Hi Everyone,
I'm sorry that it has been a while since I've been able to post! The last post was from Dresden, Germany. Since that last post, my husband and I have returned home, to Prague, only to find that our Internet service is out again! We have learned that the server our Internet provider uses is broken. They have called someone to fix it, but the web guy won't be there until next week sometime! So, it will probably be a while until we have regular Internet service again!
The interruption of our Internet connection has come at a very hard time for my family (back in the US), and I. My Mom's getting ready to have some surgery, and my kids are going through some stressful times, and we can't have our daily chats like normal. It is amazing how much the Internet has become a lifeline for my family and I since we all live far from one another--even our family in the US are all spread out!
During this Internet outage, my husband has said I can visit his office a couple of times a week in order to email and take care of my online presence, like this blog! So, for now, I will be writing a couple of times a week, rather than three times. As soon as our Internet service is back up and running, I will be back on the normal schedule.
I'm busy preparing blog entries about our trip to Dresden and pictures! We had a great time...Dresden is a very pretty place with lots of things to see and do!
Well, that's all for now...I hope you are all doing great and have a great week! I'll write again ina few days and tell you about Dresden and some recent happenings in Prague!
God bless,
Sher :0)
Czech Off the Beaten Path Website
Czech Off the Beaten Path Travel Store
Czech Off the Beaten Path T-shirts & More
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Leftists March in Dresden, Germany
Hi Everyone,
I wanted to post yesterday (Friday), but was unable due to our Internet connection being down! So, today, I'm making my regular post from Dresden, Germany...and we have an uncertain Internet connection, but I will try to post as regularly during our stay as I'm able!
We traveled here via train from Prague this morning. The trip was about 3 hours, and it went pretty fast. The scenery was very pretty. I saw some parts of the Czech Republic that I've never seen before. We had some glimpses of the Middle Czech Mountains on the way to Decin, and more mountains after we crossed the border into Germany, along with many forests and small villages and country homes.
Our train arrived in Dresden just before noon. The train station is huge here, but it's pretty easy to find your way around due to the signs everywhere. Not many things are in English here, which was a bit of a surprise. Most other places we have visited have had some English. And not many people speak English here. So, it would really be helpful to learn some basic German before coming here. However, most of the people here seem to be very helpful and try to understand. I have absolutely no knowledge of German, except for saying thank you and good bye!
While we were walking through the train station, we noticed that there were police everywhere. It was as if we had stumbled into a bee hive of police, that's how thick they were! We also noticed that they were pretty heavily armed in riot gear...and they were at all the entrances, and there were more outside all the entrances to the station. It reminded me of a war movie with the police so armed and helicopters flying around overhead!
The hotel we are staying in is near the Prager Strasse--Prague Street, which is ironic! We walked here very easily from the train station...it's pretty hard to get lost! We were too early to check into our room, as check-in is at 3PM. So, we checked our bags into the hotel's office, and then walked around this part of Dresden. As we walked around, we noticed a heavy police presence everywhere in and around the Prager Stasse. It was kind of scary...as we came to St. Petersburg Street we saw a long and wide caravan of police cars with their lights flashing. I can't even say for sure how many vehicles were in this caravan we saw...Maybe up to 50! We were trying to figure out what on earth was going on, when suddenly I spotted a group slowly marching behind the police caravan. They had flags from Israel, and banners...and they were shouting slogans. My husband said they appeared to be leftists who were marching and protesting against the neo-nazi movement which is very prevelant this part of Germany. There were hundreds of people marching in this caravan. It is the very first time that I have ever had the opportunity to view such a protest live. It was very impressive...very orderly, and peaceful. There were police guarding the front, sides and the back of this marching group of protestors. there was no trouble of any kind, and I was able to get some video of this that I will upload in the coming days. It a great experience to watch this sight!
What a sight to see on our very first day, here, in Dresden! After this, we walked around for another two hours, and finally were able to check-in to our hotel. This evening we wandered around the Prager Strasse--I'll tell you more about it in my next post. It was a pretty day and a pretty evening here...perfect for walking with the person you love!
Well, that's all for now...I'll be posting over the next week from here, in Dresden.
You all have a great weekend!
God bless,
Sherry :0)
http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
Czech Off the Beaten Path Travel Store
Czech Off the Beaten Path T-shirts and More
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath
I wanted to post yesterday (Friday), but was unable due to our Internet connection being down! So, today, I'm making my regular post from Dresden, Germany...and we have an uncertain Internet connection, but I will try to post as regularly during our stay as I'm able!
We traveled here via train from Prague this morning. The trip was about 3 hours, and it went pretty fast. The scenery was very pretty. I saw some parts of the Czech Republic that I've never seen before. We had some glimpses of the Middle Czech Mountains on the way to Decin, and more mountains after we crossed the border into Germany, along with many forests and small villages and country homes.
Our train arrived in Dresden just before noon. The train station is huge here, but it's pretty easy to find your way around due to the signs everywhere. Not many things are in English here, which was a bit of a surprise. Most other places we have visited have had some English. And not many people speak English here. So, it would really be helpful to learn some basic German before coming here. However, most of the people here seem to be very helpful and try to understand. I have absolutely no knowledge of German, except for saying thank you and good bye!
While we were walking through the train station, we noticed that there were police everywhere. It was as if we had stumbled into a bee hive of police, that's how thick they were! We also noticed that they were pretty heavily armed in riot gear...and they were at all the entrances, and there were more outside all the entrances to the station. It reminded me of a war movie with the police so armed and helicopters flying around overhead!
The hotel we are staying in is near the Prager Strasse--Prague Street, which is ironic! We walked here very easily from the train station...it's pretty hard to get lost! We were too early to check into our room, as check-in is at 3PM. So, we checked our bags into the hotel's office, and then walked around this part of Dresden. As we walked around, we noticed a heavy police presence everywhere in and around the Prager Stasse. It was kind of scary...as we came to St. Petersburg Street we saw a long and wide caravan of police cars with their lights flashing. I can't even say for sure how many vehicles were in this caravan we saw...Maybe up to 50! We were trying to figure out what on earth was going on, when suddenly I spotted a group slowly marching behind the police caravan. They had flags from Israel, and banners...and they were shouting slogans. My husband said they appeared to be leftists who were marching and protesting against the neo-nazi movement which is very prevelant this part of Germany. There were hundreds of people marching in this caravan. It is the very first time that I have ever had the opportunity to view such a protest live. It was very impressive...very orderly, and peaceful. There were police guarding the front, sides and the back of this marching group of protestors. there was no trouble of any kind, and I was able to get some video of this that I will upload in the coming days. It a great experience to watch this sight!
What a sight to see on our very first day, here, in Dresden! After this, we walked around for another two hours, and finally were able to check-in to our hotel. This evening we wandered around the Prager Strasse--I'll tell you more about it in my next post. It was a pretty day and a pretty evening here...perfect for walking with the person you love!
Well, that's all for now...I'll be posting over the next week from here, in Dresden.
You all have a great weekend!
God bless,
Sherry :0)
http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
Czech Off the Beaten Path Travel Store
Czech Off the Beaten Path T-shirts and More
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Learn Czech!
Hi Everyone,
I'm still recovering from that stomach virus. It seems to be a bad one that likes to last 2-3 weeks. My doctor, on Monday, gave me some medicine to help my stomach to calm down, which seems to be helping. But I'm pretty tired and weak from not being able to eat too much. So, I'm taking things easy and resting as much as possible. Jiri and I are leaving for Dresden on Saturday, so I need to be feeling as well as possible by the weekend! In the mean time, while I'm taking it easy, I'm working on learning Czech.
My Czech language class is using the text book Chcete Mluvit Cesky/Do You Wan to Speak Czech?, by Helena Remediosova and Elga Cechova. There is also a workbook, with the same name, and CD's with Czech spoken by native speakers (that follows the lessons in the book). I have found these to be very helpful. Everything in the book is in Czech/English, and the CD's are very easy to understand--and also very helpful in gaining a proper pronunciation! I would highly these books for the beginner--they are excellent. I wasn't able to find these on sale in the US, but here is a link where you can find more information about this series. And here is the ISBN for the text book: 80-86727-04-1. This series will teach you how to speak Czech, along with teaching basic grammar.
Another very helpful book, which I found here in the Prague, is 401 Czech Verbs, by Bruce Davies and Jana Hejdukova. This book is just what the title implies--a book that teaches you 401 Czech verbs--everything from the meaning of each verb, right down to conjugation of all tenses. They have also included a tourist survival guide to help first time visitors to the Czech Republic! Here is a website where you can find some information about this book, and the ISBN for this book is: 80-239-7260-X.
I found another book of Czech grammar: The Course of Czech Grammar, by Dr. Marie Hadkova, and Dr. Jessica Jane Maertin, here, in a book store in Prague. This book has essential grammar for all levels of learners, with hundreds of examples to help you learn! Here is a website where you can find more information about this book, and here is the ISBN: 80-7240-351-6.
And, of course, you can't learn a language without a dictionary! One of the best I've found is the English-Czech, Czech-English Dictionary, by Josef Fronek. This is a very comprehensive dictionary for both English and Czech. This dictionary also provides a guide to Czech pronunciation and grammatical tables. The book is available in my Czech Off the Beaten Path Store--you can find the link to my store on the right, under "Czech Off the Beaten Path Recommends." Making a purchase from my travel store would help me immensely and be very much appreciated!
All of these books are a great help in learning Czech. I am personally using each one of them and attending the Czech language class. These books are not cheap, but are definitely a very good investment when you are living in the Czech Republic long-term, as I am! Czech is not an easy language to learn, but I'm making the effort, for once you master the language, you have a voice...a Czech voice...that will open the doors of culture and society in this beautiful country!
You all have a great day!
God bless,
Sherry
http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath
Friday, October 10, 2008
Czech Language Class.2
Hi Everyone,
Today was my second Czech language class and now I'm home--back on my small island of English once more! It feels as if someone has been using an electric mixer in my brain, i. e. my brain feels very scrambled right now! Learning another language has this effect, at least it has for me. I learned Spanish and French when I was younger, and I remember this scrambled brain feeling. But this time the scrambled feeling seems worse...I'm older and my brain's not as flexible as when I was younger! Hopefully my brain will gain some flexibility and I won't have this very scrambled feeling after every class!
My Czech class meets once a week and it is pretty intensive. The teacher comes in and directly begins speaking Czech. This week, it seemed as if she was speaking faster than last week! We reviewed everything from last week, and then reviewed some more as we had some new students today. So, we didn't get as far as our teacher wanted. But that was OK with me...the extra review was great!
The class is a mix of people from all over the world, but everyone knows English. So, that is helpful for us all...we can assist one another during class! And it seems that my classmates are not as fortunate as I am...in that they don't have a Czech spouse who grills them over each Czech lesson! Even so, we all have a rather hard time with pronouncing the letters and words correctly. Our teacher kindly will repeat them over and over and over until we can almost pronounce the word in some similitude! It's not so easy! But we all struggle on, and thankfully most everyone has a sense of humor! We also have to be sure to study very hard. The teacher will turn to one of us, all-of-a-sudden, and ask a question that has nothing to do with the previous discussion! So, you have to be on the ball and answer right away...in the correct way! There are a few laughs...sometimes it's embarrassing, but mostly our teacher seems to be a very good one.
There is hope that we/I will eventually learn some good Czech...if my husband has his way with me, I will definitely speak good Czech--and with no accent! But, that will probably take several hundred years at this point!
You all have a great weekend!
God bless,
Sherry :0)
http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath
Today was my second Czech language class and now I'm home--back on my small island of English once more! It feels as if someone has been using an electric mixer in my brain, i. e. my brain feels very scrambled right now! Learning another language has this effect, at least it has for me. I learned Spanish and French when I was younger, and I remember this scrambled brain feeling. But this time the scrambled feeling seems worse...I'm older and my brain's not as flexible as when I was younger! Hopefully my brain will gain some flexibility and I won't have this very scrambled feeling after every class!
My Czech class meets once a week and it is pretty intensive. The teacher comes in and directly begins speaking Czech. This week, it seemed as if she was speaking faster than last week! We reviewed everything from last week, and then reviewed some more as we had some new students today. So, we didn't get as far as our teacher wanted. But that was OK with me...the extra review was great!
The class is a mix of people from all over the world, but everyone knows English. So, that is helpful for us all...we can assist one another during class! And it seems that my classmates are not as fortunate as I am...in that they don't have a Czech spouse who grills them over each Czech lesson! Even so, we all have a rather hard time with pronouncing the letters and words correctly. Our teacher kindly will repeat them over and over and over until we can almost pronounce the word in some similitude! It's not so easy! But we all struggle on, and thankfully most everyone has a sense of humor! We also have to be sure to study very hard. The teacher will turn to one of us, all-of-a-sudden, and ask a question that has nothing to do with the previous discussion! So, you have to be on the ball and answer right away...in the correct way! There are a few laughs...sometimes it's embarrassing, but mostly our teacher seems to be a very good one.
There is hope that we/I will eventually learn some good Czech...if my husband has his way with me, I will definitely speak good Czech--and with no accent! But, that will probably take several hundred years at this point!
You all have a great weekend!
God bless,
Sherry :0)
http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The Hundred Spires of Prague
Hi Everyone,
I've been sick with a bad stomach virus that is making the rounds here. I'm just relieved that I hadn't caught that other virus, Hepatitis A, that is also making the rounds right now! The virus I have been fighting is just a run-of-the-mill stomach bug. Part of fighting the virus involved the Czech cure for digestive problems...Becherovka! Now, I'm getting to feel better, and able to finally make a post!
A friend of mine sent me a link to a wonderful website called Hundred Spires of Prague. The site is a list and map of web cams that are placed on various spires in the older parts of Prague. The views are spectacular! You can manipulate the web cam in many directions, and it's also possible to view the picture in full-screen. You can even "jump" from one web cam to the next! When you see a green arrow in the picture, click on it, and you will "jump" to the web cam located on that spire!
That's all for today...you all have a great day and enjoy the views of the Hundred Spires of Prague!
God bless,
Sherry :0)
PS This is an update--the Hundred Spires of Prague does not feature live web cams; these views are really pictures taken from various spires around city. Even so, you are able to see Prague up close--the pictures are spectacular--and allow for a great visual tour of the city!
http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath
I've been sick with a bad stomach virus that is making the rounds here. I'm just relieved that I hadn't caught that other virus, Hepatitis A, that is also making the rounds right now! The virus I have been fighting is just a run-of-the-mill stomach bug. Part of fighting the virus involved the Czech cure for digestive problems...Becherovka! Now, I'm getting to feel better, and able to finally make a post!
A friend of mine sent me a link to a wonderful website called Hundred Spires of Prague. The site is a list and map of web cams that are placed on various spires in the older parts of Prague. The views are spectacular! You can manipulate the web cam in many directions, and it's also possible to view the picture in full-screen. You can even "jump" from one web cam to the next! When you see a green arrow in the picture, click on it, and you will "jump" to the web cam located on that spire!
That's all for today...you all have a great day and enjoy the views of the Hundred Spires of Prague!
God bless,
Sherry :0)
PS This is an update--the Hundred Spires of Prague does not feature live web cams; these views are really pictures taken from various spires around city. Even so, you are able to see Prague up close--the pictures are spectacular--and allow for a great visual tour of the city!
http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath
Friday, October 3, 2008
I Survived!
Hi Everyone,
Today I went to my very first Czech language class! It was very interesting! The teacher was about my age, and there were about 12 of us students. We students are a mix of countries--some from the Ukraine, Spain, Greece, Africa, India, and one (me) from the US! Most everyone seemed to know a little English, and of course, the teacher knew English!
Our teacher came into the class and immediately began speaking in simple Czech. Not everyone could understand, and some could understand a little...I fell into the last category! The teacher spoke fast sometimes, and sometimes slow...and she did answer some of our questions with English, though only a little word here or there. The class was mostly done in Czech!
Thankfully, my husband was able to buy the text book early, so I was able to study the first two lessons. We only covered one lesson today--the alphabet and phonetics and some vocabulary. The class lasted about 90 minutes, and it went by pretty fast. Our teacher is probably about my age, or a little bit older...and most of the students are in their 30's or so, except for one Spanish guy who's probably about my age. The teacher keeps everything pretty strictly, but does so in a humorous way. I was fully expecting some old battle axe of a teacher...but it was nice to have someone who has a sense of humor!
We did a lot of repetition and speaking (in very simple sentences) to one another...we had a few laughs! After class, at the elevator, several students had gathered and were talking...and said that the learning curve was pretty steep! I was happy not to be the only one feeling like that!
I'm very happy that I will be able to speak Czech and practice with my husband, Jiri. He is a very strict teacher...and good to practice with! So, hopefully between he and my teacher I will finally begin to speak Czech...my mother-in-law will be very happy!!! Well, maybe not...once I can speak my mind...time will tell!!!
You all have a great weekend!
God bless,
Sherry :0)
http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath
Today I went to my very first Czech language class! It was very interesting! The teacher was about my age, and there were about 12 of us students. We students are a mix of countries--some from the Ukraine, Spain, Greece, Africa, India, and one (me) from the US! Most everyone seemed to know a little English, and of course, the teacher knew English!
Our teacher came into the class and immediately began speaking in simple Czech. Not everyone could understand, and some could understand a little...I fell into the last category! The teacher spoke fast sometimes, and sometimes slow...and she did answer some of our questions with English, though only a little word here or there. The class was mostly done in Czech!
Thankfully, my husband was able to buy the text book early, so I was able to study the first two lessons. We only covered one lesson today--the alphabet and phonetics and some vocabulary. The class lasted about 90 minutes, and it went by pretty fast. Our teacher is probably about my age, or a little bit older...and most of the students are in their 30's or so, except for one Spanish guy who's probably about my age. The teacher keeps everything pretty strictly, but does so in a humorous way. I was fully expecting some old battle axe of a teacher...but it was nice to have someone who has a sense of humor!
We did a lot of repetition and speaking (in very simple sentences) to one another...we had a few laughs! After class, at the elevator, several students had gathered and were talking...and said that the learning curve was pretty steep! I was happy not to be the only one feeling like that!
I'm very happy that I will be able to speak Czech and practice with my husband, Jiri. He is a very strict teacher...and good to practice with! So, hopefully between he and my teacher I will finally begin to speak Czech...my mother-in-law will be very happy!!! Well, maybe not...once I can speak my mind...time will tell!!!
You all have a great weekend!
God bless,
Sherry :0)
http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath
Thursday, October 2, 2008
At the Crossroads
Hi Everyone,
Things have been turned upside down a bit for me lately, and posting has not been possible. So, today, I can finally write a post! It seems I've come to one of those crossroads that comes along every-so-often in Life. The last big one was the move here, and now my husband and I are more settled together and I'm used to living in Prague. That crossing was not easy, but I've survived and thrived just fine! But now, I have the next crossroad to deal with, and that is work.
The company I have worked for, in the US, has not had work for me for some time. I have been able to manage my responsibilities (bills, etc.) to this point, for which I'm very thankful! But now, it is clear that I will need to find some other work in order to have a source of income. This is not an easy problem for me to solve due to my health. There are some important prerequisites that must be kept when looking for another way to earn an income: I have to live and work at home in order to stay relatively healthy; I need to have work that can travel with me--whether I'm traveling with my husband or going back to the States for a visit; I would like to find some work that I enjoy at this stage of my life, not something that I feel I have to do just to earn money. At first glance, these prerequisites seem pretty tough, but somehow things always work out, if we have the will and the desire to move forward. At this point, I do have the will and desire to move forward...but to do what, I'm not sure, as of yet.
I've done a few things over the years: I worked at a non-profit in their donation department processing monetary donations, I have worked at a major assurance company working with the Accounts Receivables, I have worked as a bookkeeper and administrative assistant, have learned a little AutoCAD, I do proofreading, focusing mostly on technical proofreading (mostly scientific papers), and I have spent 22 years as a mother, raising 2 kids. I love animals and plants, singing and music, reading, writing this blog has been fun! I also enjoy traveling and visiting new places. So, how do I put all of this experience into finding work that will fit within the prerequisites I have to adhere to? Just at first glance, it seems that this is a rather eclectic bunch of experiences! The main thing that stands out to me is that I enjoy working with details (which my Dad has also told me he's noticed!). So what to do?
The Internet seems alive with all kinds of ways and opportunities to earn an income. There are many scams out there, and other ways to earn a living that are legitimate. There are places where it's possible to sign up and do freelance work and be a contract worker. With so many choices available, how do I find the right way for me? I guess only the sky's the limit at this point! I just have to get on the Internet and see what I can find. It is a task that is very daunting, but I've been through many things that have been much worse than the current crossroad I'm facing. The important thing is to find some work that will fit within my prerequisites and help me to meet all of my responsibilities.
This crossroad is certainly a challenge in my current situation, but I do have faith that somehow things will work out. I don't know, right now, how this will work out...but I do know for sure: things always do come around if we keep moving forward with faith and hope.
I hope you all have a great day!
God bless,
Sherry :0)
http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath
Things have been turned upside down a bit for me lately, and posting has not been possible. So, today, I can finally write a post! It seems I've come to one of those crossroads that comes along every-so-often in Life. The last big one was the move here, and now my husband and I are more settled together and I'm used to living in Prague. That crossing was not easy, but I've survived and thrived just fine! But now, I have the next crossroad to deal with, and that is work.
The company I have worked for, in the US, has not had work for me for some time. I have been able to manage my responsibilities (bills, etc.) to this point, for which I'm very thankful! But now, it is clear that I will need to find some other work in order to have a source of income. This is not an easy problem for me to solve due to my health. There are some important prerequisites that must be kept when looking for another way to earn an income: I have to live and work at home in order to stay relatively healthy; I need to have work that can travel with me--whether I'm traveling with my husband or going back to the States for a visit; I would like to find some work that I enjoy at this stage of my life, not something that I feel I have to do just to earn money. At first glance, these prerequisites seem pretty tough, but somehow things always work out, if we have the will and the desire to move forward. At this point, I do have the will and desire to move forward...but to do what, I'm not sure, as of yet.
I've done a few things over the years: I worked at a non-profit in their donation department processing monetary donations, I have worked at a major assurance company working with the Accounts Receivables, I have worked as a bookkeeper and administrative assistant, have learned a little AutoCAD, I do proofreading, focusing mostly on technical proofreading (mostly scientific papers), and I have spent 22 years as a mother, raising 2 kids. I love animals and plants, singing and music, reading, writing this blog has been fun! I also enjoy traveling and visiting new places. So, how do I put all of this experience into finding work that will fit within the prerequisites I have to adhere to? Just at first glance, it seems that this is a rather eclectic bunch of experiences! The main thing that stands out to me is that I enjoy working with details (which my Dad has also told me he's noticed!). So what to do?
The Internet seems alive with all kinds of ways and opportunities to earn an income. There are many scams out there, and other ways to earn a living that are legitimate. There are places where it's possible to sign up and do freelance work and be a contract worker. With so many choices available, how do I find the right way for me? I guess only the sky's the limit at this point! I just have to get on the Internet and see what I can find. It is a task that is very daunting, but I've been through many things that have been much worse than the current crossroad I'm facing. The important thing is to find some work that will fit within my prerequisites and help me to meet all of my responsibilities.
This crossroad is certainly a challenge in my current situation, but I do have faith that somehow things will work out. I don't know, right now, how this will work out...but I do know for sure: things always do come around if we keep moving forward with faith and hope.
I hope you all have a great day!
God bless,
Sherry :0)
http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath
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