Mama Mia!

The first picture was taken at Lucas's favorite playground. Would you ever guess from this picture alone that we are looking at the incredible view shown below it? Or that I am doing complex physics and calculus equations to make sure that at any point of the swing's arc, if Lucas slips from his seat I can catch him without breaking an arm?

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Experiences like this are beginning to be normal for us. They are saturating our souls and beginning to come through our pores. The weather is warm with a cool breeze and most days are cloudless. A couple of days were cold and rainy and now that the weather is friendly again we appreciate it even more.

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Today, my mom ("Mia") arrived! In the morning Lucas and I ate some eggs and began our journey to the airport around 8:30am. Despite another pesky 2-year molar cramping Lucas's style, he proved yet again that he is a born traveler. We rode for 25 minutes, body to body, in a bus - 2 sardines in a packed can. Thank goodness for the lollipop given to him by Martin, our beloved concierge. It occupied him along the way. And I think it was a magic lollipop because it did not get mangled in anyone's hair or leave a sticky glob on someone's suit.

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This is the second lollipop that someone has given him. He has also received a pair of kid-sized goggles, a toy motorcycle, a delicious concoction of pureed banana and vegan chocolate, a candy bar and some colored pencils. People here give gifts spontaneously to children. The woman who cleans our flat, the concierge, store owners...anyone he encounters. I especially love it when he gets the chocolate.

Happy Easter!

The first picture is us at the Czech restaurant (more below).

The second shows us on a typical trip to the market. Lucas throws all kinds of things into my basket. This time it was a lime (accompanied by the exclamation "Guacamole!"), a head of cauliflower and an orange. It's a nice balance to my own indecisiveness.

The third pic is a store window dressed for Easter (more below).

And now a little about our weekend...

Friday night we decided to hop on a tram and go someplace random and new. We ended up going very fast and very far away from city center and to the end of the line. It was interesting because we got to see where people actually live.

But when we pressed the button to get out of the tram, the doors wouldn't open. It was late and we were the only people left, so we knew right away that we had done something wrong. Turns out we had gone past the last stop and into the tram resting zone. I started to panic a bit. Less about being stuck in a tram all night than being a dumb tourist family yelling and flailing our arms to get out!

But thankfully, Chris found a buzzer that signaled someone to let us out. So here we are at the top of the hill and the edge of civilization, alone, except for a babbling, wandering man half-heartedly testing the door of a very closed (surrounded with metal bars and chains) tobacco store. We waited a bit and caught a tram back down the hill. And a couple of stops in, it was once again bustling with teenagers, families and happy young couples.

Saturday we went to Prague Castle. It was crowded and Lucas was out of sorts because it was close to nap time. So while Chris went exploring, I watched him in this little circular stage/cupola area while he ran around with his new friend Gustavo (Guga), a 2.5 year old Brazilian boy whose family was living in England and visiting Prague for the weekend. It was very cute! His mom said that maybe we would see each other again in Prague. And the next day we did! - in the subway headed to a less tourist-y area so it was very much a coincidence.

Speaking of coincidences, Lucas developed a great interest in hopping last week and this weekend. This is a very cute sight to behold. It takes a great deal of effort for those 2 little feet to leave the ground simultaneously.

Sunday we took a long stroll across the river and down winding cobblestone streets to the playground where we spent the morning. On the way back we ate delicious Czech food in a quaint restaurant courtyard. There were blue bell-type flowers on the tables so we had a little of Texas with us. We ate potato pancakes, ham & kraut, chicken & broccoli, and Goulash with dumplings. A couple of Budvars were the perfect compliment.

The weather was beautiful, blue skies to offset the red tile roofs. The way people decorate to celebrate Easter is sooo beautiful! Everywhere, there are intricately hand-painted eggs for sale and people carry bundles of sticks whimsically embellished with colorful, thin trailing ribbons. Stores and restaurants hang the beautiful eggs on small potted trees and set them by the front door. Simple bouquets of Forsythia, another local favorite, remind me of good old Jo-ja. All day the church bells were ringing, a big hit with Lucas, whose favorite new question is a very announciated "What is THIS noise?" (Picture his eyebrows raised, lips pooched in a semi-surprised expression, nothing moving except for his big brown eyes right to left).

Additional tidbits:
-Saturday, I got a Thai massage followed by a pot of green tea!
-Monday, we found a great little vegetarian restaurant, Lehka Hlava (Clear Head). It felt good to stuff Lucas with hummus, olives, eggplant quesadillas, black bread and carrot juice.

-Lucas's new favorite things include ... dinging clocks, see-saws, metal grates on the sidewalk and octagons.

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me...

Please celebrate with us in spirit at around noon - 2pm Atlanta time. We will be at Zofin Garden sipping mojitos and watching Lucas race around the restaurant in the little cars.

This picture is actually a picture of the festivities during Prague's half marathon two or three weekends ago. It was fun! Don't be fooled by our attire. We are no longer wearing jackets. It is gorgeous every day! 70 and mostly sunny!

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Cars are alive and well in Prague

Lucas and I have been walking over Charles Bridge (pic above) to a playground almost every day when Chris is at work. We have pretty much ditched the stroller, although he often wants to be carried. I can walk for at least a mile with him on my hip - evidence that I'm getting stronger, but a habit I do not want to keep up. In Atlanta, Lucas could care less about swings, but here they are a welcome rest for his tired legs. He stays on them almost the entire time we are there.

At home it is the usual. Cars, trains and blocks. We also purchased a Thomas floor puzzle and a shape sorter that he is playing with. With all the excitement outdoors, he is interested in his indoor toys much more and is playing on his own much more often.

President Obama was here over the weekend. It was pretty cool knowing that even though we did not go to see him speak. Saturday, the three of us walked around the old Jewish town and caught a glimpse of the cemetary through the gate. Most sights were closed over the weekend for security reasons. I had no idea that people are buried 12 bodies deep in there! The tombstones were practically on top of one another. The plague was the reason they stopped burying people there.

Then we walked over to the other side of the river and decided to hike the hill that leads to the castle and gorgeous views of Prague in it's entirety. I couldn't believe how Lucas could walk up that slope for such a long time! Of course we took breaks for snacks, sips of water and to watch interesting things like trams down below or insects mating. We did not make it to the castle (where Obama was to speak the next day), but we made it to Letna Park. The views from there are so gorgeous it makes Prague look unreal. I had the sense that God created this city, piece by piece as he created the heavens and the Earth.

Chris is working hard during the weeks, but has had time for fun and rest on the weekends. It would be great if we could get Lucas to sleep a bit earlier so that we could unwind during the evenings, but his bedtime remains stubbornly at 11:00pm. It could be worse, considering that is 5pm Atlanta time! Usually he sleeps til 9 or so.

Have a wonderful week!

Love, Natali, Chris and Lucas

Where to begin?

I'm just going to dart right through my apprehension about blogging and the the intimidating 3-week bottleneck of news like a silver arrow through water.

We love Prague!

The flight over was great. Chris was busy trying to fit his long legs into the space in front of his seat, I was entertaining Lucas and Lucas was being the world's best traveler. The flight was almost 9 hours long. Lucas slept for three and spent the other six playing in his seat (plus a couple of walks to the potty.) It was miraculous!

We arrived during the morning rush hour, caught a cab to the hotel, napped a bit and then headed out. Chris went to work and Lucas and I went in search of food. I had an unrealistic idea in my head that I would attempt to keep the Lenten fast more or less. Instead, I broke it with a sausage the size of my leg. No qualms.

We started out living in a hotel suite which was very comfortable and reasonably sized. Now we are living in a simple and beautiful apartment in the old town. It has light wood floors, light and white furniture (IKEA), high ceilings, and the windows are engraved with Mucha or Mucha-style art. There is a 24-hour concierge so we feel safe and taken care of.

When we first arrived and up until recently, many days were bitter cold. The first day Chris had off, however, was beautiful and sunny! But we were dealing with jet lag, and even worse, a jet-lagged toddler who come to find out was manifesting a nasty cold. We were walking around with the old ball and chain wondering what we needed to do next to keep the waters calm when we stumbled into Zofin Garden Restaurant. It was a large restaurant by the Vltala river that looked like a greenhouse with fake grass for a floor and orange trees everywhere. But best of all, there was a large space where kids play right in the center! We could sit and eat while Lucas played on the trampoline, swing set and pushed around cars. They play relaxing music and the menu is delicioso. You should have seen our faces, as if we had walked through the gates of heaven.

Fast forward to our current lifestyle. Lucas is getting over his cold, eating ravenously and building his strength back up. While Chris is at work, Lucas and I walk all over our side of the city. The child can walk for hours! And the excitement never ends. We are right by the river so we are always crossing bridges and watching trams, cars and boats. There are playgrounds and green spaces within walking distance. The Astronomical Clock is a few minutes away.

We often get a pastry and eat it on during our long walks. Lucas thinks he is eating a cookie, but it is really a multi-grain croissant with German wheat germ and various seeds. I am splurging on poppy-seed pastries and apricot, cream cheese croissants and double espressos.

I'm cooking about as much as I was back home. Pretty frequently. Everything we need is steps away from our front door - two markets, a drug store, pharmacy, a butcher. Today I got broccoli, zucchini, a leak, and sun-dried tomatoes at the market and made a pasta dish.

People here are in tune with children. They smile affectionately when Lucas bumps into them on the sidewalk (thank goodness for this) and old women frequently start animated conversations with him in stores or on the street. I just smile and act as if I am not responding because of my ultra-demure personality.

So far, no dog bites, no flashers, no merde on the shoe (but I still love you Paris). Really, I feel as if I am in a dream and have literally pinched myself to make sure this wasn't the case. We will be here til the end of June.

Love to you all!
Natali