Southern Bohemia

We spent a lovely long weekend with John and Lucie travelling through several towns in Southern Bohemia, crisscrossing the countryside on narrow tree-lined highways over gently rolling hills.

Picnic on the grounds of Orlik Castle


At Cervena Lhota, a chateau surrounded by water


Jindrichuv Hradec where we overnighted



Lucie, John, and Cat at the Dada Bar in Jindrichuv Hradec. We visited with the owner, Zdenek, who told us of his misadventures with the communists before the Velvet Revolution.


Mmmm, brambor! This pastry, realistically sculpted and literally called potato, is a tasty combination of cookie, cake, and cream covered in marzipan and cocoa powder.


Visiting Telc


A building on the main square in Telc covered in sgraffito where the top layer of color is scratched off in intricate patterns to reveal a color beneath.


Walking in the nearby countryside. There is an extensive network of well-marked trails in the Czech Republic making it possible to walk from village to village.

Carodejnice

April 30 is Carodejnice, Witches Day, in the Czech Republic. This celebration of the coming of spring and the purging of evil forces was originally a pagan one held on a gravemound or mountain top full of chanting of magical spells to protect animals, the banning of all trolls from houses, and the lighting of anything-- bonfires, candles, torches-- to dispel the memory of a long, dark winter.

Some of the pagan rituals of Carodejnice have survived, albeit in hardly recognisable forms. We went to Helena´s family´s neighborhood on the edge of Prague to watch the modern version - children dressing like witches and a "witch" being burned in a roaring bonfire.

Helena in costume ready to join the fun


The firefighters(!) getting it started


As the fire gets bigger, Helena's daughter Barbara gets closer


Barbara and her dad, Marek


Helena´s daughter, Laura, ready to roast a sausage in the fire


Is that a car on fire behind us?! No, just Carodejnice

Prague in the Spring

This city is lovely in spring. We're revelling in our good fortune being here. Most days we have a quite demanding schedule of relaxation and touring. Some days our heads feel like they will explode from the beauty. We take long walks, craning our necks to see the architectural details, and take numerous breaks to sample sweets from the bakeries and brews from the pubs. We view art in museums and galleries stunning enough to be exhibits themselves. We sit in parks and orchards when the weather's warm and enjoy the view from cafes when it´s not.

Here a random sampling of the above:

On Petřin hill


The very high Vltava River


Hiding from a rainy day in Cafe Slavia, historic gathering place


A building in the Branik neighborhood


Catching a train back from a day trip to Krivoklat


Jiriho z Podebrad Square--the gathering point for Prague´s Critical Mass (Critical Mass rides are held in cities all over the world as a way of increasing awareness for cycling as transport.)


A visit with Pavel


Our apartment's on the 3rd floor of a building from 1909 in the Vršovice neighborhood near parks, pubs, and public transportion.

Our street--notice the sidewalk beer garden conveniently located at our front door


Door to small balcony in the stairwell of our building