Country Prague

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2/10/08
Dobry den!
I left you all having just discovered the wonders of Prague, but a whole new array of delights awaits the one who ventures out of the city into the colorful and quaint countryside. Last Sunday was Masopust, which is the Czech version of Carnival before lent. We arrived Sunday at a little village square to an onslaught of colorful tents, smoking stands with toasted nuts, and bright pagan costumes: paper mach storks, cherubs guzzling sausages, and every other beast you could think of. Whole families got into the spirit by dressing alike. I adored the little fox family and house family who each wore little red roof hats. We Americanka even got into the spirit, donning capes, hats, masks, and painting our faces with wild designs. There were sausages and beer all day long to keep everyone fueled as the people walked from village to village across wintery, windswept fields. Along the way children performed various street games: three girls twirled flags and danced, boys juggled sticks and banged drums. In the evening we all snuggled up to a bonfire and were entertained by a group of men with an accordion, belting out Czech drinking songs. “yo ho ho hoy, yo ho ho ho…”
This weekend brought me to the charming mountain town of Trutnof, at the base of Sniezka, the highest mountain in the Czech Republic, which it shares with Poland. My Czech flatmate, Bara, grew up in this picturesque village and toured us around. On Saturday we road chair lifts up to the top of Sniezka, where we had panoramic views of the hills around, snow dusted evergreens, and on the other side, brown Poland. The top of the mountain looks very much like something out of Star Wars, the way that the ice and snow has blown into the very industrial looking structures. There is an old Nazi building up there that was started during the war, intended to be in the shape of the swastika, but they only got one arm finished and now it sits alone on an icy slope. We walked/slid down the mountain to the base and had a typical Czech lunch that afternoon at Bara’s family cottage, which was warm and cozy with its little windows topped with mountain men figurines and herbs, some of which went into our bramborava polevka (potato soup), cucumber salad, pork and dumplings. It was a feast. Good thing too, because that night we went skiing. Not what I’m used to in Oregon, but the snow was great and it was a beautiful, clear night. The good weather continued into Sunday as we hiked through the mountains, stopping at points of interest: an eighteenth century mini-castle, a cottage dairy, stream trickling crystal water out of overloaded snow banks, and various vistas across untouched, fluffy white fields. The forest was completely still, with the only sound our feet crunching up natural stone stairs, across wooden bridges and through wooded thickets. We passed lots of cross-country skiers on our way down. When it came time for the 6pm bus back to Prague, none of us wanted to leave and hopefully we will get a chance to go again when the snow is thicker and more runs are open to ski avalanche-free.
Now I mist go study my Czech and get ready for this afternoon’s class at FAMU, the film school in which my classroom looks out over the Vltava across to the castle. How can you not daydream through class in such conditions?
I have Internet in my apartment now so I will be much more in touch… I loved reading all of your responses after the previous email and enjoy hearing what’s happening to you all in the states or wherever.
Ciao!
Katie

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Comments

[Nancy Simerly]

First entry
I think maybe you should consider writing travel books rather than film. Wait a minute, wasn't that what you and Eric were going to do together years ago? Travel and take pictures and write, what a life.