Český Krumlov

In the autumn, Jana and Rudolf accompanied my mother and I to Český Krumlov, one of the most beautiful towns in the Czech Republic. This town was actually one of the very first protected UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage sites in this country, mainly due to it's original medieval architecture that sustained the test of time. If you'd like to learn more about UNESCO, you can click here. Basically, a lot of money goes into preserving the historical centre and keeping its history alive for future generations.

Český Krumlov

Me and Mom

Rudolf & Jana

Jana, Me, & Mom

After the first of November, most of the castles and major tourist attractions close for the winter (until March 31st). However, Český Krumlov has a museum that is opened all year round. Below are some of the castle's furnishings from the 17th-19th centuries.

Dining Room Table

There was many varieties of porcelain dining-ware, tea sets, and vases in all different colors and patterns. It was obvious that the Silk Trade (trade between Europe and Asia) made these luxuries easily accessible to aristocratic families. For those of you who do not know, porcelain originated in China (as well as paper and gunpowder)!

Porcelain Vases

Porcelain Tea Set

I was intrigued by this early form of a wheelchair. It may not look that comfortable, but at least the injured and disabled could get around more easily, well that is, once they were already inside the castle, and if they could stay on the ground floor. There were no such things as handicap-accessible features in castles (or any type of buildings or homes) back in the day, such as ramps or elevators. Actually, come to think of it, many places in the Czech Republic are still not handicap-accessible today. I have seen older people on crutches have to ask for help from young men to get on and off the escalators for the subways in Prague. It's honestly quite disturbing considering there are so many rules and regulations regarding this topic in America. The elderly, injured, and disabled are truly dependent on others here, but at the same time, people always seem delighted to help. It's not seen as an inconvenience to them as it often is in New York.

Wheelchair

This next picture is just down-right comical. Aristocratic families even wanted their relieving stations to seem luxurious. They could not just sit on a normal toilet seat, but had to have them disguised as furniture when guests were around. G-d forbid anyone thought they actually used the toilet!

Toilets

Wash Basin

On top of the bed in the picture below, you will see a coal heater. Many families used to take coal from the fires and put it in this pan, then put the pan underneath the mattress to keep the bed warm. One could also call it a bed-warmer. However, many times, the mattresses were made from hay or straw and they actually caught on fire. So although it seemed like a good idea, it was often quite dangerous.

Bed with Coal Heater

Tea Time

Below is the actual body remains of St. Reparat, which were excavated from the catacombs (underground cemetery) in the late 1700s. It's basically a shrine, where Christians could pay respect to early Christian martyrs, or people who died for their religious beliefs. If you would like to learn more about the Castle Museum and its artifacts, you can click here.

After the museum, we climbed the stairs of the tower. 

Midway through, there was a gate that enclosed the tower prison.

If you look closely, it seems at least one person never made it out of the prison alive! 

The tower had four large, magnificent bells as well. 

Of course, there were gorgeous views once we climbed to the top (roughly six stories).

Český Krumlov

Castle Courtyard

The first aristocratic family to live in Český Krumlov was the Rosenbergs (in 1302). Since their coat of arms had grizzly bears on it, they decided to keep bears in the moat of the castle. Beer-keeping has existed at the castle since the 16th century. Though we only saw one bear, there are apparently four currently living here.

Bears

Jana, Me, & Mom

The Rosenbergs sold the castle to the Eggenbergs during the 17th century. After dying without an heir, the castle was, surprise, surprise, given to the Schwarzenberg family, relatives of the Eggenbergs. It was during the 19th century, under the Schwarzenbergs, that the castle and town reached its greatest height culturally, socially, and politically. The castle remained in this family's possession until 1947 (just like Hluboka).

After climbing back down the tower, we decided to roam the castle's gardens. We were greeted by a gorgeous stairway with statues of humans and angels as well as a large, elaborate water fountain. 

Although it was autumn, many of the trees already started to die and become bare. 

Nevertheless, it was still a magical sight.

Something that is truly unique at Český Krumlov is its rotating Baroque theater, or rather, I should say its rotating auditorium (seats for the audience). Due to the rotating auditorium, the actors not only use the stage for their performance, but can continue acting, especially fight scenes, on the lawn and behind trees, too. I'm really determined to see a performance here this summer, as the theater is outside. I hear it is quite the experience! 

Stage Backdrop

Rotating Auditorium

 Lastly, we went to the man-made pond and took some photos.

Mom

I was actually able to fit inside this tree!

Me

Jana

Overall, it was a beautiful day for touring and sight-seeing. I would list Český Krumlov as one of the top places to visit in the Czech Republic, for anyone thinking of coming one day!

Vánoce a Nový Rok

As previously written, the Christmas (Vánoce) season typically begins the last weekend in November, with the lighting of the Christmas trees in the town squares and the start of the Advent/Christmas markets. Depending on the size of the town, these markets can be held for only one weekend, like in Strakonice, or for three full weeks leading up to Christmas, such as in Prague. You've already seen photos from the market in Prague's Old Town Square (See: Holiday Season), but here are some from Prague's Wenceslas Square in the New Town.

In the picture below, you can see a woman in the bottom right holding a sausage. They are pretty popular at fairs and markets in the Czech Republic, but again, the ones in Germany are way better.

Trdelnik, a popular Czech sweet, has a doughy substance with a cinnamon flavor.

Each stall is different, but many contain these glass Christmas balls that are elaborately painted. I bought one for my Christmas tree back home!

Some of the stalls are not holiday oriented, but sell things to keep you warm in the cold.

Some sell wooden toys for children.

Others sell different chocolates and sweets.

The week before Christmas, some friends and I went to Český Krumlov (I'll blog more about this town in my next post) to see their Christmas markets. Generally speaking, the markets are all pretty much the same, but we like to get out and about and view the different atmospheres around the Czech Republic.

Barbara, Harrison, Rosie, Lee, Me

Barbara and Me

Rosie & Lee

On this day, the elementary schools in Český Krumlov were putting on a performance in the town square. We saw interesting skits, dances, and vocal acts from the children.

Baby Jesus Skit

We found this ice sculpture comical. We're not really sure what it was originally supposed to represent, but clearly it started melting at some point. It looks like a baby dinosaur to me.

Naturally, we could not visit a Christmas market without getting a mug of svařák. They give you the option of returning the mug to get 50 korunas back, or keeping it. We all opted to keep the mugs because they were beautiful as well as a keep-sake. As you can see below, Lee was the only smart one who actually held the decorated side of the mug for people to see, so thanks Lee!

Me, Rosie, & Lee

The next step in the Czech holiday season is St. Nicholas Day (See: Mikuláš, Anděl a Čert). Afterward, everyone prepares for Christmas by buying their tree and various presents. However, the Czechs are extremely modest compared to Americans. I would not compare their Christmas trees to Charlie Brown's, but they are roughly medium-sized (from the floor to chest-height). Czechs usually put them up no more than one week before Christmas. As for decorating the tree, the lights are simple and one color. If the tree even has any ornaments, they are only one type. For example, just red balls or just wooden soldiers. Not many Czechs decorate the outside of their flats or homes.

There is no such thing as Santa Claus here, but there is Ježišek, or Little Jesus, which in a way is a Czech version of Santa Claus. Ježišek is an abstract figure with no particular physical image attached to him. Also, no one knows where he lives, but children do write letters to Ježišek and put them on their windows for him to find a few weeks before Christmas. When they wake up the next day, of course Ježišek has come and taken their letters away. 

The main time for celebrating here is December 24th, or Christmas Eve. Many Czechs fast before Christmas Eve dinner. In fact, there is even a superstition that if you fast throughout the day, you may see a vision of the "golden pig" appear on the wall. If you do, this will bring you good luck for the following year. 

The traditional dinner is "Christmas Carp". Actually, my friend was invited to a "Pond Draining Party", which it turns out, is exactly what it sounds like. People from the surrounding villages come to the pond and drink beers and talk as they watch the pond drain. It's a community event that everyone looks forward to as the workers collect the carp (a type of fish) that was raised in the pond. The carp is sold from large tubs in the town squares a few days before Christmas. Some families even keep the carp alive in their bathtub to keep as a "pet" for their children before Christmas! 

The dinner consists of fish soup (made from carp) as an appetizer followed by fried carp and potato salad for the entree. 

Carp Soup

Fried Carp and Potato Salad

While everyone is eating dinner, Ježišek comes through the window and leaves presents underneath the tree. When he is finished, he rings a bell for the family to hear. You see, Ježišek is a baby, so therefore he cannot read a calendar, and accidentally brings the presents a day early each year (on Christmas Eve). When everyone finishes dinner, they open their presents. Then, if the family is religious, they sing Christmas carols and later attend Midnight Mass, or church on Christmas Day. Just as in the United States, many people wind up celebrating the commercialized form of this holiday. People do not understand its religious message, the birth of Jesus and coming of our Savior, and that it is a Christian holiday.

Christmas Eve is generally spent with just the nuclear family (parents and children), then on Christmas Day everyone meets up with their extended families. Czechs also celebrate December 26th, or St. Stephan's Day, but it seems to be a day of rest and relaxation with the family. This year, students had two weeks off from school (as many did in the States) due to the dates of the holidays. Ironically, out of about 200 students, nearly everyone stayed in their own towns with their family and friends. It is not so typical for Czechs to go on vacation as often as Americans do.

The holiday season comes to an end with New Year's Eve/New Year's Day (Nový Rok). Most aspects of this holiday are the same throughout the world. People gather with friends or family to reminisce and reflect on the past year as they ring in the New Year together. Many Czechs either stayed at home or went to a pub or restaurant. There were some specials on television, but no official countdown like there is in New York City. Czechs toast with Champagne at midnight as well. There is one tradition, however, that is different. At midnight, Czechs either watch fireworks or do them themselves, ranging from firecrackers and sparklers to the bigger explosives. This reminded me more of our Independence Day (July 4th) traditions.

Though I was not in the Czech Republic for Christmas and New Years (as I went back to the States for two weeks), I did create a Powerpoint and present about Christmas traditions in the States before I departed. We had great discussions about the similarities and differences between the holiday traditions between Czechs and Americans, which is why I was able to elaborate so much about them here. I think we all found the topic quite interesting!

Dresden, Germany

Last month I accompanied some colleagues and students on a field trip. This field trip was way different than any previous ones I chaperoned, mainly because I went to a different country for one day as opposed to a nearby state in the United States. I mean, how cool is that?! We went to Dresden, Germany, which is roughly four and a half hours from Strakonice by bus.

I, of course, noticed some differences about field trips here. For one thing, the school plans the trips through travel agencies, which probably makes life a lot easier for the teachers in charge. We had a tour guide for the entire day. Given she did not speak English, but my colleague, Milena, translated most information for me. What truly bewildered me was that the idea of chaperones does not really exist here. There were about fifty students and just three teachers; no parents were asked to join their children on the trip. This is quite different from the United States, which usually requires one teacher/adult per every ten students. The students usually have to stay with their chaperone at all times, too. While in Dresden, the students were given roughly three hours of free time to explore some parts of the town. They were basically in charge of their own welfare and safety as they were free to roam the streets with their friends and were simply told a designated place and time to meet up before heading back home. 

Back to the Dresden field trip. Our first stop was the Volkswagen transparent car factory, Die Gläserne Manufaktur. Now, let's be real. My concerns about cars generally involve their comfortability, style, color, etc. However, I was intrigued by this factory.

Typically, car factories are built on the outskirts of town in industrial areas as to avoid tourists and the disruption of normal city life. But, this car factory is unique. It was built in the middle of the city on the Elbe river and directly on the land of the Great Garden. The factory is surrounded by gorgeous nature. One might think the factory disturbs the tranquility and peace found in the Great Garden, but this has not been the case in Dresden. The factory was intentionally built in the most environmentally-friendly manor possible.

The factory only manufactures and assembles the Volkswagen Phaeton, which is approximately $90,000 at its most basic form. It's a high-end vehicle that can have a variety of amenities ranging from heated seats for each passenger to having a refrigerator in the back. The Phaeton is only assembled once it is purchased and each one is custom-made. With this in mind, there were a surprising number of Phaetons on the conveyor belt. Nevertheless, it's not something I would ever buy.

 I found the factory itself to be most impressive. It was ridiculously clean and quiet. I mean, I expected an atmosphere of dirty workers and noisy tools, much like at a mechanics. Yet, I felt as if I could hear a pin drop and if I swept a finger for dust, there would be none. You know, now that I think about it, it reminds me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. All the workers were dressed in white overalls, too!

As you can see below, the weather wasn't so grand for the field trip. It was pouring virtually all morning and afternoon. Regardless of the weather, we tried to make the best out of our trip, and went on a short walking tour of the city center. I discovered that Dresden is one of the oldest cities in Germany, and possibly one of the most beautiful. Unfortunately, the entire city was firebombed by the Allied forces during World War II. It was the third most destructive and casualty-filled event during the war after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. However, the Germans prevailed and re-built the entire city back in its original Baroque- architectural fashion! 

Royal Palace of Saxony Rulers

Semper Opera

Zwinger Palace

I was so cold!

This is the Procession of Princes. It's a 394-foot mural along the wall in the Royal Mews courtyard and depicts a parade of Saxony rulers, some walking and some on horseback. It's actually made from tiny porcelain tiles, which makes it even more awesome. Miraculously, it survived the 1945 bombings!

After the walking tour, we went to Dresden Royal Palace, which museum holds a Turkish exhibition. We stayed for about an hour looking at the various clothing, armor, weapons, horse-dress, and intricately designed battle tents from the Ottoman Empire. It was definitely my cup of tea. As usual, I was not allowed to take pictures inside, but I did take this one picture before entering because it's interesting. They may look like wooden statues, but they are actually bee keepers!

One of the main reasons we went to Dresden is because it's home to the oldest Advent/Christmas markets in all of Europe. They even had rides like the ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and small trains for children. I loved the jolly atmosphere, and it stopped raining just in time for us to explore the stalls outside!

Something you may notice-- Czechs never seem to smile for pictures. Here we enjoyed svařák, or hot, spiced wine, which is a typical favorite drink as the cold weather begins throughout Europe. Though delicious, it is extremely strong. One cup is more than enough to warm your insides.

Dresden is definitely a lovely place to visit in Germany. I had a lot of fun as I absorbed the city's culture and history and roamed the Advent markets. It's always a great idea to get a sausage on a roll in Germany since it's amazing and they're well known for them. Also, during the holiday season there is a particular sweet bread that is made called Stollen. We tasted all the samples of Stollen at the various stalls. :)

Mikuláš, Anděl a Čert

I witnessed some strange events on December 5th, the eve of St. Nicholas Day, here in the Czech Republic. The strangeness began in school, where some loud noises came from classrooms followed by children screeching and screaming. I definitely began asking questions immediately.

Apparently, St. Nicholas Day is one of the most popular Czech holidays. On December 5th, children are visited by three figures-- Svaty Mikuláš, or St. Nicholas, anděl, an angel who represents good, and čert, a devil who represents evil. These figures form a procession marking the beginning of the Christmas season. The streets are filled with devils rattling chains, St. Nicholases with white cotton beards, long robes, and bishops' staffs, and angels with paper wings on their way to visit small children in their homes.

St. Nicholas quizzes the children about the previous years' behavior. Sometimes parents inform St. Nicholas about a child's bad deed before they arrive, which makes for a better, more believable experience during the visit. It helps when the figures are typically friends of the family, too. The devil threatens bad children with his chains and sack. If they are not good, they will be tied up and thrown into the sack and brought down to hell with him. The angel then pleads on the child's behalf. Perhaps if the child sings a song or says a poem to St. Nicholas, he will reward them. Good children receive stockings filled with tangerines, nuts, chocolates, and small gifts. It is said that bad children get old potatoes or coal in their stockings, though it seems this rarely ever happens. 

The loud noises I heard in school were from the devil. The smaller children were visited by the three figures in their classrooms. The screeching and screaming were a result of the devil's threats. During lunch, everyone received some fruits, nuts, and sweets at the school canteen!

St. Nicholas Day reminds children that they need to behave before Christmas arrives in a few more weeks. Though it was quite scary for small children, it was a rather interesting and surprising day for me!

Oh, I also found this video that describes St. Nicholas Day by a Czech adult reminiscing about his childhood. Watch the first 2.15 mins: Mikulas