I bumped into a fellow "study-abroader" at R.E.I. today as I aimlessly shopped for a 2 in one rain jacket with a removable liner (don't worry, it was mostly unsuccessful). She recognized me while she was with her parents and we got to chatting about packing and suitcases etc. Turns out I am definitely not the only one who is nervous about packing! She was there trying to find a backpack to tote around between the field trips to different countries we are visiting too while in Prague, so I think it is appropriate to post some of the dates and places I will be traveling too, along with the descriptions from the program's website! I am so excited for all of these places... I definitely cannot wait to have a passport worthy of showing off!
So in addition to 15 credits worth of class Monday-Thursday, 10AM-3PM, we will be taking international field trips to nearby countries. Here they are!
Vienna, Austria: April 5-7, 2012
3-day mandatory international trip at the end of the 1st week of the program. Vienna has been repeatedly named by various respected studies and surveys "the most desirable city to live in", not only in Europe but the whole world. It is not as hip and full of contrasts as New York and not as metropolitan and rebelious as Berlin but it offers a number of small, everyday reasons why its citizen would not live anywhere else. In Vienna, we will have a walk around the famous Ringstrasse in the center of the city, visit Schoenbrunn, the summer palace of the Habsburg dynasty, have a guided tour through the Kunst Haus Wien, a fabulous colorful art house by Friedrich Hundertwasser. We will also visit the Sigmund Freud Museum, the beautiful Secession Building and the Museum Quarter, full of art galleries and places to rest. Besides that, students have all evenings free.
The program will cover both the transportation to our planned activities and a 3-day city public transportation pass for everyone. We will stay in a hostel in center of Vienna, breakfast is included and paid for by the program.
Krakow, Poland: April 21-24, 2012
4-day mandatory international trip at the end of 3rd and the beginning of the 4th week of the program. We will visit the Jagellonian university (the 2nd oldest university in Central Europe where, for example, Copernicus and the pope John Paul II studied); we will take a guided bike tour through the city and explore the old Jewish neighbourhood of Kazimierz, which is now the liveliest bohemian district of Krakow, we will visit Efka, Poland's most important women's NGO, explore the communist utopian city of Nowa Huta and, of course, we will visit Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and State Museum.
In Krakow, we will stay in Mama's hostel in the heart of the city. Breakfast is included and paid for by the program. Students will have the evenings free.
Budapest, Hungary: May 3-6
4-day mandatory international trip at the end of the 5th week of the program. In Budapest, we will have a walk around Pest, go to the Great Market Hall and St. Stephan’s Basilica, both popular tourist attractions of Budapest. We will also take a tour of the Hungarian Parliament, go to the Buda Castle (including Mattias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion), and the Dohany Street Synagoue. We will visit the House of Terror museum, the monument to the victims of 1956 uprising, and the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art. We also plan on on visiting the Central European University, going to the historic turkish Gellert Baths and have a group dinner or other activity. Besides that, students have all evenings free.
The program will cover both the transportation to our planned activities and a 3-day city public transportation pass for everyone. We will stay in a hostel in center of Budapest, breakfast is included and paid for by the program.
Berlin, Germany: May 14-17, 2012
4-day mandatory international trip during the 7th week of the program. Berlin is one of the most important metropolitan cities in Europe. Historically, politically and culturally, its developments have been inseparably intertwined with the larger history of Central Europe, prior, during and after the Communist regime. In Berlin, we will take a bike tour through the most important sites of the historic divided city; we will go on a walk through the Jewish neighbourhood of Scheunenviertel with its renown Neue Synagogue; we will visit and discuss the Story of Berlin Museum about history of the city, including a nuclear bomb shelter from the 1950s; the so-called East-Side Gallery (remnants of the Berlin Wall covered with contemporary graffiti); the excellent documentation center of the Berlin Wall at Bernauerstrasse; we will also visit the extensive Berlin Jewish Museum, arguably one of the best museums in Europe; the Holocaust Memorial by the Brandenburg Gate; the Potsdamer Platz; and the newly opened DDR and Stasi museums. We will also take a guided tour of the Berlin Reichstag, the site of the German Parliament. Students have all evenings free.
The program will cover both the transportation to our planned activities and a 3-day city public transportation pass for everyone. In Berlin, we traditionally stay at the Downtown Baxpax Hotel/Hostel in the Oranienburg neighborhood, which is the location of a number of great cafes, pubs, restaurants and the historic Jewish quarter. The hostel is walking distance from Alexanderplatz, the Museum Island, the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag. Breakfast is included and paid for by the program. The hostel has paid internet access, cafe and underground club.
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