Communism Museum

The museum focuses on the totalitarian regime from the February coup in 1948 to its rapid collapse in November 1989. The theme of the Museum is "Communism- the Dream, the Reality, and the Nightmare" and visitors will be treated to a fully immersive experience. Immersive factories, a historical schoolroom, an Interrogation Room, or the video clips in our Television Time Machine

are all part of the experience. This museum was really quite scary. The blatant brainwashing control and the over idealism of the rulers was totally gross. What amazes me is

that the Velvet Revolution just

happened. In the videos the people

were in color and wearing clothes I wore as a child. 1989 was only 21 years ago and the Czech Republic has changed so much. It amazes me how quick society has rebounded, and to an outside seems free from the trauma of war and nazi's and the regime of communism.

The Berlin Wall

Yup, thats Karl Marx

Beautiful Trees!

The sun does not set until about 10:30pm and so the sky stays really blue till around 11pm. I snapped a couple really cool pics with trees. Told you my blog would included artsy weird angled pics.

Roommates and clock towers!

Yea for roommates! We were walking through the square and this flower guy let Krystle hold his flowers for the picture. We also were in time to hear the trumpet player that plays on top of the clock. The Prague Astronomical Clock is one of the oldest European clocks of its kind (the first ever originated in Padua in 1344 and a second in Strassburg in 1354) and continues to hold its exceptional position. It is unique in being the oldest of those where the original clockwork has been in operation from the beginning to the present time for six centuries, and even the astronomical dial shaped like an astrolabe survives in the original form. The Astronomical Clock tells the: Bohemian Time, European Central Time, Declination of the Sun, Sunrise and Sunset, Babylonian Time, The Signs of the Zodiac, The Position of the Moon, The Phases of the Moon, The Equinoxes and Solstices, and Sidereal Time.

Maitrea

So when we got back to Prague we were starving and we rushed to this vegetarian restaurant to chow down. Maitrea is a beautiful little place that has a huge underground sitting area, which is common in Prague. The menu is extensive and they even have great mexican burritos! (burros for Scott) YEA for mexican food. They have like 40 fresh fruit juices and beer with hemp in it. The coolest thing is that the offer free dinners to pastors, monks, priests, clergy, and enlightened people.

When we arrived I ordered a

grapefruit, apple and orange juice called the Pink Panther. It was delicious, you could totally taste the fresh apples. For dinner I had split pea soup which was amazing and creamy and a Green leafy salad with grilled goat cheese, kalamata olives, grapes, sun-dried tomatoes and maple syrup dressing. It was one of the most amazing meals ever! I mean I was like starving but it was still so fresh and tasty!

Trip back to Prague

So I decided to be artsy. I loved riding the train and the four of us had so much fun. On the way back I messed around with my camera to get the blue to pop in some of the photos. Hope you like the video at the end. :)

Random Czech Facts

Random Czech facts-

• 12% of your salary goes to pay for health insurance
• 30% of salary/ employer pays taxes too
• You have to pay to put a deposit down to “rent” a cart at the grocery store
• Cashiers sit down at the grocery store
• You have to pay for grocery bags
• 20% is the tax added to the restaurant bill, not including tip
• Beer is cheaper than water
• Tap water is safe to drink and tastes great
• They have cobblestone on most of there streets, even though its more expensive it saves the horses from hoof root and when they do work in the streets they just have to remove the brick to do work under the streets and they can just put it back when done.
• Drinking age is 18
• Cigarette packs say “SMOKING KILLS” in huge letters on the pack
• Spa care is covered by insurance, like when you get heart surgery, government pays for you to go to a spa for 3 weeks.
• You can buy unpasteurized milk at the grocery store.
• There is ham and cheese potato chips and bacon flavored popcorn at the movie theater
• Restaurants charge for take-out boxes
• Czechs consider the first floor, floor 0. And underground floors are -1. -2… So l am staying on the 7^th floor by the states, but the 6^th floor in Czech Republic
• There are no social workers in elementary schools
• No one uses their cell phones here as much as they use them in the states. No one is on them in the grocery stores or on the streets.
• When people get married, the wedding party drives down the street to the church honking the whole way.
• There is no ice in drinks and you have to pay for water everywhere, except my school.
• Czech say they can tell we are Americans by the shoes we wear

Kutna Hora Church of St. Barbara

St. Barbara's Church is one of the most famous Gothic churches in central Europe. St Barbara is the patron saint of miners (among others), which was highly appropriate for a town whose wealth was based entirely upon its silver mines. The original design was for a much larger church, perhaps twice the size of the present building. Construction, however, depended on the prosperity of the town's silver mines, which became much less productive. So, in 1588, the incomplete structure was enclosed by a provisional wall until 1884 and the roof was unfinished until the 19th century. It was just amazing inside and the moment I walked in I lost my breath. There was music playing and the four of us were the only ones in the church. The oldest piece of art was a Madonna dated back to the 13th century. It was even more beautiful than the church in the Prague castle.