Terezin Concentration Camp

Today we went to the Terezin concentration camp located forty-five minutes outside of Prague. Terezin was a camp for Jews and others deemed "undesirable" by the Nazis during WW2. The camp served as a holding station to sort out people until they were eventually sent on trains to extermination camps to die in the east.

Terezin was beautiful in a very creepy way. The center of the camp had a beautiful park with roses but, the thought of what happened to the Jewish people there years ago gave Terezin a weird vibe. People still live in Terezin today and I can't understand how you can live in a place where so many people were sent to die. The trip was really interesting because we go to see the entire camp and explore around ourselves. We went into the tunnels that the Nazis used and visited the bunks of the prisoners.

Overall, the camp was a humbling and solemn experience. It was neat to get to see the history before my own eyes but, this history had a dark, evil past.

Hare Krishna Personality Project

I now feel like a real journalist. Yesterday I spent an entire day with a group of Hare Krishnas, photographing them and learning about their culture. I ate a meal with them, observed their daily prayer, chanting, and followed them around Prague on their "Harinam".

In my photography class that I am taking, we have to do a personality project. We have to find an interesting person who lives in Prague and follow them in their daily routine. I saw this group of Hare Krishnas several times around Prague on their "Harinam", which is where they walk around the town square chanting their mantra and dancing. I looked on their website and found out where they lived and away I went. When I arrived they welcomed me into their home and were very helpful to me in my project. The person I focused my project on is named Alalanatha Dasa. He is a preacher and cook for the group.

He let me photograph the group eating a meal, offering food and flowers to Krishna in their temple, and their daily life around the house. It was really fascinating getting to learn about these people and their religion. I then went with them to document their "Harinam" around the town square. This was quite a spectacle to see, considering that you wouldn't expect to see robed people with drums marching in the center of Prague. Later that night I attended one of their religious services and was allowed to take picture there as well.

This experience made me feel like a real journalist. Even though I don't share the same beliefs as these people, I enjoyed learning about their lives and culture. This was an amazing experience and a little taste of what being a journalist might be like.

Trek Around Czech

I haven't been able to blog in a few days because I have been traveling around the southern part of the Czech Republic, called Bohemia. Being in Prague I have become used to the loud noise of the city and, it was nice to get away and enjoy the peaceful countryside.

We started out journey by going to Castle Karlstejn south of Prague. This Gothic castle was fouded in 1348 and was designed to keep the royal treasures, especially Charles IV collection of holy relics and crowed jewels. This castle was absolutely breathtaking, figuratively and literally. The castle was on top of a giant 30 minute long climb hill, unreachable by automobile. Despite this, the castle was amazing and I found amazing beef goulash at a tiny restaurant near the bottom of the hill.

We then went to the Pilsen Brewery in Pilsen. This is the largest manufacturer of beer in the Czech Republic and one of the biggest in the world. We got to see the beer be made and go deep underground into their cellars. We even got to taste some of it too! ;)

We then ended up in Cesky Krumlov, which is my favorite city in the Czech Republic. It was like a smaller more quaint Prague. We met some Canadians and became friends with them, we also went rafting in the river. The castle there was also beautiful and the whole town was like a fairytale. The next day we visited Ceske Budjovice and Jindrichu Hradec, two more larger Czech republic cities.

This trip was fun and I got to experience Czech life outside of Prague.

The Jewish Quarter

The Jews had it bad... real bad. I mean why does everyone always pick on the Jews? They're not an agressive or hostile group. Throughout the history of Prague the Jewish people have had many ups and downs. Yesterday we toured the old Jewish Quarter of Prague, which is now mostly old synagogues turned into museums. If It wasn't for Hitler and his reign of terror their would still be a large Jewish population in Prague to use these places of worship. Now they sit empty as reminders of what evil humans can accomplish.

Going through the synagogues was quite an experience. The men had to cover their heads out of respect, so we were given a little hat called a "kippot". I was really excited because I have always been interested in Jewish culture. We learned about the history behind the synagogues and the struggles of the Jewish peoples. We also went to the old Jewish cemetary which has over 12,000 graves in a very small area. They would bury people until their was no more room and then put more dirt on top to layer more dead. This was the only place the Jewish people were allowed to bury their dead. The tragic thing about the Jewish quarter was that it has now been turned into a tourist attraction. There are so few Jews left in Prague that the synogogues are not used any more.

Even though the Jewish people went through alot in their history they have remained headstrong. The old Jewish quarter serves as a reminder to all that history is around us, and we can learn from the past if we just look.

We all live in a yellow submarine

The last two days of my journey have been filled with the theatre and museum visits. The thing that distinguishes these places from others is their one common theme, the Beatles. Yes, the Beatles. Yesterday I went to a blacklight performance of "The Yellow Submarine" and today I went to a Beatles exhibit at a museum.

Who dosen't love the Beatles? They were an icon in their time and in many ways still are today. You may be asking, "What is a blacklight theatre?" Well, I wasn't sure myself until I went and saw one. A blacklight theatre is a stage filled with blacklights and all of the props and costumes are covered in fluorescent paint. They are all non-verbal performances with actors using puppets, dance, pantomime, and other means to tell a story. The one I attended told a love story while using famous Beatles songs to move the story along. It was very strange and didn't make a whole lot of sense but, the effects were really cool. At one point people dressed as giant eyeballs turned into judges and sent the main character to prison. Yeah, you had to be there to understand.

The museum exhibit was also a really great experience. The museum had some Beatles memorabilia and told their story. It was really interactive and great fun. One of the areas had 60's clothing that you could try on, and another had a mixing board that you could mix a Beatles song with various beats. They even had a piano you could play; I played "Let it Be" because that is the only song I have memorized and it seemed fitting.

So in 2010 I got to experience the age of peace, free love, and the great music of the Beatles, even it was just for a day.

Medieval Madness

Knights, horses, fair maidens, and a court jester. Probably wouldn't expect to see these things in 2010, right? Today I went to a Medieval parade where a group of Czech people dressed up in period clothing and marched through the streets of Prague.

This festive occassion is called the King's Parade and it takes place every year in Prague. The parade follows a historical tradition, roots of which reach to the reign of the emperor Charles IV. The emperor kept the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire in his country residence, the Karlštejn castle and annually had them displayed for the eyes of believers during Easter in Prague. Shortly after that the jewels were brought back and that is the theme of the King´s parade from Prague to Karlštejn.

These perfromers walk for over 40 miles to recreate the carrying of the crowned jewels! This parade was alot of fun and a great photo oppourtunity. Not to mention Starbucks was close by, and I got my coffee drinking on.

Strolling Along Charles Bridge

Sometimes it just nice to be by yourself and explore a new city, and that is exactly what I did today. I decided to go to Charles Bridge alone and bring my camera along to see what I could capture. One thing is for certain, you do not want to go to Charles Bridge during the day on a Friday. The entire place was full of tourists! It was literally difficult to even walk on the bridge with all of these people. Now I know I am kind of a tourist, not really because I am living here for six weeks but, seriously people, it is just a bridge.

Anyways, I just walked around taking pictures and I think I got a few good shots. This was a very relaxing and care free day. I realized that some days you just need to be independent and go explore on your own, you never know what you will find.

The Tragedy of Lidice

Have you heard of Lidice? Probably not, and yet if you have there is no way of truly knowing the tragedy that these small town people actually went through. Yesterday I became just a litttle closer to understanding what Jaroslava Sklenickova went through on that day in June 10, 1942. Through her words we all became closer to understanding her experience at Lidice.

Lidice was a small town on the outskirts of Prague, where Jaroslava lived. Jaroslava was a 16 year old girl who lived with her mother, father, and sister. On the night of June 9, 1942 Hitler sent orders to completley destroy her village in response to the assassination of Heidrich, Hitler's third in command. The Nazi forces surrounded the town, shot all of the men in the village, and sent the women and children to concentration camps. The Nazi blew up every building and even dug up the graves as to completely destroy any memory of Lidice.

Jaroslava managed to survive and when she was 80 years old she decided to write a book about her life entitled, "If I had been a boy, I would have been shot..." She talked with us and read excerpts from her book for about two hours. This was probably the most amazing experience that I have ever had. To actually meet a survivor of the Holocaust and get to hear her story was something that I will never forget. I bought a copy of her book and she even signed it for me, which is an amazing honor and something that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Jaroslava is a hero and you don't meet true heroes every day.

McDonald's, Historical Church, and Skate Punks

What is the one constant thing no matter what country you got to? McDonald's. They are everywhere and you can always count on their food to be delicious yet fattening. This is exactly where I went on my lunch break from class today. Two things I learned: You have to pay for ketchup and to use the restroom (water closet)! Yes, I had to buy my way into the restroom. Which by the way, wasn't even that nice. However, the food was a nice getaway from the Czech food I have been eating which mainly consists of dumplings and some sort of meat. One thing that the U.S branch of McDonald's should invest in is waffle fries. Apparently, all European McDonald's have waffle fries, and they are rather tasty.

The most exciting part of the day was when we went to visit the Church of SS Cyril and Methodius, which is where the assassins of Reinard Heydrich hid during World War Two. Reinard Heydrich was Hitler's third in command and oversaw the Sudetenland during the Nazi occupation of WW2. His two assassins, one Czech and one Slovak, were hidden in this church by priests after they assassinated Heydrich. They plus several of the other resistance fighters were ambushed by Nazi Gestapo at this church and held the Nazi off for about eight hours. They hid in an old crypt beneath the church and we actually got to tour this crypt. You could see the bullet holes in the walls left by the Nazi and resistance fighters’ exchange of gunfire during their standoff. Eventually the resistance fighters ran out of ammunition and committed suicide rather than be caught alive by the Nazi.

After this historic and somber visit we went to the local skate park to work on some motion photography. I know my little brother, Dillon, would have loved this. We went to the top of a cliff, after climbing what seemed like a billion stairs, to where the local skaters hang out. Most seemed ok with our presence, except for one disgruntled skater who eventually moved away from us. This didn't stop him from saying some nasty words in Czech to us. The skaters were really cool and I got some pretty awesome pics.

This was a very full and rewarding day here in Prague. I saw a historic church, photographed some skater punks, and ate a glorious Big Mac.

Lazy, Lazy, Monday

Well, nothing much really happened today. I just kind of sat around the apartment. So here are a few of my favorite pics from the gypsy festival.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Two things I thought I would never see in Prague: Giraffes and a Tex-Mex restaurant. Today we went to the Prague Zoo and after that a very tasty Tex-Mex restaurant for dinner.

The Prague Zoo or "Zoo Praha" as it is known here in Prague, is a 40 minute tram and bus ride from our apartments but, it was well worth it. The zoo is unlike any in the U.S because of the closeness to the animals I have yet to experience in the states. Some of the animals you could literally reach over and touch. I almost pet a Meerkat, pretty cool? The Zoo even has a ski lift that you can take to the top of the park and see the entire skyline of Prague. I got alot of great photographs and had a great time.

I know what you are thinking, a Tex-Mex place in Prague? Yes sir, this place was AMAZING! The atmosphere made me feel like I was back home eating at La Casona. The food was reasonably priced and it tasted alot better than I expected. Of course they charged for chips and salsa because they charge for everything here, even water. The food was great and it was a very pleasant end to a wonderful day here in Prague.

My Feet Hurt

My feet hurt. Like really, really bad. The ammount of walking I have done in the past 24 hours might actually be more than I have walked in my entire life. My feet hurt.

Well... I might be exaggerating a little but, today I did walk quite a long ways. We went on a walking tour of Prague and visited different parts of Prague that tourists usually never see. We went across a rickety old pedestrian bridge into the commmunities that were once communist housing. We eventually ended up at the communist museum and walked around that for a while. Today was a very tiring day and not my favorite so far.

The most fun thing though happened this morning when we watched the sunrise from the castle that overlooks Prague. I have never seen anything so gorgeous in my entire life. It's hard to describe it, you just had to have been there.

So, well...since I'm tired and my feet hurt. Let me just leave you with a few of my favorite pictures that I took today.

Hare Kristna Photos

Here are some photos of the Hare Kristnas I saw today in the Old Town Square

Czech It Out...

I guess I have a thing for the dead. I decided to go back to the Prague cemetary today to get some more shots for my project and I'm glad I did. More than half of my shots that I am using for the project are from today. I find that when you go over your photographs and see your weaknesses then go back, your shots will improve dramtically. I got a really cool shot of a gravedigger which I will put in this addition of Reality Czech!

Also today the group went to the Prague museum. This museum was well... really boring. The only interesting thing was a miniature model of Prague. A librarian made it in the early 1800's and it shows the entire city. The craftsmanship was amazing and I can only imagine the work put into something so detailed. I would have pictures for you but, you had to pay extra to take pictures in the museum. The Czechs charge for everything, even water.

The last interesting thing that happened to me today was when I was actually sitting in a Starbucks. I heard some strange music outside and like a good little photojournalist I ran outside with my camera to inversigate. It was a traveling group of Hare Kristnas. "Hare Kristnas are a sect of Hindu Vaishnava and their core beliefs are based on traditional Hindu scriptures such as the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and the Bhagavad-gītā,both of which, according to the traditional Hindu view, date back more than 5,000 years (Wikipedia)." They were singing and marching through old town square which made for some very cool pictures.



So, cemetary, museum, and Hare Kristnas. A very relaxing and calm day here in Prague.

Gypsies and Juliet

Actress in Romeo and Juliet


Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Prague we lay our scene? Today was one of those days that I will remember for the rest of my life. Today I not only marched in a gypsy parade through the streets of Prague but, I saw Romeo and Juliet outside of a castle overlooking the city.

The parade started in Wenceslas Square where groups of gypsy dancers, musicians, and even stilt walkers congregated to warm up their performances. The colors of the gypsies dresses and the motion of them when they danced was a dream for an aspiring photographer. This is the first time that I have felt like a real photographer. Shooting graveyards is an easy thing compared to this. "No one will get in your way and push you around in a graveyard, and if they do then run",famous words of Dennis Darling. There were so many tourists and we had to go through narrow streets to follow the parade. I found myself bumping into people and falling over numerous times but, as long as I got a good shot I was happy.

Tonight we went and saw Romeo and Juliet across from my apartment where the old castle used to be. Now all that is left is a church and the giant wall that protected the castle. The play was performed outside in an ampitheatre. The cast was amazing and the setting was even more ideal to see this famous Shakespeare play. The nurse was played by a very funny british man in drag, so that was a sight to see. I also got some really cool shots of the actors in the play.

Today was a good day. I saw gypsies and watched Romeo and Juliet, what more can I ask for? Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things; Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished: For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Cody-O?

Biking Around Prague

I haven't actually rode a bicycle since I was a little kid, so I have forgotten how fun it is. Today half of our group, 9 of us, rented bicycles to take a tour of the entire area in Prague we would be mainly visiting. We went to the bike rentals and met a Czech friend who worked there and speaks very good english. From there we started out on our journey to visit much of the city of Prague. I found myself getting behind the others because I was too busy taking picture. There were just so many interesting people on the streets that I could take photographs of.

We went over to the Jewish quarter of town and saw one of the oldest synagogues in Prague. Much of the Jewish population was killed during World War Two so most of the synagogues have been turned into museums. We also learned about the legend of the Golem. The Golem was the inspiraton for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It was said to be created by a Jewish Rabii to protect the Jewish quarter. However, the Golem got out of control and the Rabii had to put it to sleep forever. It is supposedly still sleeping in the attic of a synagogue in the Jewish quarter.

I also went to a Czech mall today to buy a rain coat because it literally rains everyday here. The mall was just like any mall in the states, except for the langauge barriers of course. I guess seeing the mall made me realize even more that the Czech people are not that different from us. Even though we have differneces in our culture and customs, we are more alike than we are different. We are just seperated by a big pond.

Beer, Charles Bridge, A Cemetary

My days here in Prague are kind of blurring together, and not because of the beer. I feel like I have been here for such a long time and it has only been a few days. Prague is such an easy place to get used to. Even though I don't know the langauge, except for a few words, I feel like that dosen't really matter. Most of the Czech people I meet are happy to help me and seem very nice. There are the occasional rude Czechs but, no more than in the states. As long as you make an effort to try their langauge they respond to your wanting to learn about their langauge and culture. Yesterday, we had our orientation at CET, which is the center that we are taking classes at. Jarka and Marta, our program directors, both English speaking Czech women, are very helpful and make out trip much easier. I lost my tram/bus/subway pass yesterday and Marta went with me on the subway to get a new pass. I would have been very lost without her. For dinner we went to a traditional Czech brewery and restaurant.


Yes I drank a beer. It is customary in Prague to have beer with every meal, and I mean every meal. Some Czechs even have it for breakfast. In Czech beer literally means "bread". They treat it as a side dish and even toddlers drink it. For dinner I had roasted chicken, two types of dumplings, and cabbage. It was very tasty and I think I am going to like Czech food, except for the lack of salt. The food is good but, very bland. Last night, we walked across the famous Charles Bridge at sunset and it was amazing. Charles the fourth was a very well liked king of the Czech Republic and this pedestrian bridge is a sight to see. With artists and musicians performing, they really give this bridge character. Since, I didn't blog yesterday this one will cover two days in Prague.

Today was our first day of class at CET. We woke up and took the tram to the center which is five stops away. The speaker was very entertaining and we learned alot about early Czech history and he also kept it interesting with his own personal stories in the Czech Republic. After that a a few of the other students and me went searching for a place to eat lunch on our break between classes. We found a restaurant that served fairly cheap food for lunch. I got a beef broth soup which was absolutley delicious! Except again, not enough salt. I guess that is what they make salt shakers for. After this, we got lost. We had gone through a back garden entrance and couldn't find it to get back. Luckily, we were only a few minutes late and we met the group to set off on our cemetary photoshoot.

The cemetary was gorgeous. I know it's hard to imagine a cemetary as gorgeous but, this one was. There were giant statues of angels and crosses, all dating back to the 1600's. We spent about two or more hours there shooting and I am starting to like photography more and more each day. I love capturing moments in my camera that would be gone otherwise. I think I shot over 250 photos. For dinner a few of us went to a little cafe near our apartments and I got an eclair with whipped cream and chocolate. It was so relaxing to sit outside in this cafe and just soke up the surroundings. We even met other students studying abroad from Virgnia.

Needless to say, this trip had been memorable already and this is only the third day. There is no telling what is to come. All I can do is just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

Ahoj Praha!

I'm in Prague. I'm here. I think the best way of knowing where you are is to go back and look how you got there. So, How did I get to Prague? Let's go back to Saturday around noon. My mom, grandma, little brother, and I headed off to the airport. First, we stopped at Gringo's in Pearland to get some amazing Mexican food before I took off to a place where all they eat are dumplings and potatoes. After we ate I stood in line for the bagage drop off at the airport and said goodbye to my family before going through security. In security I set my passport and boarding pass down and almost forgot them but, some nice man handed them to me before I took off. So, a special thanks to that guy. After I was on the plane for sometime the girl sitting beside me started vomiting all over the place. It was pretty gross, but I got moved to first class! After the 9 hour flight to London Heathrow, I was already getting tired because of lack of sleep. We had a 4 hour lay over in Heathrow, where I discovered that the toilets in Europe are very small and square. Also the toilet paper comes out in individual sheets. weird. Anyways, I was then off on my 2 hour flight to Prague. Nothing exciting really happended on that flight, which was where I got most of my sleep. A whole 30 minutes! The Prague airport was really small compared to Heathrow and much less hectic. Marta, one of our tour guides, got a taxi bus to carry us to the apartments. I have learned that in Prague there are two speeds on the road, fast, and faster. We arrived at the apartments, which look like a catalog from IKEA. Then I went grocery shopping and bought food;I have no idea how much I spent or what the food even was. At night all of the students on the trip went to old town and watched the hockey game on a giant screen in the center of the square while drunk Czechs, painted in their countries colors, cheered their team on. There were so many interesting people, I cannot wait to start my photography class to capture all of these moments. So, taking a look back can show us alot. It showed me how I got to Prague. It showed me how beautiful this city is. It showed me that this oppourtunity is priceless. It showed me that I can. Yes, I can.

Getting ready to leave Austin

I am sitting behind my desk at KLRU writing a list of the things I need to take with me to Prague. Clothes, check. Shampoo, check. Passport, double check. It's so hard to imagine that I will be leaving Austin in a few days and going back home to little ol' Danbury. My freshman year has been amazing and I am going to miss it. It's even harder to imagine that I will be leaving Danbury a week after that for Prague. I have never left the U.S. and I am really nervous. So many questions keep racing through my mind. What will I eat? How will I communicate with people? What if I don't like it? Even though I have all of these worries, I am still excited beyond all reason for this adventure. I will have the opportunity to learn so much about the Czech culture and have a little fun along the way. So for now, while I am still firmly planted in the United State of America, I will put my worries behind me and just keep planning. Socks, check. Toothpaste, check. Sense of adventure, check.