Bookworm: Full Circle

Back in my university days I fell in love with a book, Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. The book is a fictional telling of the months during which Albert Einstein was developing his Theory of Relativity. It is a series of dreams that show time in different dimensions, spheres and movements. In one dream time moves slower the further from the ground one is, in another dream their are infinite universes where one person lives multiple lives, still another has time travelers hiding from the present they are confined to.

I loved the concept of time not being linear. I loved the idea of infinite possibility. The idea of free will and destination colliding. The book's author is a professor of English Lit and Physics at MIT. That explains a lot. His writing is beautiful and his prose moves effortless. I loved his writing. (If you've known me any length of time, I've probably tried to loan you or have given you a copy.)

SO, today I was on the tram reading Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku. He is a theoretical physicist. I'm half way through the book and amazed. I'm amazed at how similar physics and philosophy can be, I'm amazed that there are equations that calculate what seem to be impossibilities, I'm amazed that their are people smart enough to come up with this stuff. But most amazing to me today was that while reading about the physics of time, I felt what I'll call a "full circle".

I realized that my Einstien's Dreams fasination wasn't just beautiful prose about "what ifs", these were actual theories that great minds had been debating for more than a hundred years. My heart skipped a little beat. I longed to get my hands on my copy of Einstein's Dreams. And then I nearly said out loud, "You are SUCH a nerd!"

I put this up on my travel blog as a reminder to myself that travel across time or continents or ideas is what opens the mind. I'm me because of the books I've read and the experiences I've experienced. I hope, out there in some distant parallel universe, another Tasci is reading this and smiling=)...

Summer Breezes

Summer 2011 has just flown by. It has been full of planning, thinking, worrying, celebrating and being.

Some of the things I've neglected to post in the past 2 months are:

1. Čestr Ambiente Restaurant: In one word is YUM! This is no place for vegetarians. It is a steak house that specializes in locally produced foods and high quality service. It is mid-price, so the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion when you want to splurge out a little.

2. Třebič. A little town with a little river and a big history. The old Jewish town is protected by UNESCO and gives a peak into the lives of inhabitants at the turn of last century.

3. Hořovice. I've heard that there are more than 500 castles and chateaus in the Czech Republic, and Hořovice is proof that they will sneak up on you. What a lovely chateau with lovely gardens hidden in the midst of a tiny town just a short drive into the countryside.

4. Sazava monestary, Krakovec castle ruin, and Zbiroh chateau. Honza and I love our drives. And a few weekends ago we did just that. We drove off explore little places we'd never been before. Zbiroh chateau was such a surprise! It is a beautifully renovated property with lots of walking trails that would be the perfect place to spend a romantic day away. Krakovec is a castle ruin where we waited out a thunderstorm. The rain pounded all around and we stood in the crumbling tower and enjoyed the wonder. Sazava monastery is one of the oldest established religious institutes in Central Europe. It is peace on earth.

Jested: A Must-do!

Drive north of Prague and you'll soon come to a town called Liberec. I can't tell you much about this town, but what I can tell you is that just outside the border is a small mountain called Jested.

On the top is a unique piece of architecture. Constructed in the 60s, the hotel/restaurant has the whimsical feel of being frozen in both time and space. We had lunch, which was both affordable and delicious, in the round object. The experience was such a treat.

Half the fun of Jested it getting up, and then back down. We took the Swiss-style cable car to the top. It is run by Czech Railways, so you buy a train ticket to move you to the hotel. From the top, we decided to walk down. The first third of the trip was a lovely frolic through the forest. However, the last portion had us shuffling gently down the steep ski slope. We definitely worked off our lunch!

Lovely nature, interesting architecture and good food all in one place: Jested is a must-do!

(See more photos on flickr)