This morning we hit the road for U Elektry for an experience that exemplifies our traveler vs. tourist maxim. As travelers, we try to curate encounters with our environment on its own terms, rather than imposing our own frameworks and standards onto a place whose very difference makes it special. This may lead us a bit out of our so-called comfort zone, but in the case of the U Elektry flea market, what we lost in easy English communication with locals and relative familiarity with our surroundings, we gained in access to what felt like a true Czech thing: an open air market where snacks, appliances, and complex historical paraphernalia are all sold side by side. Students saw the material remnants of a past and present Czech Republic, they curated an on-the-spot photographic archive of the objects they found most arresting and extraordinary. Take a look: