Odds & Ends

Rotary Bike Ride

The Group

BJ and Astronomical Clock
in Old Town Square

As mentioned in earlier blogs, B.J. is a member of the Parole
Rotary Club in Annapolis and when we arrived in the Czech Republic she contacted the only English speaking Rotary in Prague.  We have attended a couple events already but this one has to be the best by far.  The idea was to ride bicycles in and around Prague.  Now that may not seem a real treat unless you come here in June and stroll around the city's tourist areas... it is virtually impassable with the crowds and the cars. So the concept of riding a bicycle in this insanity is .... well, insane.  The answer?? Patience...all will be revealed.  But first...we travel to Prague late in the week, check into a hotel and chill out for the day.  That first day we have dinner arrangements with Petr Slama, a member of the Theological Faculty at Charles University,  at his home just outside the Prague city limits and spend the evening with him, his wife and three daughters.  It was a delightful evening of food and very lively conversation. One of his daughters, 15-year old Marta, is coming to the U.S. this summer and will visit Annapolis; you will be impressed!!  I realized on our return to Prague that evening I had neglected to take any photos... in retrospect, B.J. and I were so captivated with the visit we simply neglected to break up the flow with photo snapping.  The following day we again chilled and then met Hana Habermannová for lunch.  Hana was one of the translators for us a few years ago

Hana, et. al.

Charles Bridge at dawn

when we came to English to the Church (ETTC)--Czech style Vacation Bible School-- in Letohrad.  It was really special to hear about her life and profession in Prague; we wish her the very best for the future and look forward to intermittent updates.  Now...back to the bike ride.  The answer to riding bicycles in Prague?  Do it before the throngs of visitors and locals show up.  After lunch with Hana we travel back to the hotel and get an early evening with the intention of meeting with the Rotarians at 3:15 AM! That's right, up and out before sunrise, which by the way was 4:55 AM that morning.  So for the next five hours we crisscrossed the Vltava river and up and down the opposite sides of the city.  I've got to tell you that riding through the narrow walking streets of Prague and over the Charles Bridge at dawn was quite a treat.  Even thought it sounds complicated, we rented bikes just off Old Town Square, stored them in the hotel and were up and gone with minimal hassle.

The Graduates

Ludmila, Jarmila and Josef

Impressive!

Are you coming to the graduation?  Are you kidding.. you bet I am, wouldn't miss it!  Er....what graduation? Now, it is June and the schools are closing at the end of the month but this still seemed a bit early for a graduation.  So Lida (Ludmila) 'Jr' explained that her mother had been taking courses for three years, not full time of course, but enough to warrant a ceremony and a diploma.  The best I could understand is that it was a recognized course for seniors who wanted a formal degree.  It turns out that two other Letohrad church members were also in the course and are graduates.  B.J. and I head over to the 'castle' for the ceremony... oops... severely underdressed... did not expect this formal a ceremony.  But, alas, it's the thought that counts and being the Americans, we can get away with a lot here.  So congratulations to Ludmila Stejskalova, Jarmila Černohousova, and Josef Pomikálk!

Final Community Lecture
This will be number four in the once-a-month, translated, community lectures held in the sanctuary of the church.  This one was on 'Racism, Then and Now'.  It was an unusually pertinent topic since we are representing Annapolis - the site of the Alex Haley-Roots

President Obama and the 50th
anniversary of 'Bloody Sunday'

memorial because Kunta Kinte, Alex's forefather, was sold into slavery there in 1767.  Not only that, my hometown is Selma, Alabama and I was a junior in high school during the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march and the infamous Bloody Sunday episode when white law enforcement brutally beat the marchers--prompting the passage of the Voting Rights Bill in 1965.  The lecture followed the 'Jim Crow Laws' of the post-civil war period up to 1965 and their transition into the 'New Jim Crow' black incarceration practices in force today.  Questions from the audience were insightful.

ETTC Helpers

'Horse' Basketball

English to the Church -- locally known as 'Church Camp' -- is scheduled for July and will be the seventh time FPC in Annapolis has conducted a Czech version of 'Vacation Bible School' here in Letohrad.  The camp could not be conducted without the assistance of the 'shepherds' or 'helpers' as they are called here.  These are the mid-teen, Czech youth that make the whole process work.  Not to take anything away from the highly professional preparation and execution of the Annapolis folk who travel here but the actual execution of the week-long camp relies heavily on the translation and local knowledge provided by the helpers.  B.J. mostly, I assisted, organized a fun day to get the helpers warmed up for the upcoming camp.  We had a fantastic time with rotational table tennis, a version of 'Horse' basketball and some energizers.


And a final Odds & End....

Tomáš Popolář
'Flower Child'

Sorry, my apologies, I know I will pay for this one but I just could not resist.  We took a quick day trip to Wroclaw, Poland last weekend and this photo emerged as one of the highlights of the trip.