Medlánky Folk Festival

Pictures of the Festival

(Included in the pictures of the festival are also ones of the village I live in and the outside of my flat.)

Every September, Brno is home to a large wine festival (Slavnosti vína) to celebrate the harvest in the surrounding wine-producing region. The region of Moravia of which Brno is the capital, produces 94% of all Czech wines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_wine

Last month there was a Czech wine festival here in the village where I live (Medlánky). My flatmate, Bogdan, also went and while he was there bought an excellent Czech red wine for 60 CZK ($3.00). I went with a friend of mine, Traian, who is from Romania. While Bogdan was working for about 6 weeks in Italy for IBM he asked me if Traian could stay in our flat for a while. So, that's how I know Traian. Turns out, we've become pretty good friends.
I got to the festival before Traian, so I bought a ticket and went on in. It was being held in the village park, the one I walk through on my way to work. I took a few pictures and headed back to meet Traian at the entrance and arrived just in time to see him waltz right in without paying! I suppose it was a good idea for me to have the "I paid" bracelet on because I bothered a lot of the folks who were in costume by making them pose for pictures.
In the center of the park is a very tall pole (16 metres?) painted white with a small pinetree at the top covered with brightly colored ribbons. It stands in the middle of the dance area in front of the stage where the musicians (also wearing the traditional garb) are playing traditional Czech folk music. Young people and children dance the traditional dances around the pole. The women have bright ribbons and flowers in their hair and the men are wearing garb similar to traditional Barvarian costumes. It is a fun time. Little girls dance with each other around the adults or run around laughing. The little boys, though, seem to be more serious, although they are smiling and playing as well. There are tents with vendors selling food, and, imagine this; beer!
We walked around a bit and then I spotted a tent where all the costumed folk where going in. I suggested we go in and we did. It turned out to be a great idea and I sort of felt like my dad - the way he would go with the flow and find unique opportunities to meet interesting people and get great photos as I watched in amazement as a young boy.
As it turns out, its where all the costumed dancers go to take a break, adjust the costumes, oh yeah, and drink. Well, we ordered a beer and set down. I took some pictures and soon a young woman and her male friend came up and started talking to us in English. Soon, they were joined by their friend Robert whose dad is from England (Czech mom) and happened to be visiting him for the festival. We talked about all sorts of things. The young woman, Anna, I think, is actually from Northern Austria, but all this area used to be part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire and Brno is considered by many to be a "suburb" of Vienna.
Soon, Anna, pulled a bottle of rum tuzemsky, a sweetened dark rum that has been a tradition since the days of the empire. It means domestic rum. She was definitely having a good time, as were we. I asked if I could take a picture of her and her partner and they started dancing around the tent! At the end of their furious dancing she kissed her partner for a picture. Lucky guy got kissed for a long time.
Soon, it was time to go, so, we made our way through the dancing and laughing children who were running around good-naturedly. Czech kids don't scream and yell, it seems. They laugh and giggle and dance and play. I didn't see any fighting or crying.
Traian and I hopped the bus toward town and I said goodbye to him at the Antoninska stop where I got off to head over to my favorite watering hole, King's Head. I spent a couple of hours there with friends (Czechs, Mad Englishmen, Dutch, and occasional Germans and Americans) and called it a real early evening. I was home by tram by 8:30pm.

Slow down she says

Spomal'

My first week here in Brno, I found a pub across the street from Hotel Amphone where I was staying. I ordered a "pivo" because that is all I knew how to say except for Jak se mas' and dobrze. As I was sitting there alone (I felt) in a foreign country, wondering what the hell I was doing here and thinking that it had now been officially confirmed that I was indeed crazy, Katarina Knechtova of Peha was singing this song live on the TV. The song is called Spomal' and I still don't know what that means. Somehow, even though I could not understand a word, I felt calmed by it.
It has become one of my favorite songs (this live version isn't the best- the version on the album is absolutely beautiful and haunting. I learned just a few months ago that she is basically saying in the song to slow down... what's the hurry?. Its funny, because that's what I thought when ever I heard the song. Maybe music is the universal language.
So, check out the link. I wish I could upload the song itself. I tried to find their website so I could ask permission to post, but no luck.
The Czechs and the Slovaks, I am beginning to learn have many, many very talented bands playing all sorts of music. The jukebox at King's Head is where I am learning about them. I ask my Czech friends (especially the older ones) to put music on for me (I pay) and when I hear one I like, I write it down.

My Path... To Work

Path To Work

A lot of things happened at once this month. I finally got my long-term visa applied for in Vienna, I moved into a new flat and discovered that I can walk to work along a beautiful path that takes me through wheat fields and through a green belt. The work environment here is wonderful. I began my duties for IBM really, 3 months ago. The hours are 8am to 4:30pm. When 4:30pm rolls around, the boss forces you to leave. We don't work weekends and I already have more vacation days than I ever had before for any job.

My new flat is beautiful. It is brand new, just completed in March of this year, and a huge 76 square meters with 2 balconies. I share the place with my flatmate and friend, Bogdan, from Romania who is now in Italy for a month for an IBM customer. We split the rent and utilities which makes it a reasonable place to live.

In the mornings, I get up and walk 40 minutes to work through the beautiful countryside. Work is fun and relaxing. There is no frantic multitasking and long hours that you have been the status quo for me elsewhere. I have the option of taking the very efficient public transportation just in case it rains - like it did this morning. I've had to adjust my mental attitude considerably.

People truly do know how to live here. Czech's are not just family oriented, they are people oriented, and life oriented. To them, work is just another part of life, that does not have more of a priority than the other parts. Brno, where I live, empties out on the weekends. Instead of the mad weekend rush into the cities, people go home or go out to the countryside in droves - camping, biking, picnicing. Many have weekend cottages and/or gardens that they go to, but there is a lot of publicly owned land where people can go. A lot of stores are closed on the weekend and no one does business on the weekends. Mostly, just the pubs and restaurants are open.

The Czech Republic is a beautiful land. I hope the Czechs can preserve their way of life. When its all said and done, when you are lying on your death bed, really, what is truly important?