On October 27th, we met in the morning and headed to Lednice Castle.

Japan also has many castles, but their structure and atmosphere are completely different. And since Mike’s home country, New Zealand, doesn’t have a “castle culture” at all, both of us were absolutely fascinated by European castles.

Lednice Castle is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “The Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape” in southern Czechia. Once used as a summer residence by the Liechtenstein family, it features elegant English-style Neo Gothic architecture and vast, beautifully maintained gardens.

I couldn’t help whispering,

“Wow… what a beautiful castle.”

The next morning, we headed to Brno, where T’s dojo is located.

We planned to stay there for two nights, enjoy some sightseeing, and train at his dojo. Since they had come by car, we were grateful to be able to ride along with them.

T is a big guy, and his car matches his size—large, sturdy, and perfect for long drives. He teaches Aikido at his own dojo from Monday to Friday, and on weekends he travels across Europe to participate in seminars. “Dedicated young martial artist” describes him perfectly.

During the drive, we stopped at a highway rest area for a short break.

I picked up a small donut and a drink called Kofola. According to T, it’s the Czech version of cola. It’s made with extracts from 14 kinds of herbs and fruits, plus licorice. Instead of an artificial sweetness, it has a gentle herbal flavor, a light sweetness, and refreshing carbonation—exactly the kind of taste I love.

The seminar venue and the restaurant for the social gathering were close enough to walk.

Following Google Maps, we were surprised when the route suddenly led into the forest. Unsure whether this could really be correct, we walked back and forth for a while—until other participants appeared behind us and kindly assured us, “Yes, that’s the right way.”

Once we passed through the dim forest, a quiet lake appeared, and beside it stood a restaurant. We had arrived safely.

Many people were already gathered, so we first secured seats for the two of us.

The meal fee had been paid in advance, but drinks were separate. The invitation had said “cash only,” though when we asked the organizer beforehand, he told us, “Cards should be fine.” In reality, however, only cash was accepted.

 I was relieved that I had brought some. My friend, who usually relies on cards, couldn’t pay—so I treated him to a beer to celebrate our reunion. 

On the morning of October 25th, the day of the seminar, I woke up at 6:30 and checked how my slight cold was doing.

My throat was still sore, but thankfully I didn’t feel any fatigue. It seemed I would be able to participate without any problems.

We planned to take a bus to the venue, but just in case anything delayed us, we decided to take an earlier bus.

The Lithuanian group had just under ten people—some familiar faces, some new—and we exchanged brief introductions before boarding.

The bus arrived at the stop right in front of our hotel exactly on time, and we reached the stop near the venue right on schedule as well.

The hall was still fairly empty when we arrived early, but we completed the registration smoothly.

“I think Sensei will be arriving soon.”