Hey guys! Sorry Ive taken so long to send an update but they keep us pretty busy over here and any free time we get is devoted to exploration or academics. Anyway, we just got into Prague last night after an incredibly scenic train ride through the countryside and it is one of the most beautiful places Ive ever had the pleasure to experience. But before I get to that, I want to retrace my steps a little bit. We have visited so many different sites and seen so many things in Berlin and Dresden that it will be impossible to recap it all in this short email, so Ill try to hit some highlights. Last week we visited our first concentration camp near Berlin, Sachsenhausen. It was truly surreal standing within its walls and looking around imagining the horrors faced by the prisoners who once stood on the very same ground. As part of the memorial, they had a book of the dead containing the names of all the victims who passed away in the camp, many of whom were from Poland. I think when we were in the Holocaust museum dad said our relatives were the Kowalskis back during WWII? Well anyway, I looked through the book and one of the victims was named Stanislaus Kowalski and he was from Lodz in Poland. If one of you can do a little digging and find out if theres a connection that would be awesome!

After leaving Berlin, we spent two days in Dresden. Dresden was once one of the culture capitals of Europe, known by many as the Florence of the North. But despite having little military significance, the Allies firebombed 90 percent of the city to the ground and killed tens of thousands of civilians to break the will of the German people. As a result, most of the beautiful building and cultural significance were lost, but theyve successfully rebuilt some of it. These combined with the few original buildings which survived the bombing make some parts of Dresden simply breathtaking, and I took plenty of pictures! It was interesting to learn about the atrocities of war from the German perspective and explore the horrors from a different angle.

Today we had some free time to explore Prague, which has most of its old buildings intact after the war. According to our tour guide Gabe, most of the cities in Europe looked very similar to Prague before WWII, but those cities were bombed to the ground during the war. The architecture and artwork is absolutely astounding, and the unique cultural aspects just add to the appeal. There is so much history and things to learn, I feel like it would take a lifetime to explore everything.

I definitely think that Berlin and Prague will hold a special place in my heart for quite some time, and its going to be very hard for me once this trip is over. But, at the same time I cannot wait to come back and see you all to share my experiences. I truly feel like this trip has produced profound changes in me that you cannot possibly put a price on. This abroad experience has totally blown me away more than I could ever possibly imagine. I could honestly see myself escaping the craziness of America and settling down here someday, at least for a little while. Ive come to realize that the world is such a huge place with very distinct people and things to explore, and I hope to expand my horizons as much as possible.  It really is great over here in Europe, especially for me.   

I love you all so much and I will talk to you again soon. I hope everyone is doing well and I cant wait to see everyone!

Love,

-Patrick Ryan