Balsamic Vinegar, Volunteering, and the Czech Republic: Week 9

I started off the week by taking a field trip to Agriturismo Cavazzone, a traditional balsamic vinegar factory in the hills of Reggio Emilia.

This is the outside of the factory. It was super foggy.

Before going inside, we explored the property and were able to go inside this gazebo. Due to the fog, we were not able to see the pretty view, but that's okay!

All the leaves on the ground were so pretty.

Then, we went inside the factory and the owner taught us all about how traditional balsamic vinegar is made.

We also got to taste the different types of balsamic vinegar made in the factory. Some of the balsamic vinegar I tried was over 20 years old!

We also tried the vinegar on an egg.

We tied it on parmesan cheese as well. Overall, a very great experience!

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Last week, I was able to volunteer at a local high school.

I spent an hour speaking English to Italian students to help them improve their English. We talked about the music they like, the pasta they eat, the places they've traveled to, the sports and instruments they play, and the cafés I should try in the area. The hour flew by and it was great getting to do something in the community again.

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I spent 4 nights in the Czech Republic, the country where my mom and aunt are from, to end the week. I explored Prague for a day and then visited my grandparents in the village they live in. I really, really enjoyed my time in the Czech Republic. Prague was absolutely stunning and it was so great seeing my grandparents.

After I landed in Prague, I explored the city and was in awe. Seeing Charles Bridge at night was actually so cool. It is 668 years old and I felt like I was in a movie when I was walking here.

The city was so magical at night.

The next morning, I went to see the Statue of Kafka. I had to read "The Metamorphosis," one of Kafka's works, in high school, so I wanted to make sure I saw all the Kafka-related aspects of Prague.

Then, I went to the Dancing House, which was super fun and spunky.

These were some of the spots I came across as I was walking to/from the Dancing House. I didn't know how awesome Prague was until I was able to experience it for myself.

Then, I toured the Baroque Library, which was breathtaking. It was built in 1722. With 27,000 books, this was a treasure to see, and, honestly, what I was looking forward to seeing most! It did not disappoint.

I also toured the Clementinum Astronomical Tower, which was founded by the Jesuits in 1722 so they could study astronomy. Both of these places are located within the Clementinum Comlex, a place in which Einstein taught and Mozart played. Getting to be in the same vicinity that Einstein literally taught in was so cool.

As part of the tour, we climbed to the top of the tower - on these stairs that are 300 years old - to get a view of the city!

Look how pretty the view is!

After the tour ended, I ran to the Astronomical Clock, the oldest astronomical clock in the world that is still operating at 615 years old! I got there just in time to see the show that the clock does at every hour.

I also went inside the clock.

The view from the top of the clock was also stunning!

After seeing the clock, I ran to the "Infinity Book Tower." As a reader, it felt so cool to literally be in the middle of so many books.

Then, I went to the Franz Kafka Museum, which is something I really wanted to do since I analyzed one of his works in high school.

These are facsimiles of his drawings.

This is a facsimile of one of his diary entries. Kafka was quite depressed and held strong feelings towards the work force, and his diary entries reflected this, as he wrote, "In the final analysis, I know, that this is just talk, the fault is mine and the office has a right to make the most definite and justified demands on me. But for me in particular it is a horrible double life from which there is probably no escape but insanity."

This is a facsimile of the first page of the 5th chapter of one of his works, "The Trial."

This is one of the first editions of "The Metamorphosis," the work I had to analyze in high school. It was super cool to see this in person.

After the museum, I had some free time before I took a tour of the Prague Castle, so I walked on Charles Bridge. Again, it felt like I was walking in a movie.

Along the bridge are various statues, and this one was quite interactive, as "petting" the dog allows the bronze to stay shining.

Then, I toured parts of the Prague Castle Complex, which is the oldest and biggest castle complex in the world. Prague Castle was most likely founded around the year 880, and I saw the places that were built in 1344.

Since the president of the Czech Republic lives in the castle, there were guards outside of the complex.

We spent most of our time in the St. Vitus Cathedral, which is part of the complex and is where coronations of Czech kings and queens took place.

This side of the cathedral was built around 1344.

This part of the cathedral is still undergoing some construction, so, if you think about it, this cathedral has been under construction for 681 years.

Located within the St. Vitus Cathedral is the tomb of St. John of Nepomuk. His tomb is roughly 3,527 pounds of pure silver!

The outside of the Cathedral was stunning and breathtaking.

The tour ended at Golden Lane, which was created at the end of the 15th century. All of the colors were so pretty and this lane is full of mystical myths, so it was cool to see it.

This is believed to have been the house where Kafka lived! I know I sound like a nerd, but it was so cool to be in the same place where one of the authors I had to analyze in high school wrote his books!

As I was leaving Golden Lane, I came across the "House of Lobkowicz," which has various works of world-famous musicians. These are manuscript parts of Beethoven's "Symphony no. 5 in C minor, op. 67."

These are Mozart's annotations of Handel's piece "Messiah, Part III" to make it more modern. As someone who played the violin for 8 years, seeing the actual works of Beethoven and Mozart was amazing.

I also came across this globe, which is from the first half of the 19th century. The founder of the firm that these globes are from, London Firm Smith and Son, supplied maps to the prince of Wales in 1809.

After my day in Prague, I took a 4-5 hour journey to see my grandparents in Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem nádraží, the small Czech village that they live in.

As you can see, we spent a lot of our time hiking because they live in the mountains. The views were stunning.

We also saw a lot of animals on our hikes, which was pretty cool.

There are also these mini-churches around the village where people used to attend services. This one, for example, is around 325 years old and was imported from Russia in 1931, so it has quite an interesting history.

They also ensured I got to eat some of my MOST favorite Czech foods, such as kolaches. I ate so many of them when I was there.

I also ate a lot apple strudel. These desserts are amazing.

They also made goulash and got dumplings from a bakery. Aside from the kolaches, this is another dish that I wanted to have when I was there. I am so thankful that they took the time to make sure I got to eat all of this great food!

They also made me chlebíčky, which is another food I remember from my childhood.

The last meal I had was schnitzel. They spoiled me so much and I am so grateful for everything they did.

As a side, they made okurkový salát, which is like a cucumber salad.

My grandparents also have a garden, but because it was cold, a lot of the fruits weren't growing; however, there was still some raspberries, which was pretty cool. I am so grateful that I got to see where my mom and aunt were from, spend quality time with my grandparents, and explore Prague. These 4 days in the Czech Republic will definitely be some that I remember forever.