Wednesday was our first day back to school after our long weekend. Luckily, however, we spend a good deal of our first class hearing about everyone's weekend traveling experiences. Both classes went by quickly!
Bethany had told us about a park that has peacocks roaming around freely, so we decided to check it out on our way back from school! It's awesome and the peacocks have no fear of people! They will walk right up to you looking for food (luckily they won't peck at you though).
He was not a happy camper. This picture was taken right after a man had gotten behind him and ruffled his feathers.
This picture is not zoomed at all. Look how close they come!
Day 16 - Thursday
Thursday, instead of class, we visited the Prague's High Court (which would fit somewhere between our Appellate Courts and our Supreme Court in the US). One of the judges spoke to us for about an hour about Prague's (and the Czech Republic in general) court system. Although we weren't able to see any court proceedings in action, it was interesting to see the courthouse and courtroom.
Group at Prague's High Court (everyone in our program, including professors and student mentors).
Schawnne, Evan, and I at Prague's High Court.
Judge's Bench in the courtroom of Prague's High Court.
Those were creepy statues (see more on facebook).
Schawnne, Bethany, and I outside the courthouse.
After the fruit shop, we decided to make another run to Tesco (the grocery) for bread, milk, chips, i.e. the basics. After grocery shopping, we decided to take it easy for the rest of the night -- catch up on emails, our homework, and skype with friends and family. It was nice to have a relaxing night as we're still trying to catch up from Rome.
Day 17 - Friday
Final Friday! Even though we only had two "real" days of school last week, everyone was more than ready for the weekend to begin. Because everyone in our program traveled last weekend, most people decided to stay in Prague for the weekend to do some of the sightseeing they/we hadn't been able to do yet.
We decided to pack a lunch and take it to Peacock Park after school. Peacock Park (as mentioned before) is quiet, green and perfect for relaxing in the sun (not to mention it's pretty cool to see the peacocks roaming around in the open). One of our professors wanted to see the park so we brought him along. He loved it!
Friday night we went to the Swan Lake Ballet. It wasn't top-notch or anything but the leads were good and we were still able to follow the story. We should have waited until 5 minutes before the show to buy discounted tickets, however, as the show probably wasn't worth the $50 we paid to see it. Oh well -- live and learn -- and we had fun regardless.
Group of us that went to the ballet.
Day 18 - Saturday:
Saturday morning we decided to hike up to Petrin Tower, also known as the little Eiffel Tower, as it was supposed to have the best view in all of Prague. The rumor was definitely true. Although a long (and steep) hike up, it was worth it. Petrin Hill was beautiful with its expansive park and rose gardens. All of the different colored roses were in full bloom and open that morning -- simply beautiful.
Garden on Petrin Hill.
Smelling the beautiful roses!
We decided to climb the tower for the amazing view we had heard so much about. All of the rumors were true -- BEST VIEW EVER (and you could see for miles)!
Ryan, Schawnne, and I climbing Petrin Tower.
We made it to the top!
Check out the view of Prague!
View from the top!
Resting before the climb back down.
The Petrin Tower.
Sitting atop the "hermit house" on our walk back down to the Funicular (trolley that brings you down the hill).
Waiting for the Funicular.
Fun Fact/Video: I've also included a link to a video of the light show on the Astronomical Clock for its 600th Anniversary last October. Is is crazy that they were able to make such a strong statement with projected light alone.
Day 19 - Sunday:
Sunday Bethany and I woke up early to attend a little International Baptist Church service across town (that was done in English). We instantly felt welcome and were even personally invited by the pastor to join a bible study during our time here (unfortunately we don't have have enough time to partake). There were people from all over the world gathering to worship. It was actually a pretty amazing experience.
We used the rest of the day to relax and catch-up/get ahead on some of our homework!
Day 20 - Monday:
After class, we went to a little park (if you could call it that -- it was more like a little "grassy area" near the Vltava River) to eat our lunches and kill a little time before going to the movies. We figured since we'd survived more than 3 weeks in Prague, we would treat ourselves to something from home (and we were dying to see The Hangover: Part 2 -- which was hilarious). We were pleasantly surprised by the theatre which was very modern and extremely clean. The seats were also substantially softer than the ones in our movies theaters back home.
After going home for dinner, we headed back up to the monastery pub to meet up with some of our classmates and professors. All around rough life, isn't it? :)
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