Author: magrilless

Yeah, so this is a real place, a real town where people work and live (and dodge tourists like us who come to gawk and gape at this exceedingly well-preserved 14th-century castle town).

Although the bear family was hiding from spectators (they’ve lived in the moat here for centuries), we did get to wander around this incredible castle!

Some hoity-toity princess wanted to walk to the theater and gardens without having to descend to walk on the ground, so they built her this lovely bridge.

And some prince’s bastard son convinced a village girl’s parents to have her live in the castle with him. After he beat her, stabbed her, and threw her out the window twice (!!), they imprisoned him behind this bricked-in window. He missed out on one heck of a good view for the rest of his life!

To escape the castle crowds, we rented a raft for a little float. I think we lucked out with the rental company we choose: it was cheaper than competitors and came with a van ride up river to a further put-in, thus a longer and more tranquil float and an extra rapids segment.

Now, when I say rapids, don’t get nervous. These are actually boat-sized chutes that take you over little dammed sections of the river. They are exciting! But in a “I’m not going to die” sort of way. Like a fun water slide, but in a raft.

We also ducked into a mirror maze on a whim. I had never experienced one of these before. I was sceptical of the cost, but it was worth the 10 bucks! It is totally disorienting and illusion-y in there. A child turns a corner you didn’t know was a corner, and they’re gone forever, having turned the next corner which you can’t distinguish as a corner either. We all ran into a few walls a few times. I highly recommend the experience (if you know the space is not large and your child won’t actually disappear forever).

Worth the 2-hour bus ride out of Prague for sure!

Tessa lost her first tooth! We were on the metro coming home from a park. She and Maggie were imagining something wonderful, and Maggie gave her an imaginary crown. Which made Tessa smile. Which made Maggie comment on how her tooth was sticking out weird. Which made Tessa reach in and just grab the sucker. Tooth out!

I had luckily asked some moms at the park what happens to Czech children when they lose their first tooth. Consensus seemed to be: nothing. Then when you lose the second tooth you go to the dentist and make sure they’re falling out right. Bummer.

So the tooth fairy is making a special trip to Prague to leave a few krona and a little stuffy. I hope she enjoys her vacation!

Our first week in Prague is just wrapping up. Along with tons of park and free-play recuperation, we’ve done a lot of walking and self-guided tours. The Old Town Square with its famous astronomical clock is undergoing serious reconstruction. Beautiful, nonetheless, especially if you get there early on a Sunday morning and stick to the shade.

Of course we walked across the Charles Bridge and touched the plaque of St. John Nepomuk to make a once-in-a-lifetime wish. (It would be even more lovely to be there without the crush of selfie-obsessed tourists.)

Than we went to Venice. Oh, wait, no. Still in Prague. This is Kampa Island, the other end of the Charles Bridge. The island (technically it is, although that’s as far as it is separated from the mainland) was created by digging this stream for mill wheel power. It is a peaceful place, particularly considering the great hub-bub just above. We found a walled park quite near with a playground, fountains, orchard, ornately carved beehives, and a handful of peacocks. (Have I mentioned, Prague is really great on parks.)

Then we devoted a day to Art Nouveau. Czech artist Mucha was a major player in this movement, and I bet you would recognize some of his advertising posters from the turn off the 19th century. Even the girls enjoyed the little museum featuring his art. “Look at her tiara!” “Her hair is soooo long!” “I like her pretty dress!” And to make the day of art nouveau complete, we headed over to the Municipal Building to gawk at the chandeliers and stained glass and beautiful tiling.

We’ve been taking good care of our appetites too — don’t worry!

Na zdraví!

Here we are in Prague! We will be here for a total of 3 weeks. And since we’re here for awhile, we figured we could spend our first week recovering from all the intense grown-up touring that we did in Rome. So we’ve been hitting parks and playgrounds!

Prague has, by far, hands down, no contest, the best parks of any place we have visited this summer. The beaches at Lake Maggiore are going to make there and Prague a tie for best vacation spot to Maggie and Tessa.

Of course as we walk between parks, we are starting to get the lay of the land and seeing some of the things the guide books tell us we should see.

The city is beautiful (and less intimidating in one’s mid-30s than when a teenager). Although the Czech people have not embraced us with open arms (they are tough nuts to crack), we are settling in to our neighborhood and ready for some more adventuring!

Maggie and Tessa are showing you the proper technique for drinking out of one of Rome’s fountains. Originally we were cupping our hands underneath and drinking from them. That’s when we were tourists, before we became acculturated!

This water was better than what came out of our tap, even. It was cold and sweet and on virtually every other corner!

(The bucket under this one belonged to a florist down the street. Pretty good business model, getting your water for free!)