This year, we held our annual "Post-Baxter Budget Celebration Weekend" in Prague. I know this holiday may not be familiar to many of my readers, but since Jay is (usually) very busy in September and October, we've planned a fun weekend for just our family for early November every year since we've been over here. The irony this year is that November has turned out to be far busier for Jay than usual - but we were still happy to have a reason to celebrate... and I'm never one to let a holiday as important as this slip away.
We left for Prague early Saturday morning, waking the kids up and making a 7:30am flight from Zurich. The upside of the early morning is that we were at the hotel, checked in, unpacked, and back on the street, ready for a day of sightseeing - all by 10am!
Saturday was a great day... the morning started out quite foggy, which gave Prague this beautiful, mysterious air to it. Our hotel was right near Old Town Square, so we started our walking tour there. The square was beautiful and filled with vendors selling lots of artisan goods - along with delectable treats. We sampled a crepe, and then had some of the sweetest bread (Trdelnik) we had ever tried - really more like a doughnut than bread, it was warm and heavenly.
After exploring the square and Old Town, we walked across the Charles Bridge. I think we were quite lucky to be visiting in November, as the crowds were minimal - and we had a chance to enjoy walking across this famous bridge, and really savoring the statues and views. Jack and Kate were of course enchanted with the street performers - so much so that Jack picked out a wooden recorder for his souvenir, and then set up "camp" on the bridge later that day. Unfortunately, we only let him play long enough for one donation (from his sister), but that alone made his day.
Once on the other side of the bridge, I subjected the gang to a fairly brutal walk uphill to the top of the castle. While there was a tiny bit of complaining along the way, once there, we were rewarded with gorgeous views... the fog had lifted, and we could see all of Prague below us.
We grabbed a quick lunch of sausages for the kids - and then explored the castle and the surrounding area. The kids loved watching the changing of guards - and Jack was lucky enough to join the band as they marched off for a few steps.
We meandered down the hill (everyone was very happy that the climbing was done for the day), and took a much-needed break in Starbucks (where else?), where the kids had "warmie milk," and we enjoyed a coffee and a chance to take a breath.
Afterwards, we found a perfect park right on the river underneath the Charles Bridge. It was a beautiful backdrop, and the kids were thrilled to play. Jay and I always notice that at the beginning of a trip, they may bicker a little bit - but once they realize they are each other's only companions, they quickly revert to best buddies. This transformation occurred at this park that afternoon - and it always reminds me of one of the greatest blessings of all this travel - all this family time!
For dinner, we indulged in one of our newest guilty pleasures - seeking out American chains that do not exist in Zurich (which pretty much leaves all American chains except for McDonald's and Starbucks). We had a great dinner (at 4:30pm!) at TGI Friday's. Its so funny, because in the US, when I would go to a restaurant like Friday's, I would usually order a salad or something healthy... now that its such a novelty, I was ordering the "Three For All" appetizer plate for the table - just for starters. I don't think Jay or I stopped smiling once during the meal.
We walked through the Old Town square at night, which was gorgeous - and fun for the kids to be out so "late." (It seems the sun sets in Prague even earlier than Zurich - so it was pitch black by 5pm). Our hotel was actually a small apartment in a hotel, which worked out great... we had the kids bathed and in bed by 7pm - both fast asleep! And sadly, we soon followed them, turning out the lights at 8pm! The last thing we did before bed was make contact with Kelsey, Jay's cousin, who is studying in Prague this semester. We were meeting her for breakfast in the morning - and at 8pm, she signed off, telling us to "have a fun evening." We didn't have the heart to tell her our evening was done - just as hers was beginning. :)
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