Frankly My Dearsky...

This is one of the big spas, Lazne IV. Doesn't it look like a movie set? One night we were walking on the grounds, blowing dandelions, and found a small abstract art piece/see-saw for Lucas to play on.

Karlovy Vary, Ahhhhh

Last weekend the three of us traveled two hours by bus to Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad), Czech Republic. It is a stones throw from Germany but has pretty much been overtaken by my people, the Ruskies. It is famous for its 13 main springs (300 smaller ones) each of which have unique cleansing and healing capabilities. This treatment is called balneotherapy. It is also known for its Porcelain, Moser Crystal and Becherovka Liqueur (originally named Carslbadian English Bitter), a famous drink that aids digestion. The secret formula is only known by two people and the mix of spices and herbs is prepared once a week in KV.


The scenery and atmosphere in this town are instantly intoxicating: the smell of lilacs in the air and lily of the valley being sold in small bunches; the warm-water river Tepla flowing through the center of town; the sight of a two-year old in red boots (and a dandelion tucked behind his ear) splashing through muddy puddles and carrying a three-and-a-half foot stick that may or may not poke you in the leg.

Ultimately, one would stay in Karlovy Vary for at least three weeks. Upon arrival, people get checked out by a doctor who recommends which springs to drink from and how much. They also give dietary guidelines and a suggested regimen of spa treatments (from massage to oxygen therapy.) How wonderful this would be!


The springs range from 30 - 72 degrees celcius and are sipped from a special porcelain cup. They are free and easily accessible. We did not see a doctor so we stuck with the snake spring (30C) which contains less minerals and more CO2 and has less of a chance of speeding up your digestion to an undesirable (for a weekend trip) level.

The idea is to sip your "cure" slowly, while walking. I was hesitant to give Lucas a try, given his track record of chugging his parents' drinks, but I decided he would probably reject it due to it's mildly metallic and slightly salty taste. Nope, he downed the whole cup before I could blink. No repercussions, thankfully!



We stayed at an elegant hotel and spa. This was the first experience Lucas has had in a pool (since he was an infant.) I have never seen such huge smiles come out of this boy! He looked so cute in this elated state with his dimple more pronounced than ever :)

Chris and I got massages and took turns sitting in the sauna and steam room while the other was playing with Lucas in the pool and jacuzzi (it wasn't too hot.) Every night we ate dinner in the lovely restaurant downstairs. The food was fabulous. Our favorites were pork medallions w/ millet cakes & in-shell peas and gourmet eggplant parmesan. The breakfast was a huge buffet with everything from smoked salmon to apple streudel pastries. I have discovered one thing about sharing a buffet with Russians. You have to implement a strategic approach to your meal. One second there is a full tray of food and the next second it's gone. We can eat! Thankfully the servers were good at replenishing the dishes.

More posts on Karlovy Vary to come!

Our apartment

I decided to throw these pictures up while I'm waiting for Chris to upload new pictures from our awesome weekend in Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad.) Although you really have to see our place and its surroundings for itself, this will give you an idea.



Lucas runs out of our apartment before we do and summons the elevator. To my surprise and delight, in all these months he has not experimented with pressing all of the numbers. He sticks to 1 and 0.



He rushes down to the lobby to say "Ahoy" to the concierge. He's always excited when it's Martin because he shakes his hand like crazy and says a string of greetings in a jolly way (NAzDAR! Ciao-key, Ciao-key, Ahoy-key.) Lucas responds with a sort of strange breakdance. He starts by running in place at top speed then he dives onto the floor. Martin has given him a lollipop on two perfect occasions. In this picture, Lucas had just had a major meltdown after sliding on the library floor and hitting his head. We came in from the rain and there was Martin with a lollipop to save the day!

We have started to frequent one of the restaurants below us. We step out of our door, do an about face and we are there. It's actually comical. I always order the pan-broiled (?) salmon in a creamy hot sauce with fries and a salad. Once I had the most delicious fried camambert. It was a whole small round (I think without the rind) topped with pineapple, encased in some sort of crust and fried. With fries. The salmon meal is $6 and the fried cheese is $3.50. A pint of beer is $1.25. It's a nice restaurant and the portions are large. I don't quite understand how they do this.

Cool Car

People take sightseeing tours in vintage cars around here. I think Chris said "cool car" one day as he pointed one out to Lucas. Since then "cool car" has been a household name in Prague for any interesting automobile, especially if it is antique and convertible. On my mom's last day she treated us to a "Sayonara (Naschledenon?) Prague" joy ride. We made it a surprise for Lucas.

It was so much fun! Our "cool driver" took us down interesting side streets that we had never been down before. It was a good way to piece our favorite areas of Prague into a more complete puzzle.

What amazes me is that toddlers are the most excitable creatures on Earth, yet they take exciting things in stride. You would think that he'd be over the moon about getting into a "cool car" after oohing and aahing over them for two months. But he acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Our third and fourth cousins by marriage!

I am happy to say we have family in Prague, Rita and Victoria (age 8). We had such a wonderful visit with them (Vica's father was traveling.) Rita speaks Russian and a little English. I speak English and a little Russian. My mom ended up translating the complicated questions and answers and we laughed and smiled a lot.



This banana extravaganza above is misleading. Rita cooked an incredible meal. I must have eaten a pound of red caviar (at least not with a spoon like I used to do when I was little). There were all sorts of appetizers and the main courses were duck & cabbage and rabbit in cream sauce (it tastes just like chicken). The dessert was a divine multi-layer chocolate cake. We were sent us home with a lifetime supply of Russian chocolates which, of course, lasted a couple of weeks.



I can just imagine what Vica was thinking... "does this creature ever sit still?" No. Lucas wakes up running and falls asleep running these days. But watching Madagascar in Czech helped us get a little break so the "above 3" crowd could visit together.

Lucas immediately took to Vica. "Vica, look at this car!" "Vica, Vica, Vica!" and she has since popped up in his prayer requests from time to time. She is very sweet and adorable so I don't blame him.

The symphony

My Godsister Lynne is in the music business and happened to be in Prague helping a touring conductor. She treated us to the concert which took place in Smetana Hall. It was gorgeous inside with art done by leading Czech artists including Alfons Mucha. Thank you Lynne! And thank you mom for watching Lucas and letting me borrow your clothes.

We're moving in with the giraffes

Why not? They have plenty of space. And if you look closely, you will see a beautiful chateau at the top of the hill. It even has its own vineyard! I wonder if giraffes are good with toddlers.


Zoo Praha is so unique in its setting. We wound our way up a very large hill, each step bringing us to a more tremendous view than the last. Behind the grazing donkeys and mating camels (!!) are beautiful views of the city, the river and distant trains.


At the top of the hill we got a bite to eat while Lucas played on the playground. I was so proud of myself for talking back and forth with the people at the food stand entirely in Czech! "They must think I'm a native!" I thought to myself. Until I realized that we had been speaking in Russian.

We ended our trip with the Indonesian Exhibit. It started out with some adorable little monkeys swinging contentedly on trees and vines. Towards the end of the indoor portion of the exhibit was a dark room with (*gasp!*) bats. They were interesting to look at, until they started flying out of their low-walled glass room and whizzing right over our heads. Only Chris saw the Orangutan who was the grand finale of the exhibit. Lucas, my mom and I headed swiftly out of there without looking back.