|
Armenia
night
 |
| Armenian
food |
This
week has been truly international - we had a cultural presentation
about Armenia one evening this week.
We
tried a range of different food-spiced dried beef, lavash bread,
and walnuts in grape syrup. As well as the food we sampled the famous
Armenian Cognac! We listened to some of the traditional music and
watched a film set in Armenia. Nune also gave a presentation about
life in Armenia.
It
was really interesting to take part in the evening, I didn't really
know anything about the country before but now I have a real understanding
of life and tradition in Armenia.
Ukranian
food
 |
| Making
varenki |
Not
only did we have a taste of Armenian food but Ukrainian too. Ivan
helped Orsi and I to make Ukrainian Varenki, this is mashed potato
and onion put inside a dough parcel which is boiled and eaten with
sour cream.
It
was a messy job and it took us a while to make the dough and mash
the potatoes, but it was worth it because the end result was so
good! Rene finished his traineeship this week so it was time for
another farewell party.
Escape
to Olomoucs
 |
| Astronomical
Clock |
I decided
that after the past few weeks activity, I needed a more relaxed
weekend and so we went to Olomoucs, a historical town a little way
away from Ostrava.
Olomoucs
town centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site, home to an astronomical
clock and the trinity statue. We visited a number of churches and
historical buildings around the centre of the town. Olomoucs has
a very tranquil atmosphere and we enjoyed lunch in the market square
before exploring the park outside the old city wall and making the
trip back to Ostrava.
Climbing
the tower
 |
| Astronomical
Clock |
This
weekend I decided to visit the town hall tower - something I have
wanted to do since arriving. From the top of the tower, there are
excellent views of Ostrava and some of the surrounding countryside
and mountains.
The
view from the top gives another perspective of the town and it is
possible to see how the city was built up. I also noticed that there
seemed to be more parkland areas in the city than I had noticed
on the ground.
Holiday
cottage
 |
| Jess
with Silvie's parents |
During
the week I spent the day out of the Ostrava. Silvie, one of the
AIESECers here invited me to visit her parents at their holiday
cottage in the Beskydy Mountains.
The
cottage is about an hour and a half away from Ostrava by train so
we got an early train to make the most of our time. The weather
was perfect when we arrived, it was hot but not humid like Ostrava
and the sun was shining.
We
went for a walk in the wood near the cottage to explore the area
and take in the scenery. Silvie's mum cooked a traditional Czech
lunch for us - mushroom soup, pork, cream sauce and dumplings, followed
by apple pie. It was nice to taste home-cooked food after only eating
traditional Czech food in the university canteen and restaurants.
 |
| View
from the cottage |
In
the afternoon we went to a nearby town Frenstat Pod Radhostem, for
a look around before walking a bit further up to see the ski jump
and the view of the town and its surroundings.
In
the evening we went to a restaurant in the hills for dinner. That
evening there was a meteor shower! We all went out into the garden
to watch the shooting stars - a nice end to a good day!
Busy
week ahead
Now
I am back to working hard, I have a busy week ahead of me. I have
planned to go to Bratislava for the weekend, which I am really looking
forward to - an opportunity to see another country and meet more
new people as well as seeing some friends.
I only
have two weeks left here, in some ways I feel like I have only just
arrived but in others I feel like I have been through so much. Now
that I am adjusted to the culture, I'm not looking forward to leaving
but I am determined to make the most of my time left in the Czech
Republic and leave on a high. So we will see what the next two week
bring!
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Written
by Jess Rudkin
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