Jihlava

There was no school Monday in observance of Czech Statehood Day.  September 28th is St.Vaclav (Wencelslaus) Day, and, since he is the patron saint of the Czech lands, the anniversary of his death (arranged by his treacherous brother Boleslav), it was chosen as a national holiday to celebrate Czech Statehood.  Nobody really celebrates, but it's a good time to go to the country.  We went to Jihlava.

Jihlava is one of my favorite places.  It was Kristine's favorite area on her mission and she has maintained good relationships with several families.  It is a beautiful city situated in the Vysočina (highlands) area at the frontier between Moravia and Bohemia.  It has a hedgehog on its coat of arms.  Truth be told, we had thought we would move to Jihlava.  We had settled on it tentatively, but as plans unfolded we felt impressed that Česke Budejovice was where we ought to live.

We rode the train for an hour from Česke Budejovice to Veseli where we then boarded a crowded bus for a two hour ride to Jihlava.  This would not have been too bad, but the combination of diesel exhaust, crowded conditions, duck liver and lard on bread, and the awful breath of the dog sitting in the aisle beside me, made me kind of sick.  Trains are much better for traveling than buses, especially with toddlers. 

Our good friend Riša picked us up at the train station.  You may remember Riša from when he stayed with us the summer of 2001.  He looks like an adult now.  He was accompanied by his mother and his girlfriend, Hana.  Silas was smitten with Hana.  She made Kolačky for us twice and played with him a ton.  Absent was Riša's best friend, his father.  Josef Pešek, passed away about two years ago.  We stayed in the basement rental place at Riša's mom's.  It is where Kristine lived when she was on her mission.

On Saturday we ate palačinky (crepes) with chocolate sauce on the main square.  Sorry to fixate on details, but the palačinky in Jihlava is iconic for us.  The prices have gone up, but they are still good.  We stopped at a drug store where they have a mural by Marie Doležalová.  She is known for painting Romani (Gypsies) and Africans in scenes that try to convey feeling in human interaction and she emphasizes the eyes and hands.  Kristine loves it and always stops to see it.

Speaking of icons.  The main square in Jihlava is itself notable.  It is one of two examples I use to argue in favor of the National Historic Preservation Act (though its implementation may lack some common sense).  The old main square is really big, but it used to have some really old buildings in the middle of it.  Well, about 25 years ago they bulldozed those really old buildings to put up a Prior - a department store.  This thing is ugly.  I mean, it would be ugly anywhere on the planet, but right in the middle of this beautiful square it's just a sin.  For a good view of the square, look at this site.

From Jihlava

We spent the morning at the Jihlava Zoo.  It is really neat. This is the home of the original man eating goat. He was sleeping so we survived. We spent some time in a room with fruit bats.

Then I had a treat...we went to visit Josef and Božena Malaškovi.  By training he is a draftsman and she is a civil engineer.  They have their own two person company that prepares the bid estimate for building projects and designs some of the site features (streets, parking, drainage).   It was just neat.  Plus, they explained how to make Svičkova (Kristine's favorite Czech food).

Sunday at Church was delightful.  We saw lots of Kristine's old friends.  Also, the church is a rented space on the 2nd floor of a building on the main square.  All painted white, with tiles on the floor and windows open on the front and back, and then the warm fall weather, it was dreamy.

Sunday afternoon we went with Riša to his brother-in-law Otokar's log cabin.  When we were here four years ago, Oto was telling us it was his dream to build one.  He started over three years ago.  They still have a bunch of finish work on the inside, but it looks great.  They will continue to live in town and this will be their cottage and retirement home.

I should mention that I traveled in style.  I rode in a 1973 Trabant  (by the way, if you are at all interested in cars, the link is well worth the read).  This little East German car is an icon of making do with materials available in a communist economy.  With a 600cc engine and an indestructible (except in a low-speed crash) body, it's quite a machine.   

From Jihlava

It was a nice gathering there with about a dozen or so people snacking and talking.  Oto's father is a world traveler.  He has been all across the U.S. (interestingly he noted that he loved Salt Lake City and the Temple prior to learning that we are Mormon).  He's also been to Argentina where he has eaten the best beef anywhere in the world and drank mate.  He's headed to Vienam, Malaysia and Thailand next month. I had just asked Riša and Oto if it was considered impolite to talk about politics and religion at gatherings like this.  They told me that normally the conversation is restricted to sports and pivo.  Then I walked over by Kristine as she and Oto's dad were discussing Barack Obama and their president Vaclav Klaus , and answering his questions about our religious health code.  Kristine is such a rule-breaker.

Monday, I went of a pre-dawn walk to the country then walked through the streets of the medieval section of Jihlava as the sun came up.  Caleb woke up with a sore throat.  Never tell a Czech that you are not feeling well.  Riša's mom thought he shouldn't go sightseeing with us and that we should really take him to the ER.  We settled on him wearing a fashionable scarf, bundling up, drinking a concoction, sucking on medicated lozenges, inhaling a nasal spray, and consuming cough drops.  He survived the treatment and is doing well now.

From Jihlava

We took a drive to the country where Riša's dad was born.  It was a nice hike over hills and down to a lake.  The weather was perfect.  It was one of those mornings where you can't think of anything in particular to write about, but you cherish the memory.

After a hearty lunch and singing folk songs 'round the table, we got on a bus driven by the grouchiest bus driver we've ever met.  We made it back to CB that evening, well worn out from the weekend.

Monday night, while I was reviewing my list of ideas on how to fund a longer stay here, Kristine, Caleb and Lucy were gathered at the computer eating up every detail in emails from our dear friends back in U.S.A. and Sweden.  Life is beautiful.

Peter