Prague Adventure: Time with Family

We love having the opportunity to travel from Turkey! The main purpose, of course, is just to be together. We also realize the years of all seven being able to be together for some vacation time is quickly coming to a close as our kids grow up.

Prague was such a beautiful place. We simply could not take a bad picture!

As I stated the other day, we filled up on a big free breakfast at the hotel, ate snacks for lunch, then went out for dinner. We soon discovered an Indian restaurant down the street. From then on, it was our nightly pick!

One night just Sweet Cheeks, CC, and I wandered out for a walk to see a Christmas market. We happened upon this candlelit heart on the street. It was so interesting. We read up that it commemorated the passing of a man who was key in the fight for democracy in the CR.

The sights and sounds of the European Christmas markets are so fun....

...and the smells and the tastes. This is what happens when you go out alone with your parents. You get an extra trdelnik! (She even got Nutella inside. What can I say? )

We walked down Wenceslas Square to see the giant statue of the great King.

Candles had been left at his statue that night.

This was the national museum. We made plan to visit on a rainy/snowy day during our trip.

We hiked through the streets back to our warm hotel and warm beds!

Prague Adventure: The Prague Castle

Well, we knew we needed to plan a day, when it was not raining, to go see the Prague Castle. It was so much to take in, and we just were amazed by the antiquity of it and all that it contained. Big Ben posed by the official guard.

The Gothic Period structure was amazing and spoke of a time long ago when kings resided and ruled here. It has been the seat of Bohemian kings, holy Roman emperors, and the current president of the Czech Republic. It is the largest ancient coherent castle in the world.

The stained glass windows are always my favorite.

This is the official hall where business took place.

This is King Wenceslas' crown, sceptre, and the royal apple (with symbolism of King David's coronation and the Garden of Eden). I remember playing the Christmas carol of King Wenceslas as a child. I sure never thought I'd see his actual crown from 1347!

We found a wonderful old display of suits of amor and weaponry. Big Ben asked for several pictures!

Prague Adventure: Beautiful Sights on Every Turn

One of my absolute favorite things about Prague was seeing nativities. This life-size nativity was made of straw.

I also loved the statues.  This was Czech King Charles IV. He looked like exactly what a king should look like, in my opinion!

We wandered around the bridge where people place locks to declare their love for each other.

Many of the statues were Christian in nature.

We wandered into a gingerbread shop!

I also enjoyed seeing all the crystals in the shop windows.

Prague Adventure: Learning About Pretzels the Hard Way and Seeing a Real Ballet

Doing these little Christmas trips for us means findings ways to keep the budget low where possible. So, we decided to eat the complimentary breakfast each day and really fill up, then snack for lunch. For dinner, we would have a meal out. We decided to try Czech food for our first meal. We wrongly assumed these hanging pretzels were complimentary and munched away while waiting for our food. When the waiter came to count our pretzels at the end of our meal, we realized our munchies were being charged! Oh well, we learned!

The food was delicious. This was roast pork, sauerkraut, and ....I can't remember! Oh, the pain of blogging 6 months late! But those big white slices were delicious. And I know they weren't bread!

We did decide to splurge on some tickets to a ballet. It would be our one big event. Our girls had always wanted to see a REAL ballet, and we felt our son should say he once attended a ballet. So, we walked downtown to the National Theatre. It was a beautiful stroll at night by the river.

The National Theatre opened in 1881. It was a beautiful building, and we were excited to have this cultural experience!

The building itself was worth the ticket. It was beautiful. I thought of the many interesting people from various time periods who must have sat there to watch an opera or a ballet.

No pictures were allowed during the performance, but I can assure you that the orchestra, the costumes, the set and special effects, and the dancing were all fabulous! The ballet was a combination of the Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol, with a plot intertwining the two classics together. And my son left there realizing just how muscular the male dancers were! He still mentioned he has no desire to ever wear tights!

Prague Adventure: This Little Piggy Went to the Market

Well, readers, (the faithful few who might one day check back in), I'm back. All I can say is that these last six months have been full of life. I've taught five classes daily, coached both basketball and volleyball, cared for my hubby and four kids at home, graduated a senior, and loved my firstborn from afar. For all of those reasons, I got behind on my blog. But I want the family record, and I am determined to keep it! So, summer is here, and I'm ready to tackle it! So, thank you for bearing with me in patience. And thank you to those who spoke to me in person and said, "I miss your blog!" It meant a great deal to me.

PRAGUE! We found some rock bottom priced tickets to Prague and decided to spend a few days there as a family over Christmas break. It was a very short 1 hour flight to Istanbul, then just a few hours to Prague, Czech Republic.

Upon arrival, we headed to the market. It is always so shocking to see pork! This piggy went to the market and was roasted on a spit. I wish I could blog the smell!

The Christmas market was quaint and fun. We enjoyed the stalls of live animals.

The city is just beautiful! Old buildings with beautiful character were our backdrops for every picture.

We did bring warm coats, and we might have convinced CC to buy us a hot drink to warm our hands!

I had fun just watching my kids interact with Firstborn, who had just arrived a day before our flight to Prague. Her former roomie Sweet Cheeks wanted to hold her hand. They had fun arranging sister selfies together.

It truly is a breath of fresh air to see Christmas celebrated somewhat as a religious holiday. We do see trees in Turkey, but all decorations are designated as New Year, not Christmas.

The streets entertained us! There was the giant bubble guy....

....and the spray painted conquistador.....

...and the giant panda (which I opted to steer clear of!)

We partook in this local favorite...a coiled piece of bread dipped in cinnamon and sugar.

The third oldest working astrological clock in the world was a must see! It was first introduced in 1410.

We just had a few days there, so we made the most of our time and saw as much as possible!