Days 13-15 - Prague, Czech Republic

5/29
Sunday was the first day of my Baylor study abroad program.  We are staying at the International Baptist Theological Seminary.  It is secluded from the city because it is surrounded nature preserves.  The buildings are really old and have a lot of history.  During German occupation in WW2 the buildings were used by the Nazi Secret Police in recording and processing captured Jews and other dissidents.  After the war the buildings were used by the Communist Secret Police to process those who tried escaping to Western Europe.

5/30
Monday was my first day of classes.  After class, as group we toured Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral.  We climbed to the top of the tower and saw breathtaking views of the city.

5/31
Tuesday we had class and a film producer from Prague came and lectured to our class.  Afterwards Muskus and I wandered the city.

Day 12 - Prague, Czech Republic

5/28
This morning we split up.  Clint, Taylor, and Brett went on to Paris, France.  This afternoon I met up with some of my parents missionary friends.  Tonight I will be staying at their church flat with their intern pastor.  He was very nice and showed me the city for about 3 hours this afternoon.

Our last picture together.  Proud to be!

Taken from across the river looking at the old town.

The Old Town Hall with an astronomical clock, which I went to the top of and took the pictures below.

Tyn Cathedral and Old Town Square.

I have already taken over 700 pictures!

Day 11 - Prague, Czech Republic

5/27

As usual, we spent the day walking around.  We walked along the Vltava River to the Charles Bridge.  From there we could see the Prague Castle, one of the largest castles in Europe.  We tried to get on a Segway tour but they were booked for the rest of the day so we settled on a river boat tour.  Our last full day together was a blast!

View of the Vltava River from Charles Bridge.

Street in the Mala Strana area of Prague.  A lot of the buildings in this area house government organizations.

On the river boat tour.

Our apartment we rented was on the 4th floor.

Day 10 - Krakow, Poland

5/26

Krakow was probably our most favorite city!  Our feet were tired and we wanted to see as much of Krakow as we could so we rented bicycles.  We rode them to the Wawel Castle and along the Vistula River.  Afterwards we ate dinner in the main square.  Polish food is great!

In the main square with St. Mary's Basilica in the background.

Us inside the castle.

Riding bikes along the Vistula River.

The Town Hall Tower in Krakow.

Days 8 & 9 - Berlin, Germany & Krakow, Poland

5/24
On Tuesday we woke up and walked around Berlin.  We stopped by the main train station, Berlin Hauptbahnhof, to pick up a train ticket.  Afterwards we saw the building where the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, resides.  We also saw the Reichtag, which is where the German Parliament meets.

Berlin Hauptbahnhof.

The Reichtag - the meeting place of the German Parliament.

Us in front of the building were Angela Merkel lives.

Typical German street food, currywurst.

5/25

In Berlin we got on a train to Poznan, Poland.  There we connected to another train that took us to Krakow, Poland.  When we arrived in the morning, we checked into our hostel and booked a trip to Auschwitz.  The experience was unbelievable and I am very glad that I went.  When we got back we walked to the main town square.  We ate some polish food - sausage, pork, and vegetables - and we talked to the locals.

Church on the square in Krakow, Poland.

"Work makes you free" - the sign over the entrance to Auschwitz 1.

Inside Aushwitz 1.

Outside looking in Auschwitz 1.

The railway entrance to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Some of the remaining wooden barracks in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Days 6 & 7 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands & Berlin, Germany

5/22
Yesterday we spent our last day in Amsterdam.  Since we had to check out of our hostel early, we headed to the Van Gogh museum to avoid the afternoon lines we had experienced the day before.  The museum had paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, and Picasso.  After we left the museum we got lunch and walked around the city.  We spent the last couple hours in Amsterdam at the hostel lobby because of poor weather. We made dinner at our hostel and headed to the central station to catch our first overnight train.

Inside the Van Gogh museum.

The line outside the Van Gogh museum when we left!

Clint and I in our overnight train compartment.

Taylor and Brett in our overnight train compartment.

5/23
Today we arrived in Berlin very early.  Our train was having technical problems so we got directed to train station pretty far away so we took at taxi to our hostel.  Our hostel here is very nice!  We checked our bags and started walking around the city.  We saw the Reichstag, the memorial for the Jews that were killed in the Holocaust, the Brandenburg Gate, the U.S. Embassy, and Tiergarten Park.

View of Fernsehturn Tower.

Brandenburg Gate.

The memorial for the holocaust Jews.

Statue in the Tiergarten Park.

Day 5 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

5/21
Today we got up and walked to the Vondelpark and spent a couple hours there.  The park was very beautiful and was full of people.  After the park we walked to the Van Gogh Museum but the line was really long so we walked to the Anne Frank Museum, which was down the same main canal that our hostel is on - Prinsengracht.

Eating pizzas for lunch at a restaurant close to our hostel.

Typical scene of the canals in Amsterdam.

Artwork in a park the the museums.

Where we sat and relaxed in Vondelpark.

The Westerkerk Church as we walked to the Anne Frank Museum.

Us in front of the actual Anne Frank House.