Or so T.S. Elliot would have us believe. Of course, to my knowledge, he never lived through a Czech winter, so his opinion means little.
However, here in Ceske Budejovice it would seem nature has decided to stop pressing the snooze button and start waking up after a nice six month nap. Everyday the weather gets a tad more pleasant, a little more green begins to peek through the limbs of trees, and flowers of every color start to push up from the earth. It is a variable feast for the eyes.
I am not saying that winter wasn't beautiful and the pure white crispness of snow isn't one of the most magical things ever seen. It's more as if I had forgotten how amazing it is to watch the world wake up, take a big stretch and show how lovely it is when it looks like a Chagal painting.
And it would seem I am not the only one who feels this way. I have seen more smiles, heard more laughter, enjoyed more "dobry den"s (hello) from random strangers these past few weeks than in the entire five months of snow. We, all of us, seem to be shedding our winter grump and basking in the sunshine which greets us everyday and hangs out long past the end of our work day. The parks are filled on weekends with families playing, having picnics, and just hanging out as the single sporty types get their flirt on by making eyes at one another as they cycle, Rollerblade, play with their dogs, or, like me, take long strolls to enjoy the scenery. Everywhere I turn now, I see people outside, smoking cigarettes, reading, drinking coffee, or just quietly being.
What I find the most spectacular, however, is how flower like the people are as well. Most have shed the dark somber colors they don for winter and are sporting far more vivid attire. The women are in every shade, drawing attention to their growing tans (or sunburns in some cases) and the men are embracing a bolder pallet, like the mallard duck, hoping the reds, greens, blues and oranges he now wears will out shine all the other guys who are attempting the same. It is sort of wonderful to watch this mating dance happen.
So, all in all, I call bullshit on my old friend Elliot. April is not the cruelest month. He should try January in the CR.
However, here in Ceske Budejovice it would seem nature has decided to stop pressing the snooze button and start waking up after a nice six month nap. Everyday the weather gets a tad more pleasant, a little more green begins to peek through the limbs of trees, and flowers of every color start to push up from the earth. It is a variable feast for the eyes.
I am not saying that winter wasn't beautiful and the pure white crispness of snow isn't one of the most magical things ever seen. It's more as if I had forgotten how amazing it is to watch the world wake up, take a big stretch and show how lovely it is when it looks like a Chagal painting.
And it would seem I am not the only one who feels this way. I have seen more smiles, heard more laughter, enjoyed more "dobry den"s (hello) from random strangers these past few weeks than in the entire five months of snow. We, all of us, seem to be shedding our winter grump and basking in the sunshine which greets us everyday and hangs out long past the end of our work day. The parks are filled on weekends with families playing, having picnics, and just hanging out as the single sporty types get their flirt on by making eyes at one another as they cycle, Rollerblade, play with their dogs, or, like me, take long strolls to enjoy the scenery. Everywhere I turn now, I see people outside, smoking cigarettes, reading, drinking coffee, or just quietly being.
What I find the most spectacular, however, is how flower like the people are as well. Most have shed the dark somber colors they don for winter and are sporting far more vivid attire. The women are in every shade, drawing attention to their growing tans (or sunburns in some cases) and the men are embracing a bolder pallet, like the mallard duck, hoping the reds, greens, blues and oranges he now wears will out shine all the other guys who are attempting the same. It is sort of wonderful to watch this mating dance happen.
So, all in all, I call bullshit on my old friend Elliot. April is not the cruelest month. He should try January in the CR.
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