Day Trip

Steve, Lucy, Vladka and the Foal
The yearling and the pony who wanted to eat my purse
Katka with the Shaggy Arabian mare

Prachatice
Vimperk

Today Steve and I took an auto tour of some nearby towns.  We stopped briefly in Vimperk and then ate lunch in Prachatice.  We had stumbled upon this beautiful town last year.   Like Sušice, Prachatice calls itself the "Gateway to the Šumava".  Both Vimperk and Prachatice had primarily German populations before WWII, which is reflected in their architecture.

We had coffee in Volyně, a smaller town with what I would call a round, rather than a square. 

Finally, we landed in Kadov,  where I rejoiced in reuniting with Vladka and her family. Vladka was wearing the necklace I gave her last year and told me she never takes it off.  After a pivo and čaj (beer and tea) and tasty treats prepared by Vladka's daughter, Katka, we walked with both of them to Lucy's place to see her horses. She has Shetland ponies and "Shaggy Arabians", both of whom had yearlings and foals.  

As we walked through the field, they came galloping over a little rise toward us.  The sun was low in the afternoon sky.  Here words are not adequate to represent the beauty of that moment.  They greeted us, dipping their faces toward ours.  The shetlands leaned up against me, searching out any possible apples I may've been hiding.  I wished I had some to offer, but all the horses were content with scratches and petting.  The foal nipped my thigh. 

I will be headed back to Kadov after the program ends and I look forward to a few days of village life with the good people there.