Oktoberfest

A three day weekend (Monday was St. Wenceslas Day in the Czech Republic) gave us the opportunity to take our first overnight trip. So on Saturday we traveled from Prague to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. The trip took several train changes and most of the day, but the weather was beautiful and the countryside picture perfect. The trip took us through the border town of Zelezna Ruda in the Sumava mountains. The train station is unique because it straddles both sides of the Czech and German borders. We have to reflect on the dramatic changes that have occurred here in just the past twenty years. Twenty years ago this was a heavily guarded border between the West and the Soviet Union. There was a buffer zone or no man's land of several miles on the Czech side which no one except soldiers could enter. Even five years ago, we would have had to show our passports and go through immigration to enter Germany. Today the Czech Republic is part of the European Union and all that is left of this border is a white line on the platform that we stepped across to board the next train. The no man's land is now a national park on both sides of the border and we saw lots of backpackers and mountain bikers on the train.

We arrived in the central Munich train station on Saturday afternoon and immediately noticed a lot of men wearing lederhosen and women in folkloric peasant dresses. We thought they must be from the tourism bureau or part of a folk dance group. What quickly became apparent was that they were just local people dressing up for Octoberfest. It's really true - people of all ages from little toddlers to senior citizens dress up for these two weeks. Locals told us it is even acceptable to wear them to work if they want.

We spent the day Sunday at the fairgrounds. For those who have been to the Minnesota State Fair, it's kind of like that. We would say that those in leiderhosen and folk dresses outnumbered those of us in jeans. We started the day with the concert of the Bavarian bands complete with Alpine horns. Then it was on to a lunch of sausage, saurkraut, and roasted chicken in the Paulner biergarten. It was a gorgeous day and we had a nice chat with a family from Munich who we shared the table with. They spoke English well and told us that it is a tradition for them to come at least once each year. They complained that it is getting too big and too commercial, but they still like to come. Unlike the Minnesota State Fair, there isn't any food on a stick. What they do have are lots of roasted nuts, candied fruits, and huge pretzels!


The midway rides did not disappoint either. The kids had fun. The highlight was the tall ferris wheel which really gave us a full view of the grounds. A real organ grinder was another thing we had never seen before.

The beer tents were also something to experience. They are not exactly tents but huge buildings, fourteen in all, which are rebuilt each year. They are beautifully decorated inside and can hold up to several thousand people each. In the middle is a large platform with live music from big brass bands. Even in the middle of the day, it was hard to find a seat. There must have been several thousand people eating, drinking, linking arms and singing along with the oompah band. A surreal moment for us was hearing John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" played by a brass band and sung in English by thousands of German fair goers. This happened not once, but twice. Apparently, it's a popular song at Octoberfest. With the beautiful weather and festive atmosphere Oktoberfest will certainly be a special memory for us.








Here's a final picture of Rod getting in touch with his Milbrandt ancestors in the Pschorr beer tent.

This is the Way We Go to School

People have been asking us what it is like to live without a car, so we thought we'd focus on how we have been getting around. With the kids in school and both of us working, our life depends heavily on public transport. Luckily, Prague has a vast network of public transportation. With street cars, buses, trains, and the subway, it really does seem possible to go just about everywhere. Max says it's his favorite thing about Prague! Here's a look at all the different ways we go to school. We'll start with Katrina since hers is the easiest. Her preschool is a 15 minute walk from our apartment. It's a nice walk which takes us through the grounds of a Franciscan Sisters convent. For those from Rochester, it's a nice connection to Assisi Heights. It's a beautiful park like setting in the middle of the city. The walk to school is always shorter since it's mostly downhill. The walk home, however, takes longer. We've found that the promise of a yummy snack helps speed up the pace.

Rod takes Max to school using two city buses. With a transfer, it takes them about 25 minutes. It's interesting to note that it isn't unusual at all to see young elementary school aged kids riding public transportation alone to and from school. This is because there are no school buses in Prague. Everyone looks out for the children, and it is considered completely normal. In fact, Rod's Czech colleagues expressed surprise that he would actually accompany him to school. Given the language barrier and his limited experience, however, we know it's a good idea!


From Max's school, Rod catches a commuter train and rides to the train station. From there he takes a city bus to the university. His total commute time is about an hour.


Charyssa teaches in two locations, one in the city center and one in a suburb. Depending on where she is going, she takes a street car and then the subway. The city bus is also an option depending on the time of day. So, as you can see, in a single day we take just about every possible type of public transportation option in Prague. There is even a small ferry that Rod intends to use one of these days. Then we can say that we have done it all.

This week we have lingering summer like temperatures. The week had two highlights involving school. Max was able to Skype to his class in Minnesota. They had emailed him some questions about his experiences here. He loved being about to see his teacher and friends and talk in real time. We also attended the Welcome Back picnic at his school here. It was fun to meet his new friends' parents and sample foods from so many different places.

School Days

This week truly marked the beginning of a routine. With school and work starting, we really are beginning to feel that we actually live here. Max began school on Monday. He was really ready to go and meet some new friends his age. Because it is an international school, there are a number of new students each year, and the children are quite friendly. The students is his class are from the UK, Begium, the Czech Republic, Russia, Thailand, and the US. How is it different from home? Well, there is a uniform, for one thing. Navy pants and a red or navy shirt make getting dressed easy. Also, an indoor pair of shoes (crocs or slippers) are always worn inside the classroom. The schedule is also a bit different: 8:30-3:20. There is also chapel twice a week as the school is affiliated with the Church of England.
Max has joined the school soccer, er "football" team and also looks forward to being in the digital photography after school club. Many things are the same, however. His teacher is from the US and the curriculum is very similar. All the classes are taught in English, except for the Czech language class he has. There is hot lunch, recess time, and the things 8 year old boys find funny seem to be pretty universal!


Charyssa also began teaching Business English as a large Czech bank. It was recently bought by a Belgian bank, and it seems that English is the language used for communication between the two, so the employees need to improve their English skills. This has really made us realize how important English has become so for international communication in many parts of the world. It should be a really interesting experience for her.

Rod has learned his way around the transportation system of Prague as he picks up the children after school. This has involved considerable effort and timing on his part. Let's just say that it involves a commuter train, two city buses or trams, and walking by foot. We'll have more on the transportation piece in a later post.

Our weekend included a sightseeing trip to Vysehrad castle grounds dating from the 900s with a beautiful old church and children's playground. It is on a high point overlooking Prague. We also went rollerblading and shoe shopping at the mall. Katrina needed new shoes, already. We're not kidding about the walking!
Here is a picture of the church at Vysehrad, and then a view over Prague from Vysehrad.

August 31st - Sept 5th

This week marked the beginning of new routines for us. Katrina began attending a neighborhood preschool three days a week. It's a bilingual Czech/English school, and we joke that because of her age and the exposure she will get, Katrina is our shining hope to have a fluent Czech speaker in the family by year's end. Her classmates come from all over the world. In addition to the Czech Republic there are kids from Hungary, Slovenia, Ireland, and Japan. Talking with other parents at drop off and pick up time is fascinating. Katrina's reaction so far, "When do I get to go again?"

Charyssa was also busy this week gearing up to teach. She was hired by a language school to teach English for Business and International Communication. She will teach classes four afternoons a week beginning next week. It is sure to be interesting.

Rod had his first "normal" week of work after traveling to conferences in England and Brno (Brno is about two hours east of Prague). He doesn't begin teaching until the beginning of October, so is working on various projects, preparing for a seminar, and eating Czech cafeteria food for lunch. His coworkers are very nice but his Czech needs work before he'll understand a lot of what they're saying.

However, this week wasn't all about work. This is the time of the traditional grape harvest festivals. We took in a celebration at Prague Castle on Saturday afternoon. There were folk groups singing and dancing, and we had the chance to sample the drink called "Burchak", which is unfiltered freshly fermenting grape juice. It looks like cloudy white grape juice with some fizziness. It's quite good, but can be dangerous... you can't taste the alcohol, but it's there!

The kids had fun turning the wheel of the grape press.



















There were also children's activities, the highlight of which was trying on medieval armor and weapons. A good time was had by all.