During our winter break, my friend, Aaron, and I decided leave Paris and explore parts of eastern and central Europe. We began our trip in the charming town of Wroclaw, Poland, then spent three days in Krakow (with one of those days being spent at Auschwitz and the salt mines), and then the remaining three days in Prague (with one of those days being spent in Kutna Hora, a small town an hour outside of the city known for its infamous chapel made of human bones). We had such an amazing week together and gained so many new insights into these different cultures and their histories and further enriched our study abroad experience.
SATURDAY (2/21):
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| Wroclaw's Town Hall |
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| Wroclaw's Town Square (taken during our Old Town "Free Walking" Tour) |
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The gnome is the symbol that came to represent
the city during the Orange Alternative (anti-communist) Movement of the 1980s,
and now, is found in over 200 places in Wroclaw! |
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| Wroclaw University's own gnome |
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| On one of Wroclaw's many little islands. Pictured behind is Cathedral Island. |
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One of the many Pope John Paul II statues we saw during our stay
in Poland |
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After our walking tour ended, we asked our tour guide, Adam, for the
closest milk bar (a Communist-era cafeteria that serves good,
cheap Polish cuisine), and since the menus are only in Polish (and the workers only speak Polish),
he decided to accompany us and order for us his favorite dishes!
We were so grateful not only for the meal, but for getting the opportunity
to learn more about current Polish culture and politics.
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| Town Square |
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After lunch, we decided to take the Communist Free Walking Tour and saw
a completely different side of the city, long away from the charming, colorful houses
and towards the dilapidated towers of concrete. |
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| The "Manhattan" of Wroclaw |
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| Again, Cathedral Island in the background |
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After the tour, we decided to visit the Raclawice Panorama, the enormous painting
that depicts the legendary General Tadeusz Kościuszko's victory
over the Russian forces at Racławice in 1794. |
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As we learned from our tour, this battle was not only significant for
the Poles back then, but continues to be a source of pride even today. |
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| The view of the Town Square from St. Elizabeth's Church |
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| Cathedral Island lit by gas lamps at night |
SUNDAY (2/22):
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| Photos of our youth hostel in Wroclaw |
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| Wroclaw University's awe-inspring, main lecture hall |
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| The view from above (St. Elizabeth's Church and Tower is to the right) |
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[Sunday afternoon, we took a 3 hour, 5 euro bus from Wroclaw to Krakow,
and thus, begun the second leg of our tour.]
Pictured above is the free dinner provided by our youth hostel, which
was not only delicious, but allowed us to sit at this table with the
other guests and hear about their stories/pasts/views. We met people from
Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, Belgium, Morocco, and even from
Houston! |
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| Oh yes, our hostel even provided free shots of Polish vodka after every meal |
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| Here is the "proof." |
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After dinner, we decided to take part in "Pub Crawl," an event put
on by our youth hostel every night during which we were served
unlimited amounts of vodka for two hours and then visited
2-3 bars/clubs. Since this took place at a partnering hostel,
not only was it another great way to meet other people,
but it was all FREE! |
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| Partying with the Brits and Brazilians |
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| Cloth Hall at midnight |
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Stopping to take a photo of the old Krakow wall during
our free walking tour of the Old City |
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St. Mary's Cathedral and the Cloth Hall, both of which are found along the
Ryek, or Town Square. |
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| Wawel Castle |
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| Our typical, Polish lunch |
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During the free walking tour of Krakow's old Jewish quarter in the afternoon, we stopped inside a private
courtyard that was used to film different scenes in "Schindler's List." Pictured above
is one of the locations seen in the film. |
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The former waiting quai for Jews
who were sent to Auschwitz. In its place today
is a memorial: the chairs are representative of not only
the furniture and homes they lost, but also of their disappearance following the war.
Chairs are meant for people to sit upon, yet as we see, there is no one
sitting in them today. |
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| Cloth Hall at sunset |
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| In front of St. Mary's Cathedral |
TUESDAY (2/24)
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Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration and Death Camp
A day and experience that I will never forget for as long as I live. |
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| Licking the salted walls in Krakow's salt mine in the early evening |
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The chapel found deep below in the mind
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WEDNESDAY (2/25):
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| A quote from Krakow's World War II History Museum |
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The Ryek at night following our visit of the Ryek Underground museum,
a museum that displays the medieval artifacts found during an excavation
of the Square in 2005-2010 |
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Taking the night train from Krakow to Prague
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THURSDAY (2/26):
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| Wenceslas Square |
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In front of Prague's famed astronomical clock at the start of
our city tour |
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| The Jan Huss Monument |
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| Prague's Central Square |
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| Aaron and Dvorak |
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| The Old-New Synagogue and home of the infamous Golem |
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| The Kafka Memorial |
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| Lunch: Pumpkin and Feta Quiche with a green salad |
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| Prague castle |
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| The Charles Bridge |
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| We were so fortunate to have lovely weather during our stay in Prague |
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| The view of Prague from Letnya Park |
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The Kafka Museum, (yes, those statues are peeing into a pool shaped
as the Czech Republic and are moving their pelvises to
spell out each line from all of Kafka's texts) |
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| Along the Charles Bridge |
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| One of the many saints/kings/bishops lining the bridge |
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| Our attempt to take a selfie with the square in the background #fail |
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The pregnant lady monument that we passed
on our way from our hostel to the Town Square |
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Dinner: Kozel beer, pork, sauerkraut, potato and bread dumplings
Quite the local, Czech meal! |
FRIDAY (2/27):
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| Touring the castle district |
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| Changing of the guard at the castle's entrance |
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| In front of one of the castle's many churches |
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Lunch: Duck thigh in a du jus sauce, caramelized onions,
homemade bread dumplings, roasted vegetables, and a Kingswood apple cider |
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Although we arrived after the Dvorak House and Museum closed,
I still took a photo for Aaron so he could pay
hommage to one of his favorite composers!
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SATURDAY (2/28):
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The Bone Chapel of Kutna Hora, a 16th century chapel constructed
using 40,000 human skeletons! |
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| Eery, no? |
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| A family crest |
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A pretty view of the little town of Kutna Hora, a city located an hour by train
outside of Prague and an important city during
the late Middle Ages |
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| The town's cathedral in the foreground |
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Sharing a typical Prague-street style dessert (fried dough and cinnamon and sugar)
before meeting up with Pomona students studying abroad in Budapest and in Prague
for dinner and drinks! |
