Thursday, June 30, 2005.
Ari and Elana are off to the Jewish Quarter today; Bill and Peggy to the castle. I met Bill and Peggy at their hotel and took them to breakfast before escorting them to the castle grounds. Then I raced home in the rain to change clothes for the Fourth of July Reception at the American Ambassador’s residence.
Tomorrow is the start of a week-long holiday for Czechs, especially those who are connected with the American Embassy or the Fulbright Association, both of which celebrate both Czech and American holidays. So, in anticipation of everyone’s exodus, the American Embassy hosted their annual July 4th reception today. Now, if this were in the U.S., I would expect to see a crowd dressed in cut-off jeans and t-shirts surrounding grills containing hamburgers and hotdogs and several coolers of soda-pop and beer. Since this is not on U.S. turf, Czech, Canadian and U.S. military, politicians, and celebrities were invited, so it was all but a black-tie affair. Among the attendees were Robert Redford, Madeline Albright, and Vaclav Havel. (Redford, who is visiting the Czech Republic for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival next week, came at the invitation of his friend Madeleine Albright.) After a proper color-guard salute and singing of both the American and Czech national anthems by a high-school choir from Princeton, New Jersey, Ambassador William Cabiniss gave a very lovely tribute, followed by President Vaclav Klaus and Prime Minister Jiři Paroubek. There was, as you would expect, more than enough food for the 500+ guests in attendance, and ample beer and wine and ice cream. The reception was scheduled for noon-2pm, but the high security to enter the Ambassador’s residence resulted in a very long line and a late start to the official festivities, so people lingered (at the gracious invitation of the Ambassador) until quite late in the afternoon.
I had time to change into less formal (and less damp) clothes before dinner, this time at Na Staré Faře, just down the street from our flat. Again, the dinner conversation was as if we were all old friends, even though Rick had only met Bill and Peggy the day before, and Ari and Elana were younger than Bill and Peggy’s children. This time most of the conversation was about their respective castle and Jewish Quarter tours. It’s always interesting for me to hear what others take from these Prague sights, and what aspects of the places and history make the most profound impression to people who have not been here before.
Since we had dinner so close to home, we had time to relax before we went to bed. Ari showed me how to connect my computer to Skype’s VoIP and we had a very nice conversation with his parents in Denver. We must have talked for over an hour. Perhaps it’s not a bad thing that we didn’t discover this earlier, or we would be on the “phone” every evening!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005.
We were awakened at 6:30am by a call from Czech Airlines informing us that Ari and Elana’s bags had arrived and would be delivered to our flat shortly. We are only 15 minutes from the airport by car, so we anticipated that the bags would come soon. In fact, they did not arrive until after 9am. So, despite Elana’s joy at having her own clothes to wear, we got a bit of a late start on the day. Around mid-morning I escorted Ari and Elana to the castle, where they spent most of their day. We started at the Summer Palace and walked through the garden to Prague Castle.
Just as I left them at the castle entrance, I received a call from Bill and Peggy who had arrived in Prague earlier in the morning from the U.S. So, from the castle, I went to the Crowne Plaza Hotel where they are staying. This hotel was built between 1952-1954 and evolved from a combination of the architecture of Social Realism known as “Sorela” and “Art Deco.” The hotel has elements strongly reminiscent of buildings constructed in the 1920s and 1930s in the U.S., but its spired-dome roof is distinctly central Europe. The interior was designed architects and craftsmen from the First Czechoslovak Republic who were still active at that time. Noteworthy are the dominant tapestries, stained glass, mosaics, and chandeliers. The furniture, which is, after renovation, still used today, was manufactured in the style of the Czech cubists, in the spirit of art-deco and also partly patterned after the presidential library in Prague Castle. Rick uses the fitness center in the hotel, since it is only a 5-minute bus ride from our flat and a short tram-ride to the castle.
Bill and Peggy, both of whom teach at the University of New Hampshire, are in Prague for a few days before they head to Brno, where I will join them for a conference. We had coffee in the hotel lobby, after which I escorted them to the center of town so they could tour the Jewish museums. We agreed to rendezvous for dinner downtown at U Pinkasů, and set as our meeting place the prominent statue of Josef Jungmann at Jungmannova square. Joseph Jungmann was a professor of rhetoric, poetry and Czech language and literature in the early 19th century, who wrote the first Czech-German dictionary. U Pinkasů is tucked away behind the square, easy to get to only if you know where to look.
Ari and Elana are 24 years old, Bill and Rick in their 60s, and Peggy and I not much younger, so the six of us seemed an unlikely mix for dinner conversation. But, in fact, Ari will be starting a PhD in International Relations at Penn in the fall, so he is a professor-in-training so to speak. Elana is an artist who will start an MFA program at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Ari and Elana have just spent two years in Jerusalem, so they are worldly beyond their years. We have known Ari since he was 8 years old, so it was nice to interact with him on an adult level. The food was good – mostly traditional Czech cuisine, including a sampling of every dessert on the menu – and the service excellent. Perhaps because we have come so often, we are always treated well.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005.
Rick and I went to the airport to meet Ari and Elana at 9:15, but we did not get back to our flat until nearly 11:00 because three of their bags had been lost. The nice thing about lost bags is that they are delivered to your door at the first opportunity; the bad thing is you have no clothes for a day or so. In Ari’s case, one of the lost bags was very heavy and would have been left at the airport storage facility with the one heavy suitcase that did get on the plane. But, having been assured that the bag (with 30 others) would be on the next flight, we headed to our flat on the airport bus.
Despite the fact that Ari and Elana had been up since 3am (to get to the Tel Aviv airport by 4am for their 6am flight to Prague), we took them to the center of town to see some of Prague’s more notable sights. The standard tour: from the Little Town (Malostrana) metro station, through the Valdstejn gardens, to the Little Town Square, across the Charles Bridge to Old Town. We stopped at Malostrana for lunch, at which point our travelers realized how tired they really were. However, undaunted, we strolled across the bridge among the throngs of tourists, toward Old Town Square. Armed with a map and good directions about how to get back to our flat, we left them to their own devices for the rest of the afternoon. In the meantime, I ran across town to change money for them, a task that I have finally mastered, thanks to Howard and Bruce.
Rick and I joined Harriet and Marty for dinner at Kabul, an Afghani restaurant in Old Town. The weather is lovely today, so we ate in the garden area. The food was good, but the service was not (a surprise since Marty and Harriet eat there often). After dinner we walked to the club below the Manes Gallery, where Pavel Sedlacek and his band “Cadillac” were performing – to a crowd of oldies like ourselves, dancing as if we were on American Bandstand. Harriet and I are big fans of Pavel, a 1950-60s rebel who brought American rock and roll to Prague at a time when creative expression was rarely permitted. At that time, the 20 American hits were broadcast on Radio Luxembourg and American Forces Network, so American rock and country leaked through the Iron Curtain by bold young musicians like Sedlacek. I was delighted to meet Sedlacek through Milos, Harriet and Marty’s former landlord, when they lived here four years ago.
Monday, June 27, 2005.
Bruce has been having trouble with his allergies, so I used the occasion of a delivery of asthma inhalers and pills for lunch with Charlotte. With only another month to spend in Prague, I am already mourning our leaving. So I take every opportunity to see wonderful friends here and take in as much of Prague that I can in the short time left. Among the getting-ready-to-leave errands is dropping off clothes at the Sue Rider charity shop downtown and getting bus coupons for July.
Later in the afternoon I met Eunice at Ami’s for tea. Grace, a Nigerian doctoral student who has been studying law in Warsaw, has moved here with her husband and wants to teach law here. Unfortunately, I told her what she doesn’t want to hear: that her PhD from Warsaw will not get her very far at Charles University (the only law school in Prague). Charles University, the oldest university in central Europe, is like Harvard. They hire their own because none else are as good. Given that the instruction is in Czech, that is probably true. The only non-Czechs are visitors, many of whom are Fulbright professors, who teach occasional courses in English.
Sunday, June 26, 2005.
This evening we had dinner at home for a change, this being one of the few evenings without out-of-town guests. Harriet and Marty had lent us the DVD of Jiři Menzel’s “Snowdrop Festivities.” The movie was made in 1983 and Menzel’s last film based on the writings of Bohumil Hrabal. The story is set in the small town of Kersko, which is on the road between Prague and the health resort of Poděbrady in central Bohemia. It was there in fact that Hrabal used to spend a good deal of time, keeping a large family of cats and drawing inspiration from the life of the closely-knit neighborhood. As always, the main “heroes” are seemingly ordinary people. This time they live in little villages or in cottages among the forest. But all of them have some extraordinary interests that make them special. One has a passion for seeking out and purchasing all kinds of seemingly worthless bric-a-brac for the sole purpose of salvaging the items from being thrown away, one has such an enormous appetite that he eats everything he sees, one loves his goats so much that he takes them for a trip by car, and so on. Menzel is known for his use of slapstick chase and fight scenes. This time, the chase is that of hunters after a wild pig that is running on the road and hides in a school building where the hunters finally kill him in front of the children and terrified teacher. Fighting between two groups of men from neighboring villages runs through the whole film. The story’s kaleidoscope of small-time, humorous conflicts pave a collision course towards a climax in the form of a hunters’ banquet. The poignant end is the untimely death of the most innocent character, senseless because he dies after being hit by a bus while riding his bike to bring his friends some more soup.
Speaking of senseless deaths, a 45-year-old Scottish golfer died after being struck by lightning on the Konopiste Golf course about 18 miles from Prague. The man was playing alone on the back nine when the thunder storm struck around 5:30 this afternoon. His family had already moved to Scotland and he was set to follow in a week. Konopiste is where Bruce plays golf, but he did not know him personally.
Saturday, June 25, 2005.
Another day spent working at the computer, but at least I can see progress. Of the four cases that I have submitted to three different journals this year, one has been accepted (first pass with almost no revisions for the final copy) and will be in print in August, the second has just been accepted (the fruit of my labors of the last three days, and conciliatory interchanges with the journal editor), the third is now revised and nearly ready to send back to the journal (I only need a bit more information from the company), and the fourth is still under first review. The last two cases have been sent to a journal that is known for its long review process, so I do not anticipate that there will be quick turnaround on this second review, despite the fact that all three reviews were extremely positive and have specifically given the editor the final say. The reviewer suggestions were detailed, lengthy and quite helpful in making the case better, but writing appropriate responses for each reviewer’s concerns took more time than making the changes. The case is 10 pages long, plus 2 pages of exhibits; the Instructor’s Manual (analysis) is 13 pages long; and the response letter (explanation and/or rebuttal) to the editor and reviewers is 16 pages!
This evening’s dinner with Charlotte and Bruce was a welcome break from work, not to mention a delight in spending time with Charlotte and Bruce. We went to Buffalo Bill’s, a Tex-Mex restaurant that has been in Prague since 1993. The restaurant has a lot of interesting memorabilia of America’s Cowboy & Indian movies and many pictures of Buffalo Bill. Combine this with the background country music and it makes for a highly entertaining meal. The restaurant was founded by Dennis Naughton, an American lawyer who started coming to Prague in 1991 with a team of judges and lawyers to teach about western law practices. At that time, Dennis’s wife Gail was working as a public relations director for Clarke College, a Catholic liberal arts institution in Dubuque. Gail, who only visited Europe two or three times a year, ferried suitcases of Tabasco sauce and chili powder to Prague. For Buffalo Bill’s initial Thanksgiving dinner in November 1993, she taught the Czech chefs to make the first pumpkin and pecan pies in Prague culinary history. Alan Levy (the first editor in chief of The Prague Post) told a story about Dennis driving a leased Skoda to Frankfurt to pick up Gail and their youngest son, Nick, both bearing satchels filled with Buffalo Bill-embossed T-shirts and aprons. On the ride to Prague, a German policeman in Nuremberg—seeing a Czech car populated by three foreigners and laden with what looked like all their belongings—bullied them as though they were Cold War defectors or economic refugees. When he finally realized that they weren't (“Oh, you're Americans!”), he apologized profusely. But all three Naughtons assured him sweetly that they were proud to be mistaken for Czechs. Dennis Naughton sold his share of Buffalo Bill’s in 1997 and resumed his law practice in Iowa. Buffalo Bill's still has an extensive menu of fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, tortillas, nachos, wings, ribs, beef burgers, salads and desserts. Charlotte and I were not impressed with the Margaritas, but Bruce and Rick thought the ribs were quite fine (properly greasy and spicy, but not as plentiful as one would get in a typical American ribs joint). The fact that we were the only patrons this evening is a signal of their eventual demise. Perhaps American cuisine is not as novel or popular as it was ten years ago, or maybe the negative attitudes of people about anything American has had an impact. The number of American tourists has certainly decreased in the last couple of years.
Friday, June 24, 2005.
The Spanish Synagogue was packed this evening, with well over one hundred people, 60 of whom were part of a NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) study tour. The students in this group were from both Israel and the United States. Among the congregants this evening was an anthropology professor from Bar Ilan who spoke about the symbols of religion that are part of culture, such as the lighting of the separate candles on Shabbat by women and the twisted Havdalah candle lit typically by men.
We headed out immediately after services to hear Tony and Martin and Musa play their last gig of the summer. The venue was the Golem Club, a private club with no street-front access. Unfortunately, it took an hour for us to find the place, since it is only accessible from the parking area inside the Sociological Institute building, whose doors were firmly locked. We walked up and down the street trying to find the right address, and encircled the unmarked building several times. In desperation, we woke the sleeping guard at the Institute entrance, who, after a bit of prodding, let us in. (It was only after we left that we saw a bell on the parking-garage door, with barely visible letters that said “Golem Club.”) The music was wonderful, and the setting intimate. I don’t think there is anything in Denver (or even others in Prague) that would compare. I wish I had brought my camera.
Thursday, June 23, 2005.
The good news: I received three case reviews back this week, one of which is an acceptance with only minor final-copy editing. The bad news: I have a lot of work to do in very short amount of time. So I spent most of the day in front of my computer, editing one of the two case studies that have been returned with reviewer suggestions, each from a different journal. At first I thought the tasks daunting, but once I began, the changes became less onerous and both cases will end up greatly improved. Amazingly, the stars aligned and Monika approved a longer (and more personal) version of the case study about her and her company. Perhaps equally amazing is that the editor liked all the changes and the case is now accepted for publication. It is unlikely that the revision of the second case study will be so easy.
Rick and I spent a lovely evening at Da Emanuel, an Italian restaurant on Charles de Gaulle Street, with Henry and Saša. Saša is Czech, but left in 1968 and moved to Canada, which is where she met Henry. Saša has a background in mathematics and technology, and worked for Nortel in Canada before she was asked to come to Prague to help set up their mobile-phone operations here. So, for the last five years, Henry and Saša have spent nearly half the year in Prague. Henry still teaches at McGill University, but he is mostly involved in their executive education programs, rather than semester-long traditional teaching. I first met Henry in 1985 when I was a doctoral student! I was happy to have this opportunity to chat with him – and to meet Saša – since I have admired Henry’s work for a long time. Prior to this, our meetings have been casual, mostly at conferences. It was only through Paul that Henry and I found out about one another’s presence in Prague, and that we were able to connect on such a personal level.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005.
Today is mid-summer and the sun is smiling on us to remind us that this is the longest day of the year. I wish there were more hours in the day today, since I have a very busy schedule.
After a very hurried breakfast meeting with Anna at Anglo-American College, I raced to Republic Square to the K+K hotel. By a strange stroke of luck, Matt’s former Spanish teacher and her husband are in Prague for a few days, on their way to Italy. I tracked them down at their hotel last night and left a message, but when I called back this morning, the hotel said there was no one there by that name. I also sent her an e-mail note last night, since the hotel has high-speed internet access. Luck was with me, because when I got to the hotel, they were still there, just preparing to go out for the afternoon. They had not received either message from the hotel, but the e-mail had worked and they had tried to call me only an hour earlier, with no success. But the stars aligned, and we had a lovely chat over coffee on the terrace of the grand Municipal house, not far from their hotel. Then, I took them on a brief and informal tour of Old Town and across the Charles Bridge toward the castle where they planned to take a tour that met at the Golden Keys hotel at 1pm.
My lunch date with Marketa was set for 1pm, so the timing was nearly perfect. Within 5 minutes, I found Marketa, and we went to lunch at a very nice Mexican restaurant near the Malostranska square just down the street from the American Embassy. I had wanted to talk with Marketa for quite a while, to get a Czech perspective of the Embassy – and sentiments toward Americans here. Things are as bad – perhaps worse – than I feared. The Czechs who, at one time, loved everything American are now nearly hostile. Several Americans here say they’re from Canada or even the UK. As if our foreign policy weren’t bad enough, the hoops that Czechs need to go through to get a visa are humiliating, and the process is much harder than it used to be. Even people who have visited the US before are being turned down for no apparent reason; no excuses or explanations are ever given. Fortunately, most of our luncheon chat was about culture, kids, and life in general, not about either Czech or American politics.
I had time to go home for dinner before the solstice festival at the French Institute, and I also had time to stop at the jewelry vendor on the Charles Bridge. Here is the earring saga, long version: Many of the vendors on the Charles Bridge are the same folks selling the same wares as were here 8 years ago when I first came. In 1997 or 1998 I had purchased a necklace-and-earrings set, made with slate and wire. I had lost one of the earrings sometime last year, and made a mental note to stop and see if I could find a match. I had passed the stand several times and not seen anything exactly like mine, but last Friday I brought the lone earring and necklace with me. I showed the set to Arthur who commented that I had purchased it 8 years ago. He knew this because he made them himself! I asked him if I could buy only one, to match the one I had, and he said yes. Unfortunately, all the earrings he had were slightly different in size or shape. Rather than buying a new pair, I asked him if he thought it was possible to make a match to the one I had. He seemed to think he could, so I gave him the one earring – of no use to me without a match anyway—and told him I’d stop by on Monday. I did stop by on Monday, but Arthur was not there. Instead, Martin was manning the stand. Ever helpful, Martin explained that they no longer had the exact materials to match my earring. However, he called Arthur on his mobile phone, and told me that I should come back the next day (today). So, there I was again at the jewelry stand, hoping that I would not have to buy another set of earrings. Arthur greeted me warmly, proudly showed me the new earring which almost perfectly matched the one I had given him, and deftly put both earrings in a jewelry bag. I asked him how much I owed him (hoping that it would be half the price of a pair) and he responded by saying “nothing at all.” Where would I get such service in the USA?
The pleasantries of the day nearly ended there, however. I went to the French Institute for the solstice concert, promptly at 5pm. Luckily, Bonnie and Helen were there, so I had a nice chat with them, perhaps our last before they leave town next month. Unlike the Czechs, the French do not start on time, so the music did not start until nearly 6pm. The first group, a jazz band, could have been forgiven for the awful music if it hadn’t been amplified. Trumpets and trombones do not need amplification, especially in a courtyard venue. Rather than wait for better music to come, we all left. I was home in time to watch the second Svejk movie (DVD) with Rick and enjoy what was left of the evening.
On my way home I glanced briefly at the outdoor sculpture exhibition that was unveiled on Wenceslas Square today. What I have seen of it thus far is disappointing, especially when compared to the interesting sculptures on display last fall. This “Sculpture Grande 05” is organized by the Gallery Art Factory nearby. This year’s theme is “Without Borders,” interpreted by 17 young contemporary artists.
Monday, June 20, 2005
I hope the woman who cut my hair this morning was self-taught. I shudder to think that there is someone training people to do such a weird job. Maybe she was trained as a scientist and fell out of favor with the communist party and was then reassigned to cut hair 30 years ago. Perhaps her eyesight is going, so she couldn’t see how uneven she cut it. Each side is a different length and the back varies by as much as a half-inch. The beautiful Czech women don’t suffer as much as I do with a bad haircut. The style for young women here is multiple-length shaggy (but straight) hair, maybe because they have found a way to make the most of bad haircuts.
Eunice and I had dinner at U Kapra while Rick went to his Czech lesson at Irena's flat. Eunice and I haven’t seen each other for awhile, so it was nice to catch up. She had just come from the Foreign Police to renew her residency visa, so we had an interesting conversation about residency and citizenship and various country requirements. She is debating whether to stay in Prague or move to the US, but that decision is still some ways off.
Sunday, June 19, 2005.
Paul and I had lunch at Novomĕsta Pivovar, the New Town Brewery. Most of the tables had “reserved” signs to keep people out (reminded us of the old Communist days), but when we told them we would have lunch, not just something to drink, they offered us any table we wanted. So, we had a nice lunch and a nice chat. Paul has been coming to Prague since 1991, so it’s nice to get his perspective. It’s also nice to get his perspective on academia (and life) in general.
Michele cooked a splendid dinner for us and John and Charlotte and Bruce. She’s really enjoying her new home here, having lived in a very small apartment for the last six years. John is also enjoying being here full-time, and being retired. We used today’s dinner party as a celebration of anniversaries (we all marked our wedding anniversaries within the last two weeks) and fathers (it’s Father’s Day today in the US). Michele and I are the only ones whose fathers are still alive; Bruce and Rick are fathers themselves. When we returned home, Rick had e-mails from both his children, with nice father’s day messages.
Saturday, June 18, 2005.
Paul and his friend Juraj, who was Paul’s student in the first USBSP MBA class in 1991, took me to the Krystal Hotel for breakfast. USBSP (U.S. Business School Prague) used to hold classes at the Krystal Hotel, which was built in 1989 by the communists, but only used for “capitalist” classes and seminars. It still has a communist past – it was intended for classrooms and seminars when the communists built it, even though they were ousted before they used it themselves—so locals think of it suspiciously. Two years ago USBS moved its classes to the city center, so Paul and Juraj went to the Krystal for a nostalgic tour, including the ever-consistent breakfast of sausages, cheese, bread, and soup. Sadly, there was no soup this morning. Instead there was yogurt and jam.
After a proper tour of the Krystal, and a walk around the funky suburban neighborhood, I went to Dejvicka to meet Veena for coffee. We really had no agenda or anything important to discuss today, but we did talk about our Prague experiences and suggestions for new Fulbrighters who are coming this fall.
This evening, Rick and I went to see “Bride and Prejudice” at the Svetozor cinema on Wenceslas Square. This film is a “Bollywood”-style re-telling of Jane Austen’s classic tale of marriage and manners, transplanted to modern-day India, England and America, and complete with lavish musical spectacle. Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times described Bollywood musicals as “the Swiss Army Knives of the cinema, with a tool for every job: comedy, drama, song and dance, farce, pathos, adventure, great scenery, improbably handsome heroes, teeth-gnashing villains, marriage-obsessed mothers and their tragically unmarried daughters who are invariably ethereal beauties.” Bollywood is Bombay (which is now called Mumbai, although there has been no movement to rename the genre Mumblywood). Most Bollywood movies are interminably long, so they don’t play well in the west, but this one (named “My Big Indian Wedding” in Czech) was mercifully only 111 minutes. Bollywood has developed a healthy audience in London, where the Bollywood Oscars were held a year ago. American film critics have been less scathing than the criticism “Bride” met in the UK and India. Indian audiences, however, were not particularly delighted about some of the musical sequences in the film. The locals in Amristar, where the movie was shot, strongly objected to the theme of young girls wooing suitable bachelors and disrupted the shooting for days. The main appeal for most people (guys, anyway) is Aishwarya Rai, described by Ebert (and others) as the most beautiful woman in the world. She was Miss World of 1994 and has starred in ads for both Coke and Pepsi. She had to GAIN weight for the role of the beautiful and cuttingly witty Lalita. Ebert describes the plot as “recycled from Austen, is the clothesline for a series of dance numbers that, like Hong Kong action sequences, are set in unlikely locations and use props found there; how else to explain the sequence set in, yes, a Mexican restaurant? Even the most strenuous dances are intercut with perfectly composed closeups of Aishwarya Rai, never sweaty, never short of breath. What a smile.” The songs really are a major disaster, so bad they’re funny. From another review: “Characters burst into song and dance at the slightest provocation, backed up by a dance corps that materializes with the second verse and disappears at the end of the scene.” All this comes at you in a blaze of colors. Perhaps the movie is worth seeing only for the youngest sister’s snake dance.
Friday, June 17, 2005.
Services at the Spanish Synagogue this evening was more like a concert than a Shabbat service. The voices of the Moscow Men’s Choir—7 men, a director, and cantor Boris Finkelshteyn—filled the hall. There was a fairly large crowd of tourists, some in groups and others passing through on their own, but most of us were delighted listeners, not participative singers this evening. The Moscow Men’s Choir is in town for the Nine Gates Festival, and will be performing at the Spanish Synagogue on Sunday evening. Unfortunately, our social schedule is already booked.
After services we went to the Reduta Jazz Club to hear guitarist Tony Ackerman and pianist Martin Kratkovil. We haven’t heard them play since we were here seven years ago with Matt. Tony and Martin were as good and innovative as ever. Percussionist Musa Zangi added wonderful bongo riffs. It was a small crowd, so we had great seats. Seven years ago we would have been driven out by smoke. Now, few people smoke so it is a pleasure to stay until the last set, which ended with just enough time for us to catch the last metro home!
Thursday, June 16, 2005.
I went to VŠE to meet with Ondrej, a doctoral student/instructor who is helping me write a case about a telecommunications company in Brno. Since the company is a large public company, there has been a lot written about it, although most of it is in Czech. Ondra has translated several interviews by the woman CEO, and I have put together part of a first draft. My hope is to send a preliminary draft to her to spark her interest in talking with us.
Today is sunny and quite warm, so walking across the Charles Bridge today was quite different than yesterday. Today, as expected, there are hoards of people. It’s best to walk across the bridge in the early morning or late at night to avoid the crowds, but I still enjoy walking across the bridge during the day when the weather is so nice and various musical groups serenade the tourists.
I stopped at a fruit stand on the way home, and Rick and I grabbed a light snack before heading out for this evening’s concert. The Wallenstein Garden was a different place today than yesterday. The weather was clear, the wooden benches were dry and the concert was well attended. The first group was Mitzvah, a Russian piano-violin-clarinet-bass ensemble which was truly wonderful. The second was the Vienna Klezmer Band, which played some familiar Yiddish tunes and used more folk instruments.
We had intended to go to Cream and Dream for ice cream again, but opted to go directly home instead and watch part of the “Good Soldier Švejk” DVD that Marty and Harriet had lent us. Based on the beloved and often-filmed novel, this Czech satire is set in World War I and follows the bumbling soldier Švejk (played masterfully by Rudolf Hrusinsky) as his attempts to follow orders and impress his superiors invariably lead to catastrophe. The film is true to Jaroslav Hašek’s book, with the set and acting top drawer and properly droll.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Another rainy day. My morning meeting was cancelled, so I didn’t go out until afternoon, at which point both Rick and I got thoroughly drenched.
We went to the Wallenstein (Valdštejnská )Gardens for the 6th Nine Gates International Czech- German-Jewish culture festival. The festival is named after a famous book by Jiři Mordechai Langer, which has recently been made into a film that is scheduled to be released this fall. The main theme of this year’s Nine Gates festival is the history of the Jewish people in Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union and the current Russian Federation, in the context of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. The festival boasts a selection of Russian artists from different disciplines. There are also artists from many other European countries, representing Jewish culture. Music and theater performances this week highlight two Russian theater ensembles: the the theatre U Nikitinskykh vorot, which will stage the drama “Mein Kampf Fars” by George Tabori and “The Magician from Lublin” by Isaak Bashevis Singer, and the Shalom theatre. The festival opened yesterday with a concert of the Philharmonic Orchestra, which played film music composed by Sergei Prokofyev, Dmitri Shostakovich and Alfred Schnittke, accompanied by some film sequences. Concerts at the Wallenstein Gardens feature Russian bands Shmerl, Berl and Son, Mitzvah, and Marimba Plus, along with musicians from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine.
We went to hear the Russian ensemble Shmerl, Berl and Son, which was sparsely attended because of the persistent rain. The Wallenstein Garden is a large expanse of geometric garden areas in Baroque style. This garden was only open for the public in 2002, so this is the first time Rick and I have been inside.
The garden is tucked behind the Wallenstein Palace (near the metro station at Malá Strana), which was built between 1621 and 1634 by Albrecht von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland and of Mecklenburg. The palace was to be his Prague residence which, in its size and splendor, would cast a shadow over all the other buildings of its kind and even compete with Prague Castle itself. Wallenstein invited the best architects, painters and artisans from Italy, an unusual choice for a city historically dominated by German artists and craftsmen. Nobody knows exactly who designed the building but the architect is thought to have been either Andrea Spezza or Giovanni Pieroni. The site originally contained twenty-six buildings. As one of the largest complexes within the city, it transformed the surrounding area. Over the centuries it has served many purposes. In early 1996, the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic’s parliament decided that the official and legislative residence of the Senate would be located in Wallenstein Palace. The key objective of the Palace’s restoration for this purpose would be the full architectural rehabilitation of all its parts, including artistic decoration. Restoration of the main building began in mid-1999 and represented the most challenging restoration and conservation works in the entire complex. The most valuable parts of this building in historical and artistic terms are the Main Hall, the Knights’ Hall, the Antechamber, the Audience Hall and the Mythological and Astronomical Corridors. The restoration and reconstruction of Wallenstein Palace has preserved the architectural and artistic heritage of one of the largest and most important building complexes in Prague.
We walked in the rain toward Old Town, to meet Regina for dinner. She is staying at the Residence Řetĕzová, a historic 16th century residence between the Charles Bridge and Old Town Square. Residence Řetĕzová has been converted into nine apartments, each of which is named for a city. Regina was in apartment New York, a royal suite as big as our flat. We went to dinner at U Medvídků and then to Cream and Dream for ice cream cones. Fortunately, by the time we finished dinner, the rain had abated. However, our jackets were still quite wet and soggy when we got home.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Prague always seems to be either in the 60s or 80s, almost never comfortable 70s. Last week it was cold and rainy, today it’s hot and sunny. Rick and I went to the airport to deliver a suitcase to Ales D, who is on his way to Denver for a visit with Peter. We don’t have a scale, but Rick was sure the suitcase was well under the 70-pound (32 kilo) limit, so we added extra books. When we got to the airport, we found out that it weighed 38 kilos, so we had to subtract more than a few books and papers. Fortunately, the British Air folks allowed us to check it at 32.6 kilos. Most airlines are very particular about keeping to the weight limits. They are even weighing carry-ons now, which is why we are so concerned about sending some stuff ahead of time. Thanks to Peter and Ales, we should now be well within the airline’s limits.
Eva and Martin and I met this afternoon to prepare our presentation for the conference in July. We have only a half-hour for our presentation, so it will be a challenge to keep within the time limit and still have some time for discussion. I’m particularly pleased with our presentation, however, not just because I think it will be interesting for participants, but because it gives me an opportunity to learn more about what Eva and Martin are doing with their classes and in their research. Martin looks much more relaxed these days, since the textbook is finished – except for proofreading the galleys for the printer. The book should be on the shelves this fall.
After a quiet dinner at home, Rick and I watched “Larks on a String,” from a DVD borrowed from Marty and Harriet. This film was made in the Czech Republic in 1969, an interesting time here, and is based on a book by Bohumil Hrabal (who also wrote Closely Watched Trains). This film was inspired by Hrabal’s working experience in the Kladno steel factory in the 1950s. It depicts the everyday life of the former bourgeoisie – intellectuals and small shop owners – who were forced to work in a scrap yard as part of their “re-education.” To quote a review, “Positioned between hope and despair, seriousness and humor, it is a mosaic of individual destinies held together by a belief in love, kindness and indestructible humanity.” This gentle satire --- full of brief observations of life in a socialist heaven-to-be --- was a clear attack on Stalinism, which made it one of the most controversial films made in Czechoslovakia and prevented director Jiři Menzel from working for almost a decade. This film was banned forever only to appear 20 years later and scoop the Golden Bear in Berlin in 1990.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Regina, who is a political science prof visiting from Adelphi University in New York, invited me to attend her talk about nuclear safety in the European Union. Apparently, there’s a plant here in the Czech Republic, as well as France, Germany, UK, but no country has solved the problem of “spent fuel” storage. Neither the US nor the Czech Republic has a long-term waste repository. EU guidelines for nuclear safety standards are unclear; the directive merely states that there should be a “high standard.” Coincidentally, the Czech nuclear power plant, Temelin, near Ceske Budejovice, disconnected its first reactor from the grid shortly after 5:00 p.m. today, due to a signal fault in the generator cooling system in the non-nuclear part of the plant. The reactor’s output will supposedly be reduced to about 30 percent initially and then will then be disconnected. Apparently, it is be possible to see what the problem is only after the system is completely cool. A second reactor has been shut down since early April for a three month standard check that will include the replacement of about a quarter of the fuel. Obviously, there are concerns about assuring an uninterrupted supply of electricity in the country, as well as the cost of electricity which is set to increase next year.
An interesting sideline about her talk is that it was attended by 13 students from DU, mostly GSIS, here on a 5-week study tour. Prague seems to be a very small place.
There were some more Colorado-Prague connections this afternoon. I had gotten an e-mail from my daughter’s good friend Lee who had visited us earlier this fall, asking to host her friend Matt, a recent CU grad, for a few days who’s traveling around Europe. I met him at Obecni Dům for coffee and then took him to dinner at Na Staré Faře for dinner and palacinky (ice-cream crepes) for dessert. He’s a nice young man, a math major and Frisbee player. I was able to set him up for Frisbee practice and dinner with Veena and her friends for tomorrow.
Late this evening we got a call from our son Matt, who is back in Denver after a week in Seattle, and ready to start a summer job this week. He’s house-sitting for a former teacher, which is a very nice situation for him. I think he’s happy to be back in Denver to connect with his friends and we’ll be happy to see him in August before he goes back to college.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Today is Shavuot, the Feast of the Weeks, the Jewish holiday celebrating the harvest season in Israel. Shavuot, which means “weeks,” refers to the timing of the festival which is held exactly 7 weeks after Passover. Shavuot is known also as Yom Habikkurim, or “the Day of the First Fruits” because it is the time the farmers of Israel would bring their first harvest to Jerusalem as a token of thanksgiving. Shavuot also commemorates the anniversary of the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
We had lunch with Marty and Harriet at Velryba (Whale) Restaurant in Old Town, and then went to the Manes Gallery to see the art auction. The Manes Gallery building bridges an arm of the river separating the mainland from Slav Island, a sleepy, dog-eared sandbank, named after Slav conventions held there since 1848. At the south end is a 15th century water tower - Sitovska vez - with an 18th century onion-dome roof. The Manes Gallery was established in the 1920s by a group of artists headed by painter Josef Manes as an alternative to the Czech Academy of Arts, and still one of Prague’s better showcases for contemporary art. We didn’t stick around the auction very long, but it was interesting to see how art is auctioned these days: photos of the paintings projected on a screen, with the actual works hanging in the gallery.
We strolled down to Strelecky Ostrov island to see the children’s festival. Strelecky Ostrov means Sharpshooters’ or Riflemen’s Island, which used to have a shooting range. This is World Music Weekend, and this afternoon there was a benefit concert and children’s festivities to support world hunger awareness. We walked back toward Old Town, stopping at Café Montmartre for coffee and Cream and Dream for ice cream.
Our evening was spent with Charlotte and Bruce and Michele and John. John is finally in Prague, after a delayed move here to wrap up things in the States. He’s already received his first pension check, so he’s more than officially retired. We had dinner at Square, a small but elegant restaurant right at Malostranska námĕstí, to celebrate Charlotte’s birthday and John’s move to Prague. We went to Michele and John’s new flat for dessert. They are renting a grand apartment in a former renaissance-era palace, just off Nerudova Street near St. Nicholas Church in Malostrana. Nerudova (the Royal Way or Kings Road linking Prague Castle to the Charles Bridge) is characterized by ancient burgher houses, most of which have been transformed into quaint hotels, restaurants and small shops. Nerudova is named after the 19th century Czech writer and journalist Jan Neruda. Rick says that if we could find an apartment like Michele and John’s, he’d relocate to Prague in a heartbeat.
Saturday, June 11, 2005.
Rick insisted that we see a movie this evening, so we went downtown to Slovansky Dům to see The Interpreter with Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. I agreed with the reviewer who said it was a mediocre movie with mediocre acting. Rick, of course, loved it.
Although it was chilly this morning, this evening is pleasant. Walking down Wenceslas Square, we were a bit surprised that it was so quiet. Most evenings have large, boisterous crowds of tourists these days.
Friday, June 10, 2005.
My dear friend Paul is in Prague for his annual teaching stint at the US Business School. For the first time we are in Prague at the same time. Paul has been teaching here for ten years now, so he has seen a lot of changes in Prague over the years. We met—with Howard—for a light dinner at the café next door to the Spanish synagogue before services and, after services, went to U Kapra for dessert with Rick.
The newspaper Mlada fronta Dnes had a contest last fall, to name the top 10 greatest Czechs ever. Among the original ballots submitted were fictional characters and current hockey stars. The officials at the sponsoring TV station feared that Jará Cimrman, a beloved fictitious character created by Zdenĕk Svĕrák, would win. (see
http://www.hradec.org/cimr.html for some of Zimrman's many accomplishments) The editors at the Prague Post, however, think that such recognition of the studious Cimrman, a Vienna-born traveler and musician who helped design the Eiffel Tower and rewrite a Checkhov novel, might have earned this small nation a little more respect. The final list of ten was announced on Czech Television earlier this spring, and after the final votes were tallied, the winner was revealed this evening. The winner is Charles IV, followed by (in order):
2. Tomas Garrigue Masaryk
3. Vaclav Havel
4. Jan Amos Komensky
5. Jan Zizka
6. Jan Weirich
7. Jan Hus
8. Antonin Dvorak
9. Karel Capek
10. Bozena Nemcova
Besides “The Greatest Ever Czech” Czech Television also encouraged people to vote for the greatest ever scoundrel. The “winner” of the poll is the first communist president of Czechoslovakia, Klement Gottwald, followed by the former Prime Minister Stanislav Gross who was recently forced to step down over controversies in his personal finances, and the third is the current Czech president, Vaclav Klaus.
Thursday, June 9, 2005.
I had lunch with Hana, the program director of the Fulbright Center, at Stoleti, near the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood (founded at the end of the 11th century and restored in 1862-65). Although the food and location are great, Stoleti may be best known for its menu, which has dishes named after famous people. For example, there’s a salmon dish named for Gloria Swanson, mozzarella fresco called Arturo Toscanini, and a steak called Ernest Hemingway. Stoleti has a lovely outdoor seating area, but Hana and I decided to eat inside, since it’s not very warm today and threatening rain.
Hana and I are both dismayed that, despite protestations to the contrary, the US Embassy has denied many Czechs visas to visit the US. In the past, Czech Fulbrighters to the US had no trouble arranging visits for their families and friends. This time, several have been denied. Some Czech Fulbright awardees are having trouble getting visas as well. While American Fulbrighters have had trouble getting long-term visas from the Czech Embassy – perhaps in retaliation for the US treatment of Czechs – at least Americans can come here as tourists for 90 days without any visa at all. It’s easy to leave the country every three months and start another 90 days as a tourist. But for Czechs, they need a visa in advance just to get on the airplane.
Wednesday, June 8, 2005.
Howard has invited Rick to go on a yachting trip in Croatia, so part of this morning was spent arranging Rick’s plane tickets to Split, Croatia, the point of departure. Howard’s travel agent was able to find inexpensive tickets, so Rick is now booked and committed to the week-long trip, which will commence the second of July!
Most of my day was spent reading and editing cases and manuscripts, mostly for other people. One manuscript was Veena’s case study. I met with Veena and Karin, the company founder, at the Café Imperial, a beautiful art nouveau café just down the street from Charlotte’s apartment. Part of Hotel Imperial built in 1914, the café room is beautifully decorative from floor to ceiling in gorgeous ceramics in the art nouveau style popularized by Alfonse Mucha. The café serves food, but is most popular for its morning coffee and afternoon tea. Fresh donuts (round, jelly-filled dough, similar to German “Berliners”) come free with every cup of coffee. Donuts leftover from the previous day, stacked high in a large bowl on the counter, are available to throw at other customers! Any donuts for throwing, however, must be paid for in advance.
Veena and Karin and I talked until well after 10pm, so I was quite late getting home. By the time I arrived, Rick was home from his Czech class, sporting a fat lip from an attempted pick-pocket. He had been accosted by five well-dressed Czech youths on the metro, first as he boarded and also as he attempted to get off one stop later. When he shouted at them and defended his pocket, one threw a punch.
Tuesday, June 7, 2005.
This morning was spent with banking errands. Howard had suggested that I convert US dollars to Czech crowns at an exchange booth downtown instead of using my ATM card or bank account. I decided to cash in the last of our old Traveler’s Checks and found out that not only will American Express not exchange them for dollars (first they give you crowns, then you can convert them to dollars, both at unfavorable exchange rates), but they won’t take their own traveler’s checks at all anymore. I was finally able to find a decent exchange rate at the Czech Commercial Bank, not as good as cash but better than ČSOB where I have my account. Marty had tipped me off that I could withdraw US dollars from my bank account (instead of Czech crowns) without a fee (contrary to what they had told me when I set up the account), so I took the last of my Fulbright funds (sadly, only $500 remaining in the account) and went to Howard’s recommended exchange booth. I now have enough for rent, but not enough to last until we leave. The rest will have to be with ATM withdrawals from the US or with our credit card (which also now charges a hefty commission).
Shortly after lunch I went to meet my landlady, Milena Halová, for coffee at the club at the Czech National Bank where she works. As usual, we had an enjoyable conversation. I am always amazed at how hard she works. Her stories – and others—belie the stories of Czechs working less hard than Americans.
Monday, June 6, 2005.
The Fulbright students and scholars were invited to a luncheon with Steven J. Uhlfelder, Chair of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Uhlfelder is a Florida lawyer, appointed to the Fulbright Board by President Bush. Governor Jeb Bush selected Uhlfelder to serve on both the Florida Board of Governors for the state university system and the Board of Trustees for Florida State University. This is Uhlfelder’s first time in Prague, so several of the Fulbright staff and students are acting as tour guides of some of Prague’s well-known sites.
After the luncheon, I went with Marty and Harriet to their flat for tea. It’s always nice to spend time with them, and to talk about Prague impressions and academic life. Since Marty is now officially retired from KSU and next year will be Harriet’s last year, we talked also about retirement. This year has been especially nice for both Rick and me, since we don’t have teaching and committee obligations. It remains to be seen how easy our reentry to Denver will be.
Rick went to his Czech class at 7pm and I joined the Women in Business gathering at Mlynec. This evening’s group was a bit larger than the previous one. I met several interesting women, none of whom is Czech, who are now living and working here. Many have been here a short time, but some longer than a decade.
Sunday, June 5, 2005.
Today’s rain cleared just in time for Jitka’s garden party in honor of the visit of Bernhard and Jirka, two of Ales’s math colleagues from Canada (Hamilton, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba, respectively). Neither Rick nor I had met Jirka and his wife Marie, who are Czech natives, but Bernard is a long-time friend. The garden party was at the family home of Michael and Irena, long-time friends of Ales and Jitka. An additional treat for us was finally meeting Ales and Jitka’s daughters, Zuzana and Lucie.
The setting was part of the fun of the occasion. This huge villa in Hanspaulka had been built by Michael’s grandfather, and with music from the 30’s and 40’s wafting through the place, it was easy to imagine the glory years. Ownership never passed out of the family, though the communists forced them to sublet part of it. Like most of Prague real estate, however, the place is now worth a fortune, and because it is too big for Michael’s family, its sale seems imminent. But the 30’s were a period of particular national pride and accomplishment in the Czech lands, and it was a special treat to be reminded of them, at least for an afternoon. And when speaking of any occasion on which Jitka has something to do with the food, it goes without saying that the fare was plentiful and most tasty.
Saturday, June 4, 2005.
Saturday, June 4, 2005.
This morning’s rain postponed our plans for a bike ride in the country with Eva and Honsa. When the weather failed to clear by 10am, we set out east by car to Ostra, a historic working village of Bohemian arts and crafts in the Nymburk district at Lysa nad Labem, frozen in the medieval 1500s. The village is set up similar to that of Williamsburg, with blacksmiths, candle-makers, stonemasons, potters, a paper mill, rope-makers and weavers, as well as jesters, jousters, fencers, dancers and musicians providing entertainment. The entire site is built in the style and scale of the 16th century: doors are low, beams stick out, and the roadway is rough granite cobblestones. Adjacent to the activity area is Dr. Stuart’s Botanicus, an organic garden complex with flower, vegetable and herb gardens, in addition to sculptured bushes and mazes. Today was a special Children’s Day, so there were many activities and games set up for children. We took an afternoon break at Mukarov, where Eva’s parents have a cottage, just in time to get in out of the rain. After the weather cleared, we walked along a lake through a birch forest. We had dinner at Vyzovka, at a small restaurant with excellent Italian cuisine.
We arrived at the outskirts of Prague at 9pm, and were in the city center by 9:30, with plenty of time to join the “Museum Night” festivities. This is the second year of a free-evening cultural event organized by the National Museum. This year, around 40 Prague attractions are open, free of charge, from 7pm until nearly midnight. Rick had never been in the National Museum, so we took this opportunity to spend some time there, mostly looking at the building, not the paleontological and geological holdings. We were treated to a puppeteer, who masterfully animated skeletons, angels and demons, to a very delighted crowd of children and adults.
Friday, June 3, 2005.
Services at the Spanish Synagogue were preceded by a concert by Coleman Reaboi, accompanied by Peter Gyori on classical guitar. I had not heard Peter perform before, so I was surprised at how good he is. He and Coleman had not had much chance to practice together, since Peter has been spending most of his time at the hospital with Magda and the baby. Peter left right after the short concert, and Coleman led the service.
We joined Howard and Marketa at their flat for a light dinner after the service. This week marks the 38th anniversary of the liberation of Jerusalem’s Holy City and the Temple Mount from Jordanian occupation. Monday, 28 Iyar, corresponding this year with June 6th, is celebrated as Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day. Howard was among the Israeli soldiers who fought in the 1967 war, a time that is still vivid in his memory (and in the pains in his back).
This evening is the 16th anniversary of the Tiananamen Square massacre. During the night of June 3-4, 1989, the communist “People’s Liberation Army” murdered hundreds, if not thousands, of students, workers, and other innocent Chinese people who peacefully demanded reform in the People’s Republic of China. These horrendous crimes committed sixteen years ago in central Beijing have were been properly investigated and prosecuted. To commemorate the sacrifice of the Tiananmen martyrs, people have been requested to put a light in their window on June 3, 2005, at 8:00pm local time. We didn’t return home until after 11pm, but we lit candles and placed them in our windows, in the spirit of our opposition to the Chinese party’s brutality. We may have become more sensitized to these issues lately, having seen some of the aftermath of the destruction from the Nazis and the Communists in central Europe.
Thursday, June 2, 2005.
Today was a mostly quiet day. Rick went to visit Ales to talk about mathematics; I went to the post office at Old Town and the fruit market at Hradčanská. Coleman Reaboi called to suggest dinner. He mentioned to us that Peter and Magda’s baby was born prematurely two weeks ago, and the baby is still in the hospital in ICU. The baby’s birth was prompted by Magda’s medical condition, and Magda had an emergency c-section. The baby, Leah, weighed just under 4 pounds, so she should be OK. Unfortunately, neither parent can be with her and hold her for more than a few brief periods a day. Fortunately, both mother and baby are doing well and Magda will be able to go home this weekend.
So we met Coleman and Julia at the Spanish Synagogue for a dinner rendezvous. We ended up going to U Benediktu, a short walk down Dlouha (Long) Sreet. We were glad to get a chance to know Coleman and Julia better. Rick especially enjoyed playing with 8-month-old Leo (a real cutie). Rick took Leo on a stroll down the block in his stroller, attracting lots of smiles from passers-by.
Wednesday, June 1, 2005.
Today is International Children’s Day here and in Slovakia, Russia, Poland and the Baltics. (In other parts of the world International Children’s Day is celebrated in the fall.) Allegedly, celebrating children’s day on the first of June was initiated by the International Federation of Democratic Women during their meeting in the fall of 1949. However, its origin may date back to 1925 with the World Conference for the Wellbeing of Children in Geneva. It coincides with the beginning of summer and, since it takes place near the end of the school year, is usually treated as a holiday. Children attend schools on this day, but schools usually organize for them some special activities, like outdoor plays or the field trips. This day, and also the whole first week of June, is marked by festivities organized in the parks and entertainment centers. The parents usually buy some small gifts to their kids – the smaller the children the bigger the gifts. There are several children’s festivals in Prague this weekend, most of which have crafts, hikes and outdoor games for children. There are also some children’s concerts.
For me, it was a quiet day at home. Rick worked on math and I got sucked into a mystery novel. Rick went to his Czech lesson in the evening; I made a short run to the grocery store for apples, veggies, and ice cream bars. It’s been overcast most of the day, but the forecast is for warmer weather tomorrow and through the weekend.
