Only One Day Left

It's hard to believe but tomorrow is the last day of the workshop. We've been in Zlin for ten days already and it seems like we've been here for much longer! I've had a great time at the workshop and I'm looking forward to applying all of the new ideas that I've learned to my conducting and my studying back at home. Tomorrow afternoon I conduct the orchestra for the last time on the end of Brahms' First Symphony. I can't wait to get on the podium and enjoy making music with this orchestra for the last time this summer.



After our restful weekend we hit the ground running yesterday morning with orchestra and chamber group sessions. We've worked our way through the entire repertoire for the workshop in chamber groups and now we're beginning to wrap things up. Last night we went to a restaurant called U Johana for a group dinner where the featured item was whole roasted pig. It was a "meat feast" featuring pig, pork cutlets, chicken cutlets, and salmon. We all ate well. Tomorrow night we get to go to another restaurant for our farewell party where there are apparently beer taps on every table - nice. We check out on Thursday morning from the hotel and head to Vienna.


Once we hit Vienna we're going to be tourists once again. It will be nice to be back on vacation after the workshop before we head home. Thursday night we're planning to see Die Fledermaus at the Theater an der Wien and maybe meet up with some of our workshop friends. Then afterward we have two days to explore the town. I'm excited. Once we get home realty will sink in and we'll have to unpack our boxes from the move. I'm not looking forward to that.

Weekend Retreat to Luha

It's Sunday night and we're sitting in the Chinese restaurant on the second floor of our hotel being served beer by the owner's teenage daughter. It's been a lovely weekend, cool, with a change of pace from the events of last week. Today was another lovely day in the spa town of Luhakovice. We hung out, had a session with all of the conductors on score study, and had dinner at the Hotel Vltava. Kaia spent her day exploring the town, visiting the various mineral springs in the town, and sampling the water - I'll let her tell you about that. We were also treated to the second of two concerts presented by members of the Martinu Philharmonic, featuring the music of Brahms. Tomorrow we get back to work with a full day of conducting and orchestra.



From Kaia:
I bought a cup for 2 Kc from the most famous spring in Luhacovice, which has a collonade built around it, and made my rounds in the town. I drank from four different springs, so I should be a whole new woman by tomorrow, right? I didn't have time for the sulphur baths or a mineral baths during this visit, but maybe next time. It's been raining for the last two days (and I am NOT complaining since the temperature is low), and of course our umbrellas are buried somewhere in a box in our apartment in Champaign, so today I also made it a mission to find an umbrella. The tourist shops were charging a lot for umbrellas, and I refused to pay the equivalent of $15. On my way to St. Josef spring I found an open air market and conducted an entire exchange (including complete sentences, questions and answers) in Czech! AND the umbrella was only 50 Kc ($2.50). The sweet man who sold me this umbrella opened it for me and held it over my head as I paid for it. As with so many experiences in and around Zlin, the mundane is extra exciting in Czech. There's one photo of me with a leopard-print umbrella in the background. That's my best souvenir so far.

Mercifully Cool

Well it's finally a nice day today. Cloudy, rainy, and mercifully cool here in Zlin. We've been suffering through the last three days with temperatures in the mid-30s celcius (it's been in the 90s) with no air conditioning anywhere. Last night there were some powerful storms that came through, woke me up, and brought in the cool air. What a relief. Everyone seems to be in better spirits although a bit on the tired side.


It's been a busy past couple of days for us at the workshop. Two days ago I got to conduct the first six minutes of Tableaux One of Petrushka. It's a tough piece with lots of meter changes and lots of rhythmic problems for the orchestra and the conductor. Overall it went really well and I got some great feedback from the teachers. Yesterday morning I got the chance to conduct a part of Tchaikovsky Fifth Symphony, the exposition of the first movement. I'm really trying to do what the Mr. Rachleff and Mr. Schleicher are telling me to do physically and it's helping a lot. It went really well this morning and I felt more comfortable in front of the orchestra. I still have a lot of ingrained habits that it will take many months to fix but things are starting to happen already. Other than that it's been a lot of watching the other conductors, listening to and observing everything that's happening, and lots of score study.

Also, two nights ago Kaia and I went out for our anniversary dinner after my sessions were finished. We went to a restaurant called "Husa" on the main square in Zlin. The food was delicious although when I ordered I wasn't quite sure what I was getting. Scrag, which is basically a cut of meat from a lamb - I think it comes from the neck, is actually pretty tasty. I had no idea what it was but apparently it's pretty popular in central Europe. After our meal we ran into some conductors and orchestra musicians on the square so we stopped to have a drink with them. Overall it was a very nice evening.

Yesterday afternoon we had some free time. A group of us went for ice cream and then coffee and then we all took a bus to Luhakovice, a spa town just to the North of here, to watch a chamber concert of Brahms cello sonatas and lieder. It was nice to have a bit of a break so I could do some laundry. I've actually washed a bunch of clothes in the sink in the hotel room. Today's schedule is a little bit easier schedule for us too. We had a chamber session this morning and then we head back to Luha for a discussion, then dinner, then another concert. We start back up on Monday with full orchestra.


Right now I'm just thankful for the cool weather!

Zlin Day Four

Today I brought the camera along so I could take some pictures of where I've been spending all of my time this week so far.

Here is the concert hall where we have our rehearsals:


Here is the view from the top of the hill, right in front of the concert hall:


One of the other conductors with the orchestra:


These are the teachers with some of the students (Larry Rachleff is on the right in the black shirt standing up and Donald Schleicher is on the right in the blues shirt seated):


It's been flipping hot for the last couple of days. By the end of the day we are all drenched since the concert hall is not air-conditioned. Most buildings in the Czech Republic have no air conditioning as it turns out. There are a few places that have been "air conditioned-ish" but those are few and far between. Our hotel is hot and the air in the rooms is very still. Plus the beds come with terry cloth sheets and very heavy covers so there is nothing to do but sweat all the time. Thank God the heat is going to break tomorrow night and it will be pleasant for the rest of the time we're here.

Our schedule has been pretty consistent for the past four days. Today I got to work with the orchestra on Tchaikovsky 5th Symphony and tomorrow I get to go through part of Petrushka by Stravinsky. It's going to be great. I'm definitely learning a lot not only by conducting, but also by watching everyone else. The other people at this workshop are very nice and overall it's a very supportive group to be around. It's an intense workshop. I find I've been spending about two to three hours studying throughout the day and six hours attending classes and orchestra sessions.

This weekend we are going to get a bit of a break from our busy schedule. Saturday afternoon we have some time off and then Sunday we are taking a trip to Luhakovice, a spa town about thirty minutes away from here. We're going to spend the day in the town and then see a chamber concert that evening. Then next week we come back and hit it hard through the end of next week.

Well that's all for now. It's off to bed so I can get rested up for our big day tomorrow. Oh yeah, Kaia and I are celebrating our 5th anniversary tomorrow too. We'll probably go out for meat and potatoes after my evening class tomorrow night!

Another Day in Zlin: Workshop Day 3

Today was another great day at the workshop. We spent seven hours in conducting classes - including four extremely hot hours in the concert hall with the full orchestra. I got to conduct the last movement of the Brahms first symphony and had a great lesson. Tomorrow I'm conducting part of Tchaikovsky second symphony in the morning. My plan is to bring our camera tomorrow so I can take some pictures of the hall and the orchestra - so far Kaia has had it for her adventures this week.

Today she visited the zoo:

Zoo Zlin 21 July 2010

The heat is back in Eastern Europe today, so I spent the morning reading in the shade. Outside--which felt better than reading in the room. I even got yelled at by a crazy person, so it was just like being at home. My big event today was taking the bus to Zoo Zlin, which the English-translated brochures I picked up at the tourist office call both “A Zoo of Your Dreams” and “A Zoo in a Marvelous Location.” While the brochures also advise 6 hours to see the zoo and to watch the feedings, I decided that an afternoon at the zoo would suffice. And it did.

The zoo is situated along wooded walking paths and the animals are placed in “natural” settings that also guarantee viewings. I consider zoos a guilty pleasure, because I know that animals don’t belong in such captivity, but the fact remains that I like to see animals. So, being alone and needing things to do while Gene is advancing his career seemed like a good excuse to take the bus to the zoo.


My first mistake was not knowing how to use the ticket machine at the bus stop. I knew what type of ticket I needed and knew how much it cost, but I didn’t know that I had to select my ticket before the machine would accept my money. So I stood there trying to jam my Czech Crowns into the closed coin slot before a kindly woman helped me out. (I’ve gotten really good at saying “Nemluvim chesky” and “Dekuji” and also practicing what I need for upcoming situations...like “Jedna, prosim” at the zoo.) I feel like I could take the bus again, now--maybe even to a different location.


I did my best to navigate the zoo. I know that I missed some exhibits because I didn’t understand the signs and what I thought said “Don’t come in here” probably said “Don’t let the animals escape.” I figured this out after I followed a family through a gate with said sign and realized that I was in a kangaroo exhibit and the only thing separating me from the kangaroos were some warning signs and a log. Otherwise, I could have pet them if I wanted. The same happened in several aviaries (and I didn’t linger in those long, knowing what I know about bird sphincters) and in the lemur exhibit. The lemurs kept running across the paths amidst the people. I have no idea if lemurs are dangerous to humans in the wild, but Zoo Zlin has no concerns about them.


It was 32 degrees Celsius today and most of what I saw was in the sun, so I only lasted three hours. It doesn’t bother me to do things alone in the US or in CZ but I did feel left out from the zoo--I couldn’t understand any of the interpretive signs and the animals only speak Czech from what I can tell. It meant that when Gene was done with class today I talked his ear off about the zoo, and I wrote your eyes off now with this huge post.

Workshop Day Two

Today was the second day of our workshop in Zlin. So far things have gone well after arriving Sunday evening. Now we have settled into a bit of routine: wake up, eat breakfast, morning conducting sessions, lunch, afternoon conducting sessions, dinner, study, sleep. That's what it will be for the next eight days too. I'm learning a lot and I'm also realizing the tremendous amount of work it's going to take for me to make it as a conductor. Luckily I'm headed into a great program next year so I'll have a place get the help and guidance I need.

Our classes are in a performance hall at the top of a hill on the campus of Thomas Bata University. It's just a short walk from the hotel to the rehearsals. Each of us gets a chance to conduct the orchestra or a chamber group every day. Today I was thoroughly schooled on Stravinsky's Petrushka. I got to practice all of the nuances of one eight bar section. The lesson basically consisted of me conducting the same eight measures five or six times, each time adding something that I had not considered the previous time. Wow. Our teachers here REALLY know the pieces. Larry Rachleff actually studied the piece with Pierre Boulez and he have us all of his tips. It's been truly amazing.

Kaia has been on her own these past couple of days and I will let her fill you in on what Zlin is like:

Digging into Zlin


When we first arrived in Zlin, I had to come face to face with my American arrogance at assuming that everyone here would speak English. And while Rick Steves promised that most people under 40 do speak English, he was talking about Prague, Terezin, and Chesky Krumlov--places he recommends in his guidebooks, and therefore places that English-speaking people go, and therefore the local people learn English to their own advantage...not so in Zlin. Probably I should have thought of that and taken my Czech lessons a little more seriously.

On the morning that Gene’s workshop started, I faced a tough choice. I could do what I knew would be comfortable: sit in the hotel room with the four novels I packed and read until 28 July. Or I could leave, walk back to the town square, and become adept at pointing at phrases in my phrasebook and hope for the best. The Teacher Kaia in me won out and pushed my English-only ass out the door.

My first stop was the Town Hall. I picked up a map, some brochures, and with gestures, verified that I could just walk out with them and that I wasn’t stealing them, and (very quietly) said “dekuji” on my way out.


I had postcards from Prague to mail, so my next stop was right next door: the Posta. It was full of people. They marched in, pushed a button on a kiosk according (I assume) to whatever service they needed, and then waited for their numbers to appear on a screen, telling them which window to go to. I stared and stared, tried to look up the words on the kiosk in my phrasebook, paced, sat, and stared some more. Eventually I screwed up my courage and approached a woman and said “Please. Want stamps.” and smiled hopefully. She pointed over her shoulder and I repeated the routine to the woman in the Posta Shop. 144 Kc later, my postcards were on their way.


Since then, I completed the walking tour of downtown Zlin and have visited the Shoe Museum. (Did you know that Zlin was famous for shoes?) Now you do! I have been taking a self-portrait at the places I visit, mostly to prove that no, I am not just reading novels and making these stories up.

I imagine this is how a toddler feels, actually. Having complex thoughts but a vocabulary limited to nouns is intimidating and frustrating. The other night I was sitting in a lounge area of our hotel while a dad and daughter walked up and down the stairs. The dad was counting each step aloud and I caught myself practicing my numbers, too. I’m on track with the 1 year old! It’s a good thing I’m more emotionally mature and so have not thrown a fit. Yet. I might try to take a bus tomorrow, so depending on how that goes...I make no promises.

Travel Day

Today was a travel day. After a deliciously cool evening in Prague we awoke to the sound of rain gently falling in the courtyard of our hotel. We had breakfast, got instructions on how use the Prague tram system from Jana, and made our way to the main train station in town. From there we boarded a train to Ostrokovice to transfer to our train to Zlin. The ride was about four hours total with a 45 minute layover in the middle.

The further we get away from Prague the less English is spoken. By the time we arrived in Ostrokovice all we could do was point at the food and say the equivalent of "that please" in Czech. Forget about it if anyone asks us a question or tries to get us to elaborate on anything. At one point on the train (we rode in a compartment with a Czech mother and her daughter) the conductor came by and asked us something and we stared blankly at her not knowing what to say. The woman in our compartment said something to affect of "they only speak English, I think they know where they are going" and that was that. Luckily people are nice and they helped us out to the best of their abilities.


We arrived in Zlin at 4:45 PM, the sky was grey, we just had our English speaking asses kicked for the previous five hours and our spirits were low. After a harrowing cab ride to the hotel (the driver did not speak any English and drove like a madman) we checked in with some difficulty and took a walk around the town. It's a nice little place to be with some interesting things to see but it is definitely a small town. There are a couple of shopping areas and a few places to eat and apparently there is an excellent shoe museum. Luckily I have 6-8 hours of my day scheduled for the next week and a half. I am sure that Kaia will become an expert at the town and the Czech language by the time this is all said and done!

Tomorrow we start with the workshop. We begin with excerpts from Tchaikovsky and Brahms. I will conduct the full orchestra on Wednesday for the first time. I'm pretty anxious and very excited. I met Larry Rachleff, one of the teachers, and his wife tonight, talked to Donald Schleicher a bit (he's my teacher starting in the fall), and met a bunch of conductors from Montreal, Texas, and Brazil. This is going to be a great learning experience!

Now it's off to study a bit before bed.

Blague from Prague, Day Three

My feet are exhausted! Today was our last day in Prague so we made sure to make the most out of it. We spent our entire day walking through parts of the city that we had not seen and we went back over some things that we wanted to see more. It was a very satisfying day and I will definitely sleep well tonight.


We started at 1o AM this morning in the "New Town" at St. Wenceslas Square. The museum of Natural History sits at the top of the square with a statue of the good king immediately to the North. We traversed the square noting the different architectural styles along the streetside, including Ars Noveaux, Baroque, Neo-Classic, Communist, and many others. There were many surprises along the way, including the peaceful St Francis Garden that is tucked away from the busy boulevard by the tall buildings that surround it. For lunch we ate sausages from a cart and enjoyed the communist museum (surprising more fun than you would thing) and the Mucha Museum after.



After a stop at the hotel to regroup we continued on to the Vltava River and walked along the bank to the south. We saw some neat buildings, including the recent "Dancing House" inspired by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. After going to Charles Square, a lovely park, we climbed the castle hill and enjoyed a beer and an appetizer in the Wenceslas Wine Vineyards while watching the city. After our snack we visited a medieval beer hall, where we had some difficulty ordering in English, and then came back to our neighborhood for supper. We wanted to eat a restaurant near our hotel that featured live jazz but the prices were twice what we had been offered at other restaurants nearby. We had already been seated when we figured this our so we got up and went to Mlejnice, the restaurant where we ate our first dinner in town. I know we should have probably tried something else, but I had my heart set on goulash and I knew this place would not let me down! It was amazing. The food was unbelievable and the price was unbeatable. We made the right choice.


After dinner I picked up some souvenirs, including a bottle of Becherovka (a Czech herb liquor that is not sold outside of the country), and a couple of 0.5 liter beer glasses featuring the names of some of our favorite breweries. Then we returned to U Medviku, the microbrewery we visited last night, for a couple of beers before returning to the hotel. A perfect end to another great day in Prague. We even managed to talk to the bartender a bit. Our "in" was the VH1 Europe Totally 80's playing on the television at the bar. Despite our different nationalities we all agreed that Sting and Police are awesome.

I will miss this city and hopefully we will be able to return someday. The people are very nice and welcoming and the city has a kind of magic to it. There are buildings from the 12th century through the twentieth and there is a real sense of pride in the people about their heritage. They love their country here and it shows on their faces when you try to speak the language or when they tell you about their history. It is amazing to think, after going to the communist museum and the synagogues yesterday, about the struggle the people of this nation have had to endure to claim their own national identity. For hundreds of years they lived under Austrian (Hapsburg) control and for much of the twentieth century under Communism. It is a history of quiet courage and protest in the face of great odds. It is a very inspiring place to be.


Tomorrow we leave for Zlin and the International Conducting Workshop and Festival. I'm nervous and excited. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead in the days to come. This is going to be a great next step in our trip!

Blog from Prague, Day Two

Everything is better after a good night's sleep. We woke up this morning well rested from our jet lag and our adventures yesterday ready for a walking tour of the city. After breakfast we met our guide, Mischa, in the dining room of our hotel and took off at 9 AM. Four hours later we returned with lots of information about the city and some good tips from our guide, who happens to be a native of Prague.



We started by crossing the Charles Bridge, built in the 14th century, which was the only bridge to cross the Vltava river until the 19th century. Upon crossing the bridge we headed for the Little Town or "Lesser Town" which is an area primarily used by diplomats from foreign countries. There are a number of embassies in this area, including our own. From little town we walked up the coronation road (the road all Czech kings took from the town square to the royal palace for their coronations) to the Palace Quarter. The centerpiece of this area is St. Vitus Cathedral, which is an enormous gothic church started in the 14th century and finally completed in the 1920s. After checking out the cathedral and the castle area we continued on down the hill, across the river, and into the Jewish Quarter. This was an area that was home to Prague's Jewish ghetto and Jewish residents until World War II when the area's population was rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Now it is home to the Jewish Museum, a very moving collection six synagogues that are now living tribute to the history of the Jewish diaspora in the Czech Republic. The most moving portion was the Pinkas Synagogue that has the names of all 80,000 Jews from the Czech Republic that died in concentration camps during the war.



After our tour we had lunch and went back to the Jewish Quarter for a closer tour of all the buildings. We paid for the admission and got to see the synagogues and exhibits inside each one. After the tour we went for a beer and some Czech cheese and then to an Italian restaurant recommended by our guide for dinner. After dinner we bought some Czech crystal and then went to a local microbrewery for some beer. I had three different kinds of the beer including X-33 a beer made in the Trappist style that is 12.6 % alcohol. Luckily it only comes in .2 liter glasses so it wasn't too much of a feat!


We are now back at the hotel after a long day, happy with our travails. Tomorrow we will visit St. Wenceslas Square and the New Town which is located just to the east of our hotel. After that we'll see what happens. This is a marvelous town and we are having a blast. The only thing we could really wish for is COOLER temperatures. The high today was in the upper 30s (Celsius) which translates to the mid to upper 90s. Hopefully it will cool off soon!

Blog from Prague, Day One

Greetings from Praha! We arrived this morning at 8:45 AM local time after an eight and a half our flight from Atlanta. I think I got a total of one hour of sleep during the entire flight so much of today has gone by in a blur, but I still think this is a magical city. I didn't sleep well because of the following reasons:

1. Child screaming (who sounded curiously like a dentist drill) for much of the evening.
2. The size of the seat (necessitating me trying to fold into a pretzel like shape for the night).
3. The noisy Czech passengers in the rows behind us.
4. Our in flight "meal".

This is not an exhaustive list, but let's just say I don't sleep well on flights. We did come back to the hotel today for a quick nap in the middle of the afternoon and we are going to turn in early tonight. This coupled with the four beers we had with dinner and lunch will probably help me get a good night's sleep.


We are staying at the "Green Garland Pension" which is just a few blocks away from just about everything we want to see. We can walk in minutes to the Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square, numerous churches, and many different tourist sites. The room is spacious, clean, and the host is awesome. We were greeted by Jana, our wonderful host, who let us check in early and gave us a lot of great information to get started today. Tomorrow we will take a four hour guided walk of the city with our guide, Mischa. I can't wait!



Today we spent most of our time getting our bearings. We wandered around the Old Town seeing the Square, the Astronomical Clock, four churches, the Charles Bridge, and we took in an exhibition of works by Salvador Dali. We also had two fabulous meals: one at a small pub that has a Budweiser sign out front (the Czech version, not the American), and another at the Restaurant Mlejnice. The food here is awesome - lots of meat and potatoes - and the beer, oh the beer.


Let's take a moment to talk beer. So I read a statistic that the Czech Republic is the number one per capita country for beer consumption in the world. It's not hard to believe when you realize that: a. beer is available everywhere and b. it's dirt cheap. A half liter of beer costs the equivalent of $2.00 at a restaurant and you can get it for as cheap as $2.00 for TWO half liters. We stopped at a bar called the Tiger on our way back to the hotel. I ordered two half liters, gave the bartender 100 kc and I got 50 kc back in change. That's awesome. Maybe I won't want to go back home after this!

The people in Prague are awesome. I was worried about the language barrier when we came to town but most everybody speaks at least a little English. Kaia and I have both used our severely limited Czech in a couple of situations but we've been using English most of the time because everybody anticipates it. We are hoping to throw in a bit more Czech, just to get some practice, as the weeks go by but it's been remarkably easy to get around and talk with people. And everybody has been very nice.


It was a successful day one. Now we are ready to turn in for the night. We the muted noise of jazz coming from a bar a couple of blocks away, and the sounds of conversation from a restaurant near our hotel to lull us to sleep. We start tomorrow at 9:00 AM with our tour. I can't wait to get a more in depth view of the city and explore the sites that we have glanced at today. Dobrou Noc!

Waiting in Atlanta, Bound for Prague

I am sitting in the Atlanta International Airport right now, coming down from the whirlwind of the last two weeks. Kaia and I are both exhausted but now very excited that the chain of events of the last month have led us here. As we prepare to board our Prague-bound flight I can't help but be amazed by the fact that everything has gone relatively smoothly thus far.

The movers came yesterday and moved the boxes and furniture out of our truck into our new apartment. Steve and his crew of three guys from Twin City Movers showed up at 8 AM and worked through the heat and rain of Tuesday morning. By 11 AM our apartment was filled with boxes and furniture and in a state general disarray. Since we had a limited amount of time we did two very important things: 1. make the bed (so we can crash after our trip) 2. unpack some dishes (so we can eat after our trip). Hopefully the maintenance guy will fix the air conditioning while we are gone (it was 88 degrees in the living room when we left yesterday).



Once we were done with the move we dropped off the rental truck, loaded the surly cats (once again unhappy to be disturbed and shoved in cages), packed our bags and headed to Oswego to spend the night at Rinee and Greg's house. When we arrived we took the cats into their new temporary home. They all hid immediately in Greg's workshop, a veritable paradise for cats looking to hide from people. We found Chloe wedged in a tight spot under the work bench, in between boards in a small pile of wood. At least she feels safe. By this morning the cats had all made themselves relatively at home. I'm sure we'll find them very comfortable by the time we return. Perhaps they won't even want to go back!

After a very restful night we woke up this morning and took a hired car to the airport. The ride took an hour with traffic and it was nice to have someone else in charge of getting us there. Our flights have both been on time and the ride from Chicago to Atlanta was pretty fast and uneventful. Now we're just waiting for our flight to Prague. We will take off around 5:30 PM and we should arrive tomorrow morning around 9:30 AM local time. We'll also get a chance to see if any of our "Learn Czech on the Plane" CDs were useful. At least I can ask "do you speak English" in Czech and also order beer. Two very important skills.

We've Arrived

It's currently 89 degrees in our living room as I write this entry at 9:23 PM. It's been a very long day and I'm drinking a lukewarm Goose Island 312 while I sit on the floor in front of the laptop. Luckily our apartment has free internet so we can sit down on the floor tonight and watch Netflix on demand as we pass out from exhaustion.

This morning we woke up for the last time at 1406 Drummond Street and finished our last minute packing. This included shoving three very grumpy and disoriented felines into their carriers and packing them in the car. We both shed a tear as we locked the house for the last time. Kaia picked one last handful of beans from our garden (the only vegetable that we planted this year) and we ate them in between tears. As we drove away we were sad to leave but excited about the road ahead (the metaphoric one, not the literal one). After it was all said and done, seven and a half hours later, we arrived at our new home in Champaign, right on the edge of the cornfields and a stones throw from the U of I athletic complex.

Yesterday we had friends and family, including my sister and her husband Jim, Chris Hahn and his wife Kerstin, Kaia's mom and Randy, and many others come by to help us load the truck or just to say goodbye. We celebrated one last night in Eau Claire with pizza and beer on the floor of our living room. Chris Hahn stayed until 11:30 PM (some things never change). It was a wonderful night and we are grateful to everyone that helped make our move successful. Tomorrow we will have Twin City Movers come in and unload the truck for us.


Our apartment is much nicer than we both would have thought. We never actually visited the place and we chose it because it would be the least amount of hassle to deal with in the long run. It's a nice little two bedroom on the third floor of a small building (thus the movers) with a view of the credit union next door and the corn across the street. It will do just fine.

Here's our living room:

Here's the kitchen:


This is the hallway from the living room to the bedrooms:

And here is our room (look how big it is!):

Now we just need the air conditioning to work FASTER!!! It's hot. That's really all there is to it.

We are close to the finish line on this marathon of the past couple weeks. Tomorrow Kaia and I watch, I mean help, the movers with the truck, tidy a few things up around here, return the truck and car trailer (no problems on the way down by the way) and then get back in the car with the cats and head up to Oswego, a suburb of Chicago. There we will spend the night at Rinee and Greg's house (Kaia's aunt and uncle) and leave the cats with them when we depart for the Czech Republic on Wednesday. My goal is to sleep the entire way to Prague so my jet lag isn't too bad. Through sheer exhaustion I think I'm well on the way to achieving that.

By the way, the picture at the top of the post is the view from our bedroom window.