Smart paper cuts. Vojtech Kubasta Pop-up books in Florida, Fort Lauderdale museum.

When my wife and kids enjoyed the warm beaches during our annual Florida vacation, an active person like me scouted for the unusual and beautiful, found in the local museum’s collection of pop-up books by Vojtěch Kubašta. The paper “Umelec”(Artist In the Czech language) puts the old-world’s overwhelming charm into the pop-up world. In Florida, unexpectedly, I was back in Prague still remembering the charm of the Old City. The antiquarium where I was buying the 19th century, old human anatomy books with wonderfully illustrated pop-up cut out of organs you can move to see the next layer of the human body. The “Wlasky salad” and “housky” buns I bought in the neighborhood store every morning.

Vojtech Kubasta was able to transfer the charm of the old-world into the pages of his books. For me, it was a sudden transfer into the charming and long-forgotten world.

The language I was able to master enough to start reading books in Czech quickly. Places where everybody wishes you a good day, regardless of if you know anybody there. The strange way the coffee is served and people keep utensils when they are eating. During the fall, the dark sweet cherries I was eating sat among the branches of huge cheery trees in an old palace park—the dark memory of the day I had to leave this newly discovered and charming world behind. After so many years, it still hurts.

Hej, wake up. I have heard the voice of my wife. The curator of the Fort Lauderdale museum asked about the Vojtech Kubasta books’ collection and agreed to show to us, my family, the treasures in his possession. I wish you the same experience.

But please do not go to Prague for the beer-drinking trip. Lucky I was able to enjoy the old city before the era of tourist invasion. There were still old antique cars on the streets, dark cities after sunset, and beer number 10 showing without question automatically up front of every new guest in the local “Wycep” (Pub).

And there was the Soviet Army stationed in some places. My like uniform, denim red dress purchased in Poland, along with an army-style coat, apparently looked like the Royal Canadian Mounties uniform, so soviet soldiers saluted me in the street. I could not believe it. They salute a guy in a strange uniform with very long red hair. Me. The exact opposite of their dull uniforms and depressing ideology.