I’m really crazy about trips. I
can’t imagine living my whole life in the same place. I need to
move, to discover more and more landscapes. For me, every town
contains more than one treasure. Every place has a community of
people with its own story, language, way of life, its way of getting
dressed, its fashions, its wisdom, its follies… Each country has
its own special charm, and that’s what I love! That’s why it is
so interesting and stirring to travel. Every journey constitutes a
huge personal experience. And my
trip to the Czech Republic was, without a doubt, one of the
best of my life.
Last
year, four Czech pupils came here, to Aurillac, for five or six
months. Before that I didn’t know anything about this country,
about the Czech people and even less about their culture. But I was
pleasantly surprised to meet such people! Betka came to French
Literature classes with me, whereas Tomash, Veronica and Tereza had
Science classes. They were just extraordinary! I made friends with
them. It’s so easy to communicate with them, they are very, very
nice, so funny and they are truly like us! It’s fantastic. So, we
decided to organize, with our Euro Section, an exchange between PORG
Gymnasium (the High School of our four beloved little Czechs) and our
French school. My class mates and I went to the Czech Republic in
October 2011 for a week. Betka was my host.
After
two quick hours in the 'plane, we arrived in Prague, the town called
by many “the most beautiful capital in the world”. It was so
lovely, so wonderful. I had the impression of being a princess. The
streets of the city center were gorgeous, prestigious. A magical
place! I was completely bewitched. We stayed with families, we lived
as young Czech people. It wasn’t really like in France. They are
freer than us. They are allowed to go to bars every evening! Oh! I
couldn’t forget all these Czech nights. Every Czech pupil took his
French mate to the “Kafetchko”, a very out of the ordinary bar in
Prague. During these “eastern evenings”, I tasted the Czech
beer. I can’t say it was better than the French stuff but it was
really much cheaper...
We
crossed practically the whole city, visiting every place, numerous
museums, and almost every street. I remember the bridge, the
miniature Eiffel tower, the John Lennon wall, the museum of
contemporary art, the “antique tram”, the famous goulash, all
these cafés where Betka took me to drink tea and to talk for long
hours about our lives.
The Municipal House was a special place. Why?
Because in one of the biggest rooms of this huge house I danced, only
during five minutes, but I remember my heart beating a hundred miles
an hour. I hadn’t danced in such a room before. I had the
feeling of flying. I think I’ll keep all these memories in mind for
a very long time. Julie dances...
I’ve only one wish, to go back again NOW!
Over there, I felt at home, and this sensation is very rare when we
are abroad. That’s why I would like to live for one or two years
in this grandiose country in order to really get to know the culture
and, why not, to start learning the Czech language!
One
afternoon during the weekend, my friend Betka took me for a ride through Prague
and, along the way, we passed in front of the Lennon wall. It was
a grey drizzly day and, suddenly, there was an explosion of colours! This wall
overflows with shapes, flower drawings, words and pictures. Betka
explained that it was called the Lennon wall because originally there
was just a photo of him on this wall. He never actually came to the Czech
Republic.
I
stayed staring for ten minutes. It’s maybe just a detail of my trip to
Prague, but it was an important one for me. It was like this mere
wall were alive and breathing in front of us. It seemed to deliver a
sincere message of peace, of serenity and of love. I found it superb
and bewitching...
Betka,
what is your favorite place in Prague?
“My
favourite place in Praque is called Újezd and it´s close to Prague
Castle and the river Vltava. There is a little hill, called Petřín,
from which you can see the whole city. On the top of this hill
there's a small copy of the Eiffel tower. Near to the river is the
Lennon wall, the most unusual thing in Újezd. What I like most about
Újezd is that there are a lot of cafés where you can easily meet
interesting people.”
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