5 Czech Cities in 1 day!

This weekend I finally traveled a bit in the Czech Republic! I haven’t made my way to Prague yet… But I will make sure it happens, even if I have to go alone. This Sunday, though, my good friend Radka invited me to stay at her house and to see the beautiful cities surrounding it. I was very excited because this meant I would see a real Czech family in a real Czech house! That’s one of the big things that are different about being on exchange this time – I am not living in a house with Czechs, but in the dorms with students from all over the world. Both are great and have their benefits, but it was still nice to be in a house for a night! So on Sunday I saw 5 cities! Nový Jičín, Kopřivnice, Štramberk, Hulkvaldy and Přibor are all small towns about an hour north east of Olomouc. Radka is from Kopřivnice, but the cities around her town are beautiful, old, an unique.

I arrived in Nový Jičín and then went by car to Radka’s house. She lives kind of in the country in a beautiful house her grandfather built before he left for the US during communism. They told me he actually built the house so the government would let him leave because if he owned something in Czechoslovakia his chances of returning were greater. He didn’t return, but settled in Milford, MI where Radka still has family! (Small world!) She lives with her two brothers and parents when she is home on the weekends. They have two huge, but sweet and gentle dogs! Again, it was so nice to see dogs! At her house we had a big lunch of chicken and potatoes, and then headed out to walk to Štramberk. This city was so beautiful, and the amazing weather just added to it. It was founded in the 1300s and has a great story about defeating the Tartars (that resulted in a yummy gingerbread snack called Štramberk ears!). The city is built on hills and has a castle that is now just a tower you can climb up.

The houses are all beautiful and built so close together. There are cobble stone streets and adorable shops and restaurants. I loved it! I would go there often if I lived close. We went up to the top of the tower and walked to a cave near by that has a beautiful view of the city in front of it.

After visiting Štramberk, we walked home and then drove to see the Hulkvaldy Castle. It was a long walk up a hill to the castle, but it was worth it! There are may castles in the Czech Republic, and this was a beautiful and old one. It had beautiful views of the cities surrounding Hulkvaldy and of the mountains and countryside.

After seeing the castle we drove to Přibor where Radka went to high school and our friend Kristyna is from. There she took me to see the house Freud was born in! There was a great statue of a therapists couch and under it was written, “Sit Down and Meditate – Stand Up and Act“ which I loved!

She also took me to Kopřivnice to see where she grew up. I must say, after this whirl wind tour of 4 cities we were exhausted! So we returned to her house and had a snack and rested. We watched a movie and decided to go to bed early, which was so nice! I can’t do that very much here because of the nature of dorm life, so it was really nice to sleep in a quiet house in the country side.

The next morning we took a bus at 10:15 back to Nový Jičín to walk around and have some coffee before our bus to Olomouc. We were back in Olomouc before 1:00 and I went to the store to get some food and then rested before my class in the afternoon. It was such a wonderful weekend with the weather and being with Radka. I’m so happy to say that I traveled in the country a bit and met a Czech family. I know you’re wondering about some cultural differences... So one of them is when they eat their big meal. Here, Czechs normally have a big and hot lunch around 1:00 and then just have a smaller snack around 6 or 7 – opposite of us in the US! But, I think this is better for your health and digestive system... so maybe I will try to do this too! And, much like it was in Finland, Sundays are days of rest and the family was just sitting at home doing some things around the house. Neighbors visited, but mostly the day was spent enjoying the wonderful weather. Sundays in the US, at least for me, are fully of running errands and finishing homework until late in the night. It is nice to have a relaxing Sunday... and you’re kind of forced to because most places are closed anyway. Radka’s parents didn’t speak English, but she translated a bit and they were really nice people. I’m so thankful they invited me into their home!


Tonight is the American National party for Erasmus! I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this, but every Wednesday there is a national party at a club in town. All the students from that country plan the party, make some food, and put together a “midnight surprise“. The organization picked our theme for us... Cowboys and Indians... hah! It’s something really foreign to me... so it’s like a costume party for me too! My friends are all excited about it, and I’m looking forward to actually getting to know the group of Americans from Nebraska that are here. It should be a fun night! And this weekend I am hoping to travel somewhere... not sure where yet, though! My roommate and friends are going to Vienna, but I’ve already been, and will be there in a few weeks before we go to Croatia. I’m also a little bit sick... I’ve had a bad sore throat all week, so I’m hoping it goes away and I can have a fun weekend! The next two weeks I want to work ahead in my school work because I will be missing classes while I’m in Croatia and I’ll be busy showing Bernardo (my Brazilian friend I met in Finland) around! I hope I can stay focused and get a lot done.
In other news, I interviewed for a job in the Office of Study Abroad at MSU last night over Skype! It was an interesting experience... but I think it went well! I found out that over 80 students applied for 4 positions, so I am really excited that I got an interview. I’ll know if a few weeks how it went... I’ll keep you updated!