Gargoyle

History has never been one of my favorite subjects. I often find it difficult to pay attention to long drawn out lectures about the past; especially if I have no real connection to it myself. That’s why I was surprised to find myself so intrigued by our tour of Prague Castle today.

I learned that certain parts of the castle are darker than others because of fires that occurred in the 16 century. In addition, I learned the true purpose of gargoyles. Gargoyles are usually a grotesque carved human or animal face whose main purpose is to act as a gutter and redirect water away from the wall when it’s raining. I find it really interesting how something like a gargoyle, which has a real negative connotation, due to numerous Hollywood movies that personify them to be evil creatures, are actually quite helpful. As a result of my several trips abroad, I have come to learn that the rest of the world sees Americans in a pretty negative light. Many Europeans have attached a semi negative connotation to the word American. They believe we are too loud, superficial and addicted to fast food (which we are). But, there’s still so much more to being American than just those few characteristics. Just like gargoyles, a word is simply a word. It’s the actions that follow that truly define one’s worth and usefulness in this world.

** Fun Fact: THERE’S A DARTH VADER GARGOYLE IN WASHINGTON D.C. **