Deception--one of life's most common and powerful weapons. We are all deceived by someone or something somewhere along the line. Some people use it as a weapon against each other, and yet others can go so far to claim that God deceives people. However you want to spin it, deception, however unfortunate, has placed itself amongst our lives as a permanent resident. I do wish to apologize for misleading my readers; my actions today were not as severe as I make it out to be. But, I will say that I was deceived a few times. Upon awakening and preparing, we walked to the University site where we sat in on a "lecture" from the University President. He gave us the "rundown," so to speak, of Olomouc and its founding. I thought it was quite fascinating, but I must admit that I thought he was lecturing about something outside of his usual field. Anyway, after the meeting with the President, we headed for the train station and proceeded to Hranicka. It was there that the Hranice Caves lay before our eyes. Before we got to the caves, we came across a fountain with "healing" effects. What it was was water infused with multiple elements, like Iron, Sodium, Manganese, etc. It tasted like Carbonated Water, and I have to admit that I did feel a bit better afterwards, even though it tasted foul. Then, we toured throughout the rocky caverns, and I picked out every detail. Where were the cracks? What might have been the result of cave-ins? Why was the cave so warm? What was that pungent smell? As it turned out, the cave's water resource carried Carbon Dioxide, and it was warmer than the surrounding air, thus, in effect, the Carbon Dioxide was what heated the cavern. The Hranice Caves are the warmest caves year-round in Europe. After that, we took a hike through the mountains. In this way was I first deceived. I hadn't the slightest idea that the walk to the caves would turn into a 3 mile stroll, and I had no idea that we would take a hike over a mountain. Of course, I didn't really care about that. I had never been on a hike before, and scaling that hillside (rather than a mountain, I guess) was an amazing experience. The higher I got, the more my adrenaline began to pump and, as I gazed over the edge of the trail, I could see all the way down, and I knew that one false step could be my last. To have that atmosphere, just a little something more than ordinary, adds to the experience. Once we got to the top of the hill, we could look into the abyss. Quite literally, it was a giant hole in the Earth that stretched a good 400 meters below the surface. Once we got our fill of the hole, (Pun was absolutely intended) we returned by train to Olomouc, where I am now, sitting in my room, writing this. I did go out to Globus again, but I didn't get much. Oh! One more thing; I have seen my first cats on this entire trip! I saw one this morning that looked like a cat I used to have. It was black with orange splotches sprinkled onto it. Then, just before I came into the dorm, I found a cat by the door. I just sat down, and he plopped into my lap. I did manage to get a few pictures of him/her, but he/she was really feisty. By the way, did I mention, last night, that I had a bunch of angry dogs on my ass during my walk? I thought they would tear me to shreds, but I managed to lose them. (I know, with their sense of smell, that seems impossible)Anyway, I will post a few photos again. I hope that your smile remains radiant, and have a pleasant day. "May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favor!"
                                                                          -Anthony-