Dear friends, greetings from Latrán.

We’ve just planted some flowers in flowerpots, and are surrounded by dirt and curious glances. I’m going to leave the flowers out till evening and see what happens 🙂

I’m sitting by the computer with a cup of tea, talking with a neighbor. We are both, in a way, home here. I’ve got my usual routes, acquaintances whom I greet on my walks through town, the stairs beneath the window where I go to sit with my cup of team or the newspaper. And now that there’s the flower there, it really is “our” place.

I don’t want to deny the locals’ view that life in Krumlov can be difficult at times, here in the center. But there’s lots of things that make life really pleasant here. If I wasn’t living in an apartment, but in a house with a garden (even a small one), then I’d have to problem staying in the historic center.

When there’s something I don’t like – for instance, having someone take my picture from up close – then I say so. And I’d do the same thing anywhere – even on a hiking trail in the mountains.

Yesterday, I saw some old pictures of Krumlov before the way, from the fifties and seventies, and also from the nineties. When the locals complain, I’m not sure whether they see how much the city has improved, and how many of the streets and houses have been renovated and fixed. I’m not sure if they realize that tourists are not just trouble, but also a lot of money.

Their frustration is understandable, but it also feels like an excuse, a way of hiding the fact that they are envious of the fact that some people have made a lot of money and some haven’t. That some have a thriving business while others are just employed somewhere. The tourists are not as stupid as the locals say; they don’t buy every ridiculous little knickknack they see. It has been said that the tourists don’t spend enough money. But when we travel somewhere, we too think twice before buying something. I am often reminded of the Croatian seaside resorts, where they expect you to arrive, drop all your money for trinkets, and leave again. Money can be spent for interesting and original things, for good food, for interesting experiences. Sure, there’s things like that in Krumlov, too, but there’s also a lot of things where it’s clear that nobody wants them or only a limited amount thereof.

If all the energy spent on non-constructive criticism went into attempts at living in their town, it would definitely make itself visible.