Prague Journal

Saturday, September 8, 2007

2007-09-08T21:07:00.000+02:00

Saturday, my last day here. The Jaros children are headed to their grandparents' cottages for the weekend, so my goodbye to them comes early in the day. The afternoon was spent with Eva and Helen at the Prague Food Festival at Kampa. By chance I saw Martin with his wife, Jitka, whom I had not met when I was here before, so this was a fun encounter and opportunity to catch up on news of him and new projects, and of course family news.
The Prague Food Festival is a three-day event, now in its 4th year. Each day 12 restaurants offer samples of a variety of Czech, Brazilian, French, Japanese and Mediterranean specialties (30 restaurants participate over the weekend). There was also "an atypical fashion show with a gourmet spirit" featuring wonderfully imaginative costumes (food- or drink-related, of course).
Having seen all the offerings, and eaten our fill, Eva and I took a few hours in the afternoon to visit the Emil Filla art exhibit at Prague Castle http://wwar.com/masters/f/filla-emil.html
Filla, a Czech artist, lived in France, Germany, and Italy from 1907 to 1914. While there, his style changed from Expressionist to Cubism. He became the leading figure of the Cubist movement in both painting and sculpture. During World War I, Filla took refuge in the Netherlands. He returned to Prague in 1920 and began painting still-lifes. His work became increasingly violent in the late 1930’s. Filla was imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II. After his release, he began painting more naturally, creating some landscapes. Eva and I both preferred Filla's earliest works, to his bolder cubist paintings.

Helen reconnected with Eva and me, along with Honza and Blanka and her husband, at Evald Cinema to see Irina Palm, a British film about Maggie, a widowed grandmother with no savings, credit or job skills, who needs to get money so that her sick grandson can be sent from England to Australia for an operation that, allegedly, is the only hope to save his life. Having been repeatedly turned down by banks, friends and job-placement agencies, Maggie spots a "Hostess Wanted" sign on the Sex World establishment in London, and, in complete innocense, decides to apply. The job, which pays extremely well, involves "wanking" men through a small hole in the wall. Needless to say, at first, Maggie is horrified -- but, with help from a fellow "hostess," pretty soon the cash is pouring in and Maggie -- given the stage name Irina Palm -- is the most popular gal in the joint. I highly recommend this movie! While a bit sappy at times, it is thoroughly enjoyable (especially the scenes with Maggie's uptight friends).

After the movie, Helen and I went back to Kampa for one last drink and jazz entertainment by Petra Ernyeiová and the Jakub Šafr Quartet. I do love walking around Prague, and seeing the view of the city both from the castle and from Kampa, along the river. After only another hour at Kampa, Helen and I said goodbyes and then I headed "home" for a last glass of wine with Eva and Honza. Such good friends. Such a wonderful visit.

So, the taxi will come at 4:15am to take me to the airport for my 6:15am flight home. I’ll be glad to be back in Denver, but I'll also be looking forward to my next visit (next year).

Friday, September 7, 2007

2007-09-07T20:58:00.000+02:00

Jitka and her daughter Lucie took me to Zbraslav Chateau which houses a permenent exhibition of Asian Art. The large Zbraslav mansion was designed by the baroque architect Giovanni Santini early in the eighteenth century. A few pieces of Czech modern sculpture can be seen dotted around the grounds. However, inside there is only Chinese, Japanese, South Asian and Islamic art. There are Neolithic burial vessels and ritual bronzes , a vast array of Chinese Buddhas, and huge Japanese painted scrolls. There are also fine examples of Chinese and Islamic calligraphy.
In the evening I went to services at Bejt Praha. It was nice to see Petr and Ivo and Anna, and a few people who recognized me, despite the fact that I didn’t recognize them. There’s a nice crowd of regulars now. Of course the Spanish Synagogue is the most magnificent, probably in the world, let alone central Europe, so it was quite a moving experience to be here again.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

2007-09-06T08:56:00.000+02:00

Today was another “big day,” the original reason for my trip here, and for which I had prepared. I gave an all-day workshop to teachers at the university (the morning focused on innovative teaching and the afternoon on case research), a few of whom I had met two years before, but most of whom knew only about me from the promotional materials Eva and Prof Novy had circulated earlier. About 25 people sign up, so it was a good-sized group and, fortunately, very enthusiastic and participative. Only a few people were hesitant to speak (since this was entirely in English and some of the older participants were shy about their language skills). But even some who had not spoken during the workshop came to speak to me during the break or afterward to ask questions one-on-one and ask for additional information.
Eva and I had planned to go out to a concert at Pancrac, but partly because of the rain and partly just from fatigue, we decided instead to spend a quiet evening at home (despite the fact that there were no more mushrooms to be had!).

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

2007-09-05T20:52:00.000+02:00

Jitka had visited me in Denver in July, but we both were looking forward to my coming back to Prague and having some time with her on her turf. She took me to a gallery that I had not yet seen, art and sculpture collection of well-known artist and collector Jirí Anderle (who was, as we entered the gallery, giving an interview and lecture to a group of high-society benefactors). Anderle was born in Bohemia in 1936 and studied at the Academy of Arts in Prague. During 1961 to 69 he worked with the Black Theater in Prague and travelled with the group all over the world. http://www.artnetgallery.com/artists/Anderle.htm After admiring the paintings and (most especially) the collection of African sculptures, Jitka and I went downtown and had an early dinner—another wonderful feast with more food than I should have eaten in one sitting!

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

2007-09-04T20:50:00.000+02:00

The first few days were spent going to castles, art galleries, folk festivals, concerts and dinners. My schedule was a bit hectic at first, trying to fit in the people I wanted to see, juggling around their work and travel schedules and my own obligations here at the university. But Tuesday was the most strenuous day, yet perhaps the most fun. It started early, with a taxi waiting for me at 5:45am to take me to the studio at Czech Television for a broadcast of “Dobre Rano” (Good Morning) news show, where I was interviewed, along with Professor Novy, Eva’s department chair and the new director of the to-be-launched Honors Program, about this new “elite” program for students (which apparently is more controversial than I would have thought, given the competition for university slots and posting of all students’ test scores and placement). I met the translator, fitted with an earpiece and microphone to allow for simultaneous translation, and—very briefly—given a glimpse of expected questions. Our segment was about 10 minutes, but apparently watched by many people (and appreciated by those who invited me here) and a web link posted for others to see.

The taxi courteously took me to my next appointment, 8am breakfast with my good friend Helen, which we arranged to be close to the university where I needed to be for a 10am press conference (also about the honors program). Eva met me outside the university building at 9:40 and we went in together, to a larger-than-anticipated audience, evidence that some people (students in particular) had watched the morning TV news show. The benefit of the morning news show for me was that I learned a bit more about the nature of the program that I was allegedly commenting on! And the benefit of this news conference was that now I more fully understood not only the program, its content and length and target audience, but the role that I would be asked to play next spring.

This press conference—not aired on TV, but recorded and photographed nonetheless—lasted an hour (followed by tea and pastries and chats with students—all of whom are quite competent in English), so I had plenty of time to go to the Fulbright Office (conveniently only two tram stops away) for lunch with Hana and Hanka at a nearby restaurant. This, of course, was pure pleasure. They have become good friends and valuable resources for understanding the culture and political climate of the city and universities!

The afternoon TV broadcast was not until 2:30, but the appointed time for the taxi was 1:30, since I was taken—with Prof Novy and two students--the first to have been chosen for this program—back to the Czech Television building, introduced to yet another translator and fitted (and made up yet again) for the afternoon news show/interview. Now I felt better prepared to speak, although, ironically, this time I was asked about my home institution’s honor’s program (which I do know something about) and how it compares with the proposal for this Czech university’s new program (entirely different, but which I now felt more competent to speak about).

We were all taken back to the university shortly after 3pm, so I had plenty of time to see another friend at 5pm. By this time, however, it had started to rain, but we were able to at least get together for coffee before my dinner with Howard and Marketa at 7:30. The only thing missing from our elegant dinner together was Rick, who did not come with me on this trip, so we were a threesome instead of our usual foursome. Nonetheless, I had a wonderful time with them and was treated to a tour of their new apartment, currently in its last stages of remodeling, in anticipation of their moving in at the end of the month. I didn’t get back to Eva’s place until nearly 10:30, later than I expected, but only minutes after others returned from their own evening socializing.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

2007-09-02T20:32:00.000+02:00

In the morning, we visited Tocnik, a royal chateau of Wenceslas IV from the late 14th century, in Renaissance and Baroque styles. Deserted in the 17th century, the castle has been owned by the Club of the Czech Tourists since 1923. Eva and I happened upon a festival this morning, with belly dancers and folk singers, and numerous booths of trinkets, and food and beverages.

We returned to Prague and headed to Divoka ("wild") Sarka, the forest preserve at the northwest edge of the city, for an ourdoor performance of Antonin Dvorak's best-loved opera Rusalka, the haunting story of a water-nymph who yearns to become human because she has fallen in love with a mortal. Through a witch's magic spell she leaves her underwater home to live on land, with tragic results. First premiered at Prague's National Theatre in 1901, Dvorak's Rusalka has enchanted opera lovers for over a century. This opera, performed on the green with full symphony orchestra and renowed opera stars (and real horses), was attended by about 10,000 spectators (and more than a few dogs) sitting on the sloping grass.

According to Radio Prague http://www.radio.cz/en/article/95062, over ten thousand people made their way to Prague's Divoka Sarka Valley for an outdoor performance of Rusalka at an open air theatre founded back in 1913. The tradition of outdoor operas at Divoka Sarka Valley was broken off in 1922 due to a lack of finances and was not revived until just two years ago by the National Theatre. After the success of Bedrich Smetana's Bartered Bride the previous two years, this year's choice was Rusalka with Helena Kaupova in the lead role. During her main aria - Song to the Moon - you could hear a pin drop. In this case Rusalka was actually singing to the sun but nobody minded. The beauty of the surrounding environment more than made up for the lack of lighting and props. In fact many people noted that Rusalka surrounded by woods and meadows was the ideal setting, reminiscent of the countryside at Vysoka, Dvorak's summer retreat which inspired him to compose the opera. The National Theatre ensemble had the audience on its feet after every single aria and shouts of "Bravo" echoed through the valley. It was exactly what the theatre's founders Emil Pollert and Antonin Fencl had in mind when they built it in 1913. It took almost a century for their dream to come true and judging by the enormous interest outdoor operas for the general public have a future in Prague.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

2007-09-01T20:11:00.000+02:00

This weekend was spent outside of Prague. Honza drove us toward Karlovy Vary, although we didn't quite get that far west. We visited Loket, Becov, and interesting ruins of a partially-finished cathedral at Tynec (quite close to Prague). Honza spent most of the time (while we were looking at the castles, chateaus and museums) gathering mushrooms, so you can imagine the feasts we had Saturday evening.
Our first stop was Loket (which means "elbow" becaue of the shape of the town as it hugs the river), a picturesque Gothic royal castle, founded in the 13th century. The castle was built on the place of an older Romanesque building, enlarged in the period of the reign of Wenceslas IV and rebuilt in the 16th century. The castle was used as a prison between 1822 and 1949, after having been partially demolished in the 19th century.
Becov, or more properly Bečov nad Teplou, is a castle on a cliff founded by the Lords of Osek in the 13th century. The castle reached its peak in the late 15th century, when it belonged to the Pluh family of Rabštejn, who were engaged in gold, silver and tin mining. The Thirty Years' War brought an end to tin prosperity, and in 1648, the Swedish Army damaged the castle and occupied it. The most valuable preserved part of the castle is the Chapel of the Visitation of Our Lady from the year 1400 with original frescoes depicting 17 Biblical motifs.
In the 18th century, on the site of the former fortifications above the castle moat, a Baroque chateau with an octagonal tower was built. The tower housed state rooms, a library and fountains. In the 19th century, the castle was connected to the chateau as one complex. The interiors were renovated in the Romantic style by architect Josef Zítek. There are valuable collections of paintings and tapestries from the property of the Belgian Beaufort-Spontin family, who bought Bečov in 1813.
The most precious artifact is the unique reliquary of St. Moor, which was found in the chapel in 1985. Alfred de Beaufort bought a rare 12th century reliquary of St. Moor for 2,500 francs, had it restored and brought it to Bečov. At the end of World War II the Beauforts, active collaborators with the Nazi regime, left the chateau in a hurry. The reliquary was hidden under the floor of the castle chapel for 40 years. In the 1980s, police got a tip that a foreign businessman was offering mediating services in the export of the forgotten reliquary. After a long investigation into the archives and interrogations of witnesses, a short list was made of possible sites where the reliquary could be hidden. On November 5, 1985, the reliquary was discovered, surrounded by bottles of wine and cognac. Sixty Czech and international specialists participated in its restoration. The castle has recently been renovated and the reliquary is displayed in a special safety deposit room in the chateau Bečov.
Our last stop of the day was Týnec nad Sázavou. All that remains is part of a Romanesque castle, enlarged in the 14th and 15th centuries, consisting of a rotunda, a prismatic tower with a view, an attached, originally Gothic building and uncovered bases of a never-completed Romanesque palace. It's thought to be a spiritual place, and many people come for weddings or just for good luck.

Friday, August 31, 2007

2007-08-31T22:56:00.000+02:00

This evening Eva and I went to an all-Beethoven concert at the Rudolfinum, featuring violin soloist Leila Josefowicz and the Czech Philharmonic orchestra. The Coriolanus overture and Symphony No. 1 were familiar to me (although I can't remember hearing a better performance), but I don't recall hearing Beethoven's Concerto in D major. The soloist, a young (not yet 30 years old) American violinist, was absolutely superb, with masterful cadenzas she composed herself, a "adventurous and almost artistically risky" endeavor, in "today's age of respect for the written score." (When Beethoven wrote the violin concerto, performing one's own cadenzas was the expected norm. )

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

2007-08-29T19:54:00.000+02:00

It’s been two years since I’ve been in Prague, so obviously I was delighted at the invitation to come to give a seminar at VSE, because that was a good excuse to visit and see old friends. Coming at this time of year means that I will miss some of my friends, who are on holiday, since it’s Labor Day weekend in the US and a good time for them to visit families. But with a short visit—juggling my own schedule in between family and work obligations—it’s a mixed blessing because it means that my schedule is not so hectic, trying to fit in everyone I want to see in just ten days.

Coming off the airplane into the new airport terminal was quite a surprise—I hardly felt like I was in Prague. The new terminal, in construction when I left, is quite modern and, for me, totally unrecognizable until I got past the customs area. Then, with Eva to greet me, I felt quite at home and excited to be here.

My first evening was spent in and around Old Town, and at the International Folk Festival at Ovocny Trh. Walking around town reminded me of Prague’s charms, and also its transition into a world shopping and entertainment district. Wenceslaus Square is quite commercial, with casinos and big-name retailers where small shops used to be. Much is the same as two years ago, but much has changed since 1996.

epilogue: July 30, 2005

2005-08-01T19:14:00.000+02:00

Our landlady, her husband, and son came to pick us up with two cars at 8am: one car for luggage, one for people. Vojta led the way to the 10-minute free drop-off point with our luggage. We arrived at the airport at 8:20am. We thought we'd have plenty of time at the airport, since our flight was scheduled at 10:30am and there was hardly a line at the Lufthansa desks. But this day would be a very long series of aggravations. First, we spent 20 minutes trying to check in only to be told that we could not be booked because our e-ticket from United was not in the Lufthansa computer. Fortunately, I had the original e-ticket confirmation as well as the printout verifying our flight today from Lufthansa's computer, which I had gotten -- just to insure that our booking was OK -- several weeks ago.
The next 1 1/2 hours was spent at the Lifthansa office desk, mostly on hold to United (in the US, I think), to get a valid ticket number so we could be issued a boarding pass. As the time ticked away, we became more anxious and I finally became assertive and told the agenct -- at the desk and the voice at the end of the phone -- that they needed to get us on the plane. At 10:20, we were told that the flight was delayed until 11am, so we had some breathing time. But at every turn we were told that yes, our reservation was in the computer, but that there was no ticket number and hence, no boarding pass could be issued. The Lufthansa agent, who after an hour of shrugging her shoulders, confessed that this was not an isolated occurance--that United and Lufthansa each have separate computer systems which do not communicate with each other. Finally at 10:45, the agent was given authorization to issue us an "emergency" boarding pass, but only to Frankfurt. The agent said that she would send a telex to Frankfurt so that we could get Frankfurt-to-Denver boarding passes when we arrived at the departure gate. We ran to the check-in counter, where we met the first (and only) person who took our side from the first and expedited our boarding. She checked the bags, assuring us that they would be checked through to Denver . Two of the three bags were overweight (33 and 36 kilos respectively, with an official weight limit of 32 kilos) but she said that that was not a problem, that we had been through enough. She gave us our boarding passes and escorted us to the front of the passport control line, and told the passport agent to get us through quickly. She went with us to the security screening and did the same there. We ran to the plane and got to our seats, which were middle seats separated by three rows. The stewardess, the second nice person of the day, asked the man in the aisle seat next to me if he would mind moving, so Rick and I could sit together for the 50-minute flight to Frankfurt. The seats were terrible--right in front of the exit row so they did not recline. But the flight was uneventful and we arrived in Frankfurt with 1 1/2 hours before our flight to Denver was set to depart.
So, again we thought we had plenty of time. Not so. It took an hour to get through another round of security before we arrived at the designated departure gate. There we met a surly agent who said that she had received no communication whatsoever about our situation and that we should have talked with United, since it was "our problem" that we didn't have a proper boarding pass. Despite her insistence that we were to blame for the snafu, she managed to get an approprite ticket code to get us on board with only minutes to spare before the flight was set to leave. This time we were given bulkhead seats, so we had some legroom. Again, we were able to exchange one of our seats so that we both ended up together. I even had a window seat!
So, we settled down to a pleasant 9-hour flight. The flight crew were very courteous and the food -- we had two meals-- was fine. We even got chocolates and extra drinks on request. The flight arrived in Denver on time. We knew we were in the US as soon as we were greeted with a warm smile, even by the passport officer. (I should mention that we were in the US-passport line, not the line for foreigners visiting the US, who may not have been greeted so pleasantly.) Then the DIA "welcome host" directed us to the appropriate baggage carousel. After waiting for over an hour, it became clear that our bags had not gotten on the plane, depsite the fact that our names were not on the list of "missed" bags. We didn't have to figure out what to do next, however, since the baggage agent escorted us to the claims desk as soon as it became clear that all the bags had been unloaded from the aircraft and ours was not among them. Filling out the claim form took less than a minute. We were assured that our bags would arrive the following day and they would be delivered to our house between 6 and 7 pm. Going through customs was also quick and friendly.
Next, we boarded the rental-car bus to the appropriate lot. I had made an online reservation, but had had our good friend Vivien call so that we could get a AAA discount, which could not be done online. however, when we got to the rental car desk, we were told that no discount had been entered and none could be given at the time of rental. I must say, however, that the young man at the desk was pleasant and offered to upgrade the car for us.
So, we drove to our house and foolishly expected that (1) it would be ready for us to move in and (2) that Matt would meet us for dinner. On the second point, Matt had decided to go to a Rockie's game, so he didn't show up until after 10pm. On the first point, the house was in terrible shape -- mostly dirty but lamps and chairs were broken and all the furniture we had left set up (dressers, desks, bookshelves, etc) had been disassembled and put in the storage room. All but four of my houseplants were gone; the remaining ones were skeletons of their former selves. Even the telephone had been taken out of the wall outlet. Matt's drum set had been dismantled and was stacked in several boxes on top of the furniture in the furnace room. We felt pretty demoralized. Fortunately our neighbor lent us her vacuum cleaner and some bedsheets and pillows and let us use her telephone. We went to the grocery store to get paper towels, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies. Then we went out for a quick bite to eat until Matt arrived.
Sunday was a day of cleaning and moving and unpacking necessary items (kitchen and office stuff, sheets and towels). I set the sprinkler system to water the parched lawn. Our wonderful friends Jim and Vivien came by around 11am with coffee, tea, and cookies. They helped us set up tables and move furniture. Just their moral support was enough to brighten our spirits. We went to their house for dinner: scrumptous steaks on the grill, salad and ice cream (and beer, but not nearly as good as what Rick had gotten used to in Prague). Our bags finally showed up after 11 pm.
On Monday I called the phone company to reinstall a phone line to our house. Our computers are connected, thanks to a neighbor's wireless. We are slowly cleaning and unpacking. We went to Walmart to buy lamps, more cleaning supplies, light bulbs, wall spackle, etc. Right now it's Monday evening and Matt has arrived after a long day at work so that we can have dinner together--pizza delivered to our door. We'll move more furniture--and unpack a few more boxes-- this evening.

Friday, July 29, 2005.

2005-07-29T23:15:00.000+02:00

Today is our last day in Prague. Packing has finally begun, and the last load of laundry—mostly towels and sheets—is hanging on the line.
I left the house early to get to the jewelers at 9am to pick up Rick’s ring, but they were closed. Even the sausage vendors on Wenceslas Square are open at 9am. Veena and I had an appointment to meet at the Palace Flora shopping mall at 9:45, to go to see Karin’s new facility for the preschool she is starting this fall. Veena has written a case study about Karin, so we took pictures and got a bit of an update as to Karin’s plans and funding success. After a tour of the preschool facility, Veena and I took the bus to the metro station, and headed downtown. I got to the jewelers shortly after 11:00, only to see a sign that said “closed Friday.” Fortunately, the proprietor of the shop was standing by the partially-opened door, so I showed him my receipt and was able to pick up the now-repaired ring.
I was home by noon, and Rick and I spent the better part of the afternoon packing and cleaning. We took a short break around 3pm to go to the store and turn in the last of our beer bottles for some ice cream bars! We also bought some Czech chocolate to bring back for gifts.
This evening was our last Shabbat with Bejt Praha at the Spanish Synagogue. We had planned our last dinner here at Zlata Studna (“Golden Well”), next to the Royal Gardens and below the Prague Castle, but didn’t get things done in time for dinner. Instead we had dessert there with Howard and Marketa after services. The restaurant is situated on the top floor of a hotel, and has one of the most captivating views of Prague. The building is a historical 16th century Renaissance building, that once belonged to Rudolf II and later to the famous astronomer Tycho de Brahe. The interior of the hotel is furnished with beautiful, authentic reproductions of antique pieces from 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, created by world renown Richelieu furniture designers. Shortly after 10pm, there were fireworks visible from Letna plain. A nice way to say good bye!
So ends our year in Prague. Tomorrow morning, Vojta, our landlady’s son, will pick us up at 8am to take us to the airport. We have only three large suitcases to check, but they are very heavy, of course. We hope they’re not over the weight limit. Fortunately, we only have one carry-on bag each. Rick has a backpack packed with papers, chocolate and his computer, and I have a computer bag packed with books and toiletries. As I finish squeezing last-minute things into the suitcases and computer bags, it has started to rain—and cool off the city that has had record heat for three days. Somehow Prague seems more natural when it rains.

Thursday, July 28, 2005.

2005-07-28T22:37:00.000+02:00

It’s actually been hot and sunny yesterday and today, much to the dismay of every Czech I know. Czechs don’t mind the cold and are used to the rain. But heat wears everyone down, so only tourists are at the outdoor cafes. Czechs stay indoors or go to the forest.
Eva and I had planned to go into town together in the morning, but instead postponed our get together until late afternoon. So this morning I took advantage of the sun to do the penultimate load of laundry, which was nearly dry by the time I left the flat.
My first errand was to the Sue Ryder charity shop, to drop off a bag of clothes. Then I went across town to meet Yehudes at Pohorelec and we walked to her old dorm to use the music room so we could “jam” together, she on her cello and me on the piano. I told her I wasn’t up for Chopin, so she brought Brahms. I haven’t touched a piano in a year, and it’s disappointing how stiff my fingers are – no muscle memory whatsoever. But, we had fun together and even sounded pretty good at times. Mostly, we just had fun playing and talking. I hope I’ll be able to come back to Prague for her medical-school graduation in a few years.
After our too-short session, we raced back to the tram to get downtown. I wanted to stop by and drop off a copy of my brother’s book to Bruce, and I needed to meet Eva at 3pm, so my time was tight. Fortunately, all missions were successfully accomplished, and I was only a bit late for Eva.
Eva took me for a walk through Vrtbovska Garden, which is accessible through a small passage just off Karmeletska near Malastrana Square. The Vrtbovska Garden was built in conjunction with the Vrtbovska Palace (1715-1720) for the chancellor of Prague castle (Jan Jospeh, Lord Vrtba). The garden plan is trapezoid and ascends the slope of a hill. The lowest level, overlooked by a delightful garden room (the salla terrena) has a pool, a parterre and an aviary. It is fully secluded. There is a baroque stairway that allows one to walk up to each level of the garden, each with a more glorious view of the garden itself and of the city. The garden is almost adjacent to the rear garden of the American Embassy, which is inaccessible to anyone (except, perhaps, some staff members). It is interesting to see the American flag wave over this Czech garden.
We walked toward Kampa to find a café. As we passed the Ministry of Culture building, we saw flags at half-mast for Pavel Dostál, culture minister, playwright, wit and one of the last of the 1989 revolutionaries remaining in politics, who died July 24 after a long and public battle with cancer. He was 62. Dostál was known for wearing a single stud earring and having a curly mass of gray and black hair. After his diagnosis with cancer, he went from being one of the nation’s most popular politicians to becoming the most popular. He headed the Culture Ministry from 1998 until his death. As the nation's longest-serving minister, he developed a reputation as a defender of the arts in a funding-starved era and as a scourge of the Catholic Church, which he opposed on issues such as restitution of state-seized property and mandatory registration for religious entities. Dostál was liked even by his opponents, who credited him with transcending political rivalries through honesty and charisma. http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2005/Art/0728/news2.php
After a pleasant stop for a drink at an outdoor café beneath the bridge, overlooking the river, Eva and I went to see the Mucha exhibit at the Galerie U Křižovníků (at the Cross), the exhibition space on Křižovnické Square next to St. Francis Church. This underground venue was formerly a monastery that included a mediaeval hospital, the halls of which now serve as exhibition space. The current exhibition “Le style MUCHA” is a display of Alfons Mucha’s decorative designs and posters, intended to capture and present the line of the artist’s thought and work against the background of his life. The core of the exhibition lies in Mucha’s decorative designs and patterns for “La belle époque,” a work that contributed to establishment of the last universal artistic style, Art Nouveau. The exposition is focused mainly on Mucha’s two famous books, “Documents decoratifs” and “Figures decoratives,” which contain all the key patterns for Art Nouveau style. The exhibition opens with Mucha’s famous Paris period when he worked for Sarah Bernhardt and theatre, following with decorative designs and later works, including a poster for the St. Louis exhibition of 1904.
In return for Eva’s showing me the hidden Vrtbovska Garden, I showed her the historical Judith’s Bridge, the first stone bridge in Prague, that has been incorporated into the Galerie U Křižovníků building. There are still so many things in Prague that neither of us has seen!
We hurried to the metro station to get home for dinner. I arrived only shortly before Rick. This is our last meal in the flat. We’ve dutifully finished nearly everything in the fridge and cabinets now. What is left – and non-perishable—we will leave for the new renters. The bigger tasks of cleaning and packing are still before us.
After dinner, we went downtown for dessert with Marty and Harriet, fellow Fulbrighters from Kansas. They are leaving on Sunday, one day after us. Our last time in Prague with them was spent on the 6th-floor terrace at the top of the Prince Hotel, overlooking Old Town Square. This evening is a happier one than our other farewells, since we will see Marty and Harriet in less than two weeks when they come through Denver for a visit.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005.

2005-07-27T22:46:00.000+02:00

Today is full of goodbyes. I met Martin at his office at VŠE this morning to discuss a case study that he is writing about his wife’s NGO, which provides training and employment for mentally handicapped individuals. Martin is one of the people who has made my professional experience here so wonderful. I wrote three cases and one chapter for his book, which will be on the bookstore shelves for fall classes. Since the book went to press, Martin is visibly less stressed. Nonetheless, even last spring when he was struggling to meet deadlines, he was unfailingly pleasant to work with.
Hanka, the director of the Czech Fulbright Commission, met me for lunch at Stoleti. Over the course of the year I have come to appreciate not just how smart and competent she is, but also how sensible and personable. We chatted about interesting things, both Czech and American, including people, politics and funding issues. With each discussion with someone like Hanka, I get a better insight into situations and points of view from a Czech perspective. Sometimes the differences are subtle, and sometimes the history explains the nuanced meanings. But these conversations remind me about how long it takes to incorporate cultural learning into your mindset, so that attitudes and behaviors no longer seem strange or unpredictable.
Ales and Jitka took us to Posezení U Čiriny (Gathering at Čirina’s) for dinner. The main attraction of this restaurant is the chef, Irena Kosiková, who was once the personal chef to President Havel. The menu serves predominantly Hungarian/Slovak specialties. Needless to say, our meals were delicious. But I think the meal was especially enjoyable because of the elegant-yet-friendly ambience and, of course, the delightful dinner conversation with Ales and Jitka. They are some of our closest friends, here or anywhere, and we will sorely miss them next year.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005.

2005-07-26T22:45:00.000+02:00

I went to Žižkov to see Bruce’s new building and met Jeff, the general contractor, Paul, the architect, and a few other people who are managing the project. John M has been acting as a supervisor, visiting the site daily and giving Bruce progress reports. We walked through the building, basically a brick shell, and Bruce and John described where each unit’s walls, doors, and gardens would be. After the tour, John and I went to the “The New Jewish Cemetary” at Olšanska, which is a short walk and two tram stops away from the building. The Olšanska Cemetery is a huge complex, only one section of which is the Jewish Cemetery. This is where Franz Kafka and his family are buried. Many of the names on the tombstones are of German origin. The New Jewish Cemetery is a preserved cultural monument as a whole; partly due to its character and disposition, but also thanks to a hundred-year excellent administration supported by the Hevra Kaddisha (burial society) in Prague’s Jewish community. The Hevra Kaddisha saw to it that graves were established in cemetery lots both chronologically and in accordance with the family’s wish and significance, which was important socially in the bourgeois society. The Hevra Kaddisha also saw to it that inscriptions on tombstones were truthful and testifying to the buried person’s character. Since its establishment in 1891, the cemetery has been surrounded by the wall protecting the space for some 100,000 graves. There were also structures built in the neo-Renaissance building style that prevailed in Prague in those times. The funeral parlor contains a respectable hall of prayer, and adjacent rooms needed for the ritual preparation of the burial. There is an administration building that houses the cemetery caretaker’s office and his and gravediggers’ apartments, and other structures such as a storehouse of wood used to make coffins. Since the very beginning, the cemetery has been properly divided in lots which were gradually used as graves. This cemetery will never be completely filled with graves because the devastating scourge of Nazism exterminated those who could and should have rested here one day, but there are memorial plaques on the walls to commemorate those who were killed. One memorial that draws most visitors’ attention since its installation in 1985 is that commemorating the Czechoslovak Jews who perished in concentration camps or were killed in resistance fights. This memorial is a sandstone block of concave ellipses concentrated around a hole, evoking the impression of a tortured world in whose midst the Star of David is shining. This piece of art deeply effects the conscience of all, regardless their faith or world outlook.
I then went back to the center to have lunch with Charlotte – our last lunch together this year in Prague. Regardless of when I return to Prague—and where Charlotte is living at the time—I predict that if I show up at lunchtime, she will insist on making something for us to eat and we will have a sisterly conversation. Obviously, I hope not too much time passes before we have lunch together again.
Today is Rick’s birthday, and he requested that we see a movie, so I rented the DVD of Želary, a movie set in the 1940s when the Czech lands were occupied by the Nazis. The story is about Eliška, a young woman who was unable to complete medical school because the Germans closed the universities, and who was working as a nurse in a city hospital. She was also involved in the resistance movement along with her lover, the surgeon Richard, and their friend Dr. Chldek. One night, a man from a rural mountain area is brought to the hospital with serious injuries, desperately in need of a transfusion. Eliška’s blood saves his life and a connection is formed between the two that in the course of the story becomes an extraordinarily strong relationship between the modern, cosmopolitan, and educated Eliška and the uncultivated, salt of the earth man with the soul of a child, Joza. The resistance group that the doctors are involved in is uncovered by the Gestapo, and suddenly their lives are in grave danger. While Eliška’s lover, Richard, flees the country overnight, the group quickly has to find a different safe haven for her. They ask Joza, the patient whose life she saved with her blood, to hide her in his remote mountain cabin. Eliška is forced to leave her urban life and, all at once, become a new woman: Hana, the wife of a mountain man. Her new home is the wild mountain village of Želary, where time stopped one hundred and fifty years ago. Despite the fear, misgivings, suspicion and clash of different worlds, Eliška/Hana and Joza fall in love. This is a profoundly moving and dramatic story, filled with unexpected twists of fate, that takes place in a God-forsaken part of Europe surrounded by the storm of war.

Monday, July 25, 2005.

2005-07-25T22:44:00.000+02:00

The weather report said “sunny intervals,” which apparently means “it won’t rain all day long.” The sun did come out briefly during dinner. Mostly, it’s been pretty wet and dreary.
Today is errand day. I went downtown to change money and then to the bank to inquire about the $1.23 transaction charge and to try to close my bank account. As to the first question, this is the charge for my “cash withdrawal” last month. (I should have suspected.) The second is, closing the account takes 45 days from the time I turn in my ATM card. There is a 400 CZK charge, so I am told that can’t draw down less than that. But, I managed to withdraw all but the remaining 50 CZK (roughly $2) by recharging the mobile phones with the ATM card, so I think I will just abandon the account and not try to deal with the customer-unfriendly bank bureaucracy here.
After my banking errands, I looked at several stores to try to find a store with a suitable card to send for my father’s birthday, and also went to the jeweler that Charlotte had recommended to get Rick’s ring repaired. The ring should be ready on Friday, the day before we leave! I went to Howard’s office shortly after 1pm to drop off the last of the books he had lent us (Rick). Next I sent to Czech National Bank to meet my landlady, Milena, for coffee—and to settle accounts. She was very kind. She calls me her “best friend renter.” She is especially happy that I rented the flat to another Fulbright couple for next year, and she proceeded to tell me about some of her bad experiences with renters. She and her husband would like to move back to this building—to the flat on the first floor (between us and her brother’s flat), but the elderly woman and her son have rights to this flat, at least until the old woman dies. Right now they pay almost no rent, but the state is changing that, albeit slowly.
Rick and I are trying to finish off the food in our fridge, much of which is cheese and sausages and braunschweiger that Rick bought a few weeks ago. We our last “domaci” chicken dinner, and finished the last of the desserts from Jitka and Eva.
After dinner, we went to AghaRTA Jazz Centrum, one of Prague’s classic underground jazz clubs. It’s a cozy cave, probably not much bigger than our living room, and it’s always standing room only if you don’t get there before the show starts. I had wanted to go this evening to hear Jiři Stivin, whom I adore. Seven or eight years ago, we had heard Stivin perform various flute music from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Baroque periods. He’s really an extraordinary musician. He has been interpreting pre-Classical music on the recorder since 1975 and has been intensely involved in jazz, composition, and in the improvisational New Music, using saxophone, clarinet, flute, recorder, and several kinds of folk pipes. He gives solo recitals with harpsichord, organ, or guitar, and sometimes performs with the sole aid of a tape recorder. For over ten years, as part of the Prague Symphony Orchestra’s concert subscription series, he has been giving a series of performances called “All Manner of Flutes” and has written a large corpus of film, theatre and concert music. Jiri Stivin teaches at the Prague Conservatoire, at the annual jazz workshops in Frydlant and is frequently involved in many other projects, including educational concerts for children. This evening’s performance was smooth jazz, with his own jazz quartet, Jiri Stivin & Co. Jaroslav Sindler, his guitarist was wonderful, but Zdenek Tichota, on the bass guitar, was extraordinary. We could have listened to him play solos all night long.
The drummer, Michal Hejna, was playing with a band on a cruise ship in the Caribbean during the 1989 Revolution. He had left on August 22, and came back on December 19—a month after the revolution—to a different country. Otakar Svoboda, who founded Artia Records, the communist-era label that controlled almost the entire music industry in the Czech Republic, hired Hejna to oversee recordings of a new subsidiary, Arta Records, in 1991. An offer to manage the newly opened AghaRTA jazz club soon followed, and Hejna found himself in charge of booking talent as well as recording albums. In 1992 he started using his contacts to bring international talent to Prague under the auspices of the AghaRTA Prague Jazz Festival. Artia was liquidated in 1994, but Arta Records is still a successful independent jazz label.
We can really tell Prague has changed by how few smokers there were this evening. I had to move around a few times, but easily stayed through the last set.

Sunday, July 24, 2005.

2005-07-24T23:18:00.000+02:00

Rick spent much of the morning consolidating the remaining vitamins to fit in the fewest and smallest containers. We had brought more than a large full suitcase worth; we’re taking back a small (heavy) suitcase full.
This afternoon, Rick worked on math while Vojta, our landlady’s son, put slats on the metal fence that borders the front of our building. Vojta was not happy about his work. His mother thinks it is good for him to learn these carpentry skills, but Vojta prefers accounting.
I spent the afternoon downtown. I finally went to the Czech Museum of Music, which I had wanted to see since Charles and Claudia’s visit in March. The museum is now housed in a reconstructed old Palace in Karmelitska Street in Malostrana (“Lesser Town”), which originally was the Church of St. Magdalene, built in the seventeenth century in Baroque style according to a design by Francesco Caratti. It was owned by a Dominican monastery until 1783, at which point it was remodeled in stages, serving successively as a post office, a police barracks, and, from 1948, the headquarters of the State Central Archives. So this building has an unusual mix of early Baroque church architecture with functional modifications in Classical style and a recently-completed remodeling for the museum.
The atrium is immense, set up as a concert hall, with Petrof pianos and a biography of Anthony Petrof, who took classes about the construction of pianos in Vienna, and made the first concert piano in the Czech Republic in Hradec Králové in 1864 before moving to his hometown of Brno to convert his father’s workshop to a piano factory. The rest of the main floor hosts an art exhibit. The amazing collection of instruments is on the first floor (second level).
The entry hall of the tour is a strange visual/aural composition by Milan Cais titled The Four Elements, of the diversity of popular music of the twentieth century as preserved in film, television, photographs, and sound recordings. Proceeding to the instrument displays, there are pianos, clavicords, harpsichords, and organs of many shapes and sizes, stringed instruments dating from the thirteenth century. During the early 20th century, master musician Alois Haba found a piano maker—the Forster company—to make a piano with quarter-tones and even sixth-tones. There were only two ever made. One of them disappeared somewhere in Egypt before the war, so the quarter-tone grand piano in this museum is the only existing example of a quarter-tone piano.
There are “glass harmonicas,” which resemble nothing I had seen before. They are not blown or strummed, they are rubbed. There are no-pedal, single-action-pedal and double-action-pedaled harps. There are wooden wind instruments from the sixteenth century, which were very fashionable at the time, but disappeared in the baroque era, when they were overcome by more modern types. There are “bombards” and windcap shawms in a collection from the Rosenberg family in South Bohemia. There is also an extensive collection of old string instruments: lutes and zithers that are not used in contemporary music anymore, as well as predecessors of modern-day violins and violas. There is a violin made in the 17th century by the famous Italian violin maker Nicolaus Amati.
There are displays of woodwinds, brass and a few percussion instruments. There is also a small display of musical devices, one of which is a “flute clock,” another a manual synthesiser from the Prague Radio & Television Research Institute, made in 1967. Most of the rooms have headphones set up to listen to some of the instruments played by famous Czech musians. I walked through the exhibits several times – I think I would have been happy to stay all afternoon.
I walked from the museum to Malostrana, across the Charles Bridge to Old Town, and eventually made my way to the Muncipal House at Republic Square. I then took the tram back to Malostrana, and took the metro to Hradčanská, and boarded the bus home. I didn’t realize until I got out at our stop that Rick was on the same bus, returning from the gym. We had a nice dinner together and watched the news (about the terrorist attacks in Sharm El-Sheik) and were able to see some coverage from Lance’s 7th victory in the Tour de France.
Armstrong’s new record of seven wins confirmed him as one of the greatest cyclists ever. Although riders were still racing, with eight laps of the Champs-Élysées to complete, organizers said that Lance Armstrong had officially won the Tour de France. The course was wet from the rain, and several riders had already fallen. Armstrong took the podium with his three children, Luke, 5, and twin daughters, Isabel and Grace, 3. Both girls wore yellow dresses to go with their father’s jersey while the boy was in blue with a yellow logo. In a brief speech after a French military band played “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the American flag was raised on the Champs-Élysées. Armstrong had barely caught his breath amid the cheers of his record victory in the Tour when he took a call from President Bush, who told his fellow Texan how proud he was of him. The White House said the president called Paris from his retreat at Camp David to congratulate Armstrong for “a great triumph of the human spirit.”

Saturday, July 23, 2005.

2005-07-23T22:22:00.000+02:00

It’s still dreary and rainy, not at all like summer. We hear that Denver has 105-degree weather. If that persists, we will surely be in for a “temperature shock” when we return next week. Today I have started making a list of final things to do, including paying final bills, closing my bank account, backing up my computer, etc. I’ve already sent change-of-address forms to my US banks, securities, and credit card companies. Among things on the to-do list: 2004 taxes, sabbatical report, syllabus and book orders for fall classes. My committee obligations start August 4 (although I can gracefully back out of this first meeting if I want to). Fortunately, I had some time to think about my DU obligations this afternoon, so I have made a course outline and activated my Blackboard container. I still have two manuscripts to review, but they should be easily finished tomorrow.
Rick and I had a delightful evening with Jana and Edvard Outrata. Rick said he has not had such a pleasantly stimulating, deeply intellectual and worldly discussion of world affairs in quite a long time! Jana and Edvard are highly educated, well-traveled, and well-read, so it was interesting to hear their take on world affairs and Czechs (and views of Czechs). Edvard is in his last senate term, so we are eager to see what his next “retirement” looks like – he surely won’t be idle. Jana’s International Women’s Network has been renamed “ALTISA,” and she is still a women’s advocate and social activist. She gave me a copy of her new book, “Where is my Home?” which is just recently available in Czech, as “Not Stepping Twice Into the Same River.” We had been invited to come at 5pm for “a glass of wine,” which was poured from a vat that Edvard had gotten directly from the vintner in Moravia. Jana served several spreads and pate, a delicious cauliflower-cheese soufflé, and rum (tuzemák )-berry custard. We had intended to eat dinner at home afterwards, but were both quite full when we left their house at 7pm.
If you’ve been following the Tour de France, you know that Lance Armstrong won the penultimate stage today, thus securing his lead. Armstrong’s time for the 55-km time trial around St. Etienne was 1 hour, 11 minutes and 46 seconds, 23 seconds ahead of Germany’s Jan Ullrich. This puts Lance’s overall race lead at 4:40 over second-place Ivan Basso of Italy. Tomorrow Armstrong will ride past the Arc de Triomphe and up the Champs-Elysées to his seventh victory. Amazing.

Friday, July 22, 2005.

2005-07-22T22:28:00.000+02:00

Eva came by this afternoon, mainly to talk about her Fulbright application. We discussed the nature of her project and who she should work with/talk to at DU and, perhaps, other Colorado universities. I hope she will decide to stay for a full academic year, but mostly that depends on funding. We also exchanged digital photos from our trips and made a date for one last gallery expedition next week before I leave.
This evening was our last dinner with Charlotte and Bruce and Michele and John. Bruce’s nephew Rob and his girlfriend Jill are visiting, so there were 8 of us for dinner. Rob competed in the Iron Man triathlon in Switzerland a week or so ago, so he and Rick talked a lot about athletes, especially cyclists. Charlotte made the best crepes ever, with vanilla-bean whipped cream, chocolate sauce, homemade raspberry jam, and fresh nectarines. I think we ate enough to last a week.

Thursday, July 21, 2005.

2005-07-21T22:30:00.000+02:00

It is such a pleasure to have a day to myself. I have lots of errands to do – bank and post office errands among them – and catching up on e-mail and blog entries. Writing a diary is hard, since the details of the days blur quickly. Most of my official projects are finished here, with just a few case studies and reviewing duties remaining (some of which, like Olga’s company Gity, will not be finished before I leave here).
Vladimir came to re-set our wireless router so that Donna, the Fulbrighter who will rent our flat this fall, can use it for her computer when she arrives next month. So now we are thinking about how we will set up our internet connection in Denver when we return. We have more options now than when we left a year ago. We have several things to consider, among them our phone options, since we disconnected our telephone when we left last August. We have gotten quite used to mobile phones here. On the other hand, landline calls are not free here as they are in the US and mobile phones here are cheaper to use – especially for text messages – than in the US.
Rick and I had dinner with Veena at Cantina, a Mexican restaurant on Ujezd near Bohemia Bagel. The food was good, but not as good as Mexican food in Denver. I miss hot salsa and refried beans.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005.

2005-07-20T22:00:00.000+02:00

Ondra and I met at the Florence bus station at 7:15 for our trip to Zlin, an industrial town built by Tomáš Bat’a not far from the Czech/Slovak border. Olga has arranged a tour of the city for us, and planned to meet us in Zlin at 4pm. We got a call at 8:30 from her secretary, after we were on the bus and on our way, to say that Olga was sick and would not be able to meet with us, but we would still have a tour. We arrived in Zlin around 12:30 – delayed because of an accident on the Prague-Brno highway that necessitated a half-hour detour—and were greeted by Dominika, whose father works for Gity in Brno. Dominika is from Zlin, but is here just for the summer, visiting family and friends. She will finish her baccalaureate degree this fall from Indiana University, having gone there four years ago on a tennis scholarship. Dominka took us to the Tomáš Bata mansion, which is now the Tomáš Bata foundation. We were supposed to have been met by someone to take us for a tour of the mansion, but no one showed up so we just walked through the rooms on the main floor ourselves.
Tomáš Baťa was born in Zlin on April 3, 1876, and was known as the Cobbler of Zlin. With his brother and sister, he founded the Bat’a Shoe Organization in 1894, which became one of the world’s largest multinational retailer, manufacturer and distributor of footwear and accessories. Bat’a introduced factory-style production and long distance retailing, and modernized the shoe-making industry. Eventually Bat’a obtained sole control of the company and the company surged ahead in production and profits. WWI created a booming demand for military shoes, and the company quickly became one of the prime brands. Tomáš also exhibited his business acumen with his initiatives towards producing low-cost shoes for the general public, whose purchasing power had been significantly reduced in the aftermath of the war. He also set up factories and companies in other countries like Poland, Yugoslavia, the Netherlands, Denmark, the UK and US. Each factory was self-sufficient and autonomous in its design, production and distribution strategies, in a move to focus them towards catering to the local population. By the early 1930s, the Baťa enterprise and Czechoslovakia were the world’s leading footwear exporters. Baťa was also widely regarded as a businessman with an acute sense of social consciousness. He is quoted by many as one of the first pioneers of employee welfare and social advancement programs. He is credited with efforts to modernize his hometown providing the people with employment, and housing facilities, making him a very popular citizen in the town. His goal was “Good and cheap shoes, even for the very poorest, and high wages for all who worked for him.” He also became the mayor of Zlín. Tomáš Baťa died in a plane crash in 1932. After his demise, his son Tomáš (who is still living in Canada) took over the company. The Zlín factory was appropriated by the communists and is no longer part of the Bata empire, but the Bata company still exists, now mainly as an importer and distributor, rather than a manufacturer, of footwear. Today the company operates in 68 countries.
Dominika took us for a drive around Zlín to see the town and the brick houses that Tomáš Bata built for his factory workers. These small brick houses still exist, but many have been renovated and expanded to suit today’s tastes and affluence. Dominika’s mother has worked as a buyer for the Bat’a company for many years.
Next, we went to Tomáš Bata University. Again, no one was there, and we only walked through the first floor. The university was established in 1995-97 by Tomáš Bata, the son/nephew of the founders of the Bata shoe empire. The building we visited was new, built in 2000. Apparently there was a school of Technology here in 1960, built as a college workplace for the Svit factory, which had previously been the site of the Bat’a shoe factory before state appropriation. At that time, this school was part of the Technical University of Brataslava (Slovakia). In 1963 it became a part of the Technical University in Brno to train specialists in leather, plastics and rubber technology. Officially, Tomáš Bata University in Zlin was established on November 14, 2000, when then-President Václav Havel signed the legal foundation documents.
Our last stop was the top of the 16-story building that Bat’a built in the 1930s, the tallest building in the country at that time. We had coffee on the terrace and talked about some of the differences between Prague and Zlin. To the Czechs, Prague is not typically Czech, since it is such a tourist city, and so influenced by German multinational companies, expats and visitors.
Dominika took us to the bus station, where I caught the 4:30 bus back to Prague and Ondra walked to the train station to visit some friends in the nearby area. I arrived home shortly after 9pm, and Rick had dinner waiting for me.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005.

2005-07-19T21:39:00.000+02:00

Martin’s brother Jakob and his girlfriend Marcela arrived late last night and joined us for breakfast this morning. Jakob works at the Konopiste Golf Club where Bruce plays golf, so we have a mutual acquaintance. The rain last night put a damper on today’s plans for a swim, and we spent most of the morning relaxing indoors. Jitka made a Slovak dish of chicken, sausages and vegetables for lunch, topped off with delicious apple strudel. After lunch we took a short hike down to the Vltava River. There is a resort hotel with a pool that overlooks the river and has a great view. Later in the afternoon, Rick and Ales and Martin and Jakob played bocce ball (petanque) on the lawn.
We had intended to take the train home, but Jakob was kind enough to drive us back to Prague, so we stayed at the cottage until 7pm. Jakob dropped us at a convenient metro station, and we were home shortly after 9pm. The train would have taken more than 3 hours.

2005-07-19T13:48:00.000+02:00

Petanque: a close match

Monday, July 18, 2005

2005-07-18T21:39:00.000+02:00

This morning we are off by train to Cerneva nad Vltavou (in Jetetice Samoty) for two days with Ales and Jitka. We arrived just in time for lunch—a splendid Hungarian ragout, with a nut cake for dessert. Jitka’s cooking is always a treat. Joining us at the cottage this time was Jitka’s older sister Pavla and her 17-year-old grandson Martin. Martin is quite an athlete, and was on a long bike ride when we arrived. He is in training now for the Czech police SWAT team.
After lunch Ales took us for a hike through the forest. We looked for mushrooms, but most of them had been picked off during the weekend. We did find some acceptable Babka mushrooms to take back to Jitka.
The main dinner course was chicken kabobs cooked on a grill in the yard. We brought the last of our marshmallow supply to roast after dinner, but barely had time for one marshmallow each before it started to rain.

Sunday, July 17, 2005.

2005-07-17T22:40:00.000+02:00

After a typical Czech breakfast of cheeses, meats, bread, yogurt and fruit at the pension, we drove to the baroque castle at Manetin. Manetin originally was a Johannite knights´monastery. From 1622 to 1945, the monastery was property of the Lazansky family of Bukova. The Church of St. John the Baptist (Virgin Mary of Loretto) dates from 1712 - 1719. The Church is connected by a covered passageway to the Manetin chateau.
One of the more interesting tours was our visit to the Cistercian monastery in Plasy. We were not able to go into the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, but the convent was amazing, especially the painted ceilings and the blend of architecture and waterways. The Plasy manor was given to the Cistercian Monastery by King Wenceslas II in 1144. Our tour of the monastery included the Baroque Chapel, Strettius Gallery, and Exhibition of Pharmacies. (There is a contemporary art exhibition along the corridor walls, which I think detract from the baroque atmosphere and the ornate ceiling murals.) We saw the little Church of St. Wenceslas, and walked around the mausoleum of the Metternichs nearby.
Our last tour of the day was at Karlštejn Castle, the best known Gothic castle in the Czech Republic. We were almost late for our tour because we stopped for a drink at the café nearby. We had forgotten that it takes about 30 minutes to walk up the castle path from the parking lot. We had to take a taxi, but we were in time for our 4pm tour. We had been to Karlštejn 7 years ago, and remembered many of its feataures. The Church of the Holy Cross in the Great Tower, which dominates the skyline, was closed for renovations when we were here before, and has only been reopened since 2000. The church vaults are decorated with semi-precious stones, set in the shape of crosses, and contain the castle’s unique collection of portraits of saints, popes, bishops, and other religious leaders. Above the altar is a niche enclosed by golden bars, where the crown jewels and relics were once placed. The vault’s decorations show a sky containing stars, the moon, the sun and the five planets that were known at that time.
Karlštejn is one of the most notable Czech castles and one of the more famous symbols of the Czech Kingdom. It was founded in 1348 by Czech King and Roman Emperor Charles IV. The castle is built on three levels: The first level contained residential rooms used by the emperor, his wife and their court. The second level was a place of catharsis, housing the Church of Our Lady and Charles IV’s private chapel, which was connected to the church by a narrow corridor. The chapel was devoted to St. Catherine, his patroness. The highest point of the castle was the tower which is the site of the Chapel of the Holy Cross, symbolizing “Heavenly Jerusalem.”
Charles IV originally intended Karlstjn Castle to be place of relaxation but, during more than seven years of construction, its role began to change. Ultimately, the crown jewels and various religious relics were housed here, and during Charles’s reign the castle was predominately a representative seat. In the course of the Hussite wars, Karlštejn was a frequent target for attacking Hussites; in 1422, its fortifications proved strong enough to withstand a siege. In the late 15th century some alterations were made to the castle, in the Late Gothic style. In particular, reconstruction of the Great Tower altered the outline of the castle. Between 1578 and 1597, during the reign of Rudolf II, extensive reconstruction was carried out in the Renaissance style. In 1625, Emperor Ferdinand II downgraded Karlštejn’s status, and the castle and its dominion became the dowry of Czech queens. Maria Theresa donated the dominion to a noblewomen’s institute, and it was only in the late 18th century that Karlštejn’s historic significance was appreciated. Under the guidance of architect Josef Mocker, a “regothicization” of the castle began in 1887, involving the demolition of some castle buildings and the construction of new ones. With much the same appearance that it has today, the castle was first opened to the public in 1910. Eva and Honza’s tour was the last of the day, so we were almost the last ones to leave the castle grounds.
Before heading home, we went to see the Amerika limestone quarry, now an abandoned, water logged quarry just off the main road towards Prague. We headed home at 7:30, arriving at Eva and Honsa’s flat shortly after 8pm. Immediately we started mushroom preparations for 5-course mushroom dinner. Honsa had brought camping refrigerator in the car to keep mushrooms cool, but it didn’t feel cool at all when we got it home. Maybe it was not very cool because the car was very hot from sitting in the sun on a warm day. So, while three of us prepared dinner – lots of mushroom chopping and stirring, Rick looked up tour coverage. Honsa was master chef. I must admit I have never seen, much less tasted, so many mushrooms. Needless to say, we had a wonderful dinner.

Saturday, July 16, 2005

2005-07-16T22:41:00.000+02:00

This morning is the start of a two-day weekend trip with Honsa and Eva. We left our flat at 9am and drove to Baroun, just southwest of Prague toward Plzen. The weather is lovely today and the countryside is lush and green. Honsa wanted to pick mushrooms but Eva and Rick and I went to Krivoklat, a medieval fortress with a royal castle and prison that dates back to 1109. Premysl Otakar II, one of the kings of the first Czech dynasty, annexed Krivoklat Castle and its lands to the royal family and made the castle one of his official seats in the 13th century. The king Vaclav IV was passionately fond of the castle and hunting in the surrounding forests was especially to his liking. The castle declined after fires in 1597 and 1643, and suffered further damage during a fire in 1826. But the castle has been restored and we were able to take a short tour inside.
We then drove through the former Sudetenland to Kralovia and Marianske Tynec to the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. We made a brief stop at the St. Nikolas Church in Potvorov, and then took a lovely drive through Rabstejn. The baroque Church of the Virgin Mary at Rabstejn is a former monastery, but we could only look inside. Allegedly, Rabstejn nad Strelou is the smallest town in Central Europe. Its population is 27 inhabitants. The town records can be traced back to the year 1269. There is a gothic castle and fortifications that date back to the 14th century. The Church of Virgin Mary of the Seven Sorrows was built between 1766 and 1768. There is also an early-Baroque monastery and a Renaissance palace that was rebuilt in Baroque style in the 18th century. There is very old stone bridge with statues nearby, but not adorning the bridge. We stopped at a small, neglected Jewish cemetery and then went for a hike along the river. There are bunkers not far from the border, fortifications built in the 1930s that were intended to prevent an attack by neighboring Nazi Germany. These are big concrete “pillboxes” that are now abandoned and overgrown with weeds. The Czech fortifications were constructed according to French fortifications—the so-called Maginot Line. Similar structures were built in almost all European countries. But those designed by the Czechs, along with the French and the German, are considered among the best built. Some people believe that the bunkers are reminders of their time, proof that Czechoslovakia was indeed ready to defend itself. The Ministry of Defense intends to sell them, following an upcoming advertising campaign, to anyone who is interested and offers the best price. It’s unlikely that people will turn them into holiday cottages, however, since they are humid and difficult to maintain. Right now they are ideal homes for mushrooms.
We ended the evening at the Pension “U Zamku” (“near the Mansion”) in Novy Dvůr (New Courtyard). The “mansion” is now a ruin on the grounds next to the pension. We had dinner at the pension and then roasted marshmallows in a firepit on the old mansion grounds.

Friday, July 15, 2005

2005-07-15T22:42:00.000+02:00

Olga G set up an appointment for me to meet Milan Zeleny, from Fordham University in New York, who wrote the book about Tomas Bata’s management system. He is visiting the Czech Republic this week. He’s a very interesting man – born in the Czech Republic, but moved to the US in 1967, before the Prague Spring. He’s a professor at Fordham University, but now has “dual” appointments in several places, including Zlin. I think I’m more interested in his stories about the Czech Republic and Czech/American “values” and culture than I am about his view of management and Tomas Bata’s innovations.
I met Brad for coffee at Radost at 2pm. Bruce (Brad’s father) joined us, so we had a very interesting conversation about Bruce’s business deals and golf-course plans. Next stop was meeting Eunice for tea at Ami’s. Our time in Prague is nearing an end, so these short get-togethers are becoming more precious.

Dinner this evening was with Marty and Harriet at Zlaty Dvur on Husova, near their flat. We ate on the terrace, accompanied by live music: a jazz trio of trumpet, electric bass and electric piano. It didn’t start to rain until we had just finished dinner, so we stayed under the table-umbrellas for nearly an hour longer. We finally ventured out just as the rain cleared. On our way home, we ran into two drunken Scots. Prague is full of Brits coming to Prague for party weekends. It’s not uncommon to see them in matching t-shirts or kilts. These two had a list of bars and had only begun to work their way down their list. We had a hard time understanding them, since their brogue was so thick. Marty and Harriet graciously escorted them to Old Town Square and pointed them in the direction of Dlouha Street to the Roxy Club, their next bar stop.

Thursday, July 14, 2005.

2005-07-14T22:44:00.000+02:00

Rick is off to see Ales and Jirka again this morning. His math collaborations have gone extremely well, but he is feeling the pressure of time as we realize that we have only two more weeks here before we head back to the US.
We had arranged to meet Hana and Radim for dinner near the Strahov monastery near Prague Castle. They are in Prague visiting their parents and this is their last week here before they return to New Hampshire. We took them to the "Peklo" ("Hell") brewery/restaurant, where Rick and I had eaten earlier this fall with the Fulbright folks. This evening, however, we sat outside, enjoying the warm weather. After dinner we strolled down the hill to Malostrana, enjoying the lovely view of the city on an unusually clear evening. We had eaten dinner early, so we were home before 10pm, just in time to beat the sudden change in the weather – more rain.
This evening’s email contained a note from our renters informing us that they will be leaving at the end of this month. So, it looks like we will be moving back to our old house, at least for awhile.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005.

2005-07-13T22:25:00.000+02:00

Rick was able to schedule a Czech class with Irena early in the day, to free up our evening for dinner with Henry. Sasha is out of town, but Henry had suggested dinner at one of their favorite places, “Little Buddha” near the Strahov Monastery behind Prague Castle. The atmosphere was interesting – not so much because of its Tibetan/Buddhist décor, but because it was so un-Czech. Rick tried to speak Czech to the waitress, but she seemed more comfortable in English. Nonetheless, the food was good and not very expensive, and our conversation with Henry was delightful as usual.
Perhaps a more interesting thing about this evening is that we met Henry at his flat, just by the arch near the Castle, which is in the same building as Jana and Edvard Otrata. Edvard used to head the Czech Statistical Office and is now in the senate. Jana was one of the first people I met here seven years ago, at her International Women’s Club, which met at her house. So I recognized her apartment immediately as we walked up the stairs to Henry and Sasha’s place. Henry boldly knocked on her door and we received a pleasant “how nice to see you again” greeting from her.
Henry drove us home after dinner, so we were home by 10pm. We decided that that gave us time to watch the last DVD that Harriet and Marty had lent us, since we want to return them when we see them on Friday. This movie, another Menzel/Hrabal collaboration, is called Postřižiny (Cutting it Short, 1980). The story is based on one that Hrabal published in the seventies, and it goes back to the time of the writer’s childhood (Hrabal was born in 1914) spent at the brewery in Nymburk, a small town close to Prague. The story is set at the beginning of the new century when the enchantment of technology started with the advent of motorcycles, cars, electricity, short skirts and short hair for women. This film is lit up by the magic of the old “golden age” of the optimistic early years of the First Czechoslovak Republic. The breaking up of the Old World with the new century is represented by the wonderful long and bright hair of Maryška that she cuts in accordance with the new tempo of civilization. According to a review of the movie by Ivana Košuličová [http://www.ce-review.org/01/9/kinoeye9_kosulicova.html], the characters in the film are based on Hrabal’s parents. Whereas Hrabal uses the literal figure of his mother as the narrator of the text, the director, Menzel, transforms the storytelling into the third person form. Menzel also does not show the motifs of cruelty in his film: for example, Maryška (Hrabel’s mother) cutting the tail of the dog because of the new age in which everything seems to be getting shorter, from travel times to skirt lengths. But Menzel does show scenes that are very close to events in the actual text. One example of this is the scene following the slaughter of a pig: Maryška chases the butcher and the doctor Gruntorád (Rudolf Hrušínský) and they both try to spread bloody sausage meat on each other’s face. This is a return to that now familiar device, the ceremonial aspects of everyday existence, with the killing of the pig becoming a kind of pagan ritual. The same ceremonial tones are showed between Maryška and her husband Francin (Hrabal’s father). Their ritual of seeking for presents is not just an erotic game, but it also turns an ordinary moment into a unique event. Menzel also relies heavily on the use of slapstick. A typical illustration of it is the figure of a laborer in a brewery played by Rudolf Hrušínský Jr, who is always getting hurt as a result of accidents caused by Uncle Pepin, Francin’s brother who has—much to everyone’s dismay—come to stay with them for 2 weeks. Rick especially liked Maryška, the beautiful (and seductive) characterization of every man’s fantasy, who loves beer and steaks for breakfast and takes every opportunity for risk and adventure.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005.

2005-07-12T22:23:00.000+02:00

Ondra met me at Dejvicka at 7:30 am to drive down to Brno to meet Olga G., who had called just yesterday to suggest a meeting with her today. We made good time and were in Brno in 2 ½ hours, which gave us time to have coffee and plan our interview with Olga. We went to her office promptly at noon, where she greeted us warmly and spent 1 ½ hours with us. Ondra said he was surprised at how open she was. We were both very pleased. Olga was not only generous with her time and information, she was charming. We considered the interview a favor for us, but she presented us with a bottle of Moravian wine, some stationery, and a book about Tomas Bata as thank you gifts. A high point of the interview was when she showed us photos of her friend Tomas Bata at a company party earlier this spring. He is 99 years old and still going strong! She wants us to go to Zlin next week and see the town he built and the university that bears his name. This sounds wonderful, but Zlin is farther from Prague than Brno and my schedule is already full. We’ll see if we can pull it off.
This evening’s dinner was at Café Slavia, looking out at Prague Castle, with Yehudes. She only has one more exam –this one on physiology – to end the term. She’s planning on going to Guyana with my brother and son and nephews in early August and is very excited. She’s exhausted from her medical school studies here, but still very enthusiastic about the prospect of achieving her dream of being a doctor in the foreseeable future. As always, it was a pleasure to see her and chat about our experiences here in Prague. Yehudes is one of the many people we’ve met here with whom we’ll keep in touch for a very long time.

Monday, July 11, 2005.

2005-07-11T22:23:00.000+02:00

My agenda this morning was simple: buy a strudel for dessert, go to the bank, meet Eunice for tea, and get some work done before dinner with Pavel and Ivka. I had sent a revision of the textile company case study on Saturday and had gotten an immediate and positive reply from the editor, who asked for very minor revision. So I was eager to get closure on the case before I leave town (thinking, naively, that this would leave me with only Eunice’s case left on my research to-do list here).
By the time I left to go downtown, it was pouring rain again. I went to three bakeries and none had strudel. I barely had time to go to the bank before I had to meet Eunice. She suggested that I try the rhubarb pie at Carrefour. So, taking her advice, I went to Andĕl to the Novy Smíchov shopping center and braved the crowds at Carrefour. It took me a half hour to get to the store, only about 15 minutes to find the section with pies and desserts, and then over half an hour in line. Instead of walking back to the metro (subway) station, I jumped on the #9 tram to the center, which was, in hindsight, the wrong decision, since it took me over an hour to get home.
Pavel and Ivka showed up at our flat at 7:30 and we chatted briefly over cheese and crackers and beer before walking down the street to Pizzeria Siesta. It was strange to have an evening with them with no kids! And wonderful, as always, to chat about families, life in Prague and the US, and a bit of politics. After dinner, we came back to our flat for rhubarb pie and coffee. Fortunately, the pie was tasty, even if it did take up half my afternoon to get it.

Sunday, July 10, 2005.

2005-07-10T22:22:00.000+02:00

I headed off to the airport with a small but heavy suitcase to give to Kyle and Steve to take back to Denver for us. Normally, we could take it back ourselves when we return at the end of the month, but the airlines are now weighing the carry-on bags as well as the checked bags, so we are concerned about being above the weight limit for our luggage. I was surprised that there were no lines for Lufthansa, unlike the last trip Rick and I took, so we had time for coffee and a last conversation.
I had arranged to meet Bill and Peggy at Old Town Square at noon, so I had time to pick up a few groceries on my way back from the airport before I headed downtown. One of the nice things about playing tour-guide to out-of-town friends is that I get to see things I might not ordinarily come across. For the first time today, I was able to go inside the Tyn Church. The Church of Our Lady before Týn (Kostel Panny Marie pred Týnem) is the Gothic church whose 80m high steeples dominate the skyline of Old Town Square. It was built in 1365 on the site of an earlier Romanesque church. Entry to the church is through an arcade; the Gothic northern portal with its original preserved sculptural reliefs is accessible from Tyn Street (Tynska ulice). The entrance portal is decorated with scenes of Christ’s passion and there is a huge Rococo altar on the northern wall. To the right of the altar there is a tomb of the Danish astronomer Tycho de Brahe who worked at the court of the Emperor Rudolph II. A gilded statue of the Madonna dating back to 1626 stands in the late Gothic gable between the two towers. Between the early 15th century and the year 1620 it was the main Hussite church in Prague. The interior was reconstructed in the Baroque style after a fire in 1679. The Týn church has a grand pipe organ and occasionally it is a concert venue.
We continued walking through the Ungelt, the quaint courtyard that originally served as a marketplace for foreign merchants bringing goods to Prague, toward St. James church. This attractive Baroque church began in the 14th century as a Minorite monastery church. We couldn’t go in, but we could see inside about 20 altars decorated with works by Jan Jirí Heinsh, Petr Brandl and Václav Vavrinec Reiner. The guidebook says that a tomb of Count Vratislav of Mitrovice is the most beautiful Baroque tomb in Bohemia. Hanging to the left of the main door is a mummified forearm. It has been there for over 400 years, since a thief tried to steal the jewels of the statue of the Virgin. Legend says that the Virgin grabbed his arm and held on so tightly that it had to be cut off. Because of its excellent acoustics many concerts and recitals are given in the church.
I took Bill and Peggy to Kolkovna for lunch, and we then headed toward Vyšehrad. This trip had a dual purpose: I wanted to show them view from the Nusle bridge and the old castle and also to transport them back to the Holiday Inn to get their bags before heading to the airport for their afternoon flight back to the US. Their taxi picked them up at 3:00 and I was home before 4:00.
For the first time in a long time, Rick and I had a quiet evening at home, just the two of us. Marty and Harriet had loaned us several DVDs, so I suggested we watch Pupendo, a movie about the difficulty of life in Czechoslovakia during the 1980s. Apparently, “Pupendo” is a child’s game in which a joker promises something mystical and pleasurable to his victim and then delivers a sharp slap on the stomach. Pupendo is another period piece from the collaboration of Hřebejk and screenwriter Petr Jarchovský, who also produced Divided We Fall (Musíme si pomáhat) and Cozy Dens (Pelíšky).
Pupendo is a story about two families set against the backdrop of art and politics. A talented artist Baedrich Mara (Bolek Polivka) is blacklisted by the Communist government following the Russian occupation. Since he can’t live from his art and he won’t take a day job, his family has to make kitschy ceramic piggy banks to get by. A chance encounter with an art historian combing through a garbage can brings the artist back into contact with a former student and lover. She’s more ambitious than principled and can make life easier for him in return for some gesture art. The artist can handle making a wall mosaic for her husband’s school, but a hideous statue of a Russian marshal is naturally more problematic. Eventually it doesn’t matter. Through the art historian, their names land on the Voice of America, and as a result, both families end up in the drink together.
Rick was so tired from his yachting trip that he fell asleep after the first scene and woke only to see the last half. Then he stayed up to watch the first half that he had missed! It may take him a few days just to feel like he’s on level ground again.

Saturday, July 9, 2005.

2005-07-09T22:21:00.000+02:00

The sun is out today, but the weather is not particularly warm. Steve and Kyle are spending their last day in Prague shopping and walking around the city center; I’m spending mine finishing page proofs for two articles.
Rick and Howard were scheduled to return from Croatia at 4:00, but their flight was delayed two hours, so they went downtown directly from the airport. Our dinner reservations were for 7pm, so I met Steve and Kyle at the Municipal House at 6:45 (and gave them a mini-tour) and Marketa met us at 7pm at the Patriot X restaurant nearby. Rick and Howard and Howard’s Israeli friend Yaki (Jacob) arrived shortly before 7:30. We had a nice dinner downstairs in a secluded room so we could talk and linger. Jaki had to leave at 9:30 to go back to the airport for his midnight flight back to Tel Aviv, but the remaining six of us stayed another hour. As we walked Kyle and Steve to their hotel, Howard explained a bit about the history of some of the buildings, filling in pieces here and there of things I hadn’t heard. There is still so much that I don’t know about Prague.

Friday, July 8, 2005.

2005-07-08T23:58:00.000+02:00

Today is unseasonably rainy and cold, not a good day for walking around town. I went to the cafe at the Municipal House to meet Peg, a Florida professor of Communication and Public Relations who will be spending part of next year here as a Fulbrighter. She and her aunt Carol are taking a week to see Prague and Peg is using this visit to line up housing for herself for next year, and get a head-start on preparing for her year by meeting with her university hosts and with Hana at the Fulbright Commission.
Our good friends from Denver, Steve and Kyle, are here this week with Kyle’s sister Janice and her husband Andy who live in Florida (and are not used to cold, rainy weather). Our plan was to meet at the Spanish Synagogue for services at 7pm and afterward go to dinner in the dining room at the Jewish Town Hall. Services were nice – a moderate sized, but quiet and diverse crowd – with Petr presiding. The service ended at 8pm and Steve had been told that dinner at the Jewish Town Hall would not be served until 9:30pm, so we went to the Svejk Restaurant for drinks before dinner. We had planned to go to Kolkovna, just across the street from the Spanish Synagogue, since it is one of the restaurants that is known for its Pilsner Urquell tap, but the place was very crowded (perhaps an indication of its popularity) and quite noisy. Shortly after 9:00, we walked to the Jewish Town Hall to see when dinner would start – the orthodox services start at sundown, which is late at this time of year – and were told that the tables were just being set up. I had neglected to get a dinner ticket for myself and foolishly we mentioned that there would be five of us instead of the four that were reserved under Steve’s name. The security guard at the door, who was quite polite and pleasant, informed us that I would probably not be allowed to eat, since no money could be exchanged on the Sabbath. The officious guard inside the town hall, however, decided that I should not even be allowed to enter. Despite the security guard and Steve’s appeals to compromise – giving money to the non-Jewish guard, assuring them that I would forego the dinner if we could all go inside—the man was steadfast. Steve was outraged, so we all left to find dinner elsewhere. Fortunately, we had a very elegant dinner a few blocks away at Ristorante Amici Miei, a much quieter and upscale venue with Italian food, which was more to the taste of these travelers. We had a lively conversation, mostly about business in the Czech Republic, since Andy has recently retired from a career in broadcasting and is looking for somewhere to invest his time and money. Andy and Janice are leaving for a cruise around the Italian and Croatian coasts in the morning, so they will not be able to meet Rick or Howard who return from their cruise tomorrow. I wish we could have had more time together – I barely caught the last (midnight) metro train home.

Thursday, July 7, 2005.

2005-07-07T18:17:00.000+02:00

A string of explosions rocked at least three London subway trains and ripped apart a double-decker bus during this morning’s rush hour, killing more than 33 people, injuring more than 360 and sending bloodied victims fleeing from debris-strewn blast sites. The first explosion, at 8:51 a.m. (0751 GMT), caught a Tube (subway) train which was 100 yards (meters) into a Circle Line tunnel outside Moorgate station in the financial district, killing at least 7 people. The second blast, at 8:56 a.m., hit a Piccadilly line train between the King’s Cross and Russell Square stations, killing 21. The third explosion, at 9:17 a.m (0817 GMT), killed five people, and involved two and possibly three trains. The blast that ripped apart the double-decker bus was reported at 9:47a.m. (0847 GMT). This is the worst attack on London since World War II, coming just a day after an overjoyed city celebrated its successful bid to hold the 2012 Olympics. Streets echoed with sirens and the entire bus and underground transport network was shut down. BBC TV broadcast footage of a paramedic trying to revive one of the wounded, pumping the chest of his bloodied and blackened body. Police said they had received no claim of responsibility.
Elaph, a secular Arabic-language news Web site, and Germany’s Der Spiegel news magazine reported that “Secret Organization – al-Qaida in Europe” claimed the explosions were in retaliation for Britain’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The whole of Europe was in a state of alert Thursday. Transportation systems in major U.S. cities also were ordered to be vigilant. U.S. President George W. Bush is in Scotland for the G8 summit, but offered “heartfelt condolences from Americans for the terrorist attacks on London."
My day was spent fairly hunkered down, editing proofs of two articles to send back to journals for publication next month, doing laundry, and watching the terrible news on television.

Wednesday, July 6, 2005

2005-07-06T22:53:00.000+02:00

Wednesday, July 6, 2005
Today commemorates the Martyrdom of Jan Hus, who was burned at the stake on this day in 1415. Hus was the most important 15th-century Czech religious Reformer, and his movement anticipated the Lutheran Reformation by a full century. He was embroiled in the bitter controversy of the Western Schism for his entire career, finaly to be convicted of heresy at the Council of Constance and burned at the stake. Jan Hus (John Huss) was born in Bohemia in about 1371. He received a master’s degree from Charles University in Prague in 1396, became a professor of theology in 1398, was ordained to the priesthood in 1400, was made rector of the University in 1402, and in 1404 received a degree in theology. Most people who come to Prague remember the distinctive art nouveau monument to Jan Hus in the Old Town Square.
Eva and I decided to skip the morning conference sessions and instead walk around Brno and take a tour of Špilberk castle. Relatively little is left of the original Gothic castle of the 13th-15th century (basically only in the eastern wing), although its fundamental character is intact. Among the parts that have best preserved their original appearance are some of the ground floor spaces, including the passageway with ornamented stone benches. The majority of the present buildings—the southern, western and northern wings, as well as the central tract dividing the former large courtyard into two sections—only came into existence with the extensive conversion of the fortress into a prison in the 1830’s. Unfortunately, this radical reconstruction wiped out practically all that remained of the original medieval castle and its later building projects, with the exception of the eastern wing. Špilberk thus acquired its present appearance, which even the relatively extensive reconstruction executed by the German army was not able to alter. Apart from minor additions and complements, they basically unified the castle in a certain architectural manner, and only demonstrated their identity clearly in the interiors (staircase) and historicist details. It was the latest reconstruction in 1995-2000, particularly involving the eastern wing, that substantially interfered with the appearance of Špilberk, so well-known from engravings, paintings and old photographs. The present distinctly “Gothic” appearance of the whole eastern wing is a result of a rather problematic and controversial reconstruction, executed—after extensive construction and historical research—in 1995-2000 and designed by Zdeněk Chudárek. On the ground floor of the western wing, archaeologists have revealed part of the foundations of a massive cylindrical tower, which are displayed with exhibits of the architectural history of the fortress. We went to the exhibition floor that gave a history of the castle and of the area.
We also toured the casemates, rows of prison cells and torture chambers accessible through tunnels that extended well beyond the fortress above. The casemates originally served as shelter for a garrison comprising some 1,200 men, as well as armaments and other materials should the fortress come under artillery bombardment. Mainly, they were used to store military equipment. But the Emperor Joseph II decided, in 1783, that a prison ought to be created for felons and the most dangerous criminals, so he ordered the reconstruction as a prison of the upper floor of the northern casemates in 1784. The following year, under Leopold II, the upper level of the southern casemates was also transformed as a prison. After extensive damage by Napoleon’s army in 1809, the fortress lost its military significance and was converted to a civilian prison. Under Emperor Franz Joseph I, the castle was used as a barracks and military jail from 1855 until the Nazi occupation.
Eva and I walked to the center of town to see the town square, some of the Art Nouveau houses, and Gothic and Baroque churches. We walked through the “cabbage market” square to St. Thomas Church and the magnificent Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul on Petrov Hill. The Baroque Parnas fountain in Cabbage Market square was built in 1690-95 on the site of a Renaissance fountain from 1597. It is the most valuable piece of Baroque sculpture in Brno; an isolated example of Baroque naturalism and illusion of considerable dramatic force. In the center of the fountain is built a three-sided craggy rock. Sitting on top of the north-eastern side is an allegoric statue leaning against a quiver with arrows. Beneath it is a winged dragon. On the north-western rock sits the figure of Babylonia with a crown on her right foot and to her right is a winged lion. On the southern rock is the allegoric statue of Persia with a horn of plenty and underneath to the right a bear crawls out from the rock. At the top of the grotto stands the statue of Europe triumphantly holding a scepter over a vanquished dragon. The whole structure comes to life with miniature creatures and dragons.
We walked through Svobody (Freedom) Square, with its Marianne Column, erected to commemorate the end of the plague; past the Noble Women’s Palace, or Ladies’ Institute, so-called School of the Virgin Mary, dedicated to the upbringing of orphaned daughters of noblemen. We had wanted to visit the synagogue, but did not have time.
The modern Jewish community in Brno dates from around 1856 and the founding of the Jewish Society. The building of the so-called Great Synagogue was already finished in 1855. After building and opening the synagogue, a new Board was elected and Phillip Gomperz became the new chairman, and Leopold Löw (the famed Rabbi Löw) from Szegedin was engaged as the first official rabbi. The population of Jews in Brno was about 2,230 people in 1857, the whole city of Brno had 59,819 inhabitants. For comparison, there were only 135 Jews in Brno in 1834. The right to collect taxes from Jews was reserved only for Jewish communities. That’s why they applied in 1858 for full-right registration of the community, which was permitted in 1859. Baruch Placzek was accepted as rabbi in 1860, and he served in this position for many years. A religious school opened in Josefská Street 49 in the 1861. From the beginning, 77 boys and 76 girls attended the school. The school’s enrollment quickly exceeded its capacity, and many children, especially from less wealthy families, were not accepted because of a lack of space.
The period between the two World Wars was the best time in the history of the Jewish community of Brno. By 1938, there were around 12,000 members of the Jewish community. About 10,000 people were deported from Brno during the Second World War to Terezin (Theresien Stadt) and further to Auschwitz and elsewhere. Less than 1000 of them survived. There were about 800 members of the Jewish community in Brno in 1960 and there are slightly less than 300 people now. Eva and I did not have time to see the synagogue or the “Chapel of Rest” cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1852 and was enlarged in 1911 and 1936. Gravestones from closed cemeteries in the vicinity of Brno dating from the 17th to 19th centuries were brought here, but the vast majority of graves date from the 19th and 20th centuries.
We hurried back to the university so that we could attend one of the last sessions before heading to the bus back to Prague. We left the session a bit early, to allow plenty of time to retrieve our bags at the hotel and get to the bus station in time for the 4:00 bus. We had no trouble getting there on the tram, and even had time for coffee and ice cream sundaes in the lobby café at the Grand Hotel across the street from the Main Station. Our 2 ½-hour bus ride was spent productively, going over the latest version of a case study so we can send the revised draft to the journal this week.
Meanwhile, Lance Armstrong is in the leader’s yellow jersey for the second day in a row. The Discovery Channel team won the team time trial when David Zabriskie crashed into a barricade in the final moments of the race, putting Team CSC in second place. Today, even though Lance wanted to start the race without the yellow jersey on his back – as a gesture of sportsmanship to honor the former bearer, who lost it when he crashed yesterday – wore the jersey to another win, retaining the overall race lead. Spared the crashes and strokes of bad luck that have befuddled others, Armstrong enjoys breathing space between his main rivals in his quest for a seventh straight Tour victory. Tomorrow is a rest day.

2005-07-06T16:27:00.000+02:00

Parnas Fountain

Tuesday, July 5, 2005

2005-07-05T20:52:00.000+02:00

Today is a holiday honoring Saints Cyril and Method (Methodius), Apostles of the Slavs, whose missionary activities during the Great Moravian period brought Christianity and education to the Slavs. This year marks the 1,120th anniversary of St Method’s death in today’s territory of Slovakia. The occasion inspired the Association of Slovaks in Switzerland to organize a celebration to remember the saints today at Devín castle, with a discussion on Cyril and Method’s message and a mass at Devín’s church.
After this morning’s WACRA conference plenary session in Brno, Eva and I walked to Tugendhat Villa, a “functionalist” art-deco mansion not far from the university grounds. http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Tugendhat_House.html
The Villa Tugendhat was built by the German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in his traditional Bauhaus-style. The three-story building is partially tucked into the hillside in the Brno residential quarter Černé Pole facing the city centre, Špilberk castle, and the spires of St. Peter and Paul Cathedral on Petrov Hill in the distance. A broad staircase joins the dining room with the garden which makes an integral part of the building, because of large windows that can recede into the walls by means of a mechanized pulley system. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe also designed the furniture and interior details, such as door handles, curtains, lighting fixtures. Mies’s style is characterized by a severe simplicity and the refinement of its exposed structural elements. Although not the first architect to work in this mode, he carried rationalism and functionalism to their ultimate stage of development. His famous dictum “less is more” crystallized the basic philosophy of mid-20th-century architecture. Rigidly geometrical and devoid of ornamentation, his buildings depended for their effect on subtlety of proportion, elegance of material (including marble, onyx, chrome, and travertine), and precision of details. Mies was director of the Bauhaus School of Design, the major center of 20th-century architectural modernism, from 1930 until its disbandment in 1933. He moved to the United States in 1937, where, as director of architecture (1938-1958) at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, he trained a new generation of American architects. He produced many buildings in the United States, including skyscrapers, museums, schools, and residences. His 37-story bronze-and-glass Seagram Building in New York (1958; in collaboration with the American architect Philip Johnson) is considered the most subtle development of the glass-walled skyscraper, while his glass-walled Farnsworth House (1950, near Fox River, Illinois) is the culmination of his residential architecture. With the French architect Le Corbusier and the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies was one of the three most influential 20th-century architects. His skyscraper designs in particular have been copied or adapted by most modern architects working in the field.
We were told that the villa was closed for renovation, and in fact it has been scheduled for renovation for quite some time. However, before the renovation starts next year, the villa will be used as a movie set. Eva and I were fortunate to have arrived when some folks from the movie studio were taking measurements, and the caretaker of the villa allowed us to come in and gave us a personal tour. He apparently takes care of the machinery, so he was particularly enthusiastic about taking us downstairs into the bowels of the building to show us the heating, air conditioning, and electronics controls—to raise and lower the patio windows—and the storage areas for furs and valuables.
We returned to the university just in time for a hurried lunch before the bus left for an excursion to Lednice, about 45 km south of Brno. We had a guided tour of Lednice Castle, one of the two important castles of the Lichtenstein family (the other is in Valtice, not far away, but we didn’t get to go there), who lived there from the early 13th century until 1945. The renaissance chateau is decorated opulently and set off by ponds and gardens and a very impressive—and enormous—greenhouse.
On the way to Cejkovice, our dinner destination, the bus stopped at Mikulov, a sleepy, hilly South Moravian wine village on the Austria border. Pavel Zufan, our host in Brno, suggested we spend time shopping and walking around the old center of town, but Eva and I hiked up to the limestone cliff to the castle that dominates the skyline. Although the castle allegedly closes at 5pm, and we were there at 4:30, the last tour started a 4pm so we could not get in. However, we were able to see the High Synagogue in the old Jewish Quarter. At one time, Mikulov had a thriving Jewish community—the country’s second largest before WWII –with 16 synagogues. In the 15th century, Jewish people settled in the town and the Jewish community gradually took a leading position among Moravian Jews. Mikulov’s history of being a town of religious tolerance gave Jewish people a home after their exile from Vienna and Czech royal towns. The head Rabbi was in residence from the middle of the 16th century till 1851. Between 1553-1573, the legendary Rabbi Löw—the creator of the fabled Prague Golem—lived in Mikulov and founded a Yeshiva (religious college) here. In 1524 Anabaptists (religious emigrants from Switzerland) arrived and during their one hundred years’ stay gained recognition for the development of crafts and wine traditions. We went to the site of the old Jewish Cemetery, where the oldest tombstones date back to 1605, but could not get beyond the outer gate.
The bus then took us to our dinner destination, the Anabaptist restaurant and wine cellar at Cejkovice. Apparently, the development of wine production in Bohemia was largely due to Charles IV, Czech King and Roman Emperor, the very same monarch who built the Charles Bridge and founded Charles University in Prague in 1348, the oldest university in central Europe. Charles IV understood his priorities: three years before founding the University, he granted the right to produce ceremonial wine to the cellars of Kromeriz, which, after the 18th Century, became the Archbishop’s Wine Cellar. The first evidence of vine-growing relates to the Knights Templar, whose arrival to the Czech lands dates back to 1232; the Cejkovice stronghold and St. Kunhuta’s church were founded at that time. The might and wealth of the Knights Templar provoked envy and hatred that ultimately resulted in an allegation of heresy. The order was disestablished in 1312. After that, the stronghold often changed owners and was finally acquired by the Olomouc Jesuit college in 1624. This was the conference’s “gala party,” with folk music and dancing and a tour of the wine cellars—and more than enough wine to drink.

Monday, July 4, 2005

2005-07-04T19:55:00.000+02:00

Today is Independence Day in the United States so I am wearing the lovely American Flag bicycle pin that Barb Buchan gave me last fall. Today is a regular workday in the Czech Republic, so I don’t expect any fireworks or barbeques here today. The Czech holidays start tomorrow.
I am in Brno at the WACRA conference, a group of 110+ academics of various disciplines who are involved in case writing and teaching, interactive pedagogical methods and curriculum reform. The presentations so far have been fairly interesting, but the organization of the conference is less professional than I had expected, with more people on the program because of who they know than for what they have to say. Eva and Martin and I gave our presentation after lunch to a small crowd, since there were competing sessions and an optional bus tour to Olomoc at the same time. We had only a few minutes for participant interaction and questions during the session, so it is not clear how much discussion we may have sparked. But, if the success of the presentation can be gauged by the hangers-on after our session who wanted to talk with us further, then I can say our presentation was well-received.
I went to the hotel lobby to use the internet before dinner because I wanted to check the Tour de France results. You will be relieved to know, if you don't know already, that Lance Armstrong was again content to ride safely behind in the main pack while Tom Boonen of Belgium won a stage at the Tour de France for the second straight day. Boonen captured the third stage, a 133-mile leg from La Chataigneraie to Tours, in a riveting sprint to the line. He won Sunday's stage in similar fashion. U.S. rider David Zabriskie of Team CSC kept the overall leader's yellow jersey, narrowly ahead of second-placed Armstrong. Boonen keeps the green jersey as the best sprinter.
The evening’s “gala dinner” was at Špilberk Castle, a huge baroque fortress overlooking Brno, that was once the heaviest prison in the Austro-Hungarian empire, the infamous “dungeon of the nations.” It was built by Czech King Přemysl Otakar II in the mid-13th century, on a fairly low, but rather steep, rocky hill (290 m), rising directly over the historical centre of the town (at about 220 meters). It functioned as a prison after the defeat of the Uprising of the Estates in 1620, when leading Moravian members of the anti-Habsburg "insurrection" were imprisoned. In 1939-41, the German army and Gestapo carried out extensive reconstruction at Špilberk in order to turn it into a model barracks in the spirit of the romantic historicism so beloved of German third reich ideology. The Czechoslovak army left Špilberk in 1959, ending its military era. The following year, Špilberk became the seat of the Brno City Museum and today it is one of the most significant cultural centres in Brno. It was certified as a national heritage monument in 1962. There was no planned tour of Špilberk Castle, and the castle itself was closed after dinner, so Eva and I will try to go back on our own tomorrow.
The dinner was very nice, accompanied by Moravian musicians—violins, cimball (cembalo, in Czech), and bass. On our way back to the bus, a group of us Americans sang patriotic American songs in honor of America's Independence Day. I imagine there are fireworks in Prague tonight—although nothing to compare with those in America—but no fireworks are visible (or audible) in Brno.

Sunday, July 3, 2005

2005-07-03T23:19:00.000+02:00

Eva and I left Prague on the 7:00am bus to go to Brno for the WACRA conference. Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, and the largest in the region of Moravia (Prague is in Bohemia). WACRA (World Association for Case Method Research and Application) was started in 1984 when its founder and director, Hans Klein, was a professor at Bentley College in Waltham, Mass. Hans claims to be a native of Czechlovakia (he is from Austria), but came to the US for post-graduate (MBA and DBA) studies. He still lives in Massachusetts and teaches accounting and finance part time at Babson College. WACRA’s purpose is to spread case method research and teaching beyond US boundaries, but it functions largely as a professional-conference travel club.
This year’s conference host is Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno, the oldest institution providing agriculture and forestry studies in the Czech lands. It was established in 1919 as the University of Agriculture in Brno and it maintained this name till 1994. Currently, Mendel University is divided into four faculties. The Faculty of Agronomy, the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, and the Faculty of Business and Economics are all located in Brno. The Faculty of Horticulture is located in Lednice. The university gets is name, of course from Gregor Mendel, the famous Augustinian monk and horticulturist who cross-bred peas in attempt to create hybrid strains. Later known as Mendel’s Laws, his famous principles of hereditary transmission were to revolutionize the cultivation of plants and the breeding of domesticated animals in the twentieth century. Mendel’s name marked not only the beginning of genetics as a scientific discipline in its own right but also the beginning of the systematic use of mathematics, quantified measurements and applied statistics in biology.
Mendel was born on (approximately) July 20, 1822 in Hyncice, northern Moravia (then Austrian Silesia) to farmers, Anton and Rosina. Mendel studied mathematics, physics, philology, theoretical and practical philosophy and ethics at the Institute of Philosophy in Olomouc from 1840-1843 and joined the Augustinian Abbey of St. Thomas in Brno as a novice in 1843. In 1846 Mendel completed a course in agricultural studies, apple and wine growing, at the (Brno) Institute of Theology, and was ordained as a priest the following year. Between 1851 and 1853, Mendel studied physics, mathematics and natural history and attended courses in “Experimental Physics,” “Anatomy and Physiology of Plants,” and in “Practical lessons in using the microscope” at the University of Vienna. Between 1854 and 1864, Mendel carried out experiments on garden peas in the abbey garden. He lectured on “Experiments in Plant Hybrids” at the February and March meetings of the Natural Science Society (Brno) in 1865. In 1866, Mendel published his lecture, a work that was to establish him as “the father of genetics.” In 1868, Mendel became abbot after Abbot Cyrill Franz Napp, his benefactor and mentor, who had died in 1867. In 1872, Mendel was awarded the Cross of the Royal and Imperial Order of Franz Joseph I, and he became Director of the Mortgage Bank of Moravia (Brno) in 1881. Mendel died on January 6, 1884. He was buried three days later in the Central Cemetery in Brno. His obituary in the Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Ackerbaues, der Natur- und Landeskunde 1884, No. 1, said: “his experiments with plant hybrids opened a new era.”
Eva and I arrived at the main station in Brno at 9:30a.m. and took the tram to Mendel University, arriving just in time for the session to start at 10:00am. The morning session was crammed—too many cases to discuss in too little time—and few of the participants had received appropriate materials, but we managed to add enough value to the novice casewriters in the session that people seemed to leave happy. After lunch, we were taken by bus to the hotel to check in and rest before dinner, which was back at the university. The dinner was preceded by folk songs from groups representing various countries, not in any planned format—almost as a spontaneous songfest. Over half the crowd has been at these conferences before, so it was almost like a reunion—similar to the Western Academy of Management crowd that goes to the international conferences every other year. After dinner, Martin and Jirka and Eva and I walked back to the hotel—a nice break from sitting in stuffy rooms all day—and went to the bar at the top of the hotel for drinks and conversation.
Meanwhile, in France, Lance Armstrong stuck to the main pack and finished in 63rd place (with no time lost) during the second stage of the Tour de France that was won by Belgium's Tom Boonen. Lance finished in the same time as Boonen and kept his second place standing. American David Zabriskie retained the yellow jersey as the leader. Exciting!

Saturday, July 2, 2005.

2005-07-02T22:36:00.000+02:00

Saturday, July 2, 2005.
Rick left for the airport around 10am to rendezvous with Howard and his friends for their flight to Split, Croatia. Howard has chartered a yacht for a week-long cruise around the Croatian coast, as a pre-birthday party (he will turn 60 next spring). Rick is honored to be considered such a close friend, and delighted to have been invited on such an adventure.
I am left alone today—such a lovely reprieve from the fast-paced week of guests and activities—to get ready for my conference presentations in Brno tomorrow (and catch up on a week’s worth of blog entries).
Meanwhile, the Tour de France started today. The first stage of Lance Armstrong’s final Tour started badly when his right foot skidded off the pedals after 100 meters, but the incident did not prevent him from taking second place to American David Zabriskie. Zabriskie, who left Armstrong's Discovery Channel team this season to join Danish outfit CSC, beat the Texan by just two seconds at an average speed of 54.68 km/h in the opening stage, one of the fastest individual time trials in the history of the Tour. But Armstrong, bidding for a seventh consecutive Tour success, humbled all his rivals for overall victory and especially German Jan Ullrich, who he overtook three km from the finish on the small Atlantic island of Noirmoutier.
Twenty years ago, television viewers were glued to MTV’s coverage of Live Aid, the pop music world’s valiant, if ineffective, effort to combat hunger in Africa. Today, I joined millions of viewers watching live streams of Live 8, Live Aid founder Bob Geldof’s bold effort to get the world’s eight top economic powers to relieve debt and boost trade in Africa and Third World countries. Live 8 brings together more than 100 artists - including U2, Coldplay, a reunited Pink Floyd, Jay-Z, Destiny's Child, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Green Day, Elton John, the Killers, Paul McCartney (an interesting rendition of St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with Beetles look-alike backup musicians), Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Neil Young and the Dave Matthews Band - in 10 cities around the globe. There should be more concerts and protest activities in anticipation of the upcoming G8 summit in Scotland next week.
I watched fireworks from my balcony at 10pm. More Canada Day celebrations? Part of Live 8? In anticipation of Lance’s 7th Tour victory? Or early U.S. Independence Day celebrations?

2005-07-02T18:44:00.000+02:00

Rick in Croatia

Friday, July 1, 2005.

2005-07-01T21:35:00.000+02:00

I was up early so that I could meet Anne and Paul and their daughters at the train station at 5:30am. Anne is teaching a six-week course for George Soros’s CEU in Budapest this summer, so she and her family are using this as an excuse to travel around central Europe. The rain has let up a bit, so I was able to take them for a short walk from Wenceslas Square to Old Town. Our intent was to have breakfast downtown and then drop off their bags at their hotel. However, despite the fact that Praguers are early morning people, and most businesses start early, we found no restaurants that opened before 8am – just fast-food kiosks. So, after walking around a bit, we headed to their hotel with the bags, and then to Old Town Square to a tourist café for breakfast.
I arrived home just as Ari and Elana were waking up, so I had time to chat with them as they were packing (and repacking to make sure everything was within the airline baggage restrictions). The taxi was set to arrive at 10am, and we were downstairs with all their bags just before the taxi arrived.
Shortly thereafter, I went downtown—in the pouring rain—to meet Sarah, to give her keys to our flat. Sarah will give the keys to Terry when she comes to Prague on Monday, so that she and her friend can use our flat when we are out of town. I then went back to the money exchange place to get Czech currency for Paul and Anne. I actually returned home in time for a rest – and to work on the material to send to Eva and Martin for our conference on Sunday – before heading back out for Shabbat Services and dinner.
The Shabbat crowd at the Spanish Synagogue was not so large as last week, but there were at least 60 people. Jiři had told me that he and Elana would be bringing their baby daughter this evening, but they did not show up, probably because of the rain. Rabbi Patz was there to conduct the service, and give a short sermon about independence and self-governance.
We left the service early to meet Anne and Paul and Emily and Carolyn for dinner. We decided to take them the Švejk Restaurant just down the street from the Spanish Synagogue. This is one of the many Restaurants named for the “Good Soldier Švejk” around Prague. We had never eaten there, but the menu looked decent – lots of traditional Czech dishes, many of which had names referring to characters in Hašek’s book—and the atmosphere looked appropriately “cute” for the girls (lots of pictures and references to Švejk and small-town Bohemia). We were pleasantly surprised that the food and service were excellent, and the prices moderate. Unfortunately, they did not have Czech fruit dumplings or crepes for dessert, so we had to settle for ice cream sundaes.
Today is Canada Day, and I can see fireworks from our balcony this evening.

Thursday, June 30, 2005.

2005-06-30T21:33:00.000+02:00

Ari and Elana are off to the Jewish Quarter today; Bill and Peggy to the castle. I met Bill and Peggy at their hotel and took them to breakfast before escorting them to the castle grounds. Then I raced home in the rain to change clothes for the Fourth of July Reception at the American Ambassador’s residence.
Tomorrow is the start of a week-long holiday for Czechs, especially those who are connected with the American Embassy or the Fulbright Association, both of which celebrate both Czech and American holidays. So, in anticipation of everyone’s exodus, the American Embassy hosted their annual July 4th reception today. Now, if this were in the U.S., I would expect to see a crowd dressed in cut-off jeans and t-shirts surrounding grills containing hamburgers and hotdogs and several coolers of soda-pop and beer. Since this is not on U.S. turf, Czech, Canadian and U.S. military, politicians, and celebrities were invited, so it was all but a black-tie affair. Among the attendees were Robert Redford, Madeline Albright, and Vaclav Havel. (Redford, who is visiting the Czech Republic for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival next week, came at the invitation of his friend Madeleine Albright.) After a proper color-guard salute and singing of both the American and Czech national anthems by a high-school choir from Princeton, New Jersey, Ambassador William Cabiniss gave a very lovely tribute, followed by President Vaclav Klaus and Prime Minister Jiři Paroubek. There was, as you would expect, more than enough food for the 500+ guests in attendance, and ample beer and wine and ice cream. The reception was scheduled for noon-2pm, but the high security to enter the Ambassador’s residence resulted in a very long line and a late start to the official festivities, so people lingered (at the gracious invitation of the Ambassador) until quite late in the afternoon.
I had time to change into less formal (and less damp) clothes before dinner, this time at Na Staré Faře, just down the street from our flat. Again, the dinner conversation was as if we were all old friends, even though Rick had only met Bill and Peggy the day before, and Ari and Elana were younger than Bill and Peggy’s children. This time most of the conversation was about their respective castle and Jewish Quarter tours. It’s always interesting for me to hear what others take from these Prague sights, and what aspects of the places and history make the most profound impression to people who have not been here before.
Since we had dinner so close to home, we had time to relax before we went to bed. Ari showed me how to connect my computer to Skype’s VoIP and we had a very nice conversation with his parents in Denver. We must have talked for over an hour. Perhaps it’s not a bad thing that we didn’t discover this earlier, or we would be on the “phone” every evening!

Wednesday, June 29, 2005.

2005-06-29T21:31:00.000+02:00

We were awakened at 6:30am by a call from Czech Airlines informing us that Ari and Elana’s bags had arrived and would be delivered to our flat shortly. We are only 15 minutes from the airport by car, so we anticipated that the bags would come soon. In fact, they did not arrive until after 9am. So, despite Elana’s joy at having her own clothes to wear, we got a bit of a late start on the day. Around mid-morning I escorted Ari and Elana to the castle, where they spent most of their day. We started at the Summer Palace and walked through the garden to Prague Castle.
Just as I left them at the castle entrance, I received a call from Bill and Peggy who had arrived in Prague earlier in the morning from the U.S. So, from the castle, I went to the Crowne Plaza Hotel where they are staying. This hotel was built between 1952-1954 and evolved from a combination of the architecture of Social Realism known as “Sorela” and “Art Deco.” The hotel has elements strongly reminiscent of buildings constructed in the 1920s and 1930s in the U.S., but its spired-dome roof is distinctly central Europe. The interior was designed architects and craftsmen from the First Czechoslovak Republic who were still active at that time. Noteworthy are the dominant tapestries, stained glass, mosaics, and chandeliers. The furniture, which is, after renovation, still used today, was manufactured in the style of the Czech cubists, in the spirit of art-deco and also partly patterned after the presidential library in Prague Castle. Rick uses the fitness center in the hotel, since it is only a 5-minute bus ride from our flat and a short tram-ride to the castle.
Bill and Peggy, both of whom teach at the University of New Hampshire, are in Prague for a few days before they head to Brno, where I will join them for a conference. We had coffee in the hotel lobby, after which I escorted them to the center of town so they could tour the Jewish museums. We agreed to rendezvous for dinner downtown at U Pinkasů, and set as our meeting place the prominent statue of Josef Jungmann at Jungmannova square. Joseph Jungmann was a professor of rhetoric, poetry and Czech language and literature in the early 19th century, who wrote the first Czech-German dictionary. U Pinkasů is tucked away behind the square, easy to get to only if you know where to look.
Ari and Elana are 24 years old, Bill and Rick in their 60s, and Peggy and I not much younger, so the six of us seemed an unlikely mix for dinner conversation. But, in fact, Ari will be starting a PhD in International Relations at Penn in the fall, so he is a professor-in-training so to speak. Elana is an artist who will start an MFA program at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Ari and Elana have just spent two years in Jerusalem, so they are worldly beyond their years. We have known Ari since he was 8 years old, so it was nice to interact with him on an adult level. The food was good – mostly traditional Czech cuisine, including a sampling of every dessert on the menu – and the service excellent. Perhaps because we have come so often, we are always treated well.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005.

2005-06-28T21:28:00.000+02:00

Rick and I went to the airport to meet Ari and Elana at 9:15, but we did not get back to our flat until nearly 11:00 because three of their bags had been lost. The nice thing about lost bags is that they are delivered to your door at the first opportunity; the bad thing is you have no clothes for a day or so. In Ari’s case, one of the lost bags was very heavy and would have been left at the airport storage facility with the one heavy suitcase that did get on the plane. But, having been assured that the bag (with 30 others) would be on the next flight, we headed to our flat on the airport bus.
Despite the fact that Ari and Elana had been up since 3am (to get to the Tel Aviv airport by 4am for their 6am flight to Prague), we took them to the center of town to see some of Prague’s more notable sights. The standard tour: from the Little Town (Malostrana) metro station, through the Valdstejn gardens, to the Little Town Square, across the Charles Bridge to Old Town. We stopped at Malostrana for lunch, at which point our travelers realized how tired they really were. However, undaunted, we strolled across the bridge among the throngs of tourists, toward Old Town Square. Armed with a map and good directions about how to get back to our flat, we left them to their own devices for the rest of the afternoon. In the meantime, I ran across town to change money for them, a task that I have finally mastered, thanks to Howard and Bruce.
Rick and I joined Harriet and Marty for dinner at Kabul, an Afghani restaurant in Old Town. The weather is lovely today, so we ate in the garden area. The food was good, but the service was not (a surprise since Marty and Harriet eat there often). After dinner we walked to the club below the Manes Gallery, where Pavel Sedlacek and his band “Cadillac” were performing – to a crowd of oldies like ourselves, dancing as if we were on American Bandstand. Harriet and I are big fans of Pavel, a 1950-60s rebel who brought American rock and roll to Prague at a time when creative expression was rarely permitted. At that time, the 20 American hits were broadcast on Radio Luxembourg and American Forces Network, so American rock and country leaked through the Iron Curtain by bold young musicians like Sedlacek. I was delighted to meet Sedlacek through Milos, Harriet and Marty’s former landlord, when they lived here four years ago.

Monday, June 27, 2005.

2005-06-27T21:27:00.000+02:00

Bruce has been having trouble with his allergies, so I used the occasion of a delivery of asthma inhalers and pills for lunch with Charlotte. With only another month to spend in Prague, I am already mourning our leaving. So I take every opportunity to see wonderful friends here and take in as much of Prague that I can in the short time left. Among the getting-ready-to-leave errands is dropping off clothes at the Sue Rider charity shop downtown and getting bus coupons for July.
Later in the afternoon I met Eunice at Ami’s for tea. Grace, a Nigerian doctoral student who has been studying law in Warsaw, has moved here with her husband and wants to teach law here. Unfortunately, I told her what she doesn’t want to hear: that her PhD from Warsaw will not get her very far at Charles University (the only law school in Prague). Charles University, the oldest university in central Europe, is like Harvard. They hire their own because none else are as good. Given that the instruction is in Czech, that is probably true. The only non-Czechs are visitors, many of whom are Fulbright professors, who teach occasional courses in English.

Sunday, June 26, 2005.

2005-06-26T21:26:00.000+02:00

This evening we had dinner at home for a change, this being one of the few evenings without out-of-town guests. Harriet and Marty had lent us the DVD of Jiři Menzel’s “Snowdrop Festivities.” The movie was made in 1983 and Menzel’s last film based on the writings of Bohumil Hrabal. The story is set in the small town of Kersko, which is on the road between Prague and the health resort of Poděbrady in central Bohemia. It was there in fact that Hrabal used to spend a good deal of time, keeping a large family of cats and drawing inspiration from the life of the closely-knit neighborhood. As always, the main “heroes” are seemingly ordinary people. This time they live in little villages or in cottages among the forest. But all of them have some extraordinary interests that make them special. One has a passion for seeking out and purchasing all kinds of seemingly worthless bric-a-brac for the sole purpose of salvaging the items from being thrown away, one has such an enormous appetite that he eats everything he sees, one loves his goats so much that he takes them for a trip by car, and so on. Menzel is known for his use of slapstick chase and fight scenes. This time, the chase is that of hunters after a wild pig that is running on the road and hides in a school building where the hunters finally kill him in front of the children and terrified teacher. Fighting between two groups of men from neighboring villages runs through the whole film. The story’s kaleidoscope of small-time, humorous conflicts pave a collision course towards a climax in the form of a hunters’ banquet. The poignant end is the untimely death of the most innocent character, senseless because he dies after being hit by a bus while riding his bike to bring his friends some more soup.
Speaking of senseless deaths, a 45-year-old Scottish golfer died after being struck by lightning on the Konopiste Golf course about 18 miles from Prague. The man was playing alone on the back nine when the thunder storm struck around 5:30 this afternoon. His family had already moved to Scotland and he was set to follow in a week. Konopiste is where Bruce plays golf, but he did not know him personally.

Saturday, June 25, 2005.

2005-06-25T22:36:00.000+02:00

Another day spent working at the computer, but at least I can see progress. Of the four cases that I have submitted to three different journals this year, one has been accepted (first pass with almost no revisions for the final copy) and will be in print in August, the second has just been accepted (the fruit of my labors of the last three days, and conciliatory interchanges with the journal editor), the third is now revised and nearly ready to send back to the journal (I only need a bit more information from the company), and the fourth is still under first review. The last two cases have been sent to a journal that is known for its long review process, so I do not anticipate that there will be quick turnaround on this second review, despite the fact that all three reviews were extremely positive and have specifically given the editor the final say. The reviewer suggestions were detailed, lengthy and quite helpful in making the case better, but writing appropriate responses for each reviewer’s concerns took more time than making the changes. The case is 10 pages long, plus 2 pages of exhibits; the Instructor’s Manual (analysis) is 13 pages long; and the response letter (explanation and/or rebuttal) to the editor and reviewers is 16 pages!
This evening’s dinner with Charlotte and Bruce was a welcome break from work, not to mention a delight in spending time with Charlotte and Bruce. We went to Buffalo Bill’s, a Tex-Mex restaurant that has been in Prague since 1993. The restaurant has a lot of interesting memorabilia of America’s Cowboy & Indian movies and many pictures of Buffalo Bill. Combine this with the background country music and it makes for a highly entertaining meal. The restaurant was founded by Dennis Naughton, an American lawyer who started coming to Prague in 1991 with a team of judges and lawyers to teach about western law practices. At that time, Dennis’s wife Gail was working as a public relations director for Clarke College, a Catholic liberal arts institution in Dubuque. Gail, who only visited Europe two or three times a year, ferried suitcases of Tabasco sauce and chili powder to Prague. For Buffalo Bill’s initial Thanksgiving dinner in November 1993, she taught the Czech chefs to make the first pumpkin and pecan pies in Prague culinary history. Alan Levy (the first editor in chief of The Prague Post) told a story about Dennis driving a leased Skoda to Frankfurt to pick up Gail and their youngest son, Nick, both bearing satchels filled with Buffalo Bill-embossed T-shirts and aprons. On the ride to Prague, a German policeman in Nuremberg—seeing a Czech car populated by three foreigners and laden with what looked like all their belongings—bullied them as though they were Cold War defectors or economic refugees. When he finally realized that they weren't (“Oh, you're Americans!”), he apologized profusely. But all three Naughtons assured him sweetly that they were proud to be mistaken for Czechs. Dennis Naughton sold his share of Buffalo Bill’s in 1997 and resumed his law practice in Iowa. Buffalo Bill's still has an extensive menu of fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, tortillas, nachos, wings, ribs, beef burgers, salads and desserts. Charlotte and I were not impressed with the Margaritas, but Bruce and Rick thought the ribs were quite fine (properly greasy and spicy, but not as plentiful as one would get in a typical American ribs joint). The fact that we were the only patrons this evening is a signal of their eventual demise. Perhaps American cuisine is not as novel or popular as it was ten years ago, or maybe the negative attitudes of people about anything American has had an impact. The number of American tourists has certainly decreased in the last couple of years.

Friday, June 24, 2005.

2005-06-24T22:36:00.000+02:00

The Spanish Synagogue was packed this evening, with well over one hundred people, 60 of whom were part of a NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) study tour. The students in this group were from both Israel and the United States. Among the congregants this evening was an anthropology professor from Bar Ilan who spoke about the symbols of religion that are part of culture, such as the lighting of the separate candles on Shabbat by women and the twisted Havdalah candle lit typically by men.
We headed out immediately after services to hear Tony and Martin and Musa play their last gig of the summer. The venue was the Golem Club, a private club with no street-front access. Unfortunately, it took an hour for us to find the place, since it is only accessible from the parking area inside the Sociological Institute building, whose doors were firmly locked. We walked up and down the street trying to find the right address, and encircled the unmarked building several times. In desperation, we woke the sleeping guard at the Institute entrance, who, after a bit of prodding, let us in. (It was only after we left that we saw a bell on the parking-garage door, with barely visible letters that said “Golem Club.”) The music was wonderful, and the setting intimate. I don’t think there is anything in Denver (or even others in Prague) that would compare. I wish I had brought my camera.

Thursday, June 23, 2005.

2005-06-23T21:34:00.000+02:00

The good news: I received three case reviews back this week, one of which is an acceptance with only minor final-copy editing. The bad news: I have a lot of work to do in very short amount of time. So I spent most of the day in front of my computer, editing one of the two case studies that have been returned with reviewer suggestions, each from a different journal. At first I thought the tasks daunting, but once I began, the changes became less onerous and both cases will end up greatly improved. Amazingly, the stars aligned and Monika approved a longer (and more personal) version of the case study about her and her company. Perhaps equally amazing is that the editor liked all the changes and the case is now accepted for publication. It is unlikely that the revision of the second case study will be so easy.
Rick and I spent a lovely evening at Da Emanuel, an Italian restaurant on Charles de Gaulle Street, with Henry and Saša. Saša is Czech, but left in 1968 and moved to Canada, which is where she met Henry. Saša has a background in mathematics and technology, and worked for Nortel in Canada before she was asked to come to Prague to help set up their mobile-phone operations here. So, for the last five years, Henry and Saša have spent nearly half the year in Prague. Henry still teaches at McGill University, but he is mostly involved in their executive education programs, rather than semester-long traditional teaching. I first met Henry in 1985 when I was a doctoral student! I was happy to have this opportunity to chat with him – and to meet Saša – since I have admired Henry’s work for a long time. Prior to this, our meetings have been casual, mostly at conferences. It was only through Paul that Henry and I found out about one another’s presence in Prague, and that we were able to connect on such a personal level.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005.

2005-06-21T20:14:00.000+02:00

Today is mid-summer and the sun is smiling on us to remind us that this is the longest day of the year. I wish there were more hours in the day today, since I have a very busy schedule.
After a very hurried breakfast meeting with Anna at Anglo-American College, I raced to Republic Square to the K+K hotel. By a strange stroke of luck, Matt’s former Spanish teacher and her husband are in Prague for a few days, on their way to Italy. I tracked them down at their hotel last night and left a message, but when I called back this morning, the hotel said there was no one there by that name. I also sent her an e-mail note last night, since the hotel has high-speed internet access. Luck was with me, because when I got to the hotel, they were still there, just preparing to go out for the afternoon. They had not received either message from the hotel, but the e-mail had worked and they had tried to call me only an hour earlier, with no success. But the stars aligned, and we had a lovely chat over coffee on the terrace of the grand Municipal house, not far from their hotel. Then, I took them on a brief and informal tour of Old Town and across the Charles Bridge toward the castle where they planned to take a tour that met at the Golden Keys hotel at 1pm.
My lunch date with Marketa was set for 1pm, so the timing was nearly perfect. Within 5 minutes, I found Marketa, and we went to lunch at a very nice Mexican restaurant near the Malostranska square just down the street from the American Embassy. I had wanted to talk with Marketa for quite a while, to get a Czech perspective of the Embassy – and sentiments toward Americans here. Things are as bad – perhaps worse – than I feared. The Czechs who, at one time, loved everything American are now nearly hostile. Several Americans here say they’re from Canada or even the UK. As if our foreign policy weren’t bad enough, the hoops that Czechs need to go through to get a visa are humiliating, and the process is much harder than it used to be. Even people who have visited the US before are being turned down for no apparent reason; no excuses or explanations are ever given. Fortunately, most of our luncheon chat was about culture, kids, and life in general, not about either Czech or American politics.
I had time to go home for dinner before the solstice festival at the French Institute, and I also had time to stop at the jewelry vendor on the Charles Bridge. Here is the earring saga, long version: Many of the vendors on the Charles Bridge are the same folks selling the same wares as were here 8 years ago when I first came. In 1997 or 1998 I had purchased a necklace-and-earrings set, made with slate and wire. I had lost one of the earrings sometime last year, and made a mental note to stop and see if I could find a match. I had passed the stand several times and not seen anything exactly like mine, but last Friday I brought the lone earring and necklace with me. I showed the set to Arthur who commented that I had purchased it 8 years ago. He knew this because he made them himself! I asked him if I could buy only one, to match the one I had, and he said yes. Unfortunately, all the earrings he had were slightly different in size or shape. Rather than buying a new pair, I asked him if he thought it was possible to make a match to the one I had. He seemed to think he could, so I gave him the one earring – of no use to me without a match anyway—and told him I’d stop by on Monday. I did stop by on Monday, but Arthur was not there. Instead, Martin was manning the stand. Ever helpful, Martin explained that they no longer had the exact materials to match my earring. However, he called Arthur on his mobile phone, and told me that I should come back the next day (today). So, there I was again at the jewelry stand, hoping that I would not have to buy another set of earrings. Arthur greeted me warmly, proudly showed me the new earring which almost perfectly matched the one I had given him, and deftly put both earrings in a jewelry bag. I asked him how much I owed him (hoping that it would be half the price of a pair) and he responded by saying “nothing at all.” Where would I get such service in the USA?
The pleasantries of the day nearly ended there, however. I went to the French Institute for the solstice concert, promptly at 5pm. Luckily, Bonnie and Helen were there, so I had a nice chat with them, perhaps our last before they leave town next month. Unlike the Czechs, the French do not start on time, so the music did not start until nearly 6pm. The first group, a jazz band, could have been forgiven for the awful music if it hadn’t been amplified. Trumpets and trombones do not need amplification, especially in a courtyard venue. Rather than wait for better music to come, we all left. I was home in time to watch the second Svejk movie (DVD) with Rick and enjoy what was left of the evening.
On my way home I glanced briefly at the outdoor sculpture exhibition that was unveiled on Wenceslas Square today. What I have seen of it thus far is disappointing, especially when compared to the interesting sculptures on display last fall. This “Sculpture Grande 05” is organized by the Gallery Art Factory nearby. This year’s theme is “Without Borders,” interpreted by 17 young contemporary artists.

Monday, June 20, 2005

2005-06-20T21:11:00.000+02:00

I hope the woman who cut my hair this morning was self-taught. I shudder to think that there is someone training people to do such a weird job. Maybe she was trained as a scientist and fell out of favor with the communist party and was then reassigned to cut hair 30 years ago. Perhaps her eyesight is going, so she couldn’t see how uneven she cut it. Each side is a different length and the back varies by as much as a half-inch. The beautiful Czech women don’t suffer as much as I do with a bad haircut. The style for young women here is multiple-length shaggy (but straight) hair, maybe because they have found a way to make the most of bad haircuts.
Eunice and I had dinner at U Kapra while Rick went to his Czech lesson at Irena's flat. Eunice and I haven’t seen each other for awhile, so it was nice to catch up. She had just come from the Foreign Police to renew her residency visa, so we had an interesting conversation about residency and citizenship and various country requirements. She is debating whether to stay in Prague or move to the US, but that decision is still some ways off.

Sunday, June 19, 2005.

2005-06-19T22:39:00.000+02:00

Paul and I had lunch at Novomĕsta Pivovar, the New Town Brewery. Most of the tables had “reserved” signs to keep people out (reminded us of the old Communist days), but when we told them we would have lunch, not just something to drink, they offered us any table we wanted. So, we had a nice lunch and a nice chat. Paul has been coming to Prague since 1991, so it’s nice to get his perspective. It’s also nice to get his perspective on academia (and life) in general.
Michele cooked a splendid dinner for us and John and Charlotte and Bruce. She’s really enjoying her new home here, having lived in a very small apartment for the last six years. John is also enjoying being here full-time, and being retired. We used today’s dinner party as a celebration of anniversaries (we all marked our wedding anniversaries within the last two weeks) and fathers (it’s Father’s Day today in the US). Michele and I are the only ones whose fathers are still alive; Bruce and Rick are fathers themselves. When we returned home, Rick had e-mails from both his children, with nice father’s day messages.

Saturday, June 18, 2005.

2005-06-18T22:40:00.000+02:00

Paul and his friend Juraj, who was Paul’s student in the first USBSP MBA class in 1991, took me to the Krystal Hotel for breakfast. USBSP (U.S. Business School Prague) used to hold classes at the Krystal Hotel, which was built in 1989 by the communists, but only used for “capitalist” classes and seminars. It still has a communist past – it was intended for classrooms and seminars when the communists built it, even though they were ousted before they used it themselves—so locals think of it suspiciously. Two years ago USBS moved its classes to the city center, so Paul and Juraj went to the Krystal for a nostalgic tour, including the ever-consistent breakfast of sausages, cheese, bread, and soup. Sadly, there was no soup this morning. Instead there was yogurt and jam.
After a proper tour of the Krystal, and a walk around the funky suburban neighborhood, I went to Dejvicka to meet Veena for coffee. We really had no agenda or anything important to discuss today, but we did talk about our Prague experiences and suggestions for new Fulbrighters who are coming this fall.
This evening, Rick and I went to see “Bride and Prejudice” at the Svetozor cinema on Wenceslas Square. This film is a “Bollywood”-style re-telling of Jane Austen’s classic tale of marriage and manners, transplanted to modern-day India, England and America, and complete with lavish musical spectacle. Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times described Bollywood musicals as “the Swiss Army Knives of the cinema, with a tool for every job: comedy, drama, song and dance, farce, pathos, adventure, great scenery, improbably handsome heroes, teeth-gnashing villains, marriage-obsessed mothers and their tragically unmarried daughters who are invariably ethereal beauties.” Bollywood is Bombay (which is now called Mumbai, although there has been no movement to rename the genre Mumblywood). Most Bollywood movies are interminably long, so they don’t play well in the west, but this one (named “My Big Indian Wedding” in Czech) was mercifully only 111 minutes. Bollywood has developed a healthy audience in London, where the Bollywood Oscars were held a year ago. American film critics have been less scathing than the criticism “Bride” met in the UK and India. Indian audiences, however, were not particularly delighted about some of the musical sequences in the film. The locals in Amristar, where the movie was shot, strongly objected to the theme of young girls wooing suitable bachelors and disrupted the shooting for days. The main appeal for most people (guys, anyway) is Aishwarya Rai, described by Ebert (and others) as the most beautiful woman in the world. She was Miss World of 1994 and has starred in ads for both Coke and Pepsi. She had to GAIN weight for the role of the beautiful and cuttingly witty Lalita. Ebert describes the plot as “recycled from Austen, is the clothesline for a series of dance numbers that, like Hong Kong action sequences, are set in unlikely locations and use props found there; how else to explain the sequence set in, yes, a Mexican restaurant? Even the most strenuous dances are intercut with perfectly composed closeups of Aishwarya Rai, never sweaty, never short of breath. What a smile.” The songs really are a major disaster, so bad they’re funny. From another review: “Characters burst into song and dance at the slightest provocation, backed up by a dance corps that materializes with the second verse and disappears at the end of the scene.” All this comes at you in a blaze of colors. Perhaps the movie is worth seeing only for the youngest sister’s snake dance.

Friday, June 17, 2005.

2005-06-17T23:42:00.000+02:00

Services at the Spanish Synagogue this evening was more like a concert than a Shabbat service. The voices of the Moscow Men’s Choir—7 men, a director, and cantor Boris Finkelshteyn—filled the hall. There was a fairly large crowd of tourists, some in groups and others passing through on their own, but most of us were delighted listeners, not participative singers this evening. The Moscow Men’s Choir is in town for the Nine Gates Festival, and will be performing at the Spanish Synagogue on Sunday evening. Unfortunately, our social schedule is already booked.
After services we went to the Reduta Jazz Club to hear guitarist Tony Ackerman and pianist Martin Kratkovil. We haven’t heard them play since we were here seven years ago with Matt. Tony and Martin were as good and innovative as ever. Percussionist Musa Zangi added wonderful bongo riffs. It was a small crowd, so we had great seats. Seven years ago we would have been driven out by smoke. Now, few people smoke so it is a pleasure to stay until the last set, which ended with just enough time for us to catch the last metro home!

Thursday, June 16, 2005.

2005-06-16T22:33:00.000+02:00

I went to VŠE to meet with Ondrej, a doctoral student/instructor who is helping me write a case about a telecommunications company in Brno. Since the company is a large public company, there has been a lot written about it, although most of it is in Czech. Ondra has translated several interviews by the woman CEO, and I have put together part of a first draft. My hope is to send a preliminary draft to her to spark her interest in talking with us.
Today is sunny and quite warm, so walking across the Charles Bridge today was quite different than yesterday. Today, as expected, there are hoards of people. It’s best to walk across the bridge in the early morning or late at night to avoid the crowds, but I still enjoy walking across the bridge during the day when the weather is so nice and various musical groups serenade the tourists.
I stopped at a fruit stand on the way home, and Rick and I grabbed a light snack before heading out for this evening’s concert. The Wallenstein Garden was a different place today than yesterday. The weather was clear, the wooden benches were dry and the concert was well attended. The first group was Mitzvah, a Russian piano-violin-clarinet-bass ensemble which was truly wonderful. The second was the Vienna Klezmer Band, which played some familiar Yiddish tunes and used more folk instruments.
We had intended to go to Cream and Dream for ice cream again, but opted to go directly home instead and watch part of the “Good Soldier Švejk” DVD that Marty and Harriet had lent us. Based on the beloved and often-filmed novel, this Czech satire is set in World War I and follows the bumbling soldier Švejk (played masterfully by Rudolf Hrusinsky) as his attempts to follow orders and impress his superiors invariably lead to catastrophe. The film is true to Jaroslav Hašek’s book, with the set and acting top drawer and properly droll.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

2005-06-15T22:32:00.000+02:00

Another rainy day. My morning meeting was cancelled, so I didn’t go out until afternoon, at which point both Rick and I got thoroughly drenched.
We went to the Wallenstein (Valdštejnská )Gardens for the 6th Nine Gates International Czech- German-Jewish culture festival. The festival is named after a famous book by Jiři Mordechai Langer, which has recently been made into a film that is scheduled to be released this fall. The main theme of this year’s Nine Gates festival is the history of the Jewish people in Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union and the current Russian Federation, in the context of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. The festival boasts a selection of Russian artists from different disciplines. There are also artists from many other European countries, representing Jewish culture. Music and theater performances this week highlight two Russian theater ensembles: the the theatre U Nikitinskykh vorot, which will stage the drama “Mein Kampf Fars” by George Tabori and “The Magician from Lublin” by Isaak Bashevis Singer, and the Shalom theatre. The festival opened yesterday with a concert of the Philharmonic Orchestra, which played film music composed by Sergei Prokofyev, Dmitri Shostakovich and Alfred Schnittke, accompanied by some film sequences. Concerts at the Wallenstein Gardens feature Russian bands Shmerl, Berl and Son, Mitzvah, and Marimba Plus, along with musicians from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine.
We went to hear the Russian ensemble Shmerl, Berl and Son, which was sparsely attended because of the persistent rain. The Wallenstein Garden is a large expanse of geometric garden areas in Baroque style. This garden was only open for the public in 2002, so this is the first time Rick and I have been inside.
The garden is tucked behind the Wallenstein Palace (near the metro station at Malá Strana), which was built between 1621 and 1634 by Albrecht von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland and of Mecklenburg. The palace was to be his Prague residence which, in its size and splendor, would cast a shadow over all the other buildings of its kind and even compete with Prague Castle itself. Wallenstein invited the best architects, painters and artisans from Italy, an unusual choice for a city historically dominated by German artists and craftsmen. Nobody knows exactly who designed the building but the architect is thought to have been either Andrea Spezza or Giovanni Pieroni. The site originally contained twenty-six buildings. As one of the largest complexes within the city, it transformed the surrounding area. Over the centuries it has served many purposes. In early 1996, the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic’s parliament decided that the official and legislative residence of the Senate would be located in Wallenstein Palace. The key objective of the Palace’s restoration for this purpose would be the full architectural rehabilitation of all its parts, including artistic decoration. Restoration of the main building began in mid-1999 and represented the most challenging restoration and conservation works in the entire complex. The most valuable parts of this building in historical and artistic terms are the Main Hall, the Knights’ Hall, the Antechamber, the Audience Hall and the Mythological and Astronomical Corridors. The restoration and reconstruction of Wallenstein Palace has preserved the architectural and artistic heritage of one of the largest and most important building complexes in Prague.
We walked in the rain toward Old Town, to meet Regina for dinner. She is staying at the Residence Řetĕzová, a historic 16th century residence between the Charles Bridge and Old Town Square. Residence Řetĕzová has been converted into nine apartments, each of which is named for a city. Regina was in apartment New York, a royal suite as big as our flat. We went to dinner at U Medvídků and then to Cream and Dream for ice cream cones. Fortunately, by the time we finished dinner, the rain had abated. However, our jackets were still quite wet and soggy when we got home.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

2005-06-14T22:47:00.000+02:00

Prague always seems to be either in the 60s or 80s, almost never comfortable 70s. Last week it was cold and rainy, today it’s hot and sunny. Rick and I went to the airport to deliver a suitcase to Ales D, who is on his way to Denver for a visit with Peter. We don’t have a scale, but Rick was sure the suitcase was well under the 70-pound (32 kilo) limit, so we added extra books. When we got to the airport, we found out that it weighed 38 kilos, so we had to subtract more than a few books and papers. Fortunately, the British Air folks allowed us to check it at 32.6 kilos. Most airlines are very particular about keeping to the weight limits. They are even weighing carry-ons now, which is why we are so concerned about sending some stuff ahead of time. Thanks to Peter and Ales, we should now be well within the airline’s limits.
Eva and Martin and I met this afternoon to prepare our presentation for the conference in July. We have only a half-hour for our presentation, so it will be a challenge to keep within the time limit and still have some time for discussion. I’m particularly pleased with our presentation, however, not just because I think it will be interesting for participants, but because it gives me an opportunity to learn more about what Eva and Martin are doing with their classes and in their research. Martin looks much more relaxed these days, since the textbook is finished – except for proofreading the galleys for the printer. The book should be on the shelves this fall.
After a quiet dinner at home, Rick and I watched “Larks on a String,” from a DVD borrowed from Marty and Harriet. This film was made in the Czech Republic in 1969, an interesting time here, and is based on a book by Bohumil Hrabal (who also wrote Closely Watched Trains). This film was inspired by Hrabal’s working experience in the Kladno steel factory in the 1950s. It depicts the everyday life of the former bourgeoisie – intellectuals and small shop owners – who were forced to work in a scrap yard as part of their “re-education.” To quote a review, “Positioned between hope and despair, seriousness and humor, it is a mosaic of individual destinies held together by a belief in love, kindness and indestructible humanity.” This gentle satire --- full of brief observations of life in a socialist heaven-to-be --- was a clear attack on Stalinism, which made it one of the most controversial films made in Czechoslovakia and prevented director Jiři Menzel from working for almost a decade. This film was banned forever only to appear 20 years later and scoop the Golden Bear in Berlin in 1990.

Monday, June 13, 2005

2005-06-13T22:46:00.000+02:00

Regina, who is a political science prof visiting from Adelphi University in New York, invited me to attend her talk about nuclear safety in the European Union. Apparently, there’s a plant here in the Czech Republic, as well as France, Germany, UK, but no country has solved the problem of “spent fuel” storage. Neither the US nor the Czech Republic has a long-term waste repository. EU guidelines for nuclear safety standards are unclear; the directive merely states that there should be a “high standard.” Coincidentally, the Czech nuclear power plant, Temelin, near Ceske Budejovice, disconnected its first reactor from the grid shortly after 5:00 p.m. today, due to a signal fault in the generator cooling system in the non-nuclear part of the plant. The reactor’s output will supposedly be reduced to about 30 percent initially and then will then be disconnected. Apparently, it is be possible to see what the problem is only after the system is completely cool. A second reactor has been shut down since early April for a three month standard check that will include the replacement of about a quarter of the fuel. Obviously, there are concerns about assuring an uninterrupted supply of electricity in the country, as well as the cost of electricity which is set to increase next year.
An interesting sideline about her talk is that it was attended by 13 students from DU, mostly GSIS, here on a 5-week study tour. Prague seems to be a very small place.
There were some more Colorado-Prague connections this afternoon. I had gotten an e-mail from my daughter’s good friend Lee who had visited us earlier this fall, asking to host her friend Matt, a recent CU grad, for a few days who’s traveling around Europe. I met him at Obecni Dům for coffee and then took him to dinner at Na Staré Faře for dinner and palacinky (ice-cream crepes) for dessert. He’s a nice young man, a math major and Frisbee player. I was able to set him up for Frisbee practice and dinner with Veena and her friends for tomorrow.
Late this evening we got a call from our son Matt, who is back in Denver after a week in Seattle, and ready to start a summer job this week. He’s house-sitting for a former teacher, which is a very nice situation for him. I think he’s happy to be back in Denver to connect with his friends and we’ll be happy to see him in August before he goes back to college.

Sunday, June 12, 2005

2005-06-12T22:45:00.000+02:00

Today is Shavuot, the Feast of the Weeks, the Jewish holiday celebrating the harvest season in Israel. Shavuot, which means “weeks,” refers to the timing of the festival which is held exactly 7 weeks after Passover. Shavuot is known also as Yom Habikkurim, or “the Day of the First Fruits” because it is the time the farmers of Israel would bring their first harvest to Jerusalem as a token of thanksgiving. Shavuot also commemorates the anniversary of the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
We had lunch with Marty and Harriet at Velryba (Whale) Restaurant in Old Town, and then went to the Manes Gallery to see the art auction. The Manes Gallery building bridges an arm of the river separating the mainland from Slav Island, a sleepy, dog-eared sandbank, named after Slav conventions held there since 1848. At the south end is a 15th century water tower - Sitovska vez - with an 18th century onion-dome roof. The Manes Gallery was established in the 1920s by a group of artists headed by painter Josef Manes as an alternative to the Czech Academy of Arts, and still one of Prague’s better showcases for contemporary art. We didn’t stick around the auction very long, but it was interesting to see how art is auctioned these days: photos of the paintings projected on a screen, with the actual works hanging in the gallery.
We strolled down to Strelecky Ostrov island to see the children’s festival. Strelecky Ostrov means Sharpshooters’ or Riflemen’s Island, which used to have a shooting range. This is World Music Weekend, and this afternoon there was a benefit concert and children’s festivities to support world hunger awareness. We walked back toward Old Town, stopping at Café Montmartre for coffee and Cream and Dream for ice cream.
Our evening was spent with Charlotte and Bruce and Michele and John. John is finally in Prague, after a delayed move here to wrap up things in the States. He’s already received his first pension check, so he’s more than officially retired. We had dinner at Square, a small but elegant restaurant right at Malostranska námĕstí, to celebrate Charlotte’s birthday and John’s move to Prague. We went to Michele and John’s new flat for dessert. They are renting a grand apartment in a former renaissance-era palace, just off Nerudova Street near St. Nicholas Church in Malostrana. Nerudova (the Royal Way or Kings Road linking Prague Castle to the Charles Bridge) is characterized by ancient burgher houses, most of which have been transformed into quaint hotels, restaurants and small shops. Nerudova is named after the 19th century Czech writer and journalist Jan Neruda. Rick says that if we could find an apartment like Michele and John’s, he’d relocate to Prague in a heartbeat.

Saturday, June 11, 2005.

2005-06-11T22:45:00.000+02:00

Rick insisted that we see a movie this evening, so we went downtown to Slovansky Dům to see The Interpreter with Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. I agreed with the reviewer who said it was a mediocre movie with mediocre acting. Rick, of course, loved it.
Although it was chilly this morning, this evening is pleasant. Walking down Wenceslas Square, we were a bit surprised that it was so quiet. Most evenings have large, boisterous crowds of tourists these days.

Friday, June 10, 2005.

2005-06-10T22:44:00.000+02:00

My dear friend Paul is in Prague for his annual teaching stint at the US Business School. For the first time we are in Prague at the same time. Paul has been teaching here for ten years now, so he has seen a lot of changes in Prague over the years. We met—with Howard—for a light dinner at the café next door to the Spanish synagogue before services and, after services, went to U Kapra for dessert with Rick.
The newspaper Mlada fronta Dnes had a contest last fall, to name the top 10 greatest Czechs ever. Among the original ballots submitted were fictional characters and current hockey stars. The officials at the sponsoring TV station feared that Jará Cimrman, a beloved fictitious character created by Zdenĕk Svĕrák, would win. (see http://www.hradec.org/cimr.html for some of Zimrman's many accomplishments) The editors at the Prague Post, however, think that such recognition of the studious Cimrman, a Vienna-born traveler and musician who helped design the Eiffel Tower and rewrite a Checkhov novel, might have earned this small nation a little more respect. The final list of ten was announced on Czech Television earlier this spring, and after the final votes were tallied, the winner was revealed this evening. The winner is Charles IV, followed by (in order):
2. Tomas Garrigue Masaryk
3. Vaclav Havel
4. Jan Amos Komensky
5. Jan Zizka
6. Jan Weirich
7. Jan Hus
8. Antonin Dvorak
9. Karel Capek
10. Bozena Nemcova

Besides “The Greatest Ever Czech” Czech Television also encouraged people to vote for the greatest ever scoundrel. The “winner” of the poll is the first communist president of Czechoslovakia, Klement Gottwald, followed by the former Prime Minister Stanislav Gross who was recently forced to step down over controversies in his personal finances, and the third is the current Czech president, Vaclav Klaus.

Thursday, June 9, 2005.

2005-06-09T22:43:00.000+02:00

I had lunch with Hana, the program director of the Fulbright Center, at Stoleti, near the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood (founded at the end of the 11th century and restored in 1862-65). Although the food and location are great, Stoleti may be best known for its menu, which has dishes named after famous people. For example, there’s a salmon dish named for Gloria Swanson, mozzarella fresco called Arturo Toscanini, and a steak called Ernest Hemingway. Stoleti has a lovely outdoor seating area, but Hana and I decided to eat inside, since it’s not very warm today and threatening rain.
Hana and I are both dismayed that, despite protestations to the contrary, the US Embassy has denied many Czechs visas to visit the US. In the past, Czech Fulbrighters to the US had no trouble arranging visits for their families and friends. This time, several have been denied. Some Czech Fulbright awardees are having trouble getting visas as well. While American Fulbrighters have had trouble getting long-term visas from the Czech Embassy – perhaps in retaliation for the US treatment of Czechs – at least Americans can come here as tourists for 90 days without any visa at all. It’s easy to leave the country every three months and start another 90 days as a tourist. But for Czechs, they need a visa in advance just to get on the airplane.

Wednesday, June 8, 2005.

2005-06-08T23:20:00.000+02:00

Howard has invited Rick to go on a yachting trip in Croatia, so part of this morning was spent arranging Rick’s plane tickets to Split, Croatia, the point of departure. Howard’s travel agent was able to find inexpensive tickets, so Rick is now booked and committed to the week-long trip, which will commence the second of July!
Most of my day was spent reading and editing cases and manuscripts, mostly for other people. One manuscript was Veena’s case study. I met with Veena and Karin, the company founder, at the Café Imperial, a beautiful art nouveau café just down the street from Charlotte’s apartment. Part of Hotel Imperial built in 1914, the café room is beautifully decorative from floor to ceiling in gorgeous ceramics in the art nouveau style popularized by Alfonse Mucha. The café serves food, but is most popular for its morning coffee and afternoon tea. Fresh donuts (round, jelly-filled dough, similar to German “Berliners”) come free with every cup of coffee. Donuts leftover from the previous day, stacked high in a large bowl on the counter, are available to throw at other customers! Any donuts for throwing, however, must be paid for in advance.
Veena and Karin and I talked until well after 10pm, so I was quite late getting home. By the time I arrived, Rick was home from his Czech class, sporting a fat lip from an attempted pick-pocket. He had been accosted by five well-dressed Czech youths on the metro, first as he boarded and also as he attempted to get off one stop later. When he shouted at them and defended his pocket, one threw a punch.

Tuesday, June 7, 2005.

2005-06-07T23:21:00.000+02:00

This morning was spent with banking errands. Howard had suggested that I convert US dollars to Czech crowns at an exchange booth downtown instead of using my ATM card or bank account. I decided to cash in the last of our old Traveler’s Checks and found out that not only will American Express not exchange them for dollars (first they give you crowns, then you can convert them to dollars, both at unfavorable exchange rates), but they won’t take their own traveler’s checks at all anymore. I was finally able to find a decent exchange rate at the Czech Commercial Bank, not as good as cash but better than ČSOB where I have my account. Marty had tipped me off that I could withdraw US dollars from my bank account (instead of Czech crowns) without a fee (contrary to what they had told me when I set up the account), so I took the last of my Fulbright funds (sadly, only $500 remaining in the account) and went to Howard’s recommended exchange booth. I now have enough for rent, but not enough to last until we leave. The rest will have to be with ATM withdrawals from the US or with our credit card (which also now charges a hefty commission).
Shortly after lunch I went to meet my landlady, Milena Halová, for coffee at the club at the Czech National Bank where she works. As usual, we had an enjoyable conversation. I am always amazed at how hard she works. Her stories – and others—belie the stories of Czechs working less hard than Americans.

Monday, June 6, 2005.

2005-06-06T23:40:00.000+02:00

The Fulbright students and scholars were invited to a luncheon with Steven J. Uhlfelder, Chair of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Uhlfelder is a Florida lawyer, appointed to the Fulbright Board by President Bush. Governor Jeb Bush selected Uhlfelder to serve on both the Florida Board of Governors for the state university system and the Board of Trustees for Florida State University. This is Uhlfelder’s first time in Prague, so several of the Fulbright staff and students are acting as tour guides of some of Prague’s well-known sites.
After the luncheon, I went with Marty and Harriet to their flat for tea. It’s always nice to spend time with them, and to talk about Prague impressions and academic life. Since Marty is now officially retired from KSU and next year will be Harriet’s last year, we talked also about retirement. This year has been especially nice for both Rick and me, since we don’t have teaching and committee obligations. It remains to be seen how easy our reentry to Denver will be.
Rick went to his Czech class at 7pm and I joined the Women in Business gathering at Mlynec. This evening’s group was a bit larger than the previous one. I met several interesting women, none of whom is Czech, who are now living and working here. Many have been here a short time, but some longer than a decade.

Sunday, June 5, 2005.

2005-06-05T22:15:00.000+02:00

Today’s rain cleared just in time for Jitka’s garden party in honor of the visit of Bernhard and Jirka, two of Ales’s math colleagues from Canada (Hamilton, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba, respectively). Neither Rick nor I had met Jirka and his wife Marie, who are Czech natives, but Bernard is a long-time friend. The garden party was at the family home of Michael and Irena, long-time friends of Ales and Jitka. An additional treat for us was finally meeting Ales and Jitka’s daughters, Zuzana and Lucie.
The setting was part of the fun of the occasion. This huge villa in Hanspaulka had been built by Michael’s grandfather, and with music from the 30’s and 40’s wafting through the place, it was easy to imagine the glory years. Ownership never passed out of the family, though the communists forced them to sublet part of it. Like most of Prague real estate, however, the place is now worth a fortune, and because it is too big for Michael’s family, its sale seems imminent. But the 30’s were a period of particular national pride and accomplishment in the Czech lands, and it was a special treat to be reminded of them, at least for an afternoon. And when speaking of any occasion on which Jitka has something to do with the food, it goes without saying that the fare was plentiful and most tasty.

Saturday, June 4, 2005.

2005-06-04T23:46:00.000+02:00

Saturday, June 4, 2005.
This morning’s rain postponed our plans for a bike ride in the country with Eva and Honsa. When the weather failed to clear by 10am, we set out east by car to Ostra, a historic working village of Bohemian arts and crafts in the Nymburk district at Lysa nad Labem, frozen in the medieval 1500s. The village is set up similar to that of Williamsburg, with blacksmiths, candle-makers, stonemasons, potters, a paper mill, rope-makers and weavers, as well as jesters, jousters, fencers, dancers and musicians providing entertainment. The entire site is built in the style and scale of the 16th century: doors are low, beams stick out, and the roadway is rough granite cobblestones. Adjacent to the activity area is Dr. Stuart’s Botanicus, an organic garden complex with flower, vegetable and herb gardens, in addition to sculptured bushes and mazes. Today was a special Children’s Day, so there were many activities and games set up for children. We took an afternoon break at Mukarov, where Eva’s parents have a cottage, just in time to get in out of the rain. After the weather cleared, we walked along a lake through a birch forest. We had dinner at Vyzovka, at a small restaurant with excellent Italian cuisine.
We arrived at the outskirts of Prague at 9pm, and were in the city center by 9:30, with plenty of time to join the “Museum Night” festivities. This is the second year of a free-evening cultural event organized by the National Museum. This year, around 40 Prague attractions are open, free of charge, from 7pm until nearly midnight. Rick had never been in the National Museum, so we took this opportunity to spend some time there, mostly looking at the building, not the paleontological and geological holdings. We were treated to a puppeteer, who masterfully animated skeletons, angels and demons, to a very delighted crowd of children and adults.

Friday, June 3, 2005.

2005-06-03T22:13:00.000+02:00

Services at the Spanish Synagogue were preceded by a concert by Coleman Reaboi, accompanied by Peter Gyori on classical guitar. I had not heard Peter perform before, so I was surprised at how good he is. He and Coleman had not had much chance to practice together, since Peter has been spending most of his time at the hospital with Magda and the baby. Peter left right after the short concert, and Coleman led the service.
We joined Howard and Marketa at their flat for a light dinner after the service. This week marks the 38th anniversary of the liberation of Jerusalem’s Holy City and the Temple Mount from Jordanian occupation. Monday, 28 Iyar, corresponding this year with June 6th, is celebrated as Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day. Howard was among the Israeli soldiers who fought in the 1967 war, a time that is still vivid in his memory (and in the pains in his back).
This evening is the 16th anniversary of the Tiananamen Square massacre. During the night of June 3-4, 1989, the communist “People’s Liberation Army” murdered hundreds, if not thousands, of students, workers, and other innocent Chinese people who peacefully demanded reform in the People’s Republic of China. These horrendous crimes committed sixteen years ago in central Beijing have were been properly investigated and prosecuted. To commemorate the sacrifice of the Tiananmen martyrs, people have been requested to put a light in their window on June 3, 2005, at 8:00pm local time. We didn’t return home until after 11pm, but we lit candles and placed them in our windows, in the spirit of our opposition to the Chinese party’s brutality. We may have become more sensitized to these issues lately, having seen some of the aftermath of the destruction from the Nazis and the Communists in central Europe.

Thursday, June 2, 2005.

2005-06-02T22:10:00.000+02:00

Today was a mostly quiet day. Rick went to visit Ales to talk about mathematics; I went to the post office at Old Town and the fruit market at Hradčanská. Coleman Reaboi called to suggest dinner. He mentioned to us that Peter and Magda’s baby was born prematurely two weeks ago, and the baby is still in the hospital in ICU. The baby’s birth was prompted by Magda’s medical condition, and Magda had an emergency c-section. The baby, Leah, weighed just under 4 pounds, so she should be OK. Unfortunately, neither parent can be with her and hold her for more than a few brief periods a day. Fortunately, both mother and baby are doing well and Magda will be able to go home this weekend.
So we met Coleman and Julia at the Spanish Synagogue for a dinner rendezvous. We ended up going to U Benediktu, a short walk down Dlouha (Long) Sreet. We were glad to get a chance to know Coleman and Julia better. Rick especially enjoyed playing with 8-month-old Leo (a real cutie). Rick took Leo on a stroll down the block in his stroller, attracting lots of smiles from passers-by.

Wednesday, June 1, 2005.

2005-06-01T20:47:00.000+02:00

Today is International Children’s Day here and in Slovakia, Russia, Poland and the Baltics. (In other parts of the world International Children’s Day is celebrated in the fall.) Allegedly, celebrating children’s day on the first of June was initiated by the International Federation of Democratic Women during their meeting in the fall of 1949. However, its origin may date back to 1925 with the World Conference for the Wellbeing of Children in Geneva. It coincides with the beginning of summer and, since it takes place near the end of the school year, is usually treated as a holiday. Children attend schools on this day, but schools usually organize for them some special activities, like outdoor plays or the field trips. This day, and also the whole first week of June, is marked by festivities organized in the parks and entertainment centers. The parents usually buy some small gifts to their kids – the smaller the children the bigger the gifts. There are several children’s festivals in Prague this weekend, most of which have crafts, hikes and outdoor games for children. There are also some children’s concerts.
For me, it was a quiet day at home. Rick worked on math and I got sucked into a mystery novel. Rick went to his Czech lesson in the evening; I made a short run to the grocery store for apples, veggies, and ice cream bars. It’s been overcast most of the day, but the forecast is for warmer weather tomorrow and through the weekend.

Tuesday, May 31, 2005.

2005-05-31T17:11:00.000+02:00

After a long morning’s work together on a case study project at Ebel’s Café in Old Town, Veena and I went to the Robert Guttmann Gallery at the back entrance of the Spanish Synagogue to see the exhibit of the 1942 transports of the Bohemian Protectorate Jews to the Baltic States, entitled “Since then I have believed in fate…” Having just returned from a Baltic state, and having just learned about the treatment of the Jews in Lithuania during this time, seeing this exhibit was particularly timely for me. This exhibit deals with the transport trains that were dispatched from the Terezín ghetto before October 26, 1942, when deportations to Auschwitz began. The first part of the exhibition is on the fate of Bohemian Jews who were transported between January 9 and October 22, 1942 to the Nazi-occupied Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia. There is a second part currently under preparation that will be on deportations to Belarus and eastern Poland. Both exhibits are based on Lukáš Přibyl’s long-term studies, his photography collection and his interviews with Shoah survivors, which will be presented in the spring of 2006 in a four-part documentary film. The exhibit contained some of the material brought together for this film.
The Latvian capital Riga was the destination for the first two transports – “O” and “P” – which left the Terezín ghetto on the 9th and 15th of January 1942. The prisoners from the first Czech transport, together with German Jews, replaced the original inhabitants of the Riga ghetto, most of whom had been shot during two extensive massacres in the nearby forests of Rumbula and Bikernieki. Dozens of fit young men from the Czech transports were taken away to work in the labor camp at Salaspils, where many of them perished due to the harsh winter and the barbaric conditions. Life in the ghetto was not any easier – male and female inmates were forced to do the hardest labor and all had to struggle to get a little extra to make up for the meager rations. In addition, there were occasional liquidation campaigns, directed mostly at the elderly, children and the sick. After the liquidation of the ghetto in the summer of 1943, the remaining Jews were relocated to the newly opened concentration camp of Kaiserwald. The vast majority were then sent via the Stutthof concentration camp near Danzig to another slave labor camp in Germany, where they were liberated by the US and British forces, or to the area around Stutthof, where, after the Death Marches, they were found in the spring of 1945 by the Soviet army.
The transports “Bb” and “Be”, which were dispatched in the same year (on August 20 and September 1, 1942), were also directed to the Baltic states. Of the one thousand prisoners on transport “Bb,” not a single survivor was found after the war; it is most probably that they were all murdered immediately upon arrival. Transport “Be,” which was apparently originally destined for Riga, was sent on to Estonia, due to “overcrowding” at the Riga ghetto. It pulled into the small station of Raasiku, where a selection was carried out, after which most of the people were taken away in buses. At a sandbank called Kalevi Liiva, all the men, women and children who were “unfit for work” were forced to undress and to hand over all valuables. They were then shot and pushed into freshly dug mass graves. The only ones to survive the war were a few women who had been sent to Tallinn via the Jägala concentration camp at the end of 1942 and in the course of 1943, where they were put to work clearing up the ruins after air raids and laboring on construction sites, among other things. They were then sent to other concentration camps in Estonia, particularly in Ereda and Goldfields. After the evacuation of these camps at the end of the summer of 1944, the women were relocated to Stutthof, where they met with survivors from Latvia. The largest group of women was then transferred to the Neuengamme concentration camp in Ochsenzoll, where they were put to work in the munitions factory. From there they were deported to Bergen-Belsen, although some of them were reclaimed by Ochsenzoll after a few days. Shortly before the end of the war, they left on a Red Cross transport via Denmark to Sweden. Having managed to survive the appalling conditions at Bergen-Belsen, these women were liberated by the British army on April 15, 1945.
This exhibition features hitherto little-known information not only on the ghettos and camps in this area, but also on the lives of the inmates who were forcibly dragged here. Filmclips of authentic testimony of those who survived the horrors, conveying their impressions and individual experiences, were extremely heart-rending. The photographs and quotes on display filled in the context of the conditions of the time. Despite the tiny size of the museum, we were there nearly two hours, taking in the filmed testimonials, written quotes and photographs.

Monday, May 30, 2005.

2005-05-30T17:24:00.000+02:00

Just when I was thinking about how lazy I was for staying home today, we were greeted by a torrential rain and hailstorm, which lasted for only about 15 minutes. Usually Prague’s rain comes lightly; this was a downpour with 1/2-inch hailstones. Before and after the rain, the weather was bright and sunny. Fortunately, the rain has cooled things down a bit from this morning’s 84-degree temperature. Unfortunately, the storm wreaked havoc on vehicles and people in the city. By the time Rick left for his evening Czech class, it was a dry and comfortable 74-degrees. Even cooler temperatures are predicted for tomorrow.

Sunday, May 29, 2005.

2005-05-29T19:56:00.000+02:00

A dear Czech friend and Denver math colleague, who is visiting Prague this week, has offered to take a suitcase back to Denver for us, so we met him at the airport at 10:30 with a heavy suitcase in tow. The airlines have tightened up baggage restrictions, not only limiting the number of carry-ons, but also limiting their weight to 12 kilos (8 if traveling within the EU), which means we cannot load our carry-ons with books as we had in the past. The weight limit for a checked bag to the US is 70 pounds or 32 kilos. Ours was 31.76 kilos. So it is with great relief that winter clothes and several books are on their way to Denver. We may still have too much volume and/or weight, but now it seems more reasonable to expect that we will be able to fit within the airline limits.
The big headlines today are about France’s rejection of the EU constitution, which was not unexpected. This vote is viewed as an attempt by the French voters to punish the leaders of France and of Europe after a bitter campaign that split the country in two. Turnout for the vote was estimated at more than 70%, which exceeded the turnout for other recent elections in France. The final figure was expected to surpass turnout in the referendum on the Maastricht Treaty 13 years ago that paved the way to the euro. The new constitution can only take effect if it is ratified by all 25 member states. Nine countries had ratified it before the French went to the polls, and France was the first in the EU to decide via a binding referendum. The no vote makes France, a founding member of the European Union and one of its most influential, the first country to reject the charter. It is a personal defeat for Chirac, who campaigned vigorously in favor of the constitution. It also sets back European integration by blocking a treaty that aims to streamline decision-making in an expanded union.
The new constitution has been criticized because it is so long and detailed: it has 448 articles. But it is mostly an attempt to reconcile old treaties and clean up confusing language. Advocates of the charter said it would make the EU more democratic by giving the European Parliament more power and by setting up the positions of president and foreign minister for the bloc. As a result, they said, Europe would become a more credible player in world affairs. Opponents countered that the treaty would sap the sovereignty of member states and open the door to unrestrained capitalism, putting at risk France’s generous welfare system. The biggest concerns are probably not so related to the actual constitution, but about outsourcing and the arrival of lower-paid workers from new EU member countries. (There was much public discussion of a mythical Polish plumber who would, in the event the constitution passed, allegedly be able and willing to work in France for far less than a Frenchman would find acceptable.) The rejection of the constitution undermined French President Jacques Chirac and will result in a reshuffling of the French government in the next few days. The Netherlands will vote on Wednesday, and analysts are predicting that the French result is likely to increase the chances of a firm rejection there. Polls have already registered 60% of the public in opposition to the constitution in the Netherlands.
Back in Prague, we had intended to go to a chamber music concert this evening, but opted to spend a quiet evening at home and avoid getting dressed up and trotting downtown in the heat (it is in the mid-80s today). We are in the final week of the Prague Spring Music Festival, and we have yet to go to any of the concerts this year. The festival originated in 1946 in the optimistic post-war atmosphere, as a celebration of classical music. While in the first year, all the orchestral concerts were played by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra which was celebrating its 50th birthday, later many other ensembles and musicians, including many international stars, performed at the festival. The Prague Spring has gradually become one of the most important showcases for outstanding performing artists, orchestras and chamber ensembles in Europe. Sadly for those of us here, tickets have become very expensive, even by US standards. The final concert is on June 4th, performed by the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, but we have weekend plans so we may have foregone our only chance at a Prague Spring concert this year.

Saturday, May 28, 2005.

2005-05-28T21:58:00.000+02:00

Marketa planned an excursion for us today, so Howard rented a car and the four of us headed west. Our first top was Kouřim, an ancient town situated exactly at the intersection of the 50th parallel and the 15th meridian, 40 km east of Prague on the route to Kutna Hora, the famous Silver Mining Town. The Old Kouřim settlement dates from the 3rd century, and gained importance in the 9th century at the time of Slav settlements when the settlement of the powerful Zlič tribe was a center of power and trade, which competed for a privileged position with Prague. The town was prosperous under King Wenceslas I from the middle of the 13th century until the Hussite revolution, which lasted until 1620. The town then suffered a decline from which it never recovered, although preserved traces of its former significance remain. We walked through the small town square, to the Church of St. Stephan, one of the most valuable early-Gothic buildings in Central Europe. The church was open, and we were fortunate to find a friendly young docent who was quite knowledgeable about the history and architecture of the church, a rare combination of Gothic and neo-Gothic architecture and design. The Renaissance-style belfry still has two of the original five bells, curiously suspended with their clappers up. The small Chapel of Virgin Mary Helping was built in 1727 by J.B. Santini, the most famous Baroque architect of central Europe. The chapel has five sides as a symbol of five monks who were burnt to death by the Hussites.
Most of the morning was spent walking along the town fortification, which was built from the 13th -16th centuries. Kouřim boasts some of the best preserved fortifications of medieval Czech towns. They surrounded the historical heart of the town, a full 1240 meters in length. A part of the fortifications is the “Prague Gate,” which is the town’s only remaining entrance gate.
Outside Kouřim, the way led through sylvan forests, by a bucolic farmyard, and then along a musical creek. Because the day was quite hot, we turned back short of our objective, the town of Zasmuky, and drove there instead after grabbing a bite to eat in Kouřim. In 1694 Zasmuky, was the head of the family of Count Adolph Vratislav Sternberg, the Highest Burgrve in the Kingdom of Bohemia. The Sternbergs played a role in both the cultural and political history of Bohemia. Legend has it that Jaroslav of Sternberg led the defense of the town of Olomouc against the Tartar Khan Batu, Chingiz-Khan’s son in 1241 and thus stopped the invasion of all of Europe by the Tartar horde. Twelve years later, in 1253, Zdeslav of Sternberg led the victorious battle against the Hungarian Kumans, and the King awarded him with large territories in Moravia. In the 14th century, the Sternbergs became related by marriage to the Luxembourgs. Albert of Sternberg was adviser as well as friend to Emperor Charles the IV, who was a Luxembourg. Albert Sternberg, a cleric, established several monasteries in Bohemia and eventually became Archbishop of Magdeburg, the Primate of all of Germany. In the 15th century, Zdenek of Sternberg led the Catholics in the religious wars against the Hussite King Jiři of Poděbrad, even though his sister, Kunhuta Sternberg, was the first wife of Jiři of Poděbrad. Today, the castle and surrounding buildings at Zasmuky are in disrepair, apparently undergoing renovations. We drove to Kolín, the birthplace of many significant personalities in the fields of culture, politics, economics, and Jewish life. Its Jewish community is one of the oldest in the country. A number of Jews were living here in the fourteenth century, and they had their own synagogue. A stone inscription from a former synagogue, preserved in the present synagogue, bears the date 1642. When King Ferdinand I. expelled the Jews from Bohemia in 1541, the Jews of Kolín went with their movable goods to Poland. At Braunau the emigrants encountered thieves, who robbed them of 20,000 Bohemian schock. In 1551 the Bohemian Jews were permitted to return; but the Jews of Kolín could find no rest in their city. For unknown reasons, King Ferdinand granted them safe-conduct in 1557, enabling them to remain for one year in the country to collect their debts, after which period they were to leave again. Their affairs delayed them, however, and they did not leave the city until 1561. After Ferdinand’s death in 1564, his successor, Maximilian II, permitted the Jews to return to Kolín; but the wealthiest among them did not avail themselves of the permission. In 1618 the Jewish community of Kolín was, next to that of Prague, the largest in Bohemia. It had to pay heavy taxes into the royal treasury; in 1618 the sum amounted to 18,000 thalers, or 47 thalers per head. In 1603 the municipal council forbade the Jews to appear on Sundays and on other Christian holidays in those parts of the city inhabited by Christians; it prohibited them from keeping dogs; and forbade also Jewish butchers to sell meat to Christians. In 1611 a special prison was built in the Jews’ street for the Jews, at their request and at their expense; it has only recently been demolished, after having served as a dwelling for poor families for more than one hundred years. No Jew was permitted to own any real estate except his house, or more than one horse. Jews were forbidden also to engage in those trades or lines of business in which their Christian fellow citizens were engaged; they were obliged, therefore, to establish connections with foreign houses. The municipal council, which was intent upon isolating the Jews from the Christian population, forbade the latter to enter the service of the Jews; even washerwomen were not allowed to do laundry-work for them. As the Jews were accused of having brought the plague into the city on returning from their business trips, they were not permitted to remain outside of their own street for any length of time, nor to draw water with their vessels from the Christians’ wells. During this appearance of the plague (1613-14) the municipal council had both entrances to the Jews’ street walled up.
In December 1621, the knight Jan Vazlav Grizl of Grizlov was made captain of the imperial estate of Kolín and Bieberitz. He permitted the Jews to engage in those trades and lines of business which had hitherto been open only to Christians; and on several occasions he showed them favor. When an epidemic of dysentery appeared in Kolín in 1660, Rabbi Borges and his son Schaje (Isaiah) were accused of having killed a pig which had escaped from the house of the widow Sperlink into the Jews’ street, and of having thrown the same into the communal well, thereby poisoning the water. Both fled from the city.
In 1942, 2202 people were deported to Terezin from Kolín and its vicinity in 1942 and only about 105 survived the Nazi occupation. It’s not clear that there are any Jews living in Kolín now. We were particularly interested in seeing the remains of the Jewish ghetto, part of which has survived, and the Kolín synagogue, which is the second oldest in the Czech Republic, originally built around 1642. This synagogue, whose entrance is inside a school (so we could not go in today) functioned until 1955. Around that time, its Torahs were send to the different Jewish communities all over the world. Only the early baroque Aron ha kodesh, acquired at the expense of the Viennese financier Samuel Oppenheimer, uncle of David Oppenheimer, the provincial rabbi in Bohemia, remains in its original location. The inscription in the frieze reads “This is a gift from the prince and high official Samuel Oppenheimer at the King’s Court and in the capital city.” This title of prince, however, does not imply noble status but expresses the importance of the offerer in the eyes of the Kolín Jewish community. The whole complex of the Kolín synagogue and the former Jewish school underwent extensive reconstruction work at the end of the 1990s and at the present time it is partially used for cultural purposes. The chandelier and a part of the furnishing are now in Denver at Temple Emmanuel, so we had heard of Kolín several years ago.
Modern Kolín is an industrial city, a river port on the Elbe (Labe) River, known for its metal and chemical industries. The city also has a petroleum refinery and a hydroelectric station. Earlier this year Kolín opened a Toyota-Peugeot-Citroën automobile factory at the northern edge of the town, which employs about 3000 people. Its capacity is 300,000 cars a year. Kolín was founded by king Wenceslas I in the 13th century, under the name Colonia nova (New Colony). Between 1475 and 1488, Hynek z Poděbrad, a Renaissance writer and son of King Jiři (George) of Poděbrady, lived in Kolín Castle. Jiří z Poděbrad, King of Bohemia (1458-1471), was the first king in Europe to renounce the Catholic faith when he adopted the religion of Jan Hus. Kolín’s major growth occurred after the construction of the Vienna-Prague railway in the 19th century.
We spent our time near the city center, which is surrounded by Gothic and Renaissance buildings, including a splendid town hall. The 13th-century Church of St. Bartholomew, noted for its Gothic choir, was designed by the famous Peter Parler, one of the builders of St. Vitas Cathedral at Prague Castle. While the sign on the church said that there were services at 6pm, the church was closed and empty. Marketa went to a service at the Roman-Catholic church of St. Johan Baptist, while Howard and Rick and I explored the Jewish sites. We were treated to an outdoor music festival just down the street from the Church of St. Bartholomew and had fun walking through the city streets listening to the music. I especially enjoyed the fact that it was sunny and warm—too warm for most sensibilities—and the sun was still shining after 9pm when we got back to Prague.

2005-05-28T11:18:00.000+02:00

Kouřim

Friday, May 27, 2005.

2005-05-27T19:50:00.000+02:00

Another day in paradise: warm weather and sunshine! Unfortunately, the tourists have arrived in Prague in droves. All the streets and squares are packed with hoards of people cheek to jowl.
This afternoon I went downtown to sit in on part of Veena and Richard’s conference, “Bringing the World Home,” coordinated by Americans for Informed Democracy (AID). This is one of a series of weekend retreats in Europe for Americans who have finished study abroad programs, focused on techniques for raising global consciousness in the U.S. This Prague retreat was held at the Pedagogical Faculty of Charles University, whose building is behind the Roman Catholic Church of St. Thomas on Lazarska, just across the street from Chez Amis. The conference attracted a good turnout – at least 30 attendees. I came for the introductory remarks at 1pm, and had intended to stay for a panel discussion which was scheduled to begin at 5pm, but instead went home after a short shopping errand at 4.
Rick and I went together to services at the Spanish Synagogue, which were led tonight by Cantorial Soloist Coleman Reaboi from Florida. This time Coleman is here with his wife Julia and year-old son Leo for an extended 3-week visit. Coleman conducted the service was which absolutely lovely. The singing was interrupted only by a few silent or spoken prayers and a short Dvar Torah. There were only about 20 or 30 people in attendance, a relatively small crowd, mostly locals, which seemed nicely intimate.
After the service, we went to Charlotte and Bruce’s flat for dessert. Charlotte had made fruit dumplings – potato dumplings filled with whole strawberries – and we all had ample portions topped with cheese, sugar, and melted butter. Charlotte is a wonderful cook, but of course the real reason to meet them for dessert is for their company. This evening was special partly because they have just celebrated their third anniversary this week, but also because Bruce had won several trophies in a golf tournament this afternoon.

Thursday, May 26, 2005.

2005-05-27T09:59:00.000+02:00

Eva had asked me to give a seminar on Team-based learning as part of a faculty workshop at VŠE this week. Her session on student presentation skills started at 8:30, and mine followed at 9:30. Most of the attendees were faculty from the International Business division, all of whom spoke very good English. The discussion about using, forming, and grading team projects was very lively, with every person engaged and obviously interested in finding ways to incorporate team projects in their classes. Most of these people teach lectures of 80 students, so they are trying to find ways to involve students in projects together instead of assign 80 individual reports or presentations. Forming teams at Czech universities is, of course, different than in my classes in the US. Here, all students are roughly the same age and, with very few exceptions, were born and grew up in the Czech Republic. The two main topics of interest were finding ways of to form diverse teams and how to evaluate team member performance.

The weather today is lovely: sunny and quite warm. For the first time I am wearing short sleeves! Rick and I both went to the grocery store. We are ready for a few simple home-cooked means and quiet evenings!

Wednesday, May 25, 2005.

2005-05-25T21:46:00.000+02:00

This morning we are headed home, Vicki to the US and Rick and me back to Prague. Alfonsas was ready with his taxi promptly at 8:30am to take us to the airport. Again, we saw so many crazy drivers, we wondered how we were so lucky in our rental car to have avoided any accident. Vicki’s flight was two hours earlier than ours, so we had a long wait at the airport, which only has one small café and a few shops (and no lines at the check-in counter or security!) We arrived in Prague around 5:30pm to warm weather and sunshine, quite a contrast from the cold rainy weather we had left only one week ago. It is finally time to shed our jackets and get out the short-sleeved shirts!

Tuesday, May 24, 2005.

2005-05-24T21:44:00.000+02:00

We began our day with a trip to Rumšiškes, an open-air museum located 18 km east of Kaunas between the Kaunas-Vilnius highway and the Kaunas Basin. This museum was established in 1966 to portray a typical Lithuanian country village. There are buildings, furniture, household articles, iconography materials, fences, wells, beehives, orchards, flower gardens and other artifacts, which illustrate the way of life, work and traditions of the peasants and townspeople of these regions. The core of the museum consists of dwelling houses and economic buildings transferred from different regions of Lithuania: Aukstaitija (Upper Lithuania), Suvalkija, Zemaitija (Lower Lithuania or Samogitia), Lithuania Minor. The buildings are grouped in complexes: farmsteads, small villages, and towns. They represent the most characteristic stylistic features, planning, constructions, and decorative elements of buildings of different epochs and social strata, set in the natural environment, complete with fences, green plantation, and sacral monuments. There are 51 buildings that one can go inside and see period furniture, clothing, kitchen articles, and working tools. In some buildings there are artisans demonstrating work such as making pots of clay, processing of the amber, wood, metal, weaving etc. The walk around the 7-km path took us about two hours, by which time the weather had turned from grey and cool to sunny and quite warm.
We returned our rental car and spent the afternoon in Kaunas’s Old Town. Kaunas has a population of nearly 400,000, over 35,000 of whom are students studying at one of seven universities, and is now a large center of business and industry. Kaunas is also a city of old traditions, and an important historical and cultural center. In 1408, Magdeburg rights were granted to the city of Kaunas by the privilege of Vytautas the Great. During the early 20th century, governed by its first Burgomaster Jonas Vileisis, Kaunas was the home of the Lithuanian Government and the capital city; a period considered by many as the golden age of the city. However, the city, situated at the confluence of the rivers Neris and Nemunas, experienced many other periods of great prosperity and national importance. In 1030, Lithuanian Prince Koinos established a fortress at the confluence of the Viliya and Nieman Rivers and named it Kovno after himself.
In 1410, the first Jews were brought in as prisoners of war and settled across the Nieman in Vilijampole, which was then called Slobodka. In the fifteenth century, Jewish traders temporarily resided in Kovno, but from 1495 to 1525 pressure from Christian merchants forced them into Slobodka. They weren’t allowed to return to Kovno until 1782. The Slobodka Yeshiva was founded in 1882 and by the end of the nineteenth century there were more than 25,000 Jews living under the czar. In 1915 as the German Army approached, czarist authorities expelled about 32,000 to the interior of Russia. Only 9,000 returned. Germany occupied Kovno for three years, and when an independent Lithuania was established in 1919, Kovno became Kaunas. When Poland annexed Vilnius in 1920, Kaunas became the capital.
By 1933 there were 38,000 Jews, nearly 30 percent of the total population, with five daily Yiddish newspapers. There were Hebrew and Yiddish schools, numerous synagogues and Zionist youth groups. Jews held positions in medicine and in commerce, a few were judges, but opportunities in government were limited. Soviet rule began in June 1940; Jewish institutions were shut down and many Jewish leaders and Zionist activists were exiled to Siberia. In June 1941 the Nazis took over and by July an estimated 10,000 Jews were murdered. That month, the Germans reestablished the ghetto in Slobodka. The Jews in the ghetto operated a Resistance underground, holding clandestine religious sessions and secretly documenting their tragedy through letters, art and photography. In 1945 the Soviets again entered the city. The repressive Russian rule lasted until Lithuania regained its independence, at which time most of the remaining Jews emigrated to Israel.
Most of our day in Kaunas was spent walking around Old Town. Old Town’s main street was now empty of the craft booths we had seen on Saturday. Many of the stores that line the street sell shoes – more shoe stores that we’ve ever seen in one city, let alone on one street!
We walked through town, toward the end of Vilniaus Street, toward Kaunas Castle. This 13th century castle was thought to have been built by Kęstutis to defend a road to Trakai. It was the country’s first defensive bastion and the only double-walled castle in Lithuania. The surrounding walls were initially over two meters wide and 13 meters high. Unlike most other castles of the time, Kaunas was not made by wood, but was one of the few stone castles. However, in 1362, after a siege, the crusaders managed to destroy it. Legend has it that the castle was not destroyed and that 36 survivors remained. These survivors along with the knights allegedly are still burning in an eternal fire which can only be extinguished by an innocent person entering the castle via a secret cave. However, history books dictate that the castle was destroyed and its replacement, some of which can be viewed at this site today, was built by 1368.
Most of the museums are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we walked back toward the center of Old Town. We stopped at Christ’s Resurrection Church, two Orthodox cathedrals, and the Town Hall, a baroque-style building with early classic and gothic architecture which looked like it had once been a church. The inside was splendid, obviously recently refurbished and modernized for civic offices.
We also stopped at Perkunas House, another example of late Gothic architecture, built in a similar style to St. Anne’s church in Vilnius. Built during the final days of the 15th century, the rich architecture symbolized the economic power of the Hanseatic League and German expansion. Today it is in a sad state of disrepair, but does host regular art classes. The St. Francis Church and Jesuit Monastery is also in disrepair, but we were able to go inside to see the library. The building dates from 1666, but fire has taken its toll over the centuries. Like many churches in Lithuania this one has changed hands many times, and was restored to its original owners once again in 1990.
The most predominant church is St. Michael the Archangel, which apparently still functions for services on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Today we could only see the outside of the building, which looks like a Russian Orthodox cathedral rather than a Catholic church. It is referred to as soboras, or a Lithuanization of the Russian word sobor or cathedral. The neo-Byzantine, symmetrical building was built towards the end of the 19th century by Russian architects.
The Vytautas Church is a gothic structure, built by Franciscan monks in the beginning of the 15th century with a tower that was added later that century. Invaders took advantage of the central location and the building was used as ammunitions storage by the Napoleonic army (who set the building ablaze in farewell) and later as an Orthodox cathedral from 1845-1853. The church was returned to the Catholics in 1990.
Our last stop of the day was the Kaunas Choral Synagogue, built in 1871. We arrived around 5:30, before the daily service. The synagogue’s silver dome and stained-glass windows glisten in the late afternoon sun. The inside of this synagogue is quite spectacular, with a marvelously ornate gold-leafed altar, overhung by an intricately designed golden chandelier. Two men inside explained that there is a minion every evening, with about 20 men. On warm evenings, elderly men and women sit on benches outside and schmooze in Russian or Yiddish before services. In the back courtyard there is a towering monument, a somber memorial to the more than 1,600 children who were murdered at the Ninth Fort.
The car-rental agency was kind enough to give us a ride back to Vicki’s flat, although the kindness was nearly made up for by the harrowing trip through rush-hour traffic, with several near-missed accidents. We went back to Old Town later that evening, for a last dinner at “Bernelių užeiga,” a traditional Lithuanian restaurant whose name is loosely translated as “The Boys’ Meeting House.” We made sure to sample the ethnic dishes, including the sweet bread ale.

2005-05-24T10:12:00.000+02:00

Rumšiškes

Monday, May 23, 2005.

2005-05-23T23:10:00.000+02:00

Vicki had asked me to give a presentation to the staff at her company at 8:30 this morning, so we went to her office early to get everything set up. It was a pleasure meeting so many of her employees, and engaging them in conversation. From their comments, it seems to me that there are many similarities between the attitudes of Lithuanians and Czechs, largely due to their history under Nazi terror and Soviet domination, and recent emergence into the EU.
Rick and I were on the road back to Vilnius shortly after 10:00, to see some of the remnants of the former Jewish areas of town. You wouldn’t necessarily know it by walking the streets today, but Vilnius was once one of the cultural centers of the Jewish world. Known before World War II as the Jerusalem of the North, Vilnius was home to more than 60,000 Jews, most of whom spoke Yiddish. Vilnius was considered the capital of Yiddish culture and learning and was home to the famed Yiddish Institute of Higher Learning (YIVO) and the Strashum Library. The first Jews came to Lithuania in the 14th century, lured to the area by tolerant Lithuanian regimes. On the eve of the war, some 240,000 Jews lived in Lithuania—virtually all of whom were killed during the Nazi occupation from 1941 to 1944. Today, there are few reminders of Vilnius’s Jewish past, save for Hebrew letters on a few signs and buildings. Before WWII, there were 100 synagogues in Vilnius. Now there is only one, built in 1905, the Romanesque-Moorish Choral Synagogue. This building claims to have one of the most beautiful altars in the entire Jewish world. The synagogue is undergoing repairs, so we were not able to see inside. But perhaps the real reason we could not go in is that a bitter conflict has been going on since last fall between the Jewish community and the extremist sect “Chabad Lubavitch” led by Solom Ber Krinsky, that is trying to take over and dominate the Jewish community. Rabbi Krinsky and his followers have been using slander, violence and intimidation in order to impose their will upon the community. http://www.litjews.org/index.asp?DL=E&TopicID=51
We went to the monument where Jewish Street—or Zydu gravde in Lithuanian—cuts through the heart of old town Vilnius. But there’s not much overtly Jewish about it anymore. The Great Synagogue, which once stood at the end of Jewish Street, was dynamited by the Nazis and then later bulldozed by the Soviets; there’s now a Soviet-built kindergarten and basketball court where the synagogue used to stand.
We met a Lithuanian man who claimed to have lived in one of the houses on this square when he was three years old. He was with an Israeli couple, he from Denmark, she from South Africa. In our short conversation, the Danish (now Israeli) gentleman revealed that the only reason he was on earth is that the Danes, alone among all the countries of Europe, protected their Jews. His parents had fled to Sweden on the morning when virtually all Danish Jews were instructed by the Danish authorities to escape the Nazi putsch.
The fact that this conversation was conducted in a trashy neighborhood around a modest street plaque which was the only evidence of the magnificent main Schul of prewar Vilnus, emphasized to both of us how tragically and completely the Nazi monsters had succeeded. There simply is no significant Jewish presence in modern Lithuania, and precious little evidence of the past glories remain. The Jewish ghetto was encircled by barbed wire and transformed into a prison camp for the city’s 60,000 Jews, nearly all of whom were later marched to the Paneriai forest eight kilometers away and executed. Across Lithuania as a whole, some 200,000 Lithuanian Jews, or over 90 percent of the pre-war Jewish community, perished. The guidebook says there are some 6000 Jews in Lithuania today, most of whom immigrated here from Russia during the Soviet era; there are fewer than 200 Holocaust survivors left in the country. Vilnius’s Jewish past still draws tens of thousands of Jewish visitors a year from the United States, Israel Argentina and also South Africa, where as many as 80 percent of the nation’s 90,000 Jews descend from Lithuanian Jews, or litvaks.
There is a plaque on the wall of a building on the corner at Zydu (Jewish) Street commemorating The Great Vilna Gaon -- Elijahu ben Solomon Zalman (1720-1797). The Gaon was the greatest luminary not only among the many Talmudical scholars of the 17th and 18th centuries (and five centuries before that), but also for many generations to come. It is said that his unsurpassed intellectuality and spirituality gave him an unchallenged supremacy as an exponent of the Torah and the Talmud, to the study of which he devoted his life. This made him spiritual head of the whole of the Lithuanian and Russian Jewry and later that of all the Jewish communities in Eastern and Central Europe. He introduced innovative methods of Talmud study and attempted to restore Jewish law to its original rational meaning with the help of critical commentaries. He applied these critical methods to research and improve the texts of both Talmuds—the Babylonian and the Jerusalem, and to all rabbinic literature. In addition to his knowledge of Jewish law, he also was a learned student of history and geography, and particularly of mathematics, astronomy and anatomy. He insisted that it was necessary to study secular sciences, because the Torah and science were linked together. The Gaon fought Hasidism as dangerous to traditional Judaism and also issued an excommunication to several Hassids. He fostered the creation of schools and yeshivot for the acquisition of Talmudic knowledge and was the forefather of the dissemination of secular knowledge among the Jews. The Gaon embodied the results of his study, research and reflection in a great number of works (approximately 70) embracing a big variety of topics. They were published after his death. He has been described as a “genius of the first order” and as “the last great theologian of classical Rabbinism.” He is considered a symbol of the 700 years of Jewish presence in Lithuania.
A Jewish museum has been established in Vilnius three times. The first one opened in 1913. The greater part of its collection of Jewish folklore, art, music, published and unpublished materials, perished during the World War I. On the eve of the World War II, the museum had accumulated more than 6 000 books, thousands of historical and ethnographic works and documents, publications, periodicals in 11 languages, and a rich folklore collection. There were ancient coins, including Jewish ones. There were 3 000 art works. The unique contents of this first Jewish museum were nearly all destroyed during the World War II. The second museum was organized in 1944, after the Soviet liberation, by survivors of the Nazi occupation. This second museum had a very short life. The Soviet authorities, in their campaign against Cosmopolitanism and Zionism, closed the museum on June 10, 1949. Its collection was scattered amongst other Lithuanian museums and archives. Forty years after the second one was closed down, the Soviet Lithuanian authorities permitted the opening of the third museum in Vilnius, from October 1, 1989 under the Ministry of Culture and Education.
We had a hard time finding the Jewish Museum, because it is housed in an out-of-the-way rundown building and is closed for reconstruction. We read that among the objects in the State Jewish Museum in Vilnius are ritual items salvaged from the Great Synagogue that was destroyed by the Soviets, including parts of the original ark and reader’s desk. Nor were we able to find the Museum of Genocide Victims, which is located in what was the much-feared KGB headquarters until 1991. The guidebook says that you can tour actual cells where prisoners were held and tortured, and that on a recent trip, President Adamkus found the entry for him in the KGB log book, from when he was a prisoner in the building.
We did find the Holocaust Museum, eight rooms of displays located in a small green house at the top of a driveway. Although tiny in comparison with the Holocaust museums in Jerusalem and Washington DC, it is a haunting collection of writings, artifacts and photographs chronicling what really happened in Lithuania during WWII. The museum also contains a display focusing on the major figures in Lithuanian Jewish history.
On our way back to Kaunas, we stopped at the remains of a huge Jewish cemetery, wrecked by Nazis and still in a state of haunting disrepair. There were a few locals sitting on some of the stones drinking beer and having lunch. We also drove to the location of the crumbling remains of two other synagogues, in a residential section on a hillside outside the city center.

2005-05-23T11:08:00.000+02:00

Vilnius Synagogue

Sunday, May 22, 2005.

2005-05-22T23:09:00.000+02:00

We spent the morning at the castle at Trakai, the former capital of the principality of Lithuania. Trakai, about an hour’s drive from Kaunas, and just 27 km west of Vilnius, is the most popular destination not only for tourists but also for the inhabitants of Vilnius. Trakai was built on a small island, reached now by a footbridge. In the 1950’s the castle was reconstructed at a great cost, before there were just remains of the old castle. Now there is also a historical museum in the castle. We had the good luck to arrive at the castle at its reopening after closure for the filming of a German movie. In the Trakai courtyard were still Styrofoam sets of castle walls!
From Trakai, we went into Vilnius, Lithuania’s current capital city. Modern Lithuanian history began on 13th January 1991, when the Soviet Red Army attacked unarmed Lithuanian citizens with heavy tanks, while they defended the TV-tower in Vilnius from being captured by the Soviet regime. Fourteen people, mostly young students, were killed. This uprising led to Lithuania’s final liberation from Soviet sovereignty. Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, lies in the far southeastern corner of the country, only a couple of dozen miles from Belarus. It was a stronghold against first the German Teutonic Knights, then the Crimean Tatars. The river Neris flows westwards to Kaunas, Lithuania’s capital earlier this century, when Vilnius and the surrounding area belonged to Poland, and for 17 years these two countries were not on speaking terms. Poland and Lithuania were joined by marriage in 1397; in 1795 Vilnius was swallowed into the Russian empire. Russification followed Polonisation, and many of the churches the Jesuits had so elaborately built, evolving a local baroque style which peaked in the 18th century, were given over to the Russian Orthodox belief. Early in the 19th century Eastern Prussia was one-half Lithuanian speaking (and Protestant). These people started to use German as their mother tongue during the 19th century and were expelled as Germans after the Second War, when Eastern Prussia was divided between Soviet Union and Poland. Before WWII Vilnius was one of the great Jewish cities of Europe, and the center of Yiddish publishing. New streets and buildings in its center mark the site of their ghetto: 150,000 were killed by the Nazis.
We parked our car near the Gates of Dawn, at the southernmost point of the old city. This last remaining part of the old city wall (much of the fortifications in Vilnius were destroyed by the Czar’s army in the 1800s) was converted into a chapel in 1671. A main draw of the chapel is the gold and silver icon of the Virgin Mary, which is revered by Catholics in the region, from Poland to Belarus. The chapel is a mecca to thousands of pilgrims every year. As an act of devotion, some climb the cement steps to the icon on their knees.
We strolled through Old Town, visiting several churches, monasteries, and statues. Part of the Holy Spirit Monastery has been rented to the Italian Ambassador in order to raise money for the church. The Dominican Church is thought to be haunted. During a plague that swept the land in 1657, a cellar in the monastery was used to accommodate an overflow of corpses. In the late 1800s, area residents began to complain about incessant moaning coming from the cellar area, where, upon investigation, police found hundreds of mummified, long-forgotten bodies. It is said that faint, eerie wailing can still be heard by those passing by the Church in the early morning hours.
One of Vilnius’s most distinctive churches is St. Anne’s Church, a fine example of Gothic architecture from the 16th century. When he came through Vilnius, Napoleon is said to have been so taken by St. Anne’s that he wanted to haul it back to Paris and set it down alongside Notre Dame. Looking up, we could see the Hill of Three Crosses. Historical rumor has it that seven Franciscan monks who foolishly tried to convert Lithuanian pagans were murdered here. Four were tossed into the river while three were hung out on the hill to dry. The first crosses were erected in the 1600s to honor the martyrs. Stalin had them torn down; the prewar crosses rest at the foot of the mound where new ones were raised in1989.
We walked to Castle Hill, the site of the oldest settlement in Vilnius, though there isn’t much left to show for it. In the 14th century, Grand Duke Gediminas dreamt he saw an iron wolf howling on this hill, which towers over the old city, between the Neris and Vilnia Rivers. The wolf’s cry signified to him that a great city would arise at this location, and he proceeded to construct it. From the original settlement, Gediminas Tower is the only major remnant of the 13th century Upper Castle still standing. There is now a history museum inside the tower. At the base of the hill is a series of barrel-shaped structures covering the excavation site of the city’s ancient castle, the Lower Castle, which was the residence of the nation’s grand dukes for more than three centuries. Next to the hangars is a cathedral originally built as a temple to the thunder god Perkunas. By the 19th century, after scores of transformations, it had been almost completely revamped in neoclassical style. After the Soviet takeover in the 1940s, the Communists turned the church into an art gallery. It was converted back to a church in the late 1980s. The church is still the resting place for many famous figures in the history of Lithuania-Poland, including royalty. Flanking the cathedral is the bell tower, one of the city’s leading landmarks and a favorite meeting place for local Lithuanians.
Our last stop of the day was the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, just northeast of the old city, prominent for its bright-green the domed exterior. This church was originally built in the 14th century, but was then rebuilt in Baroque splendor in 1668, commissioned by Michael Casimir Pac, Grand Hetman of the Lithuanian armies. His tombstone, inscribed hic iacet peccator (here lies the sinner) is embedded in the wall to the right of the entrance (Pac died in 1682, before the church was fully completed). Although strangely painted from the outside, from the inside this church is truly breathtaking. The walls from top to bottom are alive with frescos in animal and human forms—no two of them exactly the same. Over 2,000 stuccoed figures crowd the vaults, representing miscellaneous mythological, biblical and battle scenes. One of the noteworthy adornments is a huge chandelier made from brass and glass beads and fashioned in the shape of a ship, made in Latvia in 1905. The some 200 artists who worked on the interior were directed by the Italian masters Pietro Peretti and Giovanni Maria Galli. There are even elephant motifs decorating one of the archways!

2005-05-22T11:10:00.000+02:00

Trakai Castle

Saturday, May 21, 2005

2005-05-21T23:08:00.000+02:00

Before heading back to Kaunas, we drove up the hill to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Nida. This church was built in 1887-1888. From 1966-1988 this was the site of the Curonian Spit Historical Museum, after which time the Church was given back to the Evangelical and Lutheran community. Now Catholic as well as Lutheran services are held here. The main altar of the Church was restored from 1990-1992. An organ was installed in 1984. Since 1988, organ music festivals, poetry readings, and advent, chamber, and choral music concerts take place in the Church. The cemetery in the churchyard is also lovely, with interesting krikštai (krikštas is in the singular) marking the graves of the deceased. Unique to the area a krikštas can be of various nature-related themes, and is placed at the foot of the grave.
We retraced our path to Klaipeda, sailed to the mainland on the ferry, and headed to Kaunas. We stopped at Maxima, a huge supermarket, for dinner provisions, wine, beer, and chocolate. Then, after a short rest at Vicki’s flat, went downtown for a stroll around Old Town.
Kaunas is the second largest city in Lithuania. In 1408, Magdeburg rights were granted to the city of Kaunas by the privilege of Vytautas the Great. During the early 20th century, governed by its first Burgomaster Jonas Vileisis, Kaunas was the home of the Lithuanian Government and the capital city; a period considered by many as the golden age of the city. On the 20th of May, 1463, Kazimieras Jogailaitis renewed and expanded the privileges of the city, so May 20 is now celebrated as Kaunas City Day.
Annually, objects of historical value are created for this event, for example an anthology of verse about Kaunas Coti, the symbol of the festival “Kaunutis” or a coin of Taurus. Townspeople and guests crowd in folk art fairs, concerts that demonstrate both the achievement of professionals and amateur artists, and represents the artistic life of Kaunas City. This weekend Kaunas’s Old Town is adorned with street vendors and musicians, with evening concerts and fireworks.

Friday, May 20, 2005.

2005-05-20T23:08:00.000+02:00

After an elegant – and ample—breakfast at the hotel, we walked to the dunes on the bayside of the peninsula where the water is calm, and cafés and small shops adorn the center of town. We walked around the town, stopping for ice cream, coffee and pastries, and looking at various crafts displays. This area is famous for its amber and textiles, and there was an abundance of amber jewelry and linen clothing.
We went into a small museum, depicting an authentic fisherman’s house, and walked around the town center. Most of the day was spent walking along the pine-bough lined paths up to the top of the dunes. The weather is still cool, but today is sunny and perfect for a hike up the dunes. Vicki says that if we walk far enough, we will reach Russia. Unfortunately, the signs request that we stay only on the pine-bough lined paths. We tried to drive to Russia along the spit but were confronted with road construction blockades.
At the very top of the Parnidzio Dune is a sundial, which is constructed of stone. Apparently, only from this point can one see the sun rising out of and setting into the water—from the Lagoon into the Sea. This structure symbolizes not only the passage of time, but also the interaction of natural elements—wind, sand, and water—on the Spit. The Parnidzio Dune raises up the sundial 53 meters, the highest point on the Spit. The Nida Sundial carries on the astronomical traditions of the ancient Baltic tribes. Similar principles of the Sundial were used to build observatories designed for calendar measurements throughout Lithuania. The architecture of the sundial on Parnidzio Dune accents the superiority of nature and the memory of culture.
We went back for a walk along the Baltic shore before sunset, and then went to dinner at a restaurant overlooking the bay.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

2005-05-19T21:37:00.000+02:00

Hello from Lithuania! Vicki and Rick went to pick out a rental car – and came back with an upscale Hyundai Sonata for our trip to Lithuania’s “amber coast” on the Baltic Sea. We left Kaunas at 10am, drove about 250 km northwest to Klaipeda, took the ferry across the strait to Kursiu Nerija, the Curonian Spit, and drove 50 km south to Nida, the southernmost part of Lithuania on the peninsula. This peninsula, named Neringa in 1961, is a sandy strip approximately 50 km long, the largest part of which belongs to Lithuanian Republic and the southern part belongs to Russian territory of Kaliningrad. From one side, the peninsula is washed by the waterways of the large Kursiu Lagoon, and from the other, the Baltic Sea. The wind from the sea and lagoon have formed high sand dunes, some of which are more than 60 meters high. This area has been a national park since 1976, with cute gabled houses, outdoor restaurants and shops, and clean beach areas that bear no resemblance to the rural shanties or rundown Soviet-era high rises that we passed on the main highway from Kaunas to Klaipeda.
We stopped at Juodkrante, the small town just north of Nida. Juodkrante comes from the words juodas (black) and krantas (shore). The main attraction in Juodkrante is the “Witches Hill” (Raganų Kalnas), a forest path bedecked with a collection of about 80 weird and wonderful wooden sculptures. These amazing sculptures were first commissioned by local artists in 1979, and each summer new sculptures are added during an art camp in Juodkrante. Each wooden sculpture illustrates a different character from the Lithuanian world of fairytales and myths. The sculptures are larger than life and are very detailed, personifying many old folk tales. http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~garwood/tr/lt/LithuaniaGallery1.html
There are many fables and customs associated with witches, most of which are associated with midsummer, the shortest night of the year, which is June 24th. In olden times, this was called Feast of the Dews, or Rasos. When Christianity was established in Lithuania, the name was changed to Feast of St. John, according to agrarian folk calendar, the start of haying. The main aim of the festival on this day was to protect the harvest from natural calamities, evil souls, witches and mid summer visitors like draught, hail, downpours of rain and thunder. It was believed that activity during this night of supernatural creatures or female witches was ill disposed towards men, animals and plants. To keep animals from their malevolent actions, animals were put in barns before sunset and were fed bread with salt for protection. Mountain ash branches and wheat sprays were hung on door posts for protection against evil spirits. During the night of the Feast of St. John, witches party and rage all night and invent all kinds of enchantings. Several sculptures depicted the devil, who asks for your help to get off a tree and for your help will tell you where to find the miraculous blooming fern, which is said to protect from evil eyes, cure sickness, and bring good luck. Just past the gates of hell, the cock crows, and the musicians gather for dancing and celebration.
Nida, the southernmost part of Lithuania on the Curonian Spit, was originally a fisherman’s village. Now it is a Baltic resort town, the epitome of the spit’s charm with pretty rustic houses and sparkling waterfront framed by the majestic sweep of the dunes. In 1930-1932 Nobel Prize-winner Thomas Mann spent his summers here, and there is a museum in the Thomas Mann house above the bay, not far from a lovely Lutheran church. We walked along the beach, hiked through some lovely forest areas. Our hotel, the recently-renovated Nidus, is about 600 meters from the bay. We were given grand treatment since we were their first guests since its reopening. We are here just before the expected onslaught of tourists, and there is a lot of construction and painting going on all around the small town. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking along the beach. It reminded us of a coastal resort on Cape Cod – no indication that this was so recently a Soviet nation. We had dinner – eel, herring, trout and mushrooms—at a charming fish restaurant near the waterfront. We’re at 55-degrees north latitude, so at this time of year, the sun doesn’t set until after 10 p.m. In fact, the night is not very dark here even at midnight. Nonetheless, we had a good night’s sleep after our long day of driving and hiking.

2005-05-19T14:07:00.000+02:00

Witches Hill

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Witches Hill

2005-05-19T12:02:00.000+02:00

Baltic Sea

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005.We were on the first bus to the airport at 5am, to board a 7:05 flight to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. We took the long way, flying west to Frankfurt and then east to Vilnius. We were accompanied on the flight to Frankfurt by about 30 students from Morningside College who were returning to Iowa from a 10-day tour of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. We arrived early in the afternoon at the small Vilnius airport where a driver named Alfonsas was waiting for us with a taxi to Kaunas, about 100 km from Vilnius. The drive was lovely, along a straight highway lined with trees and small farms. In Kaunas, Vicki met us in the parking lot of the building where her company is located, and showed us the new company facility and introduced us to some of the employees. I had previously met Inga in Denver, and it was nice to see her again and to meet some of the other people.Vicki escorted us to her apartment and then went back to work for the afternoon. A true friend, she had provided tea for Rick, and coffee and chocolate truffles for me! In the evening, we went to the center of town for dinner at a brew pub. This brew pub was part micro-brewery and part elegant restaurant. We made sure to order mushrooms and seafood, local specialties. Rick tried both the honey beer and the regular ale. He even tried the beer soup. Everything was delicious, especially the cream-based beer soup.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005.

2005-05-17T22:58:00.000+02:00

This afternoon, Alena and Marcela, both from the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences, and Karen, the PhD student from Minnesota, joined me for a presentation at the Woodrow Wilson Center of the American Embassy. Karen provided the title of our panel: “Reflections on the Role of Gender in the Formation of Expertise: Perspectives from the Entrepreneurial and Scientific Spheres.” I spoke about women entrepreneurs, Alena spoke about women and men entrepreneur partnerships, Marcela spoke about gender inequities in science, and Karen spoke about the research she has started on the formation of expert networks on gender in the Czech Republic. I started the presentation by putting stones that I had collected in Israel in a Czech country cap and passing them out, explaining that the stones were like businesses: each an identifiable stone yet distinguishable from each other. My research involves looking at the qualitative differences, as opposed to counting the stones, or the businesses. Marketa, the Cultural Affairs Director from the US Embassy, told Rick that she was moved by the stones from the holy land in the traditional Czech hat.

2005-05-16T17:08:00.000+02:00

welcoming the champs in Old Town Square

Monday, May 16, 2005.

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The Czech world-cup hockey victory celebration at Old Town Square this afternoon drew at least 100,000. The hockey team rode into the square on top of a big tour bus, as fans chanted and waved flags and banners. The scene reminded me more of a pep rally than a victory celebration – cheerleaders waving pompoms and dancing to the music onstage. There were no marching bands and presidential speeches, but each player was introduced – to loud chants and applause, the trophy was held high, and champagne was uncorked and spewed onto the crowd. The players left as they had come, standing on the roof of the bus and waving to the crowd, as the bus made its way down Paris Street toward the Continental Hotel, followed by throngs of fans.

Earlier today, a statue of Czechoslovakia’s controversial post-war president Edvard Benes was erected despite condemnation from Germans expelled by him after the second world war. The sculpture was unveiled outside the Czech foreign ministry in the presence of the Republic’s new prime minister Jiri Paroubek, whose center-left government narrowly won a vote of confidence last week. But the decision to honor Benes – whose post-war decrees led to the forcible expulsion of 2.6 million ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia – prompted an angry response from some German politicians. Edmund Stoiber, the premier of Bavaria, and the leader of the rightwing Bavarian Christian Social Union party, told the Association of Expelled Germans the sculpture was “damaging.” He dubbed the Benes decrees “unconstitutional” and “an open wound in Europe.” The association wants to build its own monument to those forced out of central Europe in the chaotic aftermath of the war. According to government documents declassified in 2002, some 30,000 were killed as they tried to escape Czechoslovakia to neighboring Austria and Germany.

Sunday, May 15, 2005.

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The Czechs are the IIHF 2005 World Champions! The Czech Republic won the world ice hockey championship in Vienna, with Martin Rucinsky and Jaromir Jagr leading them to a 3-0 shutout of Canada, breaking the Canadians stranglehold on the gold medal. The win handed the Czechs their fifth title in 10 years and broke Canada’s bid to win a third consecutive championship and 24th overall, which would have tied them with the former Soviet Union/Russia for the most golds. The Czechs, who were cheered on by a strong contingent of fans, including the Czech president and prime minister, now have 11 titles, counting those from the former Czechoslovakia. Czech President Vaclav Klaus, Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek and Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, visited the players after their victory to personally congratulate them. The Czech team presented Klaus with a red national team uniform with his name and the number 2005, with a glass of champagne. In his short speech he thanked the players for their exceptional performance and representation of the Czech Republic. Nine years ago the Czech team also defeated Canada in the final world ice hockey championships (4-2) and rejoiced over the first Czech champions’ title after the division of Czechoslovakia in 1993. At that time, Klaus was in the audience as the Czech prime minister. Back in Prague, there was cheering in the streets and in Old Town Square, where a big TV screen had been set up. There will be more celebrations tomorrow when the team returns home.
Lesser headlines on the national news scene concerns the coalition government of Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, which won a confidence vote in the lower house of parliament on Friday. Hopefully this will end the months of political crisis in the Czech Republic. Mr Paroubek replaced Stanislav Gross, who had been forced to step down amid months of controversy over his personal finances. All 101 MPs in the ruling coalition voted for Mr Paroubek’s government, while the remaining 99 opposition deputies all voted against.
On the economic front, the Czech Republic climbed from 43rd to 36th place out of 60 countries measured in terms of economic performance, economic policy, the corporate sector, and infrastructure, according to the local news media. The Czech economy’s strongest point is investment in telecoms, where the country ranked third. Foreign investment and exports were also above average. Growing stock prices, literacy, good railways and electricity systems, low interest rates, the number of mobile phones, and relatively low managers’ salaries were other aspects where the country ranked high.
But the Czech Republic fell from 28th to 36th place in economic performance. The country ranked only 56th in labor market, one of its biggest weaknesses, 44th in government policies. Among post-communist countries, only Estonia ranked higher than the Czech Republic. Slovakia, thanks to its many reforms, was 17th, ahead of such countries as Austria and Germany.

Saturday, May 14, 2005.

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The weather today was nice, with no rain until shortly after 5pm, but the only walking around we did was to go to the grocery store in the morning. In typical fashion, the checkout took about half an hour. There were two lines open (there are three registers) for the busy crowd. The stores close to us close early on Saturday, so everyone is there to do weekend shopping.
We had dinner with Charlotte and Bruce and Michele and Liz. Bruce put chicken on the Weber charcoal grill on the deck behind their flat and Charlotte made salads and rolls and strawberry shortcake for dessert. The evening was relaxed and fun – the six of us telling stories and reminiscing about common experiences growing up around the same time in the US, and of course talking a bit about current politics. As we all learn a bit more about the Czech culture, we get in touch with our own just a bit more.
We were on our way home when Charlotte sent us a message on our mobile phone that the Swedes had just tied the score with the Czechs in the semifinal world cup hockey game: it was now 2-2 with 10 minutes to go. So Rick stopped in a bar to watch the last few minutes of the game. (I elected to go back to the flat instead of hang out at the very smoky bar.) The Czechs won with a miraculous goal in the last seconds. The goal had to be reviewed because the puck was in and out of the net so fast that it wasn’t clear that the goal had taken place. At every metro station on the way back to the flat, the entire crowd loudly chanted “Češi, Češi,…” Now we’ll have to see if we can watch the finals.

Friday, May 13, 2005.

2005-05-13T23:49:00.000+02:00

It’s a beautiful day today. Eva and I met for coffee near Hradčanská to talk about the faculty workshop that she’d like me to help with on the 26th of this month. This is a week-long course for young faculty and doctoral students on teaching methods. I had given a workshop on case teaching, but this one will be on constructing, using and evaluating student teams.
After the business-side of our meeting, we strolled up to the castle to see the Adolf Born exhibit “From La Fontain to Livingston” at the Imperial Stable. Adolf Born is a Czech illustrator of children’s books and the creator of 45 animated films for children. He was born in Ceské Velenice in 1930, and studied at Education Faculty of Charles University in Prague and later at the Academy of Plastic Arts in Paris. The exhibition had many of Born’s illustrations of Grimm’s fairy tales, Three Musketeers, and La Fontain’s fables. There were also clever and amusing paintings inspired by Greece, Holland, Turkey and Norway.
We also stopped by a small gallery of computer-enhanced photographs by Jaroslav Prochazka. The photographs themselves, mostly of dead trees and branches, were not altered, but copies of the pictures were superimposed on themselves to create mirror images that appeared to look like owls, castles, and monsters.
We walked along some of the less-traveled areas around the castle, including the interesting buildings in Novy Svet (“new world”), one of the last surviving residential neighborhoods at Prague Castle, home to buildings dating back 500 years or more. Many of the buildings are now abandoned, perhaps in restitution-limbo, but a few have been refurbished into cafes, galleries and shops.
Later in the afternoon Charlotte and I met downtown at Patriot-X café, a comfortable restaurant with outdoor seating area near Stara Celnice at Republic Square. It was nice to see her again – she just returned last week from a month visit to Chicago, mostly to see her mother who is 88 and amazingly spry.
Rick and I met up at the Spanish Synagogue for services at 7. Tonight’s crowd was relatively small, with only a small handful of regulars and 20 or 30 tourists. Peter conducted the service himself, in English and in Slovak. After the service, we went out with Howard for a quick dinner. Marketa joined us afterward and we went to a glass gallery before heading home for the night. This particular gallery was not to our taste—nor to Howard’s either – but Marketa liked some of the large vases.

Thursday, May 12, 2005.

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Today is the anniversary of composer Bedrich Smetana’s death and the start of the Prague Spring Festival, the Czech Republic’s biggest and oldest classical musical festival, and perhaps its best known annual cultural event. The Prague Spring Festival originated in 1946 when the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and its conductor, the late Rafael Kubelik, decided to celebrate the orchestra’s 50th anniversary and the end of the war with a series of concerts in which artists from the West and East would take part. The annual festival opens with “Ma Vlast” (My Country), a cycle of symphonic poems by Czech national music founder Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884). To kickoff the festival, there is a procession from Smetana’s grave at Vyšehrad to the Municipal House, where the London Symphony is playing its first concert this evening. Smetana’s piece has usually been played by Czech orchestras at the opening ceremony on May 12. But this year’s festival, the 60th, will be opened and closed by two prestigious foreign orchestras. Also new this year, part of the festival will include jazz as well as classical music, including a performance by the Herbie Hancock trio, who will perform with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Rudolfinum next Saturday.
Rick and I opted out of any concert tonight – in part because tickets to Prague Spring have gotten so expensive – (approx $150 each) and had a nice dinner at home instead. My whole day was spent at home, transcribing the last of my taped interviews. Rick had an appointment with Ales early in the day, and went to the gym before dinner. I probably should have gone out – today was the first sunny day we’ve had in awhile.
Meanwhile, in the ice hockey world cup quarter-finals, Finland beat Russia in Vienna while the Czechs beat the Americans in a turnabout from last year’s matchup that saw the US win a berth in the semi-finals during a penalty shootout. This time the Czechs were victorious, despite an unbelievably masterful effort by US goalie Rick DePietro, who up until that point had deflected 50 shots on goal by the Czechs. In Innsbruck, Sweden beat the Swiss, so the Czechs will play Sweden on Saturday. Canada beat Slovakia, so Canada will face Russia, who beat Finland 4-3 in a penalty shootout.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005.

2005-05-11T22:39:00.000+02:00

We met Ales and Marta at Vyšehrad this afternoon, for a walk around the old castle grounds and to visit some of the cubist houses along the river. Czech architects developed Cubism into a distinctive style in architecture. It was revolutionary in appearance both because of the new shapes facades could take, being different from contemporary and historical styles and because of the use of (reinforced) concrete structures. In this sense Cubism was richer in content than Modernism, using the facade as a plane of expression. The plans of the buildings usually were less radical than those developed by Modernism, but stand out from the traditional buildings in their distinctive angles and graceful dimensions. There are several cubist buildings near Vyšehrad, all designed by architect Joseph Chochol. My favorite is the villa on Libusina. Libusina is now a busy street, so the villa has been converted into an office building instead of a residence. The apartment building on Neklavova is particularly graceful, especially since it’s positioned prominently on the corner. After our walk we went to a nice restaurant near the old castle gate. It’s quite cold tonight—Marta says these cold days in May are called the ice men – but at least it’s stopped raining.