Our time in Prague has now come to an end, and while some of us are now exploring other parts of Europe, others of us have returned to the states. Before we started leaving, though, we had one more group dinner.

Following our last day of classes, we had a few days to study before our final exams started. When we needed a break from studying, we had a few more adventures at our disposal, like a walk to one of Prague's relatively young attractions.

While learning about Czech psychiatry, nationalism, art, and language in the classroom, we've also had a great opportunity to learn about Czech culture in a more informal setting. Every Tuesday night we've enjoyed Czech snacks and Czech films during movie nights with Ken.

Although many of these posts may suggest otherwise, we have been learning in Prague. Through meetings with local clinicians and their patients, we've seen firsthand the Czech approach to psychiatry.

On our second day in Karlovy Vary, several of us ventured into the hills surrounding the town for a bit of light hiking.

Our fourth and final excursion this term took us to the tiny spa town of Karlovy Vary, which is west of Prague. On our first day there, we experienced several things for which the town is famous.

On our fifth and final day in Krakow, we toured an enormous salt mine just a short distance outside of the city. After that, we toured a city designed and built in the style of socialist realism.

On our fourth day in Krakow, we visited Auschwitz, the concentration camp where hundreds of thousands of people were killed by the Nazis during World War II.

On our second day in Krakow, we toured Kazimierz, the city's Jewish community. The next morning, several of us rented bikes and went for a ride through the city's outskirts.

Happy Halloween, readers! For your treat, read about what we did on the first of five days in our third excursion destination: Krakow, Poland.

On our second day in the picturesque little town of Český Krumlov, we had until 3:00 in the afternoon to do whatever we wanted. That gave us plenty of time to see the castle gardens, a couple of museums, and lots more.

For the second major excursion of our program, a tour bus whisked us away to the south. For two days we were able to wander the streets of Český Krumlov, a small town that has existed just north of the border with Austria for over 750 years. On day one, we learned all about the town's history while touring the castle there.