ghotiindustries

Language Course – Week 9

Posted on March 22, 2013 by ghotiindustries

It was a chill day in an Amsterdam Spring when George (that’s me) decided she should pick up the tale of partaking in a language course. She is not entirely sure why she is writing in the third person, but there you go.

Week 6 Prague – I wasn’t in lessons, but I had gotten the heads up on what we would be studying in class! Chapter 6, which was all around “modal verbs”. Though I took my books with me to Prague, I actually didn’t open them. *hangs head in shame*

Week 7 Playing catch up – I stayed home when Himself took our guests sight-seeing and attempted to make sense of the chapter while running decidedly low on sleep.

I got to class to discover that the class had had a different teacher for the last week as Trix had come down with pneumonia and would be away a while. So it seemed I hadn’t missed anything after all, as they were studying what I had been set, which makes me wonder what they had been doing while I was away. The answer I got was “plurals”, and the revision work involved supermarket shopping.

I began coughing on that Tuesday night, but kept going and was in attendance the Thursday night too. The class chapter on Thursday involved ordering a restaurant.

8 last week – The next week I was too sick to go on the Tuesday, but we moved on to the next chapter in the book which was clothes shopping and clothing nouns. So many words to remember!!!

We ended Thursday evening discussing real estate and housing. It was still with the substitute teacher too. This enabled us to have long activities surrounding prepositions. (in, on, out, beside, in front, etc)

9 this week – Trix was back! She was still not 100% poor thing, but on the mend, and not contagious anymore! We celebrated by doing revision on everything we’d done so far. It was clearly obvious after this revision, that I rely far too heavily on my books being open in front of me. Also, which sections needed work! So off I went on my merry way with a little bit of focus and worked hard at my skills until the next lesson.

The most recent lesson was more revision. Lots of word games, and I had my Nederlands to Engels translation dictionary out, and we were on a roll! Sometimes opposites are hard! But before the lesson was over we worked on when to use “geen”, and when to use “niet”. “Ik sprek geen Russisch” (I speak no Russian), and “Ik help hem niet” (I help him not).

I think I have it. Only time will tell. And practice. Lots, and lots of practice.

Homework is more revision. Only the last four chapters though. Should be a gemakkelijk karweitje! (Piece of cake!)

Playing at Tour Guide

Posted on March 19, 2013April 13, 2013 by ghotiindustries

No matter what the temperature tells me, Mother Nature is telling me that it’s Spring!

So much has happened since getting back from Prague! We still had our travel companions staying with us for several days once we returned home, but we continued on with our normal weekly routine as well, so there were still Language classes for me in amongst all the sight seeing.

When our friends headed back to Australia that was when the plague descended upon the household. I don’t remember much of that week. I was sick enough that I didn’t make it to my first Dutch Class. I had no voice, and I didn’t really think anyone else wanted to get my fever or cough.

That week though, ended with some other friends in town who I haven’t seen in years! It really is a wonderful experience to be able to show off our beautiful city to people we have known since childhood, but not seen or really spoken to in fifteen years.

Combining sight seeing with catching up is a great way to spend several days. Would you like to know more?

Prague – Part 7

Posted on March 12, 2013 by ghotiindustries

In brief (I know, too late); I have seen the Dancing House, built on the site where a house was destroyed by a U.S. bomber in 1945. It’s controversial owing to how vastly different it is in design from the rest of Prague.

I have stood in Wenceslas Square, and felt the gravity of the space where the Patron Saint of Prague watched silently as the Soviet tanks invaded. Jan Palach and Jan Zajic were not so quiet.

We came across the Kafka monument one night while leaving a restaurant, and though we didn’t have time to go and see the Kafka Museum on this trip, I’d like to read some more of his work and then go and see it on our next visit.

On our final day the sun finally shone through, and I was able to take even more photographs of the castle, this time drenched in sunlight.

The rest of Prague also looked much nicer in daylight as opposed to the flat overcast sky we’d had the rest of the week.

I was finally able to get photos of some of the remarkable statues on the Charles Bridge that I liked.

I love watching how people interacted with the statues.

We walked up the top of Praha 7 to go to the Technical Museum, only to discover that it isn’t open on Mondays. But there were some amazing views to be had from up there.

The bridges that connect each side of the river stretch off into the distance.

It was a remarkable holiday, and one of those rare ones which changes your entire outlook of the world. There are some things which you just can’t fathom living in Australia. It is hard to imagine what it must have been like to live in a country that was occupied by the Nazis. It is hard to concept what it must have been like to live in a country that was subsequently invaded by Communism.

The Czech Republic has come so far since the Velvet Revolution, and achieved so much.

And I am grateful everyday for the life that is mine.

Prague – Part 6

Posted on March 11, 2013 by ghotiindustries

In which our unlikely heroes walk up a hill to Prague Castle! (again)

So much to see, so little time! We spent an entire day up on the castle grounds. I was also glad it was the “off-season” and we didn’t have to fight our way through crowds to see everything!

Owing to the need to buy a licence to take indoor photos in some buildings, which we opted not to purchase, you’ll get the edited version of the tour.

We were also glad that we’d seen St Vitus Cathedral earlier in the week, as it was closed for maintenance the day we went back!

Thank goodness nothing else was closed that day, and all other maintenance was scheduled for later in the week! Though, from outside St V, the organ sounded like it was working just fine!

The Basilica of St George was founded by Prince Vratislav I. at the beginning of the 10th Century.

It became a burial ground for the princes of the house on Premyslid. Look, here’s one now … (under the tabletop)

This was church number six.

Then it was on to the Golden Lane. Along with everything else we’d already seen, this was a wonderful insight into how these buildings have been used through the various phases of history.

Initially built in the 16th Century to house the castle sharpshooters and later used to house castle goldsmiths (a possible source of the name), staff and guards, at one point is also housed the castle alchemists (also a possible source of the name). The last inhabitant only moved out in 1952.

Upstairs was the most amazing armoury I’ve ever seen! (No, I haven’t seen that many yet, but I’m working on it.) We may have spent cash in this particular gift shop …

We were out the bottom of the castle now, and it was cold, so we had a brief break to sample a traditional cinnamon pastry made right in front of us while we waited! So worth it too!

The view from up here was remarkably good too! 😉

Because I love you all and hear your requests, here’s a photo of Me and Himself. See how much I love you!?

We were nearing the end of this particular adventure, and as we sat down over dinner, Beer goulash in bread (I need to perfect this recipe!) …

… we took the time to point out to all my wonderful readers what some of our favourite sites were!

All these things and more coming your way shortly!

Prague – Part 5

Posted on March 9, 2013 by ghotiindustries

In which we went on a Day Trip.

Kutna Hora. Just rolls off the tongue doesn’t it? I have wanted to go to Kutna Hora for years. Ever since I learned that there existed in the world …

The Sedlec Ossuary!

Impressive, no?

Check this out!

The story goes that in 1278 an abbot of the monastery was sent off to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage and returned with soil from Golgotha, which was spread around the churchyard, making it THE PLACE to be buried in central Europe.

What with the Black Death in the 14th Century, and the Hussite Wars in the 15th Century, the churchyard had to be radically expanded to accommodate all the new business.

When they were still running out of room, they made the eminently sensible decision to exhume all the old bones (flesh decomposed away) so they could replace them with new bodies. More business!

Of course, when they began drowning in bones, they charged an old and half-blind monk to come up with a decorative way of stacking/storing them. He began with four giant pyramids. One for each corner of course!

The chandelier in the middle has at least one of every single bone in the human body.

The crest is of the Schwarzenberg coat of arms. (Note the buzzard pecking the eye out of the Turk in the bottom right corner.) It was put together by the woodworker who was hired by the Schwarzenberg family and he is responsible for most of the current state of the bones.

There are a guestimated 40-70,000 people’s skeletons in that room. And I can tell you now, the room’s not all that large.

It was a remarkably humbling experience.

But it was a tour and there was more to see! So we jumped back on the bus and we were off to see St Vitus’ Little sister Cathedral, St Barbara!

Originally designed by the son of the man who designed St Vitus; the cathedral as it currently stands has a vault of 30m high, is 70m long, 40m wide, and is quite imposing enough thank you very much! In this picture you can see the wooden statues of Christian Virtue. For those of my readers unfamiliar with those they are; Justice, Fortitude, Prudence and Temperance. The statues stand 3.5m high.

Nope. I don’t know which one’s which either.

Everything in,

… and about …

… this church …

… was just exquisite!

However, time waits for no man, and with a brief tour of the town, we were back in the van for the hour drive back to Prague!

How many churches am I up to? Was that four and five? *shrugs* Onwards!

Author: ghotiindustries

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