A Return Trip to Prague and Letohrad

A trip to the Czech Republic was a priority for me this year, so I am glad we were able to make it happen. At this time last year, I traveled to the Czech Republic with a group from my church, First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis, which has a partnership with a congregation in the town of Letohrad.

The experience was absolutely incredible because of friendships built with my traveling companions and the generous hospitality and opportunity for cross-cultural exchange that we received from our Czech partners. Since it was so meaningful for me, I wanted to take Gavin there to visit during our time in Norway.

Our trip began with a day and a half in Prague, which Gavin and I both agreed is the most beautiful city we have visited in Europe. Having escaped bombing during World War II, Prague’s eclectic architectural style has been preserved. We spent the day wandering the old town and new town, walking over Charles Bridge, and enjoying the grounds of Prague Castle. We also took the opportunity to eat some really excellent Czech food and drink beer that was both high quality and cost less than the $15 it would cost in Norway.

One of my favorite places in Prague is Wallenstein Gardens, which has a number of really beautiful peacocks.

The city’s beauty, combined with the excellent May weather, meant that tourists were out in full force. It feels a little jarring to go to a crowded place after having spent the past 11 months in quiet, sparsely populated Norway.

On Friday evening, we took the train to Letohrad, located one and a half hours to the east, near the Polish border. It’s easy to idealize a place you visit, but in my eyes Letohrad is pretty close to perfect. With 6,000 residents, it could be the archetype of a rural European town, built around a cobbled town square and surrounded by lush forests. Bicycle paths are common, and bikes are as ubiquitous as cars. The pace of life in Letohrad feels very manageable, people seems happy and healthy, and kids have both the time and space to play. Letohrad is doing something right, and it’s something I wanted to aspire to as I began my own European adventure.

Gavin and I would be staying with the Skalický family — Václav and Šárka, and their kids Anežka and Jakob — who hosted me last year. Václav picked us up at the train station, and Šárka had a delicious Czech dinner waiting for us upon arrival. After dinner they invited our friend Naďa Běťáková and her husband Orlen for wine from Václav’s very impressive and extensive collection. 

On Saturday Václav gave us a tour of Letohrad in the morning, followed by lunch with the Pomikálik family. Aleš and Veronika and their kids, Ondrej, Daniella, and Sami, hosted us in their house, and Aleš’s mom Hana cooked a fabulous meal that I am going to try to replicate this week. This family has been great friends to the Annapolis partnership and I was excited to see them again.

After lunch the Pomikáliks and Skalickýs took us on a hike to a monastery in neighboring Králícky. The dandelions were in full bloom, and the kids took the opportunity to make a very long dandelion chain.

Gavin got into a dandelion fight, and I was bedazzled.

We finished the day with pizza and more of Václav’s wine.

On Sunday we went to church, where I had the chance to catch up with many others that I met last year. We spent the remaining hours on Sunday afternoon playing soccer and frisbee with Anežka and Jakob while Václav and Šárka loaded us up with cookies, chocolate, fruit, granola bars, and wine to fortify us for the journey home. We caught an evening train back to Prague and flew to Norway the following morning.

Once again I was really humbled by the tremendous hospitality that we received in Letohrad. I also feel honored to become part of a relationship between our two churches and communities that has existed for the past twenty years. I am really glad we were able to make this trip happen and I’m glad Gavin got to be part of it too.