"How many winds have blown through the century? Hope always burns, but the smoke! ...No, holy fools, don't waste your time with your love of life There is something more than smoke A mustard seed of love A universe without a fence"
— Kamil Bednář, Holy Fools

We see this year's great Máchov pilgrimage from Prague to Sněžka as a tribute to poets Kamil Bednář (1912-1972) and Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962). Both were sensitive to the upheavals of the 20th century and warned of the possible decline of civilization, which they saw in the disconnection of humanity from nature and the cosmos. Robinson Jeffers programmatically sought his poetry outside himself, searching for something permanent, "to lean on." On the California coast at Cape Big Sur, where he lived, he found the natural beauty of stones, rocks, the ocean, the sky and stars, which spoke to him in the language of poetry; he perceived wild nature as his partner and true speaker in dialogue; the natural beauty of things represented for him "the basic work of poetry." He discovered the soulful nature of the living earth and realized that it was an integral part of it. Kamil Bednář, who congenially translated Jeffers's poetic work into Czech, also became a "poet of the earth" at the end of his life: in his garden in Mělník, where he found a creative refuge, he concentrated on a conversation with flowers and birds, with Mount Říp, with the sun and the moon. We will get to know the friendship of the two poets and read some of their poems - first in Prague on Kampa, then in Mělník in Kamil Bednář's former garden, in the beech forest on Houska and in the Gothic chapel at Bezděz Castle. — I believe that poetry offers us a wonderful way to establish an intimate relationship with the world of nature. It seems like the time has come to fall in love with the outdoors, listen to the earth, poeticize it, and discover a new “language of relationships” in our daily lives.  

“… love the beauty of the universe, not man separated from it, otherwise you will share in the pitiful confusions of man, or you will drown in despair when man’s days become dark.”
— Robinson Jeffers

On Friday, August 19: We will meet at 10 am at Charles Square at the lower fountain, near the house where the poet Karel Hynek Mácha lived. From here we will set off on the planned route of the Prague poets' journey to Vyšehrad, then along the embankment along the Vltava River to the National Theatre and further across the Legion Bridge to Kampa to the house where the poet Vladimír Holan lived. Here, under the "Holan plane tree", we will remember the forgotten poet and excellent translator Kamila BednářeLet's read some poems from his early poetry collections (History of the heartetc.), or his poems dedicated to Prague. From Kampa we will go up the slope of Petřín to the statue of Jaroslav Vrchlický and further through Prague Castle, Chotkovy sady to Letná. We will end our journey at the Alchymista café in Letná, where we will hold an impromptu lecture around 2 pm. Poets of the Earth Robinson Jeffers and Thomas Berry (SW). The event is expected to end at 4 p.m.  

"For a long time here from Mělník, my Říp, I have been looking at you until I myself become you. And suddenly, strengthened by the wine of destruction, I straighten up and stand up and like Říp, I climb up to the sky..."
— Kamil Bednář, Říp and I

Pilgrimage of the Giant Mountains

We will embark on our own journey on Saturday, August 20th at 8 am from the observatory in Ládví. The best way to get here from the center of Prague is by metro to Ládví station, from there on foot to the Ládví observatory on a beautiful rocky promontory with an iron cross. From Ládví we will follow the yellow sign to Ďáblice and from there along a dirt road to Zdib. Further to Zdibsko, Sedlec and through the forest to Panenské Břežany, where we will see the beautiful Baroque chapel of St. Anne by architect Jan Blažej Santini. From there we will head to Čenkov and through the charming natural monument Kopeč and Netřebská slaniska we will reach Obříství on the banks of the Elbe. Here we will have lunch and then cross the Art Nouveau bridge at Štěpán and along its course we will reach the confluence of the Elbe with the Vltava under the chateau in Mělník. We will spend the night under a broad canopy on the other bank of the Elbe in the Hořínský park.

Sunday, August 21st We will meet at 8 a.m. at the viewpoint above the confluence of the Vltava and Elbe rivers at the Mělník castle. From there, we will follow the red Mácha path sign towards Chloumek and, at the site of the gardening colony, we will visit the former the garden of Kamil and Emilie Bednář. We will remember their stay here and the experiences of Kamil Bednář in Mělník, which he depicted in his charming book. A friend's garden. We will read Bednř's poems and his translations of Jeffers' poems. We will then travel through Chloumek to Lhotka, to Harasov, Kokořín and Sál via Vojtěchov, Olešno and Ráj to Houska. We will visit the beech grove behind Houska Castle, the Na konci sil pub and go down to Hostince pod Houskou. We will spend the night under a big tree or in an inn.

Monday, August 22 we will go through Borejov (where we will visit the Church of St. James the Elder with a modern altarpiece of the pilgrim St. James the Greater), Ždírec and Okna na hrad Bezdez; we will visit the beautiful Gothic chapel here, where we will read Kamil Bednář's poem "Song for Two Voices". Then we head to Bělá pod Bezdězem and from there follow the blue trail through Bitouchov to the ruins of Zvířetice Castle, where we spend the night. 

“The tides still pulse in our blood, the stars still reflect in us, this life is your offspring. But I sense something older, more permanent, more complete within me: The power of the Eye that surveyed all long before the ocean was formed.” — Robinson Jeffers: At the Continent’s End

Tuesday, August 23 we will set off along the Jizera River to Malá Bělá and then through Nová Ves to the Račov National Nature Monument with moorland meadows and wetland alders, around the St. Prokop spring through the Klokočka field to the Hradiště nad Jizerou Monastery and to Mnichovo Hradiště. From there we will continue along the red trail to the Bohemian Paradise, first to Mácha's favorite rock castle Valečov and then along the green trail to the Komárovský pond, where we will swim. We will then set off along the green trail and then along the red trail to the Kost Castle, from there along the blue trail through Dobšice to Vyskeř, in front of which we will spend the night in a meadow by the forest. If it is clear, it will be possible to observe the starry sky without light pollution.

Wednesday, August 24 We will ascend the Stations of the Cross to the chapel on Vyskeř (466 m above sea level) and from there we will continue along the blue trail to Hrubá skála and then along the red trail to Trosky. From Trosky along the green trail and then along the red trail through Mladějov to the rock castle of Pařez, near which we will spend the night in a rocky overhang.

Thursday, August 25 we will follow the green trail through the Prachov Rocks to Prachov and from there follow the blue trail through Přivýšina, Brad and Kbelnice to Jičín, where we will have lunch. We will visit the Wallenstein Loggia and Zebín. In the evening we will follow the green trail to Železnice and further through Bradlecká Lhota and the ruins of Bradlec Castle to the ruins of Kumburk Castle, where we will spend the night.  

"With the beauty of things we ascend to the heavens and with the contradiction of our years we fall to where Dante awaits paradise and man — the cosmic center." — Kamil Bednář, Červnová zahrada

Friday, August 26 – we will hike along the red trail to Nová Paka and then continue along the red trail through Radkyně to Pecky. From there, follow the yellow trail under Jelení hřbet to Borovnice and further under Čistecká hůra (586 m above sea level), where we will spend the night at the edge of the forest.

Saturday, August 27th we will follow the yellow path over Čistecká hůra to Čistá and from there we will continue along the dirt road to Bukovina u Studenec and further along the road to Studenec; from there we will follow the red path to Strážník hill (630 m above sea level). From Strážník, follow the blue path to Martinice v Krkonoše and to Horní Braná. We will pass Horní Braná to Valteřice and from there we will follow the blue path to the foot of the Krkonoše, where we will spend the night in the meadows under the forest (we will possibly sleep in our makeshift hayloft).

Sunday, August 28 We will follow the blue trail to the Křížovka crossroads on the border of the Krkonoše National Park and from there the yellow trail to Přední Žalý (1018 m asl). We will continue along the ridge along the red trail to Černá skála (1038 m asl) and further to Mechovinec (1074 m asl) and Horní Mísečky, from where we will descend along the red trail to Špindlerův Mlýn, where we will have lunch. From Špindlerův Mlýn we will set off along the yellow trail through the Bílé Labe Valley to Luční bouda. We will spend the night at the Luční bouda.

Monday, August 29 We will climb to the sunrise on Sněžka (1602 m above sea level). From the top of Sněžka we will descend via Obří Důl to Pec pod Sněžkou and from there we will return by bus to Prague. Or we will take the road via Horní Mísečky to Horní Maršov and from there by bus to Prague.  

“It flows from mystery to mystery—there is no beginning, and how could there be? Nor an end—how could there be? The stars sparkle in the sky like a shower of waves that fly to nonexistent shores, and the unknown music sounds forever, …” — Robinson Jeffers, How Beautiful It Is

NOTICE

If you do not go with us for the entire journey, you can join us anywhere, preferably at the main points of the route (Mělnik, Houska, Mnichovo Hradiště, Jičín, Pecka, Špindlerův Mlýn, etc.) and go with us for as long as you want. We do not provide accommodation in advance. We sleep under the stars. If you want to insure your accommodation, please book it yourself. We recommend that you bring blister plasters with you. Everyone is free to travel and is responsible for themselves. We only ask for tolerance towards other pilgrims.

Bus service on August 29 from Pec to Prague

Pec pod Sněžkou / departure: 13:20 – Prague, Černý most / arrival: 16:33 departure: 14:37 (transfer Vrchlabí) – Prague, Černý most / arrival 18:35 departure: 15:37 (transfer Svoboda nad Úpou, Trutnov) – Prague, Černý most / arrival 19:43

CONTACT

• Jiří Zemánek, sarvanga@centrum.cz, mobile: 777 117 466
• Vladimir Drábek, drabekvladimir00@gmail.com, mobile: 602 646 665
• Tomáš Hrůza, tomashruza@gmail.com, mobile: 775 052 607