The cab driver said we should expect to pay about 600ck for a cab ride from there to airport so about 25$. We decided rather than try to spend the day trying to find specific things we'd just walk and see what jumped out at us. There was a nice shopping strip but most of the shops I thought had ugly clothes. Then I found one where I found the most adorable bohemian style dresses for really inexpensive. Ooh the shopping bug hit! Cute stuff I couldn't get at home. I love shopping for clothes in Europe and finding something unique. I recommend traveling with only a carry on suit case, trust me you will be so happy you did. You just cruise right through airports with out checking then waiting for your luggage. Pack clothes you don't care about so if you find goodies on your trip you can just donate what you can live with out. I brought a sweater that had a hole in it so I didn't feel bad leaving it behind.
After I did a bit of shopping we stumbled right into the communist museum which was the one last thing we wanted to see. It was a really great educational experience and shed so much light on the people here. I never really understood when the Berlin Wall fell or communism in general fell, I was young I remember seeing it on the news but was really unaffected by any of it. To young to care to be honest. I learned a lot today. I will share to the best of my ability to recall .
Things were really tough here in soviet occupied cheklosavakia. Communism promoted industrial farming to the detriment of the environment and the people. Food became contaminated with pesticides and life expectensy decreased. ( sounds not much different than Americas food practices) People were fed a lot of anti American and anti west in general propaganda but it was a difficult to get the people to embrace that because they had received help from the Americans during the war and also because they loved old western movies. In fact the bohemian style clothing I have always been drawn too is really a mix of bohemian style or hippie style inspired by the western movies and culture of American cowboy music they loved! Well that is why I love this style!
The people here really suffered a lot. They were oppressed and angry. In 1969 on the twenty year anniversary of the Russian occupation a 19 year old college student by the name of Jan Palach burned himself to death in protest of the government. That is a whole lot of helplessness for a young man with a whole life ahead of him to go buy the gas walk down the street and follow through with his plan. He lived three days before dying. He had to have known that he would suffer an awful death yet he willingly chose this. That is a whole lot of determination for such a young man. How sad that the world is so unjust it leads people to such derastic measures.
In 1989 people began rioting in protest. They wanted to be peacefully heard. There were hundreds of thousands of demonstrators . The protesters were beat with clubs and sprayed with giant fire hoses but they didn't give up. Even women were hit. We watched a documentary in the museum and it really touched me. I realized that most of these angry people I've run across here have really been through so much. These people have lived through war after war and have seen it first hand. I can't understand this because I have never lived through it. It's easy for me to smile at everyone and make conversation because I've never lived in a place where a conversation with the wrong person can lead to a unwelcome visit from the secret police.
The end of the documentary was all footage of the riots. A beautiful voice sang a song that had subtitles. I took notes to remember a few of the lyrics. These are the ones I got.
Thank you for the pain which teaches me to ask questions
Thank you for failure which makes me work hard
Thank you for my weakness which teaches me to be humble
Thank you for tears they teach me compassion
They cry. They call for sympathy
Thank you that I love though my heart is stricken with fear.
The last verse brought tears to my eyes. Truly no government on earth will bring the lasting peace we all long for. I will pray more fervently tonight that gods will be done on earth and his kingdom come so people will no longer have to live in fear and pain.
P.s. If you grab a taxi at the train station its triple the price. If you travel light ...walk a few blocks away from station and get a ride for 1/3 of the price. I'd rather spend that money on beer.
Well I'm smashed on a bus waiting to board the plane for Budapest! Let's see what adventures await us there.
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