next phase

on thursday, we moved from prague to ĉeské budêjovice– about a two hour, twenty minute bus ride in complete snow.  upon arrival (in which i, not going to lie, felt a liiiittle nervous about… “am i going to like it?”) we were whisked away by our landlord and alex’s new manager, marketa to our new home for the next five weeks.  our landlords are super nice and thoughtful, and the woman reminds me of mrs. hudson from sherlock (yes, i have watched the entire BBC ‘sherlock’ series thus far. now i’m into ‘the wire’).

it cannot be overstated enough that our flat is GORGEOUS and giagantic and i can’t believe i live here (for now at least). it has a large bedroom, a large living room, a large kitchen, and large hallway.  even a balcony and a larder (cellar). hardwood floors, vintage carpets, high ceilings, beautiful big ornamental doorways… probably nine feet tall.   our kitchen is the kind of kitchen that one wants to linger at for hours because of the huge windows looking out over the snowy garden and the big solid wooden table.  something about a good wooden table really makes a kitchen!

old town square

our building was built in 1913 (one hundred years ago!) by the landlord’s grandfather, who was an architect, an it was intended to be a family building. the entire extended family: aunts, cousins, grandparents, babies living all together under one roof in different flats– the landlord was even born in the next flat over.  however through years of war and communism, the building was taken by the state and after the velvet revolution in the early 90’s it was finally returned back to the family.  the flat is so central and only a very short walk to the town center… and literally down the street from a school alex will teach at once a week.

i really hope we can stay here but we can’t give our hopes up since there is an elderly couple looking to possibly rent the place out at a higher price we can really afford to pay.  we won’t know their decision until mid-february.  so… fingers crossed. it’s amazing there are beautiful big old apartments near the city center like this one going for less than half of our rent back in the states.  you gotta love the czech republic sometimes.

our first weekend here has been entirely peaceful.  reading books in bed, earl grey, breakfast sammies, and lightly snowing.

CB really is a nice city– not too big, not too small, and since it was built in the middle ages at the confluence of the vltava and malŝe rivers, there is water alllll over the place and many smaller “islands” in between the two rivers.  lots of parks, cafes, and a beautiful town square.  i am really excited to be here especially for when the weather warms up and i can take advantage of spending time “in the nature”, as the czechs say.

alex is starting his first full week of training next week and will be co-teaching with the teacher he is replacing.  as for myself, we’ll have to see what crops up this week!  we feel like we’re in our next phase of the “trip” now– the phase where the trip sort of turns into our life.  we are successfully living here now.  well, i guess i don’t know how successful one can live somewhere in which they do not speak the language, but hey.  we’re doing it. and i’m feeling pretty darn fancy with my new czech phone number.