Friday, July 28, 2017

B, B & B... Baptism, Birds and Brandýs

Baptism
It's the Sunday after the 'Church Camp's' FirstPres'ers arrival in Letohrad the day before. The church
The Family
The Baptised
is full--with quite a few church members, guests and not an insignificant amount of Americans.  The event is the baptism of Ondřej, Daniela and Samuel, the children of Aleš and Veronika Pomikálkovi.  It was quite a significant family event and the festivities continued on after the service with an impressive dinner layout and lots of conversation interspersed with running feet. Great!  The baptism itself was something I really enjoyed.  I, as mentioned before,
grew up in the south as a Southern Baptist and, consequently, was baptized by full immersion at the 'age of accountability'; down the steps of the baptistry, into the water, under completely and splutteringly up and out. At First Pres I see mostly infants up front with a bit of water sprinkled conservatively on the head (cold??? I often wondered).  This was somewhere in between.  Jiřina, the pastor, called each child up separately and using a healthy pitcher of water (again, warm?? cold??) doused each three times with an ample amount of water... will never forget the waterfall off each child's head.  However, the big smiles of each of the children, as well as their parents, said it all!

Birds
Yep, right here in Letohrad,  a collection of exotic birds on public display in a quite impressive cage
Local Czech Speakers
complex.  The building and cage system is owned by the city of Letohrad but the birds and associated support equipment (not an insignificant amount) are privately owned.  In fact, the primary person in the ownership arrangement is very involved in the highly competitive endeavor of raising white canaries. Actually, I'm told, two white canaries cannot breed so a standard yellow one is involving in the process and the manipulation of the final 'shade of white' is the governing criteria for a champion. This guy is reputedly up there in the higher echelons of the competition - we
Joey and Mom
were not offered to view these as they are a bit exclusive.  B.J. and I had a chance to go behind the scenes of the public cages and get a close up of the process. This was organized by Jana Faltejskova who works with a private company supporting the city.  As you might suspect, its kinda cold here in the winter and these birds are all tropical varieties so precautions are taken; they are not allowed in the elements in the winter but have free reign of the outside cages otherwise.  Two of the largest squawkers (yea, I got a lot of formal data, verbally, during the visit, but I've burned far too many brain cell to remember them) speak Czech and will give you the strangest head twist if you throw English at them.  Of interest, we were briefed on a plan to turn an adjoining building into a aviary within the next couple years... will look forward to checking back on that later.  Oh, yes, adjacent to the bird cages is the kangaroo enclosure -- what, I didn't mention the kangaroos??   There is a mother/child there with the added interesting point that the joey is an albino. Pretty cool actually... or does that expression point out the large amount of time I've had to burn up those lost brain cells mentioned earlier?!

Brandýs
OK, it's Brandýs time.  When we first arrived here in March we ran into Petr Slama who is a professor in the Theology Department at Charles University in Prague.  Petr has been integral in
Intermediate Group
Presbyterian/ECCB partnership since the beginning and continues to be active at the Czech national level.  He is also a member of the local ECCB church in Brandýs nad Labem. As such, Petr asked if we would please visit his congregation while we were in country.  We, of course, agree that would be fine if we could find a good time to do so....and that optimum time turned out to be the week the First Pres Church Camp was being held in Letohrad.
Advanced Group
So, B.J. and I left that Sunday immediately after the baptism events. We had previously met with the point of contact, Ivana Adámcová, in Prague to organize the visit (Petr knew already that he would not be available during that time frame and had Ivana take the lead.) We arrived late afternoon Sunday and met with a group of congregation members that evening for a presentation on Annapolis, First Pres and its volunteer activities; understanding that the group would not all have English capability the session was translated by Ivana.  Ivana and family, husband and two daughters, welcomed us into their home for the stay and went beyond expectations to make us comfortable.  The rest of the week, Monday through Wednesday, we held discussion sessions in the church with Ivana's English group (not all church members) on various topics we had
The Big Kids and the Little Kids
generated while in Letohrad.  There were two hour and half sessions each evening, the first for Intermediate and the second for Advanced English speakers.  Our expectations were more than met since the attendees were interested, talkative and appreciative of our efforts. Also on Tuesday morning we met with some of the children for a couple hours fun.  The rest of the time we spent in local tours of the very interesting twin city area of Brandýs nad Laben - Staré Boleslavi.  The two cities were forced under the same administrative blanket during the Soviet era because Stare Boleslavi was a major Catholic center and pilgrimage point from the 11th century and the Soviets wanted to disrupt the Catholic influence by subjugating it to the adjacent municipality.  One of the local brochures identified the twin cities area as "an oasis of calm located in near proximity to the capital city (Prague)".  While calm may be a bit of a stretch with the main road almost constantly jammed with traffic, I will admit the four days was quite enjoyable and fulfilling.




'On the Road Again..."

English to the Church - alias 'Church Camp'
For the seventh year straight the FirstPres presenters arrived in Letohrad to conduct the Czech version
The Animals and their Handlers
of Vacation Bible School, or Church Camp as the event is called here. As we understand it, the camp was its usual roaring success with the excited parents already asking the dates for next year. ('We understand...' because B.J. and I were not here for most of the week because of discussions in Brandýs nad Labem, a town just outside of Prague -- more later.)  We did return for the final day of presentations to the assembled parents and witnessed the dynamite animal costumes the kids made and saw the expert choreography of the 'energizers'.  The new members of the team, to a person, quoted all previous 'first-timers', saying they were quite apprehensive before coming but left with the realization that this experience will register as one of the most significant in their lives.  This place just sucks you
Letohrad Mayor, Petr Fiala, with
Steve, Veronika and Miss
into its hospitality, its compassion....and yes, its LOVE!  However, the most fun comment came from Aleš Pomikálk as three cars pulled away from the church ferrying the team (minus one) to the train station for the return home trip.  One detail is that Russ, Miss Good's husband, arrived late in the Church Camp week.  So, with the eight for Church Camp, Russ and then B.J. and I, there were eleven Americans here at the end of the week.  Aleš' comment.... "I was just thinking that after three carloads of Americans pulled out of the parking lot, there were still four left!" (Russ and Miss held back since they had separate travel plans and of course we were/are still here!)  This has been a very active year for the partnership, on both sides of the Atlantic.

Králíky Hike
No, it was not that bad...
Kraliky has appeared many times in correspondence and conversations from FirstPres'ers visiting Letohrad; it is a must for every group to visit.  This time, even though we did quickly swing by the impressive monastery site, we concentrated on the surrounding hills and hiked up and back from a wonderful restaurant complex, Northern Moravian Cabin... trust me, more of a mansion than a cabin.  The trip was short but challenging... not challenging enough to stop the kids!  This was on the Saturday after Church Camp so the 'camp staff' and many church members joined in the venture which took several cars to get everyone there.  The weather cooperated with only a brief rain shower.  The
The Source of the Orlici River
hike was defined by mountain bicycle racers constantly passing us on the narrow and steep trail and by our visit to a race rest stop which went overboard offering us refreshments and other 'stimulants' (it seems there was a wedding in a nearby chapel and the wedding party was gracious enough to share part of their 'supplies' with the rest stop attendees).  But by far the crowning experience came when we spent some time by the headwaters of the Orlici river -- a river very much integrated into the local environment and psyche.  The spring that feeds the river was covered by a small wooden shed with complementary cups to share the bounty of the cool, fresh water.  This was my first visit here - I had heard about it before - and was delighted to see the four inch wide beginning of the
The Mighty Orlici
impressive river we ride alongside on the bicycle trail from
Damming the Orlici
Letohrad to Ústi nad Orlici (Usti on the Orlici River).  Kids being kids, and I DON'T mean only the eleven year old Ondre, the decision was made to dam the Orlici and create an alternate stream.  The next hour was consumed with the engineering feat as 
others opted to sprawl in the wonderful natural paradise.  
Success!!... but we all knew the next intense rainfall would move the flow back to its original route--- mother nature is like that; if you mess with her enough, eventually she will cancel your efforts and return to her 'normal'.  All was great until we received the inevitable call from B.J. and Veronika who had opted for iced coffee and an alternate route to the cars--- up and at 'em, ya'll.

Wedding Directions
'What's that?'  'I don't know, maybe some new city road markings."  As B.J. and I got closer to the subject of our discussion we soon realized it was not any kind of official action.  Someone had obviously broken out the can of white spray paint and went at it.  The Route 66 iconic marking was immediately evident but we could not figure out the HK-- Hong Kong??  We ruminated on it a few days until we got the explanation.  This was a typical joke by friends of soon-to-be newlyweds who helpfully provided the couple with alternative routes for their lives... either bail out and head for Route 66 or continue on to Hradec Králové and the wedding ceremony.

Biking in Brandýs nad Labem
Back to Brandýs.  Nope, not ready to come clean yet...you will have to wait until the next post.  But I
did want to follow the 'On the Road Again' theme with this.  We were in town for a four days and led off the visit with a bicycle ride around the locale with Mary, the daughter of our host.  Labe (Labem is a grammatical declination), the river, is the venerable Elbe river which flows from the Czech Republic through Germany to the North Sea.  Mary took us through an architectural tour of the twin cities of Brandýs and  Stará Boleslav -- she just graduated with a degree in architecture -- and then a memorable trip alongside the Elbe followed by a soothing ride through the local forest.  It was the beginning of a wonderful experience.

Friday, July 14, 2017

The Return Trip

It's time to return to Letohrad from the Polish excursion and so after Dan picks me up at Birkenau in the afternoon we head to the Wieliczka Salt Mine to pick up B.J. and Renata.  Success.. a bit of confusion as to the exact meeting point but small matter.  A quick dinner and into the car for the 150 km trip to Czestochowa and the pilgrimage site of Jasna Gora.  It takes about two and a half hours to navigate the narrow roads with the numerous small town speed limits.  But we arrive mid-evening and check with the lady for her rental apartment.  It's really nice: time for a good night's sleep.

The rental apartment is right on the broad boulevard leading to the impressive monastery atop Jasna
Jasna Gora
Góra (or bright hill). It all began in the late 14th century when some Pauline monks were funded by a local deep pocket to house the image of Our Lady of Jasna Gora.  OK, that's nice. So why is this a major pilgrimage site?  It might help if you realized the image is better known as "Black Madonna". Now, I'm certainly not an expert but I researched and there are various Black Madonnas in the world but this one has been sanctioned 'The' by several Popes (Clement XI, Pius X, John Paul II).  It has had a tough history, the origination date and place are unknown (thought to be somewhere between 4th & 6th centuries) and it received major damage in the 15th century, was restored and resides in current form at the basilica completed in the 17th century.  Apart from short periods the icon has been in the Jasna Gora monastery for over 600 years and is the focus of millions of pilgrims
from all over the world.

The night of arrival in the apartment we see in a brochure, Jasna Gora, The Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, that there are masses virtually hourly all day long-- but Renata is intrigued by the only one in Latin at 8 am.  Mass at eight, you gotta be kidding me... after a day of standing and walking and car riding.  I know when I'm out numbered so it's up and out for mass.  BUT...as is true style we are not familiar with the place and by the time we get to the basilica the mass has started.  BUT... we don't want to be in the basilica... we need to pop over to the small adjacent chapel.  Why.. the basilica is big, roomy, nice and the chapel is cramped and crowded.  (Yea, you can see it coming.... I can't believe how naive I was.)  I have never been Catholic so I naturally feel a bit ill at ease walking in the mass already in progress. B.J., who was brought up Catholic, heads down to the front-- oh, yes, there are only small seats on the sides and long benches against the wall, most of the chapel is standing/kneeling room.  I slither to the corner of one of the huge square columns and try to blend in in spite of looking like the Southern Baptist I grew up as.  What I notice is the constant flow of people during the mass; they move to the front, stand/kneel, and then move out... adults, youth, kids, no exceptions.  I catch B.J.'s eye a couple times and finally she round-circuits to where I am hiding.  "What do you think of the Black Madonna?", she questions.  Huh.... I can only see the people coming and going not what is happening in the nave of the chapel.  It never occurred to me this was the revered home of the icon (told you I
Black Madonna
Madonna with Veil
was naive).  "Sure, mass is over, come on".  Although, the people were still
ebbing and flowing non-stop, we sneak out into the front and there against the back wall is the Black Madonna.  Whoa... so this is what the draw is; impressive.  Now I understand the one guy that slithered up to the front and unabashedly took out his phone and snapped a pic.... I was wondering about that.  No, I was not going to do it - some sense of decorum prevented me - so you will just have to be satisfied with the stock photo of the icon! We then exited the chapel and joined Dan and Renata who were already outside; we headed back for breakfast to continue tour of the monastery ground later.  Also, we noticed in the brochure that at noon, 13:30 and 14:00 there was "Veiling (and/or Unveiling) of the Miraculous Image of the Blessed Mother".  I subsequently learned that through the centuries a tradition emerged in which a 'cover' or veil was alternately placed over and taken off the icon.  The veil leaves the faces and hands of Mary and baby Jesus exposed.  There are lots of these veils, brought by VIP pilgrims or indicative of certain occasions. We did not try to make it to these events since, even as we left the chapel earlier in the day, the human press was building and rises to such
...and going

Coming....
levels only the lucky and or determined get to view the process.  One final item of interest.  After breakfast we were heading back towards the monastery only to be accosted by 'millions' of bicyclists. It turns out that there is a dedicated public broadcast facility, Radio Jasna Gora, and this was the 26th anniversary. From the signage and shirts the various groups were wearing the bicycle barrage was sponsored by the station.

We are off on the trip back to Zamberk/Letohrad, but we have one more commitment. Needing dinner


Cat coffee anyone?
anyway, we stop in Olemouc and after eating head around the corner for coffee and dessert at what we dubbed the 'Chow Meow'.  This coffee shop was referenced in an earlier blog because we tried to see it on an earlier excursion here but it was late on a holiday and the place was closed.  This time it was open for business.  Living up to its name the coffee shop was populated with several cats who obviously had the rule of the place.  All there gratefully accepted the mixture of affection and sheer distain that only a cat can provide.



Thursday, July 13, 2017

It's still hard to wrap my mind around it all......

Kraków is located in the part of Europe in which the genocidal actions of the Nazis during the Second World War are very evident.  This is not to say atrocities in other regions are less noticeable or important, but here they seem magnified.

Schindler's Factory
As mentioned in earlier blog, the four of us on the trip to Poland took an extended bike trip around
Schindler's Factory
the city.  I especially wanted to stop by the factory of Oskar Schindler on the outskirts of Kraków since it was right in our targeted course circuiting the city.  The building has been converted into a museum complex on contemporary art and on wartime Kraków under the Nazis.  It's not that I did not want to visit the museums, but I thought it just as important to simply be at the site.  There is a plaque on the building quoting from the Talmud; 'Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.'  Sort of says it all.  I will aways remember the red coat on the little girl as she runs through the Jewish ghetto in the film, 'Schindler's List'.

The next day we split the group.  Danny had been to Auschwitz/Birkenau before and B.J. and Renata opted to take a local bike trip to the Wieliezka Salt Mine just outside Krakow; quite a unexpected treat I'm told for the artistic treasures-in-salt underground.

Auschwitz
Dan and I headed out for the hour and half car ride to the Polish city of Oświęcim and the nearby
'The Sign'
Although obscured by summer foliage
It's still there.....
WWII extermination and work camps. Dan headed for some nearby lakes to take in nature. I was on my own.  It was about 10 am and the parking lot was filling fast and the queue for the security check was expanding.  I already had an admission ticket in hand and headed for the desk after clearing security, was directed to side of the building and to several waiting tour groups.  We each had a tag with our language and I noticed at least three separate English groups; I attached myself to one of them.  Soon we were heading down 
the path to Auschwitz II, the larger of the two camps there, and quickly arrived at the infamous 'WORK SETS YOU FREE' entrance sign.  From this point on, the tours were highly controlled and with the large crowds I can see the reason.  But, and this is only an personal observation, it did restrict reflection time as we were constantly moving through the exhibits.  However, the huge crowds (especially visible on my way out of the hour and half tour) are an encouragement to know that this period in history will not be passed over.  The site was a Polish army camp prior to 
The 'small' crematorium
the Nazi occupation with a series of barracks-type long buildings - many converted to office and other processing sites during the war.  Several of these buildings have subsequently been modified into exhibition halls with a thorough treatment of the horrors of those years; there were several exhibits in which photography was not allowed due the extreme personal nature. There was one exhibit and comment from the tour guide that 
especially burned into my psyche.  Behind one particular glass panel were a couple fabrics used for uniforms and other utilitarian uses; they were woven from human hair.  The tour guide mentioned that previously these materials were made from horse hair but that proved to be too expensive..... no further comment. Of extreme interest was the intact crematorium on the Auschwitz
The execution wall
II grounds.  Just days prior to the Russian army arriving the Nazis destroyed the two crematoriums in Birkenau but this one was left ... ostensibly since this was a 'small' one with only four ovens.... no comment.  As mentioned, after a hour and half we exited the site and were instructed that in 30 minutes we should reassemble at the shuttle bus stop for the 5 minute bus ride to Birkenau. 





Birkenau
Yea, that's the scene I had in my mind -- as the bus approached the iconic perimeter building.  You know it; the long building with the rail line passing through the archway into the 'selection' area beyond.  After we gathered and moved through the gate the first thing that grabbed me was the sheer expanse of the place; it seemingly went on and on... and as we walked only the central corridor to the back end where the destroyed crematoriums were, you could see barracks, or their foundations, either side reaching as far as you could see.  I did not anticipate that
Destroyed crematorium
but learned the camp was intended for half a million internees and even with the 'compact' nature of stuffing each barrack it still required a lot of real estate.  Could not tell much from the rubble of the crematoriums but you did get a sense of the attempted isolation at the back perimeter fence.  However, no matter the damage you could still imagine the bestial nature of the place and wonder at the series of events in history that culminated here.  We did have a chance to go through one of the women's barracks on the walk back to the front gate and I tried to imagine the experience of one of the women.... I could not get my mind to crawl that far down.

Reflections
As far as the emotions and realizations evident in the European concentration camps and the lessons of the various Holocaust museums worldwide - really need to visit the one in DC if you haven't yet -
my thoughts drifted to a more current topic--political systems.  Throughout my life I have tried to keep those separate from the humanity; that is, I looked at the 'Nazis' not the Germans or at the 'Soviets' and not the Russians.  But this does not excuse the 'slippery slope' of political thought as it merges into the greater society.  Today's world-wide situation is a case in point.  We must be vigilant and notice the trends towards the 'new normals' around us.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Wow...Kraków!!

The City
This past week we spent four days in Poland with Renata and Dan Popelář, with our visit to Kraków
Market Square with Town Hall Tower
as the hub.  Much analogous to Prague, in that the city escaped significant damage during the Second World War, Kraków is a real showplace.  It is a vibrant city with pedestrians, hawkers, horse-drawn carriages, and street performers active well into the night.  The city is spectacular with a well-preserved medieval core and Jewish quarter. The old town is particularly unique for
St Mary's Basilica with rainbow
its huge central market square or Rynek Glowny, of 13th century origin, and the largest main square in Europe extending the length of two American football fields in both dimensions.  Of special interest in the square is the 14th century St Mary's Basilica with its distinctive twin towers. The taller tower represents the city and the shorter one the catholic church.... hum... would have thought it the other way.
The 12 disciples waiting outside
Peter and Paul's Church
Also in the square is the Town Hall tower and the Cloth Hall, a renaissance era trading outpost.  Just down the way from the main square is the St Peter and Paul Church.  Now, if you roam around the greater Kraków you will see a church on virtually every corner.... kind of like the number of Baptist Churches you will find in a stroll around Birmingham, Alabama.  What is notable is the size of these churches.... grandeur is not lost on these structures.  However, you will immediately notice the size of the Peter and Paul church tends towards the smaller end of the spectrum.  The best indication of this is the saying around here that the twelve disciples could not find room in the church so had to stand outside instead; thus the reason the twelve are all lined up across the front of the church.  The single most spectacular site in Kraków is the Wawel castle, cathedral and grounds.   This is a huge fortified
Cathedral and Palace
(not my photo but gives you the scope)
complex erected over may centuries on the left bank of the Vistula river.  The complex consists of many buildings and fortifications, most constructed in the 13th and 14th centuries. The site has strong political and historical significance for Poland and was worth the stroll through the central square and the climb up one of the perimeter towers.




The Environs
Opposition Memorial
Dan and Renata had the foresight to bring bicycles with us on this trip.  Since only two could fit on the car, we brought bikes for B.J. and Renata; Dan and I rented bikes from a shop downtown just off the market square.   The weather cooperated although it did threaten a couple times and the 3-speed rental bikes performed remarkably well in the almost flat terrain. Our goal was to visit the "Lord's Ark" church about 10 km from the square.  However, the four of us took off for a 35 km ride for most of the day in a big circuit around the outskirts of the city.  The ride took us through residential
Ceiling is bottom of Ark
neighborhoods, part of the Kraków university system and by several older and more contemporary churches and by a very intriguing monument to the opposition to the Nazi occupation of WWII. In our circuit ride we also swung by the factory owned by Oskar Schindler of 'Schindler's List' fame; but I am going to hold off that until another blog. Our goal, The Lord's Ark Church, or the Church of Our Lady the Queen of Poland, was worth the trip.  The church is located in an area called Nowa Huta in the

suburbs of Kraków in which the communists exercised what is called "the communist hallucination".  The idea was to counter the 'elitist' character of greater Kraków by moving half a million blue collar workers into the area and building a smelting facility.  The problem is the natural resources were miles away and all raw materials had to be brought in... a very uneconomical venture.  The area today is still packed with the square, concrete apartment complexes (although much improved and colorfully painted).  The church was a bone of contention between the catholics and the government but all was endured and the church was constructed in spite of several obstacles thrown up by the communists.  As you can see from the photos, the church was built on the motif of
Noah's Ark and is quite a sight to behold.
Pope John Paul II and the Lord's Ark Church





Monday, July 10, 2017

I know... been a while!

It's been a bit longer than usual since the last post.
The transition into the holiday months of July and August has come with some changes which have thrown us off our rhythm. The primary factor has been the move from our apartment on Náměstí Svobody to the guest quarters in the home of Aleš and Veronika Pomikálkovi; also conveniently located downtown Letohrad. When we rented our apartment, the landlady (also a local real estate agent), said the property had been up for sale for over a year and there always was the possibility we might have to leave.  However, it was a good gamble since the property had been available for a while and even if sold, it would take a couple months to clear the loan processes here.  We did not anticipate the probable establishment of a more 'acceptable' price and a cash deal. But a cash sell it was and we needed to vacate prior to the end of June. We are ever so grateful to Aleš and Veronika in opening their home even in the midst of their ongoing renovations ... they deserve a medal for rescuing the vagabonds.

The 'eviction' also came in the midst of the most intensive programming so far; we had nine days straight committed to lectures, moving, and discussion preparation.  But alas, our program schedule has since altered a bit with the holiday reality of our attendees taking time away from Letohrad.  We condensed our Tuesday and Wednesday obligations into a single evening, Tuesday.  However, as a counterbalance, we have obligated to present discussions for four consecutive nights at the ECCB church in Brandýs nad Labem - Stará Boleslav during the week of English to the Church (ETTC) when the FirstPres group is here in Letohrad.  Otherwise we have obligations to ECCB related camps and other commitments for July.

The Setup
The Process
We have been fortunate to have had another couple national holidays in a row and were treated to a wonderful trip into Poland; I will share some of the highlights very soon but thought a quick look at a highlight right here would be good.  We popped into the church one morning to drop off some things and ran into a 'sweet' process.  Radek, Jiřina and some friends were systematically robbing some bees of their hard fought efforts.  Radek has several commercial bee hives located just outside of Letohrad, one of which is on the upstairs landing of the church. The group had recently removed the honey-ladened combs from all the hives and were systematically extracting the honey by an adapted centrifugal force apparatus (that means it spins very fast). There was a quite large bucket of pure honey sitting there in the church kitchen as the process was nearing completion.  We had a chance to enjoy the final extraction efforts but managed to extract ourselves before the awesome task of cleaning up began!
Thanks Guys!!
Bucket of Good Goo