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RECONNECTING
  • Bevin Heath Ansley
  • Bevin Heath Ansley

RECONNECTING

25 years ago and now to meet again. Anke and Jaap will meet us at Prague airport and the fun will begin! Leggi altro
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  • Inizio del viaggio
    5 ottobre 2018
    Bevin Heath AnsleyRECONNECTINGViaggiatore
    Anke and I over 25 years ago. Great friendships never end!

    Happy travelling times again :)

    5 ottobre 2018, Canada ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Lovely Pinot Noir Rose in the Lounge as we wait for our flight to Amsterdam. Gawd I love travel!!

    My mind races with questions - how will it be with Anke after so many years? Will this be the beginning of many trips to come? What is it like where they live? What are their stories? So excited I doubt I’ll sleep!

    Wonderful flight with special Blue Delft mini houses with Bol in them gifts from KLM as the topper to great service and meals.

    Tired pups upon reaching Amsterdam but luggage arrived and we finally found the Hilton. Cool hotel!!    Leggi altro

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  • Bevin Heath AnsleyRECONNECTINGViaggiatore

    Greeted by Anke and Jaap

    7 ottobre 2018, Repubblica Ceca ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    I think I was shaking with excitement waiting for our luggage at the Prague airport!

    And there they were!! Patiently waiting for us at Arrivals. Anke and I hugged and hugged! Not believing we were actually meeting. Incredible happiness. And wonderful to see Jaap too.

    Into the car and the chatter began! Rich said within 5 minutes we were talking about everything under the sun, 25 years to catch up on!! I was so torn with looking at and talking to Anke and wanting to see everything as we drove along.

    Oh and then the first sighting of their magical home! Pinch me! This cannot be real! And we even have our own building/house! Absolutely stunning - we are incredibly blessed.

    And an amazing beef (special from a Prague butcher) meal - “typically Czech” then I had the deepest fabulous sleep - it was like I had settled into a brand new quiet, peaceful and loving home.    Leggi altro

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  • Bevin Heath AnsleyRECONNECTINGViaggiatore

    Walking the farmstead & Tabor

    8 ottobre 2018, Repubblica Ceca ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Gorgeous Autumn day! Walked to north of property/2 fish ponds - one they swim in/troubles with grass growing in ponds -put in fish to eat the grass. Apple, pear and walnut trees.

    Forest at edge of property. Hamlet called Hamtov. 2 Roe deer.

    Breakfast of yogurt/roasted seeds/cheese and good bread. Anke makes R cappachino’s. Late to breakfast after fab sleep and a few yoga and exercise bits. Lunch lite - Jaap had cheese and crackers.

    Into Tábor -sat for sweet/changed to savoury treats at different shop as Anke, R and I needed more than sweet. Jaap knew of a different cafe where we 3 had good Quiche and Jaap a nice sweet. Lovely town, loving the painted and decorated homes. Anke and I into some shops. Home to sausage, sauerkraut, potato mixture. Bubbly after to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving! Anke and Jaap are the kindest and most thoughtful hosts!    Leggi altro

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  • Bevin Heath AnsleyRECONNECTINGViaggiatore

    Up and off to Kutna Hora

    9 ottobre 2018, Repubblica Ceca ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Early start as Jaap had business at the Museum in Kutna Hora - he is so knowledgeable! Foggy trip but was kind of fun in the fog even though we couldn’t get as clear a view as A and J would have liked for us.

    Dropped Jaap for his meeting and then we parked -tricky to find spot then hiked up hill to delightful spot for cappachino’s in the sun with yummy apple strudel! Strolled about - found marvellous place for Czech pencils for J and Z and across the street for matching scarves for A and I at Boutique.

    Met Jaap - to lunch —again outside - bigger meals so it was determined to have a lighter dinner. I had a great tuna salad. Walked through amazing cathedral, past monastery -Jaap knows all!! then to his modern cool museum and back to car. To Ossuary! Old bones! Creepy!

    Back closer to home to a wonderful brewery -totally local! Curious about their menu but A and J not keen lol. Fresh beer its called. Picked up a few groceries where Anke shops - so neat to now be able to picture where they live and what shops they visit. Zero tourists where we’ve been! Feels like we are getting to know the heart of CZ!!

    Home later - glass of wine with yummy chips then lovely mango,toms,basil,pine nuts, salami salad and cheese toasted sandwiches. Earlier to bed.    Leggi altro

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  • Bevin Heath AnsleyRECONNECTINGViaggiatore

    Kutna Hora 2

    9 ottobre 2018, Repubblica Ceca ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Wonderful sharing by Jaap of the Dacickeho House Museum - a Unesco site - where Jaap will be curator of a temporary exhibition of a part of Alfons Mucha’s life beginning December 8, 2018. They were kind enough to give us a great book about the area - in English!Leggi altro

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  • Bevin Heath AnsleyRECONNECTINGViaggiatore

    Chynov - a lovely morning adventure

    10 ottobre 2018, Repubblica Ceca ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Up after a lovely sleep yet again and Sir Richard making delightful poached eggs.

    Off to Chynov to visit the home and art works of the famous Czech artist Frantisek Bileks. Wonderful home museum! Two floors of very interesting works: carved wood, plasters, drawings, delightful and fascinating work. A perfect little museum! Off to the cemetery to see his largest work! I adored it - The Angel about death. And 4 other works around the cemetery.

    Driving today, the scenery is absolutely beautiful! It’s own special charm, then another hamlet, then filled with rolling hills and....more chats and some teasing. It has been fun to have Anke interested in my eyeshadows and this morning she experimented with it on her eyes - looked lovely!

    We then went to Jaap and Anke’s golf course for some apple strudel - yum!! and a walk about. A stunning “green” building. Would be fun to play - ‘next time’ -Anke and I have said many times “next trip”! So many things to do and see! Anke showed us her marvellous boxes!! She has been accepted into a juried Christmas market for Dec 8. They are exquisite and so perfect! And then her quilts!! such an amazingly talented woman -and always too humble.

    Back to the garden in the sun! Nibbling walnuts from the trees (Rich and Jaap picked up more today) sipping water, sharing photos on our devices - lush warm and happy times. Lots Anke shared with us - stunning pottery made in Poland, “another visit”...painted bowls made by Czech artists - such beauty!

    And now back to the kitchen to sip wine, plan the day tomorrow, in Prague and enjoyed precious company while typing the stories.    Leggi altro

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  • Bevin Heath AnsleyRECONNECTINGViaggiatore

    A Day in Prague with the "Locals"

    11 ottobre 2018, Repubblica Ceca ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    One can always visit a city as a tourist but what made this trip to the city absolutely brilliant was travelling here with Czech born Jaap and my dear friend Anke. Their guidance and knowledge of so much, made the trip so special and unique.

    We caught the 9:31 train to Prague, paused at the train station to organize our train trip to Salzburg on Sunday, caught the Metro, then the Tram up the hill to the Prague Castle area. I was delighted to notice the city home of Belik along our route!! Once onto the grounds of the Castle we moved quickly through the crowds, to the Palace home of the Lobkowicz family which is now a beautiful smaller museum (#1 in Prague). We paused in a gorgeous wee terrace cafe with excellent cakes and cappachino’s as first stop. The museum also has 1 pm concerts which we kept hearing bits of as we toured the museum. Next time!!

    The audio for the Museum was dictated by owner William Lobkowicz with delightful anecdotes, making some explanations even more enjoyable. Highlights: Delft China sets (Delft even borrowed the huge set from them for an exhibition) and one other very lovely set including one dark blue Czech one I loved/the music room with original manuscripts from Mozart, Beethoven & Haydn - a Duke from the family even influenced Mozart to expand the production of the Messiah to include more orchestration!!/two large paintings of The Thames by Canaletto.

    We strolled through the gardens at the back of the Castle grounds then descended a cazillion!! Castle stairs to the old town, now filled with embassies, monuments and palaces. We ate wonderful sandwiches at Jaap and Anke’s favourite cafe “Cukrkavalimonada” ...Lemonade in English, then crossed the Charles Bridge. Jaap took us to the Prague Public Library (loved their art piece at entrance) then Anke and I headed to the yarn stop while Rich and Jaap did some touring about. First a stop at Anke’s “fine” paper shop for paper for her boxes. The yarn shop was in the Palladium of shops - a large area full of shops and even a Sephora that had my eyeshadows which Anke really wanted and found. By now my knees/feet etc were totally done! -likely all of us feeling the same way.

    Way home - Anke and I grabbed a tram to the station, had a yummy iced coffee latte at the train station, the ‘boys’ found us, grabbed the 5:31 train back to the station. Decided it was time to eat out!! First restaurant stop in “Amerika” was closed for a private event so we went on to another wee village, me a pumpkin risotto and R a schnitzel. Great dinners! Very inexpensive.

    Home and fell into bed. Exhausted but full to the brim with memories of happy times, laughter and wonderful new cultural knowledge.
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  • Bevin Heath AnsleyRECONNECTINGViaggiatore

    At home with Anke and Jaap

    12 ottobre 2018, Repubblica Ceca ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    A very slow rising, good set of stretches (dang neck!) and into the kitchen after 10 am. Loving the yogurt and seeds plus liver pate and cheese on bread breakfasts followed by a cappuccino.

    Off for a heavenly 6 1/2 km country walk, stopping now and then for pictures and a short visit to see another farmstead - all with quite the stories behind them. Anke and Jaap had stayed here a bit while theirs had been rebuilt but Anke did not like it because it once was the home of a secret agent for the Communists and the energy was still within the stone walls. The stories which must be within so much of this land.

    Back to delicious open-face tuna sandwiches, Communist coke (Kofola - which people got used to, so it continued -I like it!) and an afternoon in amazing weather and sun.

    OMG the evening was spectacular!! Small, pure Local restaurant -fabulous food and delightful encounters with all sorts of people, plus very enlightening and solid discussion about immigration and indigenous peoples. These are very special friends!    Leggi altro

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  • Bevin Heath AnsleyRECONNECTINGViaggiatore

    Morning trip to lovely village of Bechyn

    13 ottobre 2018, Repubblica Ceca ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Off to explore a new village this morning with first of all 2 stops to drop off/pick up things from Anke and Jaaps’ local friends. Poor sleep impacting moi but not a strenuous time. Anke suffering dreadfully from allergies - bit better today. I think we are feeling energy dropping as we know life will move back to our usual lives all too soon. It’s been an absolutely wonderful time on all fronts.

    Wandered through the streets of Bechyn, lovely buildings and yet another warm, actually hot day! Cannot believe our streak of weather and looks like it will continue right through next week too. Stopped for coffee and apple strudel first, wandered then light lunch of individual Camembert, cranberries and bread.

    Back home through just beautiful rolling countryside for rest and packing while Anke works away again at another great meal, this time an Indonesian dinner. Off tomorrow on our own without our tour and cultural guide and chef - amazing time with them but will miss them for sure!    Leggi altro

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