The morning was a bit cloudy and Valeria thought it would be good to start right away at the sports field just behind the school building because the weather report had promised some showers. The sports ground had nice decorations in white paint. There was also the word COMENIUS in big letters.The children were divided into four groups. Each group was of mixed nationality. The first game was dodgeball where the members of one group tried to hit a member of the other team by throwing the ball. What enthusiasm and accuracy in throwing!
The second game was named Finnball. The meaning in this game was to hit a ball with a baseball bat and the members on the field were to collect the ball and throw it back to the home base. During this time the whole of the other team would run around two cones. They got a point if all the members had passed the cone before the person in the home base had received the ball back from the field and shouted "Stop". After all the members had had a turn of hitting the ball, the teams changed their task. A lot of running gave red cheeks.We were lucky; no rain the whole time. All were thirsty and glad to have something to drink, with delicious cake made early in the morning by one of the host mothers. After this the teams played crocker (a game played with a football but with runners and wickets as in English cricket) and bumball (a game played on all fours like handball except you can´t stand up). The children were quick like small spiders. The enjoyment, fun and the international co-operation was just gorgeous.
Afternoon trip to Litomyšl
Chicken with pasta and soup for lunch tasted very well. After that we took our siesta and at 13.30 was our bus ready to go to Litomyšl, that is the birthplace of Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. We have done this 40 km trip in about an hour. Some of us were a little bit tired and slept in the bus. The non-sleepers watched some of us, how to sleep. The weather has cooperated with our fatigue. It's raining, men!
We arrived in Litomyšl at about 3.00 p.m. We visited the chateau complex which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999. We saw the exquisite interiors of the castle, especially the baroque castle theatre, in the amphitheatre, in the castle park and Smetana's house, all offer varied programmes of concerts and theatrical performances. In 1994 the meeting of the seven Central European presidents took place at the castle.There are original coulisses in the baroque castle theatre. It was built for the rich and also for ordinary people. They still play in this theatre. Opposite the castle is a brewery, where Bedřich Smetana was born as a son of a brewer.
There are large rooms in the castle with original wood-floor, made in different kinds of designs, which were in every room different. The owner and nobility entered this castle and all of the rooms already riding their horses. There is also a big collection of porcelain, pianos and great pictures with horses, war scenes and hunting scenes. There were also portraits of the owners, art pictures from holidays, a lot of lounge rooms – the blue one, the green one, saloon for ladies, etc.
After this visit we were in centre for shopping for an hour and we left the city at about 17.15. We turned back and the adults had a very nice dinner in the school. The meal was prepared by a school cook. Great surprise was an evening belly dance by the teachers (photos not allowed). Four ladies danced some prepared dances for our Comenius group.We really enjoyed this day and the evening.
