Kim: Buenos Aires was big. Really big!! It reminded me of when I visited NYC. Millions of people, honking taxis, little greenery and lots of noise. Being surrounded by multiple 27-story buildings made the sky seem very distant, like a light at the end of a tunnel, not big and open like back home. Although we decided we wouldn’t want to live in a place this big, we had a great month stay in this bustling metropolis!! We toured the Casa Rosada (comparable to The White House in DC), walked along the waters edge in Puerto Madero, took pictures of historical ships and bridges (including the Puente de la Mujer) and ate some amazing Argentine beef at a famous parilla. We also walked through the tangled pathways of the Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Peron is buried (the woman that the musical “Evita“ is about). Other than the fact that the cemetery is filled with thousands of crypts (which is naturally kind of creepy), it was cool to walk through and see the different elements of artistry demonstrated on the outsides. Some of them were incredibly expensive and ornate, especially those built for the famous and wealthy citizens of Buenos Aires.

We spent one warm afternoon (beginning of Spring…yay!!) chilling on a blanket in the Palermo park practicing Spanish and eating empanadas. Yum!! Darren had prepared me for the experience and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed. My favorites were the choclo (creamed corn), cebolla and queso (onion and cheese) and the caprese (tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil). Probably not the most healthy entrées in the world but man were they good :) We spent another afternoon walking around various bookstores looking for interesting books to read on our long journey. One of the coolest bookstores I have ever seen was El Ateneo around the corner from our apartment. Its considered one of the top 10 bookstores in the world. Its in an old theatre complete with a frescoed ceiling, an open curtain lining the stage and reading chairs in the old box-seats. Awesome! Barnes and Noble should do something like this.

Another part of our Argentine experience was attending a Tango and dinner show at Esquina Homero Manzi near San Telmo. The dancing was fun to watch and the food was appetizing. Darren had some chicken and potato rounds and I had the vegetarian ravioli. After watching the show, we decided it would be a fun dance to learn someday.

One of our last excursions before leaving was going to Mataderos for the day. We were able to see some cultural dances as well as music performed from a local band. We ate some amazing tamales and took pictures of new and interesting things: such as various meets being grilled over an open fire, something being grilled that we surmised to be an armadillo still in its exoskeleton and a crazy man trying to get money by letting kids beat his “fake” pet-cat. He would hand a stick to a kid and let them beat at a fake cats tail sticking out the end of a bag. When the kids would hit the bag, he would meow like a cat in pain. Pretty disturbing to be perfect honest.

Of all that we have done, our favorite part of Buenos Aires was volunteering with Life Argentina. We had so many amazing experiences and made some great friends. Two of our favorite kids (although we probably shouldn’t have favorites) were Sylvia (black sweater and purple shirt) and Jose (the one I‘m sticking my tongue at). I am so grateful for all the wonderful memories we have made with these kids. I have learned many lessons that I hope to keep with me forever.

Darren: So Buenos Aires is famous for a few things. First of all the Tango. We saw people dancing the tango in the street on a few of the more touristy avenues and as Kim mentioned, we went to a dinner/dance show as well. It’s an amazing dance that looks like a tangle of legs going every direction when you watch their steps. Really amazing to see it up close and done so well. We didn’t get to take a class but we did try a few steps in our apartment one morning. It was an online step-by-step sort of thing. I think it might take some extra help and professional guidance to make my feet move like they were. Maybe someday. :)

The second thing that everyone talks about is the Argentine beef. Yum! We went to a restaurant one night out by the seaport area and had a great steak. The place is named Las Lilas and was highly recommended. It was worth every peso.

Other than those top two highlights we got to know just about every area of the city over the 5 weeks we spent there. “City life” is fun but definitely not where Kim and I would choose to end up. I just couldn’t get used to going for a jog and having bus exhaust clouding my path on every corner. That stuff will kill ya! I really liked the days we went to the park and just walked around, picnicked, and watched people kicking the soccer ball around or just drinking their mate (green herb tea).

Other than these sights, most of our time was spent volunteering and teaching and/or learning Spanish. :) Going with our little groups into the poorer neighborhoods was an eye-opener each time . We got used to seeing the same kids after a few visits and had a great time helping the children with worksheets that covered a variety of topics like Math, English, Geography, etc. Then we would play a bit too; soccer, jump rope, coloring, board games, etc. We hope we were able to make a difference somehow by sharing our knowledge, love and smiles with the kids we met.

We are currently in Buenos Aires, Argentina volunteering with an organization called "Life Argentina." All of our work is done in the "villas" or slums of Buenos Aires. To describe them as poor living conditions is an understatement. I almost cried the first time I went. Trash in the streets. Little kids running around everywhere. Living in old, abandoned buildings that should be condemned. Sheets for doors. Dirt floors. No warm jackets (it's winter here). They get so excited about the simplest things: half broken legos, coverless books. Even a simple coloring sheet with crayons is a novelty. I just want to adopt them all and bring them home with me. It really makes one think about needs vs wants. Lets just say I've been doing some self evaluating. It has definitely made Darren and I look at our lives in a completely different way. It has been such an amazing experience so far. Hopefullly we can always remember the lessons we are currently learning.

Our posts for our Europe trip are FINALLY completed. It has been fun to look back over our trip and remember all the amazing experiences we have had. We are SO grateful for the opportunity to go on this trip. So many memories made and lessons learned. What an amazing experience!!

**Just a word of caution: this is our way of journaling our trip, so the write-ups are long. VERY LONG. So if you'd like to read through, GREAT! If not, just skip through and look at the pics. We won't be offended :)

Happy reading!

After the war, many poems and children's drawings were found hidden at Terezin inside mattresses and stuffed in cracks between the walls of houses. Many of these poems and drawings are collected in a book which was published by the Holocaust Museum entitled "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" (which Darren and I would like to get someday). This was one poem that we both read in the museum and wanted to share, along with some pics of the childrens' drawing.

AT TEREZIN

When a new child comes
Everything seems strange to him.
What, on the ground I have to lie?
Eat black potatoes? No! Not I!
I've got to stay? It's dirty here!
The floor- why, look, it's dirt, I fear!
And I'm supposed to sleep on it?
I'll get all dirty!
Here the sound of shouting, cries,
And oh, so many flies.
Everyone knows flies carry disease.
Oooh, something bit me! Wasn't that a bedbug?
Here in Terezin, life is hell
and when I'll go home again, I can't yet tell.

--"Teddy" 1943
 

Darren: Our entire trip we’d been looking forward to seeing Prague, but we were really sad that it marked our last stop in Europe. We didn’t know how we’d ever want to leave. The day we arrived it was really hot. In fact, we would learn later that there was a heat wave that week and that specific day was probably the hottest of the entire month! (about 95 degrees and lots of humidity) To make matters a bit more uncomfortable, we were staying in a cute attic apartment. Yeah that’s right, I said attic. Hot air really likes it up there. We had one oscillating fan and both took about 3 cold showers each to stay alive. Thank goodness that it cooled off from that day on throughout the next week we were there.
Our first day out we went up to the “Castle Quarter.” True to the name, this neighborhood is where the castle is. It sits high above the rest of the city and made for some great views of all the red roofs and spires below. Out front of the castle gate we caught the changing of the guard. Within the walls we stopped in to the Cathedral of St. Vitus. What was really impressive about this cathedral was the amount and quality of stained glass windows it contains. There is a famous one by Alfons Mucha, a Czech artist. There are a few scenes depicted in the window including Methodius, the bishop, baptizing a mythic long-haired Czech man to remind us of how Christianity was brought to the Czech people. All eyes are drawn to the center of the window, though, where the colors are more vibrant and another scene is shown. There is a young boy kneeling beside an elderly woman. The figures are symbolic. The prophesying elder with her eyes closed stands for the past and memory, while the young boy, with a penetrating stare, represents the hope and future of the nation. The boy’s eyes are what really impressed me.

After passing through the castle courtyards we ended up walking down towards our apartment by way of the castle gardens. They zigzagged down and through fountains, shrubs and pathways.

Prague’s Old Town Square was really fun to pass though almost every day on our way to everywhere else. The square is wide open and is surrounded by massive landmark buildings. Turning around in a circle you could see the Church of St. Nicholas, the Tyn Church, the National Gallery, and Old Town Hall. On one side of the tower of town hall you could crowd in with all the other spectators to see the Astronomical Clock. Not only does the clock tell time but it’s also got rings and circles that show information on sunrise and sunsets, signs of the zodiac and a place showing today’s special saint. At the top of the hour, the figure representing Death’s hourglass dips, rings a bell, the 12 apostles pass by little windows, a rooster crows and then the hour is rung. Pretty fun to watch.
Last but definitely not least was Charles Bridge. It stretches across the Vltava River and connects the “Little Quarter” (where our apartment was) with the “Old Town.” We got to walk over the bridge almost every night or at least at some time during the day and loved the walk every time. The bridge is named after Charles IV, the Holy Roman Emperor who ruled in the 14th century. At the ends of the bridge there are towers which are considered some of the finest gothic gates anywhere. Massive archways with black spires covering the tops.

Kim: Prague was amazing! I loved this red-roofed city with its towering spires. We had a lot of fun wandering through its cobblestone streets and learning about its history. Our apartment (click HERE to see pics) was definitely ideally located. From there we had easy access to Mala Strana, or Little Quarter, as well as the Old Town across the bridge.My favorite views of the city were at night. Street lamps shining on ancient statues and architecture, boats floating by on the river, the castle in the distance lighting up the sky. The Tyn Church burning pink under the setting of the afternoon sun. Amazing!! Our dreams of traveling and volunteering started with Prague and branched out from there so it was a dream come true to finally make it.

Terezin Concentration Camp, near Prague


Kim: As a day trip from Prague, we decided to visit the Terezin Concentration Camp. It was originally a fortified town named after Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa. In 1941, the Nazis removed its 7000 inhabitants and brought in 60,000 Jews, creating a Concentration Camp. This was the Nazis’ model “Jewish town,” a concentration camp dolled up for propaganda purposes. Jewish culture seemed to thrive, as “citizens” put on plays and concerts, published a magazine, and raised their families. But is was a carefully planned deception intended to convince Red Cross inspectors that the Jews were being treated well. Virtually all of Terezin’s Jews (155,000 over the course of the war) ended up dying either here or in extermination camps farther east.

Of the 15,000 children who passed through Terezin, fewer than 100 survived. The children’s’ artwork, on display in the museum, brought tears to my eyes. Drawings of butterflies and flowers, those things that reminded them of home, the home that they would never return to. Pictures that depict the cruelty of the camp. I can’t imagine the kind of world they witnessed. One of the things that bothered me the most about these drawings was the dates. Above the various drawings they would have the child's name along with their birth and death dates and the location of both. While the birth dates (and locations) varied tremendously, many, too MANY, would have the same death date at the exact same location. These 6 all had this date, these 12 all had this date, these 10 all had this date, and so on. The location of all deaths seemed to be at Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. It made me sick to think that these kids had purposely been put to death, in groups. So strategically planned. It was definitely an emotional moment for me.

After the museum, we toured through the Magdeburg Barracks that gave us an idea of what a camp dormitory would have looked like. I can’t imagine sharing that small of a space with hundreds of other people. No wonder so many of them died from sickness and disease. We also took a self-guided tour of the Small Fortress. From 1940 to 1945, this fortress functioned as a Gestapo prison, through which 32,000 inmates passed (of whom nearly 10 percent died here). We saw model prison cells, including the washroom and shower room. The washroom was built solely for the purpose of fooling Red Cross inspectors. No pipes were ever installed to bring in water. The shower room was used to fool the Jews. Here they got used to the idea of communal bathing, so they wouldn’t be suspicious when they were later taken to similar-looking installations at Auschwitz (gas chambers). Sick!!

It was truly a unique experience to walk through a town that once housed a concentration camp and feel the feeling that resides there. I don’t think I will ever forget that feeling. Even now as I write the words, the emotions come flooding back to my heart and mind. I truly cannot understand how people can be so cruel. As I looked around that town and imagined what it would have looked like then, I got a sad, lonesome feeling in the pit of my stomach. Darren and I wandered around the whole afternoon with heavy hearts. It was like there was a thick cloud looming overhead. A heavy weight seemed to be heaped upon our shoulders. You could actually feel the sadness and the cruelty of the place. Everywhere you turned there was a dilapidated building reminding you of the past, a headstone reminding you of a life lost. In one word, it was depressing. I honestly don’t know how people live there. Darren and I commented that if we lived there we would feel like we could never laugh or joke. I know it may sound weird, but it is honestly true. But in my heart it makes sense. In a place with such a cruel history, where so many lives and dreams were taken, it only makes sense that the memories of what happened would continue to live on long after that part of history is over. And in a way, I’m glad that it does. It reminds people, like me, of the fragility of life. To seize every moment we are given. To appreciate families and freedoms. To do our part to fight against the injustices of life. To love and to serve and ultimately do all that we can to make the world a better place.


Darren: It was extremely hard to learn about this place and all that had happened here. The hardest part for me was when we were walking through the museum and along an entire wall there were written the names of the children who’d died. I was just looking at the names and trying to imagine these little innocent kids having to pass through such a horrible experience and then my eyes caught hold of one name that matched one of my niece’s. For some reason it made it even more real to me and even more disturbing. Had to hold back a few tears and leave the room. Still gets me now even writing about it. I just add it to the list of experiences that I’ve been blessed to have while on this trip. Each one has affected me and shaped me a bit differently than if I’d never come. I’m so grateful that Kim and I were able to come and experience it all together.

Kim: We had a lot of fun in Cesky Krumlov. It’s a fun little fairy-tale town with a lot of character. Our main event here was canoeing down the Vltava River. We opted for the 3 hour trip that took us from Cesky Krumlov through Bohemian forests and villages to Zlata Koruna Abbey. The trip started out perfect: a nice overcast-day providing a welcome break from the never-ending heat, a canoe and a cool, flowing river. About 30 minutes down the river, the story changes. Rain! And not just any rain, an absolute down pouring of rain. So overwhelming in fact that Darren and I could no longer hold a conversation due to the deafening sound of the rain hitting the surface of the water. We were completely soaked within 5 minutes. And due to the lack of sunshine that we were previously so happy about, it became bitterly cold. Amidst all this chaos, we found plenty of time to laugh at our plight. I can only imagine what we must have looked like to the onlookers on shore, huddled under bits of shelter. Funny! But alas, we weathered the storm and survived. And don’t forget the fun memories made. Just ask Darren how he managed to get us stuck on some rocks in the middle of the river. haha. Just kidding babe. :)

Darren: Now wait just a second, it takes two to tango, two to canoe, and two to get stuck on the rocks. But it was nice to have two to get us unstuck too. Love you. The canoe trip was absolutely the highlight for me. We went down two of these thin canals that felt like a roller coaster. The rain was hilarious, then a bit cold, and then it was a funny again to us after we’d warmed back up a bit. I have to add this next part cause it was hilarious. There were these bugs, like horse flies, that would not go away. They would buzz you like other bugs but they weren’t at all affected by a swatting hand or any amount of threatening. Well, they kept landing on Kim’s back, and since I had an oar, and she was within range, I’d tell her not to move and then I’d try and smash them or swipe them off her back at least. I must have killed 20 of those things and they were all floating in the canoe in the rain water that was filling our poor little water craft. I tell you what, I can still hear Kim as she’d look back and say, “ew, disgusting!!”

Kim: After our canoeing trip, the rental company provided us with bikes to ride back to Cesky Krumlov. The experience was fun while the path itself was a bit treacherous. Apparently they haven’t taken the time to create bike paths yet so our trip back was on the side of major highways dodging semis and trucks, or yet them dodging us. Sure glad we made it back in one piece. What an incredibly adventurous day. I love those memories with my hubby.

Funny Czech words: Dekuji (dyack kuyi): Thank you
                                 Prosim (prozeem): Please
                                 Ahoj (a-hoy): hi or bye

 **(I loved  this one! I kept hearing in my head that line from Bill  Murray in What About Bob, "I'm a sailor, I'm sailing! Ahoy!!) LOL

Yummy Czech food: *Pike perch with white asparagus. Yum!
                                 *Buckwheat and millet casserole,
                                 *potato pancakes,
                                 *potato, cabbage and daisy soup (I even ate the daisy)
                                 *sauerkraut
                                 *couscous with plums and raisins (sounds weird but actually
                                   pretty good)
                                 *curried lentils

Darren: One other funny story from Cesky Krumlov. The second day we were there it got really hot. We’d heard there was a public swimming pool. So, we got suited up and walked over to the indoor pool. When we got there I was trying to converse with the lady and ask if the water was heated or if it was cold. We were terribly hot and the last thing we wanted was to pay money to jump into an indoor, heated swimming pool. It was hilarious trying to ask the lady if I could just go through the glass door and test the water. It was like trying to say, “may I just go stick my foot in?” with charades. Somehow she got the message and I did go stick my toe in. It was cool water and swimming was great. Oh, the memories though. Wonder what some of these people’s stories must be like on the other side of these experiences. “This crazy American came into the pool today…wanted to stick his foot in, etc. etc.” Love it. :)