In March the Pavlik family had the opportunity to host a real-life, living, breathing Czech under our roof...no doubt our dear ancestors were beside themselves with pride while resting in their variously prices Verdigre plots (the majority of my Czech ancestors are buried in Verdigre, Nebraska, at least the ones from the first immigrant on).
I'm sure you all remember Vendula from previous posts, as she and her family were wonderful hosts during my time there and we explored many places together. She decided to make the big hop across the pond and visit the Land of Enchantment for a few weeks. I picked her up at Albuquerque Sunport at 19:00 on Friday, March 3rd and her 24-day adventure in the Wild Wild West began!
As with the majority of my posts, I am going to focus on the photos with this one. I will post photos and add captions detailing what the photo is about or what point of the trip we were in. The visit was separated into two major parts: the first was was local excursions and the second week consisted of a trip with the family to visit my relatives in Verdigre, Nebraska, a Czech settlement which claimed itself to be "The Kolach Capital of the World." Vendula would be the judge of that.
Part 1: Local Excursions
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Our first stop (after Frontier restaurant of course) was
UNM's campus for a tour of New Mexico's flagship
university. This is Vendula paying homage to the U
at Hodgin Hall |
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Having a short conversation with a stony-
faced stranger near Popejoy Hall on
campus. Unfortunately the campus wasn't
as green as it is during other months, but
Vendula enjoyed the size of it for her step
counting |
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| Spotting the first flower of spring on campus... |
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We visited the Rattlesnake Museum in Albuquerque, which boasts a multitude
of venomous snakes (yes, especially rattlesnakes), as well as formerly serving
as a breeder for many zoos in need |
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Also did some touring of Albuquerque's Old Town
Square, which Vendula found to be fairy photogenic |
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Many of you may be surprised to know that New Mexico has mountains. The ones near Albuquerque are called The Sandias
and are 5,300ft (1,615m) higher than the city below it. When we went there was still snow on the top of them |
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Another one of our sorties was off to Shiprock. Without
being Native American it is quite difficult to get very
close, but we were able to snap some good shots from
the highway |
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Next trip was out to Aztec Ruins, an architectural site of the ancient Pueblo
people of the Chacoan culture. It is a national monument as well as a UNESCO
world heritage site |
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The pueblo were short people. Luckily, Vendula
is too |
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Up in Durango, Colorado and Vendula had all cameras armed as we walked along
the river |
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| A good photographer is always ready... |
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| ...and never afraid to get a little dirty for the perfect shot. |
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The family went on a quick bike ride and met up
with us along the river |
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Next on the list was Canyon de Chelly...an absolutely gorgeous but not so well known
canyon just across the border in Arizona |
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| It is more intimate than the Grand Canyon and the Navajo still live at its base. It boasts walls between 700 and 1,000 feet high |
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| Vendula and I each did a little jewelry shopping |
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He brought his snacks and had sat down for an
entertaining session of people-watching |
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We also went to Chaco Canyon, maybe the largest
of the ruins left behind by the Pueblo peoples. It is
a canyon full of tens of ruins and also has a few hikes
for those interested |
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| Vendula casually Czech-ing out a great kiva |
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It turns out the Pueblo people built their walls quite
thick |
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While you can't see much in this photo...we went to Bisi Wilderness area, about 30-40 miles south of Farmington. It is a
very interesting area set aside for recreation/hiking, but where motorized vehicles are not allowed |
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| We found our way into some tight corners... |
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No trip to the Four Corners would be complete without a trip to...well, the Four
Corners! Riley was cool enough to accompany us |
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There we are: standing in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona all at the
same time. The monument has be renovated and is much nicer now. No more
sad, wooden stalls for vendors |
Part 2: Verdigre, Nebraska
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Vendula and Aunt Katie perusing the Carousel, a thrift store that grandma in
part helps run and curate |
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Vendula checking out just how Bohemian the
Bohemian Lounge is |
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The official tour of 530-resident Verdigre. Walking
tour of course, with my father and mother in the background |
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My cousin, Heidi, and Vendula searching for some of those wild turkeys that are
always running about to photograph |
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Verdigre has all sorts of Czech written on various signs, doors and buildings. The verdict
in terms of 'how Czech' (or at least how Czech when compared to present day Czech
Republic) Verdigre is: Vendula spent half of her time taking photos of the Czech words
and giggling and the other half correcting various grammar or punctuation errors. She was
actually given homework by my relatives; she was tasked with translating the town's main
businesses into Czech for possible future renovations |
It was a great trip though and we were extremely lucky to be able to host Vendula for the time we did. This was a sentiment echoed by all of the family members and friends who met her. Until next time (in a post about my trip to Haiti with Patrick Murphy) and thanks for reading!
