Category: Photography

Spring is Here!

Published on by Grace8 Comments

After the seemingly endless winter weather that we’ve had over here, I was elated this past weekend as spring finally came.

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We took a walk to town through the woods and were having a grand time just looking at these leaf buds.  The birds were also singing and the air smelled so fresh.

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We then went to feed the ducks and the swans.

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And of course the trip wouldn’t be complete without a quick stop at the playground.

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Right now, a lot of visits and weekend trips are already planned.  On top of  that, we will have to put in a lot of work with our house landscaping too.  With too many activities planned and with relatively short time,  I am now beginning to understand why Czechs really love the outdoors.

Destination: Dětenice

Published on by Grace10 Comments

This past weekend, our relatives from Brno stopped by to visit us in our new home. On Sunday afternoon, we decided to visit Dětenice, a small village in the county of Jicin in North Bohemia. It is a quaint little village that makes you feel like you have just been transported to the Middle Ages.

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The Chateau.

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Outside of the hotel, this is what you will see.

Our main goal in visiting this place was to witness the Knights’ Tournament which is one of the best attractions in this place. My 4-year-old nephew is so fascinated with Knighthood that if he was born during the medieval ages, he would have become one. I didn’t expect the younger ones to like it, but they seemed to have enjoyed it immensely as well.

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The tournament took place in an old stable since it was still quite cold to do it outdoors. The weapons they used were real, and being seated at the front row, I was a little worried that those weapons would accidentally come flying at us. But none of that ever happened. These guys were experts and they handled themselves pretty well.

For the tournament that we witnessed, there were 4 Knights vying for the honor.

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There was a German Knight.

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A Czech Knight.

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A Polish Knight.

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And a French Knight.

We would have wanted the Czech Knight to win the tournament, but it was the German Knight who emerged as victor.

Here is a short clip of the sword fight between the French Knight and German Knight.

I had been told that the evening entertainment is one-of-a-kind and a “must see.” Unfortunately, since we had young kids, we couldn’t stay longer to watch it. We just roamed the village while our boys were busy running around.

All in all, it was an afternoon very well spent.

For more information about Dětenice, please click here.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections

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reflections

The view of the landscape is better seen from the bottom.

Wordless Wednesday

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VEGAS IN MY MIND

Published on by Grace17 Comments

As I was roaming through the streets of my little town today, something caught my attention.  There is quite a number of “Herna”  (casino) in some strategic spots around the city.  Because Czechs do love the outdoors, this is a sighting that I rather find quite unlikely.

When I think of casinos, I think of Las Vegas.  Back in California, whenever somebody wants to splurge, celebrate or relax, it is the place to go.  Aside from gambling, there are a lot of concerts and shows that are being run in various hotels.  Not to mention that top-of-the-line spas are also one of its biggest attractions.  Needless to say, Vegas meant partying or relaxing.

The Las Vegas Strip

But Vegas is not all about gambling or going wild.  There are also a lot of  things to do in Vegas outside the comfort of one’s hotel.  One can visit Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, listed as one of the seven wonders of the industrial world.  And for golf enthusiasts, there is also the option of visiting Boulder City, the only place in Nevada that is so unlike Vegas.

The Lake Mead viewed from the Hoover Dam.

But perhaps one of my favorite  and memorable activities on this side of the country was a trip to the Grand Canyon, right around Nevada’s neighboring state of Arizona.  Although it is a few hours drive from Vegas, it is  not that far away.  The canyon’s unparalleled beauty was a great photography subject.

Sunset at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

The short hikes to the viewing spots also provided a very good exercise for my feet and lungs.

Now that we are here in Czech, all I can do is reminisce those good old days.  That’s why after seeing those casinos around town, I cannot help remembering those days when I was young and free and Vegas was just a few hours away.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Renewal

Published on by Grace10 Comments

This is a photo of the exit door at the Brussels International Airport.

Last year when we moved out of the US and into Europe, Brussels was our first stop.  This picture is very symbolic for me because we had a “renewal” the moment we walked out of that door.

This week’s topic holds a very special place to my heart because this is the main reason why I started this blog.  This blog is all about renewal.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Geometry

Published on by Grace17 Comments

Prague is a city with diverse topography and rich architecture.  Many of its cultural attractions have survived violence and destruction in twentieth century Europe.  It is home to approximately 1.3 million people but receives more than 4.1 million visitors per year,  making it the sixth most visited city in Europe.

As this week’s photo challenge is about geometry, I couldn’t think of a better picture than one of Prague.

This shot was taken from the Prague Castle overlooking the city.

The baroque structures seem to blend seamlessly with the more modern angular buildings.  For me, this blend is geometry.

The colors in this shot also have an interesting harmonious blend.  It almost exemplifies the city’s colorful history.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Foreign

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It is ironic that just when I decided to join the weekly photo challenge, the topic is Foreign.  Being an expat, everything around me is foreign to me now.

But for this category, I decided to pick out an old picture.   This was a photo I snapped at the US 101 freeway, as we were coming back to LA from a weekend trip to Santa Barbara.  The car in this photo looked like it belonged to another place and time.  🙂

 

Destination: Kroměříž, Buchlovice Chateau, Velehrad

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Kroměříž  is one of the key cities in Moravia.  This town is a center for spiritual culture and the arts.  Due to historic monuments, schools, arts and culture, it has been dubbed  “The Athens of Haná”.   But unlike many other towns, there are not too many industrial companies in Kroměříž.  Although, it is currently characterized by a rapid development of the small business sector.  During our visit to this historical town, we visited the Kroměříž gardens and the Archbishop’s Palace.

We were awed by the beauty of the gardens.

No wonder it is recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Before proceeding to the Archbishop’s Palace, we roamed the  Kroměříž town square.

My parents, being devout Catholics, had to stop by the Church of St. John the Baptist.

We also strolled along the small businesses permeating through town.

Finally, we reached the Archbishop’s palace.

Probably the most interesting feature of this palace is the  extensive collection of paintings and books.  In 1984, it was used in the filming of  Miloš Forman’s movie, Amadeus.

To know more about Kroměříž, please click here.

The next stop in our day tour was in the Buchlovice Chateau.  This chateau is a typical example of a nobleman’s summer residence.  It is constructed in Baroque style architecture and unlike the French gardens in Kromeriz, it is surrounded by English-style gardens.

The interiors were awe-inspiring, but picture-taking was forbidden.  So I am only able to show you the exteriors here.

To know more about the Buchlovice Chateau, please click  here.

The last leg of our tour was the Velehrad.  Velehrad is one of the most significant pilgrimage sites in Moravia.  Velehrad began as early as the 13th century, when the Moravian count Vladislav Jindrich, together with his brother King Przemysl Otakar I, originated the first Cistercian monastery in Moravia.  In 1990, Pope John Paul II visited this place during his first visit to the Czech Republic.

It is closely associated with St. Cyril and Methodius (10th century).  During their mission to Moravia, they brought with them Christian faith, culture and the Cyrilic alphabet.  In 1985, during the 1100 years anniversary of the death of St.Methodius, Pope John Paul II donated the Golden Rose to the basilica (only a few cathedrals all over the world obtained this honour).Once a year, thousands of Catholics hold pilgrimage to this place.

To know more about Velehrad, please click here.

It was a day well-spent and it certainly enriched our knowledge about Czech history and  Czech culture.

If you are keen on visiting historical, architectural  and religious places in Moravia, these places are definitely worth checking out!

Mushroom Hunting: A Czech Hobby

Published on by Grace31 Comments

Mushroom hunting is a favorite past-time for Czechs.   It is said that 7 in 10 Czechs go for some mushroom hunting between the months of July and November.

In keeping up with tradition, we had the opportunity of introducing Jakub to his first mushroom hunting activity this past weekend.

Dressed in our mushroom picking garb, we headed out to the woods close to Konarovice, a village close to Kolin.

Our first mushroom find got Jakub very excited.  Although he didn’t fully understand what a mushroom is, he was excited with the thought of looking for something and eventually finding it.

It was hard to explain that not all mushrooms are edible.

It became even more challenging when he started to pick out moss that was shaped like a mushroom.

I, on the other hand, had a hard time distinguishing the edible from the inedible ones since I am always more attracted to the colorful ones.  Most of the time, they are either poisonous or inedible.

But then they served a different purpose. If I can’t feast on them with my mouth, I might as well feast on them with my camera.

This year, we were not very lucky, because we didn’t follow one basic rule:  wake up with the sun.

When we got to the woods, a lot of people were already there before us.

But the whole activity in itself proved to be very worthwhile.  I found more enjoyment in communing with nature rather than picking the mushrooms.  I also enjoyed seeing my son seriously in the prowl for those precious goodies.

After finally admitting that there were no more to be found,  we found a precious spot were we rested and basked ourselves in the warm sun.

Our son on the otherhand, got busy pretending that he was drilling something in the trees.

It was such an awesome experience — one that we will definitely do over and over again.

Have you ever picked mushrooms in the woods?