So after posting my last entry, I realized there was a bunch of photos on my phone I haven't shared yet. Most of them pertain to food.
The first set of photos is one HF problem with the Czech Republic. Such cognitive dissonance. Red means "don't." Green means "do." Why is the door telling me what I should and shouldn't do? Ironically this door leads to the Human Centered Systems branch of Honeywell Advanced Technology Europe (not that they had any say in the design of the workspace).
I took the next set of photos on my way to a dinner with colleagues downtown. The left photo demonstrates a couple examples of modern design in old Brno. The phallic looking thing is a clock designed to look like a bullet. The bullet clock commemorates the battle that Brno had with the Swedes in 1645. When a spy from Brno learned the Swedish army would head home at noon the next day if the city was not taken, the mayor decided to ring the bells early to trick them into leaving an hour early. Every morning at 11am a little ball comes out of the bottom. Still need to get one of those. The photo on the right is just funny.
The pizza place where this menu was found came highly regarded from my supervisor. Last Friday I decided to try it. I walked in, sat at a table and waited for the server to come by. There was a slip of paper that read "2000" and I figured it was the receipt from the last people. Apparently it was a reservation and the server informed me. Looking around, there weren't any other tables open so I started to walk out. The server stopped me at the door and lead me to another room where she removed a reservation and seated me. This is something I am not yet used to- seating myself and having most of a restaurant in rooms other than the front room. My table was nice as I could look at a decent sized aquarium and it was quiet. The server brought me the menu and once again I had the feeling of being insulted. "She brought me the kids menu, is this like in France where the Parisians mocked us?" Upon closer inspection, it was just a zany menu with some zany options. I ordered the Sicilian which had stewed peppers, onions, salami, and a tomato-chili sauce that added heat. I definitely recommend it.
Oooh, fancy imported Bourbon! I was feeling a bit homesick, so I purchased a bottle of Jim Beam to help me unwind after I got home.
Before my Seattle trip I realized all my work electronics used Czech power plugs. Strange asking for a converter for the USA.
Another co-worker recommendation was Zelena Kocka. I was promised a new beer to try, good atmosphere and traditional Czech food. The beer tasted like an IPA and the Czech food was better than the company canteen! The wait staff was friendly and as attentive as you can get this side of the Danube. They misunderstood what I was saying and brought me another beer. No worries.
So when I first started work and my supervisor asked me how I was adjusting, I complained about the pizza I had tried. It had garlic, was greasy and made me sick. He promptly referred me to Pizza Zakki and Pizza Amici. Pizza Amici is just across the river/stream/creek/slow moving puddle near the dorms and delivers. I have been mostly happy with what I have ordered and I can place orders online, avoiding the embarrassment of not speaking Czech over the phone.
Monday-Friday - Balls to the walls work
Saturday-Sunday - Balls to the walls everything else (including sleeping in)
I might have stated before that I have become the go-to person for documentation and English writing. Reviewing documents has become what I do when I'm sick of everything else. Right now everything else has been preparing for a work trip to Seattle for user observations. Of course when the trip was approved, I was also tasked with an additional usability study and focus group with pilots. Whatever, if it means I get to go somewhere, that's cool. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I plan on getting a haircut and buying clothes as soon as I arrive. I'm already nervous about getting my haircut and the thought of trying to get one in a country where I don't speak the language feels impossible. As far as the clothes are concerned, I would just rather buy them from a place I'm familiar with. I guess I'm self conscious about my appearance.
Two weeks ago I was invited by my coworker, David, to come to Tisnov for lunch to meet his family. His wife and children came down with an illness, but we still managed to have lunch and take a hike around the city. Although Tisnov is not a tourist destination, it is a nice place situated between two bluffs and is a generally peaceful town.
This is one of the smallest streets in the Czech Republic. Locals call it "Piss"
The second smallest. Locals call it "shitty." These names come from the
fact that it leads from a bar where locals get "pissed" and "shitty."
A nice hike up one of the bluffs
Looking down from the observation tower on top of the bluff.
The following weekend I decided to take a trip to the Moravian Karst- a geographic region just north of Brno which contains steep hills, natural underwater springs, and a labyrinth of caves. In hindsight, there must have been an easier way than the way I took. As it was a rather spontaneous trip, I didn't do a lot of research other than looking at train schedules and a brief ocular inspection using Google Earth. I knew I had to go to the town of Blansko, just 20 minutes north of Brno by train. I did not know exactly how to reach the caves or anything open to lookie-loo's other than it was all pretty much east of Blansko. So I arrived and was promptly lost. Luckily my survival instinct knew I needed water and lunch....and cookies. A brief stop at Albert satisfied my need for foodstuffs. They even had citrus wafers; something that sounded strangely good on a warm afternoon. From Albert I decided that I should go south, as my memory told me all the photo icons on Google Earth were centered southeast of the town. Soon enough I hit an east-west road and I headed down it (going east). From there I used the terrain to navigate. I followed a stream and a rail line through the woods (there was also a road, another great navigational aid). I felt like Bear Grylles.....except I didn't drink my own piss. Along the way I saw what was apparently a manufacturing plant for water turbines and a recycling plant. Both had the appearance of being crumbling relics of the old communist regime - old, rusty, and functionally oriented. They clashed nicely with the lush greenery and crystal clear streams.
The walk to anything resembling an area to explore was about 5 miles or 8km. There wasn't really accommodation for pedestrians alongside the road which was discouraging for someone who didn't really know where they were going, but the occasional bicycler kept my confidence up that I was indeed going somewhere (as opposed to nowhere, where I would likely die of bear attacks, hunger, or hillspeople). The walk paid off. I came across a bed and breakfast near a pond with a spectacular backdrop. Going further into the hills I found the tourist stop where I purchased tickets to something....but that something was 2km further up the road. I made the additional trek through even more pristine woods and hills and streams until I saw a group of Canadians huddled around a picnic table in front of a building. I figured I had an hour before whatever event my tickets were valid for so I took a sky tram to the top of the hill. It overlooked the Macocha Basin, the primary entrance to the cave system below the hills. The story goes that a woman wanted to re-marry, but had a child (I forget if it was her child or her prospective husband's child). So she tempted the child into the woods with the pretense of picking berries before she pushed the child off the cliff into the Macocha basin. The child grabbed onto a brush and called for help. Eventually some woodsmen came to the rescue and the child spilled the beans. The townspeople sentenced the woman to death.....by throwing her into the basin. Believe it or not.
Eventually I made the tour I had purchased, being on the tail end of the Canadian group. At first I was disappointed, we walked through the caves and a recording played explaining the discovery and folklore associated with the stalactites. I couldn't really hear anything and I had seen stalactites before, so I was bummed.....until we reached the basin. It was eye opening for sure. Coming from the confines of the cave tunnels to 200 meter shear cliffs was impressive. After snapping as many photos as I could before the Czech tour group came through, we proceed back into the caves where we boarded a boat. There was no natural lighting and flash photography was prohibited, so I lowered the shutter speed and saw what came out. The resulting photos made it look like a carnival ride. Very cool
After the caves I walked back to the tourist area and sat down. Unfortunately where I sat down was a cafe and somehow I ordered instant coffee. No matter, it only cost me 10czk. I ate my bread and cheese and citrus wafers for lunch then headed back to Blansko. I had about 2 hours to burn when I arrived so I found a pub and had a couple beers. This is where I learned that the people of Blansko were not the most accommodating or even happy. I can't put my finger on it, but everyone I saw was more or less worse for wear and not as lively as the other places I have visited.
Recycling plant.
No idea what this is, but it looked mysterious.
4 miles in I get this view. Rewarding
Macocha basin
Couldn't hear the commentary for this one, but that's a carrot the bunny is holding.
I want to sleep here. So cool and quiet.
Rather like this selfie.
Watch your head!
After receiving several texts this morning at 4am, I was convinced to skype with the Casa de Fehlinger party in Florida. Like most parties at the Casa, it lead to drinking, and a slight hangover. That killed any plans I had for Saturday and I stayed in and watched Archer. Later I ordered a pizza for dinner and accidentally locked myself out of the dorm. Oops. Luckily a fellow tenant let me in.
That's all for now. I kinda want to talk about how the public transportation system needs human factos work, but I think I'll leave that for later. Leaving for Seattle on Tuesday, hope it'll provide more great photos. I'm not sure what it'll be like to be back in the states but it will be interesting to see how much I've adapted to life in the Czech Republic in 3 months. I hope to eat familiar foods and drive a car again (do I remember how?).
