October 12th-23rd

With Grandma Peggy visiting us, we have done quite a bit of sightseeing in the past two weeks. The big highlights for us were the Jewish synagogues of Josefov dating back to the 1200s, and Prague Castle where Katrina and Peggy found their knight in shining armor.




We also got in a day trip by train to Kutna Hora, the site of medieval Europe's largest silver mine. Rod, Max, and Charyssa donned medieval miners' gear and went down to explore the amazing tunnels which run underneath the town. It was really impressive to think that it was all dug by hand. While we toured the mines, Katrina and Grandma enjoyed desserts of gingerbread with lingon berry sauce at a nearby cafe.

Down in the mines!

We have also taken advantage of Grandma's visit for a couple of nights on the town. For Rod and Charyssa seeing Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" at the Estates Theater where it originally premiered was a real thrill. They also went to a Black Light Theater dance production as well as a local jazz club. Rod and Peggy attended a classical music concert at Lichtenstein Palace. (The Liechtenstein Palace is on the left in the picture.) We also took an actual taxi ride one evening. The kids had forgotten what it was like to ride in an actual car. Katrina was so delighted with it that she has requested another taxi ride for her birthday!


In terms of weather, Minnesotans we feel your pain. We actually had some snowflakes here last week, too, and the weather has been unseasonably cold. Locals are complaining and predicting a very cold winter for Prague. The weather for the next week should be in the 50s which will be a lot more pleasant.

Max's school had a Harvest Festival program full of music and skits about giving and sharing with others. On a more mundane level, we also got flu shots at our medical center. We also turned the clocks back an hour this weekend, so darkness will be coming very early. We are at 50 degrees latitude, north of the Canadian border. Max's school has a half term break this week, so we will take the opportunity to spend a few days in the area around Salzburg, Austria before Grandma leaves. We're watching "The Sound of Music" to get in the mood.

Swinging Into Fall, Oct 1 -11

Fall is slowly making its arrival here in Prague. We've had a few rainy days now and the leaves are starting to turn color in earnest. The temperatures have turned cooler in just the past two days. The last two weeks have held several highlights for us. The first was the arrival of Grandma Peggy from Rochester. She will be staying with us for several weeks. We are looking forward to showing her the sights.


Rod spent the first weekend of October in Nachod, a small town in the northeastern part of the Czech Republic taking part in a workshop for high school and college physics teachers from Central Europe. In addition to learning some new class demos he learned some new Czech folk songs since the workshop attendees played and sang together into the night.



Max's school had an International Food and Craft Fair. Max's class represented Macedonia since he has a classmate from that country. The kids sold Macedonian meatballs at the fair. It was fun to sample the many different foods there. People have also been asking us how Halloween is celebrated in Prague. The answer seems to be that it isn't, much. At school, Max's class will be studying Halloween since most of the kids know very little about it.

We are going native with our menu choices. Here is a picture of sausage, saurkraut, mashed potatoes, bread, and Pilsner beer that we made as an introduction to Czech cuisine for Grandma.


Finally, Rod, Charyssa, and Max have undergone that true test of their Czech skills -getting a haircut done by a Czech speaking stylist. The results - nice haircuts for all three! Our Czech tutor will be proud.