Easter 2008

Call us crazy - and that may very well be accurate - but after spending the quietest Easter in the history of our lives last year, we wanted to be surrounded by people this year. So, without giving anyone too much notice, we decided to invite a few people over for Easter Sunday Dinner.
Of course, as always happens with Ben and I, we start out with a certain number in mind and then it gets exponentially larger until it is out of control. Our initial figure for this started with a comment made 3 weeks prior when I asked one of our friends if thy had any plans for Easter. They did not and I said I would send them out an official invite once the day got closer. This initial addition was 4 people. When all was said and done, we had invited 23 people to our flat! Unfortunately, not everyone could make it so the final tally - including ourselves - was 19 and let me tell you, it was a blast!
Since we are not going to flat out decide what 23 (possible) people will be eating - it's just not our style and I mean really, from the smallest office party to the largest weddings you are at least granted two options! - we decided to send it to a vote...where majority would rule.
Everyone who knows me, knows that I do not step in a kitchen except to pass through, so Ben came up with three possibilities...that he would be willing to make: A Traditional American Easter Meal of a Roast Beef or Ham, an Italian Feast, or a totally nontradtional Chinese Meal. Hands down, the Roast Beef won. Terrific since we love a good roast...now the only problem was where to find one :)
We found a great site for a shop that actually supplies the Argentinean Beef to the local Argentinean Steakhouses, but alas it takes an entire week to get your shipment...from the hillside farms of Argentina. So Ben decided to try the butcher shop closest to the office. Needing help with what he was actually looking for, he asked one of his coworkers who immediately contacted her Czech mother-in-law
to find out what he would ask the butcher for. Armed with the proper Czech phrasing, he left the shop with 5+ kg of roast.
That night we heading to the IKEA out in Zlicin to find the necessary tools to host this many people...plates, utensils, wine glasses, chairs, and folding tables. We have all this and more - back in storage in the States. Who would have thought it would be needed here? More importantly, given the size of the average flat, where would it have gone? Oh well, the fact of the matter was we needed it now and we were on a mission to find it. Thankfully, IKEA is the place of dreams and we were able to find everything we needed...and set up delivery for Saturday morning!
After everything was delivered, it was time to clean, get everything unpacked and set up, run everything new through the dishwasher, and figure out a set up that worked. When that was accomplished, it was time to go shopping for the rest of the items that we would be taking care of. Thankfully, everyone coming took on a specific task from Beverage Patrol (Kelly & Alain), to appetizers (Gita & Colin), to salads (Hannah & her Mum), and dessert &plus some fabulous cornbread (Marie & Kevin).
Sunday morning was spent watching our children try to find the chocolate easter eggs that Ben had hidden the night before. They did very well finding all 12 of them, with Alex being able to declare herself the winner with 2 eggs more than Logan :) When that was over, we moved on to the final set up and a once over cleaning. Ben got the roast in around noon and we got both Logan and Alex to take a nap! It was truly a great thing that they did because they were both up until 10pm and 11pm respectively.
It was fantastic having this many people to share our day...and our traditions with. Yes, we initiated everyone into the Greene Family Easter Egg Smash and I think it was enjoyed by all. We did learn that when you have that large a group, you either need to be near the median age (so that your egg does not see that much action) or that we will have to split it up into smaller groups if we are lucky enough to have that many here again.
Monday was a Holiday here as well and we devoted the morning to returning the flat to normal. We found places to store the two tables and the eight new folding chairs, and the service settings found a new home in our old bar buffet. By Tuesday night the last load had been washed and put away and there were no signs that anything had happened here except for the occasional trip into the fridge for leftovers.
We can honestly say that this was a terrific Holiday and we wish to thank everyone who helped make our day that much more enjoyable. Hope everyone else had a terrific day as well!

Dominic and Erika

Well it did not even last a year. Our great love of animals, the incessant pleas of one 4 year old girl, and the look of sheer joy on Logan's face as he cried out "Meow, Meow" caused Ben and I to do something crazy.

It all started when I received an Instant Message from Ben telling me that there were the most adorable kittens running around the office and that they needed homes...why didn't I pack up Logan and come have a look? Leaving all common sense behind, I quickly got both of us ready and we headed down to see them. Within seconds of laying eyes on them, Logan was running around with widespread arms and a matching smile making mewing sounds and laughing. Something inside me snapped and I realized just how much I missed having animals in the house. Now of course, I am more a dog person but I cannot see having a dog in any but a first floor flat and would not be willing to deal with all the trips out to take care of business. But kittens? That was doable...ridiculous...but doable.

So we picked out the two we wanted...yes two because you should always get animals in pairs so that they have someone to keep them company while you are out...and we waited the three weeks until they would be ready to leave their mother. Neither of us told Alex anything since we did not want to deal with the endless stream of "When are the kittens coming?" inquiries. We decided to buy the supplies the week they were arriving and surprise her when they showed up.

As it turned out, they were due to arrive while David and his parents were here so Alex was already having one of her "best weeks ever" and this was just the icing on the cake.

I missed all the excitement of the actual drop off - David and I were at Palac Flora finding important items like food bowls and some other last minute items - but she was still beaming when we arrived so it was very enjoyable.

Next came the naming process. Alex had been on a total Star Wars kick and I was worried that Luke and Leia would top the charts...or perhaps Ro & Antonio from Barbie as the Island Princess. So it was with amazement and relief when she picked out the names of the two lesser characters from Barbie's Princess and the Pauper :)

Now the fun begins...

Beautiful words from a Beautiful Visitor

Just to make things perfectly clear, this Blog entry was NOT composed by either me or Ben - it is the views and expressions of one of our visitors and I must apologize to her that it took me so long to get her amazing composition up here. So, read on and enjoy...


Looking out the window, I can see faint color emerging from the the fog. I've heard this is "the city of a thousand spires..." so where are they? I crane my neck to try to see.

The day before I was introduced to Europe - the sight of people who look the same as me. They would lock eyes to begin a conversation and then, out from their mouths spilled a strange set of noises and sounds!

It's not that I've never heard another language before. Far from it. It's just that it's been indirect, around me, or maybe in a school classroom where I know if I speak English instead, everyone will understand.

Not here! Not in Eastern Europe. Maybe they know a word or two, but dive too deep into English and be ready for the blank stare of confusion.

For me most of travel is about the people I meet. I was frustrated not being able to talk to those people, not being able to find out where they come from or what their father does of if they have a boyfriend or why they hardly smile. No, our interface was limited to dobre den, prosim and a few numbers I can't even remember now.

Even without language, though, the stories were all around me. They were in the spires - which I did manage to see and fall in love with. The stories were in the walls of the castle, and in the cobble-stones streets. They whispered through the Jewish ghetto and screamed from the walls of the Pinkish Synagogue and the cemetery it opened into.

The angels and demons in the reliefs above the churches, the organs, the Astronomical Clock, even the wind had something to say.

Oh, Powder Gate, why are you called that? Why are the doors in Golden Alley so small? Where did the Hunger Wall begin and end and why?

Prague is so much more that a place to look at from above or below. It is more than the five-story club at the end of the Charles Bridge. It is a place to be in, a place of tales, of people both good and bad, of horror and delight, of pleasure and pauper.

It is like the woman, perhaps not immediately beautiful, but intricate - and mysterious. She perhaps has a crooked nose, winding ever so gently like the disjointed Prague streets. Maybe she has a faint smile and eyes that invite questions, mirroring Prague's crannies that beckon exploration. She has a sing-song voice that speaks through pursed lips...a sound that comes from deep within like the music flowing from Prague's many hidden chambers.

And both, the more you look at them, the more you study them and the more you interact with them, become ever more beautiful, simply because they are alive and bursting with character.

Starting March off the right way...

There is only one way to start a month perfectly and that is to have visitors coming :)

Sure there is some work leading up to their arrival...cleaning, moving things out of the guest room, coming up with a quasi plan of things to see and do...but it is all done with a cheerful smile and yes, even a tune being hummed because you know that you are soon going to see people you love.

March 8th through the 16th were wonderfully happy days for us...our great friend David and his parents had shelled out hard-earned cash to visit us from the States and it could have only been made better if they had been able to stay longer ;)

Even though we had the bedrooms available, we felt that 2 bathrooms were not going to be enough for (5) adults and (1) child to share so David's parents - Art & Mary - were able to experience Prague in the comfort of their own flat...in our old building in Vinohrady! So much better than a hotel room, not to mention cheaper, they were able to enjoy a foyer, a full bathroom - including washing machine, a full kitchen with dining area, and a living/bedroom complete with Sky Satellite Television and Internet. Honestly, if any of our readers plan on visiting Prague please let me help with the accommodations (unless you are staying with us of course!) and set you up in style. If you prefer to do it on your own, please allow me to suggest our friends at this website because they are da bomb www.pragueclassicrentals.cz

We had some terrific weather to help make the sightseeing more agreeable - it was almost Springlike - and were able to cover some of the basic highlights of the city. However, with three days planned in Moravia, we were not able to give Prague its due...so they will just have to come back again...and again...and again :)

Unfortunately, Alex was ill the night before our departure so she and Ben stayed behind while the rest of us explored Moravia with the help of our friends, the Spevak Family. They are an unbelievably gracious family who gave us an intimate look at their hometown of Horni Hut, Dubnany, and many surrounding areas as well. Frank, the patriarch of the family, runs a rather large vineyard and I suggest getting your hands on any one of their fabulous wines to compliment your next meal!

Because of their many business connections and friends, we were able to have private tours of a castle and their eldest son David's school - which of course, given the area, was dedicated to the production of wine :) We also were treated to a walk around the grounds of another castle in the midst of reconstruction and one of their own vineyards.

I will have to dedicate another entry to the beauty of Moravia to do it justice and try to give some perspective on just how different this area of the Czech Republic is from ours.

Getting back to the real point of this entry, we had a fabulous time sharing our new surroundings with folks that we have considered true family members for many a year. Alex had David tuck her in and read her bedtime stories and sing some songs (Fergie's 'Glamorous' is "their song" and I am sure there were a few Mary J tunes thrown in as well), and by the 3rd day she was calling his parents Grampy Art & Grammy Mary.

She and Logan were as thrilled as we were to have them all here and were very saddened by their departure. When I returned from accompanying them to the airport the day of their departure, Alex saw me crying and after hearing why I was so sad she said, "I understand but they had to go back to America. We do not live there anymore, we live in Prague now. But we can visit sometime...Grampy Art even said so!"

What is it about kids that they never seem to listen to or retain your comments about cleaning up their toys or basic rules of behavior, but someone in another room mentions a vacation (this happened to be to the Cape on our next visit back) and not only will they hear it, but that will be fresh on their minds - and inquired about almost daily - until it happens?!?! Oh well, that could be another whole blog entry!

Many thanks to David, Art, and Mary for giving us this fantastic gift...it honestly meant the world to us to have you here and we are already planning your next visit :)

Prague at Night

Friday night found me with time to myself. I packed up my camera gear and headed out into the city to try my hand at night photography. I had my Nikon, 2 lenses, and my tripod. I started with the gate across from our flat and then moved on into Letna Park. I got some nice pictures there of the Pavilion restaurant as well as several shots of the bridges and buildings below. I then walked down the hill and headed back up some very long stairs to the ramparts of the castle. From here I was rewarded with some more great pictures of some of the beautiful Prague buildings including Petrin aka the Czech Eiffel Tower.
I then headed down the hill into the city. I stopped on Mánesuv most, one bridge up from Karluv most, and took some 20 second exposure shots of this famous bridge. The water was very rough on the river but having the shutter open so long made it appear flat in the photos...smooth as glass.
I then headed down to Karluv most itself and found a public terrace on the east side of the river. From here I took some pictures, looking back up at the castle, with this beautiful bridge in the foreground.
Overall, I was out for 4 hours hiking around the city and was pretty wiped out by the time I got home but felt I had learned a lot and had taken some very nice shots.

Pete visits from Maynard

February 18th through the 22nd was a great week. Pete...one of the guys on my team who is located in Maynard...came over to do training. Pam, my team in Prague, and I made sure he had a fun time and was kept busy. We all met him on Sunday afternoon, shortly after he arrived, and took him on a brief tour of the city hitting some of the high points like the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, and the Lennon Wall. We then went to a restaurant downtown to introduce him to Czech cuisine, beer, and shots. It was a great time...I only wish I had gotten more pictures. The rest of the week consisted of more of the same - going to many more restaurants, more sightseeing,some shopping, and of course...MORE BEER!

Birthday and Boy in a Tote

We had a fun kids event the other day. A friend's daughter was turning 4 and they had a big birthday party at a DĚTSKÝ KOUTEK (an indoor play area) downtown.
A DĚTSKÝ KOUTEK is like short-term daycare. They are in lots of malls here and this one was in the same building as a spa and Marks & Spencer store. The idea is that you drop your kids off and then go shopping. They have a few people to keep an eye on your kids and usually lots of toys and slides, etc. They charge a very low hourly rate of approx $4 an hour or so. I think the idea is you will shop longer and happier if your kids are not with you bugging you to get going. Not to mention, the bonus of your kids asking to go to the mall to play.
This particular place was rather large and had a large slide with ball pit, a climbing wall, and a slot car track...though it had obviously not been used with slot cars in some time. Logan did not seem to mind and had fun pushing cars around the track. There was also a small tree house at the top of the slide for the children to play in. It was a very nice set-up and had many small toys and games as well. Everyone was kept very entertained.
About 18 kids showed up for this party and it was pretty much (slightly) controlled mayhem :) This was great as the kids were having a wonderful time with only a few bumps from minor collisions...mostly at the bottom of the slide.
Logan thought the slide was great. It was maybe 10 feet high with a bump in the middle and it emptied into a small ball pit. He marched right up the stairs to the top of the slide, turned, sat, and down he came. He bumped his head a couple of times on the bump in the slide and then was deposited into the ball pit. He was wide eyed laying there as I retrieved him and he had the look of not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Apparently it had been too much for him to handle and it turned to crying. However, it was only a slight scare as in 20 seconds he was squirming to get down. He went right back to the top of the slide but would go to the edge and turn away repeatedly. Between that and playing on the race track he seemed very happy. After about 20 minutes he made another attempt - this time being slowed by another parent about half way down the slide. It went better... there were still a couple of tears shed but was nowhere near as bad as the first time. On his last attempt, later in the day when most kids had left, I slowed him and he laughed as he landed into he ball pit. He loved the ball pit most of all and climbed in several times during the party - throwing balls everywhere before I had to retrieve him to keep him from getting hit by a sliding child.
Alex had a great time on the slide and did very well on the climbing wall. She had never been able to quite figure these out before. The one they had did not go all that high so I think that helped with the scare factor and there was a large padded mat under the wall. She called to me when she had climbed all the way to the op on her own and then just jumped down onto the mat. She had a great time doing this right up til when we had to leave.
They had a great cake and lots of food as well for the kids and adults. We were there for like two and a half hours and the kids actually looked tired when we left.
They even went down for a nap at home which was good because our friends from the US were arriving and we were having a small party with Prague friends at the flat that night to welcome them.
So, you may be asking, what about the other topic listed above? Well...
In this Blog entry picture collection are some great shots of Logan after he climbed into a Rubbermaid tote that stows the kid's ball collection. He would climb in with the balls and then would throw them all out and wait for someone to refill it on top of him. He loved it! I also tried dragging the tote around on the rug with him sitting in it which he enjoyed too...making train sounds as he went along.