New Year's Eve

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Much to look forward to as this year ends and the New one begins Tomorrow.. Happy New Year ! Be safe. Make good decisions. Believe in yourself. Love with all your heart. Recognize what you have as really good, or even great. ..work to make changes if it is not. Cherish the people with you. Know you are loved by someone. Allow your heart to open. ...cause you never know. The first chapter of 2009 starts tomorrow.

Enjoy the celebrations... or the quiet with family and/or friends and a train set.

Have arrived....

This Tuesday morning at 6:00am, I landed at Ruzyne here in Prague. I am back. Good Flights. Good Weather. Long Flight, but only 8 hours as opposed to the 11 hours when I flew Home the Friday before Christmas. Last night's flight ( today's flight ) was totally a night flight; clear skies over the whole of Europe allowed me to see Paris sparkling below at 5am this morning. An hour later, I was in Prague, and before the sun came up here, I was in my flat, unpacking 2 very heavy suitcases.

Nice to be home, but too short. A nice Christmas with family and my kids. Now onto the New Year, to see what it might bring. I will hope for much. I will work toward more goals as well, both personal and professional.

So once again, back in Prague to experience all it has to offer.

The picture above taken only an hour before this post, as the evening sun was almost behind the hills to the west of Prague...

Leaving for Prague today...

This Monday Morning, A Jet Blue flight to New York; then a late afternoon "red eye" flight on ČSA to Prague, getting in 6am on Tuesday morning(which is really only midnight New York time). ;-)

..and this is THE plane I boarded for the journey, as well.

Merry Christmas.. part dve

Merry Christmas to one and all !

There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries. ~W.J. Cameron

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.

...and May you truly feel the spirit of this day, and more importantly, feel the Love on this Christmas Day, that is given freely to family and good good friends... ano.

December 24th - Vesele Vanoce v Praze

Ahoj, today is Christmas in Prague and other parts of the Czech Republic... although I am currently in the states at the moment, as your festivities begin at the sight of the first star this evening and you sit down to your evening meal of soup, potato salad, and Carp... and await the sound of the magic bell signaling that Baby Jesus has been and gone.. I wish you smiles and an evening filled with joy of the Christmas season. And as you go to church later this evening perhaps, a good time to remember what today truly means...the anniversary and remembrance of Christ's birth. I wish you a Merry Christmas......

Giving without Expectations...

Merry Christmas M and to everyone.

and... the best part of Giving, is without Expectations of any kind. It feels wonderful. I enjoyed this Christmas season here in Prague, just for that reason. It was lovely. The best part was doing unexpected holiday things for a friend and seeing a smile in return. I tried to give a bit of my own Holiday traditions and yes, perhaps in an American style.. Perhaps I did more than I should have... ne. Not at all. I enjoyed every minute; from the plumply full red and green knit Christmas Stocking; to the huge red and white swirled candy canes; to the boxes in Christmas red wrappings and ivy green ribbon & bows; to the burnt orange Persimmon and brilliant red Pomegranate; and then peanut butter filled chocolates; and really all I wanted in return was a smile. and yes that was lovely.

I take a flight from Prague in a few hours for the Holidays at home. These 7 months and 3 days, have been wonderful here. I have met and made many friends; one I hold more dear than others. .. just a good friend, a good person. I don't know what the new year will hold... ... but, I have enjoyed the time here, and particularly This Fall getting to know this friend and her son. That has truly been one of the greatest gifts of this season for me.

So now off to New York, then Rochester, then Fairport and Home for the Holidays. A 16 hour journey ahead of me, upon take off at 11 this morning. Then Back to Prague on the 30th at 6am. and then onto New Year's Eve; Silvestr( as it is called in Czech). Not sure what I will be doing on that evening, but 2009 will certainly arrive. +218 !

A Christmas Gift.

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen. ~Author unknown, attributed to a 7-year-old named Bobby

Nothing's as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas. ~Kin Hubbard " like used boots " ;-)

yes, Love is the greatest Gift. To all my friends this Christmas, I hope you can experience it in one way or another.

Vaclavské náměstí Star

Find yourself a cup of tea; the teapot is behind you. Now tell me about hundreds of things. ~Saki

Tea! thou soft, thou sober, sage, and venerable liquid,... thou female tongue-running, smile-smoothing, heart-opening, wind-tippling cordial, to whose glorious insipidity I owe the happiest moment of my life, let me fall prostrate. ~Colley Cibber

Whether it be herbal or Svařák flavored, it is best when made and enjoyed in Palmovka.

Today marks 7 Months here

So today marks my 7th month of living in Prague. Seven Months! It still amazes me at times, and it has been so wonderful to be here in Prague for the Fall and this Holiday season. Just marvelous, wonderful, to get a sense of it all, the decorations, and the spirits, and the food and the wonder of it all.

The weather has been seasonal (feels really cold).. but only in the 30's... it is the damp cold that goes right through you.. like in London in the January. Yesterday was milder, which was a nice change...

and the Christmas markets here are fun, good food and hot wine and Christmas candies and of course trinkets, but it has a busy nice touch to it, especially some of the markets further from Centrum... and each has a tree, and each square has different lights/colors on the tree and different stars... so really neat...and strobe type bulbs sprinkled here and there throughout the tree... a different touch, but really nice. + 215

Leaving for New York this Friday am

Ultimate Gift

The manner of giving is worth more than the gift. ~Pierre Corneille, Le Menteur

....the same should hold true when giving of oneself in Friendship, as well.

...With honesty, understanding, willingness to comfort and offer support and a deep desire to be there if and when needed along with a readiness to bring a smile to a person's life, in any manner possible.

Holiday Self-Musings

If God had wanted me otherwise, he would have created me otherwise. Johann von Goethe.

Christmas is a season where hopes and wishes spring eternal and sometimes spring too high. It is a time of miracles. Some people believe in them , many do not. I have always believed, perhaps foolishly at times. But I think, as well, that this season would be the most likely to find one. ..and that is a nice thought.

But, the very Best part of Christmas continues to be Giving, not what we get... wishes, miracles or otherwise.

Christmas means.... giving from the heart

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. ~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.

Seems that Christmas this year is something that is occurring each day. It is the sights and sounds here in Prague, through the markets and malls, and through email words and wishes from the heart. It is the eye contact a child makes with his mother during a school play, it is wishing you could fix inequities in a friend's workplace, it is looking forward to returning home for the holidays and it is wishing to just talk with a friend for hours and hours. Certainly it is much more. It is the smell of cookies baking. It is hoping that wishes come true. It is powdered sugar covered Stolen. It is giving without expectation. and that is the best part.

Sometimes what we believe as coincidence is really just getting ourselves caught in an angel booby trap. ~Grey Livingston

Náměstí Miru Christmas Market

Maybe God put a few bad people in your life,so when the right one came along you'd be thankful. ~Andrea Kiefer

Officially Christmas Season, now that Mikuláš has come and gone...
Enjoyable evening last evening, celebrating and sharing this important Czech Tradition and Day with a Friend. ..just very nice, relaxing.

Two weeks from yesterday, I will be flying home for the Holidays. These next two weeks will go by very fast. and now everyone's attention is turned toward Christmas and the season of giving. ...and important to remember what it stands for and why we celebrate it.

Mikuláš - St. Nicholas Day

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give. ~George MacDonald

It is done everyday.....


...and on this day, Little Children throughout the Czech Republic, who are raised on stories of Mikuláš, will be visited by this roaming gent called St. Nicholas or Miluláš, along with his two cohorts, an angel(Anděl)and the devil(čert). He will ask the children whether they have been bad or good, the most children of course, will say Good...and then will be asked to sing a song or recite a short poem, after which they are rewarded with sweets and other treats.

But if St. Nicholas suspects they have been naughty, well! Naughty children don't get sweets, they get a sack of black coal or hard potatoes. If they have been really naughty, they will be placed in the Devil's sack and sent to hell!

And this is what these little ones fear and I am told they are actually scared to death of Mr. Devil….. as he roams around Prague with Mikuláš and you can see it on their faces!! Have you been good this year?????

This evening will be fun. Old Town Square will fill with Families and children as a pageant is put on by the city. Singing, Food, and Fun visits by Miluláš. I will spend the evening enjoying Mikulas with a friend and seeing first hand, this day through the eyes of her child, as these three visit her home. A nice day and evening ahead, and it is so nice to be here in Prague for this day(yet again).

A Star in Jiřiho z Poděbrad

Patience is also a form of action. ~Auguste Rodin

Christmas Market in Jiřiho z Poděbrad soon after sunset on a cold crisp evening.

A door... dveře...

The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live. ~Flora Whittemore

Again, a shot from Saturday Night...

The past actually happened but history is only what someone wrote down.
~A. Whitney Brown

A late night walk through the alleyways of Prague... is like... feeling History deep in your soul. An amazing experience. I am re-astounded each time I have this opportunity...

Beautiful Old Town...... wandering.....

As one walks through Prague at night, one can stumble upon some quite amazing places and sights...and you can just imagine yourself being way back in olden times.. This shot is through a passage way that opens up into a small courtyard, with trees,quaint shops, an old well... Someone was selling hot punch and wine to the right tucked away in a corner. The little pub I found Saturday night was right around the corner.....

This afternoon at Old Town Square

Some shots this afternoon of Staromestke namesti, the tree in the daylight and about a quarter of the Christmas Markets there as well.

na Staroměstké náměstí

No matter how far out your dreams are, they can become true…...fair play to those who dare to dream and don’t give up… ” ~Marketa Irglova

This is an often quoted sentence from the short speech by Marketa Iglova, half of the singing duo with Glen Hansard, and Czech, from a town in Morava, at her acceptance of their oscar last February(08) for their Song, "Falling Slowly". The British Mirror labeled her acceptance speech one of the most inspirational Oscar speeches.

The picture is from last evening and lighting of the Christmas tree....

This Evening... Lighting of the Christmas Tree

The annual ceremony to light the annual Christmas Tree in Old Town Square, was held this evening at 6:00pm kicking off the start of the Annual Christmas Markets as well as the Holiday Season here in Prague. I waited an hour in the frigid cold. Brrrr. Everyone was bundled up. The Square was absolutely packed; you could hardly move. It was really a stunning experience... and it is beautiful; white lights and white strobes.

The tree is a 90 year old spruce, 22 metres tall, arrived in Prague last Wednesday from one of the national forests to become the Christmas pride of the Old Town Square.

After it was over, I found a really nice, small Jazz pub not far from the square and warmed up with a hot svařák (mulled red wine) and hot apple-nut strudel. I know...I have it rough. http://www.expats.cz/prague/article/czech-cooking/svarak-mulled-wine/

I took the above video... My first posting... it is about one minute long. Apologies in advance for the shakiness....

The Day After... no Turkey Sandwiches ;-(

But... continuing on the line of thankfulness this week...

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder


...but it would be nice to have one of those post-thanksgiving Turkey sandwiches with gravy on WHITE bread(unheard of over here) and cranberry relish on the side.... mnam. ;-)

Thanksgiving...

Remember God's bounty in the year. String the pearls of His favor. Hide the dark parts, except so far as they are breaking out in light! Give this one day to thanks, to joy, to gratitude! ~Henry Ward Beecher

Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year - and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God. ~Ray Stannard Baker

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.
~H.U. Westermayer

Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. ~Theodore Roosevelt

and remember to be thankful for those closest to you.... ~ ASC

Much to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day. Great: Family, Friends, Children across the pond; Great Friends here, Health, Wellness, Sense of Being, Roofs over our heads, and a bountiful table on this day, plus I only have two classes to teach today!! ;-)

After my last class at 7:00 this evening, I will head to one of the several Restaurants in Prague that are actually serving an American Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixins, including Pumpkin Pie! Won't be quite the same as in Pittsford, but
still, I am thankful for this day, what it means, the dinner to come... and many many many other things on this thanksgiving day.

Thanks....

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ~William A. Ward

Postponing; Not.

"While we are postponing, life speeds by." - Seneca (3BC - 65AD)

I say, lets fill the day and the days. Full! Now ! Why wait.

Hezky Vikend...

Diky moc. Velmi Hezky nedeli.

Sunday Afternoon w/ Bob the Builder

!!!NA LISTOPAD 2008 PŘIPRAVUJEME TURNÉ BOŘEK STAVITEL LIVE!!! Praha - 23.11. ve 13:00 hodin - Sportovní hala(Sports Hall) Podvinný Mlýn, Praha 9

I spent this afternoon with a good friend and her 3 year old son watching this LIVE 90 minute production for children called Bořek Stavítel(Bob the Builder) in Prague 9, Liben. It was fun. The arena was packed with hundreds of kids and their parents. We wondered about it being 90 minutes long, since it is a long time for a little one, but he did very well and was eye's wide open attentive the entire time. So....excellent. It was really nice as well watching both mother and son enjoying his first theatre type experience.

So, just a really nice afternoon. A good time on this very cold day in Prague. ...and I also learned a little Czech in the process as well, in case I ever need to build something here or go to the hardware store. ;-))

Last Evening... Lucerna Kino

Yesterday afternoon and evening I went to the French Film Festival; Festival Francouzského Filmu in Prague Centrum at the Lucerna Theatre off Vaclavské náměstí. A small Grand Art Theatre that is reminiscent of the old theatres of the 20's in the states. Beautiful, with gold leaf everywhere and art nouveau lighting. Saw the film above... a love story of sorts with a happy ending.. the best type. The only thing better would have been to go with someone who knew French.... ;-) then I would have understood it MUCH better. Měl bych býval tenkrát se ptal, zda... Ja Chtěla jsem, ale... :-))

First Snow in Prague

This morning saw snow falling here in Prague.. The First Snow of the season.. not alot, but enough to coat the cars, some walks and some grassy areas.... The sun is now out, and although -2 C here, the snow most likely will not last the afternoon... But it Snowed !

Žižkov Tower Babies...

David Černý is a Czech sculptor whose works can be seen in many locations in Prague. His works tend to be controversial.

One of Černý's conspicuous contributions to Prague are the "Tower Babies," a series of cast figures of crawling infants attached to Žižkov TV Tower. Currently three of these Babies are crawling around Kampa park along the Vltava (pictured above). There are to be there, captured in animate crawl, until Spring 2009.
(David Černý, Babies, park Kampa, podzim 2008 - jaro 2009 Tři bronzové sochy Babies umělce Davida Černého budou nainstalovány v parku blízko Sovových mlýnů)

Černý gained notoriety in 1991 by painting a Soviet tank, PINK, as it was on station in central Prague serving as a war memorial to Soviet Tank Crews( even though Communism had fallen in 1989). As this Monument to the Soviet tanks crews was still a national cultural monument at that time, his act of civil disobedience was considered "hooliganism" and he was briefly arrested.

He has many artistic works around Prague, from the Babies on the TV tower, to a man hanging by one hand over a street in centrum(don't have a picture of this yet), an upside down horse with it’s rider Vaclav IV( see this blog dated 30 May 08) as well as two Bronze nude male figures “peeing” out the outline of the boundaries of the Czech Republic map into a fountain not far from Kampa Park(Need to get this picture as well).

Happy Birthday Daughter !!

A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer. ~Author Unknown

And on this day 23 years ago my daughter was born... Beautiful then, more beautiful now. You have been a day brightener and a heart warmer ever since. Even though it goes without saying, I will say it; I am proud of you! You have fine achievements behind you, over these past 23 years and have so much ahead of you. You are intelligent, make good decisions, carry yourself well and have great instincts. I wish you a wonderful day filled with many good things and, of course, only Good things today. And today is Friday as well! I mean how great is that! Happy Birthday and as well in Czech: Všechno nejlepší k narozeninám! Have fun and stay safe. ;-)

Committed...

The difference between involved and committed is like eggs and ham. The chicken is involved. The pig is committed. - Dan

The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy. ~Jim Rohn

"In the book of life, the answers are not in the back." Jason Bourne

Wouldn't that be nice once in awhile, or even to able to see ever so slightly into the future...

Vinohrady looking out over Vršovice

Velvet Revolution - 19 years ago today

1) Today is the 19th anniversary of the start of the bloodless overthrow of the Communist Regime in Czechoslovakia back in the Fall of 1989. The six-week period between November 17 and December 29, 1989, is known as the "Velvet Revolution". Today is a national holiday as well.

2) And as of today, Czechs will be able to travel to the United States without a visa from this date forward. Instead of applying for a visa, tourists will only need a biometric passport and a travel authorization, which they will receive for free after submitting their personal and travel details to the US embassy through the web-based Electronic System for Travel Authorization. Students and guest workers will still need a visa.

The Velvet Revolution started on November 17, 1989 - fifty years to the day that Czech students had held a demonstration to protest the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. On this anniversary back in 1989, students in the capital city of Prague were again protesting an oppressive regime.

The protest began as a legal rally to commemorate the death of Jan Opletal, but turned instead into a demonstration demanding democratic reforms. Riot police stopped the students (who were making their way from the Czech National Cemetery at Vysehrad to Wenceslas Square) halfway in their march, in Narodni trida. After a stand-off in which the students offered flowers to the riot police and showed no resistance, the police began beating the young demonstrators with night sticks. In all, at least 167 people were injured. In a severe blow to the communists' morale, a number of workers' unions immediately joined the students' cause.

A general strike was called on November 27, where a mass demonstration of 750,000 people took place in Letna Park in Prague. Soon afterwards that the regime fall. A new government was initiated on 10 December 1989 and the beginning of a Free Country.

6 Months in Prague

Six months ago today I arrived in Prague and started a new path in my life, certainly somewhat into the unknown, but yet, I knew Prague, or thought I did, from four previous visits, and knew I wanted to be here and knew this new direction would change my life. From many respects it has; and in many there is little change, but much hope.

Differences: Each day however, is a little different than the day before and that is what makes it exciting. When I stop to really think about where I am and what I am doing, it knocks me off my feet. I walk the streets of this Capital City every day and still see something new each day and have to pinch myself to make sure this is not a sleeping dream.

Differences abound here. Enjoying them all. They are part of every facet of my life now; and many are very different from things in Rochester. The coffee is different - more intense w/smaller sized cups; food portions are more modest, not only restaurants!, but in the grocery store packaging; the pastries - very rich/creamy with a multitude of kinds and types; chocolate – mostly dark; Beer – stronger in flavor, and in alcohol and richer in color; The shopping malls – ultra modern with more petite stores; decorations - simple; automobiles and trucks – diminutive and more utilitarian; birds.. their crows; their wings are 50% white! ;Shops line every street – very tiny and space is at a premium and you have to wonder how they can possibly makes ends meet, and sidewalks - 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" square stones in patterns, no concrete, and finally; parks - they are everywhere, richly populating this city.

But the weather, really almost identical to Rochester’s in temperatures in each of the months I have lived here. Some extremes certainly. I have temperature "gadgets" on my Laptop for both Rochester and Prague, and they are most always no more than 5F to 7F degrees different, and many times identical. Oh yeah, another difference: Centigrade here vs Fahrenheit in New York; am getting use to it.

Well, many differences, and many that might be hard for me to put into words. And so many really great experiences to date. and spending really good quality time with good friends. The minutes fill the hours quite readily and quickly: really quite excellent! So at 6 months … More to come. + 185