Brno, Czech Republic

BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC

Geography Fascination:

I really liked how we got to see a different side of Brno than any other city.  When we visited the Roma Museum, we were in the "ghetto" of the city.  It was so unique to anything we saw before.  This part was way run down and full of integration, especially with the Roma people in which we learned about in the Roma Museum we visited.  What also was fascinating was that the main public square was just passed the ghetto. It was not a gentle transition between the two. We basically crossed the street and a small park to the right, down a street and ba bammm-- the main downtown square for both tourists and the local citizens of Brno.

"Ghetto"

Brno Town Square

Favorite Academic Experience:

My favorite academic experience in Brno was visiting the Roma museum.. hands down.  It was so very interesting.  Going into the museum I did not know anything besides the typical stereotypes about the Gypsy people, and I sure ended up being ashamed of that! I learned so much about the Roma people specifically in Brno.  I did not realize there was such an integration with the Roma people, and discrimination in the Czech Republic.  The museum staff were so passionate about helping the Roma people of Brno, it was inspiring.  They were so welcoming and movingly educated each one of us on a topic we were clueless about.  I think everyone truely enjoyed this museum.  To top it off, the adorable little childrens' books made by Roma children in the area.  It was so nice of them.

Favorite Non- Academic Experience:

Hands down, I loved hanging by the lakeside the evening we arrived.  It was SO peaceful.  The "beach" really reminded me of home at the cabin.  It was a needed solitude.  Although we had plenty of silence laying by the lakeside, all my fellow classmates that were there bonded a lot!  We all enjoyed our time, and it was great to just sit!

Place To Eat:

A couple other people and I ate at a restaurant called Boulevard.  It was delicious and not too expensive!

Prague, Czech Republic

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

GEOGRAPHY FASCINATION:

I found the difference between new town and old town in Prague interesting.  New town in St. Wenceslas Square was much different than the old town square.  New town was much more modern and filled with shops of many kind: souvenir, Starbucks coffee, famous clothing stores, and more.  There were even cinemas and hotels right in the square which made it more tourist centered.  It was originally a horse market, so I also found that fascinating.  As for Old Town Square, it is the oldest and most important of the towns in Prague, and it was quite obvious why.  It is surrounded with historical buildings such as the Old Town City Hall with the famous Astronomical Clock, the St. Nicholas Church, and many houses and palaces of various architectural styles and colorful history. It has been a center of Prague Old Town since the middle ages, when it was a market place at the crossing of European merchants´ roads.  I liked both the squares for different reasons: the historical charms of Old Town and the necessary souvenir shops in New Town.

New Town Wenceslas Square

New Town

Old Town with Our Lady before Tyn Church

FAVORITE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE:

I loved visiting the John Lennon Wall.  The John Lennon wall is a place to memorialize John Lennon and all he stood for  It's supposed to be a place for peace, democracy, and self expression.  By just viewing the unique structure, I felt it definitely portrayed what it is supposed to.  It had beautiful artwork.  And I loved how it could be so personalized- you can write a note on it yourself, or enjoy viewing the Wisconsin Badger's Bucky! It was super cool.   I do wish we had a bit more time to enjoy it, though. 

FAVORITE NON- ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE:

My favorite non- academic experience was walking around on the hill at Prague Castle.  It reminded me a lot of the view from the castle in Edinburgh.  The sun was shinning and as I looked down at the beautiful city, I could have been convinced that I had entered the gates of heaven!  The view was so surreal I was convincing myself that it was unreal.  Up on the hill, along with the view, were some churches and other museums available,  I went into two churches.  Their history was unreal... I could only imagine what stories those walls could tell.  A very col thing happened while on the hill.  A homeless man was kneeling on the groundm, holding an empty cup obviously begging,  Lizzy didn't want her sandwich, so we decided to give it to this poor man,  She set it next to the man, the man looked up, smiled, said some beautiful words in Czech, did the sign of the cross, then prayed over it.  That was a moving experience and it made our hearts feel so big! 

FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT:

After the ballet we had dessert at a restaurant right across from the Prague Opera House.  It was so delicious!  I had pancakes with fruit and different kinds of ice cream.  I think everyone really enjoyed this dessert feast, so I definitely recommend stopping by next year. (:

 

 

Dresden, Germany

DRESDEN, GERMANY

 GEOGRAPHY FASCINATION:

I enjoyed the overall city of Dresden.  I felt like it used its public space in such an attractive way.  Whether it was a market square, outside the Zwinger Palace, a green space along a pedestrian street surrounded by trees with cobblestone paths, or a concrete space along a pedestrian street complete with fountains, I loved it.  This is something I think American can improve on.  Our public spaces aren’t always the most ideal, and in Dresden they were!  I also liked to see that the renovations and new buildings being built in Dresden were trying to reflect the culture and its history.  Although the city was bombed, the new buildings were built to preserve the style of its original architecture and culture.  Without construction like this, the city would not have as much of a unique feel to it.  

 FAVORITE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE:

My favorite academic experience in Dresden was seeing the Kunsthof Passage.  This was one of my favorite geography academic experiences on the trip.  I really enjoyed seeing this because it was not something that was hard to understand… the whole idea of a passage was quite obvious: they are made for locals to enjoy, and to have something uniquely special to them.  I enjoyed how it was not very touristy.  Although we did not get to hear it’s songs from the rain, it was raining enough where I could understand how beautiful it must be.  

  

FAVORITE EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITY:

My favorite non- academic experiences was hanging out at the A&O Hostel/Hotel’s Skybar.  Along with its great view of the city of Dresden, the drinks were good, and the sunsets were even better.  I just remember being so refreshed after the long days being able to take the elevator many floors up, order a drink, and admire the view.  It was a great place for everyone on the trip to hang out and to get to know each other better, since it was only just over a week into the trip.  Everyone on the trip went up there, if not once, every night like I did. 

Dessau/Leipzig, Germany

 DESSAU/LEIPZIG, GERMANY

GEOGRAPHY FASCINATION:

LEIPZIG 

I found the downtown very interesting.  I felt like the Ringstrasse was more noticeable in Leipzig than in any other city we visited, even Vienna.  The old city walls were torn down after 1815 and replaced with a promenade, the Ringstrasse. Inside the Ringstrasse is the old city with its crowded, narrow streets. Outside are newer sections and suburbs, with broad streets, modern buildings, and industrial districts.  This was so obviously and unique to me.  Leipzig was easily one of my favorite cities (even though my purse was stolen here….). (:

DESSAU 

As for Dessau, I really enjoyed visiting a city that is similar in size to my hometown.  What I did find interesting, was although it was a decent sized city, it seemed to be extra silent.  The streets were silent, and the roads were almost empty in the downtown area.  As for my hometown, the streets are always busy and it’s definitely far from silent.  The buildings even seemed almost vacant, at least in the city section I walked through.  I enjoyed this, however, and it was a small culture shock because of the silence.  I also noticed that most of the streets were cobblestone.  This was extra charming and I was jealous that we do not have it in my hometown.  

FAVORITE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE:

 Between Leipzig and Dessau, my favorite academic experience was visit St. Thomaskirche in Leipzig.  This was the first academic event we did in Leipzig, coincidentally.  It was a very cool feeling being in the same church where Johann Sebastian Bach was a cantor, teacher, and musician.  He was one of the greatest musicians, and to think that some of his best pieces were performed and composed in the same place I was standing and on the organ I was viewing was very cool to get my head around.

 FAVORITE EXTRA- CURRICULAR ACTIVITY:

I honestly did not do any extravagant "extra- curricular activity".  I really just loved to walk around Dessau after touring the Bauhaus and having a group lunch.  It was fun: we stopped in cute random shops on side streets, and had delicious gelato (of course) on our way back to the train station.  The lady who gave us our gelato could not speak English at all.  It was very interesting trying to communicate with her on the flavor we wanted, whether in a dish or cone, and how much we had to pay. We relied on only shrugs, thumbs up, nodding our heads, and other forms of communication similar. Good thing she was willing to cooperate; she was very patient and nice to us as non German- speaking young adult Americans.

FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT:

I loved eating at Ertes Dessauer Kartoffelhaus before touring the Bauhaus.  I had quite the hangover, and the spinach egg omelet hit the spot! (: I tried potatoes from other plates, and other salads that others ordered; they were all delicious.  Not only was the food awesome, the entire restaurant was very uniquely cool.  It had such a homey feel: with the pictures everywhere (including on the ceiling), the country feel, and little antique pieces placed all over the restaurant.

From what i've heard, this was one of the most favored restaurants of the whole trip! I would definitely recommend eating here next year, as I am sure the CETS 2014 students will love it also.