July 2008

"The Summer looks out from her brazen tower,
Through the flashing bars of July."
- Francis Thompson, A Corymbus for Autumn

My sisters Amy and Natalee (Nat) and niece Alexis (Lexi) came for a visit after their big tour of the UK. We had a great time and it all went by too fast, as usual. On their first night in Prague, Melinda took the girls out for a night of adult fun while stayed home with the kids.

Prague is so wonderful to explore at night and my sisters loved Melinda's tour of Old Town, Charles Bridge and Mala Strana. They stopped by a couple of bars on their way home and got a good glimpse into what makes Prague's nightlife so special.

We took everyone to the wonderful Prague Zoo to see all the lions, tigers and bears, oh my! It was a hot day so we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible. Some highlights included the gorilla, lion and tiger exhibits (where the animals are inches away from visitors), the play land and petting zoo.

Are we home yet?

I took my sisters out for a night of adult fun while Melinda stayed home with the kids (bless her). We enjoyed dinner and bar hopping in Old Town, then moved on to Lucerna for some 80s dance music. The girls had a great time dancing while I sat and watched 20-somethings enjoy all the worst hits of my youth. I still break out in hives when I hear the theme-song to the movie, Flash Dance.

After the dance marathon, we stopped at the pizzeria near our apartment for a very late night snack (which we ate on the steps in front of our building).

I have no idea who this could be. Punky Brewster maybe?

Amy and I went into the National Memorial to the Heydrich Terror just down the street from our apartment. The museum is in the crypt of the Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius. After assassinating Reinhard Heydrich, one of Nazi Germany's most terrifying commanders, the young Czech special forces soldiers hid out in the church and--after being betrayed by one of their own--later sacrificed themselves instead of being captured.

Down, down, down to the metro at Karlovo Namesti.

Peace, love, and metros.

Nat picked up a couple of shirts at a boutique clothing shop hidden behind Týn Church, near Old Town square.

Have I ever mentioned how well-known the Czechs are when it comes to fine crystal?

The best tasting ice cream in the world can be found on Pařížská street at Cremeria Milano. I highly recommend the chocolate and raspberry in a waffle cone. I think we went there everyday that the girls were in town.

Taking a break on a bench in the Jewish district.

Looking along Charles Bridge from the King's Tower.

The girls had so many things in common. One of which was their love of Dora the Explorer cartoons.

After hours of resistance, Lolo finally gave in to Lexi's repeated efforts to dress her.

Another wonderful shot from Petrin Hill, looking down on old town.

"What knockers! Oh, thank you doctor." Lexi at one of the entrances to St. Vitus cathedral.

Lexi was much happier than Lolo with the idea of pushing her around in the stroller at the castle.

A rare photo of Amy, Nat and Britt all smiling at the same time. Here we are in Letna park, above the Vltava river, overlooking old town.

After a long day of hiking around Prague, Melinda and her little assistant made their world-famous pizza. Mmm, yummy.

We made the trek out to Beckiland with the kids, stopping first at McDonald's of course. We've written about the joys of Beckiland before and have never been disappointed. I can see a little bit of jealousy in the eyes of every adult as they see how much fun the kids are having and wish that something like this place existed when we were kids. Sadly, I didn't take any photos of Lexi at Beckiland and didn't download any from Natalee and Amy either--sorry Lex!

The Slide, in three easy steps.

The Jump, in three easy steps.

June 2008

"How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrid, and dreadful. But this picture will always remain young. It will never be older than this particular day of June."
- Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

We spent most of the month of June recovering from our trip to Switzerland in May. One Saturday, our friends Dan and Valerie invited us to do some paddle-boating on the Vltava river. We'd been in Prague for 18-months and had yet to give it a go--even though we'd seen countless tourists paddling around each and every day during the warm months--so of course we happily agreed.

We met them at the docks and rented a boat for an hour. It was a wonderful summer afternoon, the sky was clear yet it wasn't too hot. The river was calm with only the occasional tour boat taking people along the mighty Vltava to the Prague Zoo. Time for one of those "magic moments" right?

Wrong.

Quick--what's the dirtiest toilet you've ever seen? My top three: 3) at the Maverick's gas station in Heber, Utah in the summer of 1983, 2) at the bus station in Monterrey, Mexico in the summer of 1991, and 1) between the Legionnaires and Charles bridges in Prague in the summer of 2008.

What is it about summer and human waste that doesn't go together? Maybe it's the heat, I dunno, but if you've ever experienced the "joy" of paddling around in a large dirty toilet you'll understand what it was like for us that day. Melinda chose to keep her head up, as to avoid looking at the water, but I couldn't resist. The water was chocolate-brown with all kinds of trash floating in it--paper, plastic bags, wood chips, feathers and even the occasional dead rat. Who wants lunch?

No really, this is great fun.