home

My first glimpse of the Valley was exhilarating.  I half-slept through the flight from Houston. The delightful George Bush Airport provided me with an overpriced but delicious bloody mary, a cup of mediocre starbucks coffee and a Texas-style welcome,

any inappropriate jokes or comments about airport security may result in your arrest

On the first day back, we went out in the revised 4-runner only to have the radiator blow in front of the bike store.  We purchased Z's new tubes and had lunch, then walked across Gallivan Plaza as a huge wind blew over tables and chairs.  We waited in the wind for the train, then took the bus from Ballpark.  

Last night, another of the new tubes blew when Z and I took a ride in the evening.  New tires needed.  

It's been a week since London.  I still don't know what to say. 

i was dreaming...

It strikes me that I know so little...

Nothing makes much sense after you lose or gain eight hours...I am solid and fluid...don't know what makes sense when I remove all the markers that designate "I am"...

Konec

Faded fresco

Pavlína, Zipy, and Aleš

Tomáš and me

House on Pod Svatobar
The PAP factory
Andělíček door
Andělíček 
Sušice


Last night I walked home to the Halek apartment along a street I hadn't walked before.  I passed the PAP factory and had the eerie but somehow comforting feeling of having passed that way in a dream.  Sometimes I am struck by how familiar I find Sušice and this region of Czech Republic I have known for only a short time.  

Perhaps this feeling would pass if I stayed longer, but some days it feels like I know this place, like I might belong here. 

Today I walked past the factory in the light and took these pictures.  There are a few beautiful, ancient houses on the corner where a trail to Svatabor begins.  I have admired them several times on my way up the mountain so I paused to take some photos.  

The owner of one stepped outside to see what I was doing and looked at me angrily.  I realized it was intrusive of me.  But I could not resist recording the walk. 

Instead of turning from Pod Svatobor down toward Kapličky, I walked a ways further, beyond the Svatobor path.   There I encountered a lady feeding four sorry looking cats on the roof of a beat up car.  

Her house also was ancient.  A faded fresco adorned one wall.  A pigeon was roosting above it.

 

I spent my last day finally hiking to Andělíček, the church on the hill above Sušice.  It is a short, uphill hike that Leigha had not taken.  Afterward we met Tomáš for garlic soup at Fialka.  He and I were supposed to drive to Prague today, but he is feeling ill.  Velka škoda.  I hope he will feel better in the morning.

I took the walk home just before the rain started.  It has not stopped.  

Tomáš drove me to Pavlína's house and I said good-bye to her family and to Aleš.  It is very difficult to say good-bye to her.  Afterward, Aleš drove Leigha and me back to Fialka for a farewell with some other Czech friends: Marie, Dominik, Klarka, Tatiane, Marketa, Helena and Roman (with the wee Marketa and Matiaš), and Tereza, who will be traveling to Salt Lake in October.  We had intended to meet at Santos, but the rain precluded that.   It was very nice to see all of these good people before I leave.

Now it's very late and the rain is wild outside, like a winter storm.  I have the heat on.  I'm drinking coffee.  I don't know why.  Perhaps I want to sustain the last hours here.  

     

Moje Kamarádka

Up the Hill

On Monday I finally got up to Svatabor with Leigha.  These are photos of my walk from home through Sušice.

We started climbing on the other side of town.  

It had rained in the morning but the sun was coming up.

I had a drink and then we climbed up the tower, from which you can see all as far as Prague on a clear day.

We walked right down the road from Svatabor and ended up 5 km from Sušice in this beautiful little village called Odolenov.  Tomáš came to pick us up, happily.


When we got back to Sušice, Tomáš, Jana and I went to dinner, and were joined by Steve and Allie.

The First of June

I am feeling ill.  Škoda!  The sun is out and I want to go meet folks in the square, but I think sanity will prevail and take me to bed.  At least I have some good Czech movies to watch.  In the morning early I will go to the dentist.  Tomáš has kindly offered to escort me.

Yesterday  I went to Pisek with Steve.  Another lovely adventure.  Today Leigha and I hiked to Svatobor and accidentally walked down the mountain to another town.  Tomáš picked us up, saving us from a very long trek home.

Pictures tomorrow.

  

Volšovy

On Wednesday, when we visited Kadov, the sun was shining.  The day before and every day since, it has been raining in Sušice and apparently, all over the Czech Republic.  Vladka sent me an email saying that the sun came out for my visit.

Do you recognize, when you meet someone for the fist time, something in the eyes that is deeper than color or kindness? Like God, I suppose, for those who call the spirit God.

Last night, I met Marie Hrečínová Prodanová, an incredible woman who is the Castelanka at the castle in Volšovy, about 2 km from Sušice. She welcomed us to a gathering organized by one of our hosts, Roman Makerlík. Steve had visited Volševy with Roman on Tuesday night, while I was teaching Helena, Roman's wife, and several other Czechs in my first-ever ELL writing class.

Our lovely potluck gathering included six of our students and many of our Czech hosts.  I made a fruit salad and Steve made a green salad with tuna.  Marie provided several varieties of čaj (tea) and coffee.  Families brought home-made dishes that can best be described as Czech pizza (which Pavlína made) and spanikopita (which Helena made) and the BEST little kolačichs, prepared by Radka.  These are wee pastries made with plum preserves and cottage cheese and soaked in buttered rum, rolled in sugar.  You cannot imagine how good they tasted and how much I suffered through the night for my indulgence.

From our arrival, the students were involved with our Czech friends, translating stories, playing chess, taking photos, and playing with the children.  I am so impressed with this group of Americans, proof that we are not all hamburgers and guns.

Marie and her family have been renovating the state-owned Volšovy castle, which dates back to the 12^th century, since 2001. In the mid 19th century, the castle was occupied by a count and countess who eventually bequeathed it to the Catholic Church, and became a nunnery.  

From what I understand, the castle housed an orphanage until the onset of communism, under which it became an army barracks.  The soldiers sacked the place.  It was abandoned until Maria and her family began the restoration.  

The castle and its gardens now serve as a community center. The organization hosts art and theater workshops and offers the sleeping quarters to anyone who wants to stay. One wing is a nightly homeless shelter (Sušice has approximately 10 homeless people).

I spent last night in one of the castle’s beautifully renovated dorm rooms with Jay, David, and Emily, three of our American students, and my sweet Czech friends, Pavlína and Aleš. (It seems to be an adventure that Czechs enjoy, visiting a new place and spending the night.) 

I met Pavlína last year and was adopted by her family.  She calls me her “Mom”, which is odd because I’m Z’s mom, but I’ve begun to accept that designation—I represent for her something good about America, which in all its irony, gives me a bittersweet gladness.  Aleš has been part of Project “New Eyes” since the first year in 2007. 

Aleš and Pavlína met a week ago during Dne Sušice through Brian and Sindra and are now one of the cutest couples ever.  Steve teased them about spending their honeymoon in Salt Lake City.  

After suffering an hour with a painful tooth, I slept well and hard.

David planned to catch a 6:00 am bus back to Chanovice and I heard him leave the room around 5:30.  Then he came back in and told me that we were locked in the castle.  By 8:00, we were all ready to leave, but there was no way out.  Finally, I knocked on the door of Maria’s apartment.  A big dog started barking and she came out to unlock the door for us, still groggy from sleep. 

We called Steve to pick us up, but when he found us on the road, I decided to just walk back with Aleš and Pavlína. 

They turned off the river path to go to Pavlína’s house and I kept walking into town.  A drop-in Czech writing class was scheduled for 9 am in the radnice, but no one showed.  I called Tomaš and he and Jana met Steve and me for breakfast at Fialka.  Another delightful morning of language discussion ensued and then I came back to Tomaše’s apartment where I have been writing and laundering and pondering God.

In all of these beautiful Czech eyes—Vladka, Pavlína, Maria, Tomaše, Radka, Helena, Roman, Aleš—I see God, spirit, love.

Steve was giving Tomaš a hard time for not providing me with a working dvd player and meals every day.  “What are you giving her?” he asked.

“We love her,” Tomaš said, that mischievous smile working as he echoed Steve’s words back to him, “I thought it was all about the relationships.”