Prague/Dresden Trip!!

March 31

 We left for Prague on Thursday the 27th in the morning. I love Prague so I was excited to go back one last time. We traveled to Prague by train. When we got to Prague we went to our hostel and left our things in our rooms and went to explore Prague some more.  We took a tour with Martin and Yan and they showed us around Prague.  After that, me and my friends went to eat some delicious Czech food.  I had some dumplings and a strawberry crepe.  

On Friday we went to see the Prague Castle which was just gorgeous.  I learned a lot about the castle and all the people that were buried there. I also learned a lot about all the saints which was very interesting.  We also saw other medieval buildings and learned a lot about the history side of them.  The Prague Castle is on a hill so the view from up there is just beautiful.  

On Saturday we went to Dresden, Germany.  I absolutely love Germany! We left on train as well but the view was just gorgeous on our way there.  It’s a beautiful city and not as crowded as Prague.  As a class, we went to two different museums. One was a beautiful art museum and the other was a history museum. I went to the Art museum and it was hands down the best art museum I have ever been to.  It had three levels and the art was just amazing.  After the museum we had some hours to explore Dresden before we all had to meet back to go to the train station.  So me and Maria walked around and ate some ice cream. The architecture was so beautiful we had to take a couple pictures.  When we met with the class we went up to the dome of the a church. This church is important because after the bombing of this town the only thing that was left standing was this church but eventually they had to rebuild it because it was only a matter of time before it would also collapse.  The view from the dome was beautiful you can see the river and all the older and newer buildings in the city.  

Once we met we started walking to the train station to go back to Prague.  All of a sudden Martin says to us “shall we walk a little faster” with an accent while walking fast and then we all start walking faster.  Then he says “our train actually leaves in about 5 minutes” so I tell him “walking fast won’t do anything we gotta RUN!” so we start running through Dresden. As u can imagine Dresden is a pretty big city, we ran through people, a breakdancing show and anything that was in our way.  It was a fun experience and all I remember are the looks people gave us and getting to the train station and then 5 seconds later our train leaving us.  We had to wait two more hours for the next train so we enjoyed some more time in Dresden before we had to leave. We had dinner and some ice cream.  When our two hours were up we all made sure that we were there early and just laughed about what had happened earlier in the train.  

The next day we were in Prague and saw the Jewish quarters where we learned a lot about the Jewish culture and their way of life. We also got to see the Jewish cemetery where thousands of people were buried layer after layer. Overall, it was a great trip and there are many more to come! Here are some pictures of the trip:

Dresden, Germany

Dresden, Germany

Prague

Prague

Jewish cemetery in Prague

Dresden, Germany

Prague

March 25, 2014

We arrived in Prague on March 13th. While in Prague, we stayed in a hostel and got to know our way around the city a little bit using the trams and the train.  We took some tours where we learned a lot about the city and some history, we also saw the Charles bridge, cathedrals, a castle, and some other important monuments and statues which which beautiful.  We also went to some clubs while in Prague and Czech people LOVE techno music, it was a lot of fun.  We also had our first “Czech food experience” that weekend, it was delicious.  I especially loved the pasta. The Czech Republic is known for their beer so I had to try it. Personally, I don’t like beer but Czech beer wasn’t too bad.  

On Sunday the 16th we met with the whole class in the airport and we all rode the bus together to Olomouc, Czech Republic. Once in Olomouc, we chose our roommate, and we got our dorms.  We had a tour around Olomouc, it’s a beautiful city. It took me about a week to get used to the trams and to find my way around Olomouc. We saw a lot of churches and we also went up the tower of the courthouse. From up there, we can see the whole city of Olomouc. 

Classes were very interesting. We are taking a Czech language class, and two History classes. The Czech class is hard but we are learning a lot.  The history classes are also very interesting.  Since I’ve been here I have met a lot of different students from Italy, Spain, Mexico, Portugal, France, Austria, Germany and also from here. Everyone here is very interesting and I love learning about their culture and also their language. I haven’t been here that long and I have made many friends already.  Something that I’m still not used to is the money conversions, I always have to do the math in my head to figure out how much something is.  Also, not knowing the language was a challenge, it’s hard to communicate with people since I only know how to say about 10 words. 

I love to travel and to experience new things, but it’s hard not to miss home at the same time. I also miss the home made food, as well as junk food from the U.S.  Even though they have junk food here, they don’t have the same brands as in the U.S.  I also miss my car, since we use public transportation and do a lot of walking around here, but it’s okay I really don’t mind it.  It is very interesting to see all the differences between the U.S. and the Czech Republic.  

It’s been great so far, especially since I’m here with friends. We have had lots of fun so far and have so many interesting stories and adventures we have been through.  I’m sure by the end of this trip I will have a huge list of crazy, fun, cool, and weird things that happened to us. 

9 Days Left! : )

Countdown to Europe Begins!! 9 Days left!!

February 24, 2014

I have mixed emotions about leaving to Europe, I feel excited, nervous, and sad all at the same time.  I haven't started packing yet but I should probably start making a list sometime this week. It's gonna be a challenge.  I was hoping I can get out of this cold weather here in Nebraska, but apparently it will be winter in the Czech Republic as well. So I'm not getting out of it.  I can't wait to see all the different countries that I'm planning to visit and and to try amazing food (and wine), and also to make new friendships! There is so much to do in Europe and so many places I want to see that I will be very busy the whole time I'm there. This trip is going to be a great adventure that I will never forget.