It might have been a bit hard for some of us to believe that after so many weeks of planning, our long awaited skiing trip is finally happening. Now, the only thing separating us from the grey cities and a beautiful mountain town was a four hour bus ride. And as the scenery around us turned into snowy forests and hills, the excitement inside grew.
After arriving at the wonderful town of Rokytnice nad Jizerou, it was time to get settled into our hotel – Krakonoš. We received the room keys and went through the tedious process of unpacking our luggage and skis. After we had delicious lunch at the hotel, it was finally the time to hit the slopes. Everyone grabbed their skis, snowboards and helmets and we headed for the mountains.
The ability to go down the hills and back freely was already a familiar feeling to the advanced skiers and snowboarders. Letting the wind caress the face and only caring about skiing down was like home. As for the rest of us – this was yet an unexplored territory we were about to conquer.
After many falls (and laughs), we headed back to our hotel. Finally, a chance to sit down and catch your breath. But don’t take too long, we’re meeting up in the common room after dinner!
No, we didn’t participate in this skiing trip for the sake of skiing, what were you thinking? It was a chance to spend a week with our classmates. The true ‘skiing trip‘ didn´t only consist of us running down the hallways, spending time in each other´s hotel rooms and creating close bonds with the ones that we love, but also igniting friendships with the people that we didn’t know that well before. And the evening games only boosted the friendships (and competition) within the two classes.
The evenings were a rejuvenating pause between the tiring afternoons. Though it was exciting, the exhaustion really started to take a toll. And that’s why we welcomed a day in the middle of the trip that was dedicated to rest and a relaxing walk. However, what followed was a day-long trip on cross-country skis to Harrachov. The pain in our shins was compensated for by the beautiful view and nature all around us. In our destination there were various restaurants, where we recharged our batteries for the way back, but since we pressed for time, we ended up being escorted back by a bus. How convenient!
As our trip was approaching its end, we were all quite happy to be finally going back the Pilsen – homesickness really got the best of us. But fortunately, we were provided with a wonderful finale in the form of a groovy disco. And this was how we said our goodbyes to the Krakonoš Hotel and its wonderful services it bestowed upon us. It was a week filled with laughter, so much joy and learning, which evoked the desire in many of us to try skiing or snowboarding again, or to simply just visit the beautiful mountains.
We are all truly thankful for this experience we were given by the Masaryk Grammar School, but also for the supervision, understanding and tolerance of our teachers, which makes me confident in saying that this trip will be remembered years down the line with all its flaws and golden moments.
Tereza Šavlová, 1. A
