On Global, our walking tours, excursions, and outings have offered opportunities to learn cool, sometimes niche, things. A perk of these adventures that I have enjoyed (and that I did not anticipate prior to the program) is how they provide the perfect environment and inspiration to make jokes and have little conversations with the person next to you. My week for the blog was packed full of these opportunities!

On April 23rd we hopped on a bus and departed for Český Krumlov. Walking around Český Krumlov feels a bit other-worldly as it seems almost unreasonably picturesque. The town’s pleasing appearance can be partially attributed to its reliance on tourism, as well as the fact that it is home to a large castle that is preserved as a World Heritage Site. Český Krumlov Castle was amazing to see with an elaborate ballroom and lavish living spaces, not to mention a bear pit. However, what really stuck with me was how the designers of the castle painted freely, whether that be painting a window onto a wall in order to keep the design symmetrical or painting characters on the walls of the ballroom to make the atmosphere seem more lively. At the castle we heard of a ghost story where a member of the powerful family who inhabited the castle now haunts the grounds. Word on the Český Krumlov street is that the spirit of this woman wears all white and plays with neglected children. When she is seen wearing white gloves good news is on the horizon, black gloves mean bad news, and red gloves signify fire danger. It didn’t take too long for the dots to be connected that Emma was wearing a white jacket and black gloves. The next bit of our tour was spent speculating what bad news Emma could be prophesying. The jokes practically make themselves and we’re doing such cool stuff along the way.

On April 29th we put on the best clothes we could gather and went off to the opera to watch The Marriage of Figaro. With my previous understanding of opera mostly stemming from Bugs Bunny cartoons, I was pleasantly surprised that the opera had an accessible plot rather than being obscure singing alone. I was further surprised by the line-by-line english translation that appeared on a screen above the stage. It’s incredible that the singers have the stamina for an entire three-hour performance, and I was even more impressed when Professor Sonnega let me know halfway through that none of the singers were mic’d up. After the show some of us reflected on the juxtaposition between our opera selves and how we had looked in the Amazon Rainforest. We’re really experiencing the best of both worlds. It was pointed out that Markian and Gabriel should each share half of their closet with the other, given that Markian usually seems equipped for a hike while a walk around Prague is usually more Gabriel’s speed. After a three-hour show I guess we were eager to get back to our quips. 

Standing alone, our excursions and activities have been so interesting and such a blast. Still, while reflecting on this I also wanted to provide a little insight on the banter we have during them because, for me, this has been one of the best parts of Global Semester. As family and friends find out about the amazing parts of our travels in one way or another, I hope they also know how our little interactions, our bits, and our you had to be there moments (that maybe don’t translate so well via writing) make our time together even better.