Serenity, the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled. Serenity is what comes to mind when I think of my last class trip. After many trips to bigger cities over the last 2 ½ months we switched it up and ventured to some small towns in the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. It was so much fun seeing a new side of the Czech Republic and it was a great way to end our time together as a class.
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| The stuff of fairytales |
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| Ležáky |
We spent a majority of our 5-day trip in two towns, Kuntá Hora and Česky Krumlov but some of the highlights from our little pit stops were, of course, Česky Budejovice where we toured the original Budweiser Budvar factory. The tour included a walk-through of their factory and a tasting. (You can decide which you part you think I enjoyed more) Also, shout out to all my classmates who are not beer drinkers I’m sure I can speak for the others when I say we very much appreciated the bonus samples. Another pit stop I felt really helped bring the last 2.5 months of lectures full circle came when we stopped in Ležáky, a town that is no more. The significance of Ležáky is that it is the town Hitler wiped out in retaliation for Heydrich’s assassination. Walking around this memorial made me reflect back to the beginning of the trip when we first started learning the role the Czech Republic had in the 2nd World War and the story behind operation anthropoid, the operation responsible for Heydrich’s death. Finally, the story was complete and true to Czech form, it wasn’t a happy ending.
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| The Budweiser factory |
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| The bone chandelier |
As I wrote about in my first blog, during my initial stay in Prague my friends and I decided to take on the Prague train station to go visit the Bone Church in Kuntá Hora and failed but we got a second chance on this trip and I’m so glad we did. The Ossuary was so unique and unlike anything I have seen thus far. We also toured a silver mine in town and let me tell you, it was not an experience for my claustrophobic friends but me being the thrill seeker I am, loved it. Half of it was spent crouching to fit and the other was spent shimmying through sideways. Our final destination was Česky Krumlov. It was a memorable stop of walking to our hostel in a downpour, (That let up right after we arrived to our destination) our last uphill march to a castle, and four hours of rafting that resulted in splash wars, raft races, singing all the way through the 100 bottles of beer on the wall song, and a hospital visit.
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The view from the top of the hill
in Kuntá Hora |
This little fairytale town treated us well….most of us anyway and while the return to Olomouc was filled with bittersweet goodbyes the memories made on this trip and all those prior are what make my friendships with this rag tag group so special.
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| Inside the silver mine |
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| More of the Ležáky memorial |
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| Best rafting crew around |
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| How could I resist taking this picture? |
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