Nove Syrovice revisted

I need to go back to begin this segment. Perhaps you will recall some familiar images from a prior entry.

This is Frank who is dancing with Heidi. He is something like her department head. He has probably been one of the most kind and helpful people in introducing us to many Czech experiences. This evening was after a long day of a town celebration... which ended with dancing and drinking. But I am ahead of myself, for there is much to explain. I want to point out Frank again simply because he has become prominate in our adventures here. Also, note the couple dancing to the left; that is Frank's father and mother. Something that Frank also introduced us to this evening was "Slivovice". It is essentially alcohol, vodka really, made from plums, apples or pears. Everybody drinks this stuff, pretty much all of the time. In fact it was lately told to me that it was seen as sort of a cure all, even as a topical agent. Now this locally made Slivovice is 80 proof. ...so its high octane. What is my long point to all this? After drinking and dancing this eve, and with the social lubricant of 80 proof moonshine, I had somehow agreed to help Frank and his father drain their pond the following weekend. All I could figure out was that once it was drained we would be cleaning it out. They would provide hip-waders. The following week I was thinking that I had gotten myself into some dirty work. So, the following pictures are the advent of the pond draining. Are you thrilled and filled with suspense?

This is Frank's Father's pond. This picture was taken maybe at 7 in the morning. We had already been there 2 hours. The picture above looks from the cabin (below) towards the drain, or low end of the pond. If you look at the really tall reeds, you can note the normal water level. The pond by the time we arrived had been draining for at least 24 hours.

This picture is taken from the drain area, where most of the work was done. I simply wanted to show the small fishing/hunting cabin. Frank's brother was there when we arrived at 5 in the morning. He had stayed the night there and immediately we were served hot spiced wine and grog. Drinking already and the sun wasn't up. You know what this means...

It means there will be more people showing up... and more drinking. Note the Czech 'chuckwagon' in the background. Frank called this a Czech Barbecue.


Here is a close-up. It was an old Czech cooking wagon procured after the wall came down in 1989. It is actually pretty cool. It is wood heated and has three compartments, one for spiced Moravian white wine, the second for Grog, and the final for Kielbasa. There was also plenty of Slivovice to be had. Everybody brought their own stock in a provincial flask... in other words, a reused plastic coke bottle. I didn't bring one, of course, but everyone was very generous with theirs. So...after plenty of coffee, grog, wine and slivovice, we got to work...
which meant catching and clearing all the fish from the pond. Until I saw the equipment, I really had no idea what I was in for... other than the necessity of drinking to maintain good international relationships. So the following pictures show some of the day's activities.
As you can see, large nets were used to catch all the fish in the remaining water.

The fish were sorted according to size.
Then the fish were hauled up the banks and put into these tanks.
A close-up... that's a lot of fishies.
Then the fish were weighed and put in the tanker trucks. Fish farming.
Lunch time... more drinking, which included Hostan Beer... made locally in the town of Znjomo. It's pretty good I think.
From the other end of the table... see Frank drink. drink Frank, drink.
I think you've seen enough. Before the day began, I had no idea what it would hold... I actually thought we would be scooping out mud from the bottom of the pond and all the sediment that had settled there throughout the year(s). I hope this isn't too boring... I actually count this as one of the best moments I've had here. I struggle to say why. This, like the Grassel celebration, is a slice of real Czech life. I suppose many will ask why on earth one would want to know such things. I'm not sure I can give a satisfactory answer. I suppose that one might walk all of Europe, or some other point of interest, and spend the entire time looking at ancient buildings or locations. And while this is an amazing thing to do, I have found that it can be a bit empty. Those places were made and built by real people, and not just those who have been immortalized in statue form. But shown in the above pictures - these are some of those 'real' people. They are a community. They all got together and helped a friend drain his pond and sell his fish. There was no pretension here. We drank like fish and then worked with fish and then we had a meal. In the day's work, there was a sort of honesty and simplicity that was enjoyable. I think in the past, in my various travels, I moved through a place that I only got to observe as though behind glass. This is true of some of my and Ryan's bike trips, though I do think we strive to go out in the places we stay so that we can at least taste the society. My day with Frank, likewise, allowed me to participate in a community and become part of it...at least for a moment.