March 14th - March 28th

In the space of two weeks we have gone from a snow storm to 70 degrees. It seems that spring weather is just as changeable in Prague as in Rochester. The leaves are just coming out on the bushes today and the grass is turning green. We even had some thunder and lightning the other night.

With Easter around the corner, Max's school organized an Easter egg hunt in a nearby woods. What a hunt it was! The teachers who were dressed as bunnies were well hidden and at times we felt that we needed GPS! Some of the bunnies were roving through the woods and had to be chased down! Max and Katrina enjoyed the hunt, the candies, and the fellowship.


Charyssa has learned a number of things about Easter traditions from her Czech students. The funniest one occurs on the Monday after Easter, which is an official state holiday. It turns out that those pretty painted Easter eggs have another function. On Easter Monday boys weave little whips from willow branches and visit the homes of girls and give them a symbolic "whipping" and in return the girls give them painted Easter eggs or candy. A similar tradition occurs in Poland where neighbors douse each other with water. Our Polish friend said that you wanted to go to mass very early on Easter Monday before people get up because sitting in church dripping wet is really no fun at all!

We are also really happy to have Grandpa Ernie and Grandma Phyllis visiting us. They reported a good trip over and are getting acclimated to the time change. We are looking forward to having lots of fun together. Happy Easter to everyone!

March 1st-March 13th

After some mild spring weather, we have been back to winter time temperatures during the last two weeks. However, we haven't let that get us down and have been taking advantage of Prague's amazing cultural opportunities. Through Max's music school we've been enjoying monthly concerts by the Czech Philharmonic orchestra at the Rudolfinum concert hall. Rod, Charyssa, and Max have all enjoyed the beautiful music and grand surroundings.


Winter in Prague is also the season for balls, as well. Rod and Charyssa lived out their fairy tale fantasy courtesy of the Charles University Math and Physics Faculty, which held its annual winter ball at the Zofin Palace. Here is Charyssa feeling like a princess on the red carpet. The main ballroom was beautiful and a large orchestra played. For Rod and Charyssa waltzing to the music of Strauss in such a beautiful setting will be a favorite memory. Here is a picture which captures the dancing.

A nice way to spend a cold winter weekend is a short bus ride away in the town of Liberec. It is home to a hands on science museum and a waterpark all under one roof. We all had a fun day.


Max's school participated in the World Maths Day. One of the highlights was playing online math games with kids from all over the world. To get into the spirit, all the kids made their own math hats. Here is Max modeling his!

In spite of the cold temperatures, spring is in the air, colorful Ukrainian style Easter eggs and bunnies are appearing in shop windows, and the days are noticeably longer. We are looking foward to spring.