Výlet do Prahy konající se v septimě nebo 3. ročníku je na našem gymnáziu už taková tradice, na kterou se těšila i naše třída. Školní týden nám netradičně skončil už v úterý a den na to jsme už jeli vlakem směr Praha. Jsem ráda, že jsem ještě ten den mohla v Národním muzeu na vlastní oči vidět Lucy a Selam. Kostry byly originální, ale celkový vzhled australopitéků nám nabídly jejich napodobeniny. Odpoledne jsme šli na prohlídku České národní banky. Ti, kteří se nevešli, viděli v Galerii Rudolfinum výstavu Kateřiny Vincourové Skin Care. Další den jsme navštívili Senát ČR, kde na nás čekala jak prohlídka historické budovy, tak setkání s jihočeskými senátory – nakonec jen s jedním, Zdeňkem Sýkorou. Nejzajímavější byla ve čtvrtek ale tzv. Neviditelná výstava, kde jsme měli možnost si na 60 minut vyzkoušet být nevidomým člověkem. Projít všechny místnosti bytu, les, chatu nebo třeba rušnou silnici v absolutní tmě, kde opravdu nevidíte ani ruku před očima, není žádná legrace. Výstava byla jak skvělý zážitek, tak i zkušenost a poučení o životě nevidomých. Nechyběla ani večerní prohlídka Prahy s lidmi bez domova. Poslední den jsme pak ještě navštívili Národní filmové muzeum, kde jsme zkusili mnoho věcí od provozování Laterny Magiky až po animování a dabování filmu. Později odpoledne jsme taky viděli výstavu virtuální reality. I přes vynechání tradiční návštěvy Terezína byl náš výlet do Prahy velmi povedený a užitý do poslední chvilky.
Vilma Hadačová
Prague Trip Report Septima and 3.R
By Cedrik Pavienský
Day 1
As I walked through the main doors of Czech Budweiser train station, I looked around, saw a friend’s hand giving me a huge wave and I knew I was at the right spot. The years Septima and 3.r., accompanied by Daniel Hoffman and Petr Klier, were ready to set off. Our humble journey began at 7:58 as the train’s body flinched and the engine let out a loud wheeze. It was time to sit down and wait for our arrival in Prague.
We arrived already tired because of the musty air in the train. We got off of the train at 9:39 and headed straight for the hotel. Although it took a lot of time to get checked in and it almost looked as if we would not have a bed to sleep in, we managed and went to our rooms. We had had a bit of doubt about how the rooms would look but after scouting the bathrooms we came to an agreement that it was OK. We dropped off our stuff, drew our umbrellas, and headed to the Czech National Museum.
Before heading in, we put our stuff in the locker rooms and distributed the tickets between ourselves. After some confusing encounters with the staff, each of us went to a different exposition. Me and my group went to the animal section and then to see the highlight of the exhibition, Lucy and Salem, who were our living ancestors 3.5 million years ago. The showcases held their partly preserved skeletons. I personally found the experience strange. The feeling of being able to look at 3.5 million years old bones really gets to you.
After that we had lunch. Everyone scattered across the centre of Prague and after 2 hours we met up in front of the Czech National Bank. Sadly, three people had to be left out because there were too many of us. In the end, I , my friend and a classmate of ours volunteered to go to an interesting exhibition called Skin Care. This art piece was supposed to make you feel uneasy and uncomfortable using details. You never really knew how or what it specifically was that triggered this feeling. It was also interesting to see how the author used bright colours and even so managed to capture a slight sign of depression and insecurity.
After this we had free time. After using the free time wisely, we arrived back at the hotel and had a meeting in a common room, that was provided for us. We discussed what we would do tomorrow and went to bed completely tuckered out.
Day 2
We woke up early and met up in front of the hotel, once again, with our umbrellas in hand. Then we went for more political sightseeing, The Senate of the Czech Republic. We spoke to Mr. Sýkora, who told us about his experience with politics and what he had to do to get involved in them. After the pleasant company and time spent with the senator we had a tour around the historical part of the senate, to learn about its history.
Yet again, each of us went for lunch and then met up in front of another interesting activity, The Invisible Museum. We learned how people that are blind live in the everyday life and about some inventions that could help the people with visual impairment. It was a very weird experience and made us realise the struggles of these individuals.
After the Museum, we were divided into two groups. Each group then met up with a person that went through the worst scenario in life. One of the victims was Sebastien, a former drug addict, and Lada, an ex-prostitute. We got to hear their life stories and learned how one can end up.
Despite being a little in shock after that experience, we went back to the hotel and prepared for the last day.
Day 3
We woke up and rushed to the National Film Museum. There we got to try out 2D animation and learned about the history of filmmaking. We got to see movies that were awarded with an Oscar and saw an interactive film through VR. The museum also confused us with some optical illusions that were used in the past.
After saying goodbye to the museum, we headed over to DOX, a museum of modern art. Throughout that week a festival was being held called Art VR, where all pieces of art were projected in the virtual world. However, we didn’t have much time and had to get going only after an hour of being there.
And that concluded our journey to Prague, because after that tiring day some people went by car, others went by an earlier train or the one that was departing at 17:20. The remaining groups of people arrived to Czech Budweiser safe and sound.
In conclusion, this trip was original and entertaining. Free time and spending time on educational activities was well balanced. Also, the fact that we didn’t go to Prague Castle was warmly welcomed because everyone has already been there. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay in Prague and gained many new untraditional experiences.
Our school organised an educative trip, like every year, to Prague for the years Septima and 3.r. accompanied by teachers Daniel Hoffman and Petr Klier. However, this time we visited places that are not on the traditional schedule of these trips. I will shortly describe the locations we visited and what each of them gave us to remember.
Day 1
On the first day, we went to the Czech National Museum. The main reason for our visit was the limited time exhibition of Lucy and Selam who were our ancestors 3.5 million years ago. We got a chance to look at their preserved skeletons and read some information about their behaviour.
After the Czech National Museum, we went to the Czech National Bank building to learn about currency and business. However, there was not enough space for all of us so three students went to the exhibition called Skin Care in the Rudolfinium building. This exhibition was supposed to make us feel insecure and worried through details in the pieces of art. This activity was for the artistic types of people.
Day 2
We went formore political sightseeing, The Senate of the Czech Republic. We spoke to a senator, Mr. Sýkora, who was kind to give us his spare time and told us about his experience with politics. After the pleasant company and time spent with the senator, we had a tour around the historical part of the senate building where we learnt about its history and architecture.
Our next stop was The Invisible Museum. It gave us a chance to experience how people with visual impairment struggle in their everyday life.
After the museum, we were divided into two groups. Each group then met a person who went through the worst life scenario. One of the victims was Sebastien, a former drug addict, and Lada, an ex-prostitute. We got to hear their life stories and learnt how one can end up if not cautious.
Day 3
On the last day we went to the National Film Museum. There we got to try out 2D animation and found out more about the history of filmmaking and even saw a piece of art through VR.
The following activity was similar because we headed over to DOX, a museum of modern art. Throughout that week a festival was being held called Art VR, where all pieces of art were projected in the virtual world. This gave us a chance to see art through an unusual perspective.
Overall, we really enjoyed the stay in Prague. A lot of new and untraditional experiences broadened our life perspective.