À la carte

Better late than never!  I'm finally traveling a bit!  I should have done all of this in my 20's but it never really crossed my mind.  Now, it's all I can think of.  The list of the places I want to visit grows by the moment.  I'm fairly certain Australia/New Zealand is up next (Abby).  Followed by Amsterdam (Sarah/Dick).  Then France, where I'll soon have a place to stay (Susan).  While in France I want hit Spain and Portugal.  The Mediterranean (Jenn).  Costa Rica (Bets/Jos/Todd).  Thailand (Shelley).  Israel (myself).  I guess I'll stop now before I list every country in the world, which is the ultimate goal.  Who's in?!??!!

The purpose of my travel holds great meaning for me.  Last summer I was able to stay in Turkey for a month and it was magical.  I learned and grew in ways I can't describe nor could have imagined before my trip.  This summer I've chosen Prague and the Czech Republic, the homeland of my ancestors.  Today, I walked among grave stones marked in the 1800's with Drahota and Drahotova (the feminine Czech version of Drahota).

I met Jan Drahota, a resident of Prague and relative, on Facebook.  What I found in person was a beautiful human with a compassionate heart and delightful soul.  He eagerly responded to my message about meeting while I was in Prague.  Jan introduce me to his elegant and captivating girlfriend, Lenka, took me a music festival and out to dinner (two of my favorite things!)  His generosity didn't stop there.  The following day we drove to the Czech countryside.  About 30 km outside of Prague we came to a very small village, Radlice.  We hopped a fence and wandered around a farm once owned by the Drahota family for many generations.  He spent time there as a child while it was under the ownership of his great aunt.  We then strolled through the fields my family had farmed for generations.  I've stood where my ancestors stood.  I've laid my eyes upon the same Czech countryside they tended.  It's remarkable.  It's unexplainable.  It's gratifying.

In the next village over, Horní Kruty, we walked through a cemetery.  The unnamed cemetery, which has long since been paid any attention and left to the overgrowth of weeds, sits in the shadow of an equally neglected and abandoned church.  It possesses the remains of several people named Drahota and Drahotova.  Words can't do it justice.  Quite an experience to walk among these ruins and see my name, Drahota, everywhere.

As I strolled along, taking a few more pictures, Jan heard some voices and stopped to ask the locals about "Drahota."  What he encountered was a gasp and the expression of someone completely overwhelmed by emotion.  The woman we met is a local teacher (!) and has a special of love of Drahota.  She explained to Jan, and he translated for me, his close relative had saved her life as a young child!  When she was very small, she nearly drowned but Jan's aunt came to her rescue.  She LOVED the Drahotas and told remembrances of them from her younger years.  Sadly, there are no longer any Drahotas living in the area.  She was kind enough to show me around the school.  It was a small, country school of only 21 students and 3 teachers.  I loved every moment.  

In order to afford this little venture, I'm staying in hostels.  In my early twenties, hostels would have been my Disneyland.  Late nights, partying, craziness.  Now that I'm a teensy bit older I recognize how I enjoy having my own space.  So, I splurged and booked a hotel room for two nights.  I'd like to sleep without college kids coming in at 2 am or waking to slamming doors at 7 am.  Oddly, I've observed contrary to our reputation, Americans are not the loudest, most obnoxious people here.  In my opinion.

I fail to understand how the "kids" I'm meeting have traveled so much.  How did I miss this part of life???  (I'm working hard to catch up!)  These college grads/under-grads speak of the numerous places they've been and I'm perplexed.  How do they have the funds to travel at such a young age?  I cashed in my retirement from 4 years of teaching in Nebraska in order to make this trip.  Also interesting:  they stay for a few days and then move on.  How do you grasp a sense of a city/country's history and culture from two nights of clubbing?  The major purchases I've made so far are books.  I can't get enough of the antiquity of this place.  Where I'll put these books is anyone's guess as I don't have a lot of space in my luggage.  Perhaps traveling later in life is better.....  Perhaps I should be reading these books so I can leave them behind.....  The seven-hour train ride to Budapest tomorrow should give me ample time.

I simply can't get over how British people speak.  I'm mesmerized.  Perhaps this is my grandmother Yvonne's influence.  I'm told she loved British humor and the the maternal side of my family is British.  My bag was rejected at London Heathrow Airport security and the guy searching it said 'lovely' at least 12 times making the experience enjoyable.  He then seemed genuinely sad to take my sunscreen because it was just over the legal size.  I was genuinely sad because it was organic and now I have to use some chemical-filled crap from the market (yes, I'm that girl now - you still have to love me).  He basically insisted I use some before he threw it away but I wasn't in need of sunscreen at the moment.... as I was about to board a plane.  Nice chap.  I think the next place I'll live is London.

I find it ridiculous my suitcase was searched because of sunscreen...  not the large bag of syringes I'm carrying.  I feel like if someone was going to do some harm, syringes would be a more likely source than sunscreen.  But I could be wrong.  Cancer travelers, at least this one, have the privilege of carrying mass amounts of medication.  AND I still got everything into one carryon suitcase and a backpack!  I'm extremely proud of this accomplishment.  Of course I've learned to pack smart.  I have socks, t-shirts, and undergarments that can/will all be thrown away during the course of my travels, creating space for anything I buy:  i.e. scarves.  I gave poor Trent "scarfatigue" (his term and my source of much laughter) in Turkey last summer.  I actually did make a scarf purchase about 3 hours after landing.... this couldn't be helped, it was chilly!

Traveling alone is interesting.  It is fun and freeing.  It is lonely.  Ying and yang, as with all things I suppose.  I very much enjoy doing whatever I want.  It would be nice to do what I want with someone.  My stay in Prague, already amazing, dramatically improved upon meeting Jan.  I thank God for sending me this wonderful messenger, family member, and friend.

I'm beyond humbled and immeasurably grateful.






For Honza