Our first field trip of our semester
abroad was to the biggest city in the Czech Republic, Prague! It was a four-day
weekend, and just as we were growing accustomed to Olomouc, we left on
Thursday. It was a weekend of many lessons from our wonderful leaders Martin
and Jan. The first lesson was figuring out how to work the train system here in
Europe! Riding a train was a bucket list item I've always wanted to do, and I
finally checked it off. We learned how to buy tickets and find our way in the
stations. The trains were very comfortable and we got to sleep for most of our
2 1/2 hour rides.
On our first day there, we had about
an hour-long walking tour through New Town and Old Town in Prague. They are
essentially two different neighborhoods, which were originally different towns
but now have run together. After both of those, we ended the tour at the John
Lennon wall. It was incredible to see all of the graffiti, art, and quotes. The
wall is a symbol of peace and an outlet for those to speak up for what they
believe in. After the John Lennon wall we walked on Charles Bridge for a while
and took lots of pictures. That night, we decided to all hang out together and
play games. We ended up staying in our hostel rooms, and it was so much fun!
Never have I hung out with people from all different walks of life and enjoyed
myself so much. On Friday, we visited the castle and the cathedral in Prague.
The president resides here, and we got to witness a changing of the guards!
Both the cathedral and castle are architecturally breathtaking. On Saturday, we
all rose early to catch a train to Dresden, Germany. This was one of the last
places that the US bombed in WWII and it was so interesting to see all the
rebuilding and growth after the damage from the bomb. We also toured a Lutheran
Church, which was so nice to see, as I am Lutheran and it is different from all
of the Catholic Churches we have visited! The building itself was rebuilt after
the bomb with some of the bricks from the old building. Finally, we headed back
to Prague on Saturday evening for our last night in our hostel. On Sunday, we
toured the Jewish Quarters in Prague. It was a somber day and very upsetting to
see the names of something like 80,000 Jews who were killed. The Synagogue,
cemetery, and museum opened my eyes and left me speechless.
At the end of
the tour of the Jewish Quarters, we headed home to Olomouc. It was such a great
learning, bonding, and fun experience to be in Prague for a few days with my
class! I even got to see an old friend from UNK who was vacationing in Prague
at the same time. I am surprised every single day how amazed I am and how
blessed I feel to be here. Looking at our calendar in the future for other
trips and such, I cannot help but feel so fortunate for this opportunity to learn
in such a worldly way. It is an experience unlike any other! I left with a very
full and happy heart, and a noggin full of more interesting information about
the beautiful Czech Republic!
John Lennon Wall
Jewish Cemetery
Statue of Martin Luther, Lutheran Church
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