We somehow don’t feel like doing anything today. Although it may not look like it, this project is quite demanding work. What has been especially draining is that you have to be constantly on the alert when you’re not in your home environment. This is best seen when I want to sweep up: At first, I reach for the broom where I have it at home. The same goes for looking for the faucet and so on. Now add to this the fact that we don’t have our own things or any commensurate replacement for them. Plus constantly having to think about what to do so that the project will be meaningful for us as well.

My main realization in this regard is probably that normal life takes place on a significantly larger stage that the one covered by the cameras. Especially if you have children, you have to go to the playground (best of all, one with a trampoline – something we have at home in our backyard). But what things are available here? Fortunately, there is a trampoline in the brewery garden, although I’m sure it wasn’t put there by the city.

This gets me to thinking about what would motivate someone to live here for real. I have to say that I personally am not bothered (at least for now) by the tourists. I’m sure some really are unpleasant and pushy, but they seem to have avoided me for now. What is more, most of them don’t behave any differently than anyone else when visiting a foreign country, including Czechs on holiday in Croatia. Sure, they photograph anything and everything, but just about everyone does that with their phone. Even Czech secondary school students walk down the street staring at their phones’ GPS, without a clue of where they are (nor are they even interested) – so why get upset at Asians when they do the same thing?

I’m far more bothered by the number of cars that are constantly driving through here. Delivery trucks, taxis, private automobiles. It’s all a bit strange – after all, these historical streets are supposed to be a pedestrian zone. And they are clearly not locals driving up to their houses with the shopping. I’ve heard a lot of comments from locals on this issue, some of whom have said that the police don’t treat everyone equally. But I’m sure there’s more to it than meets the eye. In any case, I don’t feel like the city has a clearly thought out strategy in this regard. If anything, I feel that the problem isn’t the tourists, but Czechs and their (our) way of (not) thinking. Everyone complains about the tourists, but they all live from them as well. The problem is the rapid turnover of tour groups, but where should visitors stop… and why? There’s no benches, nor anything distinctive that might get tourists or even locals to spend more time in town. Is the city’s leadership even interested in locals coming downtown? Do they see any point in it? And what would happen if the city’s natural center stopped being a center?

Of course, not everything is Krumlov’s fault. Global trends and changes can’t just be ignored – whether it is new forms of tourism, young people leaving for the big cities or for other countries, demographic shifts in family life, and the use of modern communications technologies, whose influence has yet to be fully studied. These are things that many cities and countries around the world have had to deal with. Even so, I am sure that it is possible to breathe life into downtown Krumlov if locals, including families with children, had a reason to come here. This would require taking into account their financial limitations, but even here the city should be able to come up with suitable activities. I’m sure that there is plenty of potential for change – after all, even most responses to this project on the part of locals has included at least some level of interest. Once we start talking about our experiences and impressions, we realize that they are often similar to theirs. And everyone would like to see some kind of change for the better. Perhaps this project can help move things in that direction, or at least act as inspiration or as an impulse for future debate. At the very least, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed!

And now good night. This time for real! :o)