May 5 update: Hustopeče > Popice > Pouzdřany > Ivaň > Pasohlávky. A very exciting day, we saw four different Hutterite settlements. There was almost too much to fit into one single day!

Our first stop was Popice (Popitz). Here the Hutterites were forced to hide in nearby caves during times of persecution. We've been out hunting for these caves but that's a story for another post. I'd like to bring attention to the determination, faith, and preserverence it took to leave behind everything they knew and live in holes like the foxes. There wasn't too much to see in Popice so we moved on.

A few hours later we arrived in Pouzdřany. This settlement was very active with various crafts and trades. I was particularly interested to hear that the Hutterites were running a wellness spa here. What I would give to be able to visit that at the time..

We showed the map in Jiři Pajer's book to some locals, communicating in broken Czech. With their help we found the old settlement of this town

A few phone calls later and we are invited in and given a tour to the existing Hutterite wine cellar. This is a huge cellar from the 17th century, which has been restored to look like new

Needless to say we were very impressed

A look at the upstairs, which has been converted into a beautiful apartment with 25 beds. All the bricks are the original bricks from back when the Hutterites built it.

A huge shout out to Monica, who took time out of her day to spontaneously come show us around. Ancestral energy was almost palpable in this impressive structure. We left feeling awed and blessed.

Our final stop was in Ivaň, which has an interesting history but we could not find the remnants of any structures. We were also quite tired and decided to head to Pasohlávky where we're staying the night. Rest day tomorrow! Feet are hurting and a spa day is in order. If only the one in Pouzdřany was still functioning...

Today's out rest day, and since we're near Popice where it was reported that early Hutterites lived inside holes in the ground, it's a good time to share about our excursion to some of these holes recently

There was some bushwacking required to get to these so called "lochy." One of us is more keen on that than the other

Paul reads from the Chronicle how they had to live like foxes 🦊

May 7 update: Pasohlávky > Strachotin > Šakvice. During our day off we observed our map and saw we had missed two very important sites, Strachotin and Šakvice. These were both major ceramic centers. In the spirit of pilgrimage we decided to back track for a day and visit both.