the real Czech way of life

This morning we were picked up by Marta and her dad Vladimir and taken to Jablonec nad Nisou to see how real Czechs live. J Her family was so welcoming and I felt right at home. Her mom made us some delicious apple strudel and then we went to the Petřín lookout to see the beautiful Jablonec n.N. from higher up. We then went to the town reservior and walked for a while, learning a bit about the town from tour guide Marta. We came home for a late lunch of homemade goulaš and dumplings...again, delicious. I’m surely going to miss all this authentic Czech food!! Next we went to nearby Liberec for a tour of St. Lawrence church which was founded by the Dominican order and dedicated to St. Zdislava. I had never heard of Saint Zdislava, but we were told she worked in the Liberec area and dedicated her life to helping others. The coolest part was that we got to go underground to the crypts and see her burial place, along with the crypts of several Dominicans and others who helped build the church. (We were told that tours usually dont go down to see that, but we were allowed to because we were such rare visitors!) After that we tried to go to Lemberk castle but it was closed, so we went to a mineral spring instead. It was so cold and refreshing, and it didnt taste like old pipes like the Karlovy Vary springs! Next came dinner at a local Liberec hotel restaurant, and we were joined by Jakub Hodbod who I met this past year when he was a student at UNL. He also came with us to the Ještěd lookout tower on the highest mountain peak in Liberec where we could see the gorgeous mountains and landscape of the area, as well as Germany and Poland! It was so nice to meet with Jakub again, and also convenient that he lives so close to the Kloučkovas. It is nice to be able to see how Marta lives here, and it gives me a better idea of how things changed for her when she came to Nebraska. Jablonec is a very nice town, about the size of Bellevue, but with more forests and mountains. Its beautiful!