Enjoy the Library: Zdeněk Lyčka: By Kayak from the Alps to the Mediterranean Sea

800 kilometres down the Rhone in Switzerland and France

On 30 June 2018, Zdeněk Lyčka arrived in the Swiss village of Bitsch and began paddling down the Rhone in his kayak. It was about 30 kilometres below its source in the Alps. After sixteen days and 800 kilometres of hard paddling in beautiful sunny weather, or in storms and cloud breaks, he landed in the French town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Along the way, he crossed countless wild rapids, dragged his kayak over almost 30 weirs, locks and dams, but got to know many historical and cultural monuments of South-Eastern France, too. After the Vltava, Elbe, Danube and Oder, it was Lyčkas wildest water experience. Dont miss his authentic narration!

Dr. Zdeněk Lyčka (1958) studied systems engineering at VŠB in Ostrava and modern philology (Danish-English) at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague. In 1990, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he has been working until today. He was Director General of the Czech Centres, Director of the Czech Centre in Stockholm and Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Denmark. He translates Nordic and Anglo-American literature, publishes articles and writes books. In the winter, he likes cross-country skiing (he crossed the Greenland Ice Cap and the frozen Baikal Lake in the footsteps of Czech legionnaires), in the summer he likes paddling down the large European rivers in his sea kayak (so far the Elbe, Danube, Oder, Rhone, Rhine and Vistula).

The event is part of the lecture series "Enjoy the Library". Tickets HERE.

Beginning at 17.00 at conference hall on 5th floor.