It is unbelievable to say that I have been living in Olomouc for 2 weeks now. Yes, LIVING in a foreign country. In a town I love. I am over the moon!
As I explored the city much further this week, with the freedom we had before class time each day, I realized that the high I am on from being here were actually never go away - something I'm thrilled about getting used to.
Thursday morning of this week we went back to Bohemia to visit the beautiful city of Prague as a group. I felt contented traveling back to here, the city where I first started this journey. "It's so good to be back in Prague," was an expression that often was repeated during the few days of our stay.
We took a train to Prague and this was my very first experience on a train. It may be surprising but, loved it. I was honestly expecting the very least, something similar to a bus, much less the trams we take to travel to our classes. I was certainly wrong. The trains reminded me of Harry Potter. Anyone who has seen Harry Potter and the trains they take to get to Hogwarts, knows exactly what I am talking about. Was there a candy trolley? Unfortunately not. However, I got a croissant sandwich and a piece of cheesecake all for less than a buck and a half. That's close enough to me!
My meal for a dollar and thirty sense when converted to American money. I was not complaining!
On my way back from the WC. I had to stop and take a picture of Lily and Jessica. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard at a picture before!
Reaching Prague, we quickly dismissed ourselves from the train ride, found the hostel we were to stay, and dropped off our things. Our hostel was very cute and each of us got to stay in groups of five or six. The location was close to Wenceslas Square which is where most of the touristy action is in Prague. I am the type of person that likes to do minimal touristy things while traveling and really get a chance to wander in unfamiliar places and surround myself with locals. However, I wouldn't change the location of our hostel if I could for many reasons. Two of them being, it was close to the train station and it was close to the Easter Market. I love the Easter Market. (more about that later)
We had little leisure time before we met back up as a group to make our trip up down the Charles Bridge, by the John Lennon Wall and by some historical places before having the evening to ourselves. The first day was very relaxed and it ended perfectly by going out to a pub with Jan and Martin to have a beer. We got to listen to good music and spend time with good people. I was eager to see what was in store for the rest of the weekend!
Day two of our adventure in Prague, we were to meet at 10:30 the next morning to make our way to the Prague castle. The girls I was with and I decided to grab breakfast at a cafe around the corner called CoffeeLand. I got pancake burritos filled with cream cheese and whipped cream, topped with ice cream, strawberries and some sort of fruit jam. The photo I have of it doesn't do it justice. I am telling you, it was incredibly delicious.
Quite frankly, it looks sort of disgusting in this picture. I will admit that. But, it was so marvelous.
We then met up at the hostel where Martin and Jan led the way to the Prague castle - The biggest castle in the world. There was an abundance of tourist in town for Easter weekend, so it was nice seeing so many people have the same appreciation for the history of Prague as our group did.
My favorite part of the castle was the church. It was the biggest building I have ever been it, and I can undoubtedly say the most magnificent as well. It is insane to me the age of this castle as well as the amount of detail and care put into it. I have gained an appreciation for history after experiencing the castle.
Here are a few of the many photos I snapped while wandering in the church of the castle.
I chose not to crop the people out to show the contrast in size. Its enormous!
Each stained glass window was different and there were what seemed to be hundreds of these windows in there. The intricacy and and embellishments featured in this place was extraordinary.
This is one of my favorite windows. The variety of colors really caught my eye. I am not a very religious person, nor am I Catholic - But, that doesn't hinder my appreciation for such beauty.
We made many visits as our tickets allowed, and once we were done, Jan and Martin set us free for the rest of the day. My roommates for the weekend and I made our way back to Wecenslas Square to finally wander the Easter Market and spend the rest of evening eating good food and probably spending too much money. Germany was next on our list for the following morning!
The view across the Charles Bridge on our way back from the Castle. I enjoy seeing the boats on the water.
Day three was finally here. Traveling to Germany has been a dream of mine but, I did not know what to expect. We traveled to Dresden and it was one of the towns that had been destroyed in World War 2 so, just like Prague - Dresden held much history.
Our first stop in Germany was here. A church. It was the first Lutheran church we got to see! Out of all the beautiful churches I have been to in Europe, the structure and colors of this specific one has been my favorite so far. I enjoy the brightness and happiness the hues bring. The view from the top was even better.
We were free for lunch after this seeing so of course, the group I was with and I decided to go to a place that served pizza and share with each other. Transferring from Czech currency to euros was hard. Everything is so cheap in the Czech Republic it's almost too good to be true. So, using euros and paying the same amount for a meal as one would in America was quite the change. We only been here for two weeks and we already cringe when we have to pay over 4 dollars for a nice dinner out.
The place we went to was an Italian place and in my last blog I revealed that I suddenly like pizza. The pizza here is always thin with little cheese and no grease - just the way I like it (apparently).
I ate this entire slice to myself. I spent about six euros altogether here. (Yes, I had to pay for my water)
Here are some videos/photo I shot while walking around after lunch before meeting with Jan and Martin again:
The breathtaking view from the top of the church. I was hesitant to spend 5 euros to see this, but I haven't regretted that decision for even a second after seeing it.
I am not sure if this man was actually real, but I swear I saw his arm flinch. We stared at him for a solid five minutes. 10 minutes if I am telling the truth.
We met at 14:00 so Martin and Jan could guide the group who chose to see the war museum and the group who chose to see the art gallery. I love art in every form so, of course, I chose the art gallery.
I took a very large amount of photos at the gallery because I was honestly in shock. I did not want to forget the beauty I was getting the opportunity to see. The age of the paintings dated back to the 1400-1700s. I could not believe the talent and the history of art. There were four floors to the gallery and the photos, unfortunately, don't do the paintings justice or display the extravagance and the size. - or the amount of money they cost. There were about 20 guards on each floor, so my guess? - ONE BILLION DOLLARS. Lol, but really - this artwork is extremely captivating in person.
This picture stood out to me. Just the detail and colors and expressions in the body language. I adore the care put into art and pondering the meaning of each picture.
I am showing this because this similar to the view from the top of the church. There was an entire row dedicated to the very part of Dresden we were in. I was so appreciative to see this. This painting really helps me understand the history of Germany.
I just liked this picture because they were playing cards. Cards are fun. There were so many light hearted, fun paintings. It wasn't all war back then...the artists had good humor, believe it or not!
We wrapped up our day, got on a train back to Prague and were free to a night of our choosing.
The last day (Easter) was the day Martin and Jan took us to the Jewish Quarters. I had seen the graves from outside on a tour I took with Lily, Hannah, and Clark during our stay there before the start of school. I did not actually get to experience the inside of the graveyard and it was eerie and so surreal. It helped me realize a bit more than I did before of how real the history of the Jews and the discrimination during World War 2 really was. The graves are randomly placed and in the ground area with six+ layers of bodies underneath them. Inside the building, the names of every person to die there was written on the wall along with where they were from. Hearing about Hitler, the Nazis and the damage they had done always comes with unfathomable numbers. To see the names written on the wall showed me how personal it really was. This was something I will never forget.
A small section of the big cemetery.
After a long weekend of history, we had about 3 hours to ourselves to walk around the Easter Market before heading to the train back to Olomouc. - and to sit in the sun that we hadn't seen for so long! The day could not have been more perfect.
After lunch, I had to get what I had gotten the night before as well. In my last blog I shared with you my love for Trdelniks. The cylindrical, cinnamon and sugar doughnuts filled with nutella. I have a new favorite dessert (its still a trdelnik, but better) Its this. Instead of a cylinder, its a cone. yes it is filled with Nutella but also with strawberries and whipped cream. Honestly a dream. Can these exist in America? Ugh. At least I can die happy now.
Until next time! - Ahoj!
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