Sunday Morning, Before Tourists, at Old Town Square

The Jan Hus Memorial on the square. Jan Hus was the Czech equivalent of Martin Luther. He is virtually unknown in the West.

How did this magnificent
baroque church end up with these buildings
in front of it?
Churchgoers must pass through a passageway
to get inside the church.

I attended one Sunday because I simply
could not resist the beautiful ringing bells.

One of a million examples of Czech
craftsmen's attention to detail.
I love this tilework!

No people yet. Only peace, quiet, and snow.

Serious Girlfriend Time

Surely we look exactly the same as we did 30 years ago?

My beloved friend from Cottey College, Robin McClellan of Palco, Kansas was in serious need of a girlfriend weekend. Robin has a complicated life right now. She lives in Provence, France, where she is nursing her husband as he recovers from a brain tumor and raising her #2 daughter, her job with the American State Department is in New Delhi, India (currently on hold while she helps her husband) and husband Jim, the king of the grand gesture, is receiving his treatment in Perth, Australia where Robin was last posted as American Consul General. Nothing like a three-continent life to keep you busy.

To say Robin needed a girlfriend weekend would be an understatement. To top it all off, everyone in her house had the flu! Jim, and daughter #1 who was visiting for the holidays from Australia, insisted that Robin come see me in Prague. Yea!

Robin loves to tell the story
(which she did when she delivered
the commencement address at our alma mater)
of how when she lost the student body presidency
she ran off in tears - but not before her dear
friend Karen comforted her with the words:
"Robin, can I have your potatoes?"

Two girls in Old Town Square

Doing what Robin loves best: window shopping!
I think we visited 54 shops.

Relaxing on the Charles Bridge

When was the last time you saw an organ grinder?
This one is on the Charles Bridge over the river Vltava.

Rubbing the lucky statue on the bridge

A Neighborhood Christmas

Merry Christmas from my neighborhood square in Prague! One of the lovely things about living in a large European city is the wonderful hidden squares that exist all over the city. There isn't a downtown with a main focus; just lots of little charming focal points scattered everywhere.

I've enjoyed walking by this tree this season. It's very quiet at night. Rarely is anyone there. It creates an incredibly peaceful sensation. Often, horse and buggies carrying tourists from Old Town come and loop around the square so the whole neighborhood gets to hear the clip clop of the horse hooves on cobblestones. Fantastic!

Yea! We're Done with Our TEFL Course!

St. Wenceslas Square was packed with
revelers - the energy downtown
was fantastic as we celebrated the
end of our studies

Three devils: Dannielle, Anna, and Adam

Having fun with Anna

Heaters help people enjoy
a sidewalk cafe
in the middle of December
in Old Town Square

Christmas Markets are scattered all around town
The most common offerings are kielbasa,
grilled corn-on-the-cob, hot wine, grog, and mead.

These beautiful children were definitely angels, not demons,
singing in exquisite harmony a song
by the famous Czech composer Smetana.

No photo can do this gorgeous tree justice.
It had shooting stars.

Adam, the photographer, knows how to make everyone laugh.

Anna and Justin

Yea! We're done!

Two reasons to celebrate on St. Mikalus Day

On the last day of my TEFL class, work was gladly interrupted for a visit from our own in-house St. Mikalus. I knew nothing of the Czech custom but a Czech friend told me this would be the first of many St. Mikaluses I would see that day. Czech children have been raised on stories of St. Mikalus and look forward to seeing him and performing a song or a poem for him before receiving their treat for being a good boy or girl that year.

Naughty children don't get candy. They receive potatoes or a lump of coal. And if they have been really, really naughty they are placed into the devil's sack and will be sent straight to hell.

It makes me laugh thinking about this because I really and truly remember worrying when I was a kid about whether or not I would get coal for Christmas. How about you?

Teenagers seem to have the most fun with this holiday. You can tell that many of them labored on their costumes for hours, carefully applying tin foil to their Mikalus staffs and cotton balls to their beards. Demons seemed to far outnumber angels. On the metro, they were all giggles in their costumes which of course made everyone else giggle too.

Here are a few of the angels and demons we saw along the way on St. Mikalus Day. In my next post, I'll share pics of our group in Old Town Square enjoying the spectacle of it all.