The Proper Way To Break Up. (Study Abroad Wise)

“Isn't it funny how the memories you cherish before a breakup can become your worst enemies afterwards? The thoughts you loved to think about, the memories you wanted to hold up to the light and view from every angle--it suddenly seems a lot safer to lock them in a box, far from the light of day and throw away the key. It's not an act of bitterness. It's an act of self-preservation. It's not always a bad idea to stay behind the window and look out at life instead, is it?” ― Ally Condie

Now that quote doesn't exactly sum up how leaving our little fairy tale of a country is going to be. But i thought it kind of showed what, at least my memories from this trip, feel like. As our last week together as a group comes to an end. The bittersweetness of going off on our own, knowing that we are different and better people, but also being able to look back and not regret any of it bites at my mind. So today's blog is going to be a quick reflection about our last week in the Czech Republic and how quickly our last five days running across the country together came to an end.

Just your typical American tourists.

We started our last hoorah on Tuesday, heading to the gorgeous little town of Litomyšl. For those of you who don't speak Czech... Lee-toh-me-shull. For the first time as a group we actually got a nice hostel! And not just a nice hostel, an old brewery of a castle! We threw our stuff up in our lofts and headed out for food. After a deliciously cheap dinner and a rather fancy restaurant, we headed back to the hostel for our short introduction to the town and a tour of the church. We set out and found a "modern art" exhibit in one of the gardens where a cylinder was cut out of the front of a charter bus... I don't understand it but it was rather amusing. Next it was to a pizzeria and then I, being a bum, spent the rest of the night in my room avoiding people.

Early morning wake up call and we were off again! This time to Kutná Hora. Again for you not Czech speakers... Coot-nah Hore-ah. We looked around the amazing church of bones. And then... wait what is this? Yet again, and rather oddly, we had ANOTHER nice hostel! This time it wasn't a hostel... We stayed in a REAL hotel! We got a quick look at the city, had some lunch, a tour of another church, and then we were on our own for the day. The night didn't go to waste however! No no no. We spent the night out on the balcony, reminiscing, growing, and living in the moment. I could have lived the night a hundred times over. Just to keep the memories going, and not have to worry about the future. However the night was short lived. We had a tour the next morning. So off to bed!

Do we look like proper miners?

Getting up the next morning I was excited for the day's tour. However after we arrived to the Silver Mine and we descended to the depths... I quickly changed my mind. It was cramped, and when I say cramped I mean 2 foot across and 6 foot tall was about the largest area we walked through. It was wet and it was dirty. But hey, we did get to wear a lab coat and cool looking miners helmet! The tour concluded our time in Kutná Hora, and we were rushed to the bus and off again to yet another tiny town.

But FIRST! We got the chance to tour the Budweiser factory here in the Czech Republic. No it's not the same as the American Budweiser. They are actually two completely different companies. And yes, I can say that Czech Budweiser was rather game changing. I will keep that to the extent of information I go into with the tour. But it was quite enjoyable.

Česky Krumlov

Česky Krumlov. (Chess-key Crumb-love) A amazing little town ripped straight out of a disney movie. Red roofs break out from the foliage in basically the middle of no where, with a huge castle hundreds of years old looking down upon it all. It was a sight to be seen for sure. We spent our time there touring the castle, walking through the gardens, and in the end we, at least the more adventurous of us, went rafting down a river. Well, it started off miserably. It was rainy and cold. But as the captain of our boat I wasn't about to let my troops morale drop. Luckily, a few minutes, maybe only ten, the clouds opened up and the temperature rose. The sights of the sun cascading through the trees above, glimmering and dancing over the water. It was incredibly peaceful. Now that peace didn't last long. I'm not sure if it was twenty minutes after we set sail and we were all jumping into the river. Whole boats at a time. We had only a few hours to get the most out of our last activity together... and that is exactly what we did.

Our group braving the open waters.

My boat. Obviously the best looking group.

We spent the night again... talking, reminiscing, and laughing at how in a few short months we came to this.





But our time was up. The next morning we headed back to the bus and with a five hour drive we were back to Olomouc. We packed and then set off on our own, some going for food and others to do laundry. For most of us... it was our last night.

I'm going to miss our little misfit of a group. But for now my blog is over. Don't worry, I know how much you love reading about my life... as well as i still have another class to blog for. So I will do a few reminiscing blogs, and finally a reflective blog about my trip.