Everyone hates to see something so good end, and that is exactly how it was for me during my last week in the Czech Republic. However, that is not how it will be for you. Similar to the amazingly overextended final installments of many popular trilogies/series on the big screen, I have decided to separate the blog post on my final trip in the Czech Republic into three sections, creatively titled Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.
My last trip in the Czech Republic was a journey back to my "Pavlik" roots of sorts. The destination was Southern Bohemia (one of the most gorgeous landscapes I have ever been to), which is where the Pavlik family originally was residing before their trans-Atlantic voyage. I'll keep you in a little suspense as to the future destinations, but the locations crossed off the list on Day 1 were Tábor, Božetice, and Zvíkov. We'll revisit them together.
Tábor
Roughly an hour and a half south of Prague, Tábor is named after the biblical mount upon which the Transfiguration took place. The city itself is not very big, but it is a destination for southern sojourners. The amount of tourism, however, pales in comparison to that found in places such as Prague, Český Krumlov, and Kutná Hora.
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| View of the Town Hall from the tower of the local church. Tábor is a town that still really only has one square in the middle, the center of the city being the church and town hall just like in the olden days. Attendance, however, I'm sure has declined, as is the case across the board in the Czech Republic |
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| Another view out the tower window |
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| Colorfully decorated trashcans made me think of creative cousins and relatives in Verdigre, Nebraska who always seem to find ways to make public spaces a little more beautiful |
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| A cool little bench found outside the Tábor gallery that was a gift from Tábor's sister city of Orinda, California, which is just 20 minutes from San Francisco and is very near UC Berkely |
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| A final view of Tábor before driving away |
Božetice
This very small Czech town, about half an hour away from Tábor, was home to the good-old-ancestor-Pavliks. The town reminded me very much of Verdigre, Nebraska, where the Pavliks eventually ended up. Božitice is exactly what I would imagine Verdigre to look like if it were in the Czech Republic...and somehow even smaller. Verdigre is a very small village of roughly 600 inhabitants that is very much an agricultural community originally founded by Czech immigrants. Verdigre still holds onto its Czech heritage: many older inhabitants speak a bit of Czech, there is an annual Kolach Days festival, and there is a family owned and run bakery that has fresh Kolaches sitting in the window. For all my Czech friends, you may be interested in 'czeching' out Verdigre's website to do a little fact checking, as it boasts to be the "Kolach Capital of the World" - no small title!
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| Entering the homeland |
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| The Božetice recycling center |
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| Vendula and I decided that this is the origin house of the Pavlik clan |
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| Large 'pools' were used in earlier times especially for fire-fighting purposes. Trucks could back up down a ramp and refill in the reservoir. Božetice has converted its into a swimming pool |
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| An old mill seems to be the pride and glory of little Božetice. The museum dedicated to it basically IS the town and one can take a tour was a very passionate- looking elderly man that lasts roughly 90 minutes. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to embark on this enlightening adventure, but were amused by the fact that such a little place was boasting tours longer than any of those found in any major tourist destination. Small town feel. |
Hrad Zvíkov
Continuing on another 40 minutes or so, we ended the day at Zvíkov Castle, an amazing semi-ruin with iconic placement on a peninsula reaching into the Vlatava River. The castle is now a self-tour of sorts. One pays a very reasonable admission fee and then is at liberty to explore the entirety of the castle grounds, with information boards, arrows, and exhibits helping lead and explain the visitor's way through the structure.
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| Source: www.flyfoto.cz |
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| The entrance of Zvíkov |
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| Peering into the courtyard and spying on the serfs... |
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| Beautiful frescos and wall paintings had been recreated in likenesses of their original forms |
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| View of the Vltava from the castle tower |
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| Little Vendula not missing the beautiful potential present in a Vendula-sized castle |
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| At water's edge |
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| One among the crowd |
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| The romance of Zvíkov |
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| Making an exit... |
