Study abroad programs for college and gap students
Photo Essay: CET Prague
Photos by Sienna Willis, (Smith College) Student Correspondent for CET Prague Spring 2018 This has been a very busy month for students on the CET program! At the end of March we took part in CET’s travelling seminar- a weeklong excursion that takes students from Krakow to Vienna, with a few stops in between. The seminar really exceeded my expectations and I ended up loving every city we visited. This photo was taken in Krakow’s main square. Despite the rain and cold weather, we enjoyed every moment we had in the city- especially the pierogies!
The central square in Krakow was surrounded by horse drawn carriages. According to our tour guide they did not have a unique significance to the city, and carriages like these were actually never used by Poland’s royalty, but they definitely added to the fairytale appeal of the city.
The next stop on the travelling seminar was a tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. This was definitely the heaviest day of our trip and it was a hard place to visit, but it was definitely a valuable experience. The next day we spoke with high school students from the town of Oświęcim, where the camp is located and had discussions about the impact of living near such a place, and how the Holocaust is remembered in Poland.
After leaving Oświęcim we headed to Brno where we stayed for a night before continuing on to Mikulov, a small town in the Czech Republic famed for its wineries. The town was absolutely beautiful, and it was to see the countryside after being in a city for so long. In Mikulov we had a wonderful group dinner and discussed our high and lows of the seminar- most of us struggled to find any faults.
From Mikulov we left for our final destination, Vienna! Vienna amazed all of us with its beautiful architecture and fascinating history. This is a photo of one of the stop lights that was changed in 2015 as a celebration of Austria’s contestant in the Eurovision contest, Conchita Wurst. Many lights in the central areas of Vienna depict different couples.
Visiting the Belvedere Museum was one of the things I was most excited to do in Vienna. The Museum is housed in a former palace and displays many beautiful and famous pieces of art. The grounds were extensive, and featured beautiful baroque gardens.
The Kiss is one of Gustav Klimt’s most famous pieces of art, and is arguably the focal piece of the Belvedere Museum. It has always been one of my favorite pieces and it was an incredible experience to see the original up close.
Although I was sad to see the travelling seminar end, I was excited to get back to Prague! While we were gone the city was transformed with Easter Markets. Old Town square was filled with decorations and booths selling everything from Sausages to handcrafted painted eggs. The holiday seemed to mark the beginning of Spring, and the city became even more colorful than it already is.
The weather has been getting increasingly warmer in the city and that means that the beer gardens have finally opened! This is the Letna beer garden, which overlooks the Vltava river. You can enjoy the warm weather with a beer and a view of the whole city.
