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?

Last day of summer camp

They went on a trip again. I hope the Seapark will make a bigger impression on Maarten. When I asked him about the last Friday outing what was it about, what did he see, what did he like most?...
"The rocket ice cream!" was the only answer I got.


Obviously these days nothing really matters to Maarten but counting the nights before he is finally going to stay at babi's. All on his own! Mommy and daddy not allowed!

Well, we'll try to enjoy ourselves in The Tatra Mountains on our first no-kids-trip ever.
What a shame that I don't remember much about my only Tatras' school excursion in 1984!

Halloween mood already?

I don't have anything against summer as long as it's not too hot.
Please don't stone me, but I really love this kind of rainy weather even it's only August!
It actually feels like summer is over now.

I noticed the trees are starting to turn already. In our woodsy backyard you can smell the moist scent of earth mixed with fungus. Believe me, this is a pleasant 'mushroomy' smell; quite different from the mold, mildew and musty odors in our cellar.
Anyway, this kind of weather reminds me my favorite period back in California.
Only the rain rarely came earlier than Halloween.

Snoring LOUD (summer camp # 3)

After the first day at sport camp...

Mesnil-Val (July 26 - 31)

We were supposed to stay in an old farmhouse in Limousin but right before our vacation we found out that the planned renovations hadn’t been finished yet.

The Belgian Ardennes is always a good alternative, yet spoiled by the past weeks temperatures we obviously forgot the local treacherous climate. As the weather dramatically changed there was no use to spend our days in the rain. The coast forecast was a little bit better and we ended up at the Côte d'Albâtre which is a slightly longer drive than to the Ardennes.


It’s been a while I've been planning to explore the French Atlantic coast that I know only from my grandpa(’s postcards) who was travelling here in the 1920’s and 1930’s.




However, I was a bit concerned how will I possibly spend one week at the seaside. I can’t fish for crabs 24/7 like my boys!






But I must admit I was really charmed by the small fishing towns, white limestone cliffs, the greenish water... that all together created the most relaxing atmosphere.





The same way was the campsite we stayed at, located on top of a cliff overlooking the sea with only a short walk to the beach.
I should point out that the campground was actually kind of a little ‘Dutch oasis’. There were only one French and one Belgian couple, all the rest was Dutch; ‘except’ of us then!
Anyway, it was mostly (or only) tents and therefore nice and quiet.

Maarten had so much fun with the neighbor’s Noortje. Needles to mention, that saying goodbye was pretty hard afterward.







With some exceptions the local hiking wasn’t really adventurous and for that reason motivating Maarten to take to the trail wasn't easy.
Why would he walk up high along the cliffs when there were so many tempting tide pools down at the beach?!


But visiting places like the picturesque village of Veules-les-Roses enchanted even Maarten who compared it to Efteling.
Well, luckily it was considerably quieter but not less fairy-tale-like!





Only by accident we discovered the nearby Mers-les-Bains. With a necessary ice cream we strolled down the romantic sea-front promenade. The colorful interlaced Art Nouveau villas were beautifully restored and revealed the town’s "Belle époque" past as a fashionable seaside resort.


Here again I had to think about my grandfather sentimentally wishing to hear his adventures from this lovely region.

Torn between places

The incredible pain in my chest was still there when I woke up crying with this awful feeling of homesickness.
In my dream I was standing on a hill at sunset overlooking this beautiful landscape and asking my friend why did I leave California.

Ironically, I also used to experience these kind of sorrowful dreams while living in the States.
Then I was longing for "Europe".

Apparently I’m torn between all those places I lived. A part of every country is still in me as I left a part of me behind.

Beresterk knutselwerk (summer camp # 2)

"If mommy isn't capable of sewing an outfit I know how to make my own clothes!"

“No High Fives Allowed!”

"Koukni, mami, tady se nesmí dělat high five!"

Narozeniny

Sounds great and unbelievable at the same time! After some 20 years I celebrated my birthday with my mom today!
Nevertheless, I must admit that the confrontation with the past is painfully strong every now and then.

Comblain-au-Pont

The nature reserve Les Tartines features many rocks with really steep paths; you can climb into caves (if not bricked up) and crawl through natural tunnels. And there is the Ourthe River nearby where you can splash into on a hot summer day like this.






All that sounded like a perfect area for Maarten if only...







The blackberry stems and stinging nettles obscured the faint path down through the lush marshy valley and as we crossed the idyllic meadow we literally have to jump into the bushes in search for the trail.


Maarten was very upset whining and lamenting that the nettles were scraping his legs and causing terrible itching, blaming me all the time for choosing such an overgrown trail.




His mood improved considerably after munching on wild raspberries and he completely forgot about the itching when we finally got to the river.





The swimming joy didn’t last long though. Within no time all the cows in the meadow led by a big brown bull gathered together and claimed their drinking spot back.




Cows and ticks and traffic noise.
Solitude is hard to find.