Day 5: Cesky Krumlov & Vienna

Another day on the road brought us breakfast in Prague, lunch in charming Cesky Krumlov, and dinner in the imperial city of Vienna...and what a first impression!

Hello everyone back home! Today was the 5th day of the trip and we made our way through 3 places in one day. Waking up in our Prague hotel room, I made my way onto the bus this morning and for 3 or so hours I caught some sleep before we made it to our next stop, Česky Krumlov. Stopping their we were first greeted by the castle, which rose high above the ground and was built around a large moat with several dams built into it. I with some new found friends went on a journey to find some place to eat. We made a pit stop for coffee before eventually finding lunch. I ordered a chicken schnitzel with "chips" (fries). My friends and I finished our meals and soon we found ourselves out of time, so we boarded the bus once again for another 3-hour long bus ride, this time on our way to Vienna. Along the way we stopped at a McDonalds which was beautiful for a McDonald's. Their were unknown options I had never seen before in the US, and the place as very well kept. After our pit stop, we finished our journey to Vienna, arriving in time for dinner. We dropped off our bags and began a walk all the way to the restaurant, getting a taste of all the beautiful architecture along the way. Dinner started with soup, our main meal being of course: Meat and Potatoes. Desert was a pie that unfortunately I was not able to eat for allergy reasons. We left the restaurant and went to a city center for shopping. My group bought some gelato and exchanged some money before regrouping with the rest of the tour. It was time to head back to the hotel for the night, but before we did we stopped in a park to play some fun group game involving our names and things we like. That was our first night in Vienna, and our last morning in Prague. I can't wait to experience the rest of our trip! 

-M.J.

Cesky Krumlov isn't as well known as is brother Prague, but captivated my sense of wonder nonetheless. Though the city may at first seem to be small and quiet it will remain the most memorable city so far. The town is hidden among the hilly country side of the Czech Republic, and tucked away just behind a blanket of fog. Upon approaching the city via bus I immediately realized that this town could have come straight from a seven year old girl named Chelsea's imagination. The river that ran throughout the quiet town only exacerbated the fairylike whimsy that filled the streets. A 54.5 meter bell tower looked over the town, and gave the perfect view for the hungry tourist. While the food was as always tremendous in quality I have begun to grow tired of meat and potatoes for every meal. This may sound like a setting from a grim brothers' novel, but the best part has yet to come. Shortly after leaving the quant town, the bus made a short stop at a McDonald's. While some students rushed to get ice cream and fries I was more attentive to the iPads, touch screen walls, and toy horses that lay before. I was no longer in a McDonald's, but another world in itself. All in all Cesky Krumlov has been my favorite town so far even without the amazing feat of a futuristic McDonald's. I look forward to my days in Vienna and the rest of the trip.

-Jack M.

We start off in Prague and right after waking up and eating a quick breakfast our group head out to the bus for a 3 hour ride to Cesky Krumlov. After the long bus ride we all immediately ran to the bathrooms before entering the beautiful city. Once we walk through the massive aqueduct we were greeted with a beatific view and a waterfall. After this, we broke off into groups and went to search for lunch. We decided on a small cafe next to the water and I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich with ketchup. It was really good and similar to those that are in Poland. When we finished lunch we headed out to the massive castle that was filled with nice views and many tourists. The castle reminded me of the Great Wall of China because of its long walled walkways. After we toured the castle our group went to meet up with the rest and then we boarded the bus to go to Vienna. This ride was around 3 hours so we took a break at an Austrian McDonalds. Inside it was really nice and futuristic looking. We arrived at our hotel and dropped off our bags and walked over to dinner right after. The dinner this time was really good and the location was beautiful. It felt like I was in a mine as most of the restaurant was deep underground. We ate schnitzel and potatoes which were delicious. After this, we took a walk to the main part of the city where we saw a very old church. The group split up again to do some shopping and I went to a couple souvenir shops and an ice cream store. At night we went to go play some games in the park and right as we got to the hotel everyone was tired and went to sleep. 

-Michael M.