Last days in France

There are some quintessential, historical aspects of a trip to Paris that cannot be ignored - one is a visit to Versailles to relive/relearn the history of the French Revolution. Another is to find a way to appreciate the Baroque and Gothic art from an intimate perspective.

So we made sure that this trip to Paris had these elements. After a day of walking around the modern sights - the colorful, fanciful, global Quay Branly museum of oriental, african and asian art, and many shops and patisseries - we signed on to a day long Fat Tire Bicycle Tour of Versailles - already mentioned. Mason was our guide - trying to add drama and satire in his retelling of the french kings and their worlds. The day was beautiful and the crowds were manageable. A lovely day, that was topped off by attending an evening concert at St. Chappelle. Beneath the stained glass windows and the buttresses artists shared music on recorder, cello, and harpsichord.

Back to the US to move into New England/NYC family time and relaxation time.

French flowers and vacation mode

How magical to be in France this July! It's definitely fashion season, and flower season, and sunny season. I've been in and out of metro's for a few days - side trip to Chartres to hear Malcolm Miller "read" the stained glass windows - and a side trip tomorrow to Versailles with the Fat Tire Bicycle Tour.

I have finished coding all my research data from Prague and catching up on sleep and tour books - Lynn joined me Sunday afternoon and we've been exploring, walking, and eating from our tiny abode in St. Germain des Pres. Being a tourist is quite fun, albeit slightly uncomfortable every time 10 euros are needed for the next meal, museum pass, or movie ticket. We saw a french movie in french last night - helped our accents, but our comprehension was pretty much based on how well the comedy was filmed.

Jono still awaiting his papers in Romania. As we breakfast with fresh pressed OJ and light as air croissants, he's testing the Romania nutella. Definely different!

Moravian Collage

It's a rainy morning in Prague. I am just back to my favorite alter-hometown from Moravia - spent two days in Olomouc which is two hours east of Prague, near Brno, in the heart of Moravia (a part of the Czech Republic that is fiercely committed to its Moravian roots). In prior travels I had visited other cities in the area - Zlin, Kromeriz,, Boskovice. But this was my first time in Olomouc.

I have been traveling with a team from Seimans and from neziskovky.cz (nonprofits.czech) conducting training on marketing and team building for Czech NGO's of all kinds. Met some 100+ creative, resourceful nonprofiteers over the past two days and was grateful that I had great interpreters for my communication. One of the interpreters - Vojtech - had the most beautiful English/American accent. He explained that he'd spent a year at Moravian College in Pennsylvania -- the only Moravian there!

Czech nonprofits are different from US nonprofits. For example, we have many food pantries - that function is not needed in CZ. We have many nonprofit museums - in CZ museums are usually state run. The many advocacy and human rights/social justice groups that we see in the US and in many other countries don't appear on the radar in the workshops I was conducting.

On the other hand, programs for the handicapped or disabled and programs addressing "social exclusion" are prevalent in CZ. And there are a growing number of volunteer centers and environmental groups.

Same issues plague us all - how to focus on marketing, people, money, and impact. How to be visible, how to be effective. How to help the government with tax laws and regulations that promote philanthropy.

So what's Moravia like? Your typical magical small town - old town square, 3 hotels, sweetshop and restaurants on the square, traditional train station, large university presence. Olomouc's town square stood out because of the fountain with a turtle holding up the world, a wonderful 3-d map of the town, and the Communist era clock that is alot like the Prague Orloj, but with communist symbols.

Barcelona detour

I was intending to write more about my cousin Marsha, following a fruitful and fascinating second trip to West Palm Beach to sort her papers and belongings with a few of her close friends, family and colleagues.....but that story will have to wait until my third trip to Florida, sometime later this summer.

Instead, here's quick peak at Barcelona.....where I am currently immersing myself in the academic research regarding civil society, third sector organizations, the market logic of how nonprofits exist, and the fields of scholarly research that connect to philanthropy and nonprofits. Got her mid day today, and immediately jumped into sessions and conversations with people who have been studying this stuff night and day for a while. The introduction question is not "what do you do?" but "what do you write about?" - definitely a mind shift!

I am attending the ISTR Conference on third sector research, co-sponsored by the European Research Network. I managed lift-off from Austin, just minutes after sending a few grades and two case study drafts off into the internet, and packed for activities in Spain, Czech Republic, Paris, NY and Vermont - my summer itinerary.

Barcelona promises to be a great treat. I am learning lots already - new ideas for Jono's project and for research and teaching ideas for me in the future. Tomorrow's day is full, but I'll take time off for a brief jaunt down to the Old City to connect with a friend of a friend....and talk in less than four-syllable jargon for a half day.

In the meantime, Jono has already left this part of Europe and is onto Croatia. My dorm room and student cafeteria breakfast is comfy and lush in comparison to his sleeping tarp and nutella sandwiches.