Český Šternberk Castle
I am too lazy to think about the description of Český Šternberk, but can summarize what I found in Wikipedia and what my friends have told me, and from what I saw.
This place is cool. There is very nice river crossing the small town in the outskirts of the mountain. The main feature here is the Český Šternberk Castle built in the mid-13 century. It is an early Gothic castle which was constructed, named and still owned by members of the same family, the Sternberg (Šternberk in Czech), of German origin, and is considered one of the best preserved Gothic Bohemian castles.
Of course, the castle has gone through several reconstructions. The towers and foundations from the original building are still there, and the new building seats in the middle of the walls. It is a fascinating fact that the castle is still owned by the family who built it, leave along its historical importance and beauty.
The castle was first built by Zdeslav Sternberg in 1241. Then in 1467 is was taken by the royal armies of George of Poděbrady, and regain by the turn of the 15th century. Ownership was passed to other families in 1712 with the death of one of the branches of the Sternberg family, just to be taken back in 1841 by another branch of the family. Then the communist came and nationalized the castle in 1949, and was returned to its original owners in 1992 after the Velvet Revolution. And so far, so good.
Kayaking
The natural setting along the river is relaxing and great for kayaking and canoeing. There are beavers and different kinds of birds along the river bank. People take their canoes and go under the bridge. There is a train line and the sound of the machine roars every other hour not far from the river. The houses are also close, and the ambient of this small village is of relaxation.
From Russia to Central America
Giving my presentation was a good experience. In 2 hours I showed pictures and videos of my trips in Central America. As I was flipping through the slides, I realized how interesting it was for me to do this - that I was actually making a presentation of my six months in Central America. I still have to figure out how to download the slides in blogspot, so for now, just imagine it :)
I also learnt from them and Sakha (Yakutia) Republic. The first thing was that deep underground the soil is always frozen! This is no wonder when you later learn that winter temperatures can reach -40 C, and have even go down to -60 C..... brrrrrrr! But it is not cold all the time. During the summer, the temperature rises to about 30 C - for one month only, and then slowly it goes back to below 0 C. They have also found mammoths fossils, and there is oil and diamonds, of which benefits go mostly to Moscow.
I had an awesome experience sharing with them. We shared stories about our trips, explained more about our customs, foods, and way of life in Central America and Sakha. I also received many special gifts from students. They gave me a piece of a horse tail to keep mosquitoes away, an amulet made of moose skin and hair to protect me from bad spirits, pieces of mammoth tusk, and fridge magnets from the city to add to my collection. Next, is me traveling 9 hours to Sakha, northeast of Siberia.