Heart Warming Goodbyes in the Czech Republic

I know that nothing or no one can make us happy. That’s up to us – a choice we make in every moment.  I’ll admit though, there are people and places that make it easier for me to open my heart and feel connected to the Truth – of my Self, of others, and of the world.  There’s nothing quite like the feeling of unconditional love – when we give it or receive it.  It’s no wonder we think others make us happy.  But the truth is that we make ourselves happy by being in a state of love.

How’s that for an introduction to today’s post about my farewell visit to the Czech Republic?!  Being there with my friends in Omice, Brno and Blansko just warmed my heart – helping me to choose love and happiness in most every moment.  Ah… that feels good. I truly hope it won’t be another 22 years until I return to the Czech Republic or see my friends again.  I was blessed during these past 10 months overseas to see them 5 times.

I’m not much into emotional goodbyes, but I am very much into celebrating friendship and love.  When you realize that the origin of the word “goodbye” is “God be with ye”, it perfectly suits my wishes for those that have shared my path this year – those I’ve known for decades and those I’ve recently met in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Italy, and Bali.  But back to this past weekend…

In 4 days, I slept in 3 friends’ houses, had some wonderful conversations, great dinners (albeit not always healthy… still, couldn’t miss this opportunity for my last Czech deep fried cheese with a side of fries), lovely walks, lots of warm feelings, a fun game of bowling, and time outdoors. Oh – and I got to speak Czech to my heart’s content – such a joy in itself.  I am so grateful for it all.

Nature Hike:

I realize now that I didn’t take any photos for the first couple of days.  I was still in a state of low energy after weeks of high energy, hard work, and long hours. It was just great to relax and be with friends. On Saturday afternoon, however, a few of us went for a hike in the hills around Blansko and that put my body and mind right back into shape.  Exercising in nature is so invigorating – just what I needed!  There were parts of the path that were both physically and psychologically challenging (those with steep slippery slopes, for example), but I was reminded how I can better handle these if I breathe and take one step at a time (duh!), follow closely in someone’s footsteps (to look at their shoes instead of the drop ahead), or hold on to someone’s hand (thanks guys!).  I have no trouble asking for help, and I’d much rather appear scared or weak than end up at the bottom of a cliff. I knew what I needed, asked for it, and received it. Isn’t life great!?

Our hike took us past a memorial to a young poet, where throngs of lovers meet once a year in May,  an old castle called new castle (Novy Hrad), and lots of beautiful scenery.

Downhill Cycling:

This was great fun!  We decided not to go back to Lednice as was originally planned. Instead, we stayed in the region to experience something new.  Perfect!  We biked from the apartment building down the hill to the bus station where we put our bikes on a trailer at the back of the bus.

We rode the bus uphill for a little more than an hour through the countryside to the very last stop.  We then rode our bikes all the way back down, mostly through forested paths and trails and a few bits on the road.

This is a web screen-shot from the program Antonin uses on his phone to keep track of his walks, runs, bicycle trips, etc. (http://www.sports-tracker.com/).  It measures almost everything as long as he’s moving. Very cool!  As you can see, we biked 31.6km at an average speed of 16.4km/hr (maximum 38km/hr), ascending 597m and descending 998m.  You can see all the little ups and downs on the right.  We were actually in movement for 1:55 hours, but that doesn’t include our stops for lunch or breaks.  In reality, it was more like 4 hours.  Along the way, we saw a weather radar tower, a hideout cabin for two factions of the Resistance during WWII, an orientation marker, lovely little villages, and beautiful scenery.  I really enjoyed the mountain bike I borrowed during my 2 cycling trips here – so much better on my back than my old 10-speed I sold before leaving Canada. The gear systems was so easy and effective.  I only got off to walk twice – simply because it was as fast to walk those hills and I could enjoy the view better that way.   This time, the bike even had a new saddle on it, which amazingly wasn’t painful at all! That certainly added to the enjoyment of this day – that and the company of beloved friends, of course. We ended our day together with a backyard BBQ (including a try at target shooting with a pellet riffle … without success on my part (I had mixed feelings about trying – not much into guns, but wanted to be skillful and hit the target … Julia got it right on though!  Impressive!)

The next morning, I had breakfast with the Karaseks and Tony walked me to the train station for a final heart to heart conversation and God be with yee hug.  Once in Brno, I took the bus back to Vienna and was at school by 12pm for my shift at our graduation exhibition.

Last European Post:

This will likely be my last blog post from Europe.  In my last two days, I need to finish packing, take care of government paperwork, and manage my silent auction and leftover paintings.  My friend Regine from Ainring (near Salzburg) is driving down to spend my last hours in Vienna with me and to drive me to the airport.  So sweet!

Thanks for following me on my adventures.  I hope you’ve enjoyed the trip (264 posts since I was guided to embark on this chapter). ! I have so many of you to thank for it.