We departed on the bus for Poland at 2 am. After a six and a half hour bus ride, we arrived at Auschwitz. I really don't know how to put into words what we saw. I have seen many documentaries and read books over the Holocaust, but seeing it in person is a totally different ballgame. To walk on the same roads that many people lost their lives on and to see the living conditions that people had to endure is incomprehensible. You can know the stories, but to actually see where the cruelty and hatred happened is indescribable. I took pictures, but that doesn't do the place justice. It was a very powerful, emotional day.
After our tour, we drove to Krakow, Poland and were able to walk around and get dinner. It was really just a solemn day overall, but we still saw incredible sights.
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We started this morning in a classroom at the University. Our first lecturer was Dr. Vlastimil Cerny, our tour guide from the first day. He talked to us about the economics of the Czech Republic.
The second lecturer was Professor Jaroslav Voracek. His lecture was over the agricultural history of the area. He was hysterical and my favorite lecture of the day. Our last lecture was after lunch presented by Dr. Peter Prochazka titled "Green or Blue Planet: Vaclav Klaus vs. Al Gore". That evening, we headed into Prague for a small adventure before having a group dinner at a local pizza place. The pizza was the best I've ever had in my entire life. They brought out tray upon tray of pizza and we grabbed a couple pieces and passed it around. We were able to try like seven different types of pizza. The pizza is definitely my favorite food from the trip so far! :) XOXO -C This morning we boarded the bus at the ass crack of dawn and headed to RABBIT Farm. After my much needed nap on the bus ride there, we arrived at our destination. We entered the farm's main office building and headed to a meeting room and were greeted with snackie-snacks produced from the company. They had real coffee! (Probably the best part of the morning...) All the University cafe has is instant coffee and I'm not a fan. Anyway, our group of Tarleton and OSU students was joined by the group from Ohio State and Mizzou also doing a study abroad to speak with the CEO and Manager of RABBIT Farm. They showed us a video over all of the products and services they offer.
They got their name from the start of their company when they raised and slaughtered rabbits for their meat for sale and export to other countries. They have now moved into producing dairy milk, pigs, chicken, an array of different crops, and services. After the videos and Q&A, a small group of us were able to tour their chicken processing plant. We were able to take pictures of any step of the process, which was surprising to me. We had to put on protective covers on our shoes, plastic overcoats, and hairnets. Washing our hands was simply not enough. We had to place our hands in a little device and it sprayed both sides with alcohol. (Rubbing not drinking) After the full inspection to make sure we wouldn't contaminate the products, we walked into the section where the birds had already been slaughtered and plucked. They ran the birds through a machine that separated different parts of the bird for packaging. As they deconstructed the bird, the parts moved to different rooms to be broken into smaller pieces. We were able to tour the freezers where they store the meat and the rooms where they package the meat for shipping. The entire process was really interesting. We loaded the buses and moved to another part of the farm where they have their dairy cattle. *insert fangirl moment* I noticed that you don't see any livestock when driving though the countryside. All of the fields have crops. I didn't realize how much I missed seeing cows until we arrived at the dairy section. We walked through their barns and toured the milking facility. I was amazed and horrified to learn that their AI efficiency is only 40%. The efficiency average for the Czech Republic is only 31%! That is mind blowing to me. I'm still not sure how that is profitable. The view from the farms was amazing. Actually, every view so far has been amazing. Tarleton and OSU both agreed we were glad we were grouped together because we got along a lot better than we did with the other group. We followed up the morning by eating at Hotel RABBIT, which was just up the road from the main office. We had a delicious lunch. The Ag Comm in me found a hysterical advertisement and after getting the translation of it laughed harder. There's a picture of it on the photos page. The words translate to: If you love it, nothing else matters. Trust me, it makes more sense when you see the picture. Haha. After lunch we made our way to Kutna Hora. We arrived at the Bone Church in the old mining town and learned the meaning behind the nickname. When the plague came through the Czech Republic, thousands of people were killed and buried in a mass grave outside of this church. Kutna Hora is a mining town and they had many deaths related to the effects of being underground and working in the mining business. The church cemetery had become too full, so they dug up all of the bones and stored them in the basement of the church while renovating the entire area. A few years later, a blind monk was cleaning the church and found the bones. He created amazing decorations with the bones throughout the main area of the church. The pictures I took do not do the place justice. It was humbling to see all of the human bones used as a celebration of life even after death. We moved into the center of town and toured the area. We visited the Italian Court and St. Barbara's Cathedral. Both were beautiful. We had dinner in Kutna Hora. That night, we made our way into downtown Prague and went to a club called the Ice Bar. It was an experience all it's own. It was the coolest bar I've ever been to. We left before midnight so we could catch the bus back to the University. We made a pitstop at Charles Bridge so we could get some amazing pictures of the castle at night. XOXO -C This morning we started our trip to South Bohemia in the Czech Republic. The countryside here is more beautiful than I know how to put into words. With the rolling hills, twenty shades of green, fields of yellow canola plants, and gorgeous trees, the view is hard to beat. We were able to stop in Milin at the memorial for the last battle of WWII. It's hard to fathom how much history this country holds. We stopped in a sleepy little village that seems to be untouched by modern technology and visited the site where the last grenade was thrown during WWII. The white church was surrounded with quite a few graves. Two workers were cleaning up the area and cutting the grass. It all seemed so peaceful that it's hard to imagine how much damage was done to the original structure.
Our next stop was at the Budweiser Budvar Brewery. We were able to see all stages of production from plant to bottle. It was a really cool adventure. They served us a beef and dumpling lunch which was basically beef tips in gravy with bread. It was simple but delicious. After lunch, we made our way to another little town called Cesky Krumlov to tour the town and see the castle. The castle was absolutely breathtaking. I don't even have words for how beautiful the view from the castle was. We we're able to have a private tour of the castle and saw decor from the 15th to the 18th centuries. There were gold-plated, hand carved chairs, tables with precious stone inlays, gorgeous venetian mirrors, and beautiful tapestries and textiles. We learned about the three main families that owned and lived in the castle. The main family was represented by a five petal, red rose. You found the roses everywhere from the designs carved into the wood to the custom crafted ceilings. The last family to live there were represented by bears, so they have three live bears living on the castle grounds. We were able to get quick looks at the view from the windows of the castle, but it had nothing on the view from outside. You can see the main part of the castle, the old tower, the circle river that shaped the town, the sleepy little town of Cesky Krumlov, and the rolling hills and greenery forming a back drop to the storybook worthy view. We walked the town before dinner. The town square is made up of different colored stacked building fronts found all around the Czech Republic. The fact that some of these buildings have been around since before the United States was formed is mind boggling. The history that seeps through the countryside is almost incomprehensible. After exploring part of the city, we had dinner at a hidden pub just off the square called Krcma V Satlavske. It reminded me of a medieval dungeon. Everything was dark and dreary, the decor was more on the rough side, and there were no windows. The candlelight cast harsh shadows as we all ate and the thick cement walls made our voices echo as we enjoyed a steak dinner. The steak was small and cooked until almost burnt. It was not what I was expecting when they said we we're going to have steak for dinner. After dinner we made our way back to Prague and I found my way to bed shortly after. Another unbelievable day in the Czech Republic. XOXO -C After getting about two solid hours of sleep on the plane, I was exhausted when we finally landed in Prague. The flight wasn't bad, just long. They kept us well fed even if the cabin of the plane was kept at arctic temperatures. When we landed, it was 10 am here but 3 am U.S. time. Hailey, Lauren and I struggled to find the baggage claim. We finally figured out we had to go through and get our passports checked and stamped before finding our luggage. Getting my passport checked was pretty intimidating, but after we all made it through, we found our luggage fairly quickly. Unfortunately, my suitcase didn't survive the trip. One wheel was broken and the other one was missing completely. So I half dragged, half carried it outside to meet the people picking us up from the university.
Hanza and Julius we're right outside of baggage claim waiting for us. They were both really friendly and super sweet. Hanza walked us out to the car while Julius stayed behind to wait on more students arriving. Hanza loaded Hailey, Lauren, Johnny and I up in the car and we were on our way to the university. The countryside was absolutely beautiful. We had a short trip back to the university but the driving was a little frightening. They have tiny roads with no shoulder and drive quick in their little cars. Haha. Thankfully we made it to the university without any issues. We arrived in time to check in, drop our bags, and head to lunch with the rest of the group. The group is comprised of Tarleton and Oklahoma State students. Hailey and I have stuck together because she is an online student working on her masters and I don't even go to Tarleton so neither of us really know anyone. The lunch they served in the little cafe on campus was delicious. It was some mix of meat, corn, and onions in a red sauce served with two mounds of white rice. After lunch, we rode the bus to the subway and caught a ride down to the old part of town. We started our tour of Old Town at the Opera House and made our way up to the castle. The sights were absolutely to die for. Prague is such a beautiful city! We walked from the castle to the square and had a quick tour through the city. Dr. Frazier was logging his steps and we walked about ten miles around the city just taking in the sights. Prague is definitely a place I would love to get lost in. We finished our tour and a group of us wanted to get converters for the weird European plugs. Dr. Frazier led us back to the subway and instead of taking a bus back to campus, we walked a couple of blocks to this electronic store. Naturally, the store was closed by the time we got there so we made our way another couple of blocks to a grocery store to stock up on water. Czech money reminds me of monopoly money. 3,000 Czech koruna is roughly 130 U.S. dollars. Our group loaded up with water and caught a bus back to campus. We didn't have much time to shower and get ready for the opening dinner. At dinner, the director of the university welcomed us to Prague and a couple of the faculty spoke about what we will be doing on our trip. We toasted with a shot of Becherovka. We ate pork on rice with gravy and it was pretty tasty. After dinner, a few of us went to the pub in the dorm. Yes, you read that correctly. There is a pub in the dorm we are living in. After having a beer or two, I made my way to bed. It was a long, exhausting, wonderful, amazing day. XOXO -C Howdy All!
As I'm sitting here watching "Into the Woods" (finally) and enjoying an ice cold Heineken, I decided now was the time to do a recap of how my day has gone. I can officially say I'm in the air and on my way to Prague! This morning my parents, Aunt Patricia, and Uncle Tom dropped me off at the airport. After getting through security, I met up with Hailey, another girl on the trip. We saw part of the group and Dr. Frazier before they boarded their flight. Hailey and I agreed that the less layovers the better! After making our way back to our gate, we managed to pick out a guy on our trip. His jeans and boots made him stick out like a sore thumb. When we asked him to join us, we found another girl on the trip was on our flight. John, Hailey, Lauren and I survived the first leg of the trip from DFW to JFK in New York. At JFK, we met up outside of the landing dock and decided alcohol and food were the two main priorities. There wasn't a clear decision on which one was more important. Haha. After missing the first bus to our terminal, the HBIC (head b*tch in charge) directed us (not so nicely) to the next bus. We we're definitely not in Texas anymore. People of New York aren't near as friendly as back home. We enjoyed dinner and a couple of drinks at an airport restaurant, but my $7 grilled cheese wasn't nearly as tasty as I wanted it to be, so I decided alcohol was a better investment. (Sorry, Mom). After a five hour layover and just as many drinks, Hailey, Lauren and I decided to see if we could get seats next to each other for the flight to Prague. John wasn't in our section so HE CAN'T SIT WITH US. Thankfully, the man at the help desk was super friendly and managed to get us all three in the same row. We're right in the middle of the plane, close to the bathrooms, overlooking the wings, and enjoying out in-flight entertainment. The flight attendants are bringing around dinner so I'm going to finish my beer and this movie and then see how comfortable I can get to sleep on this plane. Local time in Prague is nearly 4 AM so that calls for bed time. Next stop, PRAGUE! XOXO -C With our flight across the big pond approaching, I just wanted to take a second from packing and write about how I'm currently feeling. I'm a little ball of excitement that keeps having nightmares about leaving her passport somewhere inconvenient. I can't believe that in less than two days I'll be on my way for an adventure of a lifetime. I'll start my trip in Dallas, make a pit stop in New York, then after a long flight, I'll be in the Czech Republic!
Here's a run down of what I'll be doing:
So, why Prague and Edinburgh? The Czech Republic is full of cultural, agricultural, historical, political, economic, communication and religious nuances that represent Central Europe. I have fallen in love with all things European since I started learning about other cultures in grade school. I am most excited to leave American soil for the first time and truly divulge in another place. After touring some of the most incredible historical sights of Europe, I will hop on a plane and travel to Scotland to stay with a host family and learn all there is to know about cattle shows in the UK. I will have the privilege to help prepare their cattle for two separate shows. I will be attending the Royal Highland Show in Scotland that basically a mix between the Fort Worth Stock Show and a county fair with competitions like sheep shearing and livestock shows. Apparently, it's such a big deal that even the Queen shows up for the Tour of Champions on the last day of the show. I am slightly nervous about the language barrier and just being that far away from home for the first time. I'll be traveling and living with complete strangers from Tarleton in Prague, living with more complete strangers in Scotland, and taking a weekend trip across Europe with my best friend. The last part makes my mother a nervous wreck even when we stay in the good ol' U.S. of A. (sorry mom! we'll try to behave. maybe.) After wrapping up at the Royal Highland Show, I'll catch an early plane from Edinburg, have a short layover in Amsterdam and arrive back in the States. I can't wait to see where all this adventure will take me. XOXO -C |
AuthorCarlee loves doing hoodrat things with her friends and trying to act like an adult. Archives |