Czech Republic

Both my daughters have been to the Czech Republic, Kristen with her high school symphonic band and Kaitlin in college, but I, needing to be more creative to accomplish the same travel, have been to the Czech Republic while staying at home in Sacramento, San Diego, at my local library, online, and even at my childhood church. Here's how.

On my last business trip before the shutdown, in February 2020, I stopped in the Czech Republic while staying in Sacramento by eating Czech food and seeing a gigantic Czech art piece along the river. I had the chicken paprikash and apple strudel at La Trattoria Bohemia on J Street. The small outdoor patio was pleasant, and it was a beautiful day and a good meal. Then I walked along West Sacramento’s river walk near Raley Field to see “Subtile” by Czech visual artist Federico Díaz. This 20-ton public art piece is so huge, you would think it wasn't subtle (which may or may not be part of the inspiration for the name), but it's hard to see from a distance due to the unique construction. I was closer to it than I expected before I spotted it. An interview with the artist and some pictures can be found here: https://submergemag.com/tag/west-sacramento/

Vonnett, my friend since fourth grade, is my San Diego travel partner. We’ve gone to the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages in Balboa Park many times and often stopped in the House of Czech and Slovak Republics, but it wasn’t until December Nights 2019 that we had the chance to sample twenty or so different Czech pastries. This link takes you directly to their dessert recipes. If you look around their website, you’ll also find a clip of their lawn program from 2018 and the opportunity to buy their full cookbook: https://czechandslovakcottage.com/desserts-3

I picked up two books on CD from the Los Angeles County Library to take myself to the Czech Republic and found both relevant and interesting.

· Prague Winter by Madeleine Albright was particularly appropriate, I thought, because who better to tell the story of Prague to Americans than one of our previous Secretaries of State who was herself a child refugee from Prague due to her father’s position in the Czechoslovak government. This book contains great analysis of what happened in World War II, thoughtful insight on injustice, and a refusal either to simplify everything into one dogma or make it so nuanced and complex that nothing can be done.

· Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine is written for pre-teens and tells not only the story of a Czech girl killed in the holocaust, but also the detective work of a Japanese museum director to track down the details that make her life relatable to a new generation.

Even more great Czech resources can be found online.

· Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is probably one of the best know Czech works. Here is the Project Gutenberg link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5200/5200-h/5200-h.htm

· Czech composer Bedřich Smetana is strongly associated with his country’s desire for freedom. I recognized The Moldau when I heard it even though I wasn’t previously familiar with Smetana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxfxbwp2O0A&list=PLDCPm2J8Nug2zFjUcw4hBRGOsCKlxE1Pa&index=1

· Antonín Dvořák is a subsequent Czech composer who became even more famous worldwide. We in the western hemisphere particularly appreciate his shout out to our wide open spaces, Native American melodies, and African American spirituals in the New World Symphony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuaTY3zHO8Q

· I always love checking in with The Khan Academy to see what they have on a country. For the Czech Republic, they have looked at a synagogue in Prague as an example of synagogue architecture: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/gothic-art/gothic-art-germany/a/altneushul-prague

When I was a child singing Good King Wenceslas at Christmas, seeing a movie about martyr John Huss (or Jan Hus) in the school gym, and reading Hansi: The Girl Who Loved the Swastika by Maria Anne Hirschmann, I had no idea that I was traveling to the Czech Republic while staying at home. If you haven’t experienced these diverse Christian characters from the Czech Republic:

· You can listen to the Good King Wenceslas Christmas carol here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMmxhhfQw0c

· You can watch the John Huss movie here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrTZ7eq92y8

· I read the original Hansi, a Christian conversion story, when I was about eleven or twelve. Apparently since then it has been turned into a comic book. Here is a link to find the original book: https://www.amazon.com/Hansi-Girl-Who-Loved-Swastika/dp/0842312900

The Crazy Tourist has ten galleries on the Czech Republic showing the appeal of a visit to Prague, the surrounding cities, or the countryside. The main gallery is here: https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-czech-republic/

When this pandemic is over, you might want to plan travel to the Czech Republic using your local travel advisor. Shout out to my favorite travel advisor, Kaitlin Darnell at Laura's Travel in Redlands. May the travel industry survive and thrive - may we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in the Czech Republic and throughout the world.

Photo Credit: Pedro Szekely https://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrosz/33644843784/