OK... not my fault the Czech government decreed two back-to-back Mondays as national holidays... but if that is the case then so be it. It's off to Ostrava, Olomouc and surroundings.
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| Dan's immediate family. |
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Technical help with the new phone from
David and Barbara |
One of the primary reasons we headed that direction was to attend the 79th birthday of mother of Dan Popelář. We had visited her several years ago and this time was pleased to find her still young and vigorous. We anticipated family, hugs, gifts and some dynamite cake and sweets.... not disappointed! Dan's two brothers and their wives plus a niece and nephew were on hand in addition to Renata, B.J. and yours truly. It was a 'warm' visit in spite of a gentle chill in the air. As an extension of the birthday festivities we hit a couple of favored pubs over the two nights in the area...and once again the 'pivo' was perfect. Oh, yea, we also learned of a place called the "Chow Meow" and wanted desperately to see it; it is a coffee shop that has free ranging cats. However, the day we tried to get in was a national holiday and it was closed. It was also late, but you could see the cats lounging just inside the glass front.
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| In the mine. |
The vicinity of Ostrava is a very industrial area of the Czech Republic. Accordingly we spent some time visiting an abandoned coal mine and remains of an iron smelting facility from the Soviet era that have been converted to educational tourist sites. The two sites are part of DOV (or "Dolni Vitkovice"), an association of legal entities, founded in 2007 with the aim of opening up the area's urban industrial heritage. The coal mine was one of many in the area (coal is still produced in the area but this site has gone as deep as is practical to extract coal). We were able to go below into one of the tunnels where we were guided by a excellent ex-coal miner who was stuffed with details about its operation - at least that is what Renata tells me since it was in Czech.
The expansive smelting complex is located just on the edge of the city. We actually visited this
facility on a previous visit so this time we headed to the adjacent science center. It was under construction the last time so was not in full operation. The Science and Technology Center was an impressive collection of kid- and adult-based, hands-on exhibits. We spent nearly four hours marveling at the ingenious contraptions explaining various science, engineering and nature topics.
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| A WWII Memorial |
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| A Soviet Shrine |
As we headed back towards Letohrad we stopped at a massive World War II memorial site in Hrabyně. This was the site of a two week battle in April 1945 in which the Soviet army pushed the Nazi's out of the area and then proceeded to Prague to free the city. The particular day we visited was the national holiday commemorating the end of WWII and is roughly equivalent to our Memorial Day. The huge site was constructed during the Soviet occupation with specific political aims in mind; it has now been converted into a more generic memorial but still acknowledges the sacrifices of the Russian soldiers (and Czech and others also) who died fighting Nazi Germany.
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| Remember the Sacrifices! |
facility on a previous visit so this time we headed to the adjacent science center. It was under construction the last time so was not in full operation. The Science and Technology Center was an impressive collection of kid- and adult-based, hands-on exhibits. We spent nearly four hours marveling at the ingenious contraptions explaining various science, engineering and nature topics.
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