10 Jun 2023 – today’s primary activity is a planned historical tour of Old Town Edinburgh. Giles Church – famous central Presbyterian church where the (in)famous John Knox was among the first to lead Scotland against Catholicism Christ m the mid-1500s.
Next down one of the narrow alleys (called a ‘close’) where we saw the Literary Museum. Next to Greyfriars Kirkyard – church and cemetery
Next the Grass Market – which began as the slums and low rent district of Edinburgh and the neighborhood of criminals and thugs. The main square here held the gallows – which were frequently used. Several legends lead to pubs and streets referring to some of these – such as The Last Drop and Maggie Dickson’s. Next a stop in front of the National Museum, where our tour ended. Quick peek inside, then off for fish and chips in a pub while watching the Champions League final.
9 Jun 2023 – up early, cab to airport- fly to Scotland!
Arrived in Glasgow to beautiful sunshine – and our driver said it had not rained for three weeks – also expected to be “hot” tomorrow – 23C (~74F) – so continuation of the weather we have had, and warmer than we planned clothes for. Our Airbnb booking this time is an amazing room in a gorgeous house that was at one time a very stately private home.
Right on a main bus route, it’s easy to jump on for trip into the Royal Mile historic area, and to do a little wandering in search of food and beer.
Not much on for today – knowing we have a tour booked for tomorrow- so selected a pub on recommendation to an acquaintance back home, and visited The Last Drop – so named because it sits very near the open square site of public hangings in the 17-19th centuries. decor decidedly grim – noises on the walls and light fixtures, and stories on the walls of some who met the hangman.
Strangely coincidental- especially given the ancestry-hunting nature of this trip – this last wall recounts the 1828 murders by, and subsequent hanging of, a William Hare – Hare being the name of my maternal grandmother from Australia. Hmm – relation?
8 Jun 2023 – Last day in Prague, mainly down day, stopped in Sad Man’s Tongue to meet Pittsburgh owner, did some souvenir hunting. Not much unique that I took pics of – really good Italian dinner, Sad Man’s Tongue for farewells drinks – then early bed for early cab and flight…
7 Jun 2023 – long awaited centerpiece of the trip today – back in 2019 when first planning this trip, I hired a genealogist to help me dig out a couple of generations of my Czech ancestors. My family emigrated to the US in the late 1800s primarily from the South Bohemia region, and today we took an all day car tour with our professional guide/genealogist Dagmar. Tremendous odyssey to several towns and villages where my forebears were born, lived, got married and died. Sampling of the trip here – another day with over 100 pictures – many more than in this extended post – along with some separate notes take for later updates to my family tree software.
Smoletely – Vopička Mill – my 3rd great-grandmother was Marie Vopička – born ~1830 in this small villiage, at the mill her family owned and worked in the 18th/19th centuries. The mill has mentions as early as 1620, and gold was even found there in the 1780s. Now a sheep farm and private home.
Pisek – means ‘sand’ in Czech. Great grandfather Apolinãr Hejl born here. Exact building no longer exists – torn down for Soviet-era block housing. But center of town is still very nice – stone bridge over the river Vltava is intact from 1500s – regular summer display of sand sculptures. Town hall, and delicious local kolaches.
Ceske Budejoviče – Great-grandparents Václav (pronounced “va-slav”) Strnad / Marie Lojdolt – houses where they lived before their 1905 marriage in Katedralni Chram Sv. Mikuláše (Cathedral of St Nicholas). Václav’s house, now an empty business for sale, but you can still see the layout of the house; then the Cathedral and Tower; then Marie’s house, still multi-use as a business and apartments on upper floors.
King Premysla Otakara II founded the town – square dates from 13th century, foundations still in place – we also explored the city center, town hall and found a place for lunch next to a Dominican monastery.
Hrbitov Svaté Otylie – a few minutes drive away from center of Ceske Budejoviče – Strnad, Fucik (another family name) graves.
Doudleby – (“dood-la-bay”) – very small village, difficult to find even with gps! Found via gps to the town/church cemetery. Graves with one family name – Bican, but asked in at the town hall to find house 32 – birthplace of Marie Lojdolt. We were directed to the old town mill, which is currently owned by, as luck would have it, by local historian Mr Nutil. He took it upon himself years ago to be the researcher of town history. He did not recognize the Lojdolt name, but offered to show us his history, and amazingly he had two paragraphs of facts of Loydolt family! From its purchase on 1840 by Matej Loydolt – a miller (obviously) – from Trhové Sviny, the birth of his eight children, including Marie, and eventual sale of the mill and emigration of some of the family to the United States. What a find!
Trhové Sviny – not far from Doudleby- Marie Lojdolt birthplace still stands, private home so only a shot from the street. Then visited local cemetery to look for more graves – found some Lojdolts and a Strnad family plot.
10 hour day to this point, so began the two hour drive back – exhausted but excited with the finds. Once back in Praha, found a pub for some goulash soup, a few beers, and to watch the Europa League final.
6 Jun 2023 – Vyšehrad is an historic fort up on another hill in the Prague city limits built in about the 10th century. Includes the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul, and the Vyšehrad Cemetery, which is the resting place of many of the most famous Czechs – such as Antonio Dvořák, Karel Čapex and Karel Valdauf – a relative and famous polka composer.
Vyšehrad Cemetery
Walk back down the hill, then streetcar over to ‘Little town’ to explore some shops and find dinner – more impressive buildings
By this time we have slowed down on pics, since some is the same as before – but we ended the night again in the Sad Man’s Tongue before an early night ahead of tomorrow’s grand adventure.
