For our second day there, Roman had a trip planned for Nathan and me. We went at midday by car to Kvilda with bikes mounted on top; then rode some 20 kilometers one-way: through Sumava (nearly equivalent to the Blue Ridge Mountains), crossing the border into Germany; stopped along the way to pick and eat a few wild blueberries from the low-growing blueberry bushes that cover the forest floor;
through the German town of Finsterau, and up the lower reaches of Luzny mountain, and then hiked the rest of the way up to the peak, for really great views. The biking trail was not along a ridge, meaning lots of ascents and descents...of course mostly ascents. Nathan and I were both beat by the end of the day, me worse than him. As I told Roman during the ride, when I lived over here for 5 years, I had European legs (lots of walking and riding kept them in good shape), but I unfortunately have American legs these days. Still, it was a great trip and a great day, some 40 km round trip. Near the end of the ride, we stopped at the source of the Vltava River which runs through the Czech Republic, including through the city I used to live in and through the heart of Prague. The spring was bubbling with cold clear good tasting water. It was my third time to visit the source, and it was nearly completely dark by the time we got there. After much picture taking, Roman opened his thermos and gave us each some hot tea he had prepared that morning. Temp was down to around 40, so the tea felt good. Thursday, Nathan and I made a hasty tour of Cesky Krumlov, crown jewel of South Bohemia. It's a small town with the Vltava winding through its heart, looping, nearly redoubling on itself three times. On the precipice above one bend of the river is the castle, overlooking the city below. And the city itself still has the feel of a town of a few hundred years ago. I'll never tire of visiting this place. Heading out the lower end of the castle grounds is a bridge over what might be called a dry moat: a depressed area where 3 bears were and are kept to guard the entrance area. But we were rushed by the time we reached this point, and took less than 10 seconds to see if the bears were in view to be photographed. Didn't see them in view so began running onward to insure we didn't miss our bus out of town. But on that bridge above the “dry moat” were two other men as well, in clothing we both found interesting: the traditional Austrian pants to just below the knees, with long thick socks all the way up. Recall we had only slowed down enough to spend not even 10 seconds “looking for the bears” and neither of us knew the other had the same additional agenda. Getting safely out of ear shot of the bridge, Nathan said as we ran, “I got two pictures of the backs of those men,” to which I replied “Oh cool! I got one of their front.” Crazy Americans.
Just catching the bus, we went to Ceske Budejovice for the afternoon and evening. Though they were unable to host us longer, Jindra and Misa Kubicek had invited us for supper (excellent gulash and dumplings), along with the mother of each of them. All four are members of the church in Ceske Budejovice, with which I used to work. 
Jindra and Misa were two of the ones I was closest to, and it was a memorable evening. Jindra wasn't quite home from work when we arrived, and Misa was still busy with preparations, so it was their two girls (age 7 and 4) who took us out to the garden (Czechs don't say back yard, they say garden, and this one has truly and always been a garden, full of flowers and fruits). The girls ran ahead eager to show us everything. They ran to show us the pond. And the fish in the pond. And the snail in the pond. They ran to pick us some strawberries still on the plants. They ran to show us the parakeet cage (walking inside, we found three box nests of young parakeets, nine in all). They ran ahead and came back with tomatoes off the vine for us to eat. They ran to retrieve an apple apiece for us. Such sweet little girls and fun to be with.
After supper, I asked if Jindra and his father might be willing to play for us. They regularly play together, Jindra the piano, and his father the saxophone. It was a great little private concert. Mr. Kubicek also told us about the WW2 bombs that fell in Budejovice when he was 16, and about the one that fell in their very yard (the garden we had earlier been enjoying), shaking the house and shattering all the windows. Of course I had heard the stories before, but it was great to listen to him telling them all over again in his animated way.
On Friday, it was back to Prague to be ready for our Saturday flight back to Moldova. It was a fun train ride to Prague, Nathan and I talking with 3 Czech girls in our compartment of the train, and some funny incidents along the way.
Friday evening dinner was with Honza and Pavla Novak, a great couple in the Prague church, with three great kids. Again really good food...I tend to highlight food a lot, don't I? We both ate to the point that I told Honza I felt like I was gonna make his kids go hungry, but they insisted and I happily obliged. I first met Honza on my brief initial visit to Prague in 1991, before he was married and before he was a Christian. There is now a growing maturity in the Czech churches that is good to see.
Another change among the Czechs is a growing prosperity. When I left seven years ago, these friends of mine (for the most part), rode bikes and trains and buses wherever they went. Most of their kitchens were plain little communist kitchens. Now they all have cars they use with regularity and have nicely remodeled kitchens with nice lighting fixtures and built-in dishwashers. And a few are getting out of the ubiquitous panelak apartment buildings 7-10 stories high, by building their own single-family homes. It's becoming a different world.
Saturday found us at the airport, leaving the Czech Republic until who knows when I might get to go again. I do miss that place. I told Honza Vlcek during our first daylight hours in the country, a week earlier, that I was surprised...I had forgotten how beautiful the Czech countryside is. And then there are Prague and Cesky Krumlov. But most of all, there are my friends. Some of my very best.
And now it's time for the month of work I came for. I'm back in Moldova and eager for the days ahead.
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