chodsko 1

(Teplá Monastery, Plzen, Klenči, Domažlice)

Teplá Monastery – I wasn’t quite sure why we were visiting a monastery, but I am glad we did. It was so neat to see such aged but beautiful buildings, I think built in the 13^th century. I couldn’t help but wonder if the people who were building it and painting the gorgeous murals those many years ago expected it to be still in use (plus a sort of tourist attraction) today.

On the way to Plzen we stopped in Stod so I could take a picture in front of the city hall because the dudy I have on loan from Michael Cwach was made by Lubomir Jungbauer, the mayor (I don’t know if he is anymore) of Stod. J

Plzen – we weren’t expecting to go here, but were excited to be able to stop in the town square because we have ancestors from Plzen. We didn’t see any family names or anything, but the town gave me a different perspective because it was more industrial and more of what I predicted the Czech Republic to be like. We stopped in the Catholic church (St. Bartholomew), walked in the town square, and it was time to go back to the bus already.

Klenči – OH MY GOODNESS!! This might have to go on the list of coolest things I’ve done in my lifetime. Tonight we heard the Antonín Konrády band for our evening entertainment. Antonín is basically a dudy master! He invited me to play with him (AHHH!! How exciting!) so I said ok and we played the two songs I know (so far) – “Budejce, Budejce” and “The Bohemian Café Song” (in Czech). I played the melody, and they knew the songs so they (the violin, clarinet, accordion, and dudy) elaborated it. I was shaking out of excitement the whole time because it was me, a dudačka for only 5 months now, plus only self-taught, and a master who even won an award in England back in the mid-late 1900s. I still cant believe it. It was AMAZING. We also bought a stomp fiddle (looks like a percussion stick doll thing…see pictures) and a horse hair jug (also see pictures. Then Antonín gave me a horse hair jug as a gift for playing my dudy with him. I cant even explain on here how amaznig that was! There are pictures and videos so stay tuned for a few of those!!