Plzen from Above and Below, in War and in Peace

Hello, dear readers!
It's hard to believe that in just a few short days I will be back at home and may not be back in this part of the world for a very long time. I have absolutely loved it here. I think I've liked the traveling part slightly better than the dorm situation - it is not horrible, but it's quite a bit worse than the dorm I was in my freshman year of college. I'll be really really happy to be at home in my house with my parents.

Just for fun, here's a list of things I will NOT miss about the Czech Republic...
- the fact that most of the time I have no idea what is going on between the spoken Czech and the signs all over the place, also in Czech
- having to pay a lot of money for water in a restaurant (beer comes in pints and is literally much cheaper than a very small 12 oz bottle of water)
- having to pay to use public restrooms. That's right, paying to use the bathroom. At the bus station in Prague, it costs 5 Kc (approximately $.25) to use the bathroom.
- having to pay to be allowed to take pictures in places

Okay. So, I've been spending the last week or so slowly doing all the things around Plzen that are more touristy or at least more unique to Plzen.

Above: Katrina and I climbed the tower to St. Bartholomew's Cathedral. For me, it was not nearly so scary the second time and the view is just ridiculously gorgeous.

Below: Sho and I went to the Historic Plzen Underground today. There are 20 km of tunnels and cellars under the city dating back to the Middle Ages. For 90 Kc you can go on a one hour long tour and for an extra 100 Kc you can take pictures. Count yourselves lucky, dear readers, that I am pretty obsessed with taking pictures and that once I have access to a camera cord again you too will be able to see the underside of Plzen. Make sure you do the 1:00 pm tour though; that's the only one that is in English. The tunnels were originally built to get to underground wells for the city's water supply. They also served as medieval refrigerators, since it is definitely cool enough down there (about 10 degrees Celsius) to keep food. They were also a key part of Plzen's defense system. Plzen is bordered by four rivers, forming somewhat of a natural defense and many centuries ago there were thick walls around the city as well. The underground gave the residents a place to store food, water, and to safely get around the city without being seen. It was also a place to store weaponry and provided escape routes. In fact, Plzen was defended so well that it was only captured once, in the Thirty Years War. The tunnels are really cool (no pun intended) to visit. We had to wear hard hats since in some parts the ceiling is very low. The humidity is very high down there, and the moisture in the air is nearly tangible. There are display cases down there holding different items that have been excavated from the underground - for example, ceramics, stonework, iron work, dishes, bowls, building stones, and weapons. The tour ends at a gigantic waterwheel underneath the city's water tower. All in all, quite fascinating history.

Michael and I also went to the Patton Museum. It's very militaristic in style, but General Patton was the commander who liberated Plzen from the Nazis in May 1945. The city still has a liberation festival every May. Things of note in the museum include lots of WWII things - weapons, a submachine gun, a Browning machine gun, knives, ammunition, a parachute, the things soldiers would use in their daily lives, newspaper clippings, a bronze bust of Colonel Charles Noble, and a signed hat from General Patton himself. Very cool.

We also went to the synagogue in town, which is the third largest synagogue in the world. It is absolutely beautiful. Europeans certainly know how to do their places of worship. High ceilings, a balcony and a large main floor. Stained glass windows everywhere. Gorgeous chandeliers and decorations looking like stone tablets (just very elegant ones) with Hebrew writing on them.

This post will be finished later - I have to go to a concert now!