Paul Brazil, Prague

Czech Republic - Prauge and Cesky Krumlov

My month abroad ended in the Czech Republic, where I visited both Prague and Cesky Krumlov, a beatiful town in Southern Bohemia, known for its castle. Arriving in Prague off a bus from Nuernburg, I was immediately stunned with the beauty of the city around me. It seemed as if every building was centuries old, yet somehow extremely well preserved. My astonishment only grew upon my arrival in the Old Town Square, which once served as a market in the long history of Prague.

A view of a portion of the Old Town Square

Throughout my time in Prague we were allowed to explore the city in small groups, and we ate exceptionally well in many restaurants serving traditional Czech cuisine. Czech cuisine usually consists of a massive slab of meat fresh off the grill with a side of potatoes, which was refreshing after the constant onslaught of cold cuts in Germany. After seeing the sights in Prague for a few days, I traveled south toward Cesky Krumlov, a beautiful region in southern Bohemia with a large castle.

A view of the castle from below

In addition to a castle, Cesky Krumlov had a number of interesting shops and cafes, which were a treat to explore. Using the crown for currency took some adjustment, but after getting used to holding a 1000 crown bill and doing some conversions, confusion was avoided. I enjoyed getting to see the strong national culture that the Czechs have, and it proved to be an amazing experience.

I would again like to thank the Wilsons for their generosity in funding this trip; it was a great opportunity that I will never forget.

Paul Brazil

Paul Brazil - Bavaria and Hildeburghausen

Germany – Bavarian Home Stay and Hildeburghausen

The second leg of my trip to Germany consisted of a home stay in Bavaria, which lasted for ten days and was extremely rewarding. My immersion into Bavarian culture was only stigmatized by a strong Bavarian dialect, which made communication difficult at times. During my time there, I attended school at St. Gotthards Gymnasium, where I sat in on various classes and often fielded questions from curious youngsters for entire class periods. St. Gotthards is affiliated with a monastery and basilica, both of which I was able to see in detail.

Niederalteich Basilica

Other highlights of the trip include a day trip to Munich, where we went on a savage scavenger hunt put together by a native of Munich affiliated with EIL.

Historic City Hall of Munich

I also spent a weekend in Regensburg, a town with a rich medieval history, which proved to be extremely beautiful. Regensburg’s rich Medieval history was apparent through its striking architecture.

After Bavaria, my travels lead me to Hildeburghausen, a small city in Thueringen, a Bundesland that was part of the former East Germany. Whilst in Hildeburghausen, I helped restore a Memorial Pathway for the fallen prisoners of a work camp under the Nazi regime. In addition to service, our group took a day trip to Erfurt, the capital of Thueringen. Thueringen was extremely old and beautiful, with lots of great street food vendors. We also took a day trip to Coburg, a beautiful city just over the border in Bavaria, which boasted the castle Veste.

The forticifactions of Veste

An imposing view of Veste

Guilin- John Mark Bellet

The village we stayed in was small enough to walk through in five minutes! Everywhere you walked between rice paddies and among

parades of chickens and ducks. They seemed to have free reign over the whole village. We hiked up mountains, swam in the river, helped bushwack roads, sang and danced and played Mazhang (a really addictive Chinese strategic board game). On my first Bushwacking venture in the hills I opened up a nest of angry yellow jackets and had to run back down the hill with a big machete! The village mayor thought it was real funny.