Finding magic in Prague

Prague is one of my favorite cities, and not just because far-away friends often come and wander about with me when I'm there. It is truly a gorgeous city, with gilded theaters and graceful arched bridges, and the thousand spires it is famous for. The one thing I don't care for is the press of tourists, from gangs of Brits on stag parties to flag waving tour group leaders trailing mats of cameras like boats trail millfoil. It is frantic, loud, a press of people. But there is a magic moment in the day, after the sun rises but before the tourists do, when cafés are grinding espresso and shopkeepers flick cigarette butts from their doorsteps with straw brooms. 

the canal on the south side of the river, looking towards the National Theater

Science and Industry

Ostrava was not a significant town for the first thousand years of its history. In the 1800’s, coal deposits were discovered in the area and heavy industry boomed. One of the old steel mills near downtown was rebuilt over the past 5 years into a center for science and industry. We went up the Bolt tower on top of the old blast furnace and then into one of the coolest science centers we've ever visited.

Crashing a Czech Wedding

The pretense for our trip was a friend's wedding. That wedding took place in the middle of our trip in Ostrava. Lucie and Ales picked us up in the morning and took us to a cafe that looked like there Ostrava Mafia was meeting. Half a dozen friends of the bride and groom sat around a coffee table, wearing suits and dresses with yellow accents (their parents names the original group the “waps”). They had gathered to discuss ”the Plan.”

Brno

The day that it started raining in Baden-Würtemberg, we jumped on the train and headed to the Czech Republic. After a train ride, frantically running around rainy Nuremberg trying to find our bus, a double-decker ride to Prague, and a helpful Czech conductor (with cousins in the US) putting us in the correct train, we were relieved to see our friends waiting for us at the train station in Brno. Lucie and Ales whisked our hungry selves off to one of the good local eats in downtown Brno. Pilsner Urquell, fried cheese, stuffed peppers, knedliky, and excellent company brought us back to wakefulness.

of Cottages and Mountains

Petra has told me often about the "cottage" in the mountains that her group of friends spends every New Year's Eve at. Their parents are about 300m away at Mat'y's parents'cabin, and the two generations gather at midnight for toasts and songs in the yard. In the summer, the cottage is a favorite retreat. So when Petra suggested we spend a day or two there, I was all for it!

Vitkovice Iron Works

A few years ago, while visiting Ostrava for the first time, we drove by an old steel mill. Petra pointed it out with a frown, like it was a scab on the city. Tall brown stacks and a mad maze of pipes and conduits around 19th century brick workshops. It is a short streetcar ride from the city center and visible from nearly everywhere.
Since that first visit, the site has begun to be transformed.

a Walk through Prague

I'm back in the Czech Republic! This place fascinates me. The food, the people, the national identity, the language... It is so similar to the other places I love, but has it's own distinctly Czech twist. You can see the impression of Austrian, Prussian, and Russian occupations in the architecture. Concurrently there is a national pride for contributions to art and industry in which they see themselves not as underdogs, but leaders in the international community. Did you know that "robot" is a Czech word?

Gothic towers galore!

Praha

I'm writing this almost a year after the fact, and my memories of Prague are coming back with a wispy, warm feeling that makes me wish I were there now...
Mom and I got into the airport and took the transit to Hostel Mango on the west side of the _____ river. We dropped our bags and went out to explore the city as dusk fell over it... They call Prague the City of 1000 Spires. That's code for fairytale. Around the corner from where we were staying, there was a city gate that led up the hill to Prague Castle or across the Karluv Most (Charles Bridge) to the center of town. It was love from the first windy street. Wouldn't it be magical in snow?
There was clearly more history in the city than two out-of-towners could take in on their own, so took a walking tour the next morning. We met Kafka, Charles IV, the Soviets, the jews who survived WWII, over a thousand years of architecture, Good King Wenceslas... and so many more. Lunch was an amazing plate of duck and dumplings in a creamy gravy, washed down with a Pils. How good is that?
The afternoon we spent shopping through Prague... so many places to stop :) In the evening we wound up at a wonderful little wine bar that shared a wall with our hostel. For roughly $15, we had a huge plate of bread, cheeses, and meats with oil for dipping and a glass or two of wine with a wonderful background on where everything was from. In the time we sat there, not one table changed. It was the sort of comfortable place that you go with a group of close friends and plan on spending the evening.

Karluv Most

Speaking of friends, they were first on the list in the morning. Petra, Jan, Lucie, and Ales all came in from Ostrava and Brno to spend the day with us and be our guides!! We shivered in Wenceslas Square as the drizzle turned to sleet... turned to almost snow... and then their trains came in. After warming up with pastries and coffee, we wandered through the city. It was so good to see everyone again! We also had a political scientist with us (Ales), so there was almost a continuation from the tour the day before.

Magical view from the castle

Mom and I checked out a snowy Prague Castle while our 4 friends ran errands, and then met back up for dinner at Lokal. The boys had picked it out based on good Czech food and good Czech beer. Yum!

We ended the day with a hike up to Vysehrad castle just south of town. We looked up the river as the lights came on over the city. After many see-you-soons, we hugged goodbye and wandered back to our beds for one last night in Praha.

The trip's final bonus? Air Canada bumped us from our flight. We had one night paid for in Heathrow, and compensation to the tune of more all of our car rental and more than one of our flights. Turned out to be one of the cheapest trips we could have taken! woot!

Vitasková: Czech for hospitality!

I apologize in advance for the length of this post! There is just too much to say about the past four days. For highlights, skip to the bottom! The pictures link to the full gallary from the trip- check it out!

    We left for Ostrava on the 3:25 train, swapped trains 

at Wien Neustadt (Vienna) and then Brno. The second that the conductor announced (in Czech) that we had crossed the border, Petra's face lit up- couldn't stop smiling! When we finally pulled into Ostrava at 11.30, Petra's dad (Papa V)and brother (Tomás) were waiting on the platform. 

A short ride and we were home! Petra's mom had hot tea and home-made Koláče ("Kolasch") pastries waiting for us, and we spent the next few hours swapping introductions and stories. Papa V works for a company which specializes in deap-sea drilling, Mama V draws technical maps (GIS), and Tomás will graduate this spring from Ostrava's tech university with a degree in Mechanical engineering. Petra acted as our interpreter, but it is fantastic what you can get across with sign language and a bit of context! Tomás is a little shy when he's speaking English, but very articulate. Papa V has taken two English courses to help with his business travel- when he does know is spot on with grammar and pronunciation!

    Friday morning was very cold, but not cold enough to 

deter the four of us who did not have to go to work from taking a long walk out through a park, over the river, and out to a hill overlooking Ostrava. It was lovely, but so cold! We arrived at home just a bit before Mama and Papa V, and sat down to a wonderful dinner- followed, of course, by more of the Koláče! The four of us rode the tram into town and were shown around by Tomás and Petra before going to a hole in the wall "Cafeteria" (café), where we met their closest group of friends. It was originally a flat, and now it is a cozy place where they make the best Café au Lait I have ever seen. Rich coffee covered by an inch of froth, dusted with cinnamon and sugar! Wonderful friends, drinks, so much fun listening to the mix of Czech and english moving back and forth across the table! We finally left as Daniel closed and took the tram home. 

    Saturday: Cold and clear again. After another amazing breakfast spread, everyone (less Tomás, who was in a theatre performance) headed out to a coal mining museum. It had been in operation from the middle of the 18th century until 1991, with the majority of the buildings dating from 1918. We took a two part tour: first, on mining rescue teams and training. When Soomie posts the video of the training room, I'll post the link! Second, we went into the mine. That was the coldest my feet have ever been. The technology was fascinating, minor's stories were gut wrenching, and my understanding of what made Ostrava the way it is was filled out. So amazing! I felt a little bad that Petra was put in the position of trying to translate technical information, but she did so well! We stopped by the minor's pub on the way out to take in a little local flavor, and then went to Restaurace Na Skok for lunch. Once again, Petra translated all of Soomie's and my questions and comments. It was so much fun to talk with Petra's parents about the Czech, national identity, history... opportunities like that are few and far between! Fantastic tea and pasta, 

then another Czech specialty called Medovnik- layered honey cake! Then a trip to Bepa's house to visit Petra's grandma. Aaand more food! Bepa served us home-made cake (crust, layer of fruit, layer of crumbly curd) with a Czech cola called Kolfola- no, it doesn't taste like a coke wannabe! Ready for a nap after our gastronomic marathon, the three of us girls took to the local mall for a look around and the Tourist, which was in English with Czech subtitles. 

    Sunday: yet another breakfast spread provided by Mama V and then we took off to the local museum (big tan building in 3rd picture). The feature display was on Johann of Lux., and I found myself surrounded by medieval art,

 books, crowns, iron/woodwork... The permanent display on the natural and anthropological history of Ostrava was just as interesting! We were again treated to lunch out, this time in the rather nice restaurant Pod Museum (under the museum). I had the Ostrava goulash (ham, sausage,

onion garnish in rich dark sauce) with six Czech-stylesliced potato dumplings, washed down with a Kozel dark beer- The vegetarian rule goes out the window when it comes to tasting a new culture! Papa V laughed and said that after six beers and six dumplings I would be Czech. A few hours later Soomie and I were saying our last goodbyes to the Vitásek/Vitáskova family on the Ostrava platform. It was a relatively uneventful trip home- read a lot of der Herr der Ringe, changed trains once in Vienna, took a tram from the Hauptbahnhof home.

    Highlights: 

• Hospitality on a new level! Petra and her family gave Soomie and myself a home away from our home away from home. To the point that Petra took advantage of our lack of language skills and Czech Krona, and would not let us pay for ANYTHING. Dinners (regardless of my pleading), entrance fees, drinks, movie tickets... Soomie and I are scheming on how to get back at Petra and Co. for that! GRRRR! 
• Hanging out with second generation friends at the Café- and learning some new nicknames for Petra! 
• Understanding the history and identity of the Czech people from their point of view. Soomie asked Papa V if there was something that he wishes Americans understood better about the Czech. We tended to see "Czechoslovakia," a country still coming out from behind the iron curtain and catching up. They see themselves as leaders on the international stage in technology, politics, and athletics. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Czech was the 6th most developed nation in the world. Even without its coal mining, Ostrava is a center for heavy industry manufacturing and technology. Madeleine Albright was born near Praha. Do you know how many Czechs are in the NHL?
• Please, Thank You, Good morning: Prosim, Dékuij, Dobré ráno

Hm well it's late and I need a shower before I hit the rack. Love you all, would love to hear from you!