Category Archives: Photography

VESELÉ VÁNOCE! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Incredible. Five months have passed since I moved to the Czech Republic. And now it is Christmas. A very beautiful time indeed here in this most ancient and mystical city. Every square is decorated with a tree and many buildings are draped in lights. Floral shops are filled with mistletoe and evergreens to trim your home with natural beauty. Here is just a sampling…..

Christmas trees aren’t the only thing in abundance now. In a city that patronizes the arts like few others, there is no lack of musical concerts to sample. I recently attended the Vánoční Cantata pro Unicef, the Christmas Cantata for Unicef at the Municipal House, a magnificent Art Nouveau architectural gem in the city center. The Prague Symphony Orchestra performed a symphony by Saint-Saens and then were joined in the second half by the Kuhn Choir of Prague, and the Radost Praha Children’s Choir. The all-enveloping sound of voices, pipe organ, and full orchestra was exhilarating in the perfect setting of Smetana Hall.

Art Nouveau gem Obecní Dům, Municipal House
Smetana Hall

Of course, as the saying goes, “there’s no place like home” and my favorite tree in Prague is the one right here in my neighborhood square, Karlínské Náměstí. So, dear readers, wherever your home is, I wish you a Christmas that is merry and bright.

My beautiful neighborhood tree in the forefront. Shining golden behind it, the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and in the far distance the National Memorial on Vítkov Hill.

Friendsgiving With a Czech Twist

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As I write this, you, my North America readers, are just waking up on this Sunday, the last day of the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. I hope you enjoyed a time of joy, relaxation, and good food. It is snowing today, for the first time here in the city, although snow has already fallen in the mountains. That damn Virus is consuming the news again as numbers in Europe climb high once more. We are not in a “lockdown” but the closing of the Christmas markets around the city has put a major dent in everyone’s Christmas spirit. Nonetheless, I enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving feast at The Globe. https://globebookstore.cz

The Globe’s exterior and me with my new Friendsgiving pals.

“Founded in 1993, the Globe Bookstore and Café is Prague’s first and best English language bookstore with a lively and trendy café…. The Globe Bookstore is expat Prague’s literary epicenter that provides a unique meeting place for artists, writers, students and travelers. ” 

from https://globebookstore.cz
When I arrived at noon on Thursday, I was the first guest. Soon after, another single woman, Kristýna arrived and I invited her to join me. Kristýna is a Czech native who sought out a “traditional Thanksgiving meal” in Prague after her English teacher taught her about the American holiday. How lucky for me that both The Globe and Kristýna were there!

While I was enjoying all of this delicious food, my good friend, and fellow teacher, Sybil, was back home in South Carolina with her family for Thanksgiving. She shared these beautiful photos with me of autumn in the countryside near her hometown. So like North Carolina, they really resonate with my heart.

Well, like the Dan Fogelberg song says, the snow here has turned to rain. Time to work on some lesson plans for next week and have a Czech lesson, or maybe just a lazy Sunday afternoon nap. Whatever you do this day, make it pleasurable.

Of Birthdays and Revolutions

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This sculpture plaque hangs a bit unobtrusively on Národní Třída (National Street). No words are necessary. The date says it all.
On the street below the same spot- the night of November 17th. Candles lit in memoriam of the Velvet Revolution.
I celebrated my first birthday here in the Czech Republic with a walk through Old Town and along the River. The building with the golden roof is The National Theatre. As I’ve said before, the views never get old.

My very special student, Lucie, treated me to a birthday cocktail and gourmet confections at IF cafe on Kampa Island. It is owned by the renowned pastry chef, Iveta Fabešová. That same evening, unbeknownst to us, the cafe was technically closed for a St. Martin’s Day Feast. Iveta generously invited Lucie and I to join in. She served me a huge plate of roast goose with dumplings and sauerkraut. It was delicious!

The Hedgehog in a Cage is a very popular puzzle here in the Czech Republic. Lucie gave me the one on the left to solve, and the pastry chef made me one of chocolate, on the right, to eat!
View of the city from Kampa Island, Prague.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Halloween

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At the Botanical Gardens
Enjoying the warm sunshine and a glass of wine at the vineyard in the Botanical Gardens

Last weekend I spent a day at the Botanical Gardens with my new friend, and fellow-teacher, Sybil. Coincidentally, Sybil is from South Carolina so we automatically have a lot in common! The weather has just been spectacular here in Prague for weeks, so I have taken every advantage of it by spending most of my free time in the outdoors. I have heeded the warnings of everyone that when November comes, it will be cloudy and cold most days. But this particular Sunday could not have been more perfect! See for yourself.

  • Sybil gets credit for this gorgeous tree shot

Tonight Sybil and I are going to do Halloween right- we are going on a ghost tour of Old Town including the old Jewish ghetto and cemetery. The cemetery dates back to the first half of the 15th century. Approximately 12,000 tombstones have been counted here, but about 100,000 people are buried here! I will share more about the old Jewish ghetto of Prague in a later post. I can’t think of a better place to see a ghost, can you?!

Happy Halloween from Prague

Autumn Comes to Karlín

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Outside my building on Křižiková Street
Flower shops abound in Prague and they entice you in with all of their colorful plants and arrangements. Here’s one I bought for my kitchen table

And now for an update on my long term Visa…. As I mentioned in my last post, the Czech government requires foreigners to interview for their Visa at a Czech Embassy outside of the country. Because there is a backlog of people applying for Visas post Covid restrictions, and because several Czech embassies in European cities have stopped doing this work altogether, it is difficult to get an appointment. My appointment is on November 4th in Warsaw, Poland, a “mere” 12 hour train ride. I am considering flying there. In any event, I’ll have to overnight the night before as my interview is at 10:00 a.m. If you’re thinking that these requirements are daunting, you are correct. They are designed to “thin the herd.”

Getting ready for Halloween

A Visit to the American Embassy

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In September I made a visit to the American Embassy to collect one of the many documents necessary for my Živnostensky Visa- or long-term visa based on a trade license. This type of Visa is used by English teachers, IT specialists, or artists who usually work as freelancers. At the US Embassy, I signed a document swearing that I had committed no crimes in the US or the Czech Republic and paid $50 cash for a notarized piece of paper that served as my required criminal background check!

If only, everything was that easy! The Czech government has made the process so difficult in recent years that you need to hire a Visa Service to navigate for you. Besides a long list of other documents, you must have a notarized business address. My visa guru, Dave at Visa Force, is able to get a “virtual address” for you for a mere 1000 Czech crowns. You pay the money and don’t ask questions.

At present, I have my Trade License, and am awaiting an appointment at a Czech Embassy- one, outside the country. Yes, you read that correctly. Applicants must leave the Czech Republic and go to a Czech Embassy outside the country for their interview. I’m hoping Dave can get me one in Berlin, if not, then Vienna. It’s not likely that it will happen until late November, maybe December. My 90 day tourist visa ends October 31st.

Visa approval can take up to 12 weeks, so it’s possible that I will be living here 6 months before I have my Živno and am living here legally. Is it worth it you might ask? It’s true that the Czechs are known for their love of bureaucracy (even before Communism) and it is designed to discourage those who might consider living here as a passing fling. But I am determined to make it happen. I want the full of experience of getting to know this city and its people. To live and work here like a native.

It was a gorgeous day when I went to the US Embassy and I snapped this picture on my way there. I don’t know what the buildings are, but this is your typical view around almost every corner. And that’s worth a lot.

Good King Wenceslas

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Today is a National Holiday – Czech Statehood Day and the Feast of Saint Wenceslas (Svatý Václav). Most businesses and stores are closed as well as government offices. Wenceslas is the Patron Saint of Bohemia, the Spiritual Protector of the Czech Lands. He was actually “just” the Duke of Bohemia from 921 to 935, but he was elevated to Sainthood and posthumously declared King by the Catholic Church after his assassination in 935. Only 24, Wenceslas was murdered by his younger brother, aptly named, Boleslaus, the Cruel.

His relics are stored in St. Vitus Cathedral in a private chapel but on his Feast Day they make a religious pilgrimage from the cathedral to the town of Stará Boleslav (where he was killed) and then back again.

Although he lived such a short life, Wenceslas managed to gain a reputation as a heroic and virtuous leader, and he became revered not only in the Czech Republic but in England. He became symbolic of what a good and kind king can, and should be. If youŕe old enough, you may remember singing about him at Christmas time…..

Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen. Where the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even…….

There are numerous statues of Wenceslas around the city but none more famous than this one that sits at the top of Wenceslas Square in front of the National Museum.

An ancient legend, (not unlike that of King Arthur), says that in the country’s darkest hour, in order to save it from ruin, this statue will come to life and lead an army of knights who now sleep beneath the Czech mountain, Blaník. As Protector of the Czech Lands, it is only fitting that it was in Wenceslas Square that the Czech people gathered and protested, and eventually drove out the occupying Soviets in 1989.

Vítejte v Praze!

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Dear Readers, I have finally made it to Prague! Here is a view of the magnificent Charles Bridge (almost 700 years old) crossing the beautiful Vltava River. In the background you see Prague Castle and the Spires from St. Vitus Cathedral.

I have landed in the Karlín neighborhood of Prague 8. It is referred to as the “Brooklyn” of Prague with good reason. Tree lined streets, magnificently restored old buildings, cafes, coffee shops and wine bars on every corner, all with a real neighborhood feel.

This is the entrance to my building on Křižíkova Street. It is a fine example of Art Deco that abounds in Prague, built in 1905.

But things weren’t always this way…..

In August 2002, Prague suffered one of its worst floods in history.

One of the hardest areas was Karlín. This is a view looking down my street, Křižíkova. But the flood had its upside. It spawned a renaissance of this neighborhood and led to the revitalization of businesses and the preservation of its gorgeous buildings. The work continues and I see reconstruction and new construction all around me.

Karlín Today

In the coming weeks, I will introduce you, dear readers, to the various parts of mz neighborhood, which is already beginning to feel like home.

Jsem Tady! I Am Here!

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Actually, I’ve been here for 2 weeks. I wanted to write before, but between jet lag, lost baggage, numerous technical difficulties, and adapting to my new surroundings, I’ve been, well, a bit overwhelmed!

I never thought I could undertake such a move alone, and let me just say, if You are considering a similar uprooting, be sure you have friends or family in that foreign place to take you in and help you get on your feet.

Kat (Kateřina) and her brother, Kuba (Jakub) were at the airport to pick me up. They live in a small suburb of Prague called Brandýs nad Labem. Nad Labem means “on the Labem River.” (The Labem is the Elbe River in Germany) Currently I am living with Kat, her mother Růžena, and Kat’s 13 year old son Bohdan in a lovely big house that sits high above the river. Kuba and his family live close by and I will introduce them to you later.

Front of our house and our view of the river

Růžena is an excellent cook and she prepares all of our meals. We sit at table together without the tv on, remember those days? Breakfast consists of various breads, ham and cheese, butter, local honey, and an assortment of Růženaś homemade jams: apricot, cherry, and strawberry. Lunch is the main, and only “hot”meal of the day. In the afternoon we have our coffee with a zakusek, a sweet pastry or dessert-often taken outside in the garden gazebo overlooking the river. Dinner is a light affair like open faced sandwiches called chlebíčky (chleba means bread).

We often have lunch (here, homemade pizza) and take our coffee in the garden

The weather here is quite pleasant as the Czech Republic sits at 50 degrees north latitude. It is noon as I write this and 82 degrees. The high will be 87 with low humidity. Of course, like all people around the world, they complain about the “hot” weather.( I know all of you back home in the US, like me, are rolling your eyes right now.) So, when it is hot, we take our walks in the evening along the river. The scenery is simply idyllic dotted with ducks on the water and small boats anchored along the riverbanks.

Of course, my transition has not been without its share of difficulties and complications. I will say more about those later….. Until next time- Mějte se Hezky! Have a Great Day!

-The Bohemian Freethinker

Swing to the Jazz of Spring

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With Spring just arrived, and in honor of National Poetry Month, The BohemianFreethinker is delighted to introduce Wilmington poet and photographer Marie-Claire Lander, and to share with you a selection of her previously unpublished poems and photos.

tulips

Swing to the Jazz of Spring

Rouge, blush, orange…
Tousled petals
Jostle in the breeze
Cheek to cheek.

Swing to the jazz
Of spring, heads bowed
To the rhythm of the wind,
Tulips dance, lanky and tall.

Crowned heads will soon shed
Their lipstick red,
Gushing yellow,
Brazen pink, and pious purple…

But for now
They can rest easy
On their green sepals,
Pedestal of spring

white blossoms

First in Bloom

Ah, the honor
Of being first
To bloom!
The first splash
Of blush
In the whole drab world.
Cleome Hassleriana,
Can I call you Spider Flower?

Your sisters will join you soon,
But for now, you swoon
And caress the air
With your smug pink corolla
Just because…
You know that only the first
Bloom counts,
Like the first kiss
Of spring.

daffodil1-e1522857098148.jpg

Petal Alphabet

I don’t speak daffodils
Or dogwood.
I’ve never learned
The petal alphabet.

Would it go something like this?
Azaleas
Blooms
Chrysalis
Daffodils
Elderflowers
Fields
Garnered
Hills
Jasmine
Kniphofia
Lantana
Magnolia…
All the way to…
Zinnia, Elegant Liliput Mix.

I am not fluent by any means
But I speak bud a little,
Blossom occasionally,
Delight, always.

heron.jpg

Heron

Still,
In the presence of the wind,
Cold
But stoic.
Life as a heron
Is heroic.
When the only defense
Is mere fluff and feathers,
A passive wait is the only way.
Still,
You remain,
Let the air ruffle you at will
As if it didn’t matter,
As if warmth came
From a wisp of hope
And wishful thoughts.
Still,
You remain tranquil
For so long the wind winds down
to the occasional ripple
and deserts the creek.
The taunting is over.
Still,
You stand your muddy ground,
One stalk-like leg steeped in muck,
The other tucked in.
Acrobatic feat,
Singular triangle-like stance,
A balancing act
Stilled to perfection.

airlie fountain

Airlie Gardens, Wilmington, NC

A native of Anjou, France, Mrs. Lander received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the Université Catholique de l’Ouest. Her sense of adventure led her to New Zealand where she studied at Auckland Teachers College and began teaching French in high schools. It was while in New Zealand, that her first poems were published in the University Journal.
She now resides with her husband Hal in Wilmington, NC where she continues to pursue her life long passions of poetry, nature photography, and French translation.

All photography and poetry copyright Marie-Claire Lander 2018. All rights reserved.