A Final Farewell

In three days time, I will no longer be living out of a suitcase, parading around Europe like I own the entire continent. I will no longer be able to enjoy the sweet sound of another language coming out of my waiter's mouth, nor the puzzled looks said waiter gives me when I order in English. I will no longer be able to fly to three different countries for less than a train ticket, nor heave a heavy suitcase on my shoulder in order to sprint to the bus that I am already 15 minutes late to. I will be at home, back in Nebraska, with only my souvenirs, my pictures, and my memories to remind me of the last three months. It is a bittersweet feeling. On the one hand, I love traveling around Europe. The amazing history that permeates throughout the streets of every little town and village, the friendly faces of friends and teachers that helped to make our semester abroad a trip to remember, and the wonderful food, oh god the food, will be steeped in my memories for a long time coming. However, on the other hand, it will be good to get back home, to see loved ones and relatives and to finally shave my face (my trimmer broke two months back and I look like a bedraggled homeless man now). I will miss the majestic buildings and beautiful architecture of the cities we've visited. I will miss the small laughs our professors made when we attempted to speak Czech to them. I will miss the long bus rides with friends as we chat and laugh and sleep like a family all our own. This semester has taught me a lot, not only about the Czech Republic and its neighbors, but about myself as well. I came into this experience hoping for a break from the hustle and bustle of life back home, a pause in my newly begun adult life. While this trip did succeed in that aspect, it also taught me that while I may not have everything planned out at this point, there is always time to take a break and enjoy the world for what it is while I still can. To worry about the future is to not live in the present, and the present is what counts because there is no guarantee of tomorrow. As I sit in a Viennese hostel, the lost stop on our three month journey, it is hard not to recall all the great and not so great memories of the last few months. From stepping on to that plane in Scottsbluff amid teary goodbyes from my parents three months ago to me stepping on the plane in Vienna in three days, it feels as if the trip of a lifetime has come around full circle. And yet there is still so much to do. The last few days I have in Europe, I will be exploring the beautiful city of Vienna. Museums, art exhibits, cafes, and of course the hostel to write the 12 pages of homework I put off til the end of the semester (please someone, kill me now). It has been a long time coming, and yet here we are at the end of our journey and it still hasn't sunk in just how close we really are. Three days, that's 72 hours (minus a few) and I will be boarding a plane, headed back for the states and a home that seems so very far away right now. It will be good to see those I love and cherish once more, but still I feel that sinking feeling in my chest that tells me that my heart will again yearn for Europe once I am stateside again. It'll be strange not being able to order beer at dinner, buy plane tickets for nine dollars, or catch a tram to the city center. It will take some adjusting when I return home. Having my own vehicle and being on my own time schedule will be a nice change. However, I already know I will be back to Europe sometime in the future. The continent is far too interesting and filled with history for me not to want to return. And with that, my blogs are complete. No more intricate details about everyday life abroad, no more stories of vomit or random acts of violence. I am homeward bound, but I promise to return one day and finish my tour of the continent that has held my interest for the last six years.

Prague

     Prague, the crowning jewel of the Czech Republic. A bustling city with crowds of visitors and far too many tourists to count. It is a beautiful city full of history. When I heard at the beginning of the semester that our group would be headed to Prague for a class trip, I was ecstatic. I had wanted to visit the city since I learned about it on my last trip to Europe (which unfortunately never visited the city). I was not disappointed. The city was far more beautiful than I could have ever thought, and the architecture was amazing. I know I've said that a lot throughout my blogs, but at one point in my past I wanted to be an architect so please forgive me for geeking out over beautiful buildings.

     At one point, we visited a large church (the name of which escapes me at the moment). From the outside, it didn't look that impressive, especially when compared with other religious monuments like the Vatican. However, looks can be deceiving and inside the church opened up into one of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen. I am not the religious type, but let me just say if my church were held here, I'd go every Sunday. Not only were the ceiling beautifully arched and tall as a mountain, there were also some of the most ornate and beautiful mosaic window panes I think I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. They were beautiful, and my only regret is that we went to the church on a partially cloudy day so the full effect of the artists handiwork was not in its full splendor. Even without light streaming in, which would have been amazing, the works still took my breath away, and I think I took a picture of almost every one of the murals. I have been to many art museums while abroad, seen everything from VanGoh to DaVinci , and yet the art that probably impressed me the most was little bits of colored glass pasted together in a beautiful church in the heart of Prague.

     While in Prague, we also visited a centuries old graveyard for Jewish families which doubled as a memorial for those Czech Jews who were taken during the Holocaust, never to return. The memorial was a large building, an old Mosque that had been taken over during the Nazi invasion. the walls of the building were covered in names, the names of those victims of the Holocaust taken from Czech lands. The building, mind you, was not small. It was a multi level affair. And on all of the walls, so thick it looked like paint when viewed from more than a few feet away, were the names of thousands upon thousands of Jewish people, Jewish families, entire Jewish communities, that were wiped out during the Holocaust. Out back was the graveyard, used for centuries before the Holocaust ever took place. The gravestones stood crooked and at awkward angles, giving it the appearance of a typical haunted graveyard you might see in a horror movie. Doug told us that people were buried here one on top of the other, with entire generations of families being buried in the same spot. It was a solemn occasion as we trundled through the looping path of the graveyard, which never seemed to end. It just kept winding behind buildings, revealing more and more graves as we walked. It was eerie, but also incredibly interesting taking a step back into a time before smartphones, before airplanes and cars, sometimes even before electricity.

      Prague's Jewish quarter houses one of the worlds oldest Mosques still in use. It was a tiny, dimly lit building that housed the relics that Jewish people use for worship in a cellar like basement. It was quite cramped, as the entire building wasn't much more than one room with chairs and a podium for the rabbi and those worshiping. It was an interesting place to be, especially knowing that it was still used fairly regularly by those Jewish people living in Prague today. Our final stop was another mosque, this time with a much darker back story. This was one of the few surviving mosques that Hitler left standing in Prague. In a show of triumph over his heinous deeds, Hitler was in favor of turning the Mosque into a museum for the people he wiped off the face of the earth. There were many different artifacts from all over Europe that German soldiers had stolen from Jewish houses and placed in the museum to commemorate the race that would be no more. Thankfully, Hitler did not fully enact his plan, but it still was a solemn place to be, seeing just how truly disgusting the Nazi regime was.
     With all the museums and mosques visited, it was time to wish Prague adieu. It was an interesting trip, to say the least, and one of the last we would take as a class this semester. It marked not only the start of the countdown to the end, but also the last major trip we would take in the Czech. From here, it was only Vienna waiting for us, not counting the impromptu trip to Bratislava the following weekend, but that's a story for a different time.

An unplanned trip to Bratislavaaa!!!

     It was 1 a.m. on Thursday night. I was getting prepared for bed, watching YouTube while I brushed my teeth and contemplating what I would do over the weekend. Although talks of going to Spain or Venice had taken place earlier in the month, weather and high airline costs made us ditch those plans. I figured we'd just stay around Olomouc after those plans fell through. Boy, was I mistaken. As I shut off my overhead light and lay down to sleep, a loud knock came at my dorm door. With a sigh, I got up, turned on the light, and answered the door. Sheyenne was standing there impatiently tapping her foot to the beat of the music playing in her earbuds. "The girls need to talk to you," she said as she walked off to talk to Nick and Kody. "You all leave in a couple hours." Leave? Leave where? Before I could ask her, Sheyenne disappeared into Kody and Nick's room. Begrudgingly, I trudged across the hall and knocked on the other girls' door. Bree answered with an eye-roll and a look that said 'get me out of this room before I kill someone'. As I came around the corner, I saw why. Bailey and Ashley were sitting there gabbing away excitedly about the surprise trip they had booked for us all of four hours before our bus left the station. We were headed for Bratislava at 6 a.m. the next morning. Not at all surprised by the lack of preparation by our group of procrastinators, I wished them all a good night and headed back to my room. After a quick pack, I took a much needed rest for the three hours I had remaining. I was awoken the next morning to a text from Ashley asking where I was. I had overslept my alarm and our bus was leaving in less than 20 minutes. Hurriedly, I changed, grabbed my bag, and hopped on a tram to the bus station. Breathlessly, I met the others just in time in front of our bus and we were away.

     Now, just to clarify for those that don't know, Bratislava is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. They speak a very similar language to Czech with a few minor differences, but their attitudes are completely different. Where Czech people typically keep to themselves and seem rather uptight, Bratislava is a party town. Clubs on every corner, hostels up the wazoo, and bars everywhere. The hostel we ended up staying at was called the Wild Elephant, and it carried this motif of party right along with the rest of the city. It's a tiny little hostel above a Mexican restaurant right off the main square. It's run by other travelers and students to the university. The lobby smelled of weed and the patrons were tatted and pierced, with hair all different shades of the rainbow. It was most definitely a party hostel. Art of (shall we say) interesting taste covered the walls, signed by those who had come before. After paying the down payment, the receptionist took us to our room, which was a large room with 20 bunk beds in it. We would be staying in this room with 20 other people who would come and go at all hours of the night and day, with only one shower to share between us all. Needless to say this was not my type of place, but I think it was a good experience to stay in an actual hostel environment at least once while in Europe. Upstairs was a bar and a room for drinking games or lounging. It was definitely an interesting place. After unpacking our stuff, we went out on the town to get food and look at the Christmas markets that had sprung up in the town center.

     Since we were in Bratislava anyways, we decided to join in the fun and experience the night life the city had to offer that first night. Bad idea on my part but we'll get to that. We joined a pub crawl the hostel was hosting, which started in the upstairs bar. I had a few drinks playing some games, then came the wheel of fortune. This hostel's bar gave away free drinks to anyone who spun a little wheel on the wall. The prizes ranged from free shots to a nude-y run through the hostel, with lots of other similar things thrown in the mix. Bailey spun first and had to kiss someone. A few other people spun and then Bailey talked me and Ashley into spinning, even though we were gonna split whatever we got. As the wheel spun in a blur of color, I prayed to the almighty that I wouldn't have to nude-y run, even if Ashley said she'd do it with me if it came to that. Thankfully, it landed on a free shot, but this is where the real trouble came in. This shot they gave us was a good 70% alcohol and felt like drinking gasoline. It sat in my stomach weird and I immediately felt sick. However, I've never thrown up from drinking before, so I figured another shot of something better would settle my stomach down. Wrong choice. Before the second shot even had a chance to slide down my throat, I puked my guts up on the floor, splashing everyone in the vicinity with vomit (I don't think Bree will ever let me live that one down). Hoping I could make it to the bathroom all of ten feet away, another gag led to me vomiting again on the floor just outside the bathroom, which was lucky because there was a few people waiting in line inside that definitely would have had their night ruined by some random dude puking on them. After making it into the bathroom, I once again ralphed, this time in the sink as someone was using the one stall available. However, after that I felt much better. I cleaned myself up and attempted to unclog the sink, but was told by the management that their night staff would do it. I went down to our room and sat on the bed, feeling kind of shitty. However, Bree, Ashley, and Bailey were still planning on going out and I didn't feel comfortable leaving them on their own as I know how Bailey can get when she drinks. So I told everyone I was done drinking for the night and would go along as a caretaker. The rest of the night was pretty uneventful but fun, as we visited three bars and danced the night away at one of Bratislava's many clubs. Needless to say we didn't do another pub crawl.

     The next morning got off to a slow start, as the hangovers were rough for the girls. However, we ended up meeting up with a free tour of the city which actually turned out to be really interesting. We visited lots of memorials and some of the cities most well known landmarks, like a castle at the top of a hill that offered some great views of the city and yet another Christmas market. We also visited a few churches and the ruins of another castle on a hill outside the city. This was probably one of my favorite stops during the entire weekend. The ruins were super cool and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous, although I may have lost a few fingers to frostbite since it was windy and cold the entire time we were up there. On Monday, we paid our remaining dues and headed back to Olomouc for the last time this semester, as we will be headed for Vienna and the end of our trip on Wednesday this week.

     For being a trip that wasn't planned, I actually had a lot of fun in Bratislava. Despite a few hiccups (no pun intended), the party vibe of the town and the interesting things we found to do made for a great last weekend in Europe.

A Return to Germany

     It was the summer of my sophomore year in high school. My bags were packed, my passport ready, and my snacks stacked high as I made my way through security at Denver International. I was stoked because I was going on a trip, not to a different state, but to an entirely different country. In just a few short hours, I would be thousands of miles away from home, living the life of a German. It was a lot for the mind of a young, immature high school student to take in. After watching at least three two-hour long movies, eating some questionable airline lasagna, and taking probably the most uncomfortable nap of my entire life, our humble little group of nine high school buddies and two 'Fraus' departed the plane in Germany, and my life hasn't been the same since. That trip (nearly three weeks abroad exploring Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and more) sparked a love for travel that would stay a part of me for three years and would eventually lead me back to the place where I first discovered my life long ambition of travel.
     If you would have told me back then that I would once again be exploring the German countryside, this time with a gaggle of close college friends, I would have probably called you insane. And yet here I was, walking the cobblestone streets of Wittenberg and Dresden, gabbing and laughing with Bree and Ashley as I attempted (however poorly) to translate what little German I recognized from high school for them. Arriving in Wittenberg after a 6 hour bus ride, we were all a little exhausted and ready for some good German cuisine. After checking into our hostel, which sat right behind the church in which Martin Luther of Lutheran fame is buried (which is one of the reasons we traveled to Wittenberg in the first place), we separated from the rest of the group and found ourselves a nice little restaurant with pleasant waitstaff. The elderly gentleman that served us spoke English quite well, although his understanding of some words seemed to be a bit lacking. For instance, towards the end of the dinner, Ashley became thirsty and asked the man for a glass of ice water. He looked a bit puzzled by her request, but went behind the bar and came back a few minutes later with a glass of ice water. As he set it down in front of Ashley, he apologized and admitted he wasn't quite sure if the beverage was what she was looking for. We collectively lost our shit after leaving the restaurant at the apparent difficulty in making a glass of ice water. In all fairness, that isn't a very common request in most of Europe, but it still just seemed so ridiculous we couldn't help but laugh.
    After a restless night on one of the flattest pillows I've ever slept on, the group congregated outside the large church in our backyard and began its tour of Wittenberg. Luther's church was much like many of the other churches we visited throughout the semester, small and quaint but with a lot of history hidden within its walls. This church in particular was especially important to a couple of the students as they were Lutheran. It served almost as a holy visit for those students, as they got to see the burial place of the man who founded their sect as well as the room in which he orated his 95 thesis. For those of us who had no idea what any of that meant, it was still a fairly cool church to visit, and the view from the top of the tower was beautiful. After the church, we walked to a museum built on top of an old portion of the town that had been buried for hundreds of years. This museum was essentially a love letter to Lutheranism, and it held all the history of the religion and its founders. Although I personally didn't care much for the museum as I am not particularly religious, I think it was good for those in the group that are Lutheran to see a bit of the history behind what they hear about in church every Sunday.

     Once we had finished the museums, we got some free time to explore the city. First, we found a cool little 'Eis Cafe' (essentially an ice cream parlor). The Germans do this interesting thing with some of their sundays where the push it through what looks like a Play-Doh mold and make the ice cream look like pasta. I remembered learning about it in German class, so I decided to try the real deal. Let me just say, that was some of the best ice cream I've ever had. It was vanilla ice cream squeezed into thin noodles topped with fresh strawberries and strawberry jam with shaved white chocolate as a finishing touch. If I hadn't know it was ice cream, I would have thought I'd ordered a bowl of spaghetti. Once I'd had my fill, it was off to the chocolate shops to find some German chocolate. German's take great pride in their chocolate, as they should, because it is damn good. However, its always best to be able to read German if you want to buy some authentic German chocolate. For example, I bought a little tray of what I believed to be chocolate covered pretzels. I love chocolate covered pretzels so I was really looking forward to it, but the instant I bit into the first morsel, my eyes teared up and I regretted my buying decision. Don't as me how they did it, but somehow this candy store had covered liquid rum in a chocolate ring. It was one of the worst surprises I think I've ever received. However, there was a silver lining. No one was aware of the nasty innards of the chocolate so I decided to play a trick on everyone with the remaining candies. I offered one to each of the other students. Bree was immediately suspicious and attempted to break the chocolate open to see what was inside, resulting in her dousing herself with sticky chocolate rum. Ashley took it enthusiastically and stuffed the entire thing in her mouth. I could see the moment she realized it wasn't what she expected as the juicy innards gushed into her mouth and she gagged with a look of dread and betrayal in her eyes. Nick decided to take a bite of half the candy, and as the rum dribbled down his chin, he rushed to the trash can to spit the chocolate out of his mouth. Kody saw all of this and immediately threw his away without even attempting a taste and Sheyenne just watched laughing as she got lucky and doesn't like chocolate to begin with. I feel a bit bad about the nasty prank, but then again, it was absolutely hilarious and the reactions were priceless.

    From Wittenberg, we traveled to Dresden. Dresden is a much bigger city than Wittenberg, and has some interesting history of its own. During World War II, Dresden was firebombed by the allies. This means that many of the buildings in and around the city are simply recreations of what used to be there from reconstruction efforts since the end of the war. However, some scars are still visible to visitors. Many of the more historical sites, like the large Lutheran church in the center of the city, still have some of the original stones that were used in the reconstruction. It was cool to see the pristine new stones next to the charred, black stones from the original building. Those buildings that didn't need to be completely replaced also bore scars from the raid, looking black and charcoal-y from the immense heat of the bombs.

     Dresden also housed some interesting museums. One displayed the history of warfare, with an entire section dedicated to the animals of war, which was extremely depressing but also very interesting. Apparently, back in the world wars, both sides used dogs as mini suicide bombers. They would strap bomb vests to the backs of dogs and teach them that treats could be found under tanks. The vest would trigger when the dog would go under the tank looking for these treats. Scientists also used animals for testing of lethal gases and medicines. There was a stomach turning video of a cat exposed to the gas used in the gas chambers at Auschwitz and other concentration camps. It was really hard to watch as the cat pleaded for help as it coughed up its own lungs and eventually died an agonizing death. With that bit of sunshine out of the way, the rest of the museum was very interesting, especially to me being the huge history nerd I am. There was a whole display of letters and such that soldiers' families sent them not knowing their kids were dead or missing. It was a somber experience, but an interesting one nonetheless. The other museum we visited was an art museum. Although the art portion was pretty boring, the museum had a beautiful garden area that we sat and chatted in for a couple hours, just enjoying the scenery.

     With that, our journey to Germany came to an end. It was another 6 hour bus ride back to Olomouc and then time to start packing for Prague.
   

A different country, a different culture

After spending nearly three months abroad, I can confidently say that there are many differences between the cultures of European countries and the culture of America. Money, travel, food, everything is on a different level, and it makes for an interesting maze for American tourists to work through. Of all these hurdles perhaps the most frustrating is the language barrier. Sometimes it seems as though there are no two countries on this big blue ball that speak the same language. Fortunately for American tourists such as myself, many European countries teach English as a second language in grade school, although that doesn't mean everyone will retain the language in their adult lives. Communicating with those who speak little to no English usually ends up being a display of a persons best impressions of a mating dance, with incoherent grunts interspersed periodically with exaggerated hand movements and desperate looks to surrounding faces for any form of help. It's an interesting display if nothing else. I have found that usually the best way to communicate with those who are unfamiliar with your language is to use very basic words and understand that some visual representation of whatever it is you want may be necessary. For instance, if one were to order in a restaurant, a combination of pointing to menu items and describing what food you want slowly and methodically usually produces the best results.

Another interesting difference between American and European customs can be seen clearly in the way restaurants operate. For the most part, American restaurants offer free ice water with almost any meal, and only those drinks you order specifically are paid for. Wait staff is also usually pretty timely, checking up on their tables periodically and being quick to return with the check when the meal is over. Tips are essentially mandatory in the states, as waiters live on them. Europe does things a little differently. Water is only brought on request and usually has a charge, which usually is more than that of a beer. Ice is almost non existent, and refrigeration is used sparingly so get used to drinking lukewarm beverages (yes, that includes beer). Coffee is brewed black, and the fru-fru drinks of American coffee shops are not usually on the menu. Wait staff is usually quick to get your order, sometimes coming to take orders within five minutes of a person sitting down. This means you have to be quick in your decision making. After the food is brought, however, waiters and waitresses seem to enter another realm and are not seen again until it is very clear that you are done eating. Unlike American restaurants that would bring the check as soon as the plates are cleared, European restaurants allow you lots of time to just sit and talk and will only bring you the check when you make awkward eye contact with the wait staff for the tenth time in a row or they need your table for another customer. There have been a few times I have been tempted to dine and dash as it has taken nearly half an hour to get the attention of the waiter to receive the bill, which is fine unless you're on a time limit during a trip. Fortunately, I am far too scared of ending up in a Czech prison to follow through with these urges.

One of my favorite stories from this trip features a breakdown of communication and the prominent differences between American and European customs, set in Germany. On our first night in Wittenberg, Ashley, Bree, and I came across a cute little diner and decided to stop in for a bite. The waiter was very nice and actually spoke pretty decent English, so ordering our food and drinks proved to be a very easy task. The problem came after the meal was over. As we were finishing up our food, Ashley started complaining of being thirsty. She'd already finished the drink she'd ordered with dinner and was just craving a glass of ice water (remember this). When the waiter returned to clear our plates, she asked him for a glass of water with ice. He looked a little perplexed but seemed to understand well enough and asked her if she wanted it carbonated or still. When he returned with the glass, he held it out from his body as if it were some kind of poisonous substance with a bewildered look on his face. He set it down in front of Ashley and proceeded to explain that he was unclear if this was the correct drink as he'd never heard of ice water before. We found this absolutely hilarious, as it is such a common staple of American restaurants that we couldn't believe someone had never heard of ice water before. It made for a pretty great end to that meal, and I just wanted to thank that waiter for one of my favorite stories from this trip.

Auschwitz and Schindler's Factory

     Coming off a hectic few weeks traveling around Europe, a relaxing week in Olomouc was a nice change of pace. Attending class after three weeks off was a bit difficult, especially so for the Czech language course as it is very difficult to retain a different language without using it for such an extended period of time, but me and the others made it work. On Wednesday, I came down with a bad cold and decided the best course of action was to quarantine myself in my room to avoid spreading the plague. It was during one of my many naps that day that I received a text from Ashley. She and Bailey had found an interesting looking tour of Oskar Schindler's factory in Krakow, Poland. Best part was, it was free. It was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. So plans were made to head to Poland for the weekend. While searching through other things to do in the area, we realized Auschwitz was also fairly close, so we decided we would take a more educational journey and visit the notorious death camp as well as Schindler's factory. Needless to say, it wasn't going to be a weekend of fun and happy memories, but it was a trip we all felt we needed to take to pay respects to all those who lost their lives during one of the world's darkest chapters of history. 

     The trip began with a Saturday train/bus ride to Krakow. While on the train, we met a fellow student from the states who was also visiting Auschwitz. It's true what they say, it really is a small world. After a slight panic attack because of a delayed train and a ten minute window to catch the bus, we were headed towards our final destination of Krakow. Luckily enough for us, the bus and train companies were the same, so the bus knew of the delay and was waiting for us when we got there. After arriving in Krakow, we walked to our Airbnb and dropped off our bags. After not eating all day, we decided the best course of action would be to take in the night life of the surrounding area and grab a bite to eat. We found a cute little restaurant that served traditional Polish cuisine and stopped in. I had a healthy portion of traditional Polish dumplings stuffed with lamb and drizzled with olive oil. After dinner and a quick walk around, we headed back to the Airbnb and decided to watch Schindler's List and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas to really put us in the mood for the next few days.

     Sunday started out early as we had a tour bus to catch into Auschwitz. The camp is about a twenty minute bus ride away from the city center of Krakow. After arriving at Auschwitz I, we met with our tour guide and began the tour. We took a walk through a few of the different barracks that the victims of the Holocaust used as homes. Each room was filled with relics leftover from the horrible deeds the Nazis carried out in the camp. A tangle of thousands of eyeglasses, a room full to the brim with pots and pans, and, probably most disturbingly, a very unassuming room that houses nearly two tons of hair from the victims of the camp. What blew my mind was just how much hair that would be, and just how many people that hair would have come to. We saw the execution wall, where innocent people would be shot for petty 'crimes' such as stealing a loaf of bread or talking back to a Nazi officer. In the states, you always hear about the horrors of the Holocaust, the numbers of people killed needlessly, but it always just stays something you read in a text book or heard from a lecture. The amount of human suffering really doesn't hit you until its staring you straight in the face. It's a trip that, while not pleasant, is something I think everyone should do sometime in their lives. The final stop in the first camp was the gas chambers. Although they were just replicas, as the Nazis had destroyed the originals in an attempt to cover up their egregious war crimes, the somber tone of the trip became palpable as we walked through in silence, paying respect to the millions of people who died in similar conditions. 

     Auschwitz II, Berkenau stands much as it did when the Nazis used it. Unlike Auschwitz I, which has been refurbished and is taken care of as a museum, Berkenau stands in ruin, a final resting place for millions and a warning to future generations to never let such needless bloodshed happen again. Birkenau is the location of the famous railyard gate photograph, a gate of death as our tour guide called it. The iron letters of 'Arbeit macht frei' stand looming over your head as you enter the camp. For miles, all you can see are the remains of the barracks where thousands upon thousands of Jews and other undesirables were held, just waiting for death. The stone chimneys are the only things remaining of many of these buildings, and they stretch almost to the horizon. The remains of gas chambers and crematoriums sit in shambles at the end of the rail yard, the place thousands went to meet their demise, many of whom didn't even stay in the camp and were just sent immediately to their deaths. A giant stone monument sits in between two gas chambers, with 24 engravings in 24 different languages representing every group of persons that was killed in the camp. Today, the camp has a strange yet serene beauty to it, with fall changing the leaves of the trees around the edges of the camp to bright oranges and yellows. If I wasn't aware of the atrocities that occurred there, I would almost be inclined to call the area beautiful. It was a sobering experience that I think will live with me for the rest of my life. 

     On Monday, we visited Schindler's factory. Oskar Schindler, for those that don't know, was a Nazi enamel ware factory owner that employed thousands of Jewish workers, marking them as needed and saving them from the death camps. If you haven't seen the movie Schindler's list, I highly recommend it as it does an amazing job of showing the life of the man who saved so many Jews. The factory, refurbished into an awesome and interactive museum, takes a walk through the daily life of not only Schindler's Jews, but also civilians in the Krakow region and even the soldiers of Nazi Germany in occupied Poland. It was very interesting, and at certain points in the museum, you received a note-card with information that you could stamp with real stamps from the time. It was an expansive museum that covered topics from the beginning of the war to the end. There is even a room that has original Nazi banners still hanging from it, as Schindler had to keep the Nazis from suspecting anything. It was an interesting end to our trip to Poland, and although solemn in nature, I had an interesting time learning about this dark period of human history.

*Sorry about the lack of photos for this post, but I did not take any as I felt uncomfortable taking any as it felt disrespectful to all those who died. 

     

London and Dublin and Paris, oh my!

      Well, its been a few hectic weeks. Fall break in Europe means travel, travel, and more travel. From Italy to England, Ireland to France, I've seen more of Europe in the past three weeks than I have seen of America. The trip began with a class trip to Rome. Rome is...an experience. Not the place to be if you have a fear of large masses of people or questionable sanitation. Despite the hustle and bustle of the city, the sights were unforgettable. Rome has a rich cultural and architectural history hiding within its busy streets. Giant palaces, ruins of ancient cities, and feats of human engineering that seem to defy all laws of physics. It was really cool to explore the city and its many historical monuments, like the Colosseum and the Pantheon. After five days exploring Rome and the surrounding Italian countryside, we split off from the others and began our real fall break. First stop was London.

      London was an absolute blast. Like a smaller, less crowded New York, London was a welcome departure from the grimy streets of Rome. Riding through the city on the top floor of a double-decker bus is probably the best way to get around London. The skyline of the city is beautiful, especially at night when everything is lit up. Although I didn't ride the London Eye (tickets cost like 50 dollars and I'm a cheap college students), it was still an experience standing at the base and looking up at the towering structure. Unfortunately, Big Ben was under construction when we were there, and only the face of the clock was visible behind all the scaffolding. Buckingham Palace was a quick stop on our sightseeing journey through London, as was Westminster Abbey. Although they were interesting, we didn't spend too much time for anything more than a couple pictures at these stops. All in all, London was an awesome experience and was by far one of my favorite stops during the break.

     Despite having a fairly good time in London, we did run into some trouble the second nights stay at the Airbnb. Shaken awake at 2am by Bree, I knew immediately that something was wrong. There was panic in her eyes and her hushed whisper had an intensity to it I'd never heard before. Then came the knocking. A man, probably drunk or on drugs of some sort, was pounding on the door of the apartment, screaming for the host to open the door so they 'could talk'. This went on for about a half hour, with the pounding becoming more intense to the point the man was throwing himself against the door trying to get in. He also tried to talk to us through the mail slot and the kitchen window, but luckily we had most of the lights off in the house and just stayed completely still hoping the man would lose interest before we had to call the cops. After a half hour of fear and panic, not knowing if the man would find a way into the home or not and arming ourselves with corkscrews and butter knives from the kitchen, the man left. It was an experience I hope to never have again.

     After our long night in London, a flight to Dublin cleared our heads with gorgeous scenery and amazing food and drinks. As one does in Ireland, I had to try a Guiness. While I am not a huge drinker, especially of beers, Guiness was a decent beer that I actually enjoyed quite a bit. Kudos to the Irish for knowing how to make a good beer. While Ireland was our shortest stop of the break, it was probably my favorite place we went. The countryside is beautiful and the people were nice beyond compare. The first day we did a lot of souvenir shopping in downtown Dublin. It was probably the cleanest city we visited. After a night in a cute little Airbnb apartment, we booked a tour to the cliffs of Moher. I have always been particular to craggy shorelines as I love the sound of waves as they crash against rock but these cliffs just took my breath away. The shear natural beauty of the area was astounding, and despite the dreary conditions we visited them in, the cliffs were still able to awe all three of us into near speechlessness. Also, shout-out to our tour guide Wes for being the best part of the trip. Probably one of the nicest guys you'll meet, he even offered to drive us to a pub after the tour was done since we had a few hours to kill before our flight to Paris.

     The final stop on our European tour was Paris and man did it start out with a bang. As we were heading for our Airbnb, we needed to get tickets for the metro. While trying to figure out the machine, a man came out of the blue and started beating the daylights out of a poor woman in line. He kicked, punched, and pulled her hair before eventually being torn off her by a couple bystanders. We were left speechless as we had been in Paris for less than an hour and already witnessed a physical assault. The most interesting thing about this story, however, was that the man worked for the metro line. We are not sure if the woman was a pickpocket or what, but it was definitely a very bizarre experience. After recovering from our shock, we quickly bought our tickets and boarded the train before we became the next victims of the metro man's rage.

      The Airbnb we stayed at was probably the nicest and most compact house I've ever stayed in. The host was super nice and even left us tea and snacks. Paris was a nice mix of Rome and London. It had all the amenities of London with the history and sight seeing aspects of Rome without the people and clutter. Seeing the Eiffel Tower in person was the experience of a lifetime. Exploring the catacombs of Paris was also very cool, as well as a bit morbid. To see how many people have lived and died in the city was a sobering experience. I would highly suggest seeing the Eiffel Tower at night around the hour as it does a little light show for onlookers every hour on the hour until 5 minutes past for the entire night. I would also suggest taking the stairs up to whatever floor may be open at the time because looking out at Paris at night is amazing.

Hungary for adventure

It was 8:30 in the morning. The wind was cold and the small jacket around my body did little to hold out the frigid air that surrounded me. Walking alongside Bree, Ashley, and Bailey to the bus stop, I regretted my decision to not pack a heavier jacket in my luggage. We sat huddled in front of the large billboard for a few minutes, touching shoulders to conserve as much heat as possible while we searched for the place our bus would be picking us up from. We were nervous and excited, hopeful we wouldn't miss our bus or its connection to Budapest after hearing about another group's unfortunate failure of a trip to Oktoberfest. Platform N at 9:25, that's where our bus would be. Now we needed to figure out what to do to keep warm for the next hour or so. After wandering around in a huddle of bodies for a while, we decided on getting a quick breakfast at the train station across the street. There I found one of the most surprising things I've had on this entire trip. While I have not been a huge fan of the central Europeans' choice in cuisine, I will give them credit and say that they have some damn good donuts. They are very unassuming, almost looking like cake donuts (which are far too cake-y for my picky tastes) but goddamn if that wasn't one of the best donuts I've ever had. It was light and fluffy just like a donut from the states, and the fruity frosting was the perfect amount of sweet to really wake me up.

After warming up over a cup of foam with a few drops of coffee as an afterthought (Europe, pick up your coffee game) and a good donut breakfast, it was time to board our bus. The trip to Budapest was a fairly uneventful 6+ hour bus ride, although Ashley and Bree forgot to mention to me before booking a bus that car sickness was a major problem for them. This meant I spent a majority of my time either sleeping or comforting some very uncomfortable and slightly nauseous friends. We had one connecting bus at Burno, with an hour or so layover where we once again sat huddled in a cuddle-puddle on a bench in a bus stop in the middle of the city. After another four hours on a bus, we pulled into Budapest. The most interesting part of the entire trip may have been where this bus dropped us off. In all the other cities we had been to, there had been actual buildings or at least a few benches that marked the bus stops. However, for whatever reason, in Budapest the bus company thought it'd be a great idea to just drop everyone off in a sketchy neighborhood right behind what looked like a murder field a gang might use. Needless to say we were a little sketched out.
As one must do when first visiting a city they've never been to, our little gaggle of friends rushed to the first restaurant with a free restroom (which is a lot harder to find in Europe than you might think) and bought some lunch. This meant that our first taste of Budapest was a very American-centric burger restaurant. The burgers were actually pretty good, but it wasn't really the culture I was hoping to get from this trip. Next on the agenda was finding a way to our AirBNB. While we have been walking quite a bit in Europe, the  room was a good 3 hour walk away from where the bus had dropped us off, and we were already exhausted from the trip so a walk like that did not sound ideal. Luckily for us, a taxi service was operating out of a bus stop just a few blocks away from the restaurant. A very nice man helped us to get a taxi, although his kindness extended a little too far when he took Ashley's backpack off her back without her asking trying to put it in the back of the taxi and the rest of us expected him to just take off with it. Luckily he was just trying to help and we didn't have to chase down a pack thief.
After reaching the AirBNB, it was time to make plans for what to do in Budapest. Bailey had found an interesting sounding tour of the city called a Pub Crawl. Essentially, you pay a tour guide a set price and they take you around to the most popular clubs and bars in a city and give you free shots and beer, as well as teach you local drinking games and just try to give you the best time they can. It makes for a good time, although the night went a little south after someone who shall not be named had a little too much to drink and ended up having quite the time in a public restroom. Poor Bree was traumatized from that experience and it really sobered up the entire rest of the night for the rest of us. Ashley, although having a bit to drink herself, actually slipped into a psychologist mindset and may or may not have changed a young man's life for the better that night. The next day, after waking up around noon with non-alcoholic related headaches, we all decided it would be best to keep it very low-key for the rest of the day. We ate more food, visited a castle, shopped in a few tourist traps, and took a dip in Budapest's famous healing natural springs. We discussed going on a cruise of the river through the city but never ended up going through with it as we all decided a quiet night in the room sounded better.

Our final day in Budapest was, in my opinion, the best. I love looking at all the architecture that Europe has to offer, especially the old stuff from Gothic times, so our idea of visiting the castle district was right up my alley. I was not disappointed. The castle district is essentially a castle and small town square up on a hill overlooking the rest of Budapest. The architecture is beautiful, and right in the middle of all of it is a majestic Gothic church. Although we really wanted to see the inside, apparently the church was only open to locals when we eventually got around to seeing it. A guard at the door first told us to wait a half hour and it would be open once again, but after returning after the half hour waiting period and still not having access to the inner chambers of the church, the guard feigned ignorance and argued he couldn't even speak English, so we had to give up and leave without ever seeing the inside.

Our trip back to Olomouc was probably the most eventful part of the entire trip. After walking around all day, all four of us were ready to just sleep on the bus. However, at first we couldn't find the bus stop (remember, this stop was in the middle of a shady neighborhood in front of an empty lot). After locating it, we ate dinner at a nearby restaurant, although it took a while to find one since apparently everything in Europe closes by 7pm. After boarding onto the bus, Ashley and Bree once again started complaining about not feeling well, although this time we believed it was because of an oncoming cold. We once again stopped in Burno, but since it was 2am, the room we had used before was locked and it was far colder than the first time we had been there. We decided the best option would be to use a nearby train station for a restroom and a warm place to stay for the 2 hour layover. After walking in, however, we immediately regretted our decision. The station was under construction and looked nearly abandoned. There were long, dark hallways that seemed to lead nowhere, trains sitting abandoned on the tracks, and construction tools everywhere. Needless to say it was a close second to the sketchy bus stop in Budapest for most interesting public transport hub of the trip. Luckily we survived and made it back to Olomouc no worse for the wear considering we had been up, walking around for nearly 14 hours straight.

Czech-ing in!

For the first time in my life, I was alone. An hour and a half delay on a flight from Denver to Newark meant a missed flight to Prague and an unplanned trip to Lisbon, Portugal. As an aspiring foreign correspondent, it was a good lesson in life never going exactly to plan. After about eight hours in the Lisbon airport surrounded by foreign people and dialects I didn't understand, my flight from Lisbon to Prague departed and I was back on track. After a combined 14 hours on a cramped airline mixed with two hours of restless sleep and two shower-less days made for a trip that I was glad to be done with. Another two hour train ride under the supervision of mentor and trip dad Doug Biggs meant that I ended up at the dorms a full 12 hours after I was supposed to arrive, exhausted and ready for a hot shower.

After a hot shower and a good nights sleep, a tour of the city was in order. I was amazed at the beauty of the city. I have always loved looking at architecture and the buildings in Olomouc are some of the prettiest I have ever seen. Huge statues and grand churches pierce the skyline of Olomouc with their centuries old spires and pillars. A beautiful park with a creek winds its way through the center of the town, and the natural beauty of the area is accentuated by the towering walls on either side. Grand towers that look as if they had taken part in sieges are stained with years of graffiti. Hundred year old buildings open their giant wooden doors to ultra modern stores. Its as if one were to step back into medieval times, with the added benefits of WiFi and credit cards.

Some of the most fun I've had so far on this trip has been walking the cobblestoned streets with the other members of the group, chatting, laughing, and enjoying the beauty all around us, while avoiding birds as much as possible (sorry, inside joke). Suffice it to say that Europe so far has been amazing. The food is alright, the beer is about as sufferable as any American beer, and the Czech language requires a lot of spitting, but overall, the trip has been a blast. Taking in the culture from the local bars and dance clubs has been an experience I won't soon forget and I have enjoyed my first week in the Czech far more than any other trip I've ever taken.