Karlovy Vary & Loket

Though our major Spring Break trip was planned for the second week of the boys' vacation, we thought it would be fun to have a quick overnight somewhere in the country prior to that. Karl had teaching obligations through Thursday, so we took off for western Bohemia on Friday morning, heading toward the spa town of Karlovy Vary.

We rented a car for the first time this year to give us a little flexibility to visit multiple sites without too much trouble. The boys were so excited that we'd have our own car, especially Ben, although it's not clear why. An hour or so out of Prague we were treated to the usual refrains of the "Ballad of the Road Trip" ("I'm bored," "When will we get there?" and that old chestnut, "He's on my side!").

By legend, the thermal springs of Karlovy Vary, also known as Karlsbad in German (or Carlsbad in English), were discovered by a hunting party led by Charles IV in the 14th century. The story goes that one of the hunting dogs fell into a hot spring while chasing a deer. Upon further investigation, Charles himself declared the waters to have restorative properties and ordered that the area be settled with bathhouses built around the springs.

David Černý Revisited

We took an overnight trip out to western Bohemia on Friday and returned on Saturday via Plzeň.

Entropa, 2009. Lower right quadrant.

I really wanted to see David Černý's Entropa.

Entropa, 2009. Upper right quadrant.

I mentioned Entropa and the controversy it ignited in the European Union in the previous post, noting that it's now on display (permanent, as it happens) at Techmania, a science discovery center in the town that gave us the pilsner. The New York Times covered the EU scandal back in 2009 (and their pictures are a lot clearer than mine).

Entropa, 2009. Upper left quadrant.

Tábor and the Hussites

Now that spring weather is upon us, we've started taking weekend day trips into the country again. With two energetic young boys, our day trips have to involve a lot of outdoor romping. Ben and Garrett enjoy a tower climb, can tolerate maybe one indoor exhibit, and are always open to hitting a pub for snacks and a drink (which, in their case, is either hot cocoa or juice). But any more of an indoor plan than that is asking for trouble. This year in Europe has not been one of whiling away afternoons at kavarnas or musing over the finer points of art from the renaissance period. At times it's felt like a mad dash from one playground to a geocache and back again ... while shoe-horning an historic site or two into the agenda.

In March we headed to South Bohemia to the medieval town of Tábor. Tábor is significant for its history and its architecture. Fortunately it has a few geocaches as well, because let's face it -- history and architecture only go so far in igniting the imagination the 6- to 8-year-old set.

To appreciate Tábor's history it's good to know a little about Jan Hus and the Hussite reformation. Hus is considered a spiritual founder of the city, although the city was established after his death.

Jan Hus profile relief, from the Bethlehem Chapel exhibit in Prague

Jan Hus was a Czech priest and a master at Charles University in the early 1400s. By the time he was in his 30s, his charismatic preaching style drew crowds up to 3,000 when he preached at the Bethlehem Chapel in Old Town, where services were in Czech rather than Latin. Hus, a follower of English philosopher and theologian John Wycliffe (an early dissident from the Roman Catholic Church and proponent of translating the Bible into common language), believed that there should be less separation between God and laity, particularly in the sacraments of confession and communion. He was also very critical of corruption and wealth in the institutional Church. In 1415, Hus was burned at the stake for heresy.

Křivoklát Castle

Šťasný nový rok! (Happy New Year!) House guests, holidays, and kids on school break have kept me from the blog. I've got a backlog (would that be a klog?) of posts building. Since the boys returned to school today, I finally have a little time to catch up.

Colder weather has kept us from making day trips to the country as our interests are usually of the outdoor variety. But the weather took a turn for the better over the weekend, and we decided to visit Hrad Křivoklát (Křivoklát Castle). We caught a fast train to Beroun and then got on this cute little local to head to the site. I took this picture just as we realized that we got off the train one stop too early.

Oops.

No matter. It was a clear day with temps in the low 40s F/5 C. Momentarily stalled, we set out for a three-kilometer walk on a well-maintained trail.

With temperatures suddenly well above freezing, rivers have been much higher than usual, and there is some concern of flooding. Perhaps you can see how high the Berounka is in the distance.

It ran fast and carried lots of ice and debris. All heading to the Vltava. And Prague.

Off to storm the castle.

Our first full glimpse of Křivoklát!

Built in the 12th century, Křivoklát was the childhood home of Charles IV (of Charles Bridge and Charles University fame). Originally a hunting residence for royals, it ultimately became a royal prison.

Přízraky Křivoklátska (Phantoms of Křivoklát) ~ with a history as a royal prison, there are going to be a few ghost stories to tell.

Karl and Garrett took a tour of the interior while Ben and I hung out in the courtyard, playing and reading. Garrett was most taken with the stories of branding people with hot coals (ew) and the hunger chamber, a deep well-like structure that prisoners were lowered into to die. Like I said, ghost stories.

Afterward we walked to town, had a snack at the local pub,

and caught the next train home.

Grandma & Grandpa Seeley

The countdown to Grandma and Grandpa Seeley's visit began when we hugged them goodbye and headed toward security at the Newark Airport in August. Nine weeks seemed like a long time. But time does what it does, which is fly.

Here are Char and Bob on a bridge over the Vltava in Český Krumlov, southern Bohemia.

Fifty-two years of marriage and look at the way she still eyes him!

The boys wanted to show off some of our favorite sites and places in Prague, such as

the playground at the Franciscan garden,

the bizarre bar code babies (as Karl dubbed them) on Kampa Island,


and the chairlift at the zoo.


Twelve days went way too fast. Bob and Char have returned to Boston. But we're left with wonderful memories.

And some fun pictures, too!



Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa! We miss you already!