the first week

A bittersweet goodbye, layovers in Toronto and Frankfurt, a glorious, albeit drizzly, weekend in Prague, and a 3 hour tour (bus ride) have finally marooned me in the big little city of Olomouc, Czech Republic. I have been in this country a little over a week now, and I still have no idea what I am doing most of the time, but I am finding myself more and more comfortable here. With so much beauty around me its hard not to always be smiling.

My journey in Europe began in one of its most attractive cities. Prague is a wonder to behold, to say the least. The sheer expanse of its ancient buildings and winding streets are mind-boggling. I felt like I could explore the historical nooks and crannies of the city for years and never be bored. Julie and I spent an entire day walking through the city with no desire to stop until our inexperienced feet and legs finally forced us to retire back to our hostel.

An amazing way to see the city lies at the top of the Old Town Tower. It only costs 70kc (about $3.50) to climb if you have a student ID.

A piece of newer history in Prague is the Lennon Wall. What started as a communal tribute to John Lennon in the 1980's has become a voice for ideas of peace, love and criticizing of the government. Makes sense.

One of the most famous and beautiful pieces of artwork in the city is also located on the Old Town Tower. The Astronomical Clock dates back to 1410, though it has received countless repairs and restorations, most notably in 1948 after it was targeted by the Germans during the Prague Uprising in 1945.

For an even better experience of our walk through Prague, check out Julie's photo journal of our day which can be found here: Praha | Prague

Though the view from the tower was wonderful, I found that looking out from the hill on the east side of the river to be even more amazing. Though the city still looks massive from this vantage point, its easy to see how compact and bustling it is as well. In every little part there is something to see, and people to meet. It makes for an invigorating atmosphere that you simply have to experience to believe.

Luckily, we will be visiting Prague again soon so that I can get an even better feel of the city and discover even more of its secrets. After our short weekend there, it was time to move on to where we will be spending the majority of our 3-month trip, Olomouc (and for those of you wondering it's pronounced "Oh-lo-moats"). I've heard Olomouc called a "mini-Prague" by some, and though I see a small bit of resemblance in the layout of the city as well as its ancient and stunning architecture, the feel of the city is anything but similar. Olomouc feels cozy despite its large-ish size, and it feels placid despite a large student population and bustling nightlife. It feels as though I've entered a community here and not just a city to get lost in. This seems like my kind of place, though the weather can be a bit dreary so far. I've only explored a small portion of the Olomouc, but I'm excited to spend some good life time here.

The Upper Square of Olomouc is centered around the Holy Trinity Column, an enormous Baroque monument built over the course of about 40 years between 1716 and 1754. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in the year 2000.

That's all for now. More to come soon!

Moving on Up*

*Except it's "Out" in this case.

The last two days have been busy to say the least! Moving is always great– NO, sorry I mean it's terrible and full of stress– but, thankfully, cramming all my belongings into a car and driving 8+ hours seems to have gone off without a hitch. Sunday ended at Julie's home in McCook where she left her car and we spent the night, and Monday was southeast back to KC where we are flying out on Thursday. As you can see, I had just enough room to see out of my back window.

After all that we finally made it to my homeland and real preparations for the Czech Republic begin. Things are starting to move very fast, but little by little, Julie and I are checking things off the list before we finally get to leave this god-forsaken country (joking of course, we like it here :) and explore someplace new. I can't wait!

Peace and blessings,
Trav