The last adventure for UNK 2K15
Our last field trip included traveling the west side of the
Czech Republic, also known as Bohemia. The places we visited included Litomyšl,
Kutná Hora, and Český Krumlov. In Litomyšl we visited a renaissance castle and listened
to a presentation about the city’s history. It was interesting to know that
they city is trying to increase its popularity with tourists, so major
renovations have been in place. One of the most interesting things we saw in Litomyšl
was a microbrewery. The brewer was kind enough to show our class how he
produced beer. Afterward we were able to have a glass in the restaurant
connected to the brewery, it was quite good.
Before we reached the next city, Kunta Hora, we visited Ležáky
Memorial. It was built in memory of a city that was destroyed during World War
2. The city was destroyed because it was thought to be involved in the
assassination of a major Nazi leader.
After arriving in Kunta Hora the class visited Sedlec
Ossuary under the Church of All Saints. The church was overwhelming at first
because there were thousands of human remains used as decorations. Thankfully
it was only the bones that were used, and nothing too graphic. From the ceiling
there was a chandelier made of human bones, and on all four corners of the
church there were pillars of bones. All of the remains were people who fell
victim to the black plague. Although this was a devastating illness it was
still safe to observe the remains. The next sight Kunta Hora offered were the
silver mines. It was extremely claustrophobic, which gave me some insight into
the working conditions. With barely enough light to see a couple feet in front
of them the miners were submitted to dangerous conditions. The last sight in
Kunta Hora was a church which had been neglected for several decades. There was
literally trees growing in the middle of it. After it’s renovation it presents
a combination of past and present architecture and design.
On our way to our final destination, Český Krumlov, we stopped
at Budweiser Budvar Brewery. We took a tour of the Brewery and were told the
brewing process of Budweiser. It was especially interesting because we saw the
microbrewery previously. Once at Český Krumlov we settled in and were able to
shop around the town. It is known as the “fairy tale” for obvious reasons. It
has elegant wooden brides, a large castle, medieval architecture, and a river
flowing through the middle of town. As beautiful as the city is, it was flowing
with people. It has become quite the tourist destination. Although our group
was also touring the city and therefore had no right to complain about other
tourists, it would have been so nice to see the town without the large mass of
people crowding the streets. One of the most beautiful parts of the castle in Český
Krumlov was the theater. The theater was famous for its innovation in stage
changes. It would take seconds to change a stage display instead of minutes. It
was executed by an advanced system (for the time) of pulleys and levers.
Although it was a gloomy day our group decided to go rafting
down the river. So with life jackets and coats we headed down the river!
Lastly, our entire group had one last family dinner at a restaurant down the
road. I will say one thing, the food in Český Krumlov was some of the best fire
pit meat I have ever had. The meat was perfectly smoked and fall off the bone.
After our meal we gathered together in the lobby of our hostel and presented
awards like “most likely to…” or “best at…”, things that displayed what we had
learned about each other throughout the past 3 months. It was fun hearing what
people had come up with. Although it was all laughs, it made me realize that
this was the end. In the morning I would leave for Prague, and our adventure as
a group would be over. I wasn’t terribly sad, because I knew I had made some
great friends!
Although I have returned to the United States, I can look
back at what I experienced and smile! I thought I would come back and talk my
friends and families ears off, but after being asked about my experience, I
found it hard to bring it to words. I had been told by previous study abroad
students that this would be something that you cannot truly share with others.
It makes me realize that although I have blogged about my experience, not
everything can be explained, like the little things that our group experienced,
the inside jokes, the things that will simply have to stay in Europe. I have
been convinced that I will go back to Europe, there is so much to see and do,
and although I had 3 months dedicated to such a beautiful place, I feel like I
have barely scratched the surface.
P.S. I would have loved to share pictures from my experience in this last blog, but I was pick pocketed in Paris (a trip after I left Český Krumlov). I lost my phone which contained all of my pictures. Yet another lesson I learned.
