The Shortest Emigration in the History of Europe...

Yeah, I guess everyone must be wondering where I disappeared to. Blogging, I'm afraid, is far more labour intensive than the average person imagines. Especially when there's a life to be lived and much to be done.

I have been extremely busy. My time has been spent running around trying to sort out papers and tickets as well as make an effort to be a decent mom. Milla has been going to a local Czech kindergarten, Sometimes, it's more hassle than it's worth. I have to get her there by 08h00 and fetch her again at 12h00. She tells me they sometimes sit and watch TV. I could be sleeping and she could sit at home and watch TV, so I don't really get the point, but the grandparents are thrilled. Besides, I seem to have picked up more Czech than she has and that's without having anyone to chat to! I know, lazy mommy...

Learning Czech, by the way, has been one of my favourite activities so far.

Anyway, the whole immigration thing is off. My husband got a great job back in SA. So for now, we're heading off home.

I know (blush) all the hype and expectation! We sold everything and left our families back home with the view of starting over again and now it looks like we'll be back in South Africa for a while. I'm so embarrassed. What will I call my new blog, IF I decide to start another one?

Also, what should I do now? Start my PhD or get a job? I'm really rather confused.

Be that as it may, we did spend last week in Prague, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I managed to find a small Pension in Prague 2, right near the Metro. Milla and I were able to travel around easily. Sadly, we ended up in the Chodov Centrum because, as a couple of mall rats, it turned out to be the warmest, dryest and most familiar spot for both of us. It also ended up being rather expensive as the shops had all sorts of nice things on offer as part of the post Christmas sales.

I did take Milla to the Castle and to the Square. We also took Tram number#22, which according to the latest Rough Guide, offers a quick snapshot of the city.

We're back in Jablonec now, getting ready to pack our bags and head off home, to Africa.

Technorati tags: South Africa; emigration; Czech Republic; Prague

  ¶ 8:30 AM 1 comments links to this post

  Czech Out the Fishy Tales

Prague 360 News - The Killing of the Carp! I think that the Fish Blood Bath of Christmas with Photography by Jeffrey Martin (click on the above link) is a more than adequate representation of this annual festive tradition. Note: this image is a bandwidth chomper!

When we visited the local market on the square, my five year old daughter, Milla, was fascinated by the phenomenon and wanted to "stroke" the live fishies while they swam around in their small pond of cold, fecal stew - yuk!

Technorati tags: Czech Republic; carp; December; Christmas

  ¶ 7:32 AM 0 comments links to this post

  A Visit to Liberec, Czech Republic

This week we were taken on a tour of Liberec, a nearby city that experienced its most recent economic heyday towards the end of the 19th century, when it served as the major textile manufacturer for the region.

Todays picture is of Ještěd, a mountain range in this region. If you look closely at the tiny picture under my Blogger profile you will see the Ještěd television tower in the background. For some reason beyond my comprehension, the local population seems to be extraordinarily proud of this beacon. The architect responsible for the design of the hotel that forms part of the construction also built the monstrosity in Liberec that houses Tesco...

I guess every country has its fair share of man-made aesthetic disasters. However, given the overall beauty of Czech architecture, any bit of ugliness attacks the eyes with far more ferocity than is generally expected from more bland landscapes. My home town, Johannesburg, is certainly more functional than most, making any criticism largely redundant.

Technorati tags: Johannesburg; architecture; Ještěd; Liberec; South Africa

  ¶ 5:33 AM 1 comments links to this post

  Prague Photos 2006   ¶ 6:16 AM 0 comments links to this post

  Prague at Christmas Time
My husband arrived this morning from London. We will be having one of those huge Czech feasts to celebrate his return - lots of knedlecky, pork and wild mushroom goulash and christmas cookies. Granma makes some mean biscuits that look like walnuts and contain lots of ground nuts and cream - delicious!

Yesterday we took Milla to Prague. It's become even more glamorous than when Marek and I were there in 2000! A lot more of the buildings have been restored and they are exquisite. It truly looks like a fairy-tale city. We went to the city Square, where they have a magnificently decorated giant Christmas tree and a troupe of carol singers. There were lots of stalls selling Christmas decorations and roast chestnuts, hotdogs and gluwein. The place was packed! It was overwhelming, but Milla loved every minute. I have some pictures of the trip that I plan to post soon.

The day before that we tried to cross into Poland via the Zittau border post but I got turned back because the Schengen visa was not valid for Poland. Apparently, they plan to become part of the Schengen agreement towards the end of 2007. Anyway, I took Milla into a nearby village and we waited for Granny and Granpa while they crossed the border and went shopping at a nearby market.

Technorati tags: Staroměstské náměstí a Týnský Chrám; Zittau; Christmas; Schengen Visa; Prague  ¶ 1:56 AM 0 comments links to this post

  President Václav Klaus Returns from South African Visit

On Thursday this week, President Václav Klaus returns from Africa, where he visited Nigeria and South Africa. I hope that he enjoyed our hot summer weather!

Here's what the South African press had to say about the trip.

Also, while I'm waiting for my husband to bring back my camera, here are some terrific photos uploaded to Flickr, which were taken by vigor. Enjoy!

Technorati tags: Mbeki; Klaus; Czech; South Africa  ¶ 12:00 AM 0 comments links to this post

  Where in the World is Jablonec?

Hi, I thought maybe it would help to show a map of the Czech Republic. We are living in Northern Bohemia, right near Liberec. Jablonec is more towards the right of Liberec but also very near the border of Germany and Poland.

Today we took a walk in the forest up behind Granma's house. Unfortunately, Milla didn't meet the three bears. We also visited the kindergarten to find out if they will take Milla, starting next Monday. No-one speaks English but Granma was on hand to negotiate.

Technorati tags: Jablonec; map; Liberec; Czech Republic

  ¶ 3:12 AM 3 comments links to this post

  Bloggers as Early Adopters

Some inventions prove to be winners in the long-run. Witness the humble motor vehicle which started out looking something like the machine above more than 100 years ago.

ReadWriteWeb reports that the Attention Company has produced research regarding bloggers, or what they refer to as people who are “Out There". Apparently, as employees we are characterized as:

• Fast followers
• More flexible
• Open communicators
• Aspiring to greatness
• Looking for new, innovative ideas
• In short – your future leaders

Shhh.... I can hear recruitment agents banging down my door :-) NOT!

Technorati tags: early adopters; bloggers; Attention Company; workplace blogging

  ¶ 5:57 AM 0 comments links to this post