This week, I traveled with my program to Pilsen, a small city in the Czech Republic close to the border with Germany. We went on a guided tour of the town, ate lunch at a local restaurant (I had more fried cheese) and finished our day with a tour of a local factory.
Traveling has been a priority of mine during my time abroad; train tickets are really inexpensive in Europe. A trip to another country can be as cheap as $11 each way! So far, I have done a few trips in the Czech Republic to places such as Český Krumlov, Karlštejn, Kutná Hora, Bohemian Switzerland and Pilsen. Outside of the country, I went hiking in Germany, took a solo trip to Austria and toured two cities in Poland. The Poland trip was by far the most meaningful; my program took a tour of Auschwitz, a town with 40 concentration and extermination camps used by the Nazis during World War II. Though this trip was emotionally challenging, it is very important to recognize events like the Holocaust, which happened only 80 years ago. Often, exploring Europe's built environment (buildings and other structures) can feel like traveling back in history. Walking through Prague, I pass buildings constructed as early as 920 BCE. It has been fascinating to learn all about this region, both the good and the bad.
