tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84722412024-03-07T23:30:25.999+01:00Kolo kolo mlynsky :::Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.comBlogger509125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-41172008365436453342013-11-11T23:43:00.001+01:002013-11-12T11:23:32.335+01:00St. Martin's Day Parade<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTytjIKSXLGcI7QvnJnYhVsuTJKivwQhyvckdEN8-rrHQ1w5ZfgB4ufFGIblaGEZfEMOh7HxxjLCYoLH1vYWyU4zNVVdczOPSGs90m6JgnK4D07gO7Nu5CDYOnY0YJ9Ko3MqW/s1600/IMG_4083.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTytjIKSXLGcI7QvnJnYhVsuTJKivwQhyvckdEN8-rrHQ1w5ZfgB4ufFGIblaGEZfEMOh7HxxjLCYoLH1vYWyU4zNVVdczOPSGs90m6JgnK4D07gO7Nu5CDYOnY0YJ9Ko3MqW/s1600/IMG_4083.JPG" width="550"/></a></div><div>Candles burned bright as we walked our <i>lampiony</i> through the streets of Vinohrady to Jiriho z Podebrad and the St. Martin's celebrations there tonight. James carried his own lantern for the first time, and, though he kept fast hold of our hands, was as quick to look for his friends as Caroline, this year.</div><br />
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-13662442332775736712013-11-01T22:50:00.001+01:002013-11-01T22:54:35.222+01:00November 1<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HnuntYfv3mKN7Q050jA2JLAI46DdtVbfAVNSCgRLCzTFqO7QxuWMlU6DGXT0BwqOB5oZ8ksS3MBHbdQk0EHMHJzu_DDBDgpEpDhx65zufNMRulO75jOrDMMLwNIA0Jq-pIBz/s1600/IMG_3759.JPG"><img alt="golden Prague" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HnuntYfv3mKN7Q050jA2JLAI46DdtVbfAVNSCgRLCzTFqO7QxuWMlU6DGXT0BwqOB5oZ8ksS3MBHbdQk0EHMHJzu_DDBDgpEpDhx65zufNMRulO75jOrDMMLwNIA0Jq-pIBz/s400/IMG_3759.JPG" width="500"/></a></br>Golden Prague.</div><br />
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-79103377226766899772013-01-09T15:12:00.004+01:002013-01-10T09:36:42.036+01:00No. 102<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIq9xJHLh8zrSg7F1NsoZRh0URxbsmR9HeMsW_jSqRi5v2Vp7wjHreOfpc28rxTeS-9v2IAeDVn4S3Ez4dBqvYHXz8Id5bD1ZSVzekMlVy4KGmC53MCIq8FpPHY4falSfkADB/s1600/Christmas+2012+804-001.JPG"><img alt="no. 102 in Mala Strana, Czech Republic - black and white" width="510" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIq9xJHLh8zrSg7F1NsoZRh0URxbsmR9HeMsW_jSqRi5v2Vp7wjHreOfpc28rxTeS-9v2IAeDVn4S3Ez4dBqvYHXz8Id5bD1ZSVzekMlVy4KGmC53MCIq8FpPHY4falSfkADB/s1600/Christmas+2012+804-001.JPG" /></a></div>Do you take pictures in color and black and white and then flip back and forth between them, trying to decide which you like better? It's a <a href="http://kolokolo.blogspot.cz/2010/06/pillar-to-post.html">common enough problem</a> for me that I have a folder of pictures marked "BW?". Here's my latest conundrum, taken New Years' evening at the late hour of 4:30 pm, just after the sun hurriedly set. We were hurrying too, heading back across the river to Vinohrady so that we could watch the Prague city fireworks from one of our local parks, Riegrovy Sady.<br />
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The fireworks marked the middle of Christmas holidays for the children, but, as Caroline sighed, after the 1st, there's really only reading to do before school starts again. During Christmas we had a fantastic time as usual in Switzerland with my sister, where we managed to sneak in skiing despite the warm weather. Hope everyone else had a good holiday, and I'm glad to be back for the new year! <br />
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<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JOJNyHQ55dIGdGQXAQOV1StRbpJq0yiHY0K9nT-OMuAN1QmkGLl-mi4UoI7svxxKsEbrvBDKXIoVunsJBX6aAQG3dP0BvYko5xqNWprj_4fhnfiHjqofukdgB3BC6EvP7MUl/s1600/Christmas+2012+804.JPG"><img alt="no. 102 in Mala Strana, Czech Republic - 3 color" width="510" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JOJNyHQ55dIGdGQXAQOV1StRbpJq0yiHY0K9nT-OMuAN1QmkGLl-mi4UoI7svxxKsEbrvBDKXIoVunsJBX6aAQG3dP0BvYko5xqNWprj_4fhnfiHjqofukdgB3BC6EvP7MUl/s1600/Christmas+2012+804.JPG" /></a></div>************ Edited to add:<br />
Thanks to Tommy, I've learned something new today! Here's a third version of the picture with a duotone added to it and curves slightly adjusted. <br />
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As usual, if you click a picture, you'll see a full size version.<br />
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<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVQdiad6sF-Wb6DNIHx4xgzOpqlNCFz6UWfJ9ewcxELEFrb9QZiSuTRYlIZ-s5fmp0GMy3XbtTbaDkNIEP4_jAejkGtYqt_MGZGa-A3bRRmcT7Y_hxXcwrQ6MkTsdtjuGc-9T/s1600/blackandwhite-duotone4.jpg"><img alt="no. 102 in Mala Strana, Czech Republic - duotone" width="510" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVQdiad6sF-Wb6DNIHx4xgzOpqlNCFz6UWfJ9ewcxELEFrb9QZiSuTRYlIZ-s5fmp0GMy3XbtTbaDkNIEP4_jAejkGtYqt_MGZGa-A3bRRmcT7Y_hxXcwrQ6MkTsdtjuGc-9T/s1600/blackandwhite-duotone4.jpg" /></a></div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-24316197027996060012012-12-20T22:34:00.000+01:002012-12-20T22:45:12.398+01:00A Christmas Gift<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggs6C-h2eYALg-fmodkqJ9oFgpqT1B-WrmZ3QYxp7yLFFUfZKIZbSUU1TYxq0LkPiFANE_InmAuMTYMHXXmQPnt-UuaDA4-H43bwINxyvSz8ahL1a0pL1Gq8EWdH881r4lpiAh/s1600/coffeewWill-002.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" width="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggs6C-h2eYALg-fmodkqJ9oFgpqT1B-WrmZ3QYxp7yLFFUfZKIZbSUU1TYxq0LkPiFANE_InmAuMTYMHXXmQPnt-UuaDA4-H43bwINxyvSz8ahL1a0pL1Gq8EWdH881r4lpiAh/s1600/coffeewWill-002.JPG" /></a></div>Once a year, in December, Will and I go shopping for my Christmas present. We meet downtown and wend our way through the storm and swirl of Christmas crowds to a favorite design store, a bookstore, or jeweler. Shopping doesn't takes long - I plan ahead and we're never more than fifteen minutes.* <br />
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Purchases made, children otherwise busy, and work on hold for an hour or two, we're free and together on a week day. No gift tucked away for the tree tops this moment. One magical year we walked through new fallen snow to a cocktail bar in Mala Strana, where we toasted the holidays with Old Fashions. Another December found us in a favorite <a href="http://cukrarnatropez.cz/kontakty/" target="_blank">French patisserie</a> splitting a chocolate tort. This year, we climbed the steps to the first floor of <a href="http://www.mujmysak.cz/en_fotogalerie.html" target="_blank">Myšák</a>, a coffee shop near Václavské náměstí, and sipped coffee and cocoa in Cukrárna Myšák's old-is-new splendor. <br />
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Night falls close to 3 these days, so it was dark by the time we left Myšák to head back to our offices. "See you at home!" I called, before running down the metro steps to catch the train to our neighborhood. "Thanks for the present!"<br />
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* Though this year, price negotiations threatened to push us past my time limit (if you hesitate and hmm a bit, jewelers here start dropping the price, opening the floor to further discussions and making me wonder just what type of margin they usually enjoy!). Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-32457543526534045642012-12-19T22:11:00.000+01:002012-12-19T22:34:02.716+01:00Pattern<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfKAgWr7c9G6wHziTOD_elk1tqRyyoLoMSR3kOj9QsiBHPprmevj_i9NGQ9hrOEosPzKb9K7nroPis2osHsJc6EEH7-dpzm8iu3zFMIzoFTdHG8PD3HXUNlyQY1h_L6B3SU8d/s1600/IMG_1278-001.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" width="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfKAgWr7c9G6wHziTOD_elk1tqRyyoLoMSR3kOj9QsiBHPprmevj_i9NGQ9hrOEosPzKb9K7nroPis2osHsJc6EEH7-dpzm8iu3zFMIzoFTdHG8PD3HXUNlyQY1h_L6B3SU8d/s1600/IMG_1278-001.JPG" /></a></div>I took this picture riding down an escalator packed full of people, rushing in all directions decidedly away from where they were then. I like that you can't see any of that rush in the photo. Just the roof, bisected by window patterns.<br />
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<i>Photo of <i>hlavní nádraží</i>, the main train station in Prague, Czech Republic. </i>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-87880403529138964952012-12-18T11:09:00.002+01:002013-01-10T10:40:37.097+01:00A Year Ago, Today<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJQe9n6Wm4GCXGEvieZ9VedG70WNOxrPBZlw31BDbI6FfqhZOA1G0TzQ1qr8kS3iAB4AqeWqfKJHOoJ72H3S0oRzCEFPpdUgljqleQt4DbXsaR7EGDnLb8-0fSgfZ14DhZ5Qy/s1600/IMG_5917.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJQe9n6Wm4GCXGEvieZ9VedG70WNOxrPBZlw31BDbI6FfqhZOA1G0TzQ1qr8kS3iAB4AqeWqfKJHOoJ72H3S0oRzCEFPpdUgljqleQt4DbXsaR7EGDnLb8-0fSgfZ14DhZ5Qy/s1600/IMG_5917.JPG" width="510" /></a></div>Václav Havel died a year ago today. After his death, thousands of people came to <span class="st">Václavské náměstí<i> </i></span>(Vaclav's square) to place candles and flowers beneath the statue of St. Vaclav on his horse. The Czech Republic mourned and the media declared that leaders like Havel were once in a lifetime, that the country would not soon see his like again. <br />
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Yesterday, in <a href="http://www.pehe.cz/Members/redaktor/kde-chybi-havel-nejvic" target="_blank">Pravo, Jiří Pehe</a> had this to say about the President. "<i>Jeho nejvýraznější kvalitou totiž byla schopnost, i během pobytu v politice, zpochybňovat „samozřejmost“ politického i civilizačního provozu a stavět proti němu odpovědnost.</i>" - His greatest quality was the ability, during his life in politics, to question what everyone else saw as obvious political and societal assumptions and to find a way to responsibly oppose them.<br />
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As a writer Havel understood subtext - how to read between the lines and see not only the face value of a story but what lay beneath it. As a dissident he saw just how easy it was to not force change, to not question assumptions, to say, "not now, it's not the time to act." <br />
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He acted anyway. <br />
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By acting on his beliefs, by writing about them, by helping to free an entire region from a very rigid set of assumptions, all while in the role of an everyman, Havel left a legacy behind him. It is this: there is no need to wait for a leader to take his place. We too, as everymen and women, can read between the lines and understand that just because something has been so for many years, it need not always be so. That there are ways to responsibly oppose assumptions. And that there never will be a better time than now. <br />
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In the United States today, there are certain assumptions that Americans hold to be true. Thanks to one of them, school rooms full of children were slaughtered last week by a man who should never have held a gun. The country grieves, and people come to place candles and flowers around the entrance of the school where the children died. But mourning is not enough. Now, I believe, is the time to remember the legacy of Vaclav Havel - to question our assumptions, and then to act. <br />
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-488363356243139762012-12-15T23:18:00.001+01:002012-12-16T13:58:12.026+01:00Steam Train to Křivoklát and an Advent Fair<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpz0eAQgR97Ilv2TKfmuULTwBgkHG2EJNtpVpu4zDr4vGFuWmeun1z4TGGU_Rqd2KV1EYkUA3SikDvkf1yz2QPQCJwnSnqNXNuZjMmeZ4byAcoP7nQwFmVbkMz86KNAP7NgyA/s1600/IMG_1177.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="steam train arrives in Smichov train station, Prague Czech Republic" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpz0eAQgR97Ilv2TKfmuULTwBgkHG2EJNtpVpu4zDr4vGFuWmeun1z4TGGU_Rqd2KV1EYkUA3SikDvkf1yz2QPQCJwnSnqNXNuZjMmeZ4byAcoP7nQwFmVbkMz86KNAP7NgyA/s400/IMG_1177.JPG" /></a></div>It's impossible to capture with pictures the power of a steam engine coming into a station. There's the sense of an unstoppable force rushing forward, steam rolling ahead filling the platform, the tremendous, ear blasting whistle announcing its arrival. Trying to capture its power pulls you towards it, and Will had to tug my coat to save me from tumbling onto the tracks as the train pulled in this morning. <br />
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My first thoughts after watching our ride arrive - now I understand the 19th century much better,* and, no trip is going to top that! <br />
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Though there were no more adrenalin filled lunges towards the rails for me, we had a good time anyway. We bundled in to 1950s train cars to take a ride with friends to a medieval castle and its Advent festival. The train trip lasted two hours. Because it was cold, we could keep the windows up and avoid the coal smoke. Instead, we watched the clouds billow behind us along the valley floor. Beautiful through the glass, but we all agreed that electric trains were a considerable air-quality improvement. <br />
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<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruLw0_wOaaQG3lW6vRNt7kHtgtxHqVwbYbPCUWQUifXljUrSFA0iYAU3Kt4Eu4KPk3BrJ3MWKHq6UK6luNFmXUphueQnM3rbjXx_NHKZU8hQCe_TmFqyeiexaENu8cca-AdD-/s1600/IMG_1218.JPG"><img alt="steam bellows from steam train (parni lokomotiv) in Krivoklat, Czech Republic" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruLw0_wOaaQG3lW6vRNt7kHtgtxHqVwbYbPCUWQUifXljUrSFA0iYAU3Kt4Eu4KPk3BrJ3MWKHq6UK6luNFmXUphueQnM3rbjXx_NHKZU8hQCe_TmFqyeiexaENu8cca-AdD-/s1600/IMG_1218.JPG" width="510" /></a></div>Once in <a href="http://www.krivoklat.cz/" target="_blank">Křivoklát</a>, we slowly slid down the icy path towards the town below the castle. All the restaurants were full of speedier train fans, so we stomped our way through the snow to the Advent fair, in the castle's courtyard, and dined on klobása and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trdeln%C3%ADk" target="_blank">trdelnik</a>, with hot tea to wash it down. I'll post pictures tomorrow of the fair, it's a train day today, but I decided that castles are like cathedrals - they're much more interesting when they are full of people.<br />
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We came home on a regular <a href="http://www.cd.cz/default.htm" target="_blank">České dráhy</a> train, a few hours after we arrived. Our ride home was much warmer and faster, despite the extra stops and a train change. It wasn't half as exciting, said Caroline, which might explain why nearly everyone fell asleep before we got home.<br />
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Sitting at my desk right now, I've just heard another engine blast its warning before the train tunnel beneath Vinohrady. From far away, you miss its fierceness, and only hear the lonely third wavering as it rushes into the hillside, towards its last stop of the night.<br />
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Here's a <a href="http://www.parnijizdy.ic.cz/akce/2013/Nostalgicke_jizdy_2013_z_Branika.doc" target="_blank">rough schedule</a> for next year's steam engine trips from Prague. The first train of the season leaves Branik train station on Easter weekend, Saturday March the 30th. It's heading to <span class="st">Křivoklát </span>again. With any luck, we will be on it. Thank you W and M for introducing us to the steam trains of the Czech Republic!<br />
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* Have you ever seen Monet's <a href="https://www.google.cz/search?q=monet+painting+of+trains&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=iI1&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=w_XMUK_INpP34QTJz4CoBA&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=881" target="_blank">paintings of trains</a>? Read <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Railway_Children" target="_blank">The Railway Children</a>? Monet and Nesbit were right, steam locomotives are dragons of power. <br />
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<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8d1_xQYs7-HrhCf_4Anub-iDWEVbuMwo6miq0m8foeL7xdT2umtsJBE5msta83rI2iSJNFb2-W8oK-h0e2B0ELT3Zz-haRCfROZG6t4o6Uf9pOPUsQ1aIEqH0W8cjfRNs-p3V/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG"><img alt="conductors watch a steam train in Beroun Czech Republic" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8d1_xQYs7-HrhCf_4Anub-iDWEVbuMwo6miq0m8foeL7xdT2umtsJBE5msta83rI2iSJNFb2-W8oK-h0e2B0ELT3Zz-haRCfROZG6t4o6Uf9pOPUsQ1aIEqH0W8cjfRNs-p3V/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" width="510" /></a></div><br />
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-35147674502424465492012-12-13T19:52:00.003+01:002012-12-13T19:52:31.780+01:00Carrying home the Christmas Tree<div style="margin: 0px auto 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ezke3pxz9sp_ksCmTgjqWv2rFKsQ9MTRL17OxwPIO1cNbpYoVwSsI_6Pnp8IU2BUrtO6imiYxcxBqSQotQtvT6rOSUqEfUGcpU_A6eHBxFagQsZlARfJYEIrMld37_KADec4/s1600/JAmes+tree+support.JPG"><img alt="carrying the Christmas tree home, Prague, Czech Republic" border="0" width="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ezke3pxz9sp_ksCmTgjqWv2rFKsQ9MTRL17OxwPIO1cNbpYoVwSsI_6Pnp8IU2BUrtO6imiYxcxBqSQotQtvT6rOSUqEfUGcpU_A6eHBxFagQsZlARfJYEIrMld37_KADec4/s1600/JAmes+tree+support.JPG" /></a></div>As you can see, James helped carry the tree home this year. <br />
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-47367288517476630802012-12-09T22:34:00.001+01:002012-12-10T10:21:47.831+01:00Icing on the Cake - Snowfall at Namesti Miru<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAafwtAAWEZdrIamRC1ioRpV3tELX2ydi0UgxU3hwS22HS0YK5Vi25ribFjVQ0xjLlnKd-bCmP7tzKqFt_i21sgJDsA1JLDZgDEsSbFiiH-576CAJ1qkdFVHfp2aPOZwikfpDp/s1600/IMG_0912.JPG"><img alt="namesti miru tree and christmas ornaments in the snow" border="0" width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAafwtAAWEZdrIamRC1ioRpV3tELX2ydi0UgxU3hwS22HS0YK5Vi25ribFjVQ0xjLlnKd-bCmP7tzKqFt_i21sgJDsA1JLDZgDEsSbFiiH-576CAJ1qkdFVHfp2aPOZwikfpDp/s1600/IMG_0912.JPG" /></a></div>It's been a wonderful, busy weekend. Caroline and I sang in three choir concerts, filling our afternoons and evenings with music. After rehearsing and performing for two days I'm vocalizing every other word. "Why YES, I do want to use that string of lights, bring them O-VER here." Singing your sentences beats humming, right? (And it is so hard to resist when your voice is all warmed up.)<br />
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After the last concert tonight, I stepped out of the hall to find snow blanketing the ground, several centimeters thick. Snow is unusual enough in Prague that, once home, the kids and I bundled up to go play. Dinner time or not, fresh snow at Christmas trumps evening routine. <br />
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We walked to Namesti Miru to see what we could see, and found that the lights of the Christmas market mixed with snow went just as beautifully together as you might imagine. <br />
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Even James was impressed, at least momentarily. "It's so boo-tiful, I can't believe how boo-tiful it is," he said. Then, "Okay Mommie, stand still so I can throw a snow ball at you. Oh wait, my glove fell off again, Mommie, help!" <br />
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We threw snow dust (very cold snow doesn't stick together well), stomped around making pictures for the stars to see, and then, when it really was almost too late, headed home for breakfast for dinner, warm baths, and hot apple cider. Icing on the cake, indeed. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Kl8HjYDroVX9s05aFG-hoWmSiVyDt39qZ7P7i_TEp7A53Yp4F1HJ4NNnUjM6i3_jvRARPTSuCVsEG7VNEAqSK9MifvUchB4kyOQa3CiLw-esvnR5OinO8dgtaUHLhRPD26Nd/s1600/IMG_0902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" width="510" alt="namesti miru christmas market in the snow, prague, czech republic, 2012" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Kl8HjYDroVX9s05aFG-hoWmSiVyDt39qZ7P7i_TEp7A53Yp4F1HJ4NNnUjM6i3_jvRARPTSuCVsEG7VNEAqSK9MifvUchB4kyOQa3CiLw-esvnR5OinO8dgtaUHLhRPD26Nd/s1600/IMG_0902.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-51190208616268569582012-12-07T18:24:00.000+01:002012-12-07T18:18:58.968+01:00On Display<div style="margin: 0px auto 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8saAk0jzfRrQx3hmS4KUaCdE1UbeUDfpezTJ_MS5s68rK6Mt2sXFTmO4GYMFCabiDsqBE33Xhc6vQD_3VFw7kERKIEGcdTUBnzZUOuBfIiT9NWM2S-8BrFu0CmrMsm7i2Bt76/s1600/IMG_5197.JPG"><img alt="christmas cards in shop window, prague czech republic" border="0" width="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8saAk0jzfRrQx3hmS4KUaCdE1UbeUDfpezTJ_MS5s68rK6Mt2sXFTmO4GYMFCabiDsqBE33Xhc6vQD_3VFw7kERKIEGcdTUBnzZUOuBfIiT9NWM2S-8BrFu0CmrMsm7i2Bt76/s1600/IMG_5197.JPG" /></a></div>Passing by a favorite coffee shop last year, I saw these cards in the window, the buildings beautiful, layered above them. Cold fingers and all, I stopped for the reflection.<br />
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A year later, I pulled up the picture again. This time, I didn't notice the reflections as much as the display. It's very typical for Prague - it declares, rather than dreams. It offers up its prospects in rows of statement. In Paris at Christmas the displays hardly hint at what might be beyond them. Stuffed bears twirl, plastic snow falls, velvet drapes over staged mountains. The store sells table linen. <br />
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I'd like to see the Parisian Christmas windows sometime. Walking through cities rich in display thrills me; I redesigned one of our web sites after a trip to Barcelona, the other after a weekend in Copenhagen. But I'm also content with knowing what's behind the windows, with Prague's a to z declarations of intent. <br />
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The reflections aren't bad either. <br />
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-89850182615243365772012-12-06T22:10:00.000+01:002012-12-08T19:37:31.050+01:00Happy Mikulas Day!<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xVZdYDTUGph5gzPTf-lNaR-dAMgKHkzfRpl1htnrlGZqpGrnpMzmWTrAO5e6J80bn1-O8yBZcq72KBiYDkBDEMTB_aYXm1aXDAjbSXYQDLEUHNjP8INUF3H6OQxxvud6nJL0/s1600/IMG_0795.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" width="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xVZdYDTUGph5gzPTf-lNaR-dAMgKHkzfRpl1htnrlGZqpGrnpMzmWTrAO5e6J80bn1-O8yBZcq72KBiYDkBDEMTB_aYXm1aXDAjbSXYQDLEUHNjP8INUF3H6OQxxvud6nJL0/s1600/IMG_0795.JPG" /></a></div>Mikulas Eve kick starts the Christmas season into high gear here in Prague. Last night we made our annual trek to Namesti Miru to watch the crowds of devils, angels and St. Nicks out in flocks in the square. By the time we'd lit a few sparklers, lost several balloons to the night sky, and eaten a round of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wafer">spa wafers</a>, everyone's toes were beginning to feel ice-like and even Caroline declared herself ready to head home. Our timing was perfect though, because this year we ran into Mikulas as he was leaving presents for the children. He was a sight to behold, and his angel a vision. (The devil was pretty cute too, though the two year olds in our party didn't think so!)<br />
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-68229550709887170972012-12-04T12:15:00.003+01:002012-12-04T13:09:19.695+01:00The Antidote to Christmas Crowds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMaJ7dprLzgl4t09dDBSSeeX8Q1QOvzBu9la_yympHzfnuO7aZaslzIV_CJ5bYQuMk8GUL89FfkoChQX7PB2nGKskobx5VpdwRL9f3F6fwvGGk68oXFCuXVPODrqALQr8cgtx/s1600/C+boot3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="500" width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMaJ7dprLzgl4t09dDBSSeeX8Q1QOvzBu9la_yympHzfnuO7aZaslzIV_CJ5bYQuMk8GUL89FfkoChQX7PB2nGKskobx5VpdwRL9f3F6fwvGGk68oXFCuXVPODrqALQr8cgtx/s400/C+boot3.jpg" /></a></div>Shopping in December usually ranks high on my list of chores I’d rather not do. Add an errand run to my day’s work list and, presto, I decide it’s time to write my next proposal, and didn’t that cabinet need to be reorganized?<br />
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Add Caroline to that same errand run, and crowded trams, surly shop attendants, rainy weather become peccadilloes to add to the comedy routine which is Caroline on a shopping trip. <br />
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Quotes from a recent afternoon out:<br />
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"No Mommie, we can NOT wear that pink. <i>This</i> is the maximum pink we can wear."<br />
(Shows me a sweater so burgundy it's about to turn blue.) <br />
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(Surveying a very long, shapeless dress.) <br />
"That would look HORRENDOUS on most people. It’s only for a model, maximum."<br />
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(Checking out an unusual mannikin display.)<br />
"Have you seen this...this boot? What are they thinking? It’s like they’re trying to poke an eye out! That’s really the maximum." <br />
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(Long thought)<br />
"You know, I like the word 'maximum.' Maximum and minimum, they cover it all." <br />
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-56924386164515480982012-12-03T10:34:00.000+01:002012-12-03T14:04:28.425+01:00Jizerské Hory Cross Country Highway<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="287" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rUH4s4rdoPM" width="510"></iframe>Our favorite cross country ski trail opened this weekend. Just knowing that the trails were groomed and ready for action made me want to play hookey and head for the hills, but then I watched this video from Saturday. If you don't hear from me for a few days, you'll know where I am! <br />
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If you're in the Czech Republic and wondering where you too can find good cross country skiing, look no further than the <a href="http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jizersk%C3%A1_magistr%C3%A1la" target="_blank">Jizerská magistrála</a>, or Jizerske Highway. It's a series of cross country and hiking tracks over 170 km long. There's a <a href="http://www.jizerskaops.cz/bezkarske-trasy/" target="_blank">trail for everyone</a>, even if you're skiing with a kid in tow. <br />
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We usually drive up to Bedřichov, and ski from the Maliník parking lot. My advice, get there early. We took a vacation day one Wednesday to try to beat the parking lot crowd, arrived at 10, and snagged the last space in the lot. Once you're on the trails though, it's not crowded at all (there's enough space for everyone when you have so many kilometers to choose from!). <br />
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Here are pictures from one of our treks last year. Tempting isn't it? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCA4bB3hjEPjfPeIGJ2DUMDPHQJobUU1UKyH1SHVjTdX8Jjxm7VHroYJ8m6m5KPmDfmjRtsfpEaWMdGXNVrybW-B8-h1tm9YcXGVnDeRzbFlIyntM8wx7z-mhkn28ZIG1ywvd/s1600/January+2012.jpg"><img alt="Bedrichov and the entrance to the Jizerske magistral, or Jizera highway" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCA4bB3hjEPjfPeIGJ2DUMDPHQJobUU1UKyH1SHVjTdX8Jjxm7VHroYJ8m6m5KPmDfmjRtsfpEaWMdGXNVrybW-B8-h1tm9YcXGVnDeRzbFlIyntM8wx7z-mhkn28ZIG1ywvd/s1600/January+2012.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-58092799049913972622012-12-02T23:00:00.003+01:002012-12-02T23:01:16.373+01:00First Sunday in Advent, 2012<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpiEuKCkQHOlFE3dqS4MEVPmu8OcOQ15Dm8LvMhyUnFGkJWnFNIWDph0eU0yZrzph9TjOmecV3vD4O9qFJSuGkoNwqGiEJ5txK9Cazu32wEFSIo-e3z40xfyj7bjo_0zjokhL/s1600/December2012+279.JPG"><img alt="advent wreath 2012" width="510" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpiEuKCkQHOlFE3dqS4MEVPmu8OcOQ15Dm8LvMhyUnFGkJWnFNIWDph0eU0yZrzph9TjOmecV3vD4O9qFJSuGkoNwqGiEJ5txK9Cazu32wEFSIo-e3z40xfyj7bjo_0zjokhL/s1600/December2012+279.JPG" /></a></div>By now, Caroline and I are old hands at putting together our Advent wreath. We bought the evergreens yesterday, and (once we'd unearthed our decorations) Caroline layered the wreath with stars, orange slices, golden pine cones, cinnamon and all spice. With a little help, James had the honor of lighting the first candle. He held the match with pride and, as he pointed out, did not catch anything wrong on fire.<br />
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-31573863739619559812012-12-01T17:27:00.002+01:002012-12-01T22:38:27.664+01:00Saturday at the Farmer's Market <div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6GHPs2_94C9axNQdWPsGYjQQu3VmunwItIIQjO71NkGGro3rSF2M_MMzbH6IivNg258pLRMhP1wzBGozAkpzCdakqqVQEG-F9jJN8a1HSbYVzXkSRvD2FPHhhn0lB6lvJBB3/s1600/IMG_0693.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" width="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6GHPs2_94C9axNQdWPsGYjQQu3VmunwItIIQjO71NkGGro3rSF2M_MMzbH6IivNg258pLRMhP1wzBGozAkpzCdakqqVQEG-F9jJN8a1HSbYVzXkSRvD2FPHhhn0lB6lvJBB3/s1600/IMG_0693.JPG" /></a></div>The light at the Jiriho z Podebrad farmer's market today made everything glow. I thought you might like to see the old fashioned weights that the flower stand uses to weigh their pumpkins (they sell flowers, pumpkins, advent candles - whatever seems to strike their fancy). <br />
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The pumpkins look like they are on their way out, but that's fine by us. Wreaths and garlands have arrived and smell just like Christmas, says Caroline. We bought some garland today for our Advent wreath. The kids already have the glue gun out - let's see what sticks! <br />
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-66584899990911588062012-11-30T23:55:00.000+01:002012-12-01T10:35:00.294+01:00Origami Advent Calendar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeknBbIjmxvgjFpmqGlgCt-DzMKgr6e4om4RMht7vek9PbuLGKRsZmUOrJXGC-2DbS9-xOPksatyeRODU4YUm2CTLcexOkHGEdJC44tGaT46zSKKa7gmV363u5kdilRJZE9SN1/s1600/advent+calendar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeknBbIjmxvgjFpmqGlgCt-DzMKgr6e4om4RMht7vek9PbuLGKRsZmUOrJXGC-2DbS9-xOPksatyeRODU4YUm2CTLcexOkHGEdJC44tGaT46zSKKa7gmV363u5kdilRJZE9SN1/s1600/advent+calendar.JPG" width="498" /></a></div>It's nearly midnight, and I'm in the middle of folding boxes for the children's Advent calendar. The Playmobil people look concerned, but I'll find a spot for them all, I promise!Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-17618334027056420422012-11-29T18:58:00.002+01:002012-12-10T10:23:47.304+01:00Czech Glass Ornaments<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_yb-AtA-TdfeX6Ki0nBc11D7JVOy9sxxkNfWTRVowVgER-wk3elxehKpMD5zEsM_7TJjMRtzWAhoBD91MtXCCZ4twx5_imXnQoAKvE0LyvFQYogOdmyP7d8lOcSvWKvy9Gyc/s1600/IMG_0515.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_yb-AtA-TdfeX6Ki0nBc11D7JVOy9sxxkNfWTRVowVgER-wk3elxehKpMD5zEsM_7TJjMRtzWAhoBD91MtXCCZ4twx5_imXnQoAKvE0LyvFQYogOdmyP7d8lOcSvWKvy9Gyc/s1600/IMG_0515.JPG" width="510" /></a></div>One of our favorite stands at the Namesti Miru Christmas market specializes in hand blown glass ornaments. Every December, the children and I choose a new figure from their collection, and each year I wonder - where did you come from? <br />
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Today I decided to find out. The Czech Republic (and Czechoslovakia before it) has a long tradition of glass making, and I've even visited a few <a href="http://www.aleale.cz/workshop/" target="_blank">bead making workshops</a>. I didn't know, though, if the factories for hand blown ornaments still existed. <br />
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Happily, I discovered that they do. One factory, <a href="http://life.ihned.cz/c1-54155830-opavska-tovarna-na-vanocni-ozdoby-podivejte-se-jak-se-rucne-vyrabi-krok-za-krokem" target="_blank">Opavska Tovarna</a>, creates over a million ornaments a year. Most are sold abroad, but at least 10% stay in the country. Another, <a href="http://www.ozdobacz.cz/" target="_blank">Ozdoba CZ</a>, has a history that stretches back to the 19th century, and is a family run factory restituted after the Velvet Revolution. <a href="http://www.glassor.cz/en/" target="_blank">Glassor's</a> selection of ornament shapes is one of the most extensive (and beautiful) I've seen. <br />
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As you can see in the video below, it still takes a great deal of manual labor to make glass Christmas ornaments. After watching the factory ladies handle the hot glass, form it into many different shapes, then decorate the results with glue, glitter and color, I have a new appreciation for the figures we collect, and for the people who create them.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zMDwL0pndFM" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-72877657185937444572012-11-28T21:51:00.003+01:002012-11-30T08:53:52.742+01:00Snow (and Ice) in the City<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLB7jsqPKld-JevoWILytj2gcD5rpISI9c4bGBPWCoo5HEkOAQOD3jR5wPTivDcJT94mQuy-DeArIeJ24VtiJk912tGbKQXv0doHzsOmVySDr-tadML77tSPhvXN87Oo4Ll-t/s1600/2012-11-25+iphone.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLB7jsqPKld-JevoWILytj2gcD5rpISI9c4bGBPWCoo5HEkOAQOD3jR5wPTivDcJT94mQuy-DeArIeJ24VtiJk912tGbKQXv0doHzsOmVySDr-tadML77tSPhvXN87Oo4Ll-t/s1600/2012-11-25+iphone.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
Czech dailys get excited when the weather starts to change. "Snow invades - prepare for ice!" runs one headline. "WARNING, Icy Roads!" cautions another. The<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jizersk%C3%A1-magistr%C3%A1la/121797554497020" target="_blank"> Facebook page</a> for our favorite cross country track sounds decidedly more optimistic, and keeps updating its snow forecasts. They know their fans are ready to hit the trails again.<br />
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Here in Prague, we'll probably see a centimeter or two of slush on Friday, with a side of ice and cold weather. We're in a river valley and the clouds that keep the sun out also keep temperatures warmer than up on the plains a few kilometers outside of town. <br />
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If it does snow, though, the kids are just as ready as cross country skiing fans. They can make tiny snowmen out of almost any frozen stuff that comes their way. When it snowed at the end of October, they scraped snow off park benches, rolled out snowmen, and gave one flowers for eyes, the other, a golden crown of leaves. (The seasons collided that day).<br />
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This time around, they're hoping for more than just a dusting, and have begged me to bring out their sled. I think I'll wait until Friday to climb into the top of our closet and haul down the toboggan, but, just in case all the newspapers are right and the city does get icy, I've got my eye on a pair of cleats for my boots. It sounds like they could come in handy this weekend! Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-60593879367879361212012-11-27T23:34:00.000+01:002012-11-28T08:40:05.979+01:00Richard Scarry's European Word Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIl1mfyywHgRzk21jhGgvDmM12PowVljR9-xDa6Js3uPOPojkTYnj5IcnX1SiZaWx4dSO2jpwbDSWHCUve6keWWJZhkV2uqs1ADAOhX98z-1bKjQidgsfJyRb0LlK7SDjMF8z/s1600/IMG_0451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIl1mfyywHgRzk21jhGgvDmM12PowVljR9-xDa6Js3uPOPojkTYnj5IcnX1SiZaWx4dSO2jpwbDSWHCUve6keWWJZhkV2uqs1ADAOhX98z-1bKjQidgsfJyRb0LlK7SDjMF8z/s1600/IMG_0451.JPG" width="510" /></a></div>
Every now and then, the kids and I play a word game with simple rules - we work our way through the alphabet, trying to think of a word that starts with the same letter in both Czech and English. For extra points, we add German too. <br />
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A is for alligator or <i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="cs"><span class="hps">aligátor</span></span></i>, B is for banjo or <i>bendžo</i>, C is for circus or <i>cirkus</i>...<br />
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It's particularly fun to run with a theme - animals for five letters in a row, musical instruments for three. When we think of a new word pair we like, I write it down. For years I've wanted to illustrate a bilingual alphabet, and these lists inspire me each time we play.<br />
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Maybe one of these months I will finally create my <i>abeceda</i>. In the meantime though, I've just discovered a Richard Scarry word book* that is bound to take the game to new levels. I was tempted to do some secret cramming with it before our next round (both James and Caroline are way ahead on the Czech side of things), but then James did a little closet excavation, and the gig was up.<br />
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Like all Richard Scarry books, the illustrations are beautifully detailed and full of animals. I'm fond of the fins on the cars, James likes the old fashioned machinery. What makes Scarry's <i>European Word Book</i> (or <i>Evropsky Slovnik) </i>perfect for us, though, is that it is in English, German, French AND Czech.<br />
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It is, as Caroline would say, fantastic (<i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="cs"><span class="hps">fantastický</span></span>, fantastisch, </i>and of course, <i>fantastique</i>!)<br />
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* We found <i>Evropsky Slovnik</i> at <a href="http://www.amadito.com/home/amadito.html" target="_blank">Amadito and Friends</a>, an international children's bookshop in Prague 5. Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-58342814407963544922012-11-26T23:22:00.002+01:002012-11-26T23:46:06.428+01:00Night Tram<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you read the comments here at kolokolo, you will already have met Robbie, from <a href="http://ldptonedeaf.blogspot.cz/2012/11/too-hard-so-was-lvb-once.html" target="_blank">Tone Deaf</a>. He's an excellent writer and the type of editor who can nudge a person into straightening up a bit of prose by simply quirking an eyebrow. He also inspires me to keep thinking (and sometimes writing) about music. <br />
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Today on Tone Deaf, he wrote about <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1y59x_I_IU" rel="" target="_blank">Elliot Carter's Double Concerto</a> - a puzzling piece to listen to the first time round. I found a Youtube recording and thought about it for the rest of the day, wondering if I could possibly articulate why it winds up working. <br />
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Then on the way to choir tonight, reflections in the tram window caught my eye. Just for a snap shot of a moment, I realized that this is the way I see Carter's music - layers of sound (or image) that are not designed to respond to each other, but that, if we listen long enough (or look at hard enough) unravel from each other and begin to make sense, and then (because we're human and we make connections even if there aren't any to be made) come back together again into something that we can hear (or see) as a whole. <br />
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Tomorrow - back to the everyday, I promise! In the meantime, a picture hint - look for the cross walk. Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-26372608231121848132012-11-25T23:12:00.002+01:002012-11-26T23:28:22.771+01:00Spelling without sound<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few months ago, Caroline asked me to teach her the alphabet in American sign language. We went from A to Z several times, but it never really stuck.Then her babysitters showed her the <a href="http://ruce.cz/clanky/3-prstova-abeceda" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Czech manual alphabet</a>, or <i>prstov</i><i>á abeceda</i>. She memorized it nearly instantly, and started spelling to me in the tram or in the metro, or when she was across a noisy room and didn't want to shout. <br />
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Because Caroline learned the two handed version, (or <i>dvouruční prstov</i><i>á abeceda</i>), many of the signs look very similar to the letters of the alphabet and are easy to remember. By the time I'd found a chart with all the letters, she'd drilled most of them into my memory. <br />
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Now that she's turned from student to teacher, I tell Caroline it's time to move on to harder stuff. She's debating between working on my downhill skiing or Czech pronunciation. I'll keep you posted on the results! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLzTXkf2Kiw4MeWpZ6-uyWXQ1nsOHpclRqSq8rr-siefiJx3Wv8YPy2X-Nr3FgXXg5dl0XkWUcd9ooA5ZOct_KXKf18c5xdJlTb26WdeXpYQHtIIyxzgleyG8q4RJl1Je1l6m/s1600/prstova-obourucni-abeceda.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLzTXkf2Kiw4MeWpZ6-uyWXQ1nsOHpclRqSq8rr-siefiJx3Wv8YPy2X-Nr3FgXXg5dl0XkWUcd9ooA5ZOct_KXKf18c5xdJlTb26WdeXpYQHtIIyxzgleyG8q4RJl1Je1l6m/s320/prstova-obourucni-abeceda.png" width="271" /></a> </div>
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-27963172023282825702012-11-24T21:51:00.000+01:002012-11-24T21:51:02.670+01:00Sunbathing on a Saturday<div style="margin: 0px auto 0px; text-align: center;"><a href=""><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgL_8w5sQq0HIhj8TWZYcQ09_CilpeQkewyA9tmO7jJDdImmuQp7BQwzMmbb9n1LgSW5P4ErJ0b7nsGiHU9KBnA-vC-zvYrcDJfoVk5wmIwR3nEFopuuUQCz_qVofvUpri8OVp/s1600/steelguitar.jpg" width="515"/></a></div>After weeks of <a href="http://praguebikeblog.blogspot.cz/2008/01/inversion-immersion.html">inversion</a>, the clouds lifted today and Prague got busy washing its windows. <br />
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The light was delicious and when we finished washing windows, we bathed in the sun, content as cats. Rosemary, as you can see, sunned herself too.<br />
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-9704236828872301762012-11-23T23:26:00.000+01:002012-11-23T23:26:03.261+01:00L is for Alto<div style="margin: 0px auto 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArhqWguuqmu6zd7HLE_4fl6F8PCBPtz2I6M8onaUTL1dQO4_LKJaHnc4-a47HNi-Nggyvt6sVvbFXM0k7bTowiA0nRml01o-6Uszvi5xbAphsJnFb7i1b_5w9DwQb0BVkZvso/s1600/IMG_9026.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArhqWguuqmu6zd7HLE_4fl6F8PCBPtz2I6M8onaUTL1dQO4_LKJaHnc4-a47HNi-Nggyvt6sVvbFXM0k7bTowiA0nRml01o-6Uszvi5xbAphsJnFb7i1b_5w9DwQb0BVkZvso/s1600/IMG_9026.JPG" /></a></div>In the morning, James climbs up into our bed and puts his head next to mine. He doesn't want to get dressed quite yet, so he picks the longest game he can think of - the alphabet game. <br />
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"A is for...apple! What's next, Mommie?."<br />
"B", I say. "As in 'Be quiet, I'm sleeping!'" <br />
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"Funny Mommie," he says, then keeps going until halfway through the alphabet, when he gets to L.<br />
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"L. Hmmm. L. Lalala, how about, L is for Alto!" <br />
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I swing him off the bed and carry him upside down and giggling to breakfast, wondering how many more mornings we have where he'll still be small enough for me to whoosh him around like a small boy, how big he already is to be able to play with words, and how these moments I must remember. Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-53569076879250540502012-11-22T20:41:00.001+01:002012-11-23T15:13:35.862+01:00This Way to Thanksgiving<div style="margin: 0px auto 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhougiKVmGmiX1-ZHcz1Qj2x-vcshfAgdkLyxnd9dQt4Y7dQu6x8MBt2EKDAEos4xxaIJ-c3xIG66pfENmRWQ28DTbHgued1w6nJvgevyqCe0gq1qn93xazAT352Prfm710YG9I/s1600/IMG_8594.JPG"><img alt="" width="510" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhougiKVmGmiX1-ZHcz1Qj2x-vcshfAgdkLyxnd9dQt4Y7dQu6x8MBt2EKDAEos4xxaIJ-c3xIG66pfENmRWQ28DTbHgued1w6nJvgevyqCe0gq1qn93xazAT352Prfm710YG9I/s1600/IMG_8594.JPG" /></a></div>I've celebrated Thanksgiving in many places, but when I imagine the day, this is the road I see leading up to it. At the end of the road is my grandparents' old house, the houses where my aunts and uncles and cousins live, <a href="http://kolokolo.blogspot.cz/2011/11/palmetto-frond-forts-and-other-fun.html">the farm</a>. Today, my great uncle tells me, they expect only a few people for dinner. In family parlance, that means less than twenty. There might not be fifty relatives* showing up, but I know there will be lots of good food, kids and dogs running around, jokes laughed over, and stories retold. Afterwards, my aunts will send everyone home with leftovers and big hugs. <br />
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There's a song by Mary Chapin Carpenter that reminds me of the road we take to get there and home again. Here's the video: <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JnSHWGdiBrk" width="560"></iframe><br />
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*Fifty people equals a crowd, one hundred, a large crowd.</i><br />
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8472241.post-23522127535973268142012-11-21T21:47:00.000+01:002012-11-21T21:50:04.788+01:00Prague castle, from the tram<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUchHVYktA09qEPIx7q3uysFCB3Sep2pnYGQwD2ZI7vlDL9oyn3UQtGcfdEuB8Od6EvzGvc9qUI2v-FawKUc0sQyWtXZqPTuIuoDx2I-hYmE4hWA4PR2TjUm48ePkl4Td0gM3Z/s1600/castle.JPG" imageanchor="0" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="500" width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUchHVYktA09qEPIx7q3uysFCB3Sep2pnYGQwD2ZI7vlDL9oyn3UQtGcfdEuB8Od6EvzGvc9qUI2v-FawKUc0sQyWtXZqPTuIuoDx2I-hYmE4hWA4PR2TjUm48ePkl4Td0gM3Z/s1600/castle.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02381204473168533313noreply@blogger.com6