So far we've experienced the quaint city of Olomouc, ventured to a cave, experienced czech hospitality, and have begun taking classes.

The first days upon our arrival to Olomouc were exhausting. I think I've finally caught up on sleep. After a few trips to the grocery store and accomplishing my first load of laundry, I think I've made myself at home.
We are attending Palacky University, well kind of. The 24 of us UNK students are taking 4 classes: Czech Language, Western Civilization, Czech History, and field trips plus our personal blog count as a class. None of our classes are with other Czech or Erasmus students (Erasmus is the European Union student exchange). However the Erasmus students have created their own community here, and often times we join them in their festivities. One activity was a trip to the Hranice Caves and abyss. I wasn't allowed to photograph the cave but I did my best to document the rest.
The weather here has been fairly mild. No snow yet (fingers crossed). We've even had a few days in the 60's, so my camera and I ventured around the city. Olomouc has a very sleepy vibe, nothing like the hustle and bustle of Prague. Things close early here, foot traffic is never busy, and the Trams stop at 11pm. However, today they filmed a movie of some sort in the square. Travis and I were walking by an art gallery when a woman informed us that we needed to stay inside for just a few moments, while the film crew used a section of the town that we were heading towards. We went ahead and looked at the art exhibit that had gotten our attention a few days ago. It was wonderful. Featuring a Czech Comic Artist, Abstract Artist, and Some contemporary and modern artists, the exhibit was really quite good. I was also really impressed with the gallery itself. It had 3 levels and on the final level there was a spiral staircase to a small tower overlooking the city.
I've already developed a love/hate relationship with the street food vendors. There's this crepe stand conveniently located at my tram stop in the center of the city, that I've given in to multiple times. I just can't resist Nutella.

I really do like a lot of things here, just a few are:
The 60 degree weather we've been having
The Crepe Stand at my Tram Stop
The architecture, all of it. Inside and out
The cheese and yoghurt selection at Globus (Grocery store that is equivalent to our Walmart)
Public Transportation (Hey it's easy!)
The dogs, all of them. It seems like everyone has a dog except me. I am stealing one as soon as I get the chance, and I will name it Paco
The cats that loiter around my dormitory entrance. My roommate and I have named them: Chicken, Dumpling, and Lion (Don't ever let me name your pet)
My roommate Steph, she's a sweetheart and she smells good (jk Steph I'm not creepy I promise!)
The happy little families in playgrounds- The kids have so much fun here
The cute old people
Travis.
Lastly, all the wonderful things I get to photograph:

So here I am, thousands of miles away from home.
It’s always an adjustment being in a new place around new people.
We’ve finally arrived in the nice city of Olomouc, which will be my home for the next few months. More on that later though.
Let’s talk Prague.
After a long day of travel we finally arrived in Prague. Just in time for a beautiful sunset. Prague was experiencing absolutely stellar weather that day. We were able to watch the sun cast a warm glow around the city as our shuttle took us to our hostel. It made me so antsy to get my camera out but by the time we arrived  it was dusk, and exhaustion had settled in. No pictures for me.

The following morning I was saddened by the weather, a light rain and clouds hung over the city. However, that didn’t stop Travis and I from venturing out. Soon enough the rain cleared and Prague showed us her little wonders.

Of course I took a lot of pictures, but here’s my top 6

you can view our entire adventure here: https://julieg8s.exposure.so/praha-prague

    Inside the Astronomical Clock is a beautiful mosaic that covers the walls from top to bottom.

    This man was kind enough to look right into the camera at the perfect moment.

   

    Stumbled upon this gem after the rain cleared. Prague has a much prettier collection of cars floating around than we do back home.

I do like this one, it’s mostly because of the yellow flowers. Spring is on the move, and these blossoms were the first to show themselves.

The dogs here are incredibly well trained. Some don’t even need leashes, like this fully grown beagle. 

I have to restrain myself from running after every dog and pup I see, don’t want to scare the locals.