Spring is here! Easter in Prague...

Easter Sunday in Prague. I don’t know why or how I get this lucky. I guess sometimes you just have to listen and you’re lead to amazing things. This morning Will Thompson, the lighting tech for UWP from Colorado as well as my roommate here, and I rubbed sleep from our eyes and trekked across town to find Sarah, the vocal instructor at the flat she’s staying at. We made it a mission to find a Cheque Easter service. There was a church near Sarah’s flat and we decided to mosey on over there. Sadly it was closed.

We spotted spires on the horizon and set forth the steeples beckoning. Soon we realized this wasn’t just any set of spires, it was the cathedral of the castle, the castle on a hill, overlooking the river and all of Prague. The Cathedral St. Vitus.

Ancient, gothic gargoyles perched on its arches, aged black and gray stones reaching toward the baby blue sky, a warm spring sun streaming through the glossy gold and red stained glass…

…As the Cheque language streamed froth from the priests, pure tones of gold and silver reverberated through the halls as the pipes of the massive organ filled the arches with the voices of angels… forget the dogma, the ancient laws and rules, forget everything religion has brought forth good or not. This music was beyond my ability to understand. It was and is what spirituality is supposed to be about, simple love-- strangers with no common language coming together and shaking hands, appreciating the beauty of a building and its music.

I know I’ve left you all for a few weeks here. A lot has a happened across the pond, lack of internet this past week has kept me from posting and updating as well as simply trying to keep up with the sights and sounds I’m absorbing day in and day out.

Sunset from a bridge near our host family home in Dronten.

Tulips and windmills. Your stereotypical Dutch view. Tulips only bloom for a few weeks a year! Lucky again!

We spent this past week in Prague. But before delving into this past week I’ll update you on the Netherlands! After Wassaner we took a short bus ride to Dronten a “tiny” farming town. Surrounded by tulip farms and massive windmills it’s new land reclaimed from the seas and stands at approximately 18 feet below sea level! Craazzzy!   

The cast in Amsterdam! (Can you find me! I'll give you a hint. I'm not on the ground...)

En route we stopped over in Amsterdam for a few hours—just enough time for a couple of us to see and explore the Anne Frank museum/house. The sights and sounds of Amsterdam are similar to all European cities, cobblestones, tram wires and the palpable feel of history surrounding you.

Lotte and I in Amsterdam.

 

Also… fun fact. Urinetown (a musical set in a totalitarian world where you have to pay to pee) exists today. It’s central and eastern Europe. You have to pay to use the rest rooms in German rest areas and any public restroom I’ve encountered thus far in Prague.

  

It ended up being a week full of world war two as that Saturday as a part of our regional learning we visited Kamp Amersfoort a detention facility. We also had a guest speaker whom grew up in one of the camps. He was born in 1938. He was 7 when he was rescued by the Canadian army and hasn’t had a close friend since. He said, “I knew what was happening [at the camp] but for me it was normal… I grew up in this camp. That was the way it was supposed to be, I thought…  I have no close friends. If I have a close friend then tomorrow the trains will take them away…”

It was an experience I never imagined I would have. After seeing the films, watching the documentaries, somehow it seemed unreal. The camp, everything around it was so peaceful: birds singing in the trees, green grass and flowers blossoming, life continues. Yet we must remember. We must remember to speak out against discrimination, speak out against what we know to be wrong otherwise these events will continue to happen as they have in Africa and the Middle East. We’ve made great progress in Europe, after thousands of years of wars there is peace. Can it be maintained?

Reconstructed trenches used by the Dutch in defense of their homeland.

Dronten was a wonderful little big town. I call it a little big town because of the number of residence and the town center. It has things that the small towns in Maine don’t. Sadly there are very few trees and even fewer hills, yet the city streets are clean and it has a country feel. Riding around on bikes was a joy. I lived with David again (we lived together in Lakeland FL). Our host family was eerily similar to that of my Denver host family—lovely 15-year-old—Anna-Joya-- swims competitively (synchronized not speed) and a 11 year old boy who loves sports. Also, we played board games, including my old (new) favorite “Settlers of Katan” except in Dutch it’s more like “Colonist of Katon.”  We also played some sort of table top  shuffle board game which was quite fun. David is quite competitive and was… disappointed when our host mother mopped the floor with his shabby game. 

On our first host family day we explored the region surrounding Dronten and got to see a rebuilt 17^th century Dutch sailing ship. It was quite impressive. The primary reason the Dutch were so powerful in the early exploration age was there ability to build so many ships—they were able to do that because they had windmills to saw the massive trees required into long planks needed in the behemoth sailing vessels! We also stopped by the dyke separating the farmland from the massive lake. It’s amazing to stand next to the massive windmills. They dot the horizon in this part of the Netherlands.

David and Nicco (Belgium) walk next to a windmill.

At one point the Dutch had over a thousands of these sailing the seas!

Host Dad, Menno

Apparently a windmill costs about 2.5 million Euros to build and take between 5-8 years to earn a profit. However, once you hit the green you start bringing in about a half million a month… now all I need is from some one to lend me 2.5 million euros.

Most of my home team in front of a monument dedicated to the pilots lost at sea in this region. (Our family unit for the semester) Viktoria, Walker, Shannon, Jody.

De Meerpall, the theater we performed in Dronten.

David, Sydnee, Stine, Lotte, Marloes

Up up and away!

 

We're not sure if David enjoyed that ride!

On our second host family day—before our Sunday matinee show, a small group of us got to go to Walibi World. Gotta love roller coasters!

Host family pictures from our adventures together. :-)

Menno taught David and I to ride this thing! Crazzzzy Fun!!!

David and I singing on the Wii with our host sister.

We had a jam session. Host sister and Brother are next to me.

Chefs for our Dutch meal! Tasty Dutch Pancakes!

I don't know if you've noticed, every picture has a different female friend of Anna-Joya's. Apparently they wanted to meet David and I.

Our last evening together. A week we'll never forget.

I can’t stress how lucky we are, I am. On our show day we often spend the mornings in various project, most of which are vocals, dance or setting up the stage for our show in the evening. This week I was in both dance and vocals. We had our dance workshop and then later the entire cast warmed up on the roof of the theatre. The theatre is in the middle of Prague. We warmed up surrounded the most picturesque skylines I’ve ever seen. These moments are the ones that remind you to stop, breathe and look around you. We are lucky. No matter where we are there is great beauty to be found. That day was uncommon beauty.  Yet I can’t help but remember the sunsets and blue skies in Boston and Maine—each as perfect as the one before. So stop and smell those flowers.

There are more images from Prague to be seen, as well as a brief audio clip from Cathedral St. Vitus that I’ll post as soon as I’ve uploaded them. Alas while traveling to find Internet this afternoon I left my camera cord behind! All is well across the pond. Sending you all waves of love. Missing you and looking forward to our next rendezvous. 

Holding the sun and sending its rays to you all from miles away...