Thanksgiving 2008- Prague, Czeck Republic

Thanksgiving- November 2008
As I start to write our annual Christmas letter, I am curled up on a couch, gazing through the skylights of a small 5th fl apt. in Prague (Czech Republic) that we are renting for the weekend. Far below I can hear the loud clangs of the trams careening by, and I can just see the silhouette of a beautiful, old, ornate cupola, under which our bedroom is nestled, the walls pitched at all sorts of odd angles. I listen to the soft breathing of Bill and the girls as they have all given in to sleep earlier than I, and I am Thankful. So much has changed in our lives this past year- and like most changes, it’s often difficult, painful and takes a lot of work, but I’m Thankful. I’m also hopeful as the U.S. has made clear with the recent election of Obama as President, that as a country, we are ready to make changes. I am Thankful. I hope that I too am ready to make changes.
(written much later……)
For Thanksgiving, we flew on Thursday afternoon to Prague. How exciting- we’d heard that many thought of it as almost a fairytale town. I was still a little sad to give up my traditional Thanksgiving feast, but since it’s not quite the same cooking for just us four, it’s just as well to do something totally different. It was already nitefall as we had a driver “deliver” us to our apt, right in the middle of the city. It felt magical looking off at the castle lit up on the hill as we crossed one of the big bridges through town. Bill had found a wonderful apt. for us for the weekend- with 2 bedrooms plus a living room area, and it was in easy walking distance of old town and an easy tram ride to the castle, etc. Our first dinner out that night we had to walk for a bit- most places were full or required reservations. We finally met with success. Lots of interesting varieties of fried potatoes- yummy! And I enjoyed a cranberry sauce over a rather dry chicken breast. Not exactly a T-giving feast, but…. when you’re hungry and tired, anything will do. For other meals, we all LOVED a great Mexican restaurant we found, and Bill liked some of the traditional Czech fare- sausages and potatoes, etc. OH, did I mention that the Czechs brew a lot of beer? Bill of course enjoyed sampling a few local brews. We did manage to find a few decadent desserts to take back to the apt to share. What’s a vacation without dessert?!
On the first day of sightseeing, the girls and I were not dressed warmly enough. The ancient castle on the hill lost much of it’s glamour with chattering teeth, frozen toes, and a deep chill. Hot gluwein helped a little bit for me, along with a stop for hot cocoa, but it only goes so far. Somehow we also failed miserably in the timing of lunch. We had taken a variety of snacks- trail mix, cheese sticks, etc. which we kept feeding to the girls. I think Bill wanted to avoid eating up at the castle itself ($$$) and hoped for a better meal elsewhere that would be more interesting. By 3:00 or 3:30 as we trudged back across the famous ?Charles ? Bridge, Alyssa very politely asked, “Mama, can we please just get anything hot to eat. I’m so hungry! We can sit down at another place right afterwards for you two if we find something!” Luckily we were right in front of a place selling slices of pizza. The girls were saved. I’m not sure what we were thinking- 8:00 to 3:00 pm with only snacks, maybe my brain was too cold to think! But despite the problems, we all enjoyed the day and have good memories.
Our 2nd day of sightseeing (with many more layers of clothes added on) included the old town, the big ancient clock, Wenceslaus square (who knew he was a king in Prague!), a Christmas market, the Jewish quarter, etc. It was all beautiful- probably more beautiful buildings than most European towns that I’ve visited. For me, however, I suppose I was a bit “underwhelmed”- it was indeed a beautiful European old city. But I’ve been privileged to have visited enough that it doesn’t set me “oohing and ahhing” as much. But, it’s still wonderful to share them with my family. I think my favorite memory of Prague is the fresh hot Trdlo- pronounced something like “turdlo”. It was thin strips of bread dough wound around a big wooden spool, cooked over the fire, than slid off and rolled in cinnamon sugar and nuts. Yum! A delicious way to burn your tongue and warm your hands. The girl’s favorite memories are also the Trdlos, the clock, and Rachel’s souvenir laser cut wooden horse picture. Rachel definitely remembers our trips from her animal souvenirs and I now wish I’d indulged her in a horse carriage ride! And, I had forgotten that it is possible to visit a country without speaking a word of the natice language! Thank goodness for all those who learn a little English!
Happy Thanksgiving to all- there is much to be Thankful for.