Nothing But Words

The Old Jewish Cemetery View at Picasa The Old Jewish Cemetery07-Aug-2009 16:43, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 100	The Old Jewish Cemetery View at Picasa The Old Jewish Cemetery07-Aug-2009 16:43, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100	The Old-New Synagogue View at Picasa The Old-New Synagogue07-Aug-2009 17:13, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100
Ceremonial Hall View at Picasa Ceremonial Hall07-Aug-2009 17:12, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100	The Jewish Quarter has many beautiful Art Nouveau and Baroque buildings View at Picasa The Jewish Quarter has many beautiful Art Nouveau and Baroque buildings07-Aug-2009 17:17, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100	Streets of the Jewish Quarter View at Picasa Streets of the Jewish Quarter07-Aug-2009 17:15, SONY DSC-W55, 8.0, 7.2mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100

I’m finally getting back to blogging about the rest of our trip. I’m not even halfway through, so there are several more posts to come. I ventured out on my own one afternoon, to Prague’s Jewish Quarter. It’s main attraction is the Jewish Museum, which actually consists of seven different sites, most of which are synagogues. According to Rick Steve in his Prague guidebook, it “is the most interesting collection of Jewish sites in Europe.” The Museum doesn’t allow taking pictures inside any of its buildings, so unfortunately I’m limited in what I can show you here. If you go to their web site’s Permanent Exhibitions page, and then follow the links for the different buildings, you can see some interior pictures.

Each site in the Museum has objects and historical accounts from different periods in the many centuries of Jewish history in the Czech region. For the most part it is a thoroughly depressing history – for any given period, it’s mainly a question of how severe their deprivations were. While there were a few periods when Jewish life flourished in Prague, in most times they endured rules such as limits on the number of children they could have (to “control” the Jewish population) and having to pay “tolerance” taxes (i.e. for their existence being tolerated). In the worst of times they were driven from their homes or slaughtered. The Nazi concentration camps were the horrific culmination of this history. The Nazis used Prague as a repository of treasures stolen from Jews throughout Europe. Prague’s Jews were among the last sent to the concentration camps, as they were first put to work organizing and archiving all the stolen valuables. All of this made me think of the offhand comments people often make about the Middle East, saying that people there are crazy and that they’ve been killing each other for centuries. European history isn’t all that different.

For most of their history, Prague’s Jews were banned from living anywhere but the Jewish quarter. For me the most moving site was the Jewish cemetery. Since they didn’t have any other land to bury the dead, over the centuries they piled graves upon graves. As the ground settled over time, the result was a densely packed, topsy-turvey field of tombstones. The Pinkas Synagogue’s display of artwork by some of the 15,000 children who lived in the Terezin Concentration Camp was also deeply moving (Terezin was not a death camp per se, but those who survived it were ultimately sent to their deaths at Auschwitz).

But amid the suffering, there was also amazing art, music, poetry, and culture. The museum brings all of this to life as well. The neighborhood is also home to the finest Art Nouveau buildings in Prague.

View of Prague from the top of Petrin Tower View at Picasa View of Prague from the top of Petrin Tower01-Aug-2009 21:42, SONY DSC-W55, 9.0, 9.4mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100

Maria and the boys decided to have a quiet day in the apartment, so I ventured into town on my own for an afternoon (they’ve been here for a month, so they’ve seen all the sights already). The central, historical part of Prague is separated into 4 neighborhoods – the Castle Quarter, Old Town, New Town, and Lesser Town. I picked Lesser Town as my destination. Compared to the other parts of town, it doesn’t have the grandest attractions, but it offers the most dazzling view of the city (from atop the Petřín Tower). What really drew me to it though is that it also offers the city’s most unusual attractions:

• The Wallenstein Palace Gardens, with its “grotesquery” (an enormous fake cave wall), owls, carp, free-roaming peacocks, and Wallenstein’s fresco of himself as Mars, the god of war. The garden’s Renaissance statues are replicas of the originals, which were stolen by an invading Swiss army in the 17th century (the originals are still in Sweden).
• The small museum of Jára Cimrman – a fictional Czech character – “the genius who is not yet famous” – who is depicted as “…one of the greatest Czech playwrights, poets, composers, teachers, travelers, philosophers, inventors, detectives and sportsmen of the 19th and early 20th century.” A few years ago he was voted the greatest Czech of all time in a Czech Television contest, much to the surprise of Czech TV, which subsequently disqualified him due to his non-existence.
• The moving (and disturbing) Monument to Victims of Communism Who Survived.
• The Lennon Wall – when Lennon was killed, this wall became covered with graffiti celebrating his life and music. It also became a focal point of quiet protest against the communist regime – every day the police would paint it over, and every night it would be covered with graffiti again.
• The Infant Jesus of Prague in the Church of St. Mary the Victorious – it’s a small statue of Jesus as an infant, which one of the Church’s priests said spoke to him once. Since then “claims of blessings, favors and miraculous healings have been made by many who petitioned before the Infant Jesus… Today, thousands of pilgrims pay homage to the Infant of Prague each year.”

A few days later, I visited the Palace gardens again with Maria and the boys, and the boys got in some playtime at the small Kampa playground on the Charles river (so the pictures below are from both outings).

View at Picasa Monument to the victims of communism who survived28-Jun-2009 19:48, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200	View at Picasa This line runs in front of the Monument, quantifying some of the suffering under the Communist government – 205,486 were imprisoned, 248 were executed, etc.01-Aug-2009 20:59, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa View of Prague from the top of Petrin Tower01-Aug-2009 21:42, SONY DSC-W55, 9.0, 9.4mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa View of Prague from the top of Petrin Tower01-Aug-2009 21:42, SONY DSC-W55, 9.0, 9.4mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa "Cimrman's famous famine spoon" – Cimrman is a fictional Czech historical character, credited with a number of silly inventions01-Aug-2009 21:56, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1000	View at Picasa After beer, absinth is probably the most popular drink in Prague. This shop on Nerudova St offers absinth ice cream03-Aug-2009 23:06, SONY DSC-W55, 3.5, 9.4mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa View down Nerudova St03-Aug-2009 23:33, SONY DSC-W55, 4.0, 12.4mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The Lennon Wall – when John Lennon died, this wall became covered with graffiti celebrating his life. Day after day the communist police would paint it over, but each night it would be covered with graffiti again.01-Aug-2009 22:41, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Prague's last water wheel – all the others were destroyed in the 2002 flood01-Aug-2009 22:54, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa The canal that runs to the water wheel01-Aug-2009 22:57, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The Infant of Prague – worshipers come from around the world to pray at this small statue01-Aug-2009 23:08, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 1000	View at Picasa The stage at Wallenstein Palace01-Aug-2009 23:51, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa The fake cave wall at Wallenstein Palace01-Aug-2009 23:57, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Maria and the boys at Wallenstein Palace04-Aug-2009 00:03, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The Charles Bridge04-Aug-2009 18:56, SONY DSC-W55, 11.0, 14.3mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa The Charles Bridge02-Aug-2009 00:08, SONY DSC-W55, 5.0, 16.3mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa At the base of the Manesuv bridge, looking down Kaprova street to the Church of St Nicholas02-Aug-2009 00:14, SONY DSC-W55, 10.0, 12.4mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa Eidan's birthday in Prague05-Aug-2009 01:47, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Eidan's birthday in Prague05-Aug-2009 03:29, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa Eidan's birthday in Prague05-Aug-2009 03:57, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 160	View at Picasa Eidan's birthday in Prague05-Aug-2009 01:50, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100

We celebrated Eidan’s birthday last night at Jama – a restaurant specializing in American hamburgers and Tex-Mex food. Maria tells me it’s hard to find good burgers in Prague, but the food at Jama’s is comparable to a place like Chili’s; perhaps slightly better. We generally don’t look for American food much when traveling, but for Eidan’s birthday we wanted to pick a place the boys were sure to enjoy.

Two of Maria’s students joined us – Gisela and Tai – along with Peter – a native of Prague who has helped Maria with planning trips for the students. Eidan has been excitedly talking about his birthday for about two months now, and I think he was especially happy that some of the students came (he refers to them as “the boys” even though there are women in the group too). Over the course of the meal he kept sneaking under the table to try getting at his bag of presents, but I managed to intercept him each time. After dinner we sang happy birthday to him over brownies and ice cream, and then he finally got to open his presents. As we walked back to our apartment after dinner, he zig-zagged down the sidewalk like a drunken sailor and babbled on excitedly about his new toys.

Buda Castle at night, viewed from the Danube View at Picasa Buda Castle at night, viewed from the Danube31-Jul-2009 04:35, SONY DSC-W55, 4.0, 12.4mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 1000

When I take a trip I like to know at least a little about where I’m going. For our short excursion to Budapest, I didn’t. Maria let her students pick the destination for a weekend trip, and they picked Budapest. Before I left Philadelphia, I was so busy with the kitchen remodel work that I only had a little time to read up on Prague, and didn’t have a chance to find out anything about Budapest. After two fun, busy days seeing Prague, I got on an overnight train with Maria, the boys, and the four students.

We got off to a rough start on the train – the couchette we thought was ours was already occupied, and the conductor made a point of being as unhelpful as he could. Stuck standing in the train car’s narrow aisle, we eventually persuaded him to take our tickets out of his pocket and look at them again, and then he grudgingly admitted he had brought us onto the wrong car. Everything went smoothly after that, except for the train itself – the boys liked the triple bunks, and they went right to sleep along with Maria, but I couldn’t sleep at all. Each time I almost drifted off to sleep, the train would screech to a halt at its next stop. Also, I was on the top bunk, and it took me a while to get comfortable enough with the situation to stop worrying I’d get thrown to the floor if we stopped too quickly.

After getting my first glimpse of the city as we walked out of Keleti station, I began to worry how the weekend would go. Viewed from the steps of the station, the city looked grim, poor, and unwelcoming. But I’m happy to say my first impression was wrong. While not as evidently wealthy as Prague, Budapest is a beautiful city and rich in history.

We spent our first day in Buda – the side of the city west of the Danube (the eastern side is Pest). Budapest is south of Prague, and at 90 degrees it was considerably hotter. The students went off on their own, and Maria and I set out with the boys to explore. A city map acquired at the hotel, and less than an hour of internet research were our guides. We had a good time exploring. Maria and I make a good team when traveling – I bring the maps and the planning, and she brings the intuition and street smarts. Too much of the former can lead to missing unexpected opportunities, and too much of the latter can lead to chaos. A good mix of both made for a successful day. We spent most of the day in the area surrounding Buda Castle, home to Hungarian royalty since the 13th century. Since it was so hot, we also spent some time in the very silly but considerably cooler, underground Buda Castle Labyrinth. It’s filled with fake historical artifacts, such as fossilized remains of ancient computers, complete with keyboards and monitors. In the evening we took a one hour cruise on the Danube. While many of Budapest’s historical buildings suffer from graffiti and inadequate maintenance, all of that disappears at night – the city looked absolutely gorgeous from the river.

The next day we visited Pest. Our hotel (the Charles Hotel – reasonably priced and clean) was in Buda, but by this time we had figured out the buses, and their routes were well marked on our map, so we didn’t have trouble getting around. We started the day at the enormous St. Stephen’s Basilica, and then took our time wandering up Andrássy Avenue, which “…is an iconic boulevard… dating back to 1872… Flanked by Eclectic Neo-renaissance palaces and houses featuring fine facades, staircases and interiors, it was recognised as a World Heritage Site in 2002.” The avenue ends at City Park. By the time we arrived there, Eidan had fallen asleep in his stroller, so Kai and I had some fun exploring the grounds of Vajdahunyad Castle, while Maria took a break in a shady spot with Eidan. We ended the day at the Szechenyi Baths. Although I didn’t know this before we arrived in Budapest, the city is famous for its hot spring baths. After a day and half of walking around, the boys needed something that was fun for them. Szechenyi has 3 large baths – one hot, one lukewarm, and one cold. The cold one is intended mainly for lap swimming, the lukewarm one for kids to play in, and the hot one for adults to relax in. The boys had a great time there, and the natural spring water feels great on your skin, so we arrived at the train station feeling refreshed and ready for our overnight trip back to Prague. There was some anxiety for a while since the students arrived at the last minute, but our train ended up leaving late anyway, so fortunately our departure worked out fine. And this time I managed to get at least a few hours of sleep.

I took almost 200 pictures, but I narrowed it down to 21 in order to preserve the sanity of my blog readers

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View at Picasa Our sleeping car on the overnight train from Prague to Budapest30-Jul-2009 05:16, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa An apartment building near the Buda castle30-Jul-2009 19:23, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa A fake archaeological find of a computer, in the Buda Labyrinth30-Jul-2009 20:40, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 320
View at Picasa The Parliament building, on the shore of the Danube30-Jul-2009 21:24, SONY DSC-W55, 11.0, 16.3mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Kai rocks Budapest30-Jul-2009 19:27, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Buda castle30-Jul-2009 22:03, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa 31-Jul-2009 01:45, SONY DSC-W55, 10.0, 12.4mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200	View at Picasa The Inner City Parish Church, near the Elizabeth Bridge31-Jul-2009 02:53, SONY DSC-W55, 3.5, 9.4mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The Chain Bridge at night31-Jul-2009 04:11, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 1000
View at Picasa Buda Castle at night, viewed from the Danube31-Jul-2009 04:35, SONY DSC-W55, 4.0, 12.4mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 1000	View at Picasa The Parliament building at night31-Jul-2009 04:21, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 1000	View at Picasa The Jewish Synagogue, at the end of Adrassy ut31-Jul-2009 18:03, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa A typical street in Budapest – some buildings are in better shape than others31-Jul-2009 18:08, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa St. Stephen's Basilica31-Jul-2009 18:26, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The altar in St. Stephen's Basilica31-Jul-2009 18:33, SONY DSC-W55, 3.5, 9.4mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 320
View at Picasa Heroes' Square31-Jul-2009 21:03, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The Church of Jak, adjacent to Vajdahunyad Castle31-Jul-2009 21:24, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa A bust of Bela Lugosi, tucked away in a back corner of Vajdahunyad Castle31-Jul-2009 21:31, SONY DSC-W55, 3.5, 9.4mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100

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View at Picasa Vajdahunyad Castle31-Jul-2009 21:28, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa The Szechenyi natural hot spring baths01-Aug-2009 00:20, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa A sign on the train from Budapest to Prague, written in 5 languages – none of them English01-Aug-2009 13:29, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 250

Maria and the boys have been in Prague for a month, and I’ve been with them for the past week. We’ve had 2 days in Prague, 2 days in Budapest, and then 2 days back here in Prague. Now I need to catch up with blogging – I’ll start with my first 2 days.

Prague’s architecture is overwhelming. If you randomly selected a building from Prague, and transported it to a city like Philadelphia or Boston, it would stand out as one of the city’s remarkable buildings. But here there is one finely detailed Medieval, Baroque, or Renaissance building after another. The occasional Soviet-era faceless and bland concrete building actually isn’t unwelcome.

I didn’t sleep on my overnight flight here, so on my first day I followed Maria around town in a mental fog. The buildings were so dazzling I was taking pictures of practically everything I walked past (after a couple hours the realization that I needed to be a bit more judicious with the camera eventually penetrated my foggy head). She mainly took me around the “Old Town” area.

The language, with it’s heavy mix of consonants, is a challenge. A phrase as simple as “thank you” takes some practice for an American. It’s also tricky to sound out words when doing things like reading off a menu, because the pronunciation of certain letters isn’t the same as English and there are several unfamiliar inflection marks (like ě and ý). Fortunately, most of the people we’ve encountered so far either speak at least a small amount of English (especially young people), or are patient enough to work things out with hand gestures. However, outside the touristy areas they tend to get impatient with clueless Americans.

Czech food is tasty but very heavy, and Czech beer is really good (although I say this as someone who knows nothing about beer – to me it tastes smoother and less bitter than most American beers). Fortunately the Italian restaurants here are also very good, as the Czech food is just too much after a while. After seeing people shop in the grocery stores for the past month, Maria’s impression is that a lot of the Czech people do in fact eat sausages, schnitzels, goulash, etc on a daily basis.

The streets are cleaner than most American cities (even outside the tourist areas), and the subways and trams are modern and efficient. On average the people are much quieter than Americans – friends will chat quietly, and even a crowded subway platform is relatively silent.

On my second day we rented a paddle boat from Slovansky island in the Vltova river (the river separates the two sides of Prague) – some of my nicer pictures are from the paddle boat. Then in the late afternoon we returned to the apartment to pack for our 2 day trip to Budapest.

View at Picasa The St. Gallus Church in Old Town – built in the 13th century28-Jul-2009 20:06, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Traditional Czech food – goulash, schnitzel, and a noodle casserole – heavy stuff28-Jul-2009 20:19, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Near Old Town Square28-Jul-2009 20:55, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa The Powder Tower, in Old Town28-Jul-2009 21:01, SONY DSC-W55, 8.0, 8.2mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The art nouveau Municipal House, home to Prague's largest concert hall28-Jul-2009 21:05, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The Jan Hus Memorial, with the Tyn Church behind it28-Jul-2009 21:57, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa Old Town Square and the Pastel Houses28-Jul-2009 21:58, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The Havelska street market28-Jul-2009 22:04, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The boys reaction to our suggestion to go out29-Jul-2009 19:21, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa One end of the Charles Bridge – the Klementium (national library), Smetana Museum, and the St. Francis of Assisi chruch29-Jul-2009 20:30, SONY DSC-W55, 13.0, 18.9mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa View along the Vltava river, from the Legii bridge29-Jul-2009 20:50, SONY DSC-W55, 8.0, 7.2mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The National Theater29-Jul-2009 21:16, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa The controversial Dancing House, designed by Frank Gehry29-Jul-2009 21:33, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The boys enjoying a milkshake at Cafe Slavia – one of Prague's grand old cafes29-Jul-2009 22:43, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Lahudky – Czech open face sandwiches30-Jul-2009 01:03, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100

The view east from our apartment on Reznicka street View at Picasa The view east from our apartment on Reznicka street28-Jul-2009 17:33, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.013 sec, ISO 100

The view west from our apartment on Reznicka street View at Picasa The view west from our apartment on Reznicka street28-Jul-2009 17:34, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100

I arrived sleepy but safe in Prague yesterday. My flight to Zurich was delayed 4 hours, which meant I would have missed by connection and been stuck in Zurich for a long time. So I switched to a Frankfurt flight (after waiting in line for an hour and half at US Air’s customer service counter, manned by an Army of One), and got to Prague only a couple hours later than originally planned. I sat near a medical student who was a Prague native on both flights, and she was kind enough to let me follow her around in the airports, since she was familiar with them. With crying babies on the trans-Atlantic overnight flight, I didn’t get any sleep, but I did enjoy reading the Murakami novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Almost every page has at least one very clever turn of phrase – for example, after the main character’s wife returns from a long day of work “…Kumiko was sitting in the living room with the lights out. Hunched down in the dark with her gray shirt on, she looked like a piece of luggage that had been left in the wrong place.”

I made it to the apartment about 2 in the afternoon yesterday. Most of the day is already just a blur to me, as I went about 36 hours with no sleep, but I do remember the boys were stuck to me like glue the whole time. Maria took me out for a tour of the neighborhood. We’re just a few blocks from Wenceslas Square. I also remember that the ice cream here is very tasty. Today is a rainy day, and Maria is working this morning. So far I’ve memorized “yes”, “no”, “please”, “thank you”, and “excuse me” in Czech, which are probably the 5 most important phrases when traveling anywhere. They were sufficient to get me through a grocery store run with the boys this morning.

If the weather clears up, this afternoon we’ll take the boys to a playground that has miniature cars they can drive. Then tonight we have a baby sitter lined up so Maria and I can go out to dinner, and tomorrow we’re leaving for Budapest with the students for a couple days. After that we’ll have about one more week in Prague before we head to Germany.

This post is by Maria, describing their trip last week to the Czech town of Jablonec.

Video – Kai makes a glass bead View at Picasa Video – Kai makes a glass bead17-Jul-2009 02:51

Video – Tai tries his hand at glass making – halfway through you can see him operating the bellows with his feet View at Picasa Video – Tai tries his hand at glass making – halfway through you can see him operating the bellows with his feet17-Jul-2009 02:58

Today, the students and the boys and I took a trip to Northern Bohemia to a town called Jablonec. It is the traditional center of glass and jewelry making in the Czech lands. Glass jewelry (beads, e.g.) was an industry hit on by the German-speaking Sudetenlanders faced with little arable land and not much in the way of natural resources except vast hardwood forests that provided the fuel needed for the glass furnaces. After World War II, the Germans were expelled, sometimes brutally, from Sudetenland, leaving behind many of the traditional methods for glass beading and metallurgy. A man named Libos Stryncl, whose family has been in the glass pressing trade for generations, has maintained in his home a museum of traditional methods. He provided us with a fascinating and fun look at the family-based industry. These days, the largest companies like Jablonex and Preciosa no longer outsource the work as a cottage trade. Stryncl is trying hard to preserve the traditions.

View at Picasa Arriving at Jablonec16-Jul-2009 19:33, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Mr Stryncl's glass-making cottage16-Jul-2009 22:19, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The grounds near the cottage16-Jul-2009 22:20, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa 16-Jul-2009 22:49, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Libos Stryncl – last of a dying breed16-Jul-2009 22:45, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 1000	View at Picasa Kai marveling at a freshly crafted bead16-Jul-2009 22:47, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 640
View at Picasa Kai tries his hand at bead making16-Jul-2009 22:50, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.013 sec, ISO 1000	View at Picasa Glass rods ready to be shaped in beads, jewelry, and other decorative items16-Jul-2009 22:55, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1000	View at Picasa Molds for the glass beads16-Jul-2009 22:46, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 320
View at Picasa One of Mr. Stryncl's glass creations16-Jul-2009 22:32, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Another of Mr. Stryncl's creations16-Jul-2009 22:34, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Eidan at the glass making cottage16-Jul-2009 22:50, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 250
View at Picasa Kai admiring another of Mr. Stryncl's creations16-Jul-2009 22:52, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 500	View at Picasa Glass portraits16-Jul-2009 22:55, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 160

Maria emailed another set of pictures to me. She keeps taking pictures of the boys – I don’t know why She’s having a hard time getting them out of the apartment – their favorite activity these days seems to wrestling at home with each other – but once she gets them out they have a good time.

View at Picasa Kai near the “Pissing Men” statues by David Cerny28-Jun-2009 22:45, SONY DSC-W55, 3.2, 8.2mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Eidan on Reznicka Street29-Jun-2009 22:22, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Stained glass window inside the St. Vitus Cathedral27-Jun-2009 22:36, SONY DSC-W55, 4.0, 12.4mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 200
View at Picasa Statue at the front gate of Prague Castle27-Jun-2009 22:20, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Michiko and Kai at the silver mine tour05-Jul-2009 00:35, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 320	View at Picasa Monument to the victims of communism who survived28-Jun-2009 19:48, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
View at Picasa Kai and Eidan in Prague28-Jun-2009 20:58, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 320	View at Picasa A giant metronome sculpture at the site of an old Stalin statue in Letna Park09-Jul-2009 18:39, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The Charles Bridge04-Aug-2009 18:56, SONY DSC-W55, 11.0, 14.3mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa A marionette production of Don Giovanni (it wasn't very good)10-Jul-2009 03:30, SONY DSC-W55, 4.0, 12.4mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 1000	View at Picasa The ice cream in Prague is fabulous11-Jul-2009 18:03, SONY DSC-W55, 3.2, 7.2mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa “Giant Babies” is a David Cerny sculpture mounted on the TV Tower in Zizkov. Cerny had some controversy over an installation piece he was commissioned to do when Czechia ascended to the EU presidency. Seems he offended a few countries…12-Jul-2009 00:23, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa Kai waiting for a tram on Vodivocka Street12-Jul-2009 17:45, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Gardens in Vysehrad Fortress12-Jul-2009 18:31, SONY DSC-W55, 8.0, 8.2mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100

Eidan in Lesser Town (Mala Strana), Prague View at Picasa Eidan in Lesser Town (Mala Strana), Prague28-Jun-2009 21:27, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 100	Eidan with a pretzel at a pub in Prague View at Picasa Eidan with a pretzel at a pub in Prague28-Jun-2009 21:57, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 100
Kai at the statue of St John Nepomuk on the Charles Bridge View at Picasa Kai at the statue of St John Nepomuk on the Charles Bridge28-Jun-2009 23:06, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100	Chandelier made of bones and skulls at the Sedlec Ossuary View at Picasa Chandelier made of bones and skulls at the Sedlec Ossuary04-Jul-2009 19:53, SONY DSC-W55, 3.2, 7.2mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 1000

Maria just emailed these pictures to me. They’re staying in an apartment that’s right around the corner from Charles Square. She says the apartment is spacious but rundown, and several major appliances don’t work, like the washing machine and the satellite dish for the TV. Fortunately, she brought lots of DVDs for the boys, and there’s a laundromat nearby. Her mother is there with them too – she’s there for 2 weeks and she’s helping out with the boys while Maria is with the students. Maria found a babysitter to help out for the time between when her mother leaves and I arrive at the end of July.

The boys are having a good time. Maria sounds like she’s exhausted but still enjoying it. She’s not just teaching – she created this program for Villanova and she’s managing the whole thing on her own. It’s a research seminar on entrepreneurship in the Czech Republic, so she’s been arranging various field trips for the students to businesses in the area, helping the students plan interviews, etc. She took the students to a silver mine yesterday and next week she’s taking them to a Taiwanese factory. She brings the boys on the field trips, and they love hanging out with the students, and the students seem to enjoy their antics.

I’ll post more pictures as I receive them!

I finally fixed the pictures in my Drainspotting in Japan post from last year (the plugin I used before Shashin for managing my pictures doesn’t work with recent versions of WordPress, so I’ve been slowly working through my older posts to fix the pictures). Pink Tentacle has a photo collection of some of the more dazzling Japanese manhole covers, as well as pictures of what may be the most manhole infested street in the world – a quiet street in Tokyo’s Setagaya ward, with 85 manholes over a 200 meter stretch of pavement.

It looks like Prague is also a good city for drainspotting. I mention this because we’re planning a trip to Prague next summer. Maria is going to be in charge of a group of Villanova students who will be there to study for a summer semester. Maria will be there for two months with the boys, and I’ll join them for the last few weeks (so I need to save up all my vacation time between now and then).

Don’t worry though, I’ll look up from the ground every now and then to see what else the city has to offer