Jihlava Revisited

We made a trip to the city of Jihlava on Saturday and Sunday. You may recall from a previous post (way back in October) that Jihlava was where we had originally thought to move. Kristine and I each felt impressed instead that we should move to České Budejovice, but this visit reminded us why we had been attracted to this historic old town.

We took a train most of the way, with the last half hour of the journey on bus. This part of the country is called the Vysočina, the highlands, and a bus ride up and down the hills around Jihlava left us all feeling a little motion sickness. Kristine's ancestors are also from the Vysočina (farther north and east near Polička) so she gets a primal coming home sort of feeling in addition to the queasiness.

Our first stop was the Hotel Vittoria, where we would be staying. I have to put a plug in for them because it was a huge room (we all shared a two room suite) at a good price less than 20 meters from the main square and they gave us a bunch of pastries for free. If you're ever looking to stay in Jihlava, I'd recommend checking it out.

We met Riša and Pani Peškova (Pani mean missus, she's his mom) for a tour of the catacombs under the city. I don't have any pictures (you have to pay extra to take them - I should have). The total length of tunnels under the city is 25 km. There are three levels, the first are two to four meters below ground and were built in the 14th century. The second are four to six meters down and the third are 8-14 meters down, these were added in the 16th century. They are carved out of the native granite and gneiss, though some corridors were reinforced with brick during the 17th century and concrete was poured to reinforce much of it during the 1960's. The passageways are generally 2.5-8 feet wide and 4-11 feet high. They have gutters running down them to drain the water that continuously drips from the rock. The water is collected in pools. There are also accesses to water wells and ventilation shafts that reach ground level. Their purpose was originally to store beer, wine, and dry goods. Later, they were use as underground utility corridors and air raid shelters.

The tour only covers a very small portion of the catacombs, but it is interesting. They show the various levels, the old construction, some of the original water pipes (charred, hollowed out logs), and other neat things. The most mysterious is the shining corridor. When the lights are turned off and one's eyes adjust to the dark, it becomes apparent that the walls are glowing. Is it some sort of biological material? Is it phosphorus leached from the bones of monks buried in higher level chambers? It turns out that it is from zinc sulfite and barium in the mortar on the walls. It is believed that this was either applied while German soldiers occupied the catacombs during WWII as orientation lighting or was the result of experiments they were performing.

We left the catacombs and rode with Riša to Roštejn Castle. We climbed the tower (which is frankly scary as heck with a three year old in your arms on drastically steep wooden stairs-more like a ladder) and looked around the courtyard. Here are some pictures...

The entry gate. From Jihlava2	The tower (also notice how the castle is built right into the natural rock on the right side). From Jihlava2
The courtyard featuring the corner with the chapel. From Jihlava2	The wall from the outside. From Jihlava2

The next morning, I went for a walk along the city walls in Jihlava. These are really good old walls. I walked along the outside of a portion that overlooks a steep valley with a small river running at the bottom of it. This was remarkably beautiful. This picture is from a different part that runs along a main highway through town.

Then we went to church. The cool morning air was perfumed with the scent of pine from the surrounding hills. This was Kristine's favorite area on her mission and, after all these years, the affection she shares with people from the branch here is obvious.

Afterwards we had lunch with the Peškovi. Pani Peškova made a knedliky, zeli (cabbage) and a duck that just about brought tears to my eyes, it was sooooooo good. Hanka (the young woman with whom Riša is friendly) made some spectacular prune kolache and linzer torte (she's a nurse, but I believe her true calling is baking). While we were eating, an American,Mark, who splits his time between working in Iraq and living in the Czech Republic arrived. He rents from the family. So we all sat together, eating and telling stories. Then, he revealed a special treat...A&W Root Beer. You can't find root beer here (Mark says there is one place in Prague that carries it sometimes, but when word gets out to all the American expats living there that a new shipment is in, it sells out in hours) because Czechs hate it - they say it tastes like medicine (which, frankly, if you will hearken back to the old creosote-based cough syrups, it does taste medicinal).

Then, an old friend, Jarda Svoboda, picked us up and took us to his mother's place in a village outside of Jihlava. There we sat and talked with Jarda, his mother, and his sister while we snacked on, among other things, an Apple Strudel (capitalized out of respect) that was phenomenal (what a day). This was really nice. Jarda and his sister were among the first members of the church baptized in Jihlava back when the missionaries first came following the Velvet Revolution. It is, of course, bittersweet to see photos of the vibrant youth group from back then. Some of the faces are familiar, older now, with kids of their own. Others, for whatever reasons, have drifted away and you feel sad for them, knowing the peace the gospel brings. Anyway, two interesting tree stories. Jarda planted a peach tree in the garden. Peach trees don't grow in that part of the Czech Republic, but he is passionately determined to see this one become fruitful. Then, while we were on a walk, he pointed across some fields to a stately linden tree on the next hill just before the forest. He explained that his great, great grandfather sent all five of his sons to fight in WWI. When they all finally returned safely from the war ( the youngest son fighting in Russia took three years to get home after the war ended--all had assumed him dead), he planted the tree as thanks to God for preserving them.

Then we went back to Jihlava and met, briefly, with Riša's sister Daša and her two kids, Viktor and Katka (who are the same ages as Caleb and Lucy). They are super energetic people and great fun to chat with. Unfortunately, we got there late and missed seeing her husband Otakar.

 We had to leave in a hurry to catch our  train (filled with obnoxious teenagers headed back to Ceske Budejovice for the school week and some disgustingly drunk fellows who stumbled past us on their repeated trips to the bathroom). We spent about 29 hours in Jihlava, not nearly enough, and this was our last visit there this time around.

Oh folks, between parting from people for the last time and knowing that my days of walking along the Malše River are numbered, I'm starting to get a little emotional. It's great to know so many wonderful people here and to realize, that while we will miss them, we will soon be surrounded by wonderful people back in Minnesota.

-Peter

The Freiberg Temple and the week in review

From 2009-11

Caleb and I took a trip to the Freiberg Temple in Germany this weekend and had some great experiences along the way.  In fact we have had a week filled with things, so here's a long rundown.

Quick preface...Temples are special buildings that Latter-day Saints construct as the House of the Lord.  We do not have regular Sunday services there, but instead go there to make covenants with God that we will keep the commandments, to be married for eternity, and perform this work on behalf of people who did not receive the essential ordinances during their mortal life.  I know that last sentence is loaded with Mormon jargon - if you want to understand what I just wrote, start here, otherwise, suffice it to say that going to the temple is an immensely important part of our spiritual development.

The Freiberg Temple holds a very special place in history.  Built in 1985, it was the only temple built behind the iron curtain.  The East German communist government didn't want to allow its residents to go to Switzerland to attend the temple, so they allowed one to be built in an out of the way city near the Czech border.

From 2009-11

On Friday morning, Caleb and I took the train to Prague, then another train to Usti nad Labem (a strikingly beautiful city in the northern mountains along a large river), then Aleš picked us up and drove us to Freiberg.

It was Czech week at the temple so many Czech saints were there.  It was like a big family reunion.  There are dormitories with a shared kitchen and dining area so everyone hangs out and interacts between temple sessions.  This was great since we got to see people from across the country (some we knew, some we met for the first time).  We shared a room with a member of the mission presidency who is also a transportation engineer.  We stayed up late Friday night talking about road design and financing (I know you are thinking "only an engineer").

In the temple communication was typically given German and either Czech or English.  Nobody speaks only one language.  And some spoke all three.  Finally Czech just flowed effortlessly out of my mouth - unfortunately it was only when I was trying to speak German.  It was just beautiful how everyone was just patient and helpful.  We felt very much at home.

On of my favorite people was a brother from Austria who was serving as a temple worker.  He and his wife had served a mission in the temple 10 years earlier and they now go back there (even though Frankfurt is closer) to keep serving.  He spoke to me in English.  I spoke to him in German (to the extent I was able).  And, best of all, when he pronounced Czech names, he even did the "ř" (you'll recall that's the ha-rrrrr-zh sound) just like a Czech.

Besides the social benefits, serving in the temple brings a great peace of spirit that is incredibly refreshing.

Some other events of the week...

From 2009-11

Last Monday and Tuesday the kids had off school in celebration of the anniversary of the start of the protests that led to freedom from communism.  On Tuesday, Kristine, Caleb, Silas and I went to Rudolfov - a small town just outside Česke Budejovice.  It was an absolutely beautiful day for a hike through the woods along a stream.  That afternoon Caleb, Lucy and I biked to Plav.  We also watched TV some to see the images of the protests 20 years ago.

Kristine, Lucy and Silas went to Plzeň to visit Madla on Friday and Saturday.  While there they visited Madla's mom, Maruška, at her cottage.  She's a hunter (a rather rare thing here and even rarer among women) so she made them svičkova from venison with homemade dumplings.  It was delicious (they brought some back).  Kristine said it was a nice visit, though she ended up carrying Silas too much.  Oh, and he vomited on the train just as they got back to Česke Budejovice.  Kristine was able to catch it in a bag though.

By the way, in Usti there were a bunch of roundabouts.  I took some video of a multi-lane roundabout with a fairly large truck volume.  Then, there was a traffic circle that had yields on the inside of the circle (which violates one of the fundamental design principles of modern roundabouts).

On our way back from the temple with the Chrdlovi family, we went to Řip Mountain.  Legend has it that the original Mr. Čech looked out over the land from atop Řip and claimed all the land he saw for his people.  As the core of an old volcano, it is an interesting bell-shaped hill in the middle of a plain.  Going there is kind of like going to Fort Snelling in Minnesota or the Alamo in Texas - it's a fundamental part of the historical identity of the people. 


Finally, Sunday we relaxed with church and time at home to recover from a busy week.

Oh, and a couple of Silasisms...We had watched Green Eggs and Ham for English class.  So, on a walk, Silas says, "Me Sam.  Sam me am."  "Daddy bein' a booger.  He buggin' me all the time." 

Peter

Czechoslovak Independent State Day

October 28th is Czechoslovak Independent State Day - the biggest national holiday of the year.  It celebrates the creation of the independent Czechoslovakia in 1918 following the obliteration of the Hapsburg Empire in World War I.  The kids got a five day weekend and, since a lot of things shut down at the end of October, we tried to cram in a lot of activities.  Here then, is a rundown of our week and of Czech history.

Pre-Slavic People
There is archaeological evidence of Neolithic Era inhabitants in the region.  There is also behavioral evidence for the ongoing maintenance of a neanderthal population - they hang out around train station stairways and drink wine in a box.  The earliest identified residents in these lands included Celtic tribes such as the Boii (3rd century BC - from whom the name Bohemia originates).

No doubt these people celebrated Samhain, or some similar harvest festival, and so did we, in the secularized christianized version known as Halloween.  That's right, that holiday beloved by children, despised by mothers and dentists.  It is Caleb's favorite holiday.  Kristine can't stand it.  It had been resolved long before we came that we were not going to be introducing Halloween to the Czech Republic.  Imagine her surprise when it was announced at a church leadership planning meeting that we would have a little Halloween party at the chapel!

Silas was a knight, Lucy was a sort of Robin Hood, Caleb was a disgruntled fiddler ("Imagine the fun I would be having if I was back at home with my friends"), Kristine was a clown (she wanted to be a vodnik - a water goblin, but didn't have the requisite buggy eyes), and I wore a brown fitted sheet with two socks pinned on the bum (ostensibly Silas' horse).  It was a nice event with a cake walk, pumpkin carving, and bobbing for apples.   

Well, the Germanic tribes (Marcromanni and Quadi) moseyed in during the 1st century and moseyed back out in the 5th century. 

Coming of the Slavs

Along came the Slavs with their difficult slavic languages. 

By the way, the kids and I are not yet fluent in Czech.  I can almost formulate a grammatically correct sentence (as long as it does not have a direct or indirect object or any prepositions or past tense verbs).  In fact, we had a bad Czech language experience on Wednesday at the Plzeň Zoo in Plzeň.  We went to a raptor show.  It was cool.  The eagles caught food in the air and snatched it out of a pool.  Then, it got boring.  The birds were just flying back and forth between volunteers arms ("It's like watching someone else play a videogame").  So we got up to go.  As we were walking up the stairs out of this huge amphitheater, I became aware of the presenter yelling at someone.  I turned around and he was looking at me.  I couldn't tell what he was saying, but I got the gist that he didn't want people walking around during this part of the show.  I sat down and told Lucy to do the same.  Well the guy kept raving.  I look back and Silas was still ascending the stairs with Caleb trying to catch him.  We got all seated and smiled back serenely at the 400 hundred staring eyes.  Well, I smiled back.  Caleb stared people down until they looked away uncomfortably.  As the guy was finishing his rant, a nice woman just in front of us called out "they don't speak Czech" in a leave-them-alone tone.  The guy made a last disparaging remark or two and went on.  The kids were ready to board a plane after this incident.

It's interesting how a person takes a blow to their pride even by something like this.  Obviously this guy's (and the 200 other peoples') opinion of us is irrelevant.  But you want to stand up and yell, "Hey, I am fluent in my own language, Buddy!"  It's tough being treated like the village idiot all the time.

Then I got thinking about how people would react to this in back home.  Would I call out, "Hey, give him a break, he doesn't speak English."  Or would I say, "Freaking foreigners, they should learn our language if they wanna come to our country."  I wonder if anyone else who was there wrote a blog about the incident.

So, anyway, along came the Slavs led by this guy, Czech.  Legend has it that he climbed Mount Řip (northwest of Prague) and claimed all he could see for his people.

Medieval Times
To make a long history short, the Slavs soon settled down and adopted the feudal system.  They had all the cool medieval stuff going on.  The architecture progressed from Romanesque to Gothic (like St. Bartholemew's Church in Plzeň) to Renaissance to Baroque to Whatever the More Modern Stuff is Called.  They had knights, local nobility, kings, emperors, saints, romance, intrigue.

We got to see a humorous skit about Czech history at a Warriors Festival in Tabor on Saturday.  Some of the historical re-enactors did this piece that included selecting a husband in pagan times, selecting a religion in early Christian times, and selecting a ruler at the time Svaty Vaclav (Saint Wenceslaus) and his treacherous brother Boleslav (note that I use the term "selecting" tongue in cheek as neither the woman, nor the converts, nor the ruled had any say in the decision).  The best parts about the trip to Tabor were eating in a dark, tavern warmed by a real fire and lit by candles and shooting a long bow.      

From the time that Great Moravia and, later, Bohemia emerged as states, their history is completely entwined with the Holy Roman Empire and its precursor, the Kingdom of the East Franks, and its post cursor, the Austro-Hungarian Empire (same Habsburgs, new name).

Our little part of the world was run by the Rožmberks.  They were headquartered in their castle in Česky Krumlov (a UNESCO world heritage site).  Kristine, Caleb and Lucy took the train there on Thursday.  The castle tour is a must do.  Unfortunately, they didn't get to do it.  After the hour train ride and the half-hour walk to the castle, there wasn't enough time to take the next available tour and still make the next train home. Kristine figured it wasn't worth an extra four hours of kids' whining while waiting for the six o'clock train.  They skipped the tour, walked through the gardens and caught some of the medieval city.

The Rožmberks oversaw much of the development of southern Bohemia.  Most notably, they took the local fish ponds and had them developed into an extensive complex of carp production ponds.  Although the noble carp is much maligned in the US, it is a part of life here.  In fact, it is a Christmas tradition here just like turkey at Thanksgiving there.  Anyway starting around the 1300's they excavated wetlands, built dikes around them, and got carp production really rolling.

This is the carp harvest season and the"unstocking" (vylovy) of the ponds is accompanied by crowds showing up to watch, eat and drink beer.  Lucy, Caleb and I went to Rybnik Dvořiště on Friday.  We left home at 6:30 in the morning with our friend Aleš driving us so we could see the roundup.  The fishers were out in full regalia (green uniform with fish shaped pins and felt hats).  The lake had been drawn down and the fish spooked into a small bay.  Wading through the waist deep water, the men fenced off the area.  Then they drew a net across and pulled it closer.  By this time there were a couple hundred people out to watch.  Finally, the circle was tightened and alive with fish.  The men then net them and dump them into bins.  They then get transported to Třeboň where they will spend the next couple of weeks in concrete pools to clean the mud out of them.  After watching this, we took a 10 km (6 mile) hike to catch a bus.  It was a beautiful day.

Other notable events between 1300 and 1700 include:

• Founding of Charles University
• Jan Hus pushes for religious reforms and is burnt as a heretic
• Jan Žižka leads the Taborites against crusaders bent on destroying the Hussite movement
• Thirty Years War
  

The Czech National Revival of the 18th and 19th centuries sought to put emphasis on the Czech language, culture and national identity.  German was the dominant language in the empire and some Czech rulers didn't even know the language.  It is said that of the several thousand volumes in the library at Hluboka Castle, only 13 were in Czech.  Anyway, the revival brought the first Czech dictionary, Dvorak's Slavonic Dances and the phenomenal Ma Vlast by Bedřich Smetana. 

Czechoslovakia
This revival got folks thinking about maybe having some autonomy.  Then, with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo, WWI broke out.  During the war, Professor Tomaš Masaryk, living in London, provided intelligence to the allies and went to France, Russia, and the U.S. to win support for an independent Czechslovakia.  Following the war, the allies recognized Masaryk as the leader of the Czechs and an independent republic was formed.

At that time Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia, part of Silesia, and Carpathian Ruthenia were merged to form a new nation.  It was a prosperous time here.  There are a lot of buildings with dates in the late 1920s and early 1930s.  The Czechs had a strong industrial base and one of their top exports, guns, was in demand during the interwar period. 

Then along came the Nazis.  We're all familiar with the appeasement policy (referred to as a great betrayal by Czechs at the time) where the allies failed to live up to responsibilities and turned the Sudetenland over to Hitler.  Shortly thereafter, Hungary took part of Slovakia, the Poles took some of the country, the Slovaks split off to form a Nazi puppet government, the Ruthenians separated, and Germany occupied the remainder of the country.

In 1945 the Soviets came from the east (after delaying to make sure that local insurgencies failed so they could be the liberators) and the Americans from the west.  There are a lot of monuments celebrating the liberation.  When we were in Plzeň four years ago we got to town the day after the 60th anniversary of the liberation by the US forces.  There were flowers placed at the monuments dedicated to the American soldiers.  It was very moving.

So Czechoslovakia was reconstituted (without Carpathian Ruthenia).  Then the communists took over. 

We visited our friend Madla in Plzeň.  She was a teenager in the 80's.  She tells the story about how under communism the history teachers taught that the Soviets had liberated Plzen.  So the students would ask, why do the soldiers in these photos have American uniforms?  Because the Soviet troops were in disguise.  Yeah, but some of these soldiers are black, who's ever heard of a black Russian?  The teachers would just give a pleading look indicating everyone knew it was a lie, but if you just go along with it life is much easier.

Madla questioned this propaganda publically and was called in for scoldings from the communist bosses.  Despite graduating near the top of her class, she was denied a spot at the university and instead was assigned to work as a flagger on a road construction crew.  She said it was interesting, though, because she got to work with a bunch of black-listed college professors on the road crew.

Well, Madla's still a trouble maker.   On a train last year she sat near a bunch of German-speaking skinheads.  One of them told her she couldn't sit there and called her a "Czech swine."  She told him he had no business talking to her that way.  He got up and said Heil Hitler in her face.  She slapped him.  He punched her.  She whacked him with her bag.  You gotta respect a woman going toe to toe with a bunch of neo-nazis.

So, yeah, life was bad under the commies.  In Plzeň there is a monument put up by the communists commemorating their greatness.  Set a short distance back from it is a newer, black obelisk remembering the communist terror.

In 1968 the political leaders in Czechoslovakia were getting a little too liberal

Blessedly, in the late 80's all the world was in upheaval.  Even the Soviet Union was liberalizing with Gorbechev's Glasnost and Perestroika policies.  The Czech communists were not keeping up with the times and the people were getting more restless.  There was more open criticism of the government.  The Candle Demonstration on March 25, 1988 was the first mass anti-communist demonstration by Catholics demanding greater religious freedom.  Then, on November 17, 1989 during a student march commemorating International Students Day (which, ironically, originally was established to commemorate the Nazi storming of the Charles University after protesters demonstrated against the Nazi shooting death of Czech student Jan Opletal - the Nazis executed nine student leaders and sent 1200 to concentration camps and closed all Czech universities) the commies trapped the student demonstrators and beat them.  This led to mass demonstrations and strikes.  Within two weeks the border with Germany and Austria was open and by the first of the year there was a new non-communist government led by Vaclav Havel.  This series of events is known as the Velvet Revolution.

Czech Republic Now
On December 31, 1992 Slovakia officially split off.  There was no fighting over it, just a "velvet divorce."  Just a sense on the Czech side that the Slovaks were not wise to do so (the economic base is on the Czech side). 

Now the country seems to be doing well, though we hear a fair amount of concern over the economy.  They moved to a free market economy, but retained fully socialized medicine and higher education.

We did note that there was not much outward demonstration of national identity on recent national holidays.  We wondered if, 20 years after the revolution, young people have forgotten the need to be involved in politics to ensure that the Nazis, the Communists or any other civil and human rights squashing groups don't get control.  Our friend (whose Czech flag hanging from their house on October 28th was the only one I noticed on any residential location) commented that a more accurate interpretation would be while people love their land and their culture, they are distrustful of government.

In the words of the Czech National Anthem (click here to hear it)
o

Where is my home, where is my home?

Water roars across the meadows,

Pinewoods rustle among crags,

The garden is glorious with spring blossom,

Paradise on earth it is to see.

And this is that beautiful land,

The Czech land, my home,

The Czech land, my home.

f mine.

Quiet Weekend

We had a quiet weekend for the first time this week.  A good soaking Saturday morning led us to alter our plans.  We had intended to go to what may arguably be the most beautiful city in the Czech Republic, Česky Krumlov.  However, since Silas is outlawed from going on any castle tours, he and a keeper would have to spend the whole time outside.  Since everything was wet and there was a chance of more rain, we decided to stay local.

Our fun started Friday night when Lucy went to a Primary ice cream party and spent the night with a family from church.  They watched an American movie in Czech with English subtitles. It was Alvin and the Chipmunks.  Meanwhile, back at home, the rest of us watched a Czech movie in Czech with Czech subtitles and Kristine giving a running commentary.  We were quite a sight - Kristine, Silas, Peter all snuggled up on the couch watching delightedly and Caleb on the far end of the couch, his head propped up by his hand with a look of utter boredom.


Anyway, on Saturday we took the #19 bus to the end of the line, walked past a most creeping looking old apartment building (there were no flowers in any window boxes or plants on any decks), and entered the woods.  Our goal was a complex of small lakes that had been excavated from marshland starting in the 15th century for carp production. The shallow lakes, some of which had numerous small islands, are host to an amazing quantity of waterfowl.  The dikes between the lakes are lined with old oak trees, forming a canopy.

Small aside...These are the sorts of roads that really appeal to me.  When I was little we had a print hanging in our living room that showed a country road with trees lining it.  I used to sit and imagine where it led.  Now, when I am on roads like this, I find myself in a most remarkable spot where I am simultaneously reminiscing, enjoying the present scene, and imaging future possibilities.  These roads are magic for me.

We had a small lunch (I left the chocolate bar at home so I was fired from packing the food again) and headed back.  Silas fell asleep on the stroll and napped on the bus ride back home.

Because Silas had an early, short nap he was ready to go do stuff in the afternoon so Caleb, Silas, and I went on a little bike ride.  The plan was to go a little west of town and hope to find some plum trees along the side of the road so we could make plum dumplings.  Three and half hours later we returned.  No plums, but we had a small bag of pears (there are fruit trees planted along the side of the road that you can just pick from) and had seen a lot of the countryside, including the town of Lipi three times.  At one point, biking on a narrow lane, through trees, along a fishpond, I asked Caleb if he could understand why I would like to never have a job again and just stay here.  He said, "Yeah, I understand.  I hope you understand why I want to go back and be with my friends!"

We finished the evening with another movie and a pear crumble. 

Today for church we watched the videos of the semiannual General Conference that took place last week and then had the missionaries over for Mexican food.

All in all it was a weekend much like we would have had in Minnesota, but no sign of snow here.

Peter

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

Kleť

This is a photo of an empty train car.  The train car on Track #2 at 10:34 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, 2009.  The train car we anticipated would take us to Holubov where we would then join up with a half dozen other families to go on an outing to Klet'.  The train car that was not connected to the rest of the train.

Although we didn't get to spend the day with a bunch of other people we know, we did still take the next train at 12:21 to Holubov.  From the village we walked about 3 km (uphill) (carrying Silas) through the incredibly charming village of Krasetin to the chairlift at Klet'.

At 1084 meters, Klet' is the highest hill in the area.  They say that on a clear day you can see the Alps from atop Kleť.  I don't know about that, but I do know that on a foggy day you can't see the top from 200 m away.  There is an observation tower on top (but we didn't go up, we could see clouds from where we were).

Kristine and Silas wisely took the chairlift.  Caleb wanted to be particularly manly and hike up.  Lucy was freaked out by the chairlift and decided to hike up.  I went with them.  It was about 1.75 km with a rise of 383 m.  It was nicely wooded with a fair amount of exposed rock.  I thought Lucy was going to collapse, but she made it all the way to the top. 

I bought chairlift tickets for myself and my two children, ages 10 and 30 (everyone in the chairlift building got a good laugh out of this) and we all rode the lift back down, walked halfway to Holubov (we ate some incredible plums off a wild tree) and hitched a ride with our friends (who we did not see at all on Klet') back to the train station. 

The most interesting thing about this trip was to see the number of people out on this hill.  There were, of course, a lot of adventuring sorts on bikes and with backpacks, but there were also plenty of families, old folks, and young couples out on a date.  That's one of my favorite features of the culture - that people do active things as activities with family and friends a lot.


Peter

Tabor

We attended the annual Tabor Meeting on Saturday.  Imagine the Renaissance Festival except, instead of constructing a facsimile of a medieval city, you just close downtown off to car traffic for a few days.  Throw in a little Pola-Cesky Days and you have the Tabor Meeting.

Tabor was founded by Hussites in 1420.  It rivals Cesky Krumlov as the coolest medieval city out there.  Some of the city walls have been preserved and it has these incredibly narrow streets to make it difficult for an invading army to reach the main square.  By the way, it is also a recreational mecca and will be the site of the 2010 Cyclo-Cross World Championships.

After a whiny train ride to Tabor (this is getting to be a theme), we split up.  Kristine and Caleb went to listen to medieval music while Lucy, Silas and I went to see firetrucks.  Silas got to climb on a big ladder truck.

On one of the squares, we bought Silas a sword and shield.  This was our best move of the day because it kept him occupied a lot of the time.  He entertained a lot of people with his solo displays of swordplay and even got into it with a couple of other kids at one point.  It also made him popular with the ladies. 

From Tabor Meeting

We ate pork and listened to polka music on the main square at lunch.  Our web album has a video with one of the songs.


Side note...the Lions Club had a stand and people out on the streets selling candy to raise money.  I include this because my Dad is a Lion and I'm proud of the humanitarian work he has done with this organization.

From Tabor Meeting

Then, off to the children's area with Lucy and Silas (Kristine and Caleb were off to look around again.  Silas got to ride a horse, play on a neat playground, and shoot a crossbow.  Lucy meanwhile got to push the stroller on field stone walks.  It was probably not the most fun for Lucy.  She did get to shoot a bow though.


We met up and went to watch the Italian archers.  They had big longbows.  They asked if anyone wanted to try.  Caleb and I got in line.  That was dumb.  You see visitors should be aware that queuing norms are different here than in the US (and Minnesota in particular).  People butt in line without so much as an Ave Maria to save their souls.  So, the line quickly disintegrated to the most "sin verguenza" (Spanish term for "without shame") element getting in front of us.  Caleb and I were finally next in "line" when they decided to call it quits.

At least we got excellent seats for the equestrian tournament.  We were on the opposite shore of a small stream from the field.  It was gorgeous.  The storyline was that four sons of the head of the House of Rozmberk were participating.  Our section of the viewing area was rooting for the blue rose guy.  It turns out that a fifth, illegitimate son showed up.  He was mocked and beaten by the others. They lanced rings, sliced melons with swords, grasped a chalice, and finally jousted with their mocking father (who beat them all).  When he went to mess with the illegitimate son, though, he met his match and was unhorsed.  He went on to knight the son and give him his own horse. 

From Tabor Meeting

After this Kristine, Lucy, and Silas went back to Ceske Budejovice, while Caleb and I stayed to have some real fun.  We walked from the bottom of the valley to the old city on top of the hill only to realize that our destination was our origin.  We trudged back town.  We were hungry (6:00 p.m. now) and were on the hunt for smoked pork knuckles.  We didn't see it on the sign at the grill so we went into the tavern, it was a really neat, dark (lighted by hearth fire and lantern), crowded place.  After looking around, we asked where the find the knuckles.  They directed us back to the grill.

Things started to go downhill quickly now.  We were woozy from hunger and in a long slow line.  They had these big grills, but didn't load them up with food.  In fact they sometimes didn't have more than one of their three menu items on at a time.  Then there was the butting.  Cursed by the butters.  It didn't help when the server asked who in line wants sausage (Caleb wanted pork steak) and a bunch of people went ahead.  As we got to be second in line and the guy in front of us had not jumped on getting any of the sausage earlier and there were only two steaks even started - I was smart and asked for "whatever is fast."  She repeated "fast."  So I was sure we had an understanding.  She said sausage would be ready soon, so Caleb and I stood there eating the slice of bread that came with it.  Then she asked the crowd, "Anyone want a steak?"  She handed a steak to a woman behind us in line.  There was still one steak on, I told Caleb I'd get it for him.  When she brought our sausage, I asked to get the steak too.  She said okay, and put our sausages on two plates instead of one.

We stood there dazed for a moment, then bit into our sausages.  Our still cold sausages.  Our, I hope these are precooked sausages.

After eating the sausage, I went to get pop.  My turn came up, I'll take two 7 UPs.  What size?  How much for the 2 liter?  Well, it's 7 crowns for a deciliter, so 140 crowns (about $8).  Well, I wasn't sure how many deciliters I wanted, but I did know that I would not be standing in line again so I bought the whole bottle.  We both got stomach aches and narrowly avoided an accident on the train, but I did not stand in line anymore.

Well, we watched some of the programs, but they were sort of Puke and Snot like, funny - if you understand what they are saying.

We walked back up to the old city commenting on how all day as I put Silas on horses or watched him shoot the crossbow or swing his sword, I kept thinking that this will really be fun once we don't have to be chasing a toddler around.  Then, free, we found ourselves a little bored.  So we took the train home two hours earlier than we had planned.

Peter

Hluboka

On Saturday, following a long bike ride by Peter (I went past the wastewater treatment plant!) and a trip to the Farmers' Market by Kristine (potatoes get heavy when you carry them 1.25 km) we were ready for a relaxing trip to a palace. Instead we took the kids.

The fact is folks, bring your friends, bring your lover (to whom you are married of course), but don't bring your small kids to this place. There is too much walking and too many precious things that escaped destruction by Hitler.

We took the bus to Hluboka nad Vltavou, a town about 10 km north of Česke Budějovice. Fortunately, we got off one stop too late. Instead of setting us down by the church in town below the palace, this put us a couple kilometers away, by the zoo. By the time we had walked from the road to the trail that would take us to either destination, Silas had completed two tantrums and was getting going on another.

This took us back to a moment four years ago, when we were last here and toured a castle with Caleb and Lucy. Lucy tried to hang from the velvet ropes that separate people from the delicate historic artifacts, bringing the stands that hold the ropes up crashing down.

Kristine and Caleb went to the palace. I took Silas and Lucy to the zoo.

From Hluboka

Hluboka Castle is was built in its latest form as a palace between 1841 and 1871 by the powerful Schwarzenberg Family. It was not built for defense and is very modern and comfortable. Some highlights of their tour include the armory (lots of ceremonial weapons, early muskets, bunch of spears and polearms, tons of swords, ceremonial armor, huge double-headed decorative axe, small cannons), an Italian fellow on the tour that was delighted to be allowed to play an old piano in the ballroom, the tour guide who was conversant in five languages, and no Silas.

You can see a few more photos taken by Kristine by following the Hluboka link below the photo, or follow this link to a whole bunch of photos by someone else.

Meanwhile, the more boisterous members of the family went to the zoo. There are a lot of zoos in this country. I think that any town of over 50,000 has a pretty good zoo. So we saw monkeys, wolves, bears, owls, pelican, and flamingos. This was Silas' speed. We went where he wanted, when he wanted.

One notable event was the encounter with the goat. Some of you may recall us telling the story of being attached by a goat at the Jihlava zoo four years ago. Well, it turns out that allowing children entry to man-eating goat enclosures is a common tactic to increase attendance at zoos here. Silas and I climbed in with the herd of goats. The largest male got a little pushy. Fortunately, I had already learned the grab them by the horns while trick and Lucy was ready to hoist Silas out of the pen. We did see one woman get butted in the butt. Also, a boy about Lucy's age got pinned up against the side of the enclosure. His parents pulled him out, but his screams drew lots of attention. Unfortunately, Kristine had the camera (but if you follow this link to the Zoo Ohrada site, you'll see some pictures of the animals, including the smaller members of the goat herd, across the top).

Late in the afternoon, we took that bus back home, a tired

Divči Kamen

We took our first little trip out of town on Friday to a beautiful ruined castle called Divči Kamen.

We took the train from České Buďejovice to the village of Třisov. Silas was excited to take a ride on Thomas the Tank Engine. So he cried when our train was red and not blue. We convinced him that Thomas had other work and we would be riding on James (thank goodness Lucy knew the names). Although only about 13 km (8 miles) as the crow flies, the train stops at many small villages on its windy route and takes a total of about 45 minutes. It's nice country with wooded hilltops, quaint villages, and streams in the valleys.

From Třisov we hiked the 1.5 km to the castle ruins. This was along a dirt trail, perfect for trail running, but not with a toddler. Silas did a big, Pete Rose style slide. Descending from the ridge opposite the castle, the woods opened and the castle ruins became visible. Kristine shot the photo below where the castle came into view (more photos are available by clicking the link below the photo).

From Divci Kamen

The Gothic style castle was built between 1350-1360. It is nicely situated at the confluence of Křemežský stream with the Vltava River. Sitting on a tall formation of schist, it is constructed from somewhat rough-hewn blocks of the same rock cemented together. I was amazed to learn that it typically held a keeper and nine soldiers only getting a maximum of 24 soldiers during the height of local wars. The castle was abandoned in the early 16th century and went to ruin.

This is one of my favorite places to visit. I would rather go without children and on a moonlit night as there is a certain romantic feeling about the place.

-Peter