Vienna and Venice

St. Stephen's Basilica 

       Vienna Austria and Venice Italy were quite an adventure! We started off as on our class field trip to Vienna. We were only there for two days but got to see St. Stephens, Schoenbrunn castle, and the natural history museum (history of the earth). St. Stephen's was really beautiful. It has a really neat design on the outside and lots of stain glass. However, the stain glass was a little different. It had been replaced with colored squares because there was not enough funding to reconstruct all of the original stain glass. Inside, there was a also a portable alter. I didn't know that there are alters that could at one point been taken from place to place, or moved throughout the church. Granted, this particular one was not transported on the streets or other public places due to its large size. I really enjoy learning about the different histories of each church, such as the stain glass windows, it helps me keep them all straight and remember them better.
       We also went to the Schoenbrunn castle. This castle was initially a hunting lodge and has 1,441 rooms. We did't go inside, but walked around the gardens and hiked up a giant hill to see all of Vienna. The view was beautiful, and we got to lay on the grass and just enjoy the view. I was able to call my sister and mom and show them the amazing view. I felt really connected, being able to share one of my experiences with them. Everyone was hanging out on the grass, for probably about 45 minutes, and then we were shooed off the grass because technically no one is supposed to step on the grass. However, when you see everyone else enjoying the grass, you also follow along. Yes, I know if your friends jump off a bridge you shouldn't follow, but it was just grass I promise. It was really nice to get out of the city and just enjoy the view and the sunshine. The sunshine allowed for great food and lots of gelato. :)

Being carried after I fell down the stairs....

       We also had to make the choice between going to the natural history museum or the national art gallery. I choose the natural history museum, as it was all about the different animals and how the earth has evolved and with only twi science majors in our group, it was nice to reconnect with the science part of my brain. There were a lot of birds, and I learned that pelicans are the heaviest flying birds which I think is really interesting. They also had a super cool marine room with the lights dimmed and you could press a button to illuminate each species. I really enjoyed this museum! We were then free the rest of the day, and so I headed back to the hostel to pack and do some of my online homework for my history class. The next morning we were set to head to Venice, it was about a 7 hour drive on the bus, however, nothing can ever be easy.
       That morning (Thursday). I decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator because I knew we would be sitting on the bus for a while and I wanted to get some steps in on my fitbit. Silly me thought this would be a good idea. The staircase consisted of concrete spiral stairs and we were on the fourth floor. I was carrying my backpack and another bag, and I rolled my ankle on the last stair and fell down the stairs. I started crying and everyone came running to see what had happened. I hate being the center of attention but my ankle hurt so bad. I fell right infant of a room and the lady inside must have heard me and came out and asked if I needed a doctor. She did't speak much english but she brought out gauze to wrap my foot, cream, and even an ice pack. I am so thankful for her. Needless to say because I wanted to get some exercise, I got to experience an ER in Austria. This just happened to be the largest hospital in Europe. It was about a 2 hour visit and I kept thinking that I am making everyone wait for me so we could proceed to Venice. After about two hours of going in and out of rooms, I was told that I most likely have torn ligaments and would get to wear an air cast for 6 weeks. But, how many people can say they've experienced an ER while abroad, I feel kind of special in a weird way now that I think about it.
       Any who, after being pushed around in a wheel chair I was supposedly able to walk normally, I beg to differ. I had to walk really slow and my stance was rather wide, but at least I got to sit on the bus for 7 hours and just relax. The bus ride wasn't too bad and I was excited to get to see Venice. The original plan was for everyone to walk to our hostel, but because of the rain and me not being able to walk very fast or far, we all took a water shuttle. It was about 20 minutes and I had multiple people tell me that they were grateful they didn't have to walk, so at least someone was benefiting from me falling down the stairs.

Men women children masses for the gas chambers advancing toward 

horror beneath the whip of the executioner. Your sad Holocaust is engraved

 in history and nothing shall purge your death from our

 memories for our memories are your only grave 

        I'm not sure if you know anything about Venice, but the best part is all of the stairs and bridges. P.S. still not a fan of stairs. I was always at the back of the group and felt bad for making people wait on me to catch up, and I hate making people wait on me. However, I got to meet some people that are part of our group that I hadn't really gotten to talk to very much. We went on a gondola ride, had amazing Italian food, and of course gelato. As a class we went into St Mark's basilica and Saint Giovanni's basilica. I found out that walking on marble floor was very helpful because it was smooth and not uneven like cobblestone is. We then had the rest of the day to explore and one of the other girls and I found ourselves in the Jewish Ghetto. It was surreal to see the artwork depicting executions and a a wood call with the carvings of the names and ages of those who were deported. We always learn about the holocaust and Poland and Germany, but nothing is ever really mentioned about Jewish people being deported from Italy. We will later go see Auschwitz and I cannot imagine the felling I will have there, after the feeling I had in Italy simply being in the ghetto.
  On a lighter note, Bailee and I ended the night with dinner right by the water, with amazing calzones, wine, tiramisu, and a beautiful view. We were even given blankets because it was a little chilly right by the water. Venice is beautiful and breathtaking, and if you love the water, it is definitely a must see place, even if you are injured ;)

Stain glass window in St. Stephens 

Sitting on the grass enjoying the sun 

Gelato in Venice 

Dinner right by the water :) 

Artwork in the ghetto 

Names and ages of those deported 

     
     

Czech Schools vs American schools

        As many of you know, I am actually taking classes here in Olomouc. Usually these blogs are about what we have experienced or places we have been, but I assure you that we are actually studying, sometimes. ;) With that said, there are quite a few differences between back home and here in the Czech in regards to the schooling system and classes. However, I want to preface this with the fact that we are UNK students just at the university here and not taking the same classes as those who are registered for a Palacky University degree.

First day of school picture!

         Going to university here, is a huge honor. If you take all your classes in Czech, tuition is free. With that said, you can tell that there is a high demand to get a spot at the university and so it is taken very seriously. On the other hand, back home, it seems backwards to me because everyone is paying for their degree but a lot of students don’t take it seriously. I don’t understand that when you pay for your degree it doesn’t matter, but when there is a limited amount of spots for free, it is not taken lightly. Granted, not everyone back home does not take their degree seriously, but it seems to me that getting a degree  back home is the norm  or almost required; while here, everyone wants to go to university but doesn’t get the opportunity. 

         The opportunity to go to University does not start until they are 19. Their school system consists of two basic schools and then grammar school. Basic school is from age 6 to 15 and then grammar school is from 15-19. Grammar school can be specialized such as one for nursing or teaching. That means that if you know what you want to do at age 15 (definitely wasn’t me), you can get a head start into that particular area. However, you are able to change even if you are at a specific school because core subjects are still taught. 

Trams used for transportation!

         Schools here also do not use school buses, instead they make use of public transportation (the tram). A few days ago we were “lucky” enough to encounter an entire class with one teacher getting on and off the tram. They were probably about 7 years old and made getting off the tram rather difficult. I do think though, that if you have public transportation already, why not make use of it and cut down on some of the traffic.

         Basic schools are also not as long in duration as they are back home. They start at 8 and end around 1:30 or 2. These hours are used for 45 min classes with 10-20 minute breaks between each class. After school gets out, there are starting to be more and more options for after school activities, especially in the grammar school (the equivalence of high school). 

        I’ve really enjoyed learning about the differences between our school system and the one in the Czech and I really wish we had a class about the culture of the Czech. Sometimes I think that I am going to get home and be asked all these questions about the differences, and have no idea how to answer even though I have lived here for three months. Fingers crossed that does not actually happen, so here is to continuing to learn about this culture and systems that are perpetually around me. 

         

         

Beautiful view from Znojmo (weekend day trip)

   

Easter and the Alps (cultural differences)

Beer garden in Germany!

       This weekend was a little extra long because of Easter and so we ended up in Munich (Germany) and Salzburg (Austria). Friday and Monday are national holidays here in Europe, and when they say that everything is closed on Monday in Munich, they weren't kidding. Even big chain stores (such as H&M) were closed. This left the four of us in a position to wander around and see what we could find. We did really well for just aimlessly walking around and ended up at a beer garden with beautiful weather that called for sunglasses! Thus far, we have been fitting in with the Europeans and having a drink with lunch or early afternoon. It will be kind of strange to be back in the states where "day drinking" is frowned upon.
       Let me back up just a little bit. To start off our trip, we spent Friday in Munich at the Neuschwanstein Castle, after an 8 hour overnight bus ride arriving at 7:25 am. Our tour guide for the castle (Patty) is originally from Chicago so we instantly clicked with her thanks to being a smile familiar with the Midwest. :)  The castle was beautiful and took 17 years to build but was still unfinished. Fun fact, only 30 people died working on the castle during this duration. This castle involved blowing up a mountain so you can imagine that it was quite dangerous. However, King Ludwig II would make sure and support the family if their family member died working on the castle, to ensure that they would be okay financially. Ludwig was also very advanced with the new available technology in the 1860's. This castle (that he built simply because he could) had running water, plumbing, a telephone, and  even color changing lights. An interesting fact though, is that it was the only telephone in the area, which meant he could only call the post office to see if he had any mail.
       Because we were at one of the most visited attractions, we fit right in with all the tourists. We also ended up hearing a lot of English which caught me off guard. Usually you automatically assume that no one around you speaks English, especially in the Czech and so it takes a minute to register that you are hearing English. It was refreshing to say that you spoke English and have the person you were talking to instantly start to speak English to you instead of German. We also did not have any problems with language when we were in Salzburg. It is almost like you wear a sign on your back that says you only speak English. for better or worse. One other thing of mention about Munich, is that there were many more homeless people, in particular those with physical disabilities sitting on the streets. In central Nebraska, particularly in Kearney, the homeless population is slim to none and so it was a little more difficult. Yes, I have seen homeless people before especially in places like St. Louis, but thus far in Central Europe, I haven't noticed too much.
        We also went to Salzburg during the weekend. Salzburg is probably the place that I felt the most at peace. The Alps are breathtakingly beautiful and radiate much more beauty than the Rocky Mountains do, or in our case, cornfields. There are more rolling hills and greener grass in the Alps, but even the snow caps were a nice touch. I really needed a break from the city life and was ready to be back in nature. I dreaded leaving Salzburg and the beautiful mountains, which means that I will return someday!
       While the culture was different and at some points caught me off guard, I am so happy to have spent Easter weekend with such great friends in two amazing places. Side note: it is really strange to think about how we can just go to another country for the weekend and experience their culture over the holidays.

St. Peter's Abby. (Location where Rolf betrays the Von trap
family- the betrayal did not happen in real life)

Side room for prayer in St Peters.

Red Bull headquarters just outside of Salzburg
(something that was pointed out to us on the Sound of Music tour)

Catholic mass in German on Easter Sunday.

View from the Fortress in Salzburg. We climbed very
steep inclines (in ballet flats from church that morning
-not a smart move)

Champagne on the bus signing along to the
songs from the Sound of Music.

Mozart concert at the Mirabell Palace- where
 Mozart and his family used to perform.
Salzburg is Mozart's birthplace

Nueschwanstein Castle from afar. 

Overlooking Salzburg from the Fortress.