Things and Stuff

More of my village. I have been walking (and this morning I even went for a run, inspired by Alex and her half-marathon) so here are some things I have seen.

Here are the soccer field and the neighboring tennis courts. It is about a fifteen minute walk from the house.

The gardens around here are spectacular. This is draped over someone's fence. I want to get a picture of the most extravagant hydrangea bush I have ever seen. Incredible purples and blues and big fat blossoms.

I have heard clip-clopping outside of my window a few times and this morning I had my camera ready. A man drives his horse and cart full of hay or something down the road like we are back in the 19th century. Love it.

This is the mini-golf course. Perhaps the most somber one I've seen. No fake animals or windmills. To the right is a hockey ball court. It is like ice hockey apparently, though they wear normal shoes and play with a tennis ball.

Today was the last day of school. Students bring their teachers flowers (isn't that nice?) and they get their grades. Parents pick them up at about 8am. It is a very short school day. I went to the cukrana and found the small square packed with parents and kids. Fittingly, today was one of the rare days that actually felt like summer. It has been strangely chilly and rainy. But today was hot and sunny, though on the way to the ballet it poured and water gushed down the streets.

Ballet

On Tuesday evening I went to the ballet with Eva at the National Theatre in Prague. My yoga teacher's husband works there so he got us tickets! Isn't that the nicest thing?

The theatre is gorgeous--gilt and painted ceilings and red plush seats.

This is the ceiling.

It reminds me of La Fenice in Venice. And, ironically, both theaters have burned down and been rebuilt. Here is La Fenice. It is basically a circle with one flat side for the stage (the National Theatre is more square and a little smaller.) Beautiful beautiful. And over the top--very Venetian.

The ballet was, well, interesting. It was "Solo for Three" and combined the poetry and songs of a Russian artist, a Czech artist, and a French artist. It was very modern and symbolic. So I am sure that most of it went right over my head. They had the lyrics in Czech and English on a screen, but I preferred to forego the words and watch the dancing. The lyrics were awfully depressing. Sort of Hemingway-esque folk songs and anguished poetry. Everyone is impotent and dying and there were lots of references to alcohol, brothels, and war. No one is living the "right way" except the artist, who feels so deeply that he is numb and apathetic. Everyone is wasting their lives except for him, and he feels this wrongness so intensely that he gets drunk every night. He can't stand the knowledge that everyone is going to die at some point, so he spends all his time writing about death. It got a little old.

The dancing was lovely, though. I do love ballet! It is beautiful. And it is painful and unnatural and at times very weird and unhealthy but it is beautiful all the same. I always leave the theater thinking that I could do that, knowing that I absolutely cannot, but wishing I could anyway. Maybe I was a ballerina in another life.

Amidst the death and brothels I caught myself grinning--at one point the ballerinas were all dressed in maroon flowing, long sleeved, full length dresses. Their hair was in high, bushy ponytails. EXACTLY like the "Choreography" number in White Christmas. Danny Kaye mocks the modern dance trend, singing, "Chaps who did taps aren't tapping anymore, they're doing choreography. Chicks who did kicks aren't kicking anymore, they're doing choreography...Instead of dance it's choreography." Women in maroon dresses with high ponytails move around him doing weird things with their arms and flexing their feet. And then, hurray! Vera-Ellen enters in a hot pink outfit and taps away.

Thanks, http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2053/2180120514_55a25dd616.jpg

So that was amusing. A very enjoyable evening, all around.

Ahoj!

Ahoj is an informal greeting, like "hi." I have learned that it is inappropriate to use it with strangers, and just to be safe I wait for the other person to say it before I say it back. It is sort of a sweet gesture when someone does use ahoj with me. I feel like I have made a friend. Perhaps I am reading too much into it...

The best part about ahoj, though, is that you pronounce it ahoy. Like a pirate. Ahoy, matey! So it is like everyone walks around playing pirate all day. Grandparents, teens, kids--they are all in on the game.

Ahoj adds a touch of whimsy to my days.

Besides my trip to Plzen on Monday this week has been fairly quiet. I went to two yoga classes--love the teacher, the English, the yoga--but otherwise I have been in the village. I tried the Cukrarna, (inexplicably pronounced sukrana; I am never going to learn this language), the cafe and bakery in the village. Nice coffee and loads of baked goods. I had a chocolate covered, Nutella filled doughnut. I didn't really want it, but it was the closest item to the counter and thus the easiest thing to point to. Quite rich but tasty.

The boys: The baby no longer screams in anguish when he sees me, so that is positive. He almost seems to like me now. And the four-year-old and I had a breakthrough of sorts. Up until now he has not been very interested in English. His seven-year-old brother is willing to repeat things and use the English words he knows. But the four-year-old had refused to play along with me. He did learn "push" since we often go out to the swing and I say "push" every time I push him. And he thinks "okay" is a very funny word, so he says that at random times. But the other night we were looking at the family's favorite outdoor clothing and equipment company catalog, and Lukas started pointing at one of the pictures and saying one word over and over. He was pointing at a red jacket, so I said "red" and Honzik said "red" in Czech. Lukas said "red red red red red" in English. This went on for a while, Lukas pointing at red things in the catalog (tents, water bottles, backpacks, hats) and announcing "red." I would point and say "This is" and he would finish the phrase with "red." Then we moved on to yellow and green and black, and Lukas started pointing and saying "This is yellow" or whatever color it was. I was so excited! I felt a little like Annie Sullivan when Helen Keller got "water." That's quite a stretch, I know...

Today he fixated on "thank you" and "you're welcome" and said them over and over and over. But hey, repetition is how you learn, right?

I have played soccer with Honzik several times this week. It makes me miss the sport! I have had several dreams about soccer recently, and I have been thinking about certain games and moments, like when Sally slammed into an opponent, literally knocking her off the field and onto the track, because the girl had taken me down in a dirty tackle. Or when we were losing in the state finals to our rivals with only a minute left so I told a teammate to just start "hurting them." I was very angry.

All the phrases have come back--"land on your striking foot," "laces!" "follow through" etc., and the movements are back, too. It is funny--I haven't played soccer in four years but it still feels natural. Honzik thinks it is amazing and really funny when I juggle or do one of those fancy shmancy step-overs that no one ever actually uses in a game. I have tried to do drills that I remember with him, like toss volleys, but he is not very interested. He would much rather swing at the ball with everything he has, who cares where it goes! He prefers to use a bouncy ball, like the kind that are in grocery stores in the big cages, instead of an actual soccer ball. He can kick the soft bouncy ball much further.

So that is nice having soccer in common with him. Though it is a little bittersweet--odd to do something for years and years and years and then stop, only to pick it back up again when you are a nanny in Europe. It feels like college never happened and I am waiting to start pre-season training for my senior year of high school again. Of course, the soccer reminiscences are not helping me to stop missing home.

And here ends the soccer tangent. Good thing they don't play field hockey or this post would be even longer and more random.

Ahoj!

(Ahoj is like the Italian ciao in that it can be used for hello and goodbye. This is confusing for the boys. They have hello down, but they also say hello when they mean bye. I am working on distinguishing between the two but it is tricky since they are following the ahoj pattern. It is a shock to my brain to have someone go out the door, waving goodbye as they say hello!)

Plzen

On Monday I went with my Czech family to Plzen (Pilsen--where they brew Pilsner Urquell beer). They had dentist appointments, but I had the morning free to walk around the city. It is like a mini-Prague.

There is a terribly Gothic 13th century cathedral, St. Bartholomew, smack in the center. The town seems to fan out from the church. St. Bartholomew is that rare "cute" cathedral. By that I mean it isn't so huge that it is overwhelming and awe-striking. It is plenty grand and all of that, but it is small enough that you can walk around it and investigate every spire and stone. Well, almost every stone.

I went inside the church and was surprised to see paintings on the stone ceiling. Geometric designs in blues and greens and reds, as well as images of what I suppose are saints and other religious figures, decorate the vaulted ceiling and the borders of the columns. I think it is a nice touch. Unfortunately, no cameras allowed.

As I looked down the center aisle to the altar, a beam of sunlight came in through the dirty stained glass windows and fell right on the statue of Mary and baby Jesus. Mother and child were simply drenched in golden light while the rest of the church was dark and shadowy. It was so obvious and perfect...I thought, "Oh, come on! Really?" If it was a movie I would have laughed and never believed it. (Now that I think of it, maybe I should have focused on the beauty of the moment instead of being a smart aleck. Maybe Someone is trying to tell me something...)

Around the church were a plethora (first time I've actually written that word. And most likely the last, too) of pastel colored buildings.

Slightly marring the picturesque square was a Pilsner Urquell tent. There were loads of people setting up for something--a concert? practically on the doorstep of St. Bartholomew.

There was also an old-fashioned Pilsner Urquell beer wagon clip-clopping around the square. Touristy but awesome. I still haven't had any Czech beer...but it was only about 9am so I decided that this was not the time to try it.

Instead of beer I had a very good cappuccino in a cheerful cafe. The cafe was down this street.

I like how the greenish building has green, blue, and yellow paint. The Czechs are not afraid of color. Although most of their houses are grey or tan, now that I think of it. Hmm.

Across the square were two particularly garish/ detailed (however you would like to put it) buildings right next to each other. I took some close-ups.

Wowsers. There was also a balcony that looked like it was straight out of a Victorian valentine. Can you see the tiny red heart in the middle of the lacy balcony?

This balcony, like many in Plzen and Prague, is held up by people. Or statues of people. These caryatids almost make me a little sad. I feel so sorry for them. I know they aren't real, but that is a really heavy thing to hold up, and they have to do it for a really long time. What can I say? I am a sensitive soul.

This is the Renaissance Town Hall, also located in the city center across from the church. (I like city centers like this. Very manageable. Even if you don't see much of the city you still feel like you did.) The town hall was originally a 15th century building but it was damaged by a fire and rebuilt. The date 1558 is painted right under the clock. Amazing, huh?

Which brings me to a point I have been meaning to mention for a while. I have been surprised at how modern in style most of the homes, new buildings, and furnishings are here. Everything is clean lines and simple designs and IKEA. A lot of blond wood, white walls, and right angles. My theory for this modern trend is as follows and it might be completely wrong: since the Europeans are, in general, surrounded by really, really, really old things--churches, buildings, cities, roads, monuments, etc., they don't feel the need to build their homes in an "old" or traditional style, or to fill their homes with antiques, or faux antiques. We Americans, and by that I mean me and a few other people I know, love "vintage" things and heirlooms, perhaps because things really aren't that old in the US. We are relatively young and look for history. But Europeans are up to their eyeballs in old stuff, so it makes sense that they go for the newer looking tables and cabinets and floor plans.

ps. I have not gone to IKEA yet, but there is a huge, almost Costco sized store about fifteen minutes away, and my Czech family said they would take me. I am super excited.

Update on Daily Life: Mind expletives have decreased as I get more comfortable. I am flustered a lot, especially in Prague. In the city I am in an almost constant state of flusteration. (My new word.) Getting lost and not knowing the language and worrying about making an accidental cultural blunder will do that to you. It is discomforting to feel totally inarticulate and painfully foreign! As for my job, the boys are learning English quickly and the baby doesn't cry (as much) when I am with him.

I went to yoga again and it was great. I have some friends of friends from yoga class to get in touch with, and my cousin is visiting Prague next week. And I discovered a really delicious kind of chocolate bar. So all in all, pretty good.

Sunday--Lány

We went to the nearby town of Lány to see the castle.  It is the President's summer palace and has beautiful grounds that are open to the public.  More info.  It was overcast and rainy but we still had a nice time strolling around the estate.  The castle itself is not open to the public. 

 There is a charming greenhouse by the entrance, all filled with budding roses.

Here is a distance shot from one of the paths around the castle.  

And the close-up:

There were guards in powder blue uniforms, the same outfits as at Prague Castle, strolling the grounds, too.  I guess they have real guns.  They look more like soldiers from The Nutcracker ballet than actual military personnel.

There are magnificent, huge trees and simple landscaping.  Loads of benches.  

I had a Monet moment at a large pond.  

We ended our walk by the stables.  Now they are offices and barracks for the guards, but their original purpose is charmingly remembered with fantastic horse head sculptures above the windows.

I'm very grateful that my Czech family takes me to places like this.  This weekend we went on a hike and to the castle, two outings I probably would not have attempted on my own.  I will wander around Prague but it would be harder for me to drive across the country visiting forests and country estates.  

Saturday--Hike

On Saturday afternoon we headed about an hour away to a nature preserve.  It was a beautiful hike through wildflower fields and then a forest.  

There were a few weekend houses at the beginning of the hike and then an old summer camp or similar retreat.  Now the tiny cabins seem to be owned individually.  Most were occupied.  People were  in the front yards grilling or sitting around campfires.  There were a few larger buildings, maybe what was once the dining hall or something.  They are in pretty bad shape now.  One of them had a sign with "Bank" on it, in English.  I felt like I was suddenly in the Old West.  I half-expected fake bank robbers and a sheriff and his deputies to appear and shoot at each other to entertain the kids.  Unfortunately there was no shootout.  I asked about the sign and Eva just laughed.  She wasn't sure why "Bank" would be there.  

The lovely fields turned into woods.  We hiked for a while until we came to a beautiful gorge with a tiny waterfall.  But somehow the proportions work.

We paused here for snacks and rest.  They set down the baby--here is the promised picture.  Doesn't he look cute in his handy carrying case?

The woods and the river reminded me of some of my favorite places:  Duke Forest--doesn't it look like the creek, Perry?  And climbing Lookout in Montreat.  Unfortunately, these similarities just made me miss those wonderful spots!  

And here is a picture of me with the older boys.  Just in case you thought this might be an elaborate hoax and I am really in Lewisville...

Random Thought:  I am having to work hard at un-Southerning and re-formalizing my speech.  The boys are supposed to be learning English, not Southern colloquialisms.  So I am trying not to drop my g's and to keep pronunciation standard.  Instead of "Y'all wanna go swimmun?" I say "Would you like to go swimming?"  and "Ya finished?" becomes "Are you finished with your dinner?"  Although it would be funny and not entirely negative if they picked up a faint southern accent...

Just a bit odd...

Here are some things I noticed while in Prague.

1.  The metro is packed in the morning.  But when I emerge from the stale underground to the surface, hardly anyone is there.  A flood of people jostle on the escalators that go up and up forever, but as soon as we are above ground the crowd disperses into nothing.  Where do people go?  Is there some rule that I don't know about?  Are people not supposed to be on the streets before 9:15 am?  Odd.

2. Speaking of the metro:  as I was leaving Prague on my way to the bus stop which takes me  back to my village, a man got on and caught my attention.  For several reasons, really.  One was his bare feet.  Gave me the shivers.  Think of all the germs and gross stuff on the floor of the subway cars and the stations and the streets!  Another was his cut off jean shorts.  There were so short they reminded me of what Lt. Dangle on Reno 911 wears on the weekends  

(Thank you, http://costumzee.com/view/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/Reno911.jpg)  

He had a neat grey mullet and a tiny backpack and wooden beads around his wrist.  I am sure he is a very nice man, but he was certainly getting some looks on the metro!

3.  And perhaps the oddest thing of all?  I didn't get lost!

Thursday--Yoga Adventure

First, welcome to Vincent Jack Baldwin, my newest cousin!  Congratulations, Betsy, Eric, Mason, and Oscar!  Can't wait to meet Vincent!

On Thursday I went into Prague for a yoga class at a studio close to the center of the city.  

I got to the city about an hour before the class so I strolled around the area and found a beautiful church smushed between modern office buildings.  There was a small park with benches and a water fountain so I sat for a while and looked at the church.  There was a woman walking her dog and two people chatting over coffee on a bench.  It was very serene amidst the big city!

It is St. Peter's church and here is a view of the whole thing, from http://www.panoramio.com/photo/6179631. 

It was beautiful in the morning.  Apparently it is a 16th century Gothic reconstruction of an originally 12th century Romanesque structure.

As I was leaving I passed the side of the church and saw this corner.  The ivy and the roses plus the stone made for a very picturesque scene.  The dark statue almost hidden in the ivy is a nice contrast to the gold crucifix.  (I am almost finished with my musing, I promise!)  Just to show the incongruity of the scene, I took a video of one of the neighboring buildings.  

Peach and cream stucco next to ancient stones...gotta love Europe.

It was a wonderful yoga class!  The studio mainly serves expats and the classes are in English.   It was a two hour class and I was surprised at how lovely and almost soothing it was to hear uninterrupted English again!  There was a German woman and a British woman and the teacher, who attended college and graduate school in the US, is Indian.  She was so welcoming and kind.  She encouraged me to come to more classes, asked if she could do anything to help me adjust to my new surroundings, and even invited me to stop in for tea if I am ever in the neighborhood!  

Just for kicks I had to include this picture of a ketchup and mustard monstrosity near the studio.  

AND...I was walking along and saw this in a restaurant window!  

Yes, it is a giant ice cream cone. I have a strange, immature fascination with large fake food.  And there aren't as many free standing plastic sculptures in the US, so I have to indulge my habit here.   I have included some examples from my semester abroad.  Junior year in college, can you believe it?  

Venice

Switzerland

Brussels, with a waffle, too.  (The most amazing waffle ever.)

Florence

Cinque Terre, Italy

Scary, isn't it?

Don't worry, I will get a picture with that giant ice cream cone in Prague.

And goodness gracious, how lucky am I to have been able to travel like this?  Thanks, Mom and Dad!