The internet is painfully slow here, so it takes me quite a while to post a blog. I'd like to take a quick break from studying to share some adventures, but, somehow, "quick" never seems to actually come through for me.
As I mentioned in my last blog, Amy and I had the opportunity to go to Brno in the Czech Republic with Josef and Anna yesterday. Us three girls were feeling a bit guilty about skipping out of the afternoon conversation practice, but Josef was so excited about taking us, and the thought of getting out of this Soviet-style building was way too tempting to say no.
It took about 90 minutes to get to Brno, and the drive was relatively easy, although there were a lot of twists and turns, but I wasn't driving, so I can't complain. I actually did study in the back seat and used Josef, who is Slovak, to help out with some translation questions that I had.
This young couple is a delight to be with and the day went by way too fast. Both Amy and I commented on how this was the second great day in a row, and the fun was entirely due to circumstances that did not involve the Slovak Language Study Program. Except, as Amy put it, we wouldn't have been in Brno if we hadn't met Anna who is enrolled in the class.
Dinner was prepared at the rental house, which is really hidden in the woods, by his mother, who was a delight. She had made barbecued chicken and french fries for us, and when we returned from our astrological adventure, she had plates of dessert on the table. True Slovak hospitality.
The tour of the observatory was a hoot. The telescope in the one building was built in 1925. It is the original equipment, and in order to open the roof in order to use the telescope, someone must climb over a rail, and manually turn what looks like the steering wheel in a car in order to open it. I was surprised that such a facility did not have an automatic feature to open and close the roof.
We also got a night tour of the grounds where we saw how they collected water and temperature information. They use a wet bulb-dry bulb method to record the humidity, and they use an old fashioned thermometer to record the highest temperature of the day. The man showed us how he shakes down the thermometer (mercury, obviously), to set the thermometer for the next day's recording. This observatory holds one telescope for analyzing asteroids and another one for meteorites. The information is recorded and shared with facilities in the Czech Republic as well as in eastern Slovakia.
The man obviously had our attention, and he was so excited to take us around the grounds and shows us all of the tricks of his trade. We finally decided that we should stop showing such an interest when it was 10:00 and we realized that we hadn't prepared for today's lesson.
When we showed up at class this morning, the teacher mentioned that she had missed us at yesterday's conversation practice. I merely mentioned that we had been on an excursion with Anna and that her husband spoke Slovak. I found it rather amusing that she would even think to say anything.
This afternoon we went into Modra with a school group and toured the ceramic factory which this town is known for (besides its wine). We watched the pottery being made from start to finish. This factory had once employed 400 workers. Now, only 20 people work there. The items that they make area all hand crafted and are truly amazing.
Amy and I opted for dinner in town, and some zmrzlina before heading home to study for the evening. It really is quite tasty.
As I mentioned in my last blog, Amy and I had the opportunity to go to Brno in the Czech Republic with Josef and Anna yesterday. Us three girls were feeling a bit guilty about skipping out of the afternoon conversation practice, but Josef was so excited about taking us, and the thought of getting out of this Soviet-style building was way too tempting to say no.
It took about 90 minutes to get to Brno, and the drive was relatively easy, although there were a lot of twists and turns, but I wasn't driving, so I can't complain. I actually did study in the back seat and used Josef, who is Slovak, to help out with some translation questions that I had.
This young couple is a delight to be with and the day went by way too fast. Both Amy and I commented on how this was the second great day in a row, and the fun was entirely due to circumstances that did not involve the Slovak Language Study Program. Except, as Amy put it, we wouldn't have been in Brno if we hadn't met Anna who is enrolled in the class.
Dinner was prepared at the rental house, which is really hidden in the woods, by his mother, who was a delight. She had made barbecued chicken and french fries for us, and when we returned from our astrological adventure, she had plates of dessert on the table. True Slovak hospitality.
The tour of the observatory was a hoot. The telescope in the one building was built in 1925. It is the original equipment, and in order to open the roof in order to use the telescope, someone must climb over a rail, and manually turn what looks like the steering wheel in a car in order to open it. I was surprised that such a facility did not have an automatic feature to open and close the roof.
We also got a night tour of the grounds where we saw how they collected water and temperature information. They use a wet bulb-dry bulb method to record the humidity, and they use an old fashioned thermometer to record the highest temperature of the day. The man showed us how he shakes down the thermometer (mercury, obviously), to set the thermometer for the next day's recording. This observatory holds one telescope for analyzing asteroids and another one for meteorites. The information is recorded and shared with facilities in the Czech Republic as well as in eastern Slovakia.
The man obviously had our attention, and he was so excited to take us around the grounds and shows us all of the tricks of his trade. We finally decided that we should stop showing such an interest when it was 10:00 and we realized that we hadn't prepared for today's lesson.
When we showed up at class this morning, the teacher mentioned that she had missed us at yesterday's conversation practice. I merely mentioned that we had been on an excursion with Anna and that her husband spoke Slovak. I found it rather amusing that she would even think to say anything.
This afternoon we went into Modra with a school group and toured the ceramic factory which this town is known for (besides its wine). We watched the pottery being made from start to finish. This factory had once employed 400 workers. Now, only 20 people work there. The items that they make area all hand crafted and are truly amazing.
Amy and I opted for dinner in town, and some zmrzlina before heading home to study for the evening. It really is quite tasty.
Looks like you are learning about more than language. The culture and wonders. Enjoy
ReplyDeleteLove. Aunt Sue