South Bohemia, Czech Republic

South Bohemia, Czech Republic is the last trip we took as a group.  We first stopped in Kutná Hora, home of the Sedlec Ossuary.  This small Roman Catholic Chapel is decorated with the bones of 40-70,000 people.  It was strange, but it wasn't creepy.  I can't imagine going to church there, though!
After stopping at the church we made our way to our hotel--not hostel! It was so luxurious compared to what we were used to.
 The town began in 1142 and is famous for its silver mining.  The magnificent church we visited in this town is St. Barbara's Church.  It was a quaint little town with a feeling of simplicity and serenity.

Sedlec Ossuary, Kutná Hora. I want this chandelier for my future home.

Sedlec Ossuary. Just a few of the bones in the church.

 Outside the Sedlec Ossuary, there are even more bones in the cemetery which is right behind us.

Enjoying some zmrzlina (ice cream) in Kutná Hora.

View of St. Barbara's Church in Kutná Hora.

After leaving Kutná Hora we stopped in Budějovice to tour the Budweis Beer factory--the real home of Budweiser.  I quickly learned that the process of making beer is quite complicated and extensive.

Inside the brewery. One of the many steps of the complicated process.

Our group on the tour. The lady in red was the sweetest tour guide.

Inside the factory. How many bottles of beer on the wall?

Following the tour we got back on the bus and drove to Český Krumlov.  All of South Bohemia is whimsical but this town is right out of a fairytale.  We toured Krumlov castle which houses its own Baroque theatre, built in 1682.
The last night in Český Krumlov our group ate together at a wonderful Czech brewery.  Thea, Laura, Tara, Ann, and Caleb presented awards to each member of the group.  The night was special, memorable, and full of laughter and reminiscing.   

Outside Krumlov Castle Wall.

Lisa and me overlooking the town from Krumlov Castle.

Czech candle store. Irene and Jade. Irene studied abroad in Colorado for a year. She was so excited to see Americans! "I miss the friendliness and Chipolte," she told us.

Fairytale city.

A few of our brave group members rafted down this river.  And returned with nettles. No bueno!

Laura, Jade, Hayley, and Abby.

Presenting Awards.

Awards night in Český Krumlov.

Jan and Martin were the greatest! We couldn't have asked for better leaders.

Outside Krumlov Castle at night.

Poland

Our group trip to Poland consisted of visits to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, Krakow, and the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps.

The salt mine is the only mining site in the world functioning continuously since the Middle Ages.  It was incredible.  The best way to describe the mine is an underground city.  It even has three chapels carved entirely from salt.

Touring the mine.

The Chapel of the Blessed Kings. 200m underground and carved from salt.

 
Krakow's beautiful Market Square is where we spent most of our time.  The main attractions for us were the Hard Rock Cafe (where we sang Happy Birthday to an American tourist), Cloth Hall (an old Renaissance building), the church of St. Mary, Wawel Castle, a pharmacy museum, a couple of cafes, and a delicious cupcake store.  This city is one I would love to return to.

Market Square at night.

Inside Wawel Castle walls. So very beautiful!

Outside Wawel Castle walls.

The most precious store I've ever been in.

Viridiana, Jade, Yolima, and Karen. One of our many visits to an outside cafe.

The girls heading out to explore the city.

Our last stop in Poland was to Auschwitz-Birkenau.  Touring the place where millions of people were murdered was a sobering experience to say the least. The Holocaust is a part of history that we read about in books and are taught in school.  Yet, it didn't seem as real until we walked the grounds and entered the buildings.  For that reason alone, everyone should tour this place at some point in their lives. 

Memorial located in the Birkenau Camp.

Remains of gas chamber and crematorium in Birkenau. Millions killed in this one, small place.

Inside Birkenau barracks. Horrible living conditions.

The entrance to Birkenau. Prisoners were unloaded from the cattle cars that came in on these tracks. They were either sent to work or to the gas chambers.

"Arbeit Macht Frei"  (Work Makes You Free)

Some of the glasses that belonged to victims.

Auschwitz.

American Night

Belmondo

May 2, 2012

Our entire group making America proud. 

This night is quite possibly my favorite of the entire trip.  Every Wednesday night is Belmondo night for the international students.  Each week is a different country's theme.  We were quite excited when it came time for American night.  Each member of our group dressed up as some American figure.  We served hamburgers, hot dogs, and french fries, and we drew the American flag (or a rendition of it) on the faces of everyone who entered the club.  Our "Midnight Surprise" consisted of a lot of line dances, country music, and, of course, Party in the USA (thank you Miley Cyrus).  It was a fun night full of laughing, dancing, music, and America!

Making Belmondo Club patriotic. 

The Kardashian sisters on the tram.

Statue of Liberty, Marilyn, Captain America

G.I. Jane and G.I. Joe

Marilyn Monroe and James Dean

Marilyn, Sheriff, Khloe, Cowboy, and Hugh standing at the entrance to Belmondo.

Miss America, Jose, Marilyn

Jade and her Malaysian love Azam

Marilyn and the world's greatest Spaniard. Don't tell him I said that. 

Field Trips

During our time in the Czech Republic our group was able to take five different field trips to surrounding cities.  Some were better than others, but it was nice to have an excuse to see so many parts of this beautiful country.

Austerlitz Battlefield
April 24, 2012
We stood on the hill where Napoleon watched as his army "kicked some butt"--in the words of Dr. Clark.  There is a memorial as well as a neat museum dedicated to this historical battle.

  The war memorial located outside the museum. 

Ostrava

April 27, 2012

Our group took a train from Olomouc to Ostrava where we met Ross, a UNK graduate who went on this same trip ten years ago.  He married a Czech woman and now manages a Harley Davidson store.  

I wouldn't be surprised if some people from our group end up returning to the Czech Republic like Ross did.  I'd volunteer for that.  Somebody find me a European man!  

Rožnov

May 1, 2012

In this town is the National Moravian Outdoor Museum.  It is somewhat similar to the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island, Nebraska--except a lot bigger.

 Viri reapplying her mascara in the outdoor museum.  I love that girl! 

Beautiful scenery on the train ride back to Olomouc.  Notice the rainbow!

Kroměříž 

May 9, 2012

This city (impossible for Americans to pronounce) is home to the Archbishop's Palace and Grounds.  The woman who gave us the tour did not speak English, so Jan had to translate for us.  Needless to say, it required a lot of patience and wasn't the most riveting experience.  Luckily we got to wear some pretty fancy slippers over our shoes so we wouldn't scratch the floor.  We had a lot of fun sliding around the palace!

After touring the palace we headed over to the wine cellar where the Archbishop's personal collection is stored.  It was below ground, dark, cold, and had mold growing all over the walls.  It was worth it, though, because we were given generous samples of some tasty wine.

Beautiful landscaping inside the palace courtyard.  

The Archbishop's Palace

Jade, Yolima, Viridiana, Courtney, and Karen excited for some wine. 

Bouzov Castle
May 10, 2012
The trip to Bouzov Castle was our favorite by far.  Out of all the castles we saw around Europe, the best one ended up being just thirty minutes from Olomouc.  The scenery was incredible and the castle's interior seemed to come out of a storybook.  It was even surrounded by a huge ditch were a moat could have been, no water and no alligators though.

Bouzov Castle

Our group in front of the castle.