Finally Friday!

We are relieved it's finally Friday.  Even though we didn't teach too many classes, we spent a lot of time again today working on curriculum.  My brain hurts!!  The students are just super.  I only had my IV's and V's today - the highest two levels - and they are wonderful.  The I's were all on a field trip, so we didn't have those lower-level classes today.  We also were handed a new schedule today --- again!!  This is the third schedule this week.  We've decided to only write things in pencil any more, after going through a lot of white-out in our lesson plan books.  LOL!!  Flexibility is the name of the game in Slovakia --- we learned that in our training in Bratislava --- so we are just trying to adapt and go with the flow.  :-)   Tim and I were about the last ones to leave today - about 3:15. 

We walked to Carol's flat at 4:00, then we walked a couple of blocks with her to the home of a former student of hers, who is now in his 3rd year of medical school.  He came back to visit and invited us all to go on an excursion this afternoon.  We drove up beyond a village in the hills with spectacular views of the mountains all around.  Then we went to Salas Ziar, which is kind of like a sheep ranch, but now it is a restaurant/bar and a horseback riding stable.  We had one of Peter's favorite Slovak beverages - Zincicu - which tastes somewhat like buttermilk.  It's made from the fluids that drain off when they make sheep's milk cheese.  Unique flavors!  We sat outside, and it was such a peaceful and beautiful setting with pastures all around and mountains in the distance.  

This is the most famous of the High Tatra Mountains in Slovakia
-   Krivan

Carol and her former student, Peter

Enjoying the scenery!

Krivan - the gateway peak to the High Tatras

Mountain valley

The smaller coins have Krivan on the back

These wooden structures are used to pile the hay into haystacks

Menu board at the salas - we need help translating!! 

The salas area

After that we drove back into Liptovsky Mikulas, and we ate supper at Garcia's Pizza.  It's a really neat place down a tunnel off the square and up a staircase - we never would have found it ourselves, but it's a favorite of Carol's.  Great food, and more good conversation.  Peter spent a year in southern Illinois as a foreign exchange student in H.S., so we had a lot of questions for him about his impressions of the U.S. in comparison with Slovakia.  It was neat to hear his perspective.  Tomorrow we're going on our rescheduled trip to the wooden church outside of town.  Check back for the report on that!  :-)