music time warp

Dear Em,
We're a music loving family. Your daddy's eyes light up as he recalls leaning against the stage as his favorite bands played while he was in his teens & twenties. You love to sing and dance to your favorite tunes as much as any three year old could. I grew up loving music, & with the guidance of my grandma, I developed an eclectic taste for it. She took me to see the Glen Miller Orchestra & the Chordettes in concert. Her CD shelves were filled with Broadway hits, music from Ireland, & anything else that struck her fancy. As we traveled Prague, I couldn't help but think of my grandma & how much she would have appreciated the different types of music we experienced while we were there.

I felt like I was in a music time warp while in Prague, & predominantly it was an 80s music era. I heard songs like "Freeze Frame" & "Dont' Worry, Be Happy" for the first time in a really long time. I wondered if they were enjoying the music now because they missed it during Communism rule or if Czechoslovakians genuinely love the lyrical genius of the 80s. I also wondered what it must be like for Czechoslovakians to listen to most music in a language other than their native tongue. There were a few songs where I didn't recognize the words, but for the most part all the music was in English.

Prague didn't just stick with the 80s. There were street performers everywhere, performing all kinds of music. It was both fascinating & fun as we walked from place to place.

During my favorite late night, we walked into La Republica, a hip restaurant/bar. There was a sign out front marketing "Live Music." I was interested. Would it be the typical 80s music we had been hearing? Would it be music in Czech? Would it be something altogether different?

I can definitely say I didn't expect what we found.

High above us on a second story stage, there was a four piece band- a banjo, trumpet, tuba, & trombone. The four (adorable) older men were playing Big Band classics like "Sweet Georgia Brown." Your daddy & I did a double take. These are not tunes that are typically associated with hip bars & late night live music events in the US. My heart leapt. Your daddy & I sat at the bar, having a few drinks & making friends with a couple of English travelers. I grinned as I hummed along with the Big Band music I had grown to cherish. I knew almost every song & every word they sang that night.

I again felt like I was in a music time warp, only this time I was transported back to my grandma's kitchen table listening to the music playing on her CD player. Her eyes were so lively as she listened. "Come on Julie, let's boogie," she'd say with a smile.

She would have loved sitting right there with us, talking to the English friends we had made & listening to the Big Band music. I loved every moment of it. It's funny how such a random evening became one of my favorite travel memories.

So, if you're ever in Prague, check out the live music of La Republica. You just might experience a musical time warp of your own.

I love you so,
Mommy

appreciating local artists

Dear Em,

Your daddy & I are not ones to spend a lot of time visiting art museums...or galleries. Staring at art & trying to decipher what it means to me & what it meant to the artist is just not really my cup of tea. Furthermore, when we were loosely planning our trip to Prague, we had decided not to spend a whole lot of time inside museums. We wanted to be outside experiencing Prague rather than being inside looking at pictures of it (although we did really enjoy the Museum of Communism). With that said, it surprised me that one of the things I wanted to do most was check out the work of a local artist.

It started when I browsed Time Travel's Prague: 10 Things to Do. Thing Number 8 pictured sculptures of giant crawling babies. I laughed & was intrigued. I wanted to see giant babies.

What do you think? Should we have taken some Babies home with us? David Cerny is the controversial Czech sculptor behind the babies. His works also include a baby crawling up a tower, two men peeing in the street, a statue of St. Wenceslas riding a dead horse, a statue of Sigmund Freud hanging off a building by one hand, & Brownnosers (where vistiors climb ladders to peer into the backsides of two statues & watch videos of an actor who resembles President Vaclav Klaus eat baby food). Cerny is the countries most famous sculptor, probably due to the fact his work both amuses & offends the public.

The Babies, appearing outside of Prague's Museum Kampa, were the only sculptures we saw by Cerny while we were there. They absolutely amused me, & I also liked that we could enjoy them outside. Just beyond the Babies was a beautiful view of the Vltava river & Charles Bridge. Within walking distance is Petrin Hill, a beautiful park with a miniature Eiffel Tower, a mirror maze, & the Church of St. Michael. True to it's name, Petrin Hill is one giant hill. Since we had walked around ten miles a day everyday we were in Prague (& this was our last day), we decided to forgo hiking the hill & just admired the Eiffel Tower from afar.

The penguins light up at night.

I can say without a doubt, I truly enjoyed the artwork in Prague & there was art everywhere we looked. Whether it was the beauty in the details of the ancient buildings or in the controversy of modern sculptures, I loved it all.

I love you so,

Mommy

Eating Internationally

Dear Em,
I'm a pretty adventurous eater- at least I think I am. So, I was never really worried about finding good food to eat internationally until I traveled to Ireland before you were born. Daddy blames it on my pregnancy & morning sickness (I was 8-10 weeks pregnant while we were there). I still say the food was awful. I'm pretty sure cheddar cheese was the main & only seasoning that they used in the food. At one point we ordered lasagna. There was a noodle on top, a noodle on the bottom, a huge chunk of meat in the middle, & a huge hunk of melted cheese on top. I pretty much lived on oatmeal & soft serve ice cream.

Needless to say, I was a little nervous about what I would find food-wise in Prague. I had looked at some menus which included things like liver & goulash (I didn't even know what that was). I was prepared to at least try everything, but I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I was pleasantly surprised once I got to Prague (& on the flight to & from Prague- flying business class internationally is the way to go). The food was delightful- & very filling. I think I gained ten pounds in the short time I was there.

There were a few surprises:
1) There are KFCs everywhere. We saw a couple McDonalds, but the KFCs stood on every other block (we avoided them until one late night when everything else was closed). Do Czech people really love their Kentucky Fried Chicken (can we even call it chicken anymore)?
2) The timing of how you are served your food in a restaurant is different. Salad, soups, & appetizers are brought out with your meal instead of before your meal. Food is also brought out as it is ready for each person rather than all at once for the whole table.
3) There were warm wine vendors throughout the streets (did you hear that USA? Warm wine!).
4) There was such a variety of international cuisine. So much so that restaurants with menus that had traditional Czech food boasted of it with signage (I don't think I've ever seen signage on a restaurant in the USA letting everyone know that there is traditional American food).
5) I've heard that you don't need to tip in Europe. In Prague 10% is standard, although no tip is needed if you're sitting at a bar & the bartender serves you a drink.
6) While Prague is legendary for it's beer, most places only have a few options to choose from. Everyone talks about how awful American beer is, although I think most people are referring to Bud-Miller-Coors light (don't expect to find any in most Prague bars & restaurants).

One of the first nights, I ordered the goulash & dumplings. I wanted the full Prague experience. It was a flavorful meat stew with potato filled dumplings. I was in heaven. Your daddy & I also really enjoyed the street food. There were yummy food vendors all over the Old Town Square. I loved watching the cooking churros. I ate the biggest ham & cheese crepe of my life. It hit the spot. It was so good that the next day we returned to the same vendor to get a nutella & banana one for dessert (& some warm wine).

We never did get a chance to go to the the restaurant where they develop a unique menu based upon your preferences. We tried the last night, but it was closed. We did take the opportunity to go to one of the restaurants from the book Where Chefs Eat for breakfast one morning. The place was called
Cukrkávalimonáda which means "sugar, coffee, lemonade." It was a quaint little pace, & the menu was huge. We both noticed sweet & salty pancakes on the menu. We weren't sure what salty pancakes were, but we were excited to check it out. The salty pancakes were thin like a crepe. Mine was topped with spinach, bacon, sun dried tomatoes, & garlic. It was divine- the perfect way to start off our day. I could eat breakfast there every day, especially because we sat at the counter stocked with sweet desserts. We couldn't help but get a couple to end our meal (breakfast food & desserts- you would have been in heaven).

All in all, I would for sure return to Prague for the food alone. In the meantime, I'll be looking for some restaurants in the USA with signage that boasts of traditional Czech cuisine.

I love you so,

Mommy

the perfect souvenir

Dear Em,
Before going to Prague, I had read about handmade wooden toys. The shops filled with them is something unique to Prague. I couldn't wait to find you the perfect wooden gift. I love most things old fashioned, & I was enchanted by the thought of you having an old fashioned and unique souvenir. I had a romantic idea of you cherishing your handmade toy & someday passing the toy down to your kids.

When we got to Prague, I was a little bummed. Most of the wooden toys seemed a little young for your age. I could picture you playing with the gift once & then discarding it- definitely not the cherishing I had hoped for. Your daddy is not so enchanted by old fashioned things. He thinks they're just old. He looked at the wooden toys that lined tables of a farmers market, & told me they looked like things you could pick up from the dollar store. Sigh.

So, we didn't come back from Prague with a handmade wooden toy for you, but we did come back with a handmade wooden toy.

It was cold in Prague, similar to winter weather in New England. While we spend most of our winters in New England cozy & warm inside, we wanted to see everything in Prague. We bundled up & headed out. We did a ton of walking. There was one day that my hands & cheeks were so cold, I couldn't feel them anymore. We stepped inside a shop, more to warm up than to shop. As my hands & face tingled with warmth, I looked around the shelves in awe. Most of the items were wooden & handmade. There were shelves & shelves of Matryoshka dolls in all different characters (US presidents & famous actors were fun to look at). On another wall were tons of hand-carved chess sets.

Other than the very basics, I don't know much about chess. I couldn't even remember the last time I sat down to play, but there was something about the beautifully handcrafted sets. I could picture your daddy & I playing together on a Friday night after we'd put you to bed. I could picture us teaching you how to play on that same board. I could picture us handing down the set to you & you passing it down to your kids. As I looked at the set, a whole future with it passed before me (I guess I'm a total romantic). I was giddy with excitement as I purchased a set as your daddy & my souvenir.

We also bought ourselves an ale horn. We've been watching a lot of Game of Thrones, & I was so excited to see that they had ale horns in Prague. It will be more of a novelty item than something we'll really use, but I thought it would be a fun addition to mantown (our basement).

We bought you a pink furry hat (like many of the people we saw in Prague were wearing) & some Kinder Easter chocolates. Not anything you'll cherish forever, but you sure did love them when we unveiled them- especially the chocolates.

Your gifts may not be passed down through generations, but I will always smile when I think of you enjoying your chocolates & looking all cute in your hat...knowing that your mommy & daddy had returned home to you.

I love you so,

Mommy

A Wonderful Mix of Old & New in Prague

Dear Em,
There were so many reasons why I loved our adventure in Prague, but my favorite was the amazing combination of modern & historical. While we were in Prague, we met a couple English travelers. One of them asked me if I was amazed by how much history we were surrounded with in Prague. I told him I was. I truly loved it. He told me, "I like American history a lot too." I blurted out, "Why, because we don't have any?" I was kind of surprised by my words. I had never really thought of it that way, but it was hard for me not to when I was surrounded by such ancient history. America seems almost like a toddler in comparison to the adulthood of Prague, & there were historical reminders of that throughout the modern city. The English traveler laughed at me. "No, it's just younger history, like me," he said (he was in his seventies).

I know we have history in our country. History has always been one of my favorite subjects, but I'm not often reminded of it when I walk down the streets of my state. I feel like for the most part, when things become old in the U.S., we knock them down or gut them to make way for the new. I don't feel a sense of history all around us.

Prague was much different. It was a modern city, with modern conveniences. Yet, there was evidence of it's history and amazingly detailed architecture all around us. One of our favorite spots in Prague was the Old Town Square, which dates back to the 12th century. There you will find the the Old Town Hall Tower & Astronomical Clock. You'll also find the square filled with food & craft vendors. We enjoyed yummy crepes, sausage, & hot wine.

We walked over the Charles Bridge, one of the most astonishing civil Gothic-style bridges in the world, almost every day. Construction on it started in 1357, & it is decorated with 30 mostly baroque-style statues. There are beautiful views of the city from the bridge. During the day, it is a bustling & fun place, because cars do not drive across it. Instead, it is filled with vendors selling art, jewelry, & souvenirs.

Just across the Charles Bridge, we made our way to the Prague Castle. It is the largest ancient castle in the world. The history of it stretches back to the 9th century & is where Kings of Bohemia, Roman Emperors, & the Presidents of Czechoslovakia & the Czech Republic have held office. I've seen castles in Ireland (& one in Napa), but nothing on this scale. These castle walls held a whole city. I felt a little like I was walking onto a scene in Game of Thrones (I actually felt like that quite a bit while we were in Prague). Perhaps the most intricate & ornate was the St. Vitus Cathedral.

Gargoyles! Both scary & amazing at the same time.

These were painted on the ceilings of the castle. How Game of Thrones is this (or maybe how Prague Castle is Game of Thrones)?

There were guards marching through & guarding the castle walls. It was kind of fun for me.

I was struck by the beauty of the of historical buildings throughout Prague. I think sometimes we get into the mind frame that old things are dark & ugly...& well, old, but it was the historical details that made this modern city truly beautiful. It will forever change the way I look at things & feel so fortunate to have experienced it all.

For now, we'll just have to settle with the cardboard castle that's in your room.

I love you so,

Mommy

That Must Be Something

Dear Em,
I'm finally getting around to recapping our trip to Prague. For the next few weeks, I'll be posting a little something about our adventure each Wednesday. I want to start with something I think your daddy was most worried about, & I admit I was a little nervous too: the language barrier.

In Prague they speak Czech. This was the first time I had traveled anywhere where I didn't know the native language at all, & that was a little intimidating. We had heard that most people involved with tourism also spoke German & English. I took German for six years, & knew I could bumble my way around with it if I needed to. 

Still when we stepped out of our hotel, I was a little nervous that we wouldn't be able to find our way around. Our hotel had given us a map, but it was mostly in Czech. Your daddy & I had done virtually no planning for this trip other than looking at a few restaurants in Where the Chefs Eat & looking at Time Travel's Top 10 things to do in Prague.

Lucky for us, Prague was easy to navigate. There is a metro. We heard it was easy to use, but we wouldn't know. I think we were a little too intimidated to try it. Plus, Prague is so easily walkable, we never really saw the need. We probably walked ten miles a day, & I loved it. As we walked I was fascinated by the beauty of the architecture & the city. There were interesting sites & street performers on every corner. Plus, most street signs could be found easily on buildings at each intersection (not that we could pronounce most of them).

There were a few times we lost our way. There were many more times that we looked at an interesting statue or large & ornate building & had no idea what we were looking at. "That must be something," Daddy & I would smile at each other & say. It became a running joke throughout the trip for us. We had no way of knowing. The signage for the buildings & the statues were, of course, in Czech (I'm sure if we had purchased a pocket guidebook before leaving the states, that would have helped a lot). 

There were a few things that struck me during this experience.

- I began to understand what it must feel like for someone who is illiterate to navigate through life. Eventually you figure it out, but you don't have access to many of the clues & resources around you for help. It must be terribly frustrating & often frightening for someone who can't read to go through life each day.

- Instead of seeing many parts of the city as a history lesson, we just saw them for what they were. We could only appreciate them for the beauty of what they looked like (this wasn't the case everywhere, some tours were also in English). I think this made our trip more laissez-faire. I made notes in my head of some of the things I wanted to look up & learn more about later. If we were to return, it would be a much different trip. We'd have more background information (& a guidebook). I kind of like that. There are some times that I visit places & have no plans to return because I've done everything I want to do. Seeing Prague the way we did the first time leaves so much more to come back to. It could be a whole new adventure the second time around.

- We did it. We were able to find our way around, order food, ask for directions, shop at a grocery store. We live in a country where learning a second language doesn't seem to be much of a priority, & yet we're incredibly fortunate that English is spoken by many in most places we might travel. It makes me less intimidated about seeing the world & also incredibly humbled. Suddenly, you learning a second language is so much more important to me.

It was an experience of a lifetime, for me, partly because of the language barrier. It was kind of inspiring to live through it (even if it was just for a week), & I can't wait to do it again.

I love you so,

Mommy