May Day!

Our friends here in Prague, Bruce and Connie, teach English to Czech business folks who have learned basic English and are working to improve their English. They teach individuals or small groups, and are therefore able to build friendships with some of their students.

May 1, or May Day, is a national holiday in the Czech Republic. One of Bruce's students invited him to join a group of Czech families for their annual May Day hike along the Vlatava River, and we were fortunate enough to be able to tag along as well.

We didn't know exactly where we were going, or what to expect along the way, but we were confident that a walk along the river couldn't be that arduous of a hike. We had a super, super day - the photos following are only a small portion of the number that we took!

As an aside, Laura's Dad asked me why some of the photos on our blog can be enlarged by double clicking, and some can't. I think I figured out that if I move certain photos to change the order in which they are posted, they can't be enlarged. Therefore, we were very careful to put these photos in order, and I hope they can all be double-clicked!!

Our new Czech friends picked us up at a train station in Prague, and we drove to the village of Stechovice. The trail starts at the edge of the village. Here is some of our group with our hosts Jana and Reinholdt leading the way.

This is the first trail marker....

And here is the beginning of the trail...

Little did we know that the river in this area flows through a gorge, and used to be all white water rapids until the construction of a series of dams and locks made the river navigable. The river trail, therefore, was not always at river level. We hiked up, and down, over rocks, along ledges...well, keep scrolling, you'll see!

The trail is well traveled by hikers, and is marked by the painted symbol in the bottom right of the photo. There are also informative posters along the way describing the plants and animals that can be seen in the area. We are looking at such a posting...

I was quite disappointed that we didn't meet up with any of these wild animals.

The scenery was spectacular..

As we walked along the trail, the hillsides were dotted with these little seasonal cabins. We were quite covetous of them - they are the ultimate in country cottages! No electricity, heated by wood fires, and some had running water (either pumped from the river if they were on the low side or piped from springs if they were on the heights) while others we suspected didn't have any water other than rain water that was collected in barrels under the eaves. We have no idea how the owners get supplies to these places- but many were occupied, so they manage!!

About half-way through, the trail dips down to the water's edge and we had our picnic lunch, complete with wine! It is amazing how much food we carried in with us in our little packs!

As we enjoyed lunch and a little rest, we spotted our favorite form of transportation cruising along in the same direction we were going. Our hosts said that if we could make the next town in time, we could take the boat back to our starting point!

Needless to say, we were more than ready to set off again!

Sort of reminds you of upstate NY, doesn't it?

We were amazed at the places the trail went....

A signpost we encountered along the way...

We were a little high up here....

And here, we went through a tunnel...

As we approached the village of Trebenice, we began to see signs of civilization. There was even a table set up by the side of the path where you could buy postcards and photo magnets of the area, all on the honor system. A little farther along, the people ahead of us disappeared. As we got closer, we saw the faint trail through these bushes.

If we had missed this turn, we would probably still be out along the river somewhere, as this was the path to the boat dock. Not exactly well-marked!!! It's a good thing our hosts had taken this trail before!

We made it to the boat in time!

Once back in Stechovice, we stopped for coffee before heading home. Reinholdt is explaining Czech-style coffee to Connie!

What a great way to celebrate the beginning of May!!