Thursday, June 07, 2007
Canoeing!!
Last weekend was the annual ESI Cesky Krumlov Canoe Trip!! Billed as one of the most fun weekends of the year, this year was no exception and did not dissapoint! We took a bus down after school on Friday afternoon to Cesky Krumlov, a town in the south of the Czech Republic. We arrived around 6/7pm, put our stuff in the hostel and went to a 'Mexican' restaurant in town. The Czech Republic is not known for it's Mexican and with good reason, this restaurant being highly overpriced and offering a very limited selection of Mexican food. That night I took a walk with Kass around the city and up to the castle.
Saturday morning we woke up early to have a baptism. Katie, a good friend of ours and teacher up in Prague (though not with our organization), had accepted Jesus on this same canoe trip two years ago. And to bring it full circle she wanted to be baptized in Cesky Krumlov. It was a very special time with the majority of our close group of American friends in CZ.
Then we took buses upriver, hopped into canoes and canoed our way downstream, ending finally in the middle of Cesky Krumlov. I was paired with Kass first [how fitting :-)]. Halfway through we switched partners and I was with Katie for the last part. I had two wonderful 'canoe buddies' but the water was extremely low (less snow than usual melting) and so often we felt like we were canoeing on rocks. Because of this it took a lot longer than last year to go down the river, we finally pulled our canoe out of the river at about 7pm. That night we at Czech food and chatted with friends. But everyone was so beat from the river that we all went to bed earlier than expected. And Sunday we just traveled back to our respective towns.
Saturday morning we woke up early to have a baptism. Katie, a good friend of ours and teacher up in Prague (though not with our organization), had accepted Jesus on this same canoe trip two years ago. And to bring it full circle she wanted to be baptized in Cesky Krumlov. It was a very special time with the majority of our close group of American friends in CZ.
Then we took buses upriver, hopped into canoes and canoed our way downstream, ending finally in the middle of Cesky Krumlov. I was paired with Kass first [how fitting :-)]. Halfway through we switched partners and I was with Katie for the last part. I had two wonderful 'canoe buddies' but the water was extremely low (less snow than usual melting) and so often we felt like we were canoeing on rocks. Because of this it took a lot longer than last year to go down the river, we finally pulled our canoe out of the river at about 7pm. That night we at Czech food and chatted with friends. But everyone was so beat from the river that we all went to bed earlier than expected. And Sunday we just traveled back to our respective towns.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
The tower of the castle at night.
Andrew (right) and I (left) in the castle Friday night. 
Katie getting baptized in the Vltava river.
Ben and I with Katie after the baptism.
On the river. I only had a couple of these shots because I was a bit timid to bring out the camera while paddling, hopefully for understandable reasons.
My first canoe partner...Kass!
And look! We both brought hats!
My second canoe partner- Katie. At one part of the river we had to walk our canoes around a little drop off, so this is at that point.
At dinner Saturday night. A local restaurant serves what they call a "Bohemian feast". And it really is! For approximately $6-7 you can fill up with delicious traditional Czech food and drink.
The red roofs of a typical Czech town and a church/cathedral in the center. This is the view from the castle.
The town of Cesky Krumlov, looking through a window in the wall of the castle.
The castle as seen from one of the bridges in town.
On our way out of town, after walking through the massive gates of the city.A Frisbee Game
So last week I taught Ondra and Jirka the game of frisbee golf. They had never played this before, much less heard of it. We took our frisbees onto the Svatou Horou where there is a nice mix of open grassy areas and wooded areas. So basically we played tree to tree, using the trees as the 'holes'. The winner of one tree, or person with the least number of throws to hit the trunk, would choose the next tree the group would throw to. They caught on fairly well, unfortunately two of the frisbees were very cheap and not good for...well...for throwing in general. I took one of them, Jirka the other, and Ondra had a nicer one. While I did beat them in the end :-) they did put up a fight.
Ondra winding up for the throw...
Jirka trying to finish on the last "hole"...
Ondra winding up for the throw...Jirka trying to finish on the last "hole"...
And Ondra's last throw.
Monday, June 04, 2007
ESI End of the Year Retreat
So ESI had our End of the Year Retreat in Kutna Hora, a town just outside of Prague. This town is best known for it's Bone Church. The architects of the church used the skeletons of people to decorate the inside of the church, giving it a very...gruesome and creepy atmosphere. The retreat was really nice, but a bit emotional as it was my last official ESI retreat here in CZ, and last opportunity to see some of these people while in Europe.
Also in this group of shots below are pics from a date night with Kass...
Artwork at the Bone Church.
Underneath one of the most interesting chandeliers I have ever seen- made from every bone in the human body.
And our group under the chandelier.
St. Barbara's Church in Kutna Hora.
Spires in Kutna Hora.
Also in this group of shots below are pics from a date night with Kass...
Artwork at the Bone Church.
Underneath one of the most interesting chandeliers I have ever seen- made from every bone in the human body.
And our group under the chandelier. 
St. Barbara's Church in Kutna Hora. 
Spires in Kutna Hora. 
Kass and I. This picture is actually of our reflections in the door of her school in Prague.
