Two or three things I learned in Czechia
Travel is always an edifying experience. Two things I learned from my recent trip.
First, the poetry you pick up in school is never completely lost. It will pop into your head when you see its real life counterpart (even in a different country). This is The Wild Swans at Coole by W.B. Yeats.
The Vltava River in Cesky Krumlov
The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
The Vltava River in Prague
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty swans.
Second, I learned what money is for. Sure, it’s to pay bills and buy cat food, but there’s more.
Money is so you don’t have to travel coach on long-haul flights when you’re over 40 (my demarcation line between youth and age, long past). Listen to me, kids: You need those wide seats that turn into beds. You need a constant supply of drinks. You need space. When you fly a total of 15 hours, you feel every minute in your bones.
There endeth the lesson.
* * * * *
The Witcher, the story that launched Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy series, is one of eight stories from Central Europe and the Philippines in Ang Manggagaway, an anthology of science-fiction and fantasy tales edited by Dean Francis Alfar; József Bencze, Hungarian Ambassador and poet; and Jaroslav Olša, Jr., Czech Ambassador and founding father of the Czech science fiction monthly Ikarie (He knows George R.R. Martin). The stories are by Csilla Kleinheincz of Hungary, František Novotný and Julie Nováková of the Czech Republic, Juraj Cervenák and Alexandra Pavelková of Slovakia, and Elyss Punsalan and Edgar Calabia Samar of the Philippines. The Filipino translations are by Eros Atalia, Joselito de los Reyes, Beverly Siy and the Bob Ong.
Ang Manggagaway was launched recently, and will hit bookstores soon. As our world grows ever closer to the dystopian societies envisioned by Philip K. Dick and the cyberpunks, we all need to be reading science-fiction. It is no longer just the genre that helped nerds stay alive through the torments of high school. It is a matter of survival.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
October 24th, 2017 at 03:05
Ang ganda!
October 24th, 2017 at 17:27
Re what money is for – ahhh so true (I would include “to escape screaming babies at 29,000 feet). Whenever I travel, I find myself wishing schools would teach people how to conduct themselves in public better – ie, don’t be an idiot in lines, don’t jump the queue, there’s no point in standing up immediately the moment the plane stops, use your quiet room voice in public, don’t have BO, etc.
Excited to share travel stories with you! See you soon!