Prague and Dresden

Field Trip 1 (7)

This weekend we had our first field trip to Prague and Dresden and I'd say it was a success.  We met early Thursday morning at the train station in Olomouc to catch our train to Prague.  The compartment I was in was very big and comfy so I got a good nap in.  Once we arrived we dropped our bags off at the hostel and headed out for a short tour of the city.  We started our walk through Wenceslaus square which had a bunch of little stands and was all decorated for Easter.  Then we saw the old but very beautiful astronomical clock in the Old Town.  Next we made our way to Charles Bridge which has of different saints and religious figures on it.  From there you can see a great view of the other half of the city, especially the Prague Castle and cathedral.  We crossed the bridge and our last stop for the day was the John Lennon Wall.  The wall started out as a way to rebel during the communist rule but now is a place where anyone can write, draw, or paint anything on it.  I thought it was really cool to see.  After that we were free for lunch, although it was closer to 2:00 so we were starving.  After lunch a group of us walked around and did some souvenir shopping and then went back to our hostel to relax for a bit.  We all met at the astronomical clock at 8:00 and headed to an Irish pub.  It was pretty pricy there so we didn't stay long.  Although it was much cheaper than in America, we were so used to the cheap prices in Olomouc that it seemed expensive.  We ended all hanging out as a group at our hostel for the night.

On Friday we met at 10:00 to head to the castle and cathedral.  It was a long trek up some pretty steep hills but we made it and were treated with another great view of the city.  Our first stop was St. Vitus Cathedral.  This is definitely my favorite church so far because of the amazing stained glass windows.  The outside of the church was pretty remarkable as well but I loved the windows.  They were so big and colorful and inside when the light shone through it gave the church this beautiful glow.  Another neat thing about this church is that it is the burial place of St. Wenceslaus who is the patron saint of the Czech Republic.  I went to St. Wenceslaus grade school and my church back home is St. Wenceslaus so for me it was a very special thing to see.  After the cathedral we went to see the changing of the guards.  They do this every hour and at noon they do it with music.  Luckily we were there at noon so we got to see quite the show.  Then we headed into the castle which is home to the president of the Czech Republic.  Next was St. George's Basilica which is one of the oldest churches in the area.  You could definitely tell it was older because the style was much simpler than most places.  The last thing we saw was called the Golden Lane.  It was basically a street that had houses, shops and little museums to show you what it looked like back when it was first built.  Some of the doorways were so small you had to duck to get in.  It was crazy to think that people actually lived like that.  

     After that it was lunch time and then we were free for the rest of the day.  A small group of us wanted to walk up the Petřín Lookout Tower.  This is a tower that is suppose to resemble the eiffel tower up on a hill a little ways out of Prague.  We were told there was a path there from the Monastery so we headed there.  We stopped by the Monastery at a pub for lunch and to prepare ourselves for the long walk.  After lunch we headed along the path to the tower.  The walk wasn't nearly as bad as it looked from far away.  We finally made it to the tower and up the 299 stairs and were greeted with the most gorgeous view yet.  From up there you could see the entire city of Prague, it truly was breathtaking.  It looked like something from a fairy tale and I could have stayed up there for hours just looking at the city.  However, it was a little crowded so we didn't stay for too long.  We decided to head back to the hostel to give our feet a rest.  Some of us really wanted to see the bridge and castle all lit up at night so once it got dark we headed out to Charles Bridge.  It was definitely worth it and it wasn't nearly as crowded as during the day so we just hung out on the bridge until we got too cold.  We called it a night pretty early since we knew we had to be up early the next day for Dresden.

Saturday morning we were up early to catch our train to Dresden, Germany.  When we arrived we walked through the city and stopped at the statue of Martin Luther right outside Dresden Frauenkirche church.  We went for lunch and then met up to go in the church.  This church was almost completely destroyed during the bombing in WWII. After the war they started to rebuild it using as much as they could from the rubble.  When you look at the church you can see which bricks are new and which ones are from the old church, which I think is really cool.  The inside was really beautiful but different than most churches we had seen.  It had a lot more light pastel colors and it made the whole place seem lighter and brighter compared to other churches that were made of more carvings.  We were able to walk up the dome to the top and get a view of the whole city.  Next we got the choice between going to an art gallery or museum and I chose the museum.  It was filled with jewels, weapons, armor, art, and more.  I really enjoyed it.  Sadly that's all the time we had in Dresden and we had to head back to catch our train.  The city was definitely a different feel than Prague and Olomouc though.  Since they had to rebuild most of the city after the war it had a much more modern and clean feel to it.  It was a nice change of pace but I think I prefer the Czech Republic.  

Sunday was our last day in Prague and we spent the morning at the Jewish Quarter.  For me this was a very humbling experience.  This was the Jewish ghetto that the Jews were confined to before they would be sent off to concentration camps.  The first thing we saw had the names of all the Jews that were killed from the area written on the walls.  I have always heard of the huge numbers of Jews that were killed but seeing all their names puts it into a completely different perspective.  The next thing we saw was the graveyard and this was pretty disturbing as well.  The headstones were just placed randomly with many almost on top of each other.  I felt like it was hard to believe that just horrible things could happen in a place so beautiful.  We were also able to see a Jewish Synagog and learn about their burial ritual.  Even though it wasn't the most cheerful thing, it was a really great experience and I was glad we got to see it.  After that we had a couple hours free for lunch and wandering before we had to catch our train back to Olomouc. 

A wall with name of Jews that were killed

Overall, although a little exhausting, I thought it was a great trip.  I feel so lucky to be getting to see and experience so many different types of culture.  I am also learning a lot and notice just how much more there it to learn.  I am reminded of the quote I heard back in High School.  "The more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know."(-Albert Einstein)  I would say this is definitely the case for me and I am very excited to for our next field trips to keep learning!

Language Issues (4)

     We have been in Olomouc for about a week now and I LOVE IT!  It's so beautiful and historic and altogether wonderful.  It is a town of about 100,000 people, pretty small for the Czech Republic but it's the perfect size for me.  It's not a big tourist town like Prague so obviously not everyone here speaks English, which can be a bit of a challenge.  We are taking a Czech language class but it is a very difficult language to learn and right now we are just working on how to pronounce words, let alone understand them.  On Friday we did learn a few helpful phrases but the first week has still been a little difficult to communicate at times.
     Many people do speak English and I have found that most people are pretty understanding when they don't speak English and we just have to try and use hand signals and body language to communicate.  It can still be very difficult to get your message across or understand what they are trying to say.  There is a lot of head nodding and hand waving.  However, there is the occasional person that won't even try to understand and wants nothing to do with us. (I have honestly only met one like that so far)  In America everything is catered to our needs and is there to make life easier for us.  Here it is not the case and it makes you realize just how much we take for granted being able to read signs, menus, or ask where the bathroom is.
     One of the places where I really noticed the issue of the language was at Globus. (like Walmart)  There is a Globus really close to our dorm so we went there quite a bit this first week getting supplies and groceries.  Most of the workers there speak little to no English and so it can be very difficult if you need to ask where something is.  Also when you check out they usually try and ask you questions and you never really know what they are saying so you just have to nod or point or just smile and pretend like you know.
     Another place the issue comes up is at restaurants.  Some of the places do have menus in English, which is really nice but other places don't.  Even if they have the menu in English it doesn't always mean the workers speak it though.  Sometimes you just have to point and hope it ends up being something you like but I have loved every meal I have eaten so far.  I usually feel bad when they speak no English and we try ordering.  I feel like we are coming to their country and going to their places so it seems arrogant of us to assume they speak English and expect them to understand us.  Hopefully they don't see it that way but I'm glad I at least know how to say 'Thank You' in Czech.
     Overall the language difference can be frustrating at times but it is very doable.  Even though I know we won't be anywhere close to fluent by the time we leave, I am excited to continue to learn the language.  A lot of times I see something and just wish I knew what it said.  However, when I think about the fact that I am getting to spend my semester in Europe it's hard to complain about anything!

Sign on our door

Globus receipt 

   

Prague

Day 1

After a very early bus ride to the airport and some slight struggles at the airport we finally made it to Prague around 10:00 am on Friday.  We went through customs, got our bags, got tram passes and headed into the city.  Our hostel was up a very long, steep hill made of cobblestone so between the few hours of sleep and hauling our luggage up the hill we were about ready to collapse when we reached our hostel.  We got checked in and relaxed in our room for a bit.  This hostel was much nicer than the one in London, we got our own room and bathroom.  After regaining some strength we went out to find some lunch.  After coming from London where everything is very expensive it was amazing how cheap food was.  We could get soup, main dish, dessert, and a drink for around $6!  We ate lunch at a pub down the street.  Then we went back to our hostel to relax and figure out what we wanted to do the next day.  A few hours later we went to a giant store (like Walmart) to get some things we needed and we ended up getting snack type foods to eat for supper.  We went back to our hostel and hung out and ate supper.  We went to bed early because we were still pretty exhausted form London and traveling that day.

Day 2

The next day we decided to do a free walking tour that we heard about in our hostel.  It started in the Old Town by the beautiful astronomical clock.  Since it was cold and rainy we were the only 3 people that actually showed up so we pretty much got a private tour.  After a couple hours we made a short stop right before St. Charles Bridge to get something hot to drink.  When we met up again our tour guide said he had just gotten a call that his wife went into labor! It was his first kid so he was pretty nervous so he left and we wandered across the bridge on our own.  I can't even explain how incredibly beautiful it is! I felt like I could have just stood on that bridge for hours.  We spent the rest of the night just wandering around and taking in everything around us.  We also had a traditional dessert/snack called Trdelník.

 Day 3
This was the day we were meeting our group at the Prague airport to head to Olomouc.  After following some false google directions and waiting in the freezing rain 40 minutes for a bus that never showed up, we finally made it to the airport.  We met up with our whole group and a student from Palacky where we loaded a bus for the 4 hour ride to Olomouc.  We reached our dorm around 7:00 and spent the rest of the night getting settled in.  Prague was gorgeous but still very touristy so it will be interesting to live in a city that is not used to tourists.  Either way I am excited to start my time in Olomouc!

London

My time to study abroad has finally arrived! My friends Miranda, Rachel, and I decided to go to London a few days early, so Monday we flew out of Omaha and touched down in London around 8:00 am on Tuesday.  

Day 1

We got to our hostel around 9:00 but couldn't check in until 14:00 (2:00, still working on the whole military time thing) so we dropped off our bags and headed out to eat and explore the city.  We ended up eating some yummy fish and chips down by the London Eye.  Then we went back and checked in to our hostel.  It was our fist time every staying in a hostel and we stayed in a 6 person room that was no bigger than my dorm room.  It was a very new and interesting experience.  We also spent the rest of the day just exploring places like Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, and walking across the beautiful bridges.  We ate supper at a pub by our hostel and then headed back to the hostel for a good nights rest.

Day 2

We had decided to buy a London Pass for this day.  The pass allowed us to go see whatever sights we wanted in one day as long as you don't exceed 90 pounds.  We picked up our passes and headed out to Kensington Palace and then to Westminster Abbey.  We stopped in Borough Market to grab some quick lunch and then headed on to the Tower of London, Tower Bridge Exhibition (we got to go up and walk across the top part of the bridge), and the scary London Bridge Experience.  Since I had already seen a lot of the places before it was really cool to be able to take it all in without trying to snap pictures every 30 seconds. We found this great pub by Tower Bridge and decided to eat supper there, which we loved.  We spent the rest of the night walking around downtown and got some delicious dessert waffles.

Day 3

 We got up and took a train to Leavesden for the Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour.  For a huge Harry Potter fan like me it was absolutely AMAZING! I'm pretty sure I almost broke my camera from taking so many pictures. When we got back we went back to Borough Market to find something for lunch.  Next we went to see Buckingham Palace and then hung out in Hyde Park for a while.  Our hostel wasn't too far from Baker Street so we went and saw the Sherlock Holmes Museum before having supper at the same pub as the night before (it was that good).  Then we pretty much just went back and packed up so we would be ready to catch our bus at 3 AM to the airport for our flight to Prague.

It was a wonderful trip and London is beautiful but I am definitely glad to be somewhere a little less busy and less expensive.  I am very excited to see what the Czech Republic has in store! 

I can't believe in just 8 short days I will be leaving for my time abroad.  I am beyond excited but I still feel like I have so much to do!  After booking our plans for spring break and making last minute lists of things I still need, it's finally starting to feel real.  Now I just need to pack, which is going to be a whole different kind of adventure.