EUROPE 2009 - SUNDAY 3 MAY 10330

ngeapk.blogspot.com - On the third and final day of my weekend in Moravia, May 3, my tour guides took me to a tourist destination town called Telč („Telch“). I’d been to Telč before, but only to change buses in 2007. Need I mention that the bus station did not do justice to the town at all! Check out Telč’s web site: www.telc-etc.cz/telc/?lang=EN.

Edita’s entire family had decided to go along for the outing, so we set out in two vehicles on that beautiful, sunny morning: Libor, Edita, their two children, Edita’s parents, her brother Robert, and Robert‘s son.

We convoyed to Telč in two cars, about an hour, and parked in a lot that was quite empty. However, it was filling up fast as the heat of the day set in.

We crossed a footbridge into the old, historical town area, and had to stop, of course, so the grandparents could buy the grandchildren some ice cream. I was snapping photos while waiting for that:



After everyone had the treat he or she desired, we made our way into the main town center area.

Telč has existed in one form or another since 1099; at least a legend has it being founded then. Historical documents mention it starting from the 1300’s, though, so let’s go with that. The tourist area is a long, rectangular area with large ponds on each of the long sides. The buildings surround the large, oblong marketplace, and a fountain is located on one end. Buildings line the square and each one is a unique style; all of them are united by a sidewalk with an arched cover.



There is a castle at one end, an apothecary shop, blacksmith, and many other historical places to tour. In addition, there are restaurants and trinket shops, as well as kiosks selling more touristy items along the sidewalk under the arches.

I paused to examine some jewelry at one of the sidewalk vendors; it turned out that Edita, who used to sell jewelry on the sidewalk here (what DIDN’T she do?), was friends with the vendors. They were a married couple and it had been years since they’d seen Edita. While Edita gossipped with them, I chose some small presents for friends back home and myself. In fact, I’m wearing the silver earrings as I write this. Of course, I got the friend discount!

In this picture you can just see the friends‘ kiosk under the archway, pretty much behind the man walking across the cobblestones:



The gables on that building display a very common decorating technique for the facades in Telč: sgraffito.



In sgraffitto, layers of different-colored plaster are applied, then the top layer is scratched so that the underlying color can be seen.



I’d encountered sgraffitto in nearby Slavonice in 2007. I wondered at the time why an Italian Renaissance technique had been so prevalent. In doing research for this journal, I found out that Baron Zachariá of Hradec, who lived in Telč in the 1500’s, prime Renaissance time, had the castle and much of the town rebuilt. Turns out that an architect from Slavonice was hired for the reconstruction where the popular decoration of the time was sgraffito. Also, Zachariá toured Italy often and invited artists from there to come to Telč to work. In addition, the completion of the general appearance of the architecture was assigned to Baldassare Maggi of Arogno, Italy. Mystery solved.

We poked around all the stalls and the kids mauled through all the toy shops. Libor’s son insisted on buying a straw Asian hat like they wear in the rice fields then promptly handed it to Libor because he didn’t want to wear it that day. It ended up on Libor’s head:



Edita took the kids to climb the castle tower, but since I was still fighting a cold, I opted out of that and any other strenuous activity. Plus it was damned hot by then! Libor and I snuck away for a coffee and dessert nearby, and I managed a few pictures, of course.

More sgraffito:





This car is actually backing out of a garage located under the archways. The yellow hotel in the background is where Libor and I had our coffee. He and Edita told me they stayed there on their honeymoon and it’s quite possible their son was conceived there. At that point I asked them how to say “TMI” in Czech!







The wrap-up to the day was having an early dinner at a restaurant named Å vejk. The reason this was so monumental to me was that Å vejk was a name I’d heard before. Pronounced “shvayk”, it’s the name of a beloved character in Czech culture. He was the brainchild of Jaroslav HaÅ¡ek (“Yar-o-slav Hashek”) who introduced Å vejk in his satirical novel The Good Soldier Å vejk. Å vejk was a soldier in WWI and is apparently a good-natured, somewhat slow guy bumbling around trying to do the right thing. The book has been made into movies and cartoons. He even has his own web site: www.svejkcentral.com. Most people seem to find him endearing, but I know that at least one of my Czech friends thinks he’s kinda stupid. One of these days I’ll read the translation and see for myself.

Other than being named after the good soldier and having a quote or two on the walls from him, the restaurant was not really a theme restaurant like you’d expect in America. The décor and food were traditional Czech and I can testify to the goodness of the garlic soup there! We rested our tired feet and filled our empty stomachs there. After we had all rested and nearly fallen asleep, we assembled back at the cars for our trip home.

Once we made that journey, Libor and family plus me piled back into his LandCruiser for the trip back to Liberec. Aside from being nearly blinded by the setting sun as we drove into the west, the ride was unremarkable - just more yellow fields!

Stay tuned for a trip to a traditional glassmaker’s shop and another cookout on a freezing cold evening!

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