Come along with me to my little corner of the world

I'm exhausted. This week has been full of getting my life back in order, both here in Prague as well as back in the States. Last week, however, was amazing in ways I don't think I can completely convey in words or even in pictures. The ridiculousness of situations, the confusing directions -- all small pieces of a whole puzzle.

We started off traveling to Krakow, Poland. It's a 7 hour train ride -- exactly the same amount of time it took to fly from JFK to London two months ago. I spent a good amount of time on my new project. My host mother will be having a baby in a month (!!!) and since my attempt to create delicious food failed, I'm trying to make something that I think I can actually accomplish: a baby blanket. I'm a good way through it at the moment and I'm hoping I can have time to finish it either before the baby comes or before I leave.

Krakow was, overall, one of the highlights of the trip. Not only did it have it's hilarious moments, such as when we passed Polish streetwalkers on our way from the train station to the hotel, but it also felt like a manageable city. I'm not always good with directions but I could orient myself incredibly well. The city is not that large and is incredibly walkable. There's also a certain spirituality to the place that's tied in with tradition that seems to be lacking in the Czech Republic (Poland being one of the most Catholic nations in Europe, Czech Republic is the most atheist).

Hitler wanted Krakow to be one of the centers of the Third Reich and so Krakow was not destroyed in WWII like many other cities. The range of architectural styles is impressive. There's also still a vibrant Jewish district in the city -- Prague's was greatly reduced and Bratislava's was essentially destroyed in Communism.

One thing that I did not do when I was in Krakow was go to Auschwitz. I considered it, as did most of the others in the group, but ultimately none of us went. Given that a large focus of my studies has been historical interpretation, I thought that it would be a simple decision. It's a little over an hour away from Krakow and going would have meant missing some of the other activities planned. Regardless, I can't even say enough how fantastic Krakow was.

How to Fall in Love with Poland


1. Go to the Main Market Square


Krakow has the largest main town square in Europe, with each length measuring about 800 m. In the center is the Old Cloth Hall which is now part of the national museum system (it's currently under construction). This main square is a hub of restaurant life, religious life, and activity.


St Mary's is one of the most recognizable churches in Krakow, a city that has a church on almost every block from every different period of time.


The main square also has a ton of street performers. Some of my favorites were the moving statues. There was also a breakdancing group called "Missionaries of Rhythm" which performed -- I was impressed that they would be able to dance like that on the cobblestones but they did! There were also a ton of musicians and vocalists performing.





Go to Wawel Castle. It's pronounced more like "vavel" and I can't help but think of the priest from The Princess Bride. There are amazing views of the city from the castle as well which just could not be captured on film as well as in person.

Also, I'm a bit of a museum nut and Krakow has some of the best museums I've seen on my trip so far. I think I learned as much from the lithics exhibit at the archaeology museum as I did in Intro to Archaeology (I swear I paid attention that day in class, but the TA made no sense)


So I'll continue posting on my adventures in Central Europe a little later (it's not letting me add anymore pictures at the moment) But I have a somewhat embarrassing story to share, so I'm going to hide it here at the end of the post so only those few who make it all the way to the end can laugh at me. So I've been having trouble with the internet here in the Czech Republic. I've been stealing wifi signals at my house, catching a few minutes here and there. I felt like a crack addict, trying to get a quick fix whenever possible. But my host family will be going out of town for the national holiday and I really wanted to be able to skype my brother who I haven't talked to at all since I left (who, by the way, I got the most amazing present for in Poland. Unfortunately, I can't share what it is here since he may read this). So I asked my host father about whether I could get internet in my room and he got really confused. He came into my room, reached behind the radiator, and SHABAAM!! GLORY!! An internet cable!!! So I feel like a real idiot, but hopefully this means some better communication in the future.

To come:

An essay "Why I wanted to Disprove Stereotypes about Bratislava...and can't"