Friday, July 24, 2009

Writer's Block

Hi Everyone,
It's a beautiful Friday afternoon here, in Prague, and I'm sitting in our new flat enjoying the nice temperatures and sun...and I have writer's block! Several tries at writing has left my fingers just hovering over the keyboard wondering exactly what to type. In this instance, it might be better not to write anything...or is it the best answer? Maybe some rambling will solve the problem. Let's see...

Last night we had some horrible storms come through the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland. Several people were killed by falling trees, and roofs were ripped off houses, and many places were and still are without electricity. Jiri was stranded at work due to the train not running in the evening. He almost didn't find any supper, but finally found one of the cooks in his building who could manage some klobasa on gas stove. Then Jiri spent the night as he would have been home extremely late once the trains did begin to run. This storm was the first major storm in our new flat. It was exciting to see how the storm came down on us--the clouds got lower and darker until the wind finally kicked up. It was so dark by this time it was necessary to turn on lights--at five in the afternoon on a summer day! At that point, the young trees were bending almost completely to the ground as the wind howled by. Then the rains came...and looking out the window, it literally looked like a hurricane scene from a movie. There was only small damage near us--a sign was blown partially off a bridge, the building site nearby suffered some small damage. Thankfully things here were OK and no one was hurt. Jiri stayed safe, too, at his office.

Today has been a very windy, beautiful summer day, and much cooler than yesteday was. I have all the windows open to air out the flat and cool it down from yesterday. It's so nice to have more windows out onto the world around us. Our old flat had some nice windows, but we saw only one scene all the time. The new flat gives us a couple of nice views, one of which is changing all the time. I don't feel like I'm in a box any more. Well, if we're in a box, at least it's a little bigger and more pleasant than the last one!

Yesterday Jiri was hurt at work. He crushed his hand and needed to have two stitches in the middle finger on his right hand. Thankfully he bruised hand was bruised and nothing was broken. Jiri still has the full use of his hand, but says it's pretty sore. Poor Jiri--yesterday he had a pretty horrible day--the injury, being stranded at the office--initially with no electricity, no food, etc!

Well, I'm still having trouble with what to write, so will probaby close this post for today. I have many ideas of topics to write on, but the timing is not right. Today is just one of those in-between times when it's difficult to find the right topic and the right words. Amazing, too, after just moving into a new place...you'd think there would be all kinds of new things to write about! Maybe this writer's block is due to being tired from all the activity and excitement of moving. I won't worry too much. Things will turn around...and the time for the other posts will come and writing will move on. This writer's block is only a speed bump--that's all--a small blip on the horizon that will eventually pass after some R&R this weekend!

The Rome posts are still in waiting--I'm having trouble with managing to drop cards on Entrecard--both of these are due to the current slow Internet connection we have. We have contacted an ISP, but here, things take the slow road to getting done...hopefully the new service will be working soon and then I can show some more pictures from our trip to Rome...and get back to dropping at Entrecard.

You all have a great day and a great weekend!

God bless,
Sher :0)

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Moving & Unpacking Experiences

Hi Everyone,
Our move is about finished and has actually gone very smoothly. We still have a few things left at the old flat to move, but they are relatively small and can wait till this weekend. After that, we'll have to clean up the old place. It's pretty dusty from the packing and moving we have been doing. The cleaning up, though, shouldn't take too long.

We began to officially live in our new flat last Thursday--so have almost been here a week already! Time is flying! Most everything here has been unpacked and put away. That's a great feeling for me. We had so many things stuffed into our small flat that it was crowded and cluttered. Here, though, there are more cabinets in the kitchen and we have a storage cellar ("sklep" in Czech). Now I can have things more organized when put away--and not just "stuffed" into the cabinets and wardrobes. I'm not a "neat freak," but do need to keep things clean and organized for my allergies. Cleaning is much faster when things are put away and in good order.

Living in this little bit bigger flat has had some unexpected psychological effects, as well. Living in the midst of clutter and small places left me feeling listless--lost in the midst of the odds and ends of our lives. It can be stifling to live in the midst of even somewhat ordered chaos. I tried to have everything as neat and nice as possible, but there is a point where possessions and necessities will begin to take over when you've reached the limit of your living space. Moving to a bigger place has made me feel a great sense of relief in this aspect--there's more space--and most everything has it's place.

Along with the moving and unpacking adventures, Jiri and I had some other funny things happen during the move. During the actual moving process one of our guy friends helped to drive the moving van and load our things. He and Jiri were very Czech in that they wouldn't allow me to help with the lifting and packing of the moving van at all! They had me wait outside with the truck--to guard the truck and the contents as they were packing. When we arrived at the new flat, they had me do the same thing again while they were unpacking! Back home, my own Dad would have had me helping to unload--in fact, Dad and I did just that when he drove my belongings in a huge truck to New Mexico when I moved there! He and I unloaded heavy stuff, too--not just easy stuff! This is what I'm used to--helping out...not just guarding the truck! Still, it was nice, and once our things were in the new flat, I really got to work on unpacking, sorting and putting away!

Another small adventure was to come our very first night in the flat. We had been working all day and hadn't had too much to eat. It was pretty late--22:00--when I finally began to try to cook us some small supper. Try to cook being the operative phrase. Keep in mind it was very hot that day, and we'd been working hard all day long...so my mind wasn't in the best shape to begin figuring out how to run a new stove! There was a manual for the stove, but I wasn't in the right frame of mind to try to dicipher it that time of the night. I looked over the stove and there were no apparent buttons or knobs. Oh brother...what to do? How to turn on the stove? I tried everything, including looking at the controls for the oven. Nothing made any sense what-so-ever. Finally, I had to break down and ask Jiri if he could help me! It only took him a minute of playing around to find the way. The stove top is glass, and has circles for four burners. Near the front of the stove top, in the middle, are five smaller circles I hadn't noticed in my inspection. Jiri found these and touched each one. At first nothing happened, then he pressed his finger onto one of the small circles and all kinds of things lit up on the stove top! Miracle of miracles! These were the means of controlling the stove! I was very thankful to Jiri, but how humiliating to have your Czech husband show you how to use a new stove! This, when I love gizmos and never have to read the manuals to figure out new "toys!"

Our other adventures have been of the more usual kind--deciding where to put the furniture, etc. Nothing so funny or interesting...but still another dimension of the cultural differences in our marriage. Thankfully we've managed to sail through with no mishaps! We will eventually need more furniture to make our new flat a little nicer...and our next challenge is setting up Internet service. This was supposed to be ready to go, but you know how that works sometimes. So, we have to get this taken care of as soon as possible. Right now, I'm using the USB modem--very slow and doesn't allow for pictures to be uploaded very easily. I'm hoping we can get this fixed before I leave for the States!

Well, that's all for today! I hope you all have a great day! Thanks to all of you who have continued dropping on Entrecard. I'll be back to dropping regularly again as soon as we have our Internet service figured out!

Have a great day!

God bless,
Sher :0)

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(c) 2009 by czechoffthebeatenpath

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Process of Moving

Hi Everyone,
I'm taking a lunch break and decided to give an update about our moving and leave something to say hi to you all!

We've been preparing for the process of moving the past few days. Things have been pretty busy! Jiri and I found some furniture for the flat, and have arranged for the delivery. We found out there is already some Internet service available and running in the flat, so that was good news and I'll be able to update and write over the weekend! We still have to somehow manage the moving of the bigger items from our old flat to the new one, but that will come about. I'm not fretting over that. It will happen. So, things are coming together for the move--and that's a very good feeling.

While we're in the midst of preparing for and doing the actual move, I'm also planning our first get together with friends who will be coming for dinner. Maybe I'm crazy! Hopefully things will go smoothly, but you cooks know how it is when you move to a new place--you have to learn how all the new equipment works, become familiar with it, and develop your own rhythmn for working in the new kitchen. Till that happens some of the food made isn't all that great. I'm hoping that things will come together quickly so that the dinner will all come out OK and taste good. It will be an adventure, I'm very sure!

Well, that's all for now...just wanted to say hi, and thank you for stopping by during this hectic time. This blog will be back to normal as soon as possible--probably back to normal schedule next Monday. Funny to think I'll be working from a new location next week! One last thing, I've not had time to respond to each comment that has been left lately...I'm sorry for that, but things have been so busy--that and the lack of our normal Internet connection (which is still not working!) have made it harder to stay up to date with comments. That should also be back to normal next week, if all goes according to plan!

You all have a great day!

God bless,
Sher :0)

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(c) 2009 by czechoffthebeatenpath

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Hectic Time

Hi Everyone,
This week has been very hectic and chaotic with our Internet being down and then preparing to move. Our regular Internet connection is still down (for over a week now), so I'm currently using the USB modem, but the connection is very slow. I tried to upload more pictures from our trip to Rome, and it took about 12 minutes for just three pictures! That's almost worse than dial-up! The posts for the rest of our trip to Rome, plus pictures, will have to wait until we have a faster Internet connection. That's a bit frustrating.

We've also been preparing to move this coming week! We'll be making a move from a one-room fat to one that is a bit bigger. It will feel like heaven to have a bigger place. Can you imagine being our ages (midlife), being newly married (with cultural differences), and living in one room for almost three years? All I can say is that's it's a miracle we've made it this far! Our new place will allow us to have a place for family to stay and to better entertain friends. Thankfully we don't have too many things to move, but there's still packing and transporting everything to the new flat. That will make the next few days very busy--but in a good way!

Due to the move I might not be posting too much this coming week. For Entrecard droppers--I'm sorry to not have been visiting your blogs and dropping, bu it took me two hours to do the normal number of drops I can usually do in an hour on this slower Internet connection we're currrently having to use. As sooon as we have a better Internet connect I'll be back to dropping on a regular basis. Thank you to al of you who have continued to drop now when I've not been able to!

Well, that's all for today. As soon as the Internet connection allows I'll be posting the rest of our trip to Rome, and will take up Entrecard dropping once again. Our move this week will sure be a good thing--and it will open up the next part of our married life together--a life that will be a little more normal than we've had so far!

You all have a great day and a great weekend!

God bless,
Sher :0)

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(c) 2009 by czechoffthebeatenpath

Monday, July 6, 2009

Internet Connection Lost

Hi Everyone,
Our Internet connection was lost on Saturday after some very bad weather came through. Due to the holidays (here, two state holidays--Cyril & Methodius Day, Jan Hus Day) our regular connection has not yet been fixed. I had to travel to the mall, this afternoon in order to get our T-Mobile Internet SIM recharged...so now we have a sort of connection. This is great, however, it's very slow and is not very good for uploading pictures, etc. So, as soon as we have our regular Internet service restored I'll continue writing about our trip to Rome.

The storms on Saturday also knocked out cell service for a time...I was completely cut off! Not a good feeling when you're used to being connected at least via cell phone!

That's all for now...I hope you're all having a very happy, safe holiday weekend!

God bless,
Sher :0)

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(c) 2009 by czechoffthebeatenpath

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Rome & Vatican City


Hi Everyone,
Finally I can actually get this post out! The past couple of days we've been having technical problems with the laptop, and then having very sporadic Internet connections--it has been very frustrating, to say the least! But today, everything is working together to allow me to begin telling you about our trip to Rome.

Jiri and I stayed at the Grand Hotel Palazzo Carpegna, which is about a 45 minute walk from the Vatican. It is definitely not a centrally located hotel, but there was a metro stop just a short walk away. The neighborhood was very nice--mostly apartments, shops, and lots of traffic. There is even a market located right next to the hotel that offers everything from drinks, cheeses, meats of all kinds, to souveniers, clothing and household items. 


Our hotel room was very nice with a huge bathroom with very large windows. These windows were very large...and only covered with sheer curtains. I am a very shy person, so took my showers in the dark. No one would care to look at my middle-aged body, but still...!! That was my only problem with the room. Otherwise, it was very nice with air conditioner, tile floors (wonderful for allergies!), and a free breakfast. 

The breakfast was done in typical European-style with meats, cheeses, breads of all kinds, and assorted accoutrements. The staff were very helpful, and the maids wanted to clean our room twice a day! One day, I was having some allergy trouble and stayed in the room while Jiri was working at his conference. I had left a "do not disturb" sign on the door all day. Finally, just before supper, someone slid a note under our door. It was from the cleaning staff! The note said that due to the sign on our door, they were not able to come in and clean. If we needed anything we should contact them! I've never had the cleaning staff leave a note like that before...it was amusing!

Our first outing was to Vatican City. We walked there through neighborhoods of flats. Most of the buildings looked the same and had shops on the first floors. One of the shops that tortured me during our stay was the pizzeria! Pizzerias are literally on every street corner--even in the regular neighborhoods where tourists do not venture! The sight and smells...oh what torment for my allergic body to behold. Fortunately, just taking in the scents is allowed for me...which I did with full gusto...thankful for being a singer with strong lungs (and great asthma meds!), I was able to take in very deep breaths and still retain the scents of pizza wafting on the breeze. I can't eat "real" pizza due to the wheat in the crust...but enjoy the smells I did! Well, back to the neighborhoods--we were very safe walking all the way to the Vatican and it was a nice walk...great exercise, too!

We came to the Vatican and St. Peter's Square...and just stopped in amazement. I've seen pictures of this place on TV, in magazines, online...but never thought it would be so massive and impressive as it is in person. We came there in the late afternoon, it was still hot, but the square was filled with people--everywhere we looked crowds of people. The buildings and statues are works of art that grace and adorn the Vatican. 


The city sits on a hill called Vatican Mons. No one is sure, but it is thought that a small village, called Vaticum, once inhabited this hill. The area was later developed into a garden area by Agrippina the Elder (14 BC-33AD) in the 1st century. Much later, the gardens were turned into a circus by Emperor Caligula which were completed by Emperor Nero. 

This circus area was the scene for the martyrdom of many Christians after the famous fire of Rome in 64 AD. It is said that Peter, the Apostle (and considered by Catholics to be the first pope of the Roman Catholic Church), was crucified in this area, and later Paul beheaded in this place. Even so, the area does not feel "creepy" in any way. Now, it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church. Vatican City is the smallest sovereign state in the world, covering an area of 110 acres, and with a population of approximately 900. Popes are the head of state, and have ruled here since the return from Avignon in 1377.

After taking in St. Peter's Square, we ventured toward St. Peter's Basilica. You can see in the slide show, above, just how massive is this church! The church is the largest Christian church in the world and can hold up to 60,000 people. St. Peter's is also the place where the Apostle Peter was buried after his martyrdom. 
You can visit the basilica's grotto and see the tomb of Peter, and many of the other popes who served after him. 

The interior of St. Peter's Basilica, the current church, was begun in 1506 and was completed in 1626. We took pictures of the sanctuary, but they really don't do justice to the church. You really have to be there in order to experience the solemn and impressive works of art--statues, paintings--and glorious altars. 

One of the most moving pieces for me was the Pieta, by Michelangelo when he was 23 years old. It is a beautiful work of art and sits on the right side of the main entrance to the sanctuary. I love the ceilings and arches--this place abounds with them...all ornate and gilded. Domes are another feature I love...and these are magnificent! An interesting sight in the Sacristy was the list of popes engraved on a huge plaque. Jiri and I found that there was a huge break--hundreds of years--between some of the names listed on this plaque! Later, we found out that this is not a list of all the popes who have served at St. Peter's, but rather is a list of all who are buried there. 

St. Peter's is a wonderful place to visit...my next post I'll share more about what we saw there!

Have a great day!

God bless,
Sher :0)

Photos are property of J. Vacik

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(c) 2009 by czechoffthebeatenpath