That's what the first 72 hours since arriving in the Czech Republic have been: a whirlwind. As soon as we landed in Prague on Saturday, we were graciously greeted by a group of Rotarians and family waving the American and Czech flags, who then piled our luggage into two cars, and immediately chauffeured us 150km to the town of České Budějovice, the capital of Southen Bohemia. Upon arrival, we were escorted to our homestay families for dinner and then had time to rest and deal with any side effects of jet lag. However, when arriving in a new country one feels energized and our team, invited by one of our hosts, decided that instead of resting, we should go to our first Czech pub to have a cultural experience! Why not?
The second day involved a trip to the historic Bohemian town of Hluboká nad Vltavou, where we toured the grandiose Hluboká Chateau (one of many castles previously owned by the famous Scwarzenberg family), visited the hilltop Townshend International School, an innovative international boarding school named after George Townshend, an Irish writer and philosopher, which overlooks Hluboká and the beautiful surrounding valley, and then returned to České Budějovice for a private tour of the Budvar Brewery, the maker of the original Budweiser beer from the Brew Master himself (a local Rotarian). We then rendezvoused with other members of the České Budějovice Rotary club for a traditional Czech dinner of goulash, seasoned pork, and dumplings in a historic local pub, which served a special, unfiltered version of the Czech Budweiser lager!
Day three began with a private tour of the regional headquarters and radio station for the national Czech Radio (think NPR) and then a scenic drive 25km to the UNESCO World Heritage town of České Krumlov, a picturesque town interwoven with the curving Vlatava River carefully guarded by the second largest castle in the country. After lunch in a quaint pub (see a pattern?), we enjoyed private tours of the city, the expansive castle garden, and the photo atelier of Josef Siedel, a famous Czech photographer from the early twentieth century. The day concluded with a lively dinner with Rotarians from České Krumlov at a rustic pub known for cooking its meats over an open fire in the middle of pub for all to enjoy!
It's been a good kind of whirlwind.
Incredible people. Incredible country. More to come.
-Justin
České Krumlov
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