First Full Day

After a good night of sleep, I got up at 11 and got ready. David and I decided to go ahead to the Institute early to check email and work on homework. The weather was horrible - rainy and gray. We got to the Institute at around 1:30 and couldn't get inside - apparently they keep it pretty much on lock down unless administrators are there.

David and I decided to grab some lunch and wait for the building to open at a restaurant about a block away from the Institute. We split a traditional Czech meal - country-style pork, dumplings (“knedliky”), and sour krout. It was surprisingly good; the dumplings were very thick and almost looked like rolls.

At 3:30 we had an introductory class to Czech language. We learned "thank you" ("dekuji"), "goodbye" ("nashledanou") and a bunch of other stuff that didn't really sink in.

After the meeting Stewart, David and I went to a cafeteria that specializes in traditional Czech food. For once, buying a Coke was cheaper than a beer, and we got to practice our Czech. The food was very good and, of course, a lot cheaper than the restaurant that David and I ate lunch at.