And the StudyTour begins!

I apologize for not writing much recently, things have been getting a little busy getting ready for the study tour. Today marked the first of six days of wandering around the Czech Republic. We actually got to leave Bohemia and head into Moravia!

Today we went to a network of caves and then spent the afternoon in Brno. The cave system was amazing. I’ve been to a few caves and caverns back in the States (Laurel Caverns in Pennsylvania and Smoke Hole in Canaan Valley) and I really enjoy them, so this was a lot of fun. The guide didn't speak English, so we heard everything in Czech first, then there was an English recording that played for us. I kind of feel bad that everyone has to speak our language in order for us to communicate. If people in the States complain that "people who live here should speak the language," then how is it any better that we're in a foreign country with no idea how to speak the native tongue?

To get back to the actual excursion: there was a point where the caves opened up into an abyss that we had looked at earlier in the day, and it felt like we walked into the Land of the Lost. I was half-expecting a pterodactyl to swoop down on us at some point, or to be ambushed by velociraptors (though I'm sure the Czechs wouldn't have minded, since I had been singing "The Song that Never Ends" and "Do Your Ears Hang Low" all through the cave). I think what made the excursion even better was the fact that there was an underground river through the cave. Oh, and we we got to ride on it in a boat. It was a really cool experience. What wasn’t so nice was the torrential downpour that we exited the caves into, but it eventually passed so everything worked out ok.

In the afternoon we went to Brno, which is the Czech Republic’s second-largest city and referred to as the "Capital" of Moravia. Some of us went to a chateau that had been used as a prison and then later as a communications center by the Nazis. It was fairly interesting, but I think I’m getting used to seeing castles and chateaus so they aren’t that exciting anymore. Not that I don’t like to see them, but they aren’t quite as awe-inspiring after you’ve seen so many. Especially when they've been gutted and converted into dungeons and holding cells. There really isn't a whole lot to look at.

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Part of trip: CFAES Study Abroad - Czech Republic

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