all aboard the plane ready to head out to Malta!
Campidoglio
St. Peter's Basilica
Tara and I tossing our coins into the Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain
Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Roman City Ruins
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Vienna and Venice
After a short 3 day week of school, we headed out for Vienna on Thursday, April 10th. We traveled by bus and got there in the afternoon. First, we found our hostel and left all of our luggage there. Then we were off into town. The main street we walked down each day was filled with stores. It reminded me of Prague or maybe what I imagine a mini New York. We walked all the way down the street, which I am guessing was over a mile long. We were going to just going to walk around that day and just get a feel for Vienna and the monuments, however the weather did not cooperate. It ended up down pouring and we all began running for cover. Another great running experience with the 24 of us. So we ended up going to the Habsburg and Jewry Museum to stay out of the rain. This museum had some crazy artifacts in it. The jewels and crowns were incredible. Also, on display were the outfits, if I can call them that, that the kings wore. The stitch work was amazing, so detailed and unique. I love museums, seeing all the ancient artifacts and the household items they once owned. Some of the Habsburg valuables were insane. There were beautiful glass flowers and vases made with jewels and gold, only made for simple display on a shelf in their palaces. It's amazing how things like that do not exist today. After the museum a group of us went off to a smaller restaurant where I ate wienerschnitzle. That is the signature meal in Vienna. It just tasted like a giant chicken finger, but made with pork. While at lunch I was lucky enough to sit next to Jan and listen to great conversation about the holocaust. Just sitting at the table with him and Kami I was able to learn that much more about the holocaust, definitely getting me excited for our trips to Terezin and Auschwitz. Once lunch was over we headed over to St. Stephan's Basilica. This was one of my favorites, it is known for its weird pattern on the roof. After the basilica we were off on our own, if I remember correctly. A group of us decided to go to a brewery that was only a block from our hostel. They had some pretty good beer and it was nice to just hang out with everyone after a long day traveling and sight seeing.
Crown at Habsburg Museum
St Stephan's Basilica
Abby (grandma) and I in Vienna (so happy to have met this wonderful girl)
Friday we woke up and headed out for the day. We walked into the museum square and had the choice of one museum out of three. There was a modern art museum, a history/art museum, and a social science museum. I chose the history/art museum and I am glad that I did. I also attempted to follow Jan around just to get his input in on a couple of things. My favorite part of that museum was when we walked through the Greek section and there were a ton of rings. Jan explained that people would wear these rings which had some type of symbol or initial on them so that people would be able to seal their letters with them. So interesting. After everyone was through with the museums we headed over to an outdoor market for some lunch where Jess, Jessi and Tara overpaid for their meals. I think it ended up being close to $20 for them each. It sucked for them, but it was hilarious at the same time. Just another language barrier thing. We walked around the market for a bit where I tried fresh coconut for the first time and also dried coconut. Both delicious and I have also developed some weird craving/obsession with coconut while over here. Then we were off to visit the Sisi Museum and Imperial apartments. This was my favorite part of the Vienna trip. Learning about the Habsburg Empress Elizabeth (Sisi). She lead an incredibly interesting life and the museum did a wonderful job depicting it. I was so thankful to have an audio set to listen to while walking through and viewing each display. Before this museum I had no idea who this woman was, but afterwards I found myself wanting to learn more about her. The most interesting part for me was a small section that most people probably skipped over. It talked about her daily routine of getting ready and taking care of herself. Her hair was all the way down to her knees and she did regular hair treatments. She was also very concerned with her weight. She was 5'8" if i remember correctly and weighed around 100 pounds, which is just insane to think about. After learning about Sisi's life we walked into the Imperial Apartments where they had rooms full of silverware and dishes of all kinds. Literally took twenty minutes to walk through all of the dishes and each set was a different, intricate design. Very beautiful sets that I would love to own, but that won't ever happen. Then we were able to walk through each room of the apartment that were set up exactly how they were back when Sisi and her family lived there. I am pretty sure I was the last person to walk out of the apartments. I just find it fascinating to see how people used to live and function back then. Definitely worth my time and money. Then we were set off on our own. A group of about six of us found a different outdoor market that was definitely more local and full of Easter decorations and food. It was a good way to end Vienna. The next morning we left early for Venice!
Glass flowers and vases
tiny glass flowers
Art/History Museum
Saturday, April 12th we arrived in Venice. Jan took us the long way around to our hostel as a joke. It left me confused the whole rest of the trip in Venice. It is such a small island, but so confusing to navigate. Pretty sure I got lost almost every time I left the hostel. However, getting lost was usually the best part. The small alleyways and small rivers were beautiful. Anyway, we went to the Jewish Ghetto where Jan said many holocaust survivors still lived, or their families do. It was only a small part of the island so it did not take long to go through. Jan also took us to the oldest bridge in Venice, which also was the best view in Venice. At least I thought it was. Then we were off to St. Marc's Square just to get a look around. After taking in the square we were all left to go explore on our own. A group of us went to a great pasta place called Alfredo's. The best pasta I have ever eaten. It was not a sit down place, it was a take out place. So we were able to get our pasta and then go sit next to a small bridge next to the water. That was happiness right there, good food and a good view. We also stopped to get some gelato. I don't know what I will do back in the states without this Italian gelato. We then went exploring and got extremely lost, which as I said earlier was a good thing. Getting lost at night is a whole different thing in Venice. Every alley looks the same and darkness is not my friend. The lights and the water were beautiful though and all of the people walking around gave the city a great feeling. I could have walked around all night. Thankfully, we found our hostel and were able to have a comfortable sleep before the next day in Venice.
Drive your boat up to your house
Gelato with Tara
View from oldest bridge in Venice
Sunday we started off by going to St. Marc's Square again where we went through a museum. The coolest part of the museum was all of the weaponry. There were tons of guns and shields and swords. It is just so interesting to see those ancient weapons. Then we were able to go off on our own for lunch. A group of us went and got some deep dish pizza. Literally the biggest piece of pizza I've ever eaten. Then we met back up to go through St. Marc's basilica. We were lucky enough to be there on Palm Sunday! It was actually pretty cool to get a palm from there and refreshing to do the sign of the cross and say a prayer. Then we were off on our own again for the rest of the day. Abby's friend came into town for our spring break and then we all went on our gondola rides. This was one of the best decisions I have made yet. So relaxing and beautiful. Then a group of girls and I ate at an outside cafe. That's another thing I love about Europe in general, all of the outdoor cafes. I love being outdoors and there are cafes everywhere. Its perfect for these beautiful spring days. Then we had to say goodbye to a couple girls in the group who were leaving that night to start their spring break travels. I was surprised at how emotional I got. I was sad to be parting from these girls after spending a month everyday with them, I don't even want to think about saying goodbye when this trip is over. I will bawl, mark my words. Then we all just walked around for a bit. It was an early night because I was waking up early the next morning to head out for Rome and Malta for my spring break!
I think Venice was my favorite city yet! Loved how there were no cars and everyone walked around everywhere. There were beautiful views and it definitely was what I imagined and more. I think it would be amazing to visit again.
PIZZAAAAA
Walking through narrow alleyway
St. Marc's Basilica
Our gondola driver
Friday we woke up and headed out for the day. We walked into the museum square and had the choice of one museum out of three. There was a modern art museum, a history/art museum, and a social science museum. I chose the history/art museum and I am glad that I did. I also attempted to follow Jan around just to get his input in on a couple of things. My favorite part of that museum was when we walked through the Greek section and there were a ton of rings. Jan explained that people would wear these rings which had some type of symbol or initial on them so that people would be able to seal their letters with them. So interesting. After everyone was through with the museums we headed over to an outdoor market for some lunch where Jess, Jessi and Tara overpaid for their meals. I think it ended up being close to $20 for them each. It sucked for them, but it was hilarious at the same time. Just another language barrier thing. We walked around the market for a bit where I tried fresh coconut for the first time and also dried coconut. Both delicious and I have also developed some weird craving/obsession with coconut while over here. Then we were off to visit the Sisi Museum and Imperial apartments. This was my favorite part of the Vienna trip. Learning about the Habsburg Empress Elizabeth (Sisi). She lead an incredibly interesting life and the museum did a wonderful job depicting it. I was so thankful to have an audio set to listen to while walking through and viewing each display. Before this museum I had no idea who this woman was, but afterwards I found myself wanting to learn more about her. The most interesting part for me was a small section that most people probably skipped over. It talked about her daily routine of getting ready and taking care of herself. Her hair was all the way down to her knees and she did regular hair treatments. She was also very concerned with her weight. She was 5'8" if i remember correctly and weighed around 100 pounds, which is just insane to think about. After learning about Sisi's life we walked into the Imperial Apartments where they had rooms full of silverware and dishes of all kinds. Literally took twenty minutes to walk through all of the dishes and each set was a different, intricate design. Very beautiful sets that I would love to own, but that won't ever happen. Then we were able to walk through each room of the apartment that were set up exactly how they were back when Sisi and her family lived there. I am pretty sure I was the last person to walk out of the apartments. I just find it fascinating to see how people used to live and function back then. Definitely worth my time and money. Then we were set off on our own. A group of about six of us found a different outdoor market that was definitely more local and full of Easter decorations and food. It was a good way to end Vienna. The next morning we left early for Venice!
Outdoor Easter Market
Saturday, April 12th we arrived in Venice. Jan took us the long way around to our hostel as a joke. It left me confused the whole rest of the trip in Venice. It is such a small island, but so confusing to navigate. Pretty sure I got lost almost every time I left the hostel. However, getting lost was usually the best part. The small alleyways and small rivers were beautiful. Anyway, we went to the Jewish Ghetto where Jan said many holocaust survivors still lived, or their families do. It was only a small part of the island so it did not take long to go through. Jan also took us to the oldest bridge in Venice, which also was the best view in Venice. At least I thought it was. Then we were off to St. Marc's Square just to get a look around. After taking in the square we were all left to go explore on our own. A group of us went to a great pasta place called Alfredo's. The best pasta I have ever eaten. It was not a sit down place, it was a take out place. So we were able to get our pasta and then go sit next to a small bridge next to the water. That was happiness right there, good food and a good view. We also stopped to get some gelato. I don't know what I will do back in the states without this Italian gelato. We then went exploring and got extremely lost, which as I said earlier was a good thing. Getting lost at night is a whole different thing in Venice. Every alley looks the same and darkness is not my friend. The lights and the water were beautiful though and all of the people walking around gave the city a great feeling. I could have walked around all night. Thankfully, we found our hostel and were able to have a comfortable sleep before the next day in Venice.
Sunday we started off by going to St. Marc's Square again where we went through a museum. The coolest part of the museum was all of the weaponry. There were tons of guns and shields and swords. It is just so interesting to see those ancient weapons. Then we were able to go off on our own for lunch. A group of us went and got some deep dish pizza. Literally the biggest piece of pizza I've ever eaten. Then we met back up to go through St. Marc's basilica. We were lucky enough to be there on Palm Sunday! It was actually pretty cool to get a palm from there and refreshing to do the sign of the cross and say a prayer. Then we were off on our own again for the rest of the day. Abby's friend came into town for our spring break and then we all went on our gondola rides. This was one of the best decisions I have made yet. So relaxing and beautiful. Then a group of girls and I ate at an outside cafe. That's another thing I love about Europe in general, all of the outdoor cafes. I love being outdoors and there are cafes everywhere. Its perfect for these beautiful spring days. Then we had to say goodbye to a couple girls in the group who were leaving that night to start their spring break travels. I was surprised at how emotional I got. I was sad to be parting from these girls after spending a month everyday with them, I don't even want to think about saying goodbye when this trip is over. I will bawl, mark my words. Then we all just walked around for a bit. It was an early night because I was waking up early the next morning to head out for Rome and Malta for my spring break!
I think Venice was my favorite city yet! Loved how there were no cars and everyone walked around everywhere. There were beautiful views and it definitely was what I imagined and more. I think it would be amazing to visit again.
Weekend Trip to Brno, CZ
After a week back at school a group of us decided to visit a city only an hour bus ride away from Olomouc. Brno is the Czech Republic's second largest city. We arrived on Saturday morning and easily found our hostel for the night. Then we went out and just walked around the city. We stumbled upon a great restaurant. It was called Richard's Pub. The portions of the boys' food was enormous. I am pretty sure their meals could feed at least 4 people. The pub was only a short walk from Spilberk Castle. So we hiked up the hillside towards the castle and just walked around the outside and got a great view of Brno. It was later in the afternoon so the castle was no longer open to go inside, so we left and walked around Brno a bit more. We found a lot of churches and the town was a lot busier with people when compared to Olomouc. We were all a bit tired from the day so we went back to the hostel to nap. Once everyone was back up and going again we went out for drinks.
Sunday we hiked back to the Spilberk Castle and toured the inside. It was used as a prison so there were a lot of dungeons and cells. It was really creepy because you toured it just within your own group, so sometimes those creepy dark cellars weren't very fun, especially when you have a couple pranksters in the group. Afterwards we went out for lunch and then we needed to switch hostels. Got that taken care of and then it was off to the Capuchin Crypts. Probably one of the coolest things I have seen yet. These crypts are located below the Capuchin Monastery and because of the location of the crypt and the system of air holes all the corpses were mummified and preserved perfectly. You could see the details of some of the corpses, some of their faces were even visible. Very creepy, but so cool. Then we went to the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. We were able to go up into the bell tower to get another great view of Brno. Then we all ended up napping again before we went out for dinner. After dinner it ended up being an early night and we all went to sleep.
Monday we all woke up and got packed to leave. A few of us went to an outdoor market where I had the most amazing strawberries, so red and sweet. After the market we found a small Czech bakery where we all bought pastries. I got a kolache, best one I've had yet. Then it was back to Olomouc for a short 3 days of school.
Overall, I am glad I went to Brno, just because it was different from Olomouc. It definitely was more of a city with more shops and restaurants. More people with different style too. Kind of like a wanna-be Prague, If i can say that. However, I wish I would have only done a day trip instead of two.
Entrance to the Castle
View of Brno from Bell Tower
Spilberk Dungeon
Capuchin Crypt
Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul
Sunday we hiked back to the Spilberk Castle and toured the inside. It was used as a prison so there were a lot of dungeons and cells. It was really creepy because you toured it just within your own group, so sometimes those creepy dark cellars weren't very fun, especially when you have a couple pranksters in the group. Afterwards we went out for lunch and then we needed to switch hostels. Got that taken care of and then it was off to the Capuchin Crypts. Probably one of the coolest things I have seen yet. These crypts are located below the Capuchin Monastery and because of the location of the crypt and the system of air holes all the corpses were mummified and preserved perfectly. You could see the details of some of the corpses, some of their faces were even visible. Very creepy, but so cool. Then we went to the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. We were able to go up into the bell tower to get another great view of Brno. Then we all ended up napping again before we went out for dinner. After dinner it ended up being an early night and we all went to sleep.
Monday we all woke up and got packed to leave. A few of us went to an outdoor market where I had the most amazing strawberries, so red and sweet. After the market we found a small Czech bakery where we all bought pastries. I got a kolache, best one I've had yet. Then it was back to Olomouc for a short 3 days of school.
Overall, I am glad I went to Brno, just because it was different from Olomouc. It definitely was more of a city with more shops and restaurants. More people with different style too. Kind of like a wanna-be Prague, If i can say that. However, I wish I would have only done a day trip instead of two.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Weekend In Prague and Dresden, Germany
This past weekend (March 27-March 30) we took a school trip to Prague and Dresden, Germany. Thursday morning we headed out for Prague by train. The two and a half hour train ride was a little awkward to say the least. Each train has separate carriages that hold 6 people, usually. A majority of us were put into different carriages with other foreign people. My carriage was full of five Czech people who all knew each other and didn't know a lick of English. For the whole two hours I sat in silence trying not to stare at them and attempting to not fall asleep, while also sweating profusely because I didn't have enough time to take off my coat/I felt awkward. However, they ended up being very polite and even said goodbye to me as I left. Once our train arrive we were able to walk to our hostel, which was located very close to St. Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square. It was the perfect location.
Thursday we took a short tour over St. Charles Bridge stopping by a couple of statues along the way to the John Lennon Wall and the Lock Bridge. Here are a few pictures.
Friday we went to the Prague Castle with our class leaders, Jan and Martin. Following them around is the best thing ever, they know so much and I always learn so much. After the tour was over we were free to do whatever we wanted for the rest of the afternoon and night. Most of us just walked around Prague and ate at local pubs or restaurants. One of the best things a group of us decided to do was to just sit in the center of old town square and just hang out and people watch. The square is so lively with people and street performers. Tara and I ate our trdelnik, a cinnamon and sugar donut type thing. So. Good. Then we all went to bed fairly early for our trip to Dresden, Germany the next day.
(Eating our trdelnik's)
(Prague Castle)
Saturday we spent the day in Dresden. We took a train out in the morning and we toured a couple of the buildings. Some of us chose to go through the art museum and some of us chose to go through the castle. I chose the castle. There were many floors and each showed a different display. My favorite floor was the third, where all the swords, armor and jousting gear were. There was a two handed sword that was seriously the same height as me. It did not even look real. Another detail I noticed with the armor is that a majority of the outfits were smaller. The men back in those days must not have been as tall as most men are now. It looked like the average height was close to maybe 5 feet and 9 inches. There was also armor for young children, one was depicted as being worn by a two year old. Incredible. Everything was also meticulously made! Then after this we were allowed to roam for a bit for lunch. A group of us walked over one of the bridges to the less touristy part of Dresden. It resembled an outdoor mall kind of. We stopped by and outdoor restaurant where I ordered some sausage soup. I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out, but I and everyone else loved it! (Sidenote: it's kind of an unspoken thing, but whenever someone gets food we are all allowed to try it and then we all end up sharing our food for almost every meal. It's very beneficial! haha) Then we headed back to the town square to climb the tower and get a beautiful birds eye view of Dresden. Once everyone was down we casually made our way back to the train station, until Jan mentioned we only had 5 minutes to catch our train. Mind you, we were at least a solid 15 minute walk away. So then everyone proceeded to gradually pick up the speed until we were all full on running to the train station. So just picture a group of 25 American's running through the streets of Dresden, looking like idiots. To top it all off, we missed our train. Luckily, there was another one only two hours after. We made it on that train and made it back to Prague. Thankfully, we made it back in time for a group of about eight of us to get to our reservations at a pub called "The Pub."This was an awesome pub. It kept track of your tab electronically at the table and you poured your own beer at the table as well! Which was amazing because here the Czech reeeeeally like their foam on top of their beer. Sometimes I've seen beer glasses half foam and half beer. Not very appetizing to us Americans. So I was able to pour my own beer without foam. It was wonderful. We all went back to the hostel after that and then woke up the next day for a tour in Prague of the Jewish Quarter.
(Sausage Soup)
(View of Dresden)
(The Pub)
Sunday was probably one of my favorite days from the weekend trip. Jan and Martin took us to the Old Jewish Quarters of Prague. First we walked through the synagogue where over 80,000 Jewish names were written on the walls. It said their name and the date they were born and when they died. This was overwhelming. The writing was so small, but if you focused in you could read the names and dates and realize how young some of these people were. The moment that struck me the hardest was when I read the name of a young girl, totally random name I picked off of the wall. Her name was Anne and she died at the age of 21, my age. To my surprise my immediate reaction was just to cry. If I am able to cry at only names on walls I am not sure how I will do during our trips to Auschwitz and Terezin. Then we walked through the old jewish cemetery where tombstones were literally stacked on top of each other. Following Martin through the cemetery was a great decision. I learned about symbols on each of the tombstones and what they mean. Also, people leave little prayers and coins on significant tombstones. They also leave little pebbles or stones on the tombstones, which was something I had never heard of. After the cemetery we were taken to different museums where there were many other different artifacts dating back to the time period of Nazi Germany. Once all the tours were over we all headed back to the hostel and got onto our train back to Olomouc for our first FULL week of school!
(Names on the synagogue wall)
(Jewish Cemetery)
(Tombstone)
Next blog should be up shortly about my weekend trip to Brno, CZ!
Thursday we took a short tour over St. Charles Bridge stopping by a couple of statues along the way to the John Lennon Wall and the Lock Bridge. Here are a few pictures.
Friday we went to the Prague Castle with our class leaders, Jan and Martin. Following them around is the best thing ever, they know so much and I always learn so much. After the tour was over we were free to do whatever we wanted for the rest of the afternoon and night. Most of us just walked around Prague and ate at local pubs or restaurants. One of the best things a group of us decided to do was to just sit in the center of old town square and just hang out and people watch. The square is so lively with people and street performers. Tara and I ate our trdelnik, a cinnamon and sugar donut type thing. So. Good. Then we all went to bed fairly early for our trip to Dresden, Germany the next day.
Saturday we spent the day in Dresden. We took a train out in the morning and we toured a couple of the buildings. Some of us chose to go through the art museum and some of us chose to go through the castle. I chose the castle. There were many floors and each showed a different display. My favorite floor was the third, where all the swords, armor and jousting gear were. There was a two handed sword that was seriously the same height as me. It did not even look real. Another detail I noticed with the armor is that a majority of the outfits were smaller. The men back in those days must not have been as tall as most men are now. It looked like the average height was close to maybe 5 feet and 9 inches. There was also armor for young children, one was depicted as being worn by a two year old. Incredible. Everything was also meticulously made! Then after this we were allowed to roam for a bit for lunch. A group of us walked over one of the bridges to the less touristy part of Dresden. It resembled an outdoor mall kind of. We stopped by and outdoor restaurant where I ordered some sausage soup. I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out, but I and everyone else loved it! (Sidenote: it's kind of an unspoken thing, but whenever someone gets food we are all allowed to try it and then we all end up sharing our food for almost every meal. It's very beneficial! haha) Then we headed back to the town square to climb the tower and get a beautiful birds eye view of Dresden. Once everyone was down we casually made our way back to the train station, until Jan mentioned we only had 5 minutes to catch our train. Mind you, we were at least a solid 15 minute walk away. So then everyone proceeded to gradually pick up the speed until we were all full on running to the train station. So just picture a group of 25 American's running through the streets of Dresden, looking like idiots. To top it all off, we missed our train. Luckily, there was another one only two hours after. We made it on that train and made it back to Prague. Thankfully, we made it back in time for a group of about eight of us to get to our reservations at a pub called "The Pub."This was an awesome pub. It kept track of your tab electronically at the table and you poured your own beer at the table as well! Which was amazing because here the Czech reeeeeally like their foam on top of their beer. Sometimes I've seen beer glasses half foam and half beer. Not very appetizing to us Americans. So I was able to pour my own beer without foam. It was wonderful. We all went back to the hostel after that and then woke up the next day for a tour in Prague of the Jewish Quarter.
Sunday was probably one of my favorite days from the weekend trip. Jan and Martin took us to the Old Jewish Quarters of Prague. First we walked through the synagogue where over 80,000 Jewish names were written on the walls. It said their name and the date they were born and when they died. This was overwhelming. The writing was so small, but if you focused in you could read the names and dates and realize how young some of these people were. The moment that struck me the hardest was when I read the name of a young girl, totally random name I picked off of the wall. Her name was Anne and she died at the age of 21, my age. To my surprise my immediate reaction was just to cry. If I am able to cry at only names on walls I am not sure how I will do during our trips to Auschwitz and Terezin. Then we walked through the old jewish cemetery where tombstones were literally stacked on top of each other. Following Martin through the cemetery was a great decision. I learned about symbols on each of the tombstones and what they mean. Also, people leave little prayers and coins on significant tombstones. They also leave little pebbles or stones on the tombstones, which was something I had never heard of. After the cemetery we were taken to different museums where there were many other different artifacts dating back to the time period of Nazi Germany. Once all the tours were over we all headed back to the hostel and got onto our train back to Olomouc for our first FULL week of school!
Next blog should be up shortly about my weekend trip to Brno, CZ!
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