Mama Mia

There once was a young woman who wanted to travel the world. She travelled all over her vast homeland and then had a daughter. The daughter grew up and wanted to travel the world. The daughter travelled until she found a city in a far away country she wanted to settle down in.


The daughter lived happily in the far away land and the mama came to visit. They daughter and the mama travelled the world together- Germany, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic. Then one Christmas the mama came to visit and the daughter decided to pick an exotic and ancient location for their next adventure.


Soon the mama and the daughter were on a plane to Athens, Greece. They had so much fun climbing the hill to the Acropolis, walking on Mars Hill in the footsteps of Apostle Paul, eating piles of yummy food and bargaining to the lowest price with the merchants.


And they lived happily ever after in their Greek paradise....

My favorite town with my favorite sister!

Every December H and I pack our bags and head south to the little town of Ceský Krumlov. This town is the most perfect place in the world. It is small and quaint and makes me feel happy and warm. The only thing that can compare to a romantic weekend away in medieval paradise is a weekend in medieval paradise with my little sister=).


And that's exactly what I got this year. My little sis and her boyfriend joined H and I in Ceský Krumlov for a lovely weekend of walking, eating, laughing and enjoying every moment.

Vítáme Vás, sestra a přitel!

First Snow

Living in the most beautiful city in the world doesn't always mean spending any meaningful time in that city. But when the first snow coats everything in a romantic blanket of whiteness, there's only one choice.

Today I spent several lovely cold hours walking through my city and indulging myself in the first snow of this winter. It was the perfect cold. My nose was rosy and my toes were chilly, but it was a crisp cold not a biting cold.


I love the smells in the air on a day like this. There was a fireplace somewhere burning savoury wood, sausage stands on the street were frying up fat snacks for tourists, and hot wine bubbled away waiting to warm up the weary body.

Pilsner, Pils, Pilsener

A day in Plzen, the town that sits 70 km to the west of Prague, is a lesson in the essential of Czech life: Beer. The town is the birth place of pilsner style beer, a light golden liquid that floats over your town and into you tummy with more than ease.

We went to Plzen to see the Patton Memorial Museum. This is a museum dedicated to remembering the American army's role in freeing Czechoslovakia during WW2. It is a small musem but well organized with many interesting artifacts from that time. The texts are easily read and understood in Czech and English. It is good to see how this historic moment is remembered now, after being silenced for so many years under the Communist government.

Finally... when in Rome, do as the Romans. So, we also took an hour to go through the Beer museum which detailed the history of beer in Bohemia. There was a lovely museum guide, aged close to 70, who told us stories about the history of the town and the people who had a role in its rise to Beer King. I've never seen someone having so much fun at their job, maybe she's paid in the subject of the museum! And we made a stop at the local pub to sample a bit of what we'd heard so much about: Pilsner Urquell. It certainly lives up to all the hype.

Road Trip 08: The End

Day 11-18 of our road trip got lost in my writing with our progression west. We had less access to the internet and much more activity so my blog suffered. But here are the highlights:

The Finger Lake District of New York

Wow! I had no idea this place existed. If you are looking for beauty, relaxation and wine then this is a little bit of heaven on earth. With scores of wineries offering free samples and deep blue lakes streching for miles, you'll be nothing but happy.


Niagara Falls

We've all heard of the Falls, we've seen the photos..but if you haven't experienced it for yourself then make it your next holiday plan. The magnitude of nature will leave you in wonder. (And hopefully encourage you to work to perserve our nature through reducing waste, campaigning for our earth and recycling.)


Zanesville, Ohio

It may not be on the list of most interesting destinations, but it's my hometown and I appreciate her a little more each time I'm home. H and I went to a Zanesville High School football game. It was H's first high school football game and my first game since I graduated 10 years ago!


Gettysburg, PA

It's 150 years on from the Civil War, but the impact of war still resonates throughout American culture. The Gettysburg Battle is well known because of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, but I had never understood what this battle encompassed until I stood looking of the vast vast land that the battle was fought on. This wasn't about a hundred men against a hundred men, this was about thousands of men fighting hand to hand with thousands of men.

The museum was very well curated, taking the visitor day by day through the battle with small video clips, interactive screens and artifacts.

Road Trip 08: Day 6-10

Oct 2 Day 6
Lots and lots of lighthouses! Woohoo=)! Up the coast to Rockland and then a leisurely drive back down to Brunswick, with a little fruit wine tasting in between.

Oct 3 Day 7
Acadia National Park is breathtaking. We were wowed and amazed.

Oct 4 Day 8
We had a tire problem! Luckily, the tire shop we went to was cheap, friendly and so helpful. We drove down to Portland to check out the hippie University scene. Great historic downtown and two lovely lighthouses.

Oct 5 Day 9
A lazy Sunday afternoon. Church, donuts, walks on the beach and seals. Maine is one of my favorite places on Earth.

Oct 6 Day 10
A proper road trip day. We drove from Maine, all the way across Massachusetts, and into the mountains of New York State.

Road Trip 08: Day 1-5

Sept 27 Day 1
We left Europe for the other side of the pond. It took many hours and a crazy Hungarian airline to get us here..but we arrived. We ate McDonald's at 3 in the morning and found a hotel to crash in.

Sept 28 Day 2
Mystic, CT is one of America's treasures. What a quaint little fishing village! We walked around and reveled in the local atmosphere. Cape Cod was right where we left it. We found our favorite inn and settled down.

Sept 29 Day 3
We wandered around the Cape checking out all our favorite places and making some new memories. It's still magical here.

Sept 30 Day 4
A ferry boat to the island of Martha's Vineyard left us feeling energized and full of expectation. Martha's Vineyard was perfect. There are three towns, each with its own personality. We had our first lobsters and connected with the locals.

Oct 1 Day 5
On the road again. We drove up to Brunswick, Maine. The trees are full of color and vibrance. Maine makes me want to live in hiking boots and LL Bean for the rest of eternity, blissfully walking in nature.

Massachusetts: "So, where are you from?"

Conversation overheard on the ferry between Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Island:

Man: "So, you guys are visiting Cape Cod? Where are you from?"
Woman: "We're from South Dakota. We're on a tour of New England."
Man: "South Dakota?! You are a long way from home. I have a buddy whose second wife's family lives in South Dakota. I don't remember where but he's been to visit them a few times."
Woman: "Well, isn't that interesting. The world is small, everybody knows somebody these days."

Since arriving I've heard countless conversations between strangers. This isn't unusual for two reasons: 1) We are going to places where a lot of tourists are, mostly in their 70s. 2) Americans talk to each other. All the time. About everything, anything and nothing.

Most of these conversations are about where they live. Americans are obsessed with location. They ask each other where they are from, they talk about where they come from. It's very pleasant and homey, a bit like Mayberry.

I'm glad to be home.

My United States of America

Tomorrow I leave my adopted home of the Czech Republic and go to my first home-The US of A.

There are so many reasons to be excited for this road trip. We are going to go to lighthouses, eat lobster with our fingers and stick our little toes in the Atlantic Ocean. Stay tuned for all the stories here...

But before I leave I must nag for a moment and ask all you who are reading this to get out and be sure you are registered to vote. It is so important. It is our civil duty and a debt owed to all the men and women who over the years have protected our right to a freely elected government. If you are on my facebook.com friend list then you know who I'm voting for (Go Illinois!) But I'm not here to lecture on who, we can debate politics over a cup of coffee. I'm here to say VOTE AMERICA!

White Mountain

Today was the perfect autumn day. The air was crisp and leaves crunched under my shoes. It was the perfect day for a battle.

In 1620 there was a battle. It happened on Bilá Hora (White Mountain). This is a hill that was once outside of the boarder of Prague, but now is part of Prague 6. The battle involved the Czechs and the Austrians. If you are really into history, then you can check out the links below to get all the details of this battle of the Thirty Years War. But the reason I'm going on and on about a war from hundreds of years ago is that I saw the battle. Today. At Bilá Hora.

No, I'm not crazy. No, I didn't see ghosts. Every year on Bilá Hora, an international collaboration of actors and enthusiasts join together to reenact the battle for the public. The public came out in droves. There were lots of kids dressed in 17th century clothing. There isn't much cuter in life then little kids dressed like mini-musketeers running around with wooden swords. Sometimes I'd kill to be eight again.

For a few hours this afternoon I lost myself in history. I recommend getting lost there sometime too. It's a fascinating place to be....so, perhaps I'll see you at Bilá Hora next autumn.






http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_White_Mountain

www.art-rkc.com/bilahora/

Swiss Journal

Day 1
I arrived in Zurich early last Wednesday morning. I had taken a big yellow Student Agency bus overnight from Prague. It was a cheap ride, with free hot drinks and a movie. I didn't use any of these luxuries because I was sleeping like a baby all through the night.

I was met at the bus terminal by E. One of the best feelings in the world is hugging a friend you haven't seen for ages. In that hug all the time that has passed in washed away. E. looked great, as always. We chatted non-stop from the bus terminal to the train station and all the way to the idyllic Swiss village of Pfaffikon, where she lives.

The remainder of the day was dedicated to good wine, good food and long talks. And a viewing of "Sliding Doors" because it was the first movie we watched together (almost 5 years ago!!) and solidified our friendship.

Day 2
I love road trips. There's little better when traveling then having a map, a full tank and a winding road. E. and I took advantage of the beautiful weather to take a little road trip to a natural wonder and then a man-made one.

Rheinfall is one of the most amazing waterfalls I've been to, including Niagara Falls. The Rhein River rushes by at speeds that boggle the mind as you walk down hundreds of steps from the top of an imposing cliff to the base of the river.

Second we went to a small village called Stein am Rhein . For those of you who have had the privilege of bing in the Czech town of Český Krumlov, Stein am Rhein is like a Swiss version of Česky Krumlov. This little village is only about 300 meters of main street a small path by the river but it is charming and bright and has amazing ice cream;). If you want to experience Switzerland in a nutshell, Stein am Rhein is the place to go.

Day 3
We woke up to gray skies so we decided to scrap our Plan A of swimming in the Pfaffikon Lake all day and went to Kyburg Castle instead. The castle is state owned and there were lots of weddings throughout our time there to keep our attention. The castle exhibition was one of the best curated I've seen (and I've been to a lot of castles!).

It was a self guided tour with lots of interactive objects, technology and text to educate and entertain. There were buttons to push to play music and conversations from history, typical medieval clothing to try on, herbs to smell and try to name, and lots more to entertain us adults;).

Day 4
Back to Zurich to catch the bus back to Prague. We spent the day stolling along Zurich Lake. I took a million photos (check out www.flickr.com/honza-tasci). Zurich is so calming. It had Mediterranean charm with Alp mountain spirit. As you walk through the city, you feel energized and connected, carefree and grounded.

My bus ride home wasn't as ideal as the bus ride to Switzerland. I sat next to a very nice man from Africa. His family lives in Genevia and he works at an embassy in Prague. He speaks French and Czech, but no English. I know all of this because he showed me photos of his family, told me all about life in Prague and was very cordial for the first part of the bus ride. After our chat, I fell asleep. Sometime in the middle of the night my small bag fell onto the floor and when I picked it up it was wet. I quickly realized the pungent liquid was coming from my seat-mate's bag, under his seat. I woke him up and when he opened his bag I quickly realized that the culprit of both moisture and smell was the giant frozen fish that had began to unthaw in his bag. It was a long ride home, but didn't soil my relaxed mood that I brought back from lovely Switzerland.

An advertisement for Switzerland

I am not a "blondinka" but Paris Hilton and I probably sounded a lot alike when I was in Switzerland because I found myself constantly saying, "Oh, it's SOOO cute!" I chose the word 'cute' because it is the only word in the English language to fully and completely describe Switzerland. From the small wood houses that look like they belong in a fairytale to the cows all wearing bells that softly tinkle in the dusk, the whole country is a tourist paradise.

(More about my trip to follow soon=)....)

Injustice

Injustice is all around, is everywhere. We are reminded of it on the news, in the metro and from history. This week I was a witness to injustice. First was through the 40 year anniversary of the Soviet invasion on Czechoslovakia in 1968. The second was prejudice that we'd like to believe no longer exists in the 21st century.

On August 21, 1968, Soviet tanks rolled into the sleeping Czechoslovakia to 'reinstate a good communist regime'. The Soviets weren't happy with the Prague Spring that had thrown open the windows of oppression and let people have freedom of speech. The Czechoslovak public did not welcome the interference of "big brother Russia" and pasted the streets with protest art. It is hard fro me to imagine the nations of the west that were spouting words of support for democratic thought and freedom sitting idly by and doing nothing.

My second witness of injustice was on public transportation. I have to preface this with the fact that the Czech Republic is a very safe place to live and the Czechs are some of the most tolerant and open people on earth. Unfortunately, stupid people live everywhere. As H. and I were sitting in the cable car at Petrin Park, a large group of drunk punks got on the cable car. They choose a section where two African-Czech students were sitting. They proceeded to harass the students into giving up their seats and eventually leaving the cable car. There were several other minorities on the cable car-Vietnamese, Slovak, a few tourists and myself. There was silence to the top of the hill. The experience left me with a new empathy for how it feels to be helpless .

I mention these two incidents together because essentially it is the same human ego and defenselessness that drives power-hungry governments to invade sovereign nations or drunk punks to pick on someone who looks different than them. Maybe in another 40 years humanity will have evolved past jealously and egotism, and social justice will prevail...Or maybe we can just start by loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. I'm not sure which is more likely.




http://www.radio.cz/en/article/44313

"Oh, give me a home/ Where the mushrooms roam..."

There is one thing you have to know about Tasci Gibson. Mushrooms. I love mushrooms. I love them fried, sauteed, raw in salads, on pizza, in pasta-honestly, there are very few foods I wouldn't put a mushroom on.

Ask my mom, it's been like this since I was in the womb. She craved mushrooms endlessly. And as a small baby I demanded a mushroom on everything I ate. So, not much has changed over the last 30 years.

When I moved to the Czech Republic I discovered my own holy grail of cultural wisdom: The Czechs love mushrooms too! Not only do they love them, but they go into the forest and pick them! I was delighted, overwhelmed and amazed that I had come to live in a country that appreciated fungus as much as me.

So, this weekend I began begging H. to take me mushroom picking. We go a couple times a year but usually in the autumn, when the weather is best. The best mushroom harvests are due to a combination of rain, warmth and moon cycles which are carefully calculated and analyzed. These calculations all pointed to no mushrooms in the forest according to my dear boyfriend. But I was having none of it. I wanted mushrooms. So being the loving, caring, patient man he is...H. drove me out of Prague to a forest.

We searched. We searched. We searched. There were no mushrooms to be found. (Sometimes I hate being wrong...) I did find a bit of yellow fungus that I'm told can be eaten but I'm not brave enough to try, I also found a four leaf clover and one mushroom that H. said I could eat once (i.e. poisonous). But I'm not deterred. I'll be back in that forest soon...Once I learn how to calculate the pull of the moon and its effect on fungus.

Vineyards and Villages II

Mikulov



A little piece of the Mediterranean must have broken off during the creation of the world and fallen into Southern Moravia. I really had to check the GPS to make sure we hadn't accidentally driven to Croatia instead of the quaint town of Mikulov.

Mikulov sits on a hillside bordered by white rock face on one side and hearty green vineyards sprawling as far as the eye can see on the other side. Most of the buildings have been renovated recently with bright colors of yellow, brick red and blue adding to the quaintness. We had dinner on the main square, where a local band was playing toe-tapping folk tunes.



Valtice

After dinner we took a drive in the cool evening air. Through the vineyards, the road ribboned and brought us to the village of Valtice, wine capital of the Czech Republic. The square was large. People were walking slowly across. Grandparents holding toddlers, a group of teens with green and pink hair. A few tables sat outside a restaurant where the merry laughter of wine drinkers filled the air. Of course the standard chateau loomed on the horizon.

I loved little Valtice so much that the next day before driving back to the big urban Prague I asked H. to stop one more to and let me take a little "souvenir or two" back with us. The wine cellar at the chateau was excellent and I found lovely souvenirs to remind me of our weekend in the sun of southern Moravia.

www.mikulov.cz/en/?languageId=1

www.radnice-valtice.cz

Vineyards and Villages I

The Battle of Three Emperors

Tucked into the hills of the south of the Czech Republic is a field of purple flowers. If one doesn't know better than the field would appear to be like any other picturesque scene in Moravia. However, two hundred years ago this field was covered with bright red and blue uniforms of French, Russian and Austrian troops.

Napoleon met his enemies on this purple-flower field. Tolstoy wrote of this battle in War and Peace. If I'm honest, I was ignorant of the battle and its significance before our little journey to this stone monument. But after standing and gazing and the blowing flowers, imagining the young men sweating, scratching in their uniforms, the fear and dread in their eyes and hearts, I felt a new connection to a history that is not mine but has captured my imagination.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Austerlitz





Lednice

Last time I was at Lednice Castle, it nearly broke my heart. Not because of its beautifully sculpted gardens or its deep emerald lake or the sprawling trees and wild flowers. No, it broke my heart to see the castle, literally, crumbling where it stood. We passed by Lednice in the fall of 2006. It looked as if it hadn't been maintained since it was built in the 17th century.

However, on our latest trip to Southern Moravia last weekend we stopped back by Lednice and to my delight it was evident that reconstruction has begun and is moving swiftly to restore this castle to its glory.

The other surprise for me was how many visitors there were strolling throughout the massive gardens. The weather was quite warm and very sunny. It appeared that anyone that lived in a 20 km radius must have decided to wait out the heat at Lednice. The Lichtenstein landowners spared no money or extravagance in their garden designs. There is even a Turkish minaret imported directly from Turkey to accentuate the extravagance.

After a long (long, long, long, long....) walk around the gardens it was time to beat the heat in our own way and drive off to find a cold shower and chilled wine.


www.zamek-lednice.info/en/

Tanky

Tanks. This is not the subject one would expect from me but I've always loved history and am really interested in military history. History is written by the winners, after all. So when H. proposed we spend a Saturday (not the first time) at the Czech Military Museum I was all for it.

The museum is mostly outdoor. When you enter the complex, there are 5 long exposition halls that are divided by time periods: WWI, WWII, and Cold War. Each hall is arranged to show how military vehicles would have been utilized in their time period.

There is also a hall that recreates a large tank battle that happened in 1945 in the eastern Czech town of Ostrava. There is a trench that runs about 60 meters through the dark hall. Above you there is the sound of gun shots, whizzing grenades and incoming artillery fire. You feel like you've experienced a little of the battle for yourself.

Outside there is a long line of tanks with their details on small plaques with details of when the tank was produced, by who, when it was in use and any special facts to draw attention. I was awestruck at the number of things inventors have come up with to do with a tank. There were tanks that could dig trenches, amphibious tanks, tanks to assist with domestic tragedies such as floods and even a tank that could become a temporary bridge.

There was a time in life when I thought I might want to become a war correspondent. I think my hours at the military museum was all the action I'll be seeing for awhile.

www.vhu.cz

Departure Photo Exhibition Opening

Are we young and hip or are we getting old and petrified? Well, both answers could apply depending on how you interpret the following evening.

Last night we went to an art exhibition opening for our friend R. He has been taking photos for months and teasing us with the possible themes that his photos would take. R always gave an evil little grin and I could only imagine.

We found the building in the center after wandering round for a bit. The building was newly renovated, with modern glass and stone tiles. We were greeted at the door by a smartly dressed young woman with the guest list. Yep, the exhibition opening was by invitation only. After the smartly dressed young woman, we met a smartly dressed young man. He offered us champagne, which we took. Then another smartly young woman brought by colorful hors d'orves on a silver tray. Life is good in the world of art.

As we got closer to the photos, the buzz of congratulations and excitement filled the warm evening air. R's photos were hanging through the courtyard doorway. The prints were large, so it wasn't possible to miss the blond beauty in the photo laying on the bed with certain pieces of her anatomy exposed. (Trying to keep it rated PG for the kids!) The photos were tasteful and I was proud that R had pushed himself to be a better photographer in an area which he wasn't as comfortable with as buildings.

The theme was "Departure" and all the photos followed those lines. One focused on homelessness, another highlighted the lives of those affected by poverty. All photos expressed departing, and after sipping too much champagne, engaging in all the small talk we needed for a year and feeling full to the brim on life and culture...We, too, took our departure.

Botanicus

I'm a terrible gift buyer but luckily I've found a store here in Prague called Botanicus. It has lovely all natural soaps, body washes, cooking oils, herbs, handmade paper and many more goodies. A gift for everyone!

But more than just solving my gift needs, Botanicus gave me a lovely weekend adventure. It turns out that all those lovely natural products are grown just down the road from Prague in a little village called Ostrá. Besides having never ending French, English and wild gardens, Botanicus has also built its own village from the 1500s. The village is built to scale from authentic materials that would have been used 500 years ago. A few times during the summer there are medieval days where artisans work on candles, wool, blacksmithing in the small houses; jesters and theater troops perform in the streets and cozy outdoor theater; and baked goods full of fruits, jams and poppy seeds are sold at every turn.

I went with three teens and a mom and there was something for everyone. Mom spent lots of time smelling the flowers and enjoying the serenity of the gardens. The boys found a small labyrinth made from bushes and spent a long time chasing each other through the hidden trails. We young ladies enjoyed all the flaky warm pastries and dodging in and out of tiny doorways leading to novelties to smell, touch and try.

The train ride there had been full of energy and excitement and card playing. On the way back to Prague we were all quiet, dreaming of our lives we left back in the 1500s at Botanicus.

www.botanicus.cz

Karlštejn and beyond

There are so many things I love about the Czech Republic, but high on that list is the easy availability of walking trails. They are everywhere. No matter where you go, you will see the small green, blue, yellow or red squares painted on a tree or the side of a fence indicating that this is an official walking trail.

A great place to explore on these trails is the Berounka River valley. As this sluggish river winds its way through the crisp green foliage, little towns and villages sleepily await curious walkers. A few weekends ago my friend C. and I decided to go wake up these sleepy villages by speaking English in their streets and in their pubs.

We took a train to a little village called Srbsko (Serbia) and had a good filling Czech lunch to sustain our walk. Then we struck out for a small pilgrimage town called Svateho Jan pod Skalou. I'm afraid I don't know any of its historical significance beyond that there is a painting of Saint John above a spring that may bring you health if you drink it. (Or a bad case of stomach bacteria...)

We were feeling energetic after our 4 kilometer stroll to Svateho Jan, so we laughed at the sign indicating that Karlštejn Castle was 8.5 kilometers. We can do it! We are fit and young and adventurous!

After 2 kilometers of walking at what felt like a 90 degree angle up a never ending hill, we decided we were unhealthy and old and city folk and we wanted to go home! Luckily the hills evened out and our bodies adjusted and by the time we were in sight of the castle we said to ourselves, "That was no big deal! We could do it again right now." But we didn't. We had ice cream instead.