Colours and music in Ostrava | The Family Without Borders

The Family Without Borders

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Colours and music in Ostrava

Ostrava (Czech Republic): Mila listening to Tsigunz Fanfara Avantura; Photo: Thomas Alboth

Ostrava (Czech Republic): Mila listening to Tsigunz Fanfara Avantura; Photo: Thomas Alboth

2 days and 3 evenings at the Colours Festival in Ostrava was not enough to experience even a small percent of music and atmosphere gathered there, but it’s enough to say few things: old mines, iron and steel constructions can make an amazing charm; we have very cool kids and even if you took part in many festivals around the world – you can be still positively surprised by some organisational solutions.

Colours. Oh yes, this Ostrava, a truly industrial city in Czech Republic, needs colours. Big chimneys, huge rusted constructions, grey blocks.. And then, for the 4 days of the festival – hundreds of very colourful people are coming and bringing the life.

I was already telling you how many things were put in the festival’s programme. We didn’t manage to watch any movie or theatre performance, we didn’t manage to listen to any discussion. But we listened to a lot of good music, we made it to reach all of the stage (going from one side of the festival to another can take really long time and our girls are stopping with every painted butterfly, anybody smiling to them, while still collecting stones and sticks and…), girls had naps during the day (which means getting there and back to the camping place), we sometimes took showers (which means standing in a long long line), we were buying nice fresh bread in the camping bakery (which means standing in a long long line), we met some nice people and once again, we realised that our girls are cool between people.

Even if there were quite a lot of people with kids, there were mainly locals. It was a very rare picture to see kids, and especially small kids, at the camping place. – Look, this is like a backpack but with… a baby inside! – said some very excited backpacker. – Oh god, how to make kids like this? – was asking somebody else. – Can I make a picture of your kids? – I don’t know how many times we heard this one.

For us, it was really nice to see Hanna being able to entertain herself, with some stones, cups, small toys or running around. And was great to see how Mila is feeling the music: any kind of music. She spend some concerts (for example Damien Rice or Maria Peszek) simply standing, listening and moving her body or at least grasping the rhythm with her small fingers.

Colours of Ostrava Festival

The festival had few very nice options, like: a tent, where you could give away your mobile phone to be loaded, a place on the camping site with washing machines and fridges (cold prosecco!!), the drinking water for free or very handy cups for beer (which you can hang on your belt or backpack). I was also happy to see really many people on wheelchairs – all the places were prepared to be accessible for them.

And there was just one annoying part – with a place to stay. Camping site was overcrowded, the security didn’t want to let us in (even though we booked place online still) and we had to pay for a place for a tent (even through we were sleeping in the car and we paid for a parking place). But we are not getting annoyed easily, so at 11.30pm we just took it as it was.

Is the Colours Festival a kids-friendly place? Well. It’s for sure not kids-un-friendly. People are smiling, are open for children. There is no feeling (like sometimes there is) that a kid is disturbing somebody. But there is also no facilities or activities for free for kids. I can bet that putting few small plastic slides somewhere, even far away from the stages, would make some parents be able to listen to the music more. Or giving around few balloons could make kids happy. But because we don’t care too much about things like this, we spend a lovely time in Ostrava even without it. Plus, with this festival, we have just started our small holidays. Now: Zakopane in Poland, and then going southhhhh, through Slovakia and Hungary, maybe to Serbia, maybe to Montenegro, maybe to Bosnia…? Anybody on the way?

This post is also available in: Polish


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We have published our first book (for now just in Polish:) about our Central America Trip.
See, read and order here »

7 Comments

  • Anuśka
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 07:35 | Permalink

    Jesteście świetną rodziną, ale Wasz angielski jest, niestety, słaby, konstrukcja zdań typowa dla języka polskiego, nie angielskiego. I biedne dziewczynki uczą się od Rodziców angielskiego w tej okaleczonej wersji pełnej błędów…Myślę, że jednak lepiej byloby i dla dzieci, i dla czytelników bloga, i dla Was trochę się podciągnąć w języku.

    Reply
    • Marek
      Posted July 24, 2013 at 11:50 | Permalink

      Najwazniejsze co podrozujacy rodzice chca przekazac innym. Angielski jest super dla wiekszosci czytelnikow i entuzjastow tego bloga.

      Reply
    • Anna Alboth
      Posted July 24, 2013 at 19:51 | Permalink

      No worries, nie uczymy dzieci angielskiego :)

      Reply
  • Posted July 24, 2013 at 10:30 | Permalink

    Świetne klimaty i rodzinna zabawa! Mamy tak blisko i jeszcze nie byliśmy…ale jestesmy mocno zainspirowani :)
    W sprawie angielskiego, to dla wiekszości czytelników bloga, dla których jest to drugi język, nie wiedzę problemu…a dla dziewczynek to trzeci język, więc o co chodzi? Przy okazji moglibyście napisać, jak się ta Wasza komunikacja z tójjęzycznymi dziećmi się rozwija, bo to ciekawe :) Pozdrowienia z Krakowa!

    Reply
  • Paulina
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 11:56 | Permalink

    hej! super relacja, mam nadzieje, ze za rok tez uda nam sie pojechac na ten festiwal :). mam pytanie, zbieramy sie do kupna samochodu, chcielibysmy wlasnie taki wiekszy, czy jestescie zadowoleni ze swojego? my rowniez lubimy podrozowac i mamy zamiar nocowac w aucie, moze jakies wskazowki? (to bedzie nasz pierwszy samochod :). pozdrawiamy serdecznie!

    Reply
  • Posted July 26, 2013 at 16:29 | Permalink

    Just discover your site and story and felt in love with it. Hope one day I can do the same. Congrats!!!!!

    Reply
  • sylwia
    Posted September 3, 2013 at 15:39 | Permalink

    o tak! też tam byliśmy w tym roku – nawet poznaję dęciaków na trawie przy przejściu podziemnym ze zdjęcia :) a co do zajęć dla dzieci – owszem były! tylko poukrywane po zakamarkach festiwalu.

    Reply

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