Author Archives: kathousekelli70

Territorial Marshals Overland Stage

Posted on by kathousekelli70

I’m still writing blogs from Europe but wanting to do something creative …..and need to get into this anyway, I finished the black work of this monstrosity yesterday while the last load of washing was drying.

I like to think of it as ‘how to make a blank square with holes look like a stage coach’!

Always up for a challenge I found a couple good stagecoach pics of the gorgeous Kentucky Concord stagecoaches last night.

Built in 1895 they were state of the art transportation and were widely used by Wells, Fargo & Company for delivering the US Mail.

So here we have the Territorial Marshals Overland Stage drawn up and ready for some colour! (Minus the two back boxes)

Will keep you posted on the progress!

Kat xo

Terezín

Posted on by kathousekelli70

(Tour – Wednesday August 16th)

Terezín was in fact, an Austrian fortress during some 400 years of Austrian rule.

In a much happier time of its use, Terezín was built to guard against the Prussian armies.

Construction started in 1780 and was completed 4 years later. 15,000 people, seven brick factories, 200 million bricks and Terezín never saw its intended use.

Other wars had come and gone, allied forces had been formed with Prussia and so on.

The moats, now not in use, could be filled by a number of locke’s in a matter of 24hrs. Underneath the fortress and within it’s walls are a labyrinth of corridors.

They have opened up a 500m section for tourists to go through but there is a network of some 30km under there.

Charles, our tour guide for inside Terezín, spoke with such heartfelt detail and respect during the tour.

Terezín as you may or may not know, housed around 5,800 soldiers in 1939 and later became a concentration camp during 1941.

It had been part of the Jewish ghetto and was used primarily as a holding cell before transferring Jews to the other ‘death’ camps such as Auschwitz.

Families were separated, children of various ages were put in kindergarten or schools. Once they reached 16 years they were treated the same as the adults.

As we saw in a couple of places , when the International Res Cross came to these camps, a different story was portrayed. Soccer games were organised for the prisoners, larger dormitories and showering etc. If asked how they were being treated, they were to answer ‘I am feeling very well’. If they didn’t they knew they would be killed.

Gustav, our tour guide from Prague and for the rest of the tour told us figures on people in the camps, how many perished, the conditions they endured, and more.

He told of a group of women who had been sent to Auschwitz but due to failings of the system they were made get dressed again and were sent back to Terezín. They were able to warn others that they were not being sent for showering but to be put to death (he kept using the word liquidated – I find this odd and don’t like that term). The next evening the same women were sent again and gathered together singing their Jewish and Cžech national hymns which certainly surprised the Nazi’s, proving that they could not take away their pride and bravery in the face of death.

After Terezín we were bused into the Ghetto to the once kindergarten and school buildings to a museum.

The museum houses many photographs, names and statistics. Of interest are the children’s drawings on display.

The school teacher upon finding the children were being sent to Auschwitz had packed a suitcase with 4,500 of the drawings and buried it on a courtyard. It was found 2 years after the war had ended. Some are on display here and others are displayed in a museum in New York.

There were also works from skilled Jewish men that were used for propaganda programs, architectural drawings, music, portraits and artwork used for souvenir’s for the Nazi’s.

A very humbling experience. We can think ourselves lucky we have not had to experience hardships like this and that is in fact, way too light a description. Trust me.

Kat xo

Pivo in Prague

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Now where would be in the country of most consumers of beer (Pivo) and not take a guided tour to a few of the city’s finest.

We met our guide Martin from Urban Adventures at the Wenceslas statue at the top of Wenceslas Square. It was to be a small group of beer connoisseur’s but instead of 5 with two no shows we were down to 3 of us (Gina – a teacher in Wemberley but from Brisbane would you believe!, Jack and myself) and the guide.

Once upon a time in a Bavarian Monastery…..or something like that 🙂 ……during the 9th century, Monks began brewing the famous beverage.

Monks were relatively wealthy and so had the money to buy the best ingredients.

Back in the day when animals were roaming town streets and water was becoming contaminated, the process of brewing beer made it safer to drink beer than water.

Yes you heard me right! Beer! Even the kids were drinking it. Obviously the alcohol content was a lot less than most beers brewed today and they didn’t consume it in the same quantities as we do now.

We took the tram to the first stop which was another new experience for us.

Vino Harady is a vineyard district right in the center of Prague that was used by the monasteries and was turned into a park. Today some of the grapevines are being regrown in the park.

Across from the park in the quieter end of town is our first stop on the tour – Pivnice Usadu.

Now a quick note, Lager is what they call bottom fermented and wheat beer is top fermented with its fruitier flavours and cloudy appearance.

A process that depends purely on the balance of hops to malt ratio balancing out sweetness depending on the brew you require.

So Jack went for Velen which is a wheat beer. I had Sadek, an unfiltered lager. Accompanying this was tapas that Martin ordered (at each stop) for us of Czech tradition. This round was marinated pork belly strips (which wasn’t the fatty version we have seen previous) with horse radish and mustard.

Learning point – water, barley, hops, yeast are the essential and pure ingredients. German tradition and law make this so. There are no other ingredients or flavourings to be added to the mix. Cžech brewers, whilst there is no law, follow this German tradition.

Of course ideal weather and soil conditions contribute to production of the perfect hops. As mentioned it acts to balance the sweetness and also serves as a natural preservative.

As you do, as we have seen Budweiser Budvar signs everywhere, Jack asked the difference between Budweiser USA and Budweiser here. You would have thought he had cussed but Martin explained as best he could.

Budweiser as the Budjovíce bohemian version has been around since the 17th Century. Budweiser Anheuser Busch is German and apparently there are ongoing issues between the two regarding the use of name etc. The original Budvar version is sold in USA under a different label. (Sounds like some similar issues to the McDonalds film I just watched)

Onto the tram again to our next stop and this pub, I notice, uses a different numbering system. Like an 11, 13, or say a 15 beside the name of the beer. Martin explains this is done to grade the beer. The numbers determine the level of malt in the beer and later used in determination of the alcohol by volume percentage is done.

This pub also has unique brews made for them only, these brewers are called ‘gypsy breweries’. Once the beer is all gone they might get a different brewer in.

Here we are drinking one called ‘Bad Flash Red Shorts’ an IPA. Paired with a Bavarian style sausage that has been cooked and pickled in vinegar. (Hence the saying – drowning in vinegar or in Aus we would say slightly pickled)

This type of sausage was first produced for an industrial exhibition in the late 1800’s. It has been prepared to serve with beer and has been in pubs since then.

This pub has been here for 160 years. At one stage someone had booked the place for a party and asked if they could provide their own kegs. The publican obliged and when the party finished the left over kegs were served up to locals the next day. They liked it! Hence the changing of breweries regularly now.

It’s now 8.20pm and our third stop, Cafe Kolibka. The Únitece unfiltered lager (can’t remember if we all drank the same but the only one in my notes) with a marinated cheese.

The cheese, like Camembert or Brie, has been marinated in oil, paprika, bay leaf and onion. Extremely good with a thin piece of bread and beer.

The last stop on our tour took us back in near our hotel at a place called Pivovar U Dobrenskych where we have all chosen different beers.

Gina chose a light and refreshing lemongrass style. Jack went for a medium flavored almost IPA called Tribulas and I chose their stout but must have definitely given up typing the name because I’ve got nothing! Lol! No, found a photo, all good!

I’m sure it was around 10.30pm or so when we finished this tour. A great evening spent talking over good beer.

Thanks Martin and Urban Adventures, outstanding!

Kat xo

Wednesday, August 16th

More Prague, CZ

Posted on by kathousekelli70

There is more than meets the eye in Prague and amongst the hidden, crowded and busy streets we find more history, museums and treasures.

Jewish Quarter

Having been around since 906, we walked past the Pinkas Synagogue. One of 7 synagogues in the area.

The area also has the oldest Jewish synagogue in Europe from 1270. (I hope all my figures are right, it was hard to keep up with the typing whilst the tour guide was talking)

It is used every year for Jewish holiday celebrations. Behind it, the cemetery has some of the oldest tombstones. People were buried in 12 layers with the last interned in 1787.

The City

Just some interesting bits and pieces I noted down during the tours as we flew around in the bus, walked for miles or relaxed on the boat.

  • There are 46 McDonalds and 38 KFC restaurants in Prague.
  • Bata shoes once owned and produced in Cžech, currently in Canada, are in the process of having it return to Cžech Republic. The store in Prague is 5 floors of shoes!!
  • Paris Street is their most expensive strip of high end shops.
  • A paradox of history – once where a huge statue of Stalin stood was later a statue of Michael Jackson when he held a concert there.
  • Approx 1million people are recorded as living in Prague. A big issue come tourist season where it swells beyond that.
  • Renovation works to buildings and statues are carried out during summer. Making it busier.
  • 1.1% unemployment, best in Europe.
  • Sports stadium was built in 1926 taking just 6 months to build. It's massive, looks run down and covered in graffiti but apparently still very much used.
  • The Dept of Foreign Affairs building which has more windows than days of the year (tour guides words, haa haa) used to be a mental asylum!
  • During summer, some 10,000 people take one of the boat trips. They run about every 10mins.

There is more with the replica Eiffel tower up on Perrin Park hill,

the Hunger Wall memorial, Wenscelas Square,

the Powder Tower

and of course the gorgeous and popular Astronomical Clock

in the Old Town Square where hundreds gather in and around cafe's to watch it go through its motions on the hour. (Video is on FB)

Kat xo

Prague, CZ

Posted on by kathousekelli70

What a beautiful city! The historic Charles Bridge, St Vitus Cathedral and the Prague Castle create a beautiful backdrop to this bustling city.

With all its crazy little mazes of cobblestone streets and alleys, Prague has a lot to offer tourists from abroad.

Of course the summer season is particularly busy and many streets are just a sea of people! Great for people watching whilst drinking pivo! (Beer)

We started our few days with a full day guided tour of Prague. We caught a bus for part of it, walked miles for the most of it and finished with a boat cruise.

Old Prague and the castle grounds have been around since 1230 where it was rich with merchants houses from Romanesque times.

Prague clearly had a lot to offer for the likes of Mozart and other musicians and artists to come here.

Charles Bridge

The Charles Bridge tower is one of the oldest pieces of gothic architecture. The bridge is the link between Old Town and Lesser Quarter.

Thirty statues serve as a gallery across the bridge. The originals are now being replaced with replicas and over the next few years will be exhibited inside the castle walls.

The bridge was named after Charles IV but he never saw it to completion having died 3 years earlier. The earlier Bridge had been destroyed during a flood in 1342. At 5.31am construction of the Charles Bridge took place on the 9th July 1357. It was done on completely odd numbers.(numerology significance) 971357531 as displayed above the gate.

Prague Castle

The castle, once home to the royal family of Schwarzenberg and other royal families, now serves as presidential suites for the Cžech President.

The flag is flying during our visit which means of course, the President is in the country.

This popular tourist destination features many castle rooms, small shops of handcrafts, museum, monuments, cafes and of course St Vitus Cathedral. Some areas are closed or heavily guarded due to the Presidential office.

We arrived at the castle in time for the changing of the guard at one of the 3? Main entrances. Guards perform their changing ceremony every 30minutes.

As you enter into the square there is a beautiful Baroque fountain and water well from the 17th century.

St Vitus Cathedral

This formidable piece of architecture was started in the 14th century with one section built in 1812-1929. Essentially 1004 years to build!

The beautiful big round window in one end of the cathedral was constructed in 1928 with 26,000 pieces of glass. I kid you not!

The stunning glass windows and other ornate features are truly stunning.

On the outside wall as you exit the cathedral is a massive mosaic made in 1371 of hundreds of thousands of Venetian glass and sandstone cubes.

It was the original entrance to the cathedral with the mosaic depicting heaven on the left and hell on the right.

What a fabulous visit into history, but wait, there's more!

Kat xo

Prague

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Arrived in Prague today have had a nice lunch, checked into Old Prague Hotel and then made our way to parking.

Again streets are narrow and not much room for movement. Cobblestones and heaps of tourists.

The buildings are stunning, truly ornate works of art.

Walked across 'most legii' from the National Theatre to the hunger wall. Then back again and around looking for a place for dinner.

We ended up at Pivovar Národní Brewery. A great beer garden out back, so we found a spot to sit and had great steaks and salad.

Then a 15 minute meander back to the hotel. Checked out the strange moving sculpture and back to the 'couldn't swing a cat in it if you tried' room.

Thankfully this is only one night before we go in to a more suitable one tomorrow.

Tomorrow is rivercruise tour!

Na zdraví!

Kat xo

Kutná Hora

Posted on by kathousekelli70

We arrived in Kutná Hora yesterday afternoon.

After a brief walk around we realized this was a larger town than expected and found familiar sounds of American accents. It now looked promising to find places and information centers where people would know some English besides their native Čeština.

A quick walk down more cobblestone streets to the main square we found the Hotel Medínek at the historical Centre of the old town.

We were also able to get a parking spot right outside the front doors!!??!!

Our room overlooked the square which was great for the spontaneous piano players as the sound carried and we could hear it clearly. Anything from chopsticks, classical to popular songs were being played by some very talented people.

There were many outdoor cafes as well which was great and many of the other historical sites are within walking distance.

Later that night however with the rowdy teens in the square from 11pm til about 3am was not so fun or sleep inducing.

Kutná Hora is about 70km's/40miles from Prague. Historically, it was the silver mining Centre and the location of the royal mint. (Today being Monday it is closed so we have missed out)

According to the brochure, It was one of the most influential cities of Bohemia being the second wealthiest city in the country after Prague. In respect to the architecture, Kutná Hora was a favored city to many rulers who came to royal residence known as the Vlašsky Dvur. The old town Centre has been preserved as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After dinner we walked the streets and went along past the Corpus Christi Chapel and around the St Barbara Church which was just spectacular with all its ornate sandstone fretwork, arches, spires and gargoyles.

There are little hidden restaurants and shops everywhere.

This morning, since we found out the Silver Mine was closed, we went to Sedlec Ossuary and the Sedlec Cathedral of the Assumption of our Lady and St John the Baptist.

Brochure states 'These are parts of the former oldest Cistercian Monastery in Bohemia founded in 1142 – the gate to the history of the royal city of Kutná Hora.

Thousands of people found their last place of rest here at the times of plague epidemics and religious Hussite wars in the Middle Ages. In 15th century the major part of the cemetery was abolished and relics from the graves (remains of 40,000 people) were brought to the church into its underground chapel.

In 1511 a half-blind monk piled them into pyramids. The Seslec Monastery was abolished by Joseph II. The present form of the bone decoration is a result of Baroque modifications carries out in early 18th century by J B Sabrina Aichel, completed by a wood carver František Rint in 1870.'

This is Memento Mori or remember the death associated with the Christian hope of resurrection, not a celebration of death but symbolizing the equality of people in front of the throne of god.

Hats removed, courtesy silence, photography allowed (no flash), heaps of tourists. A very interesting visit.

Kat xo

THE Day of Truth

Posted on by kathousekelli70

'Days of Truth 2017' has come to an end with a long day of 9 stages yesterday to complete the match.

We enjoyed the match with great stages, targets and distance, good mix of movement as well. Colbert and the AWS team put on a great match.

Last night we changed and headed back to the range for the dinner, awards and costume contest.

Speaking of the latter, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people really dressing up and while standing there waiting for my turn, listened to them talk about their costumes and how the military guys were very well informed.

Best Dressed Man, Lady, Couple, Military and Junior cogratulations to all contestants and winners.

 

Ladies – Cruzan Confusion 1st, Kathouse Kelli 2nd, Edentate Oppitorá 3rd

 

Mens – Catweasle (aka UK Dane) 1st, Lommy 2nd, Tiff 3rd

 

Military – Wreckhouse Paul 1st, Sherman McMasters 2nd, Had 3rd

And I didn't get a photo of the couples or juniors! Congratulations though to Cherry Poppins & Captain Woodbury Kane 1st, Harry Long & Crazy Lady 2nd, Jarka & Mgrda Kredoíboví 3rd in the couples. For the juniors, Little Sure Shot 1st, Black River Belle 2nd and little brother and sister Jan & Ludmila 3rd.

The Ladies Of Cowboy Action Shooting, Cowgirl of Honor Award was also presented and it was with congratulations to Crazy Lady from Cžech Republic 3rd Place, Jessie Belle from Germany 2nd Place and Wonder Bibi from Italy in 1st Place.

 

It was well after midnight when we got back I know.

The results, as I'm sure you want to know, so the 10 in the rifle and the shotgun mishaps cost me dearly but am pleased to say 5th lady overall and still managed 2nd behind the lovely Mad Cat With Gun finishing first for the Lady Wranglers! Congratulations to my other Lady Wrangler competitors, Misty Moonshine 3rd, Black Velvet 4th and Katie Scarlett O'Hara 5th.

 

Jackaroo finished very well overall at 19th and 2nd in Silver Senior category. Congratulations to the other Silver Senior's, Captain Wildbeard finishing 1st, Lash LaRue 3rd and Ace Heart 4th.

 

This year's SASS European Championship, Days of Truth, overall Man and Lady – Hell Hound and Mad Cat With Gun! Congratulations to you both.

 

This morning we got sort of a sleep in, packed everything and headed out for Prague via Kutná Hora. Well…….that was the plan…..we made it as far as Kutná Hora and checked into a Hotel. The boss has had a sleep and we feel kinda normal again – if there is such a thing for us.

Time to head out into the street for dinner and have a quick look around.

Na zdraví!

Kat xo

 

Days of Truth – Part 1

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Monday arrived in Oparany for Days of Truth. All checked in, caught up with others then made our way to Apartmany Lhota following Colbert. We would never have found the apartments on our own and believe me we did try.

Very neat accommodation sharing apartments with Americans and French. There is a common kitchen, dining and tv room with a billiard table. (Jack and I are 5 games even as of last night) A pool – pity we decided that we wouldn't need our swimmers – sauna and hot tub. We are really only there to sleep after shooting anyway.

 

The campground is reminiscent of Chisholm Trail, heaps of campers and nightly parties! Just different flags, and many many different accents!

The range is set for a great match. Target sizes and distances are great and some fun stages. We did a quick walk through them all yesterday after registration and now this morning, have organised gun cart, picked up ammo and ready for warm up.

 

Five warm up stages on Tuesday to iron out the rubbish! Wednesday was a great sleep in day, do a workout, relax, write postcards, do washing and then out to the range for speed events and then dinner and

16 countries were represented at the opening ceremonies which included Australia.

 

Thursday was first day of main match which resulted with ammo not going off in the rifle so 10 misses for me. The shotgun does not seem to be liking one lot of the lighter ammo here so we have both had some false starts with shotgun also. Very frustrating indeed but it is what it is.

Friday, rain is forecast. We were up at 6am and it's starting to rain. As we get to the range there is already thunder, lightning, heaps of rain and wondering how this match is going to be.

They decide a delay is in order due to the weather, thankfully, and we will sport for another start at 11am. This too does not occur with a delay now until 2pm and approval to shoot late.

Come 2pm it is still bucketing down with thunder and lightning and a foot of water to be wading through on range. Decision comes through that it is cancelled for the day. Others have been consulted and a decision has been made that the previous day's stages have been scrapped and that now we will start fresh tomorrow with 7 stages.

Posses will now be formed into 14 instead of the original 15 (which means we will be shifted into a new posse because we were in 15). Two posse's will be together, 1 shooting, 1 working so we all get through in a timely fashion and can be finished ready for awards and dinner.

Looking forward to a better day tomorrow, let's just say a second chance for me.

……..a few hours later…no, it now appears they have changed their minds again and we will now shoot 9 stages tomorrow and complete the match!

Kat xo

 

SASS European Championship Update

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Okay seeing as I've been enjoying the time here and not blogging. I'll just give you a quick update between blogs.

So we did warm up the day before and started main match of the European Championships yesterday (Thursday). We did 6 stages, storm was supposed to come and didn't.

5 more were schedule for today…..note I said scheduled! It's been raining since 6am – two delays – but continued thunderstorms and inches of rain has put paid to any shooting for the day.

Yesterday's stages have been scrapped (lucky for me) and tomorrow will see a brand new set up of two posse's working together, 7 stages that everyone will shoot to produce an overall result.

With thunder, lightning and 20cm/10" deep of rain on the ranges (even though they were trying to pump it off) nothing is happening, was mission impossible for today.

So to everyone shooting the European Championships!

Good luck tomorrow!!!

Kat xo