Notes from a Big Happening

Right now I’m sitting by a roaring fire in a wooden chair that Gandalf would sell his beard for, writing this as it gets darker and darker outside. On Sunday night we finally made it to Chotilsko at nine in the evening. After getting a bus from Prague to the worrisomely derelict looking bus stop in Chotilsko, we were picked up by the biggest camper van-driving longhaired hippie I’ve seen in a good while. About nine people and their backpacks piled into the van, and our tie-dye sporting chauffeur set off into the night. After driving for some time on crooked roads in the middle of the forest, we realize he's lost. All we see is mist in the beams cast by the van’s headlights. We turn around and head back, try a different turn. While neither his navigational prowess or automobile credentials evoke confidence, in my tired state I am rather amused by the realization that the journey is starting to play out like the horror movie I’ve been secretly scared it’ll turn into all along.

So it is to my surprise when after some more seemingly aimless driving in the dark, we arrive at our destination. In the darkness, you can’t really tell where you are. The outline of our hotel is visible against the night sky. Rather than resembling a mental asylum/Dracula’s castle/that house from Scream it looks like a ski chalet similar to the ones you’ll find in the Alps. Promising. The entrance hall is dominated by a big fireplace and wooden seats. The scent of food wafts in the air. People are talking happily. I breathe a sigh of relief. We sit down for a late dinner. In my booking form for this trip I had happily ticked the ‘vegan’ box when it came to food preference, and now found my supper consisting of eggplant laced with garlic, a slice of cucumber and fourteen potatoes (I counted). I head to bed, tired and in a potato coma.

The days are full of activity, from breakfast at eight in the morning to dinner at half past seven in the evening. The program so far has featured climate justice, plans for the Copenhagen climate conference and effective communication and activism strategies. When it comes to climate know-how this is the best of company; great people, good work and inspiring stuff are not lacking at this Big Happening. Neither is food. Lengthy discussions are followed by seminars, workshops and presentations, which are complemented by giant breakfasts, power lunches, cake and fruit breaks, two course dinners and bottomless mugs of tea. Before coming here I was worried the non-meat fare would be scarce. I was wrong, it’s plentiful. The kitchen peeps are keeping it vegan by replacing animal protein with a daily potato quota of 27 root vegetables per person. Fuel for more strategizing. Rock on, tubers.