Monastery for Michael and Zacharius

Today we searched the hot olive treed hills of interior Crete looking for an old old monastery our friend Zaharius owner of the butcher shop and cheese store told us to see.  Byooteeful.. he said... one of his few English words. Using his hand and fingers in a very greek way to say beuatiful with his hands.

We arrived and parked in the shade of a tree then climbed the steps of the first small building we saw.  Peering through the locked gate like door we could see inside a mausoleum~like small round room. Inside was a glass case with many skulls on the shelves... some with big parts of the skull missing. Leg bones placed behind the skulls.

lWe went in search of the history inside the walls of the monastery.   Renovations ocurred many times.... 1800's.... 1700's.. but the original place was buit in the 1300's.

It was a holy place.... centuries of worship and times of violence and honor.  36 monks killed along with the slaughter, referred to as the holocaust here, of many people in the wine storage room during the Turkish invasion of 1866.  36 skulls in the case.

I lit two candles in the extremely old church... Greek Othodox... thin beeswax candles... my prayer for bless..ed journeys for two of my loved ones.... J and M.

More pictures from Dale's phone if I can get them for the rest of the trip back to the apartment we are in. So much packed into each day.

Monastery for Michael and Zacharius

Today we searched the hot olive treed hills of interior Crete looking for an old old monastery our friend Zaharius owner of the butcher shop and cheese store told us to see.  Byooteeful.. he said... one of his few English words. Using his hand and fingers in a very greek way to say beuatiful with his hands.

We arrived and parked in the shade of a tree then climbed the steps of the first small building we saw.  Peering through the locked gate like door we could see inside a mausoleum~like small round room. Inside was a glass case with many skulls on the shelves... some with big parts of the skull missing. Leg bones placed behind the skulls.

lWe went in search of the history inside the walls of the monastery.   Renovations ocurred many times.... 1800's.... 1700's.. but the original place was buit in the 1300's.

It was a holy place.... centuries of worship and times of violence and honor.  36 monks killed along with the slaughter, referred to as the holocaust here, of many people in the wine storage room during the Turkish invasion of 1866.  36 skulls in the case.

I lit two candles in the extremely old church... Greek Othodox... thin beeswax candles... my prayer for bless..ed journeys for two of my loved ones.... J and M.

More pictures from Dale's phone if I can get them for the rest of the trip back to the apartment we are in. So much packed into each day.

Skola in Cesky Krumlov (school)

Peering through a fence at a very sweet school.

Skola in Cesky Krumlov (school)

Peering through a fence at a very sweet school.

Waking up on Crete

A little oft putting at first as so many late night arrival and last minute taxi rides can be in so many places in the world.   But we are now friends with the bread and cheese guy...Zacharius.  Who upon learning we spoke English went in the back and brought out Ian....a Scottish English transplant full of life and story. Zacharius brought out his father's completely clear fire liquid in a liter plastic water bottle,  goat cheese and small chunks of hard bread baked in wood fired ovens in his village or somewhere.   Yum yum and so fun to talk to them both.   We left a little tipsy with a bag full of food with plans to return tomorrow for guidance on where and how to go on Crete.   Dale has pictures of me swimming today in the beautiful Sea of Crete.   Which I needed after Dale and I picked up plastic trash all along a very littered beach and dumped 2 large bags in dumpster nearby.  So pictures of the sea and me tomorrow.

Waking up on Crete

A little oft putting at first as so many late night arrival and last minute taxi rides can be in so many places in the world.   But we are now friends with the bread and cheese guy...Zacharius.  Who upon learning we spoke English went in the back and brought out Ian....a Scottish English transplant full of life and story. Zacharius brought out his father's completely clear fire liquid in a liter plastic water bottle,  goat cheese and small chunks of hard bread baked in wood fired ovens in his village or somewhere.   Yum yum and so fun to talk to them both.   We left a little tipsy with a bag full of food with plans to return tomorrow for guidance on where and how to go on Crete.   Dale has pictures of me swimming today in the beautiful Sea of Crete.   Which I needed after Dale and I picked up plastic trash all along a very littered beach and dumped 2 large bags in dumpster nearby.  So pictures of the sea and me tomorrow.

From the John Lennon Wall

Back to Prague today to fly to Crete.  We wanted to stick with trains but it is not so easy.  We'll take bus to Prague and fly on polluting airplane,  which I regret very much.  Poor Croatia is dealing with dreadful floods after too much rain.  We are leaving them alone since we would not be helpful and would only use up resources.   I am terribly aware of joy and peace in the midst of the ever present chaos and pain of Life. And thus we continue to travel.

From the John Lennon Wall

Back to Prague today to fly to Crete.  We wanted to stick with trains but it is not so easy.  We'll take bus to Prague and fly on polluting airplane,  which I regret very much.  Poor Croatia is dealing with dreadful floods after too much rain.  We are leaving them alone since we would not be helpful and would only use up resources.   I am terribly aware of joy and peace in the midst of the ever present chaos and pain of Life. And thus we continue to travel.

See...

....the little branch?

See...

....the little branch?

For Jana

Happy Birthday from the castle gardens.  I love you and miss both you and June!

For Jana

Happy Birthday from the castle gardens.  I love you and miss both you and June!

Rafting through city to Lunch

Winding river and some actual Rapids and a great lunch at our favorite veggie restaurant.  Another intelligent radical funny waiter....14 when the communists left.  Great stories from him.  And speculations on freedom and corporate control of every day life...yes...in America, but elsewhere too.  Maybe he just had us pegged and wanted a big tip.  But I don't feel that.   These are not the typical waiters in probably most countries.

Rafting through city to Lunch

Winding river and some actual Rapids and a great lunch at our favorite veggie restaurant.  Another intelligent radical funny waiter....14 when the communists left.  Great stories from him.  And speculations on freedom and corporate control of every day life...yes...in America, but elsewhere too.  Maybe he just had us pegged and wanted a big tip.  But I don't feel that.   These are not the typical waiters in probably most countries.

Night night.

Our room in Hostel Havana.  Named because Vladi's boyfriend loved Cuba. ...and everyone in any language can say Havana.  My dad would be happy about that....born in Havana....or just outside.

Night night.

Our room in Hostel Havana.  Named because Vladi's boyfriend loved Cuba. ...and everyone in any language can say Havana.  My dad would be happy about that....born in Havana....or just outside.

Another night Time Walk through Another Castle.

Old old and oddly fixed up.....some buildings and the huge castle painted to look old again. This whole city was left empty when the Czech's threw out all the Germans. Most of the population here in 1945 was German. The city left empty was inhabited by Roma... Gypsies...where they were not forcefully assimilated as in other parts of Europe.  Now it is bit of a tourist attraction of which we are now a part.  We were in very cheap penzion over a bar with cigarette smoke wafting up the stairs.  Now we're in a hostel with a clarinet practice wafting up the stairs.

Another night Time Walk through Another Castle.

Old old and oddly fixed up.....some buildings and the huge castle painted to look old again. This whole city was left empty when the Czech's threw out all the Germans. Most of the population here in 1945 was German. The city left empty was inhabited by Roma... Gypsies...where they were not forcefully assimilated as in other parts of Europe.  Now it is bit of a tourist attraction of which we are now a part.  We were in very cheap penzion over a bar with cigarette smoke wafting up the stairs.  Now we're in a hostel with a clarinet practice wafting up the stairs.

One more Big Czech beer.....half size...no kidding.

Half liter of beer is plenty, btw. Sitting next to the winding river that makes a complete s turn through this old city of Cesky Krumlov. ...city with a checkered past for sure.  A vegetarian restaurant with VEGETABLES ... 

and an amiable waiter who is trying to get his green card to return to Raleigh, N. Carolina. ...to his wife of one week who's back at her IBM/ Lenovo job pining for his return.   

He has a degree in electrical engineering. ...but he cut grass when he lived in US. Stayed over his visa time last time and spent 70 days in Georgia prison.   Said it was actually a good experience.   Amazing young man.   Speaks about 3 languages...as so many people here do...or 4 or 5...and believes the US Government is run by corporations.
Hmmmmm...whatever gave him that idea?