Castle Guard and Czech Police Orchestra

Tonight I have just returned from practice with the Lakeland Community Band which reminds me of another wonderful concert we attended while in Prague.  On Saturday morning, we were wandering the grounds of Prague Castle when we came upon a set-up for a program.  We joined the early-arrivers and realized that we were about to hear the Castle Guard and Czech Police Orchestra.  The group seemed characteristic of both our miltary and community bands in America.  They played standard favorites and brought out vocalists for a few numbers.   We heard "If I Were a Rich Man" and "Old Man River" in Czech.   Then a female vocalist came and sang, in English, "My Heart Will Go On."   The Titanic exhibit was in town and the Czechs seem quite taken with the movie of ten years ago.  Our tour guide, Petr, said he puts the movie on "while ironing" and he's seen it 17 times! That is more than Tina and her middle-school friends who loved Leonardo DiCapprio in 1997 - I think her total was nine times.  But the thing that made me feel so at home during this concert was the audience who clearly had this marked on their calendars and came very early to get a good seat.  (Just like at the Lakeland Center.)  Though the event was in a tourist area, most of the elderly audience seemed to be local and the emcee spoke all in Czech.  Music truly is a universal language - it was fun to see that some things transcend borders.

Postcards from Prague

Goodbye, dear Prague.  We leave in the morning for Amsterdam.  It has been a wonderful six days here.   The people are warm and friendly and it is a very safe city in which to wander.  Here are a few scenes to enjoy.

The Metro

Since Fritz is working, I took to the Metro and enjoyed myself on a day of public transportation.  There is a museum devoted to W. A. Mozart, who, for a time, felt more welcome in Prague then Vienna.  I saw a harpsichord he played on in a palace here in 1787.  I stopped in at a shopping center and snapped this photo of a toy store so daughter number two could see how much she has in common with the Czech children.  "Play ponies by yourself, Mom."  Dinner was yummy.  Rick Steves is right when he said you can eat like a king in Prague for half of what you would pay in the U.S. or other European cities.  The highlight of the meal was Sandra, our very courteous, lovely waitress but since I don't have permission to post her photo, I'll post a photo of one of the desserts.  

Fritz Working

Fritz is working now.  We are thankful for the meeting of the European VitreoRetinal Society that brought us to Prague.  Here is Fritz and colleagues in set-up photo pretending to work and next is Fritz really working.  The meeting is in the Municipal House which was built in the early 1900's and is Prague's most prominent Art Nouveau building.  The doctors give their talks in Smetana Hall - a concert hall also used as a ballroom.  Here is Fritz dropping an entry badge over the balcony to me so I can come in and eat all the delicious food served at lunch!   Again, my three food words came in handy.   The server was explaining the choices and I looked at the dumplings and asked, "Is it knedlicky?"  Much joy on the face.  When I came back for seconds, he spoke much Czech at me!

Czech Philharmonic

A flute colleague told me that that Czech Philharmonic "is the most beautiful string sound in the world."  We attended their concert on Sept. 5 and they did not disappoint.  The program was Mahler's Second Symphony complete with soprano, alto, and the Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno.  The Dvorak Hall in the Rudolphinium was gorgeous, "one of the finest creations of 19th-century Czech architecture."   The house was full and Fritz and I had seats in the balcony, but close enough to the musicians to see their faces, particularly the conductor, the principal flutist, the oboes and the double-bass section.  The music was exquisite and the audience attentive.   Their was no rustling of programs or candy wrappers, people moving about, etc.  At the end of the concert, the audience gave a ten-minute standing ovation.  It was an amazing evening.  Like Anne of Green Gables, after her first visit to the theater in the city, "How can I return to common life after this?"  

Visiting the Homeland

We took a train trip to Plzen, where my father's family originated.  On the train we were in a compartment with 4 other speakers of various languages.  One man and woman kept up a constant, lively conversation in German, Czech and Russian.  After an hour, the most boisterous man decided to try and engage the Americans, probably for entertainment.  We warmed up to each other with my three Czech words to break the ice - Bramborove (potato), knedliky (dumpling) and kolac (sweet roll.)  After this I wrote down my father's name, in the original spelling, Bruj.  He immediately pronouced it correctly!    We were able to communicate that I was looking for my family and we would like to visit a cemetery.  Only one of our fellow travelers was getting off at Plsen but the other two arranged for him to "watch over us."  Because "the taxi drivers are bandits!"   So this kind gentleman led us to the counter to buy bus tickets, offered to buy them for us, and then to the stop and pointed us to the stop to get off for the cemetery.  It was a wonderful morning of making new friends.  Fritz said he thought the German lady especially was touched that I was trying to find my family.  We found the large city cemetery and we were starving at that time.  The only place to eat was inside a modern western-style mall where the real people shop.  It was a lovely slice of life - we bought some essentials in Tesco - their Wal-Mart and ate in the food court at McDonalds while listening to Ricky Martin.  Not all traveling moments are magical:)  Then we went across to the cemetery and walked thru the shady gardens. At the office they had no record of Bruj's.  The train station in Plsen was very beautiful and Fritz had some of their famous beer.  Because lunch was so unsatisfying, we bought some kolac at a beautiful bakery in the station.  Then on the way back to Prague, we shared a coach with a woman from Plsen who told me she does know one man named Bruj, and he lives in a smaller village outside the town.  She had visited the U.S. several times and has a niece who plays gold for Florida Southern College!  So we exchanged emails - she offered to research my family and we promised to look up her niece!   

Really in Prague Now

Today we flew Czech airlines into Prague.  Snacks on board were kolace - just like my grandmother used to make.  We had lunch at a restaurant where I could actually recognize some of the menu as the extent of my Czech language skills revolves around three food words:)  We wandered thru the New Town of Prague, which is about 450 years old, and waited for our bus tour to begin with Peter, who led us thru the city by bus, by boat, and on foot with his cheesy Mozart umbrella.  He was hilarious and gave us a wonderful history of the city with lots of jokes and proud use of American slang.  We saw the Prague castle, the Charles bridge, the Rudolphinium where the Czech Philharmonic plays tomorrow night.  Yes, we hope to be there.  We're having a wonderful time and it's going quickly.  Day 4 is over:( 

Happy Birthday

Today is my birthday.  Munich is beautiful and busy but it's been a relaxing day. The airport is sleek and efficient, the drive on the Autobon to our hotel not nearly as crazy as imagined:) We checked our bags and set out to explore the city.  This walk took us to the Viktualien-markt, an open-air market with lots of plants, food and beer.  Trip director, Fritz, was also feeling the effects of little sleep and we got to NAP after lunch!  Then more exploring the streets of Munich and a relaxing birthday dinner on the patio.  Munich sights I love: the women on bicycles with their babies sleeping in screened carts behind them, the stores devoted to plants (especially herbs) and the florists.   I also love the exit signs in the hotel and the fact that the hair dryer is permanently housed in the drawer under the TV for my safety.  

Labor Day Weekend

"So what are you doing Labor Day weekend?"  Fritz keeps asking me, so I can answer, "Flying to Munich, then to Prague for my birthday!"  It's my first time out of the country and I am more than a little excited.  We land in Munich Sept. 2 at 7:50a.m., which will be 3:00a.m. EST and I trust adrenalin will rule over sleeplessness. Come fly with us. (Vlasta is...)  Next post from Munich.