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.


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.
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A wall with name of Jews that were killed |