Week One Down

            Ahoj family and friends! It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve only been in the Czech Republic a little under two weeks and I’ve already seen and done so much. The people I’ve met and the things we’ve done in this short amount of time already has me looking forward to the rest of my time here and hoping these three months don’t go by too fast.

            Our trip started off a little rocky. We almost missed our flight because Delta would not allow us to stay 91 days without a Visa, so we had to change our flight to return a day earlier. Then once we finally arrived in Prague, our luggage was nowhere to be found, so luckily it was delivered to our hostel later that night. After those few bumps in the road our trip has gone very smoothly. We of course spent our first few days in Prague exploring and sight seeing, we went on a free walking tour through the city that our hostel had set up and got to see a lot of the city that way and learn a ton of history. We climbed, (okay we took an elevator) to the top of the astronomical clock tower in the Old Town Square in Prague and saw a killer view of the whole city. My pictures of this city don’t do it much justice. It is absolutely beautiful! The architecture and detail of the buildings is amazing, especially for how old so many of the buildings are. We then went to the Charles Bridge and spent a good hour and a half trying to find the John Lennon wall, and we finally succeeded! Prague is a very touristy town so English speaking people are easy to find. We spent our days in Prague eating delicious food, trying many beers, going to local bars and clubs, and having some of the best days I could ask for. I cannot wait to go back next week!

View from the Astronomical Clock Tower

The start of the set up for the Easter celebration in Prague

On the Charles Bridge

John Lennon Wall

Charles Bridge

            It’s been a week since we’ve arrived in Olomouc with the rest of our group, the first few days here we’re filled with tours around the city trying to get familiar with the area and where our classes will be held, (yes we actually have classes) learning a little bit of the Czech language, which is difficult, but fun and exciting to learn, lots and lots of walking, a welcoming party, and a pub-crawl, which has probably been the best night so far! Lily and I LOVE our flat mates, they’re teaching us so much already and have introduced us to many of the other international students from the university.

Overlooking Olomouc, my new home :)

St. Patrick's day

Pub Crawl

            Life here is much different than back home, but not in a bad way. Everything is very laid back; the people have been very welcoming and inviting. A few things I’ve noticed so far that are different from back home is how cheap most things are here. Meals average around 100 korunas, which is a little over 4 US Dollars. You must pay for water at restaurants in which they usually bring out to you in a glass bottle, and a lot of the time a beer is just as much as water is at restaurants, which is a little more than 1 US dollar, and you get way more beer than water. Taxis are very cheap to get back to our dorms from the main square, and gyro kebabs are a very dangerous late night craving. They say this time of the year is the best time to be here; all of the festivities are about to begin! Right now the town square is set up and ready for their Easter celebration, with little sheds that sell foods, beers, and different traditional Czech items, a carousel, and a stage where music is performed. I’m most excited for the wine (“vino” in Czech) festival to begin within the next month. I have so much to look forward to in my short three months that I’m here. Right now I’m just trying to soak in as much as I can because I know it’ll be over in the blink of an eye. Can’t wait to keep everyone back home updated on all my adventures! Na shledanou!!!