Field Trip!

Today was my first class trip with school. We went to a small town, Harrachov, in the Northwest part of the Krkonose Mountains (Giant Mountains). During winter the town is another skiing hub, but we were there for other cultural activities.
The drive lasted almost two hours, but felt much longer. Curvey roads, lots of sudden stops by the driver, and more people than seats made everyone a little cranky. Upon arrival, we split into two groups. My group went to the mining museum and mine first. I couldn't understand the captions, but it was interesting to look at the types of rocks/minerals in the area, as well as some old tools and machinery. We toured the old mine in hard hats and warm jackets, as it was cold and wet inside. Mining stopped in 1992 because the exports from China were cheaper. We wandered around on the old tracks and looked at wet walls, old elevators, ventilation fans, and strange machines. I wish I could write more interesting facts, but I'm still working on simple sentences and questions. My English and Czech teacher helped a little bit with some trivia, such as the mine is 720 meters deep.
Our next stop was the glass factory. It was a small operation, but people knew their jobs and worked quickly. The amount of glass turned out was quite impressive. Men would actually blow in the glass into different objects using long metal pipes, then use moulds to get the shape they wanted. I saw large wine glasses, small glasses, and vases being made. One room had old-fashioned glass cutting wheels, like what was used over 100 years ago. After shopping in the 'outlet corner' of the factory, we had free time in the area.
I went to the glass museum with some of my classmates, then enjoyed a snack in the small restaurant. The ride home seemed even longer because of the driver's enjoyment of slamming on the brakes, and I was sitting in the aisle.