My Travels Archives - Page 11 of 16 - Dominique Hurley

Am I ready? Leaving the Ashram Tomorrow

April 4, 2014/in My Travels

This isn’t the first time I feel this – I’ve done quite a few silent and not-so-silent spiritual retreats in my day and, when nearing the end, I always have mixed feelings. It’s the same when I go into hermit mode at home or in my painting studio. I appreciate the simplicity, the peacefulness, the lack of chaos and crowds. This week has gone by so quickly and has been so beautiful in so many ways – I could easily stay here a month!

It’s not like my Bali adventure is over though. I have 3 painting workshops to look forward to in the next 3 weeks and lots of tourism discoveries with each group. Yet part of me fears leaving those gates tomorrow. The fact that one of the guests here was pulled off her motorbike, broke her collar bone and got a concussion when a rider on a passing bike tried to pull her purse off doesn’t help. Like in any country where there’s a huge financial disparity between the locals and the masses of tourists flocking to it, there’s bound to be such occurrences. Between that and rabid monkeys who are famous for stealing what’s in your hands and bags, the world outside those gates could seem terrifying if I let it – but I won’t. Reading tourist websites/guides is a bit like watching the news. Your mind can get hooked on all the negativity – especially for some personality types (confession). Yes, I’m a world traveler. Still, I go through my “feel the fear and do it anyway” stages and then am usually thrilled I did (the do it, not the fear it). It’s the transitions that are tough. As Eckhart Tolle says, “People tend to dwell more on negative things than on good things. So the mind becomes obsessed with negative things, with judgement, guilt and anxiety produced by thoughts about the future, and so on.” I’m getting better. I realize that as Harvey Mackey says, “When you wake up every day, you have two choices. You can either be positive or negative; an optimist or a pessimist. I choose to be an optimist. It’s all a matter of perspective”. Indeed!

I’m glad to say I chose a healthy perspective this morning. Although I didn’t make it to meditation and yoga (that’s what I get for staying up til 11pm to upload photos to my blog on a slow Internet connection and for putting my alarm on for 5:30 p.m. instead of a.m.) I didn’t beat myself up too badly for it. I actually woke up 10 minutes before it started, but there was such a storm outside that I spent the next few minutes looking at the thatched roof above my head wondering if was waterproof – it is. There were moments I could feel the judgement creeping in, but I recognized those and let the judgement go. Being loving means starting by being accepting of myself and my choices / actions. I’m learning. By 8am the storm had passed and the sun came out in time for yet another delicious breakfast!

Apart from that, I didn’t do much today – 2 meditations, 3 meals, a swim, a bit of reading, laundry in my bathroom sink, and resting. I took out my sketch pad and walked around, but didn’t draw anything. It’s still not part of my habits, even if I know that practice makes perfect. I didn’t want to force it. Travel for me inspires photography. Perhaps my workshops will add drawing to that, but I wasn’t moved to do so today.

Speaking of art workshops, I actually did leave the gates of the ashram yesterday for about 30 minutes or so. I accompanied Bella, a lovely American medical student and first time solo-traveler, to the batik workshop less than 5 minutes down the street. I was curious about it, and it was close by. There is indeed a world outside these gates. I could see the big family temple across from us, but hadn’t understood when I was told that the family was very big and so it was natural for their temple to be very big. No family I know of has its own church back home, so I had no context. As we walked down the road, I suddenly became aware that every home has its own temple site next to its house and that every elaborately decorated gateway to their home complex looks like temple gates. I can see how a tourist would inadvertently walk onto someone’s property, thinking it was a temple they could visit. Actually, that’s not true. Each property also seems to have a collection of loose dogs that fulfill their guard duty quite well by running up to the gate and barking ferociously as you walk by. I’m a dog lover, but did get a bit weary. Amazingly, they stop right at the top of the steps. Phew! I only had my iPhone and the glare was so bad I couldn’t see what I was photographing, but here’s a quick glimpse for now. I wish I had taken a photo of the woman doing her laundry in the street gutter in front of her home, but I didn’t feel it was polite and didn’t feel like asking for permission at the time.

The Batik studio was attached to a family home – temple, chickens, etc. It also had its barking dogs, and so we wondered if it truly was the right entrance. Soon, though, a man came to greet us with a “This is the friendly dog” and so I went into my usual dog-loving mode. We were there just before the teacher was going to start his one-day workshop with another foreigner, so Bella decided to stay. For $40 Cdn, she got 5 hours of instruction with lunch and completed an absolutely beautiful wall hanging of Ganesha. I was already familiar with this popular deity that is well represented at the ashram -“the remover of obstacles,the patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom”. The small wooden carving of him that my brother brought back from India for me years ago is one of my few remaining possessions. I was very excited, therefore, that Bella found a design that pleased her and thrilled to see the results at the end of her day. Isn’t this gorgeous?!

Here’s a photo I took from my second bedroom window – so far I had only focused on the beautiful and peaceful in my blog. That had been part of my spiritual practice. Outside the other window, however, they’re building a 40-room hotel, one of a few being built in the small stretch of road I explored yesterday. I was told that soon there won’t be any more rice paddies around here. Some people say Bali is a sinking ship – the tourist boom has led to so much building that the island’s water and other infrastructure systems won’t be able to sustain it. Some hotels even have private pools in each room, I hear… I pray that those with vision and expertise find solutions to the problems and that harmony prevails between locals and tourists, humans and Mother Earth, etc I am so grateful for what I have experienced here so far. May Bali continue to share its beauty and hospitality in a loving, mutually profitable, and sustainable way. May Ganesha and all the deities that are worshiped here continue to show the way.

Got to run – no time for another re-read. Meditation time. If something isn’t expressed clearly – so be it. 🙂

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Slowing Down and Zooming In at Anand Ashram

April 3, 2014/in My Travels

I’ve always woken up early while traveling. In fact, I’d wake up at the usual 5am and try to pack as much as possible in a day: see everything, do everything, and get my money’s worth before time ran out. Nothing wrong with being in tourist mode. Nothing wrong at all, really. It’s the contrast with my current experience that makes me smile. I’m still getting up at 5am, but that’s so that I can go to Anand Ashram’s daily 6am meditation, fire ceremony and yoga class before breakfast and spending time walking the grounds with my camera before it gets too hot (around 9-10am). I still feel like I’m quite busy with 2 other meditation sessions, 3 meals, photo editing and time in the library – but I feel so very relaxed, peaceful, and content. This week is about slowing down and zooming in. I’m very glad I was guided this way.

Gallery – The Ashram Close-Up:

After my day of photographing the grounds with my wider angle lens (see previous post), I decided to spend Wednesday with only my long lens, zooming in to the world around me from within the ashram. Looking at the world close-up has always increased my sense of wonder at the beauty that surrounds us. With a heart filled with gratitude and joy, I slowed down and wandered around looking – seeing – appreciating – connecting. When I’m in nature with my camera or in my studio painting – those are my truest forms of meditation – my spiritual practice. It’s now my pleasure to share the results here with you. The best way to see these is on the blog site. Click on the first image and proceed to the next at full screen- you can’t always appreciate the tiny thumbnails in the galleries. Can you find the motorcycle with 5 people on it?

Gallery: Looking Outside from Within:

I’ve also just finished “Soul Quest- the Journey from Death to Immortality”, the autobiography of Anand Krishna – the one who founded these multi-faith ashrams. How very inspiring. I’ve read many such books over the decades, and as for each one before it, I feel blessed for the reminder of what being a spiritual traveler on this earth is all about. Love, Beauty, Inspiration, Consciously Going with the Flow, and sharing what we’ve learned along the way. I found it most interesting how his life – this one and remembered past ones – is interlinked with the lives of many of those I have read about and followed in my own ways in my own time. By reading his story, it feels like I’ve connected to my own more deeply and more peacefully.

Gallery: Artsy Photoshop Creations:

Last night, as for every Wednesday night at the ashram, dozens of people (mostly Balinese from the neighbouring towns), came for an evening of Keertan (devotional call and response chants in Sanskrit). Most of my music collection consists of this kind of chanting and joining in (thanks to the words on the screen) was blissful. It was held in the open air devotional/yoga space below the Universal Mother Goddess temple while the rain fell outside and the djembe drums led us inside. Lovely!

Other memorable moments have been:

watching a firefly slowly walk down the mosquito net as I was falling asleep, with its traffic signal flashing on and off (reminding me of how thousands of its species had lit up the rice fields on the dark night of Nyepi – something I forgot to mention).
getting eaten alive under my mosquito net the night I decided to sleep with the windows open… by tiny small black bugs easily visible with my flashlight. I switched beds, had the linen changed the next day, fogged the room, and slept with the windows closed the next night without problems.
tasting 3 kinds of fruit after keertan last night – hairy rambutan, purple mangosteen, and duku (lanasium domesticum) myum!
finding a tiny bird with its wing broken and bleeding at the top of the stairs near my door. As I approached to see if I could help, it managed to fly down 3 flights to the ground in fear. I’m not a Saint Francis… and I couldn’t find it after that. It reminded me that it was not my place to judge whether this was a good thing or bad thing – it was just a thing – perhaps its injury would help the scrawny kitten that recently moved into the gardens to feed itself. My heart had reached out to it as well.

that sense of knowing that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing – being in the moment- and praying I remember that when more challenging times occur, as may this month with 2 eclipses and other astrological events.
the pleasure of simply showing up for meals without having to make any choices or pay each time – thanks to Yuda for his wonderful cooking – he learned on YouTube he told us. I enjoy hearing him chanting joyfully in the kitchen while I look at the birds and flowers around the outdoor eating area.

knowing I had fun taking about 30 photos of butterflies in flight even if I don’t have one in focus to show you 🙂
simply being here – thank you also to Herny, the ashram’s caretaker and fire keeper, for making my stay at this beautiful, safe, sanctuary so wonderful.
Still going with the flow, I had my first swim in the healing pool – refreshing!… how’s this for a selfie?! (thanks to my Otter iPhone crushproof/waterproof case)

OK – now it’s 11pm. Let’s see if I get up at 5am for meditation…. Goodnight!

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Happy New Year! Bali Style

April 1, 2014/in My Travels

Well it seems I’ve got a habit of flying on New Year’s Eve. I arrived in Vienna on December 31st and this time landed in Denpasar, Bali on March 30th – their New Year’s Eve. Before I tell you about that (and there’s lots to tell), let me say that being in airports and airplanes for 27 hours isn’t so bad when you’re a movie buff and people-watcher like me. I flew Qatar Airlines, and as soon as we took off, I noted the time in Bali to reschedule my brain and sleep. The trick is to forget what time it is in the country you came from. I haven’t had what I’d call jet lag, so I believe it works.

smoking booth in restaurant at the Vienna Airport

I got 4-5 hours sleep between Doha and Singapore and watched movies the rest of the time: Gravity, Captain Phillips, Philomena, 12 Years a Slave, and perhaps more. All were on my wish list and I recommend them!

Having someone greet you at the airport is a definite plus – I’m so glad I had arranged that with the ashram I’m staying at! Once I got through the $25US 30-day visa line, the customs line, the baggage pick-up area. and the money exchange counter, I found Rudi at about 8:30pm in the long line up of drivers with signs. It was a relief to see my name and such a friendly smile. As a follow-up to my last post though, I’ll say that one disadvantage of having been first in line before 2 groups of 50 at the check-in counter in Vienna is that my luggage ended up coming out last at this end of the trip. Oh well…

New Year’s Eve here was advertised online as a time for “communal debauchery” – so I can’t say I was sorry to miss most of that. I wasn’t really in the mood for more crowds. I did get to experience some of it, however, as we drove past hundreds of people sitting by the sides of the road in each town waiting for the parade of huge papier machée evil monsters – Ogoh ogoh – before these were burned. This was the beginning of Nyepi – the Balinese New Year Celebrations – the biggest religious ceremony of the year. As we made our way towards Ubud, ignoring the two lane markings on the roads while weaving among the countless motorcycles, sometimes 4 deep with whole families on board – some of which were heading towards us in our lane – we could also see where the parades had already passed.

Garbage littered the streets and small fires still burned unattended in the grass. I had my camera out, but focusing in total darkness while in a moving vehicle is a challenge. At one point, the main road to Ubud was closed and the traffic officer told us it would be a 2-hour wait. Luckily, we found out that we could probably bypass the parade further down the road, so after a couple of tries that had us U-turn amongst loads of folks sitting in the street, we made it. Once in Ubud, we stopped at the soccer field where I got out of the van to take a few pictures, once again in total darkness, before heading to the ashram.

Anand Ashram Ubud is a beautiful place. It’s just what I needed. At $20/night, it is perfect for my budget. More than that, though, it’s location 3km from the busy streets of town, its spiritual program, its food, and its facilities are all conducive to my needs right now. I’m so not in tourist mode. I’m in wind-down and tune-in mode. Not coincidentally, I’m sure, the whole country was in sync with that mode on New Year’s Day (more likely vice versa). Indeed, my first day here was what they call the Day of Silence – an enforced day of quiet, self-reflection, and darkness. You see, once they’ve burned effigies of evil monsters, the country comes to a complete halt in order to trick the true evil spirits into believing the island has been abandoned. That way, they’ll leave.

So although I was relieved our pilots didn’t join in the international celebrations of Earth Hour by shutting down the power in mid-flight the night before, I was thrilled to be part of a whole nation’s 24-hour observance of even greater magnitude. I had already intended not to leave the ashram on my first day – turns out I had no choice. Neither did anyone else. The airport was closed for the day, and there was no traffic anywhere. Only emergency vehicles were allowed if needed. Also, no lights were allowed until 6am the next morning. As a I sat on the top floor of the ashram outside my room with a few folks observing the magnificent starry sky, we got to witness the town’s enforcement guards who made their way with flashlights to houses where lights had been inadvertently left on – soon it was totally dark all around us except for the starlight. Apart from these guards, whom I had read would escort any unknowing tourist back to their hotel, no one was allowed in the streets. All shops and restaurants were closed. Basically, the whole country goes within – some fasting and observing total silence for the day. Can you imagine 24 hours of darkness and silence in your country (and I don’t mean because of all the power blackouts because of the snowstorms Canada has had this year).

Quite a few Balinese had come to spend the weekend at the ashram, and so there was talking and I must say, lots of eating (enjoying the food so far!). I did, however, choose not touch my camera or computer all day (tougher than it seems, trust me) – although when I set my alarm on my iPhone that night, I’ll admit I checked my emails. Overall, however, I joined in a day of self-reflection and spiritual ritual and intend to continue this into my week here.

What a great first day after a comfortable night’s sleep in my spacious room on the top floor overlooking the rice fields. It was dark when I arrived on New Year’s Eve and still dark when I went to meditation at 6am on New Year’s Day- so my first glimpse of the surroundings was when I walked out of the Mother Goddess temple on the top floor of the main building at 6:30am. Wow! The rice fields are so green! They get harvested every 3 months, by the way. I didn’t know that. The idea of harvesting a crop more than once a year seems so abundant! Here are pictures of my room and the view from it.

On both days so far, I met some lovely travelers and locals. I participated in the daily 6am chanting meditation that was accompanied by cascading cock-crows and dog barks, and today a few motorcycles and honking. This is followed by a heart-felt fire ceremony and much needed gentle Kundalini yoga class before breakfast.

I then spent time in the library, where I was surprised (and not surprised) to find a large statue of St. Francis of Assisi – a sign that indeed all steps of my journey are related and that I’m on the right path (my next workshop after Bali is in Assisi). I chose to start reading “Soul Quest”, an autobiography of Anand Krishna, spiritual activist, prolific author, and founder of these multi-faith ashrams affiliated with the United Nations. I’ll admit, with the sound of the fountains outside the window and the cool breeze caressing my neck as I leaned back on the couch with my book, I did go into dream-state a few times …. very interesting visions as my story blended with his – but I refuse to believe it was jet lag.

I also attended the 12pm and 6 pm meditations – half an hour of sitting in stillness while listening to Sanskrit chanting. I wasn’t given permission to take pictures of the inside of the Mother Goddess Temple. It’s quite beautiful – an altar of statues and wall hangings dedicated to the universal mother goddesses of many religions – Kamakshi, Mother Mary, Kwan-Yin, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and more. To enter, we ring the bell 3 times as a greeting and to ask permission to enter – and do so again on our way out to excuse ourselves. I like learning about the various rituals of various faiths. Although Anand Krishna continues to be persecuted for his efforts towards harmony between faiths, his take on universal spirituality seems very much in line with my own philosophy. I’m enjoying reading about his life. In a way, I’m getting the integration of western and eastern cultures that was on the curriculum for the upcoming trimester at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art.

The weather was much cooler yesterday than today – by 10 am this morning, it was too hot to take pictures anymore and I retreated to the library again to give my body time to adjust. Although there’s traffic outside today, it’s actually quieter within our gates as most have returned home or gone out exploring – today is still a holiday, but stores are open. Actually, I was the only one who ate lunch today – the staff thought it was too hot … Tomorrow, I’ll go for a swim in the mantra and crystal infused healing pool. For now, I’m enjoying being in hermit and self-reflection mode after 3 busy months in Vienna and before 3 busy weeks here. So no pressure – it’s nice to find a balance between being and doing.

So that’s my introduction – all is very well indeed. Goodnight and Happy New Year!

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Magical Manifestation – Cycling in Vienna

March 29, 2014/in My Travels, Vienna - Life and Tourism

Have you seen the movie “The Secret“? I really recommend it. I already believed in the power of manifestation before I watched it, but it was refreshing to see it so clearly visually represented. I even know a few skeptical businessmen who were really affected by this movie when it came out in 2006. Anyhow, this past week has been a great reminder for me about the strength of intention in our lives.

I mean, being here in Vienna and heading to Bali in a few hours for more art workshops are both huge examples of manifestation (thanks to the support of the Universe and so many of you!). It’s the smaller examples, however, that remind me daily of the potency of our thoughts and feelings.

Take this week, for instance. You’ve already read how I had wanted a haircut and asked my friend in the Czech Republic for a recommendation while on the way to visit friends I hadn’t seen in over 20 years. Within a couple of hours, sitting in their living room enjoying everyone’s company, I got a great haircut from their now-grown-up daughter who happened to be a hairdresser. That was a super-speed illustration of ask-and-ye-shall-receive. Thanks again Petra!

Well, my last day in Vienna provided me with quite a few more examples / reminders. Here’s how manifestation works. While in the Czech Republic, a few friends talked about going cycling together in May or June. I got so excited and gave a big internal “yes!”. The place they described sounded fantastic and I hadn’t biked since I got to Europe. It was on my wish list. Apart from walking, cycling has been my main mode of transportation for decades. As part of my fundraiser to come here, however, I had followed through on guidance to sell “Baby”, my men’s 10-speed bike that I had had for 31 years and the only possession I shed tears for when it came time to let it go. It had been my vehicle to so much joy, freedom, health, and savings after all, but I hadn’t used it much for 2 years because of all the hills in St. John’s. Anyhow, I put it up for sale online at a really high price and sold it within a day – a clear sign it was meant to be. Keep this cycling story in mind as I take a little detour.

On my last day in the Czech Republic, my friend Lucka suggested we go pick wild garlic to add to our lunch. The idea of picking fresh food in the forest thrilled me, but time ran out, so we used some she had picked the day before instead.

Back to Vienna. I woke up yesterday not expecting to do much except finish packing, bring a last little bag of stuff for storage at school, and meet a couple of folks for lunch. I had put out an invitation to classmates and teachers to join me at The Reform House, a healthy restaurant that serves mostly vegan food: one hot dish and your choice of 3 amazing salads for 7.50€. One of my classmates goes regularly by tram or scooter, but since I didn’t have a transit pass, I never had time to make it there and back to school on time by foot. I would always ask him to report on his choices, however, and kept telling myself I’d go one day. Lunch at the Reform House was definitely on my wish list.

So that’s what I did. I met Timea and Rachel there and had a delicious hot spinach pastry with beet & bean salad, Waldorf celery root salad, and potato salad. Delicious! My original plan was to go back home after that. You can imagine, therefore, how thrilled I was when Timea invited us for a bike ride. OK, well, actually, my first thought was “I don’t want to risk getting hurt before Bali, and most folks here don’t have helmets. Plus I’ve seen how dangerous tourists are when they walk unknowingly across bike paths in the core… I was one of those!”. So, as often is the case, I didn’t say a huge “Yes!” right away. Believe it or not, I’ve always had trouble adjusting to changes in plans and often see the potential danger of things at first. See, it’s all about feeling the fear and doing it anyway. It’s about stretching comfort zones and realizing that Hey! I had asked the Universe for this in the first place through my joy at the idea of cycling just a few days ago. So after a minute of humming and hawing, I did say “Yes!” and had a most magical day!

Timea had 2 bikes, so I took one of those and Rachel registered for the rent-a-bikes that are all over town. Once you’re registered, they’re free for the first hour, and 1€ for the second hour, etc. So from thinking I was only going to stay home and pack while waiting for the next day to arrive, I found myself atop a most comfortable bike (I like sitting up straight – much better for my neck and back than Baby – my next bike will be more like this), cycling on Vienna’s superb bike path network through the city and across the Danube canal, through the Prater Park, and along both the new and old Danube rivers. I should mention that cycling on the Danube Island had been on my wish list since last September when I realized it was way too long to walk. Needless to say, I grinned most of the afternoon, thrilled at the sites along the way, the sunshine, the company, the feeling of zooming down a huge spiral ramp, etc. I even got to help a lady get her friend’s dog out of the river, where it was determined to get itself killed by a couple of equally stubborn swans. Quite the chaos!

It was only when Timea turned onto one of the many dirt paths in the Prater Park and stopped in a field of wild garlic that I realized I was living the power of manifestation in triple (Reform House, cycling, and picking wild garlic!). I believe that my simple “I’d love that!” feeling in Omice on Wednesday opened up this opportunity with Timea. I wanted to pick garlic, and I did. Perfect!

What a magical day indeed! As we sat near the new Danube river, me with a cola popsicle (something I hadn’t had since I was a child – so good, especially since I haven’t even had a Coke in years), and them with beer and pastry, I marveled at the law of attraction. Joyful thoughts and feelings coupled with clear intention and letting go had once again led to what I wanted, as well as to deep gratitude (part of the cycle). Thank you Universe, Czech friends, Timea & Rachel, and Higher Self, who helped me get past the initial “No, I’m too scared” feelings that almost stop me from living my life at times. What a great reminder as I head off this morning for my big adventure in Bali. All is well indeed!

So here I am at the Vienna Airport – 6 hours early. OK, I’ll admit, 6 hours is really early even for me, but I was ready and waiting at home anyway and no longer had my Internet cable. Plus the public transit system is amazing here! So now I can use the free wi-fi, people-watch, and ensure I won’t miss my plane due to some unforeseen event or long line-ups at security…. I don’t mind sitting around, especially after all that great exercise yesterday. I can daydream, meditate, set intention, pray, and think pretty well anywhere. Time to manifest a great month in Bali.

What thoughts and feelings are you projecting out to the Universe?

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More Friendships in the Czech Republic

March 27, 2014/in My Travels

It’s 6:30am on Thursday and I’m back in Vienna. I woke up in my own bed (it’s mine for the next 2 days anyways) at the usual 5:30 a.m., but forced myself back to sleep for an extra hour. I can already feel that this is going to be a home day. After several wonderful days of being social with good friends and traveling (which recharges some of my batteries), my introvert self needs to recharge its own batteries by having a quiet day alone at home catching up on work, doing laundry, finishing my packing, and, if there’s time, watching a movie… or two.

I am so grateful for my time in the Czech Republic. I always am. After the 2 days described in the previous 2 posts, I got to spend time with my good friends Lenka from Blansko …

and Lucka from Omice.

If you remember, I spent a day teaching at both Soña’s school and Lenka’s back in December (see post). Lenka’s extroverted nature is no doubt a strong contributing factor to my having learned the language so quickly back in the 90s. It used to take us forever to get to the shops down the street, not because she was pushing a baby stroller, but because we stopped to chat with everyone on the way. Between that and kitchen socials everywhere, it was the perfect learning environment! I really recommend total immersion in social cultures if you want to learn a language… although past lives also help! Anyway, it was great to have time alone with Lenka to catch up on life, both at her place and during our drive to Brno, where we met Lucka for a late lunch on Tuesday.

That’s “Enjoy Your Meal” in Czech.

Lenka

Lenka, Lucka and I

We had a delicious meal together at La Patas before visiting Lucka’s school nearby. Seems most of my friends here are teachers / principals. There are 4 classes of about 30 children each between the ages of 3 and 6. I was thrilled to see that these kindergarten children have also been colouring mandalas – no doubt Lucka’s influence. I returned the next day to spend 2.5 hours with Lucka’s class. They’ve been learning English, so I played and read stories with small groups at a time when they woke up from their naps (so cute!) and then the whole class demonstrated English songs and games they had learned. Again – so cute! Teachers here teach half days and there is extra staff for the kitchen (they get hot lunches and then healthy snacks after their nap) and to assist in dressing them up after school or piling up the little beds before playtime, etc. Seems like they’ve got a good system – except for all the bureaucratic tasks that Lucka explained takes away time and resources from the children.

I used to teach in a high school in this neighbourhood back in the 90s. Back then, all the apartment buildings were what I’ve heard called communist grey. Now, they’re painted all sorts of colours. I’ve noticed this in smaller towns like Adamov and Blansko too. I must say, I much prefer all the colour. The energy in Brno, however, simply doesn’t resonate as highly with me as that of the Czech countryside and towns like Blansko. During this trip, I got to spend 3 different days in and out of the city (including a tramway trip to downtown to pick up a few necessities for Bali – cheaper here than in Vienna by far). Although I could see myself living in the Czech Republic again one day, I wouldn’t want it to be in the city.

On Tuesday night, Lucka and I had a girl’s night at her house in Omice, a beautiful little village 11km from Brno. Her husband and youngest son had gone to Poland to watch the oldest son, Stefan Zigardy, play in the final playoffs of the Polish National Hockey League. Lucka stayed behind because she had an important meeting with other school directors and the mayor earlier that day (lucky for me). Our girls’ night consisted of pigging out on a variety of healthy and non-healthy snacks while we watched the game on her computer and I finished the previous post on mine. The game was tied 1-1 and had to go into overtime, so I really got to see Stefan, the goalie, in action. Unfortunately, after a few shots during the shootout (I had to look up the term as I’m so not into sports), the other team scored the winning goal. The finals continue, however – the champions have to win 4 games before earning the title. So far, it’s 1-1.

Wednesday morning, I woke up to the song of birds and had a few leisurely hours before Lucka came down for breakfast. We then went for a lovely walk through Omice. It may be a small village of 800, but Stefan isn’t the only sports star from around here. Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna also lives here now. During our walk, I found out it’s also a heritage site – there’s an old volcano here. As you can see in the shot where Lucka is crouching beside her dog Buddy, however, there’s not much of it left to see – only a small dip in the grass.

volcano crater

After a few days of cold and rainy weather, it was great to see the sun again. After our walk, we had a huge meal (Lucka can cook!) and headed to town. When we returned a few hours later, we visited her neighbour Klara, a professional ceramist. Wow! She does the occasional exhibition, but prefers to hang on to her work rather than sell it. Her studio and house are filled with gorgeous examples of the very many styles she has explored over 40+ years. Impressive and inspiring!

Lucka is on a similar spiritual path as mine, and so it was very special to share in a short clearing ceremony on Tuesday evening and to get an angel card reading right before I left on Wednesday. She has the same Doreen Virtue angel card deck as I had back in Canada – but the Czech version. I asked the angels for a general message about my trip to Bali – and got a very affirming response. Basically, the main reason I was guided to Bali is to further my studies to help fulfill my life’s purpose. My main block will have to do with healing around relationships of all kinds – no doubt because I find being around people somewhat challenging at times (I talk about that in my podcast interview) and I’ll be around 3 different groups while I’m there. I’m all for opportunities to grow in love and friendship, and if I meet my soul mate along the way, I won’t object 🙂 What will help me, according to Angel Bethany, is self-care, including spa treatments – there’s at least one included in my Flora Bowley workshop, but participants have been posting about spas for a couple of weeks now in our FB groups… Maybe I’ll add some of that during my week at the ashram. The result of my month there, according to Angel Maya, will be continued abundance of all kinds so that I may continue to fulfill my life’s purpose. In that, I have trusted and I’m glad to hear my following my guidance is still being supported. I’d say I’m going to have a great month – I knew that, but I’m being reassured. Yay!

Purpose for Bali trip

Block

Help

Final Result

Lucka drove me to the Student Agency bus for 7pm (they didn’t ask for ID this time…) and I was back at in my dorm room by 10pm. I’ve got quite a bit of work to do at home, on my art business e-course, and on marketing my new paintings before I leave for Bali on Saturday. I’m just so glad though that I got to spend time with my good friends in the Czech Republic before my next adventure. Děkuji vám dobré přátele!

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Another Great Day Exploring the Czech Countryside

March 25, 2014/in My Travels

On Monday, I woke up to another moody sky over the red tiled roofs that move me every time I see them.

After breakfast with Iva and work on my blog, she headed off to school in Brno and I met my dear friend Milan, who generously (and happily) took a day off work to spend time with me. His son Adam also chose to take a day off to replace his 1-hour of English in school with 10 hours of private English tutoring instead. I’ll admit though, we spoke more Czech than English. I couldn’t help it – I so enjoy speaking the language. I become more extroverted when I speak Czech – a very unusual, but fun phenomenon. Still, Adam has now mastered the pronunciation of the infamous “th” and our common love of animals gave us lots to talk about. After spending some time at their place in Ràjec making plans and meeting the menagerie, we headed off.

In addition to English/Czech lessons, we also all got a bit of history and phys-ed in the mix as we visited the surrounding countryside. First, we stopped at the Church of Saint George (Bořitov) whose oldest section was built in the 12th century.

We then visited a palace in Lysice (but only from outside as it was still closed for the season), so we made plans to return in May or June to visit the gardens. Next, we headed for lunch nearby and all ordered the daily special: cauliflower soup, chicken nuggets, and parsley or mashed potatoes.

After lunch, we headed back to their place, where Milan’s wife Julie was back home from work and put out an irresistible display of sweets, including vetrniky, a kind of pastry that I remembered from 20 years ago…. so I had to have 2.

photo by Milan

We drove Julie back to work and then went hiking in and around Bull Rock Cave (Býčí skála). Much to my delight, Aisha, their 10-month old puppy and a very cooperative model, joined us. There’s lots of history in these caves. In addition to various artifacts, including a small bronze bull, many skeletons were found here and evidence of violent deaths.

photo by Milan

photo by Milan

photo by Milan

We left the trail at Stara Hut – an old iron processing station. Adam and I narrowly escaped the big white teeth of a small white dog when we tried to cross the street at an ecological centre. Milan had gone with Aisha to get the car. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand a dog’s body language when it’s protecting its territory – luckily its warning didn’t proceed to a bite – so we continued along the trail and safely crossed at a nearby bridge. Phew!

photo of Milan

photo by Milan

On our way back home, we picked up Julie at her mother’s place, which had been in the family for generations. Adam has a small black Vietnamese pig there, but the lighting made it hard to photograph, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Take a look at these wonderful beehives instead – no longer in use. The chicken is real though!

No amount of fresh air and exercise would make me hungry enough for another big meal at dinner time, however. So the very good restaurant in their small town of Ràjec prepared me a half portion of chicken stir-fry while the others enjoyed chicken or venison steaks and gnocchi. Soña joined Milan’s family and I for dinner (Antonin had left for Poland that morning for work), so I went back home to Blansko with her and didn’t even look at my photos that night – instead, I had a great sleep.

What a wonderful day – another one. I look forward to coming back in May or June – we’ve already discussed some of the wonderful things we could do once the weather got better. Thanks Milan – for our time together and for the photos of me to prove to folks that I really was there.

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Beloved Czech Republic

March 24, 2014/in My Travels

I’m back in the Czech Republic for my 3rd visit in 6 months. I love it here! I’ve already written about how this place feels like home (see previous post) and how I was blessed to make such good friends when I lived here in the early 90s.

My visit was delayed by 15 hours due to a silly mistake on my part, but neither that nor the weather has dampened my spirits. My train arrived at 8:30 am in Brno and I met my friends Jana & Robert for breakfast and a walk through the historic downtown. Memories! I was grateful that they were flexible with their schedule and that we could meet before they left for a ski holiday in southern Austria, where 60 cm of fresh snow was expected. So you see, it’s not that winter never showed up this year, it’s that it never really visited the cities. I’m not complaining.

Antonin and Soña picked me up at 11am and we headed out towards Vyškov, where some of Antonin’s old skydiving buddies live and where I had spent many good times in the 90s (except for the traditional whipping of women with willow branches at Easter – for youth, vitality, and fertility … in exchange for alcohol…. not a ritual I ever liked). On our way there, we stopped at the site of the Battle of Austerlitz. That’s where Napoleon defeated the Austrians and Russians. I had been here to see the yearly reenactment 22 years ago. The number of deaths and bodies being recovered, still today Antonin tells me, is astonishing. Oh how I pray for a world without war…

We then drove a bit to the Austerlitz Peace Monument, at the highest elevation overlooking the battle grounds.

As far as photography, however, my favourite time of the day was in the car shooting through the rain on the windows. I can’t remember ever doing that and I knew that even if nothing turned out, I was having great fun. I was thrilled with some of the results.

We stopped at Stará Po˜sta (The Old Post Office) for lunch – I couldn’t resist a totally unhealthy deep fried cheese & potato fritters – just like in the 90s. Once was enough for this trip though. While there, we visited the monument to the fallen horses of the Austerlitz Battle. Have you seen the movie War Horse (2011)? I recommend it.

bad feng shui

I was just as happy when we arrived in Vyškov-Hamiltony – seeing Roman & Hanka again and later Jarek and his new wife. Once again, however, what a shock to see how their children had grown and to meet some of the grandchildren and new children. Time is always more evident with young ones. Their land had also developed a lot since I was there last – now it’s an active farm with a jersey cow, ducks, horses, and 30 sheep with 37 lambs, some of them 1 day old! They sell sheep’s milk, yoghurt, and cheese, among other things.

Once inside, I got to watch some of the movies that Roman made – short documentaries and action promos for the military and various outdoors sports. What talent! He’s had an action-filled life with lots of careers in the past couple of decades. It was great to catch up. After chatting and enjoying the most amazing cake ever, their daughter Petra gave me a haircut. There was no refusing! I had asked Soña earlier in the day to recommend a hairdresser in her town so that I could get a haircut before going to Bali. Everything is more affordable in the Czech Republic than in Vienna. Well, not a few hours later, I’d had a great haircut while continuing to enjoy the conversation in the adjoining room. Talk about hospitality – famous in these parts for sure. I’ve always loved the informal, social, fun, loving spirit of the Moravian people. They continue to warm my heart. Thanks!

I can’t see!

Still stuffed from lunch and post-lunch snacks/deserts, we headed to Blansko to meet Milan, his son Adam, Iva and later Honza (Antonin & Soña’s grown children) for dinner at U Golem. I still managed to enjoy my plate of duck with cabbage & potato dumplings, but I didn’t manage to finish it. The leftovers are in Iva’s fridge. After looking at some of my pictures, I quickly fell asleep and slept very well. I am now looking forward to my day. Stay tuned for the next post.

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Happy Equinox!

March 20, 2014/in My Travels, Vienna - Life and Tourism, Vienna Academy of Visionary Arts

I had no idea that the Equinox wasn’t always on the 21st. It was actually at 5:57pm today (about an hour ago as I write this) here in Vienna.

Spring has definitely sprung in Vienna – big time! My lunchtime walk to the pay-what-you-can Pakistani buffet, Deewan, was probably my favourite lunchbreak of the whole trimester! So many signs of Spring (if not summer!):

* first day with open-toed sandals,* couples getting their wedding photos done outdoors* the flowers have been planted and the trees are in full bloom

* the parks are busy

* the terraces are too

* the fountains have been turned on

* the rose bushes have been uncovered and the chairs brought out in the the Volksgarten

* the number of tour groups clogging up the streets (yes, I’m talking like a local) have quadrupled

* and so have the number of services catering to tourists

What a glorious day indeed! I’m glad I had my iPhone with me to take pictures. Oh – and the lunch was great! Tomorrow, we celebrate the end of our trimester with an Equinox Party & art exhibition – if you’re in town, do drop by. Lots to see and do!

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Class Field Trip to Klagenfurt – Fuchs’ Apolalyspe Chapel

March 9, 2014/in My Travels, Vienna Academy of Visionary Arts

My class met at 8am on Saturday morning at the Meidling train station for a day-trip to Klagenfurt, 4 hours from Vienna, near the Italian border. Our main purpose was to visit the Apocalypse Chapel that took Ernst Fuchs and his assistants 20 years to complete.

If you remember from earlier posts, Professor Ernst Fuchs is the mentor and teacher of several of my teachers. Three of them, including Laurence Caruana (our director), Kuba Ambrose, and Amanda Sage worked with him at the chapel. Unfortunately, Laurence wasn’t feeling well on Saturday, and so he stayed home with his son while his wife Florence (our administrator) came with us. This was great as she had never seen the chapel, despite having heard so much about it for years.

The train ride there:

I love seeing new sights and am a morning person, so I was like a kid in a candy shop during the entire 4-hour trip. Excited! The Austrian student beside me liked seeing my tourist’s perspective as she had grown bored with the scenery. I was glued to the window the whole time (literally – if you stick the lens of your camera to the window, you’ll avoid having glare or reflections from inside the train in your pictures and the dirt won’t appear as much – you’re just limited in your angle of view). The side I chose to sit on may not have had as dramatic views as the other side (more mountainous and bigger castles), but we had the sun versus the thick haze. Still, a few times, I went running to the other side (when my neighbour was at the washroom) or simply turned around to grab a few shots. My classmates lovingly teased me all day about my enthusiasm 🙂 and the nearly 600 hundred of shots I took -(I’m only sharing 150 of them here 🙂 ) not always caring about the results, just enjoying the play time. Editing them took most of the day on Sunday. Enjoy – not bad from a fast-moving train with dirty windows.

Lunch:

We arrived in Klagenfurt at 12:21pm and couldn’t find a place to eat fresh trout from the lake (we were off season and the locals didn’t seem to know about this specialty). We ended up at Sukothai restaurant at 22 Domgasse. Wow! My panang curried chicken was soooooo good and I had been soooo hungry, choosing not to eat on the train.

The Chapel:

We had a 2pm appointment in front of St. Egid church, so we rushed there after lunch – my snapping the occasional picture only to have to rush to catch up to the group.

The chapel is usually only open for tours at 11:30am, 3 days a week. When organizing the trip, Florence had asked for us to have access to the chapel for 3 hours, but once there, we found out that we would only be given 1 hour. We also found out that we weren’t allowed photos without written consent by Ernst Fuchs – something that would have been easy to arrange if we had known. Florence tried to change the caretaker’s mind, but to no avail. Luckily, I was able to persuade him to allow 1 group shot inside the chapel – so bringing my heavy tripod was not a waste after all. If you want to experience the chapel, however, you can read about it in this article and even better, take a 360 degree tour in this panorama gallery – just click on the directional arrows top left to walk around the chapel.

We looked around, asked questions, heard Laurence say a few things about it on the speaker phone, took a group shot, had a brief closing circle around the altar, and were out by 3pm. I certainly got a visual appreciation for the work, the colours, the various styles – but didn’t really enter the space on any other level. I’m sure others had different experiences – if you feel like sharing – please comment below.

To the Lake:

My classmates were keen on my suggestion to go hang out at lake Woerthersee. Most took the bus there while Martin and I walked the 4.5 km trail along the canal past lots of locals enjoying the summer weather.

I could imagine spending a few days here exploring the town and natural areas – especially their many hiking trails and boat ride around the 20 km lake. My soul needs water – finding the lake, even if just the tip of it, was top on my priority list. For a couple of hours, therefore, we parked on a dock and basked in the sunshine until it set – which coincided with a sudden drop in temperature.

Train Ride Home:

We then headed back to town by bus, found stuff to eat and got on the 7:39pm train. I did participate in a 21-questions animal game and an “exquisite corpse” drawing game (involves folding a paper in 3 and having 3 different people draw the head/torso/legs without looking at the other parts). Having been up since 4:30am, however, I slept most of the trip home while others mostly socialized. I got home at midnight on the dot.

Overall, it was a great trip – a wonderful opportunity to get out of the city, to discover another corner of Austria, and to learn more about the lineage of visionary artists who have brought the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art to life.

P.S I have written other posts on Ernst Fuchs as we visited Fuchs’ Rosary Paintings last week, attended his birthday party last month, and spent several hours visiting his villa/museum in October. He is not in the greatest health, and so we don’t see him in our classroom very often, but he recently made recommendations on my “self-portrait” painting that were very helpful.

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Vienna City Hike #6 – Zugberg-Maurer Wald

March 3, 2014/in My Travels, Vienna - Life and Tourism

The sun is definitely shining down on us here in Vienna. It may not have been out all day, but it wasn’t forecasted at all, so we were very lucky yet again.

Martin, Rachel, Nora and I met at the Hietzing subway station at 11am. The digital display already showed 11C as we hopped on tram 60 to its end station in Rodaun. That’s where City Hiking Path #6 starts. It’s longer than the 5 paths I’ve done so far.

It took us 5.5 hours to complete this 12.5km hike, but that included a lunch break at the Wiener Hutte. I ate my packed lunch outside, but then joined my friends and gratefully sampled their excellent bread dumplings in Gorgonzola sauce (overpriced at 12.50€) and crepes in chocolate sauce. Nice!

Of the 6 trails I’ve done so far, this was the least visually stimulating for me, but I still managed to take 200 photos. The visual landscape was quite different near the beginning with all the pine trees providing a soft path to walk on. The colours may have been much more muted (although I played with some of that in Photoshop), but the concert we were privy to the whole way was amazing. Song birds everywhere! Near the end, the oranges and purples started appearing in the forest – so beautiful! Another highlight were the clusters of yellow and purple wildflowers everywhere. This is definitely a strange February for Vienna.

Although we missed the Wotruba Church, we did find the Star Garden, a planetarium that can be used by day or by night. It would have been even more interesting if we had understood it better.

Enjoy the photos. A lot of them were created in-camera (with some of the colours saturated after the fact), like this one.

I also had a bit of fun with some of them in Photoshop afterwards -like with this mirrored image of tractor tracks in the mud – all part of how I experience nature.