Plzeň 20-23/11

I kdyz me tradicne pred odjezdem chytla panika, (navic umocnena lamentovanim nasi mami, co vsechno se me po ceste muze stat, a zrovna ted!) stalo to vic nez za to!

Horsi byla osobni konfrontace s misty z casu minulych, kam jsem mela prilezitost se konecne podivat. Do mistnich lesu, kam jsem kdysi utikala pred denni realitou.
Musim priznat, ze to bylo celkem bolestive a zrovna kdyz se me hlavou honily ne zrovna prijemne vzpominky, ozval se nade mnou datel. Zkousela jsem ho vyfotografovat, kdyz nahle zazvonil telefon: “Mami, kde jsi a co tam delas?”
I kdyz datlik byl samozrejme ty tam, byla jsem tomu hlasku z telefonu vdecna, ze me vratil zpet do reality dnesni, mnohem prijemnejsi.

There and back to Czech (22-25/8)

Traditionally we spent a night in Plzeň had dinner together at the old town’s U Salzmannů that we both enjoyed. Here Maarten told me about his wish to live in Czech Republic permanently. He said he loves hearing people speaking Czech, he wants attend a Czech school and that he actually dislikes the Dutch language! Well, I’m sure that his wish to live close to his favorite babi is of a great influence, but still, he always finds a way how to surprise me.
Walking back to the hotel we had to cross the old square and I took him to the outer altar of the St. Bartholomews church to touch the head of an angel that is supposed to bring good luck.
Without doubt to him this was a truly magical moment.


Next day we finally arrived to babi’s and Maarten got all answers to his never-ending questions such as “what are the doggies going to say, when they see me?”




They were all happy to see each other again so I left the next day for Plzeň to meet up with my past school friends. Unfortunately I got stuck in an awful traffic jam just outside of Prague and because the tropical heats afflicted Central Europe those days, without an air-conditioning it must have been at least 45 °C in the car!

Luckily chilling out at the many terraces of downtown Plzeň with my friends made all well again.

I was afraid the Plzeň's football fans will keep me up that night as there was an important match between Plzen en Copenhagen. But heavy showers, hail, lightning, thunder and strong wind chased almost all the fans away from the square where thousands were watching the match on a giant screen. What a storm!

Even though I was happy for my hometown to beat the Danes I didn’t get much sleep that night, but somehow, miraculously I got safe home the day after not even feeling tired.

Winter break

Again not a traditional Czech Christmas Eve for us.
Since we’re back in Europe we are usually in Holland celebrating grandma's birthday which falls on Christmas Eve, indeed.




Luckily for the children (and me) this year even here was enough snow and ice in the nearby park to take a break and head outside to enjoy sledding.





What a hectic Christmas we had! Cooking, baking, shopping and right in the middle of this Christmas hassle I had my herbalist exam on the night 23rd; then one night trip to Holland, hurry back home to Belgium bringing grandma with us to celebrate Christmas together with Zdenka's family...


Due to all the snow and ice I had many doubts to make the planned trip to Czechia and I truly had unpleasant moments crossing the higher elevations. Driving through snowstorm for several times was quite tough but not that bad like the heavy rain and fog that caught us on a busy highway in Germany on our way back.


Despite the fact that I lost at least 4 kilo’s only by driving (again!) it was worth it.

A tree full of memories

This pine tree in my hometown, Valcha, was chosen as the 2010 City of Pilsen Christmas Tree and will be decorated and lit in the Republic Square this holiday season.

“The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein

Once there was a giving tree who loved a little boy.
And everyday the boy would come to play
Swinging from the branches, sleeping in the shade
Laughing all the summer’s hours away.
And so they love,
Oh, the tree was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

But soon the boy grew older and one day he came and said,
"Can you give me some money, tree, to buy something I’ve found?"
"I have no money," said the tree, "Just apples, twigs and leaves."
"But you can take my apples, boy, and sell them in the town."
And so he did and
Oh, the tree was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

But soon again the boy came back and he said to the tree,
"I’m now a man and I must have a house that’s all my home."
"I can’t give you a house" he said, "The forest is my house."
"But you may cut my branches off and build yourself a home"
And so he did.
Oh, the tree was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

And time went by and the boy came back with sadness in his eyes.
"My life has turned so cold," he says, "and I need sunny days."
"I’ve nothing but my trunk," he says, "But you can cut it down
And build yourself a boat and sail away."
And so he did and
Oh, the tree was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

And after years the boy came back, both of them were old.
"I really cannot help you if you ask for another gift."
"I’m nothing but an old stump now. I’m sorry but I’ve nothing more to give"
"I do not need very much now, just a quiet place to rest,"
The boy, he whispered, with a weary smile.
"Well", said the tree, "An old stump is still good for that."
"Come, boy", he said, "Sit down, sit down and rest a while."
And so he did and
Oh, the trees was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.


PS: pics courtesy of Daniel Beran, MF DNES

Plzeň/Valcha September 30 – October 3

A couple of months ago, I tracked down some of my long lost colleagues/friends that I used to work with and contacted them.











Thanks to one of them, last Friday I got together with at least two dozen of my ex-colleagues I haven’t seen for 15 years!
It was such fun re-connecting with friends from past I've lost touch with.

It was just like old times.


I move a lot but through the years it’s always been a wonderful experience to get together with my childhood friends.
This Saturday, 80th anniversary celebration of Sokol Valcha was a perfect opportunity to meet up again.

To sum up I spent these past few days and nights laughing, crying, catching up with each other’s lives and remembering our days together.


So much fun!
Days of sheer bliss.

(pics courtesy of Mak and Lenka Lukášková )

Over the mountains and far away...

It’s far too complex to put those two weeks into a short story.

Already the first day I accidentally came "face to face" with my father who didn’t recognize me. Quite understandable of course after not seeing each other for good 18 years. What did surprise me that this was still very emotional for me.

A much nicer experience was to see my mother happy with our “present”. I guess, for the first time she really appreciated it. No perfumes, shoes, clothes or handbags, but a big box of laundry detergent!



Maarten was very disappointed that his dad and mom stayed one night at Grandma's as well. He wanted us to drop him there and see us drive back home again.



Right, mom and dad had a great time in the mountains even though I couldn’t stop thinking of my little scamp.

Despite the bad weather on our first hike up to the foggy ridge the weather changed drastically in the good way and unbelievably it stayed sunny the whole week.


Although initially we were planning to visit the High and White Tatras as well yet after driving through the mountains to Pieniny we decided to stay in the calm vicinity of Roháče, the Tatras' western part.


We hiked most of the trails here and in some valleys we didn’t meet a soul. Now and then this brought back the adventurous feeling of hiking in the bear country.




We were warned about the bears long before we came here. Compared to the theories I’ve learned in The States the bears in Slovakia would attack people! Is this because of the different bear kind or because of their greatly reduced natural habitat here in Slovakia?

The heavy clouds and idea of hugging Maarten again made parting with this beautiful area (and its smell of fried bacon and sausages) a lot easier.


It was really pouring when we finished visiting this intriguing castle built on a high rock above the river Orava.

Luckily the bad weather hasn’t reached Grandma's home yet.
Meeting Maarten grasshopper hunting in a sun drenched meadow was also kind of emotional, I have to admit.


Nevertheless, it seemed everybody was quite relieved seeing "Maarten the Menace" getting in the car leaving to go home. Not only the grandparents were happy to wave us goodbye, also the neighbors, the baby dogs, chickens that Maarten taught how to fly, Pepíček, the canary bird who almost took his last breath on the sofa where he was put under a pillow intended to surprise grandpa...




Would that be the reason why my mom gives only evasive answers to my suggestions for meeting again in the beginning of October?

Raindrops keep falling

Finally a long planned trip to my home country, even though the beautiful Moravia doesn’t feel like home at all. However, the hills of Hostýnské Vrchy are where Maarten’s grandparents live and and its pleasant rural surroundings are a bonus.
I biked here many times in the past but there are still places I haven’t visited yet, such as the ruins of Obřany Castle hidden at the top of a very steep hill.
While Maarten amused himself by feeding deer and wild boars with děda, the hunter, Rob and I were puffing through the still wintery copper beech woods up the Obřany hill.

It was worth the climb even we were already tired after hours of hiking on the ridge. The information board showed how beautiful this castle used to be in its heyday. Being built without Margrave's permission it only existed for less than one century. For the romantic soul, according to legend, the castle was taken by the devil together with its cruel castle lord.

Unfortunately it started to rain when we got here. The rain quickly gained strength and made the remaining kilometers less pleasant. We were hoping for a warm drink at the pilgrim's hill of Svatý Hostýn, but it was closed probably for the off-season.

Neither my mom nor Milan could understand that despite the rain we wanted to make our trip to the nearby Slovak Carpathians.

Nevertheless, I believe, if you always wait for a good weather forecast, you will never get anywhere.

Maarten was happily getting all his grandparents’ attention again, so we could head out for some more strenuous hike. Without any difficulties, as expected, we found our destination, the Súľovské Skaly.

Despite the fog and drizzle the rock formations were spectacular. Erosion of the limestone and dolomite rocks formed this current fantastic shapes, various towers, walls and even windows.




For the very first time I saw the purple blooming Poniklec Slovenský (Pulsatilla slavica)!

After the yesterdays hike the easy ‘Náučný chodník’ (Educational Trail) should be exactly what we were looking for.
I thought to be able to read and understand Slovak language, but! I’ve learned there might be some important nuances. Like my perception of the Slovak word ‘chodník’. Compared to its Czech meaning ‘an easy path’ it simply means ‘a trail’!





The rocks paths were slippery and some ascent very steep with a quick elevation gain equipped with handrails and ladders. We truly praised ourselves for not bringing Maarten here.

The picturesque ruins of the Súľov Castle were one of the highlights. I must admit I didn’t dare to climb into the accessible tower. It was too narrow and I felt claustrophobic.
Reading the little information sign about the death of a young mother and her 2 years old son, who were struck here by lightning in 2008, confirmed my weird feeling about the place.
I joined Rob waiting patiently in the rain on a meadow down the ruin from where we continued this Educational Trail. At least that’s what we thought. We ended up on an unknown road kilometers away from our car!


However, we have learned something about the ways of hiking in the Slovak mountains. That may become useful in the future since we hope to come back soon!