Made it through the "ash".

As you know, our original plans to meet Erika and Mike and Sue and Rob in Amsterdam were ruined by the eruption of the volcano in Iceland.

We were able to rebook our flight, as were Sue and Rob, but Erika and Mike did not make it out of DC. Therefore, our time in Amsterdam was bittersweet - enjoying our time with Sue and Rob to the max but missing Erika and Mike.

Here are some photos of this wonderful city...

View out the front window - notice the canal!!

One of the many houseboats on the canals. We were able to take a tour through one of these converted cargo carriers, and they are a lot larger and nicer than our little boat!

More canal views...



Us...we found tulips...

Street scene - notice how those buildings are a little tipsy?

If you go to Amsterdam in the spring, one of the "must sees" are the tulip and hyacinth fields. We decided to go to the famed Keukenhof gardens on what is billed as the busiest day of the year.

It was.

but we saw the tulips...

despite the crowds!!!!

One disappointment was that the US will not allow flower bulbs to be brought into the country from outside its borders (unless it is between certain months and April and May did not qualify), So Erika and Sue did not even get any bulbs for their gardens. :-)

Spring cleaning

Our little community of Prague 6 is always quite well-kept, with freshly planted and tended flowers in the parks, and street crews working to pick up the litter, remove posters from light poles and the like.

A few days ago I noticed temporary signs like the round red and blue sign in the bottom left of the photo below. It says no parking 4/17/10 from 7 AM to 2 PM. I wondered what was going on, and this morning we woke up to discover they were spring cleaning the streets and curbsides.


Look what happened to those poor folks who chose to disregard the "no parking" signs!






As the streets were being cleaned, the restauranteurs were busy setting out their outdoor tables and chairs. Tom went out to buy milk at breakfast time and saw these tables going out, and just a few hours later when we walked by the tables were already full. Ah spring!

The best laid plans....

Who knew that a volcano in Iceland could be so disruptive?

Tom and I were planning to fly to Amsterdam today to meet up with Erika and Mike, and Sue and Rob for a celebration of a wedding and a BIG birthday.

NOT!!

Both the airport in Prague and the airport in Amsterdam are closed until further notice.

Tom and I decided we might like to take the train, since air travel is so uncertain. We went to the main train station today to see about getting tickets, and found this scene. And this line was just for international travel. Domestic ticket lines were just as crowded.



In the photo below, the actual ticket window is a ways beyond that smallest green sign just to the right of the escalators, and we were not at the end of the line either.

Oh well. Stuff happens, and we will just have to try to reschedule our flights for Wednesday.

Happy Easter to you all!

Today dawned bright and sunny - just perfect for Easter morning! We were guests at the Davis' along with about 20 other folks for a wonderful brunch. No photos of that, though, Tom forgot his camera. The kids had an Easter egg hunt on the lawn, and we all ate a bit too much. There were even a few Peeps (imported from the States) on display!

So - what to wear to an Easter brunch on a beautiful sunny morning? I haven't worn a skirt in over a year here. No one dresses up much, and working with kids is much more comfortable in stretchy pants. So, when I considered what I owned that looked "springy", I settled on a long skirt that has a bright pink, blue, green, and yellow floral print on a white background. Pretty good, I thought. When Owen arrived, he ran up to me to say hello, and then asked why I was wearing that skirt. I explained about Easter, spring, bright colors, etc. and he said "oh, you look like a tablecloth" and ran off to play. So Erika - I guess it's time to "lose the flowers." :-)


Yesterday, we went to Owen and Elliot's house for egg decorating and cookie baking. Laura and Owen made some sugar cookie crosses, which we all (except Elliot) helped to frost.

The egg coloring went well as you can see below.

and voila!

Just kidding- this is a traditional Czech egg from the Easter markets.

Making a "fort"

On Tuesday, the boys came to visit us. Since we don't have many toys around to amuse them, Owen decided they should make a fort.

Elliot is checking things out...

Making adjustments...

Even the rabbit got into the act. We didn't get a very good photo, but the bunny voluntarily joined the boys in their fort. That light spot between the two pillows is Simba.

Making brownies rounded out our day!

Zoo trip

Yea for school breaks! Monday we accompanied Laura and the boys to the zoo. Prague has a very large, well-kept zoo, with many animals in quasi-natural settings. We spent several hours there, and were able to cover only a small portion. Owen liked the spiders and snakes best. :-)

Elliot is making the acquaintance of a goat at the petting zoo...

Owen becoming a turtle....

We have no idea what these birds were doing, but they all had their heads up like this and were squawking away loudly. Mating season?



And Mr. Crocodile.....

What would Jan Hus think?

In the middle of Old Town square, there is a huge monument to Jan Hus, a 15th century reformer who took on the Catholic church.




Surrounding him on all sides are the Prague Easter market stalls. This market season is marked by lots of sunshine, colorful decorations, and tourists! Truly a celebration of spring.

Lot's of eggs.....


A craftsman at work...

and people.....