Shoe shopping with Roger

Woke up this morning knowing that today was going to be different. We had agreed that I was going to check out the shoes in Prague. Yesterday we had shopped at the sausage maker, the baker and the cheese maker, so we had a great little breakfast in our apartment. "Let's just take the tram towards the end of the line first," suggests Roger. Okay, It's early, I'm enthusiastic... So off we go exploring.

And we find a very nice, clean neighborhood, free of tourists and filled with regular folk. No cinder block communist buildings here, they must be at the other end of town. Also, no shoe stores. Since we have to take tram to get downtown, we decide to get off at the castle quarter and walk down through castle courtyards and say hello to the gargoyles as we head towards the city center. No shoe stores here either.


Then we make snap decision to visit the Lobkowicz Palace. A quick stop..no, not so fast. Turns out to be an amazing collection and story of one prominent Czech family ranging from the 1300s up to the present. The Germans took all their lands and treasures and then the Russians took the rest. Today they have it all back. Looking at their family tree, I realize what a mongrel peasant I am.

We have now been walking for hours. We stumble down the hillside to find a fabulous pizza, but no shoes. We continue to walk... Over the remarkable Charles Bridge and along with hundreds of other tourists, we head into the city center. We are now shuffling, my god, we have been walking for hours and we ache. We desperately search to find the metro and to get back to our apartment and collapse into bed. After all, it's a jazz club this evening. I've given up the dream of ever shopping for shoes in Prague.

 

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Imagine

It's a good thing that I am not 19 and traveling through Prague. I simply would not have been mature enough to appreciate the history. As we stand among these magnificent buildings and statues I am horrified by the suffering these people lived through in modern times. First the Germans. Czech was composed of an equal number of German, Czechs and Jews. The nazis killed 95 percent of the Jewish population. After the war, the Russians walked in.

Today, Roger and I paid homage to John Lennon and visited the John Lennon wall. I didn't even know it existed. When he died in 1980, people came out at night and painted on the wall, inspired by his songs, Imagine and All You Need Is Love. Each night the Russians would paint over the wall. This went on until 1989, when the 'velvet revolution' succeeded and the Russians left.

It so much easier for me to go the Hawaii, etc. Eat, drink, enjoy the heat and turn off the mind. So far I have been challenged by history, by different ways of living, by different attitudes. And, I am old enough to appreciate the challenge. I also really appreciate growing up and living in Canada. I have been blessed.

 

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Holiday Eyes

It just seems so damn civilized. Want a drink? Go to a bar. Want a toke? Go to a 'coffee shop'. Want to have sex? Go pick a willing woman out of a window. Mind you, I can't figure out women are supposed to do - I guess we don't have the urge. Have family? Get a larger bike!

With all the hullabaloo about sex and drugs in Canada, it makes me wonder if we are just situated too close to the USA to see any other ways to live life. "Where are all your homeless people?" I asked our host. He looked at me askance. "We have a few but there are shelters." We have seen no one sleeping in the parks, in entrance ways, on the streets. We have shelters, but our nooks and crannies are often bedrooms.

Amsterdam has given me lots to ponder. Tomorrow we fly to Prague. The weather station is calling for wind, rain and thunderstorms. I dread the air flight already.

 

 

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A difference of thinking

I gotta say .... I really don't like flying but I'm sure glad I made myself get on that plane because otherwise I would't know that I am a little in love with Amsterdam.

But here are the real issues. Where are all the old people? This a young, vibrant, laid back city. I don't see many seniors or overweight people. And, there are no 'walk' and 'don't walk' signals, let alone traffic signals! Talk about letting people use their critical thinking skills. Bikes just fly by with no one wearing helmets! Babies on the front, friends sit on the back fender side saddle. The air is clean, there is way less 'city noise' and ambient light because there are way less cars. The smell of marijuana wafts from the coffee shops and there is no obvious police presence on the street.

It makes wonder why we feel we have to hold Canadians hands, tell us how to it, when to do it and what not to do. Maybe, we as a population should grow up and demand our government treat us as adults.


 

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Test

 

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Luggage + clothes = 15.5 lbs = one month travel

I have been packing. The goal was to take enough clothes and shoes for hot, cool and wet weather and to be able to dress up and dress down. I whittled the entire weight down to 15.5 pounds. (Yes, that includes curly hair products, moisturizers, etc!) Fifteen pounds is easily carried on the plane and easily hauled around on our travels.

 Packing is rather like life. You need to pack enough to carry you through life’s journey – social and survival skills, some type of educational training. We need the ability to love and laugh, and to find shelter, clothing and food. Those are the basics and then we start layering. We add judgement and criticism of ourselves and others. Clothes must make a statement and flatter our bodies. We want lots of choices. Our shelter aims towards the grandeur. And then we fill it with pictures, furniture, cushions, vases, rugs, books, china and on and on. We should be careful not too carry too much – we can become weighed down and then it becomes difficult to travel, to change, to try new things... to keep our intellectual flexibility. Pack light.

Heart of Darkness

Horne Lake Caves – A Caving Adventure. Hey, it was on Groupon and a great deal so I bought it. “Are you guys really this old?” asked our incredulous guide. “I can’t believe it.” Yeah – because we were probably the oldest people who had ever gone on this ‘adventure’ and he was wondering how he was going to get out bodies out. 

OMG, I thought I was going to die. For five hours, three couples (the other ones were in their early thirties and then there was Roger and me) lived underground crawling on our bellies in water, gravel and over rocks to get through 12 inch high openings in the rock. Do you have any idea how difficult that is???? I have renewed respect for navy seals. We belayed down a rock face searching for small finger holes and footholds… knowing that the worse was still to come. And there is was, a picture of hell. A narrow long silver ladder hung in the middle of a large cavern. One by one we belayed down to a rocky outcrop. Then we had to reach out to grab on to the ladder and climb down. It was hellish. Every muscle in my body strained and quivered as I tried to hang on. 

The problem was – we had to go back up the ladder, climb up the rock wall, get down on our bellies and slither back to the daylight. Climbing back up the ladder was incredibly hard. I can’t remember ever doing anything more physically challenging. And, I had such a large responsibility. I was carrying every 65 year old woman in Canada on my back. I had to make it to the top! I did and I made it back out of the cave. Wow, talk about a full body workout! I’m tougher than I thought.