Bittersweet End - to the best time of my life

Dobry den!

This week has been spent traveling the very country we have gotten the pleasure to call home for the past three months. As it was one of the shortest jaunts, it was one of the best weeks thus far.

The end of this program has come way too quickly but I am so happy with the way the end of this trip was spent.
We took off bright and early on this last Tuesday morning to head to our first stop, Litomysl, CZ! Here we got to see a cathedral and listen to a presentation about the town itself. It was a university town and had about 10,000 residents including surround suburbs. The town did not have a huge night life, which is something I was so excited about. I love just spending he might with friends hanging out in a pub, having good conversations and sharing laughs. Which is exactly what we did! It was Jessica's birthday and it was such a great excuse to sit down and spend quality time together!

This little Czech town was just a short stop and we were there for one night but the hostel (hotel?) we stayed in has been probably my favorite so far! It felt like staying in a cabin because it the walls were all made of wooden beams and it just had a cozy feel. I stayed in a room with Jessica and Lydia and our room was cooler than every one else's because we had a loft in it. It was dope! Also, about the hostel, we got a huge breakfast in the morning and I that put a great start to the morning.

We hit the road on Wednesday morning, after our delicious, healthy breakfast to go to our first stop. We were to see a church decorated of around 6,000 human bones. This, oddly enough, has been one of my favorite churches. It seems super eerie and weird to say that but it actually is a humorous sight to see and after taking anatomy last semester I felt pretty cool knowing like, every bone I saw. ;-)

After doing what was in our agenda we checked in to our hotel that we were staying in for that night. The town we stayed in was called Kutna Hora and it had seemed very little -more like a typical Czech town but the traffic was a little different in Olomouc as if you are waiting to cross the street in Olomouc, drivers alway insist you cross before they pass the crosswalk, but I think i almost got hit by a car crossing the street at least 4 times. Who am I kidding that happened in every city but ANYWAY each day of the trip had been passing so quickly and it was so surreal. We were to see the silver mines this day as well but the tours had filled and we had moved it to the agenda for the next day. This gave us all so much free time for the evening and how did us girls spend it? Drinking local wine and eating pizza while playing games and talking about life in our room. It was like a sleepover and it was just one component to a perfect last week all together.

The next day we had woken up to visit the silver mines. This was such a cool experience and different from the salt mines in Krackow as the tour was much more literal, there in Kutna Hora. We put in long coats and helmets with lights, so we looked the part of the miners and we also went through the actual mines and got to experience the real work conditions of the miners back then. The tour guide had us turn off our helmet lights at one point and we all got to experience complete darkness. Some of us loved it, others were freaked out but at the end of he day it was so much fun!

We later took off the CZESKY KRUMLOV which was my favorite town we had been to.

         All of us had described it as a little fairytale town because it reminded us of a          town a princess would live in or even a real life version of the little towns at theme parks! It was so cozy and the streets were were narrow and the little shops were filled with warm desserts, local jewelry, home decor, etc. 

My favorite part of the trip and one of my fav rotor memories from this whole experience was spending the end of the trip rafting with everyone. It was our last hoorah and I could not have spent it with better people. The view was beautiful and it was such a relaxing day. Rain was on the forecast but stopped once we actually got out on the water. We shared many laughs and I had so much fun!

The last day of our trip we stopped to see my favorite castle we have been to, on our way back to Olomouc. It was absolutely breathtaking and our tour guide was the funniest. 

The program ending has really been so bittersweet. More bitter than sweet. This experience is something I never want to end!

 Some parts of the bones chapel!

 The Budweis Budvar Brewery! 

The beautiful castle we saw on the way back from our trip!

I am traveling to Dublin and Greece for the next few weeks before heading back to America. More to come on that and my overall experience being a European student 

For the last couple of months!

~Until next time!

Last Week "Home"

Dobry Den!

I am sad to say it is officially the end of my last full week living in Olomouc, Czech Repulbic.

A little about my week:

After getting back from Krakow, there was a full week ahead of all of us, with something to do just about every single day (except for Monday) (other then blog writing :-)

Tuesday, after class, we had a PowerPoint about Nebraska/American culture set up, ready to be presented to those of the student body who decided to come and learn about our home state and country. Half of the group did the talking part while the other half of the group helped provide the jello shots and vegetables with ranch dressing. The presentation was located inside of a little underground pub close to the rooms we are staying at. The American party lasted about an hour and a half and it was fun to sit back and see people from other countries react to various differences in our culture!

Wednesday, we had a day trip to a town within the Czech Republic. I do not remember the name of the town - which is okay because Jan took us and he said its even difficult for Czechs to pronounce it and that we were not obligated to remember :) Anyway, we visited a castle and a garden with some free time at the end of our trip to grab some lunch wherever we chose. Dan, Jessica, Lily, Lydia, Hannah and I all decided to grab lunch at a restaurant with table outside. Most of us got chicken schnitzel with potato salad/ fries. The meal was so filling but that didn't stop us from grabbing some 50 cent ice cream cones across the street. It was the best soft served ice cream I have ever had!

Thursday, marked the day of our final test. We were to go to class and then at the end of the day we were accompanied my Jan and Martin who administered the tests for us. We were assessed on our knowledge of Czech history and culture as well as the books we read to take these courses as well as our opinion on the various topics throughout the timeline of the making of what the Czech Republic is today. Following the final was a garden party right outside of the history building (where we take our classes) It was Harry Potter themed and I LOVE HARRY POTTER so I loved the atmosphere. People got really into it, I saw someone dressed as Voldemort and many people were just dressed as Hogwarts students and their outfits were so on point and looked exactly the way they do in the movies -- I was very impressed. Also a toilet in the girls bathroom had a picture of Moaning Myrtle on it and then and there i knew I could die happy.

That night there was two very small grills and Clark came in clutch and made the burgers for all of us Americans there. Yes, we brought burgers.  (Not as good as the local beef we get in Nebraska but it was a long time coming, some grilled burgers really hit the spot that night) There was music playing,  lawn chairs and picnic tables, people grilling food, the sun was setting and eventually became dark, beers were being sold for like 30 koruns which is a like a buck 25...and also we got to make s'mores!!! It took forever but we finally got to whip out the chocolate and half white half strawberry marshmallows and Belvita crackers. Yes some of the ingredients sound strange but we had to make do with what we had since they don't sell all white marshmallows or graham crackers here. So, next time you see a foreigner in America who has never had a s'more before...maybe be a little sympathetic since their stores DONT EVEN SELL THE INGREDIENTS. Lol... I am getting way too emtional over the fact that the children here are deprived of such a delicious treat. Okay, anyway....the garden party was amazing I loved it and things like that; being with friends and getting to experience little things that remind you of home - making it feel like home. I am going to miss this place.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I had time to myself. Originally, I planned on going to London with the gang but, there were some mishaps along the way and thats another story in itself...

I ended up staying in Olomouc and exploring the city alone - doing things I normally do with friends like go to the mall, or the store or eat at the cafes. It was nice to experience it by myself at the end of the trip - walking into a place and people not knowing I wasn't a local. I could get away with being Czech here for a littlt bit when I knew the right words to say !!! - Thanks to our Czech professor, Katka! <3

 We had to wear slipper in the castle we visited. We all got a kick out of them. It was funny because we have all gotten so used to visiting ancient, immaculate castled throughout this trip yet this was out first time being told to put on slippers. I guess we were the peasants in a place of royalty. It was fun.

 

 Moaning Myrtle just hanging out in the bathroom! Go away, myrtle and stop moaning.

 Professor Martin on the Daily Prophet....or shall I say...Severus Snape? I can see the resemblance.

This week we will be visiting Bohemia as our last trip together as a group.

Then, I will be off to Dublin and Greece!

Until Next Time! ~

POLAND

Dobry Den! ....or shall I say Czesc?

I know I say this is some way or another, very often but - I was so pleasantly surprised with my trip to Krakow this past weekend. Yes, guys, another trip where I expected very little and received very much!

Our last trip to Poland was the trip to Auschwitz, so immediately I did not anticipate a joyous, upbeat weekend - that's for sure. There is a lot to discuss so lets Krak down and get into it! (that pun isn't as funny on the screen as it was in my head)

On Friday we had gotten up bight and early (to sleep on the bus for a few hours) to head to Poland! As I said before, we were visiting Krakow. And as I have also said before, I didn't know what to expect. I will say though, this trip was one I was not entirely enthused to participate in, before leaving. I had not really heard much about Krakows attractions, nightlife, or present culture - so I was blind to mostly everything, going into this field trip.

We arrived to Krakow at noon and our first stop before going to the hostel was the salt mines. One percent of the salt mines in Krakow is made into a tourist attraction called Weilczka. This was hands down one of my favorite things we have done for school. Our tour guide was funny, we were able to lick the walls of the mines to taste the salt, the air smelled so clean, it was fascinating seeing the working conditions of the miners back then, and most of all it showed us how amazing the earth really is (along with human intelligence). Without those two things, how would we have salts? idk

My favorite part of the mines was definitely the chapel as it was created in 70 years by three different men who happened to be brothers - it is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I also loved hearing about how they kept horses down there and seeing how there is mass every week in the beautiful chapel of the salt mines hundred of feet below ground.

One other thing I loved about the very first day was noticing how cheap everything was. The culture in Krakow is even cheaper than in Olomouc. It's so crazy to think it can get even cheaper. 

Saturday we had seen the castle as well as been introduced to the main square of Krakow. I loved the main square because it was like the Easter Markets that I had mentioned were in Prague and Olomouc but Poland had the same thing just with their own little twist! Each city has their own little twist on their markets and Poland had a lot of sausages, crepes, slushies, jewlry boxes, and floral dishes! It was so much fun walking around. I loved the culture.

Sunday had consisted of walking through Schindlers factory and walking around. Schindler factory was the coolest museum I have ever been to in the way that it was so modern yet walking through it made you feel like you were there in the moment of time when the Jews were being taken from their homes and forced to pack one suitcase to live out of for, literally, the rest of their lives.

I will never get over the fact that I have stood on the grounds where such torture has happened less than 100 years ago and call the time I am having "amazing" and "fun". It definitely is so eye-opening and surreal to being seeing places like this - I will never me more thankful of the life I was given than I am when I am seeing places like Auschwitz, Schindler's Factory, or even just roaming around the Jewish Quarters. - it will always be unforgettable.

Sunday, after our trip to Krakow and our little pit stop to Burger King!!!!!! we finally made it back home (to Olomouc) safe and sound :)

 I wish I would have gotten a better picture of the chapel, but we had to pay to get a picture from the best view - so here is a free photo I took of the chapel walking down the stairs. Mind you, this is hundreds and hundreds of feet underground in the SALT MINES. This was built by three men in 70 years, who had nothing but candles to see....its so crazy to me.

 demonstration of a duty of some of the workers in the mines

Little things to expect at the markets in Krakow! Not sure why I didn't buy one of these.

Until Next Time!

Spring Break 2k16: A Childhood Dream Come True (and then some)

The idea of Spring Break for most college students (that I know of) entails going to the hottest SB beach of the year and partying for four + days straight. Its true they even made a movie about it. So, needless to say when going on Spring Break in America, usually everyone has a the same idea.

I have never had the opportunity to take on Panama City, Padre, Cancun, etc. on spring break before. I think last year I went I went out on a limb and left my hometown for a day to hit up the Gretna mall in Nebraska. It was crazy.

This year I went to Rome, Italy and Barcelona, Spain for SB2k16. You know, just for the week it was no big deal or anything. (It was actually the biggest deal of my entire life) (literally, I think i spent less than one would to go party in a town across the country in America) (huge deal)

Anyway, the title of this blog is "a childhood dream come true" and an adults spring break also being the dream come true of a child - sounds real strange, stick with me -

For any of you who lived during the 2000s and KNOW WHAT DISNEY CHANNEL IS....may be able to take Rome/Barcelona + Disney and finally put two and two together. Yes, that's right, I was Lizzie McGuire and a Cheetah Girl all in one week. Now, for those of you who still aren't picking up what I'm laying down, I can't really spell it out anymore than I am so pull out your wallets because I'm giving you a couple links to make the best purchase of your entire life.

https://www.google.cz/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=mMgnV-CRB-ik8wfHgpb4Ag&gws_rd=ssl#q=lizzie+mcguire+movie&tbm=shop&spd=13581135465274811356

 https://www.google.cz/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=mMgnV-CRB-ik8wfHgpb4Ag&gws_rd=ssl#tbm=shop&q=cheetah+girls+2&spd=8058443674121391682

Okay, but all jokes aside -- I really am so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to travel places I never would have even imagined could be possible at such a young age - and to finally go somewhere outside of the Midwest for Spring Break for the first time in my life was actually  pretty cool, to me.

Our Break officially started in Venice, Italy - as that was our where we had be set free after our field trip. Lily, Hannah, Jessica, Lydia and I all decided to stay in Venice one extra day before heading off to Rome. Venice was such an unforgettable place, and we didn't want to leave - quite frankly, but at the same time we were so ready to explore other parts of Italy and also pretend to be Lizzie McGuire.

We took a train to Rome and once we got there we did the usual - walked around for about an hour to get to a place that was actually a 10 minute walk. We are not the best with directions ( I am the worst) so usually I just sit back and let everyone else take the credit for getting lost. (Love you Lily) Anyway, we made it to the hostel (so we thought) and for a hot minute or 7 we legitimately thought our hostel was a scam because we didn't understand where it was. There was no title on the door or anything but eventually we realized which door to go through and got to our room! Once we got settled in we were ready to explore for the weekend. By the time we were there, we had time to get dinner and then walk around during the evening to get a feel of the city before exploring for the next couple of days.

We got a huge meal for like 10 bucks right on the corner of the street we were staying on (which is better than a small meal for 10 bucks in Venice). We then walked around and honestly just seeing everyone on their scooters riding around town as the sun was setting was the perfect way to end the traveling day.

So this blog isnt too long (like most of mine) I am just going to give the jist of what we did in Rome.

 We got to see the Trevi fountain!!! This is a place where you through money into the fountain and make a wish and then that wish is bound to come true! In the Lizzie McGuire Movie, the fountain looks a lot bigger and emptier but in real life it is pretty packed. The architecture is so immaculate and mesmerizing. That goes for, honestly, any building that stands in Rome. The city is Ancient and I love seeing myself wanting to learn about history for the first time in my life. I had never been a huge fan of it (as I have mentioned before) but,  you can't help but appreciate and wonder about the people who had lived and wandered in the same place that you are standing today. It's surreal being in such an Ancient place.

 This photo of me is the most unflattering yet most accurate photo of my life. (gelato)

With that being said, my friends and I had the opportunity of visiting the famous Colosseum. - This is is also known as The Flavian Amphitheater...it is has been standing since 72 AD. This was help for Gladiator contests, animal hunts, battles, etc. I could not believe I stood where so many people cheered for death. It was crazy to sit there and think that's what people had done for fun - instead of watching friendly games of football on their free weekends, they all gathered to watch battles of criminals who fought to their death.

Rome also had many other attractions (dont worry, we got super tourtisty and got a ticket on the tourist bus, sat on the roof and rode around rome) It was actually pretty relaxing.

The rest of our trip included Vatican City, lots of walking, seeing lots of romance, and too many streetvenders  getting all up in our bidnis. Being Lizzie Mcguire for a day and the Italian gelato had been oh, so good to us but I still wanted to see what Barcelona had in store.

Okay here we go....Barcelona has been my favorite place I have ever been in my life so far, so I am going to try and keep this part to a couple of paragraphs so we will see how I do -

The plane ride to Barcelona and the little sleep that we got the night before had us so tired and ready to just get checked in to our hostel. We got there and into our rooms much more smoothly than usual, which was so nice.

The first day, all we wanted to do was lay out on the beach. I had never been to the ocean before this trip  and either had Lydia, so we were so excited for this part...however the wind the very strong and the temperature was very chilly that day. The sun had gone behind the clouds as we had been walking and of course all of us decided to wear shorts and tank tops while everyone in Barcelona was dressed in pants and boots. If I remember correctly, I was even carrying a bright pink towel so, if someone told you to find the group of American girls on their way to the beach - you could spot us from a mile away. yolo

We made a few stops on the way and, to be honest, I was just ready to head back. I was tired and wanted my first time at the beach to be ideal...so we started to head back (that is what I thought we were doing) but then all of a sudden we hit the sand and I just remember Lydia and I took off running to put our feet in the water...

I am not kidding when I say this was easily the happiest moment of my entire life! I can not stress enough how much I have always wanted to swim in the ocean (YES I KNOW I WAS ACTUALLY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, SAME THING)

We all swished our feet in the water but then I eventually took off my clothes and swam with my suit on in the freezing cold water because life is short and I wanted to feel as free as could be...

Eventually all of the other girls joined in on the stupidity and swam with me in the cold water and I will never forget that moment of just feeling free and 100% happy with my life. I could have stayed there all day. And night. It was so relaxing frolicking around in the water and hearing the ocean waves...nothing can beat it.

Sadly we had to head back to our hostel (soaking wet, yes) I had that hot pink towel tho! that seemed to dry all of us off half way. lol

I have past 2 paragraphs by a lot so here is the jist of what we did in the next 3 days:

1. went on a sky tour of the city. Basically rode in a big bubble across the city, it was the dopest view.

2. hopped off the sky tour and hiked up a mountain to get an even more dope view.

3. Went to the Park De Guell to be the Cheetah Girls

4. Tried to see the colorful fountain show thing (twice) even though lily took us on a night that it didnt show and then the next night after it showed. LOL oh the memories

5. walked like 90 miles b/c Barcelona is GINORMOUS

6. (my favorite part) finally layed on the beach on a sunny day and listened to the waves. It was so peaceful and happy with all of the smiling people around us.

7. went on a pub crawl (of course)

The Spring break was so eventful and I know I missed a lot of points but that is mostly what I had to say!

Barcelona was a breath of fresh air in the way that it had many familiar things like Spanish, and very good English, lots of good shopping and a beach! The city was clean and the traffic was very organized so certain little things reminded me of back home. Barcelona is the first city that I have seen that I not only fell in love with, but could see myself living someday. Spring break this year was the best spring break of my life for sure. Can I go to Europe for break every year? My bank account says no but I beg to differ.

Until next time ~