This morning at 10:00 am Jana, our guide, told us to enjoy the relaxing day, and that we won’t have many of them. It is now 10:00 pm and I just got back to my hotel room. We covered all the bases today, a cooking class in the morning, a walking tour in the afternoon, and a classic Czech “hospoda” for dinner. I couldn’t choose what to write about given how many incredible things we did today, and without a doubt, my favorite was the cooking class. We got to work with some of the best instructors in Prague, and got to cook some amazing Czech cuisine.
Even though the cooking class was my favorite thing today, I chose to write about the Prague Castle, something I have seen before, multiple times, and I wanted to write about it because of what day it is, May 8, Independence Day from the Second World War. The Prague Castle stands as a landmark of the Czech Republic, and former Czechoslovakia, and a fitting one, for a country with a rich history. The castle in stands high above Prague, with grand stature, but, is open to everyone, for free, to enjoy its beauty. This for me embodies the Czech people, I can say us Czechs may be intimidating at first, but as soon as you speak with us, some of the most welcoming in the world. Not only does the castle represent this about us, the fine and intricate details represent a complicated past filled with conflict, but above all else, filled with curiosity for a better Czech Republic, and camaraderie between all people. And of all days, today, highlights this the most, Independence Day from the Second World War, highlights the storied past of the Czechs and how they have risen above it and brought their countrymen up alongside them, and for this, I am proud to be Czech.
Swanson School of Engineering 