The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
December in Prague?
The night before we flew to Europe last August, Karl's mother, Char, and his sisters, Lauren and Mara, informed us that they were homing in on a target date for their trip to visit us: December. My initial misgivings on their behalf (probably going to be cold, definitely going to be dark) soon gave way to the many ways that December is a fabulous time in Prague. Christmas markets would be underway, but there would still be fewer tourists to contend with than during the high season. Sure, it's dark, but decorative lights and candles illuminate everything with that soft focus we all love. Plus, not only would we not have to wait until spring to see family, but we'd get to have family with us right around the Christmas holidays! We quickly understood the brilliance of this idea.
(Our sister-in-law Jan was also set to make the trip, but unfortunately some health issues forced her to postpone her visit. We certainly missed having Sparky with us and are thrilled that we'll still get to see her here for her rescheduled visit in a few months!)
Our guests' imminent arrival hastened the hall-decking in our apartment. As friends back home posted pictures of Christmas-tree-harvesting outings in snowy woodlands, we wandered a couple of blocks to the Praha Thrift Shop to pick up a pre-loved, ready-to-assemble tree.
The ladies arrived on a Friday. Char had toyed with going to Berlin for a few days to visit with her friend Cici. As it happened, Cici and her husband, Michael, already planned to be in Prague for the weekend, so a reunion in Bohemia it was.
We walked off some of our pancakes in Letná park and ended up at the Rudolfinum for the Nervous Trees exhibit. (At some point I might just assemble a Nervous Trees post, but, you know ... priorities. I've got quite a backlog here.) From there we said goodbye to Cici and Michael.
That evening we braved the cold at the Náměstí Míru Christmas market where we met with our friends Ewan and Pavlina.
When the hot cocoa could no longer keep us warm, we ducked into a nearby café. Cafés figure prominently in the itineraries of wintertime guests.
Case in point: the very next day Char, Mara, and I made our way to Karlín to find Kavárna Kočičí: The Cat Café. (Lauren was offplaying mind games with interviewing a neurologist as research for a book she's writing on memory.)
Prague has leapt onto the kitty café trend (first started in Taipei in 1998). Currently there are four in Prague. Mara has a deep love of cats, so we knew her visit would require a stop at one of them. At a minimum.
I'm fairly certain we're not supposed to feed the cats off of our plates. But this fellow had already licked the wee milk pitcher, so the pitcher was dead to us as far as a food source. Mara couldn't help but assist the kitty as he lapped up the rest. (And who am I to forego a photo op when I see one?)
By Tuesday, Karl and I started to get concerned that our hosting license would be revoked. We'd had guests with us for four days, and we had yet to get to Charles Bridge. Granted all of these guests visited us during our last sabbatical year, so they had seen the major sights ... but, still. A cultural day was in order.
First stop, the national gallery at Veletržní palác to see the "Law of the Journey," Ai Weiwei's powerful exhibit addressing the refugee crisis.
After a lunch of chlebičky (little open-faced sandwiches), we went to Malá Strana and Charles Bridge for some holiday cheer and something of a photo shoot.
Mara was not interested in the medovina. Apparently she did not require such lubrication to loosen her up.
Several years ago I inherited the role of Seeley Family Calendar Maker. It would have been ridiculous and criminal to squander our opportunity for the backdrop of Prague in the 2018 edition. Mara and Lauren were game to play along.
The ladies ... working it.
We brought some nut cake home to sample later. Didn't want to fill up before dinner.
We ended our evening at the Czech Museum of Music for the last bit of a Christmas concert. Karl's brass buddy Mike had invited him to accompany a choir for a couple of tunes.
Wednesday: Dresden! While the kiddos were at school we again took advantage of the close proximity of this German gem. And by this time, Christmas markets were humming along.
We shopped, we imbibed, we saw sights, we made merry.
More cafés for warmth.
Must I confess that this is Starbucks? I mean, it's hard to argue with good coffee and reliably clean WCs that are right off of the market square.
Grabbed some stollen for snacking before boarding the train home. You can watch them assemble this classic holiday treat.
What I should have picked up was a thermos of hot cocoa! Mara got a little chilled.
Such a treasure to have family here to help us really get into the holiday spirit. Our hearts (and bellies) were full as we sent Char and Mara and Lauren home with hugs for all the Seeleys we did not see.
Parting shot of this marvelous family.
The night before we flew to Europe last August, Karl's mother, Char, and his sisters, Lauren and Mara, informed us that they were homing in on a target date for their trip to visit us: December. My initial misgivings on their behalf (probably going to be cold, definitely going to be dark) soon gave way to the many ways that December is a fabulous time in Prague. Christmas markets would be underway, but there would still be fewer tourists to contend with than during the high season. Sure, it's dark, but decorative lights and candles illuminate everything with that soft focus we all love. Plus, not only would we not have to wait until spring to see family, but we'd get to have family with us right around the Christmas holidays! We quickly understood the brilliance of this idea.
(Our sister-in-law Jan was also set to make the trip, but unfortunately some health issues forced her to postpone her visit. We certainly missed having Sparky with us and are thrilled that we'll still get to see her here for her rescheduled visit in a few months!)
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| Lauren, Char, & Mara |
Our guests' imminent arrival hastened the hall-decking in our apartment. As friends back home posted pictures of Christmas-tree-harvesting outings in snowy woodlands, we wandered a couple of blocks to the Praha Thrift Shop to pick up a pre-loved, ready-to-assemble tree.
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| Garrett managed the assembly. |
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| The box claimed the tree was 6 ft/180cm tall. |
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| The box lied. |
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| Fa la-la la-la la la la LA! |
The ladies arrived on a Friday. Char had toyed with going to Berlin for a few days to visit with her friend Cici. As it happened, Cici and her husband, Michael, already planned to be in Prague for the weekend, so a reunion in Bohemia it was.
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| Michael, Cici, and Char at a café in Old Town on Saturday afternoon. |
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| Piling up on our sofa after a Sunday brunch buffet in our flat. |
We walked off some of our pancakes in Letná park and ended up at the Rudolfinum for the Nervous Trees exhibit. (At some point I might just assemble a Nervous Trees post, but, you know ... priorities. I've got quite a backlog here.) From there we said goodbye to Cici and Michael.
That evening we braved the cold at the Náměstí Míru Christmas market where we met with our friends Ewan and Pavlina.
When the hot cocoa could no longer keep us warm, we ducked into a nearby café. Cafés figure prominently in the itineraries of wintertime guests.
Case in point: the very next day Char, Mara, and I made our way to Karlín to find Kavárna Kočičí: The Cat Café. (Lauren was off
Prague has leapt onto the kitty café trend (first started in Taipei in 1998). Currently there are four in Prague. Mara has a deep love of cats, so we knew her visit would require a stop at one of them. At a minimum.
I'm fairly certain we're not supposed to feed the cats off of our plates. But this fellow had already licked the wee milk pitcher, so the pitcher was dead to us as far as a food source. Mara couldn't help but assist the kitty as he lapped up the rest. (And who am I to forego a photo op when I see one?)
By Tuesday, Karl and I started to get concerned that our hosting license would be revoked. We'd had guests with us for four days, and we had yet to get to Charles Bridge. Granted all of these guests visited us during our last sabbatical year, so they had seen the major sights ... but, still. A cultural day was in order.
First stop, the national gallery at Veletržní palác to see the "Law of the Journey," Ai Weiwei's powerful exhibit addressing the refugee crisis.
After a lunch of chlebičky (little open-faced sandwiches), we went to Malá Strana and Charles Bridge for some holiday cheer and something of a photo shoot.
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| Kampa Island's sweet Christmas market |
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| Four of us were successfully tempted by the medovina (warm mead). |
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| Na zdraví! |
Mara was not interested in the medovina. Apparently she did not require such lubrication to loosen her up.
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| Mara singing that old holiday chestnut, "Got No Need For Mead!" |
Several years ago I inherited the role of Seeley Family Calendar Maker. It would have been ridiculous and criminal to squander our opportunity for the backdrop of Prague in the 2018 edition. Mara and Lauren were game to play along.
The ladies ... working it.
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| Gotta work on my angles ... or spin the idea that I meant to have St. Vitus' spires poking out of Mara's head. |
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| There, that's better. No cathedral-cum-hairclip in this one. |
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| No one is immune to Prague's photogenicity. |
Stopped by this tiny café where Karl and his sisters allegedly had the Best Walnut Cake In the Whole Wide World on Saturday. Lauren put on a charm offense and tactfully grilled the owner about the various ingredients in her hope to recreate the recipe. (How's that going, by the way?)
We brought some nut cake home to sample later. Didn't want to fill up before dinner.
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| Definitely not missing a trip to the Blind Kitty Creperie |
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| They're so sweet to humor me. |
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| 😊 |
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| "Mom, please ... I just want to eat my crepe." (And it looks like Grandma's making a move.) |
We ended our evening at the Czech Museum of Music for the last bit of a Christmas concert. Karl's brass buddy Mike had invited him to accompany a choir for a couple of tunes.
Wednesday: Dresden! While the kiddos were at school we again took advantage of the close proximity of this German gem. And by this time, Christmas markets were humming along.
 |
| "Striezelmarkt" means "Stollen market," named for the delicious, seasonal, cake-like bread. |
We shopped, we imbibed, we saw sights, we made merry.
More cafés for warmth.
Must I confess that this is Starbucks? I mean, it's hard to argue with good coffee and reliably clean WCs that are right off of the market square.
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| Frescoes inside the Frauenkirche |
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| Family atop the Frauenkirche |
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| A closer peek |
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| Chestnuts! Harder to find a vendor than we'd imagined. |
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| Beer to wash down the chestnuts. |
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| Too much lubrication? |
Grabbed some stollen for snacking before boarding the train home. You can watch them assemble this classic holiday treat.
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| Just the picture of this dough makes my mouth water. |
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| Baked right on the premises, in the northeast corner of Altmarkt. |
What I should have picked up was a thermos of hot cocoa! Mara got a little chilled.
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| Happiness is a smother of coats. |
Such a treasure to have family here to help us really get into the holiday spirit. Our hearts (and bellies) were full as we sent Char and Mara and Lauren home with hugs for all the Seeleys we did not see.
Parting shot of this marvelous family.
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| My husband, and a sampling of the best in-laws a person could ask for. 💜 |
I so enjoyed seeing the Seeley Family together on their Prague adventure!
ReplyDeleteLoved seeing the Seeley's enjoying Christmas time in Prague!
ReplyDeleteI think "smother of coats" is the correct plural descriptor. And, dude, I want to travel with teh Seeleys.
ReplyDeleteRight?? They're the best. ❤️
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