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Since we are constantly on the go and I am updating my blog on the fly I have decided to put what I can in as we go and I will update with more details when we get back and I have time to decompress and actually absorb everything we have done and seen. We are all really starting to fell the affect of being on the go at this hectic pace.
We got up around 7 to pack then went down to get a quick bite to eat. We started loading the bus at 9:15 and hit the road around 9:40. We drove straight to the caves in Blansko Macocha. The scenery here is beautiful as we are up in the hills.
It was my first experience with having to pay to use the toilet - 5 crowns (.30CAD) to pee. So of course I took a picture - ha!
Almost all of us were able to get on the train to take us to the top of the hill to the caves - about 6 people had to wait for the next train. When we got there we took in the scenery a bit and watched the cable cars going up - pretty high up for all us acrophobics and there were quite a few of us.
When we went to start the tour of the caves I was informed tha I had to pay 40 crowns ($2.50CAD) to be able to take pictures in the caves - can you imagine that...but the great thing is that I had quite a few people offer to pay for me because I am taking the photo books for them. I thought it was very thoughtful but not necessary as I would be taking the pictures anyway. Maureen ended up paying and she wouldn't let Gilles pay her back. Gilles and the other 5 people who missed our train caught up to us on the tour just as we got into the caves. It was quite the sight to see all the stalagtites and stalagmites - I think even the boys were impressed. The only thing is that no one told me the amount of stairs there would be in the caves...I was really struggling. We got to a point in the tour where it opened up and we could see the light streaming in and the green and the water - it was breath taking...the pictures don't do it justice. After this we just headed back out the same way we came. Everyone left me behind - I was struggling to walk because of my knees and I kind of got forgotten which sounds sad but it gave me a chance to take a few pictures without people around - I kind of liked it. By the time I got out of the caves tho I was in tears...my knees felt like they were three times there size.
The last boat was getting ready to head out to that part of the tour and when I got down to it I realized that there is no way that I was going to be able to get in or out of it with my knees. It turns out the guy steering the boat was a real ass anyways - he was ticked that the boat ahead of us left before it was full because the people in his boat wanted to stay together so he wasn't going to let Gilles or I on the boat...he let some local people on instead from behind us. One of our tour coordinators - Bobbina was really giving it to him but to no avail.
We went up the cable car - not as bad as it looks from the ground and then found out we had to pay to look at the view - so Mark (tour organizer) bought a few tickets and we just kept passing them off to each other. He was not happy about it.
Some of the boys grabbed food to tie them over - they had a pastry snack that tasted like a beaver tail but was shaped like a cylinder.
We headed back down on the train and loaded on the bus and headed to Brno for lunch. We had 1 hour 15 minutes to eat and then get back to the bus because everyone was anxious to get to the hotel. We ate in an Italian restaurant - the food was quite good. I had linguine with spinach and salmon, Gilles had a salmon steak and Matt had a ham and cheese sandwich that was a lot nicer than the sandwiches we get back home.
The bus was actually a little late picking us up because the traffic was crazy. Then we were off to the new hotel. Lots of drinking going on - of course. Then out came the home made Slipovich (like Danish schnapps)...I passed thank you!
The hotel looks pretty but boy are the rooms small...I mean small. No fridges, no english channels, we don't even have room to really unpack. The beds are hard and lumpy but they are clean. We were very spoiled in our first hotel. This hotel here is a typical cheap European hotel.
The boys headed off to try and find the paint ball place and some of the parents went after them because this is a big city compared to where we were and we didn't want them wondering around at night. So while we are here they need to stay with the adults...better safe than sorry!
We went to a pizzeria with some of the boys and only one waiter spoke english - kind of and the menus where only in Czech..it made for some interesting conversation. The boys pizzas had hot peppers on them but it was the only one that came with pepperoni...some of them struggled to eat it. Not Matt as he usually puts hot sauce on everything at home.
A bunch of the parents were sitting outside drinking at the hotel but I decided I needed to try and get some sleep. I had to recharge my camera battery and empty my memory card. I am over 4000 pictures so far - I will be very busy when I get back.
Hit the hay at midnight - up early again tomorrow!
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