Weekend Activities and Language Update

Yay!!!! I finally figured out how to put links on the left side of the page, so it is easier to get to my pictures. Also, there are links for my town and school, in English.
This weekend was another two days in Pec Pod Snezkou. My host dad is crazy, in a good way (I think), when it comes to outdoor activities. We went bike riding on Saturday, but I felt like falling over half the time. Yes, maybe I'm out of shape when it comes to bikes, but going straight up a mountain is not the right way to start conditioning. We rode a ski lift to the top of the mountain after Karel realized that the females of the group (two of us) were giving him nasty looks and muttering things under our breath. From the top we enjoyed the downhill, flat, and not-so-steep uphill roads. When it was time to go back down the mountain, Karel managed to find the steepest path with two foot drops off of rocks and tree roots. I walked my bike down in order to avoid killing the shocks and my legs.
Our next mountain was another steep one, so we rode another ski lift. I was scared out of my mind at first because I was 50 feet in the air, on a narrow bench, with no bar protecting me from falling, and a mountain bike on my lap. Not very safe. The views from the top were pretty, but a little hazy, as they often are. Fall here is nice, cool weather, with fog in the early mornings. Most of the time we rode on paved roads that went through the pine forests and past waterfalls. At one point two deer (Jelen, my new word) crossed the road in front of us.
On Sunday, a larger group of us went for an easy hike up a valley to a meadow. The trail followed a mountain stream and was shaded by trees with falling golden leaves. It is obvious that it is fall.
My language seems to be getting better still. Up until this point I was fairly quiet around the house, hard to believe I know. But now, I'm starting to engage in conversations. They might not be too intellectual, but it is impressive to me when I can say that I like the song being sung on Czech Superstar (like Czech Idol). This week one girl sang Hotel California. It is so strange to hear Czechs sing English songs that are by southern or country bands or bands that have country influences. So far I have heard versions of Eagles songs and of Creedance Clearwater Revival. I always laugh to myself.
Another personal victory was that I asked my host father if I could travel across the country by myself to visit a friend for his birthday. The entire conversation and follow up questions were in Czech, and I understood everything he said!!!! So not only can I ask for what I want, but now I will have the experience of traveling by myself. I am currently planning out every leg of the journey, and I will have my cell phone with me, so I will be just fine as long as I can get myself onto the right trains.