Days 6-8 -- Karvina/Ostrava/ Čechy pod Kosířem/Olomouc

 Al, Bo, Marcelle, David and Beckett took a trip to Czechia to visit Marcelle’s almost sister Kami who spent a year living with us in Deerfield and going to Deerfield high school with Marcelle.

On the way, we stopped in Karvina where Bo lived for about 10 years and where Marcelle grew up until the age of 10. We wanted to show Beckett the house where we lived, Marcelle’s nursery school, the grave of his great grandparents, and the city in general. Then we met Kami’s mom (and Bo’s close friend) Renatka in the main square, near the palace of the Larisch family who owned Karvina and nearby land. The Karvina region used to be prosperous since coal was discovered there in 1776 and mining became the main industry. Now, all the coal mines are closed and the city seems a bit depressed.

 



On the way to Renatka’s house in Ostrava, we stopped at the leaning church of Karvina, a Baroque Saint Peter of Alcantara Church in Karvina-Doly. Kami’s paternal grandmother used to play organ there. It was built in 1736. Due to the extensive coal mining in the area, the ground lowered and the church now leans 6.8° southwards. 


 

After a delicious and very big lunch at Renatka’s, we drove to Kami’s house in a little town Cechy Pod Kosirem near Olomouc. The main attraction of this little town (apart from Kami and her family, of course) is classicist chateau surrounded by a huge landscaped park. The chateau is linked with the aristocratic Portuguese family Silva-Tarouca. A famous Czech painter Josef Manes was a good friend of the family and visited Čechy pod Kosířem regularly and worked there from 1849 to 1870.

 

Last time Bo visited Kami, the old house they bough was pretty much a ruin. Now, it’s a gorgeous place with a beautiful courtyard that looks like a garden in southern France, and with a huge orchard full of different fruit trees. They also have 3 rabbits, a superdog Marushka and a cute black kitty Bettinka. After not seeing each other for so long, we stayed up talking (and eating and drinking) until very late (or very early)… Poor Mikulas (Kami’s husband) had to ride his bike to work to Olomouc (23 km over hills).

 

Next day we went to visit Olomouc. Kami and Marushka were the guides. Olomouc is a beautiful and charming city, and luckily it’s nowhere near as crowded as Prague. Its well preserved Old Town is among the most beautiful in Czechia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

It was a very hot day so we had to cool ourselves down with ice-cream every so often. 

In the evening, we played a game called kubb, and Al was the most valuable player! Then another marathon of talking, eating and drinking. Al and I went to bed around 1 am, but the younger generation kept going… Mikulas had to bike to work again…












In the morning we went to visit the chateau’s impressive park and then got on the road back to Turawa. 



On the way, we stopped in Rybnik to see a palace of the Polednik family, which is nicely restored and serves as a regional courthouse.



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