So Many Dishes

I don’t usually respond to the daily prompts that pop up when I open my blog, but I had to respond to this one. The furthest I’ve ever traveled from home is Luhacovice, a spa town in Moravia that we visited while we were living in Prague. Those of you who know me know that we spent five months in Prague in 1993, while Ken was on sabbatical leave from the University of Florida. His Czech cooperator took him on several trips around the country to see tomato production areas and to collect bacterial samples, and he invited the family along on this trip.

Luhacovice is the largest spa town in Moravia, but, at least at that time, it was not a location where you were likely to see American tourists. It was certainly an interesting visit. We “took the waters”—one sip of the warm, sulfurous spring water was more than enough. We attended a delightful outdoor concert, and Vaclav, Ken’s cooperator, arranged a private tour of Comenius museum in nearby Uhersky Brod. Dining was its own adventure: the first evening, we ate in the restaurant at our hotel. There were eight entrees on the menu, all with pork. Another night, I decided on a respite from meat and ordered the vegetable plate listed on the menu. It turned out to be various canned vegetables topped with a fried egg. But it was a fun evening with good company.

Sadly, I have no pictures from that trip. The photos that we took were developed as slides, since many of the shots were of tomato plants or fields. So I rely on my memories: our driver, Jiri, carrying 5-year-old Alice on his shoulders and stopping to buy her a huge bag of apricots. Acres of sunflowers, swaying in the breeze. Delicious pastries in a coffee shop. But I can share pictures that I think demonstrate that those five months were a happy time. I know the experience had a huge impact on all our lives.