Screw sleep

Well, even after 14 hours on the road, 900 kilometers logged on our Skoda Fabia II, none of us are ready for sleep.
Checked out Tivoli, a major Copenhagen landmark amusement park.
Bathroom break in Burger King on Stroget (walking blvd just like Na Prikope, for you Praguers)
Beautiful, lit up city at night.

Almost to Copenhagen

20km to go, find a place to sleep and do some site seeing tomorrow.

Here's to Swimming With...

Quint!

I would say we're gonna need a bigger boat, but we're all set.

Damn, it's good to see the North Sea, or any sea, any water.

Ferry, where are you?

Our GPS gadget "Amy" failed us miserably to find the ferry terminal.

Finally, we here. Now, waiting in queue lane 11, along with what looks like 40 cars ahead of us and half more behind.

Oh - ferry must be up there - cars & trucks unloading, streaming the other way.

Can't wait!!
Denmark, here we come!

Making a run for the border

Closing in.... 30mins

Heading towards Denmark

Going to Hamburg now

Leaving Berlin

Stopped in Berlin for an hour.
Whizzed thru Checkpoint Charlie (we got a picture at least).
Stopped at the Tor for pictures.
Had lunch and now we're off again.

Dresden

Parked in old center of Dresden. Hanging out, taking pics.  About to take off again. 

Hello Germany

Just pass German border, going 130km/h. Thank you schengen!

Tanked up and off

Just filled 1st of many tanks of petrol - 1040 kc @ OMV, praha 1

4-Day Euro trip

Just leaving this morning for a 4-day euro road trip. Three of us, rented car, driving north.

Goal: Norway and back in 96 hours.

I enabled e-mail posting for on the way, hope it works. later, Jeff

A Word From Canada

Well...I've finally had time to check the blog and see what my husband has been up to. Hmmm...while the cat's away....

No photos for me to share as Jeff has the camera for all his travels. We'll have to collect them from others and put some up for you.

Our first week here was quite rough with a series of health problems...and there may be another brewing...but we're doing fine now.

Our new nephew is the big reason we are here and he is simply amazing. We love you, Benjamin!

The weather hasn't been spectacular, but it's been good enough for us to get to the beach. Ella is crazy about the water - Mattias less certain. Yesterday was gorgeous - the water was literally like a bathtub.

This weekend we get to enjoy Pugwash HarbourFest, complete with tall ships...andCatharine, Dave and Owen. YAY!

And, of course, all the time spent with family and friends is more than we could hope for.

But we miss Jeff/Dad...and we wish Grammy and Grampy were able to make it.

More later when I can post some photos. Thanks for all the birthday wishes for Ella. Can't believe she's FOUR!

G'night!
Maylia

Moscow Trip, Part 2 of 2

Returning to Moscow...
How do I sum up my thoughts from seeing this crazy city after so long?

I want to compare Moscow today to my stay in 1991. I won't do it justice but I'll try.
As I said in the first part/post, my friend and old Moscow roommate, Bill, was supposed to come, too. He couldn't and it's really too bad for a lot of reasons, but I was especially looking forward to having Bill with me since I was sure he would remember more from 1991 than I would. Anyone who's knows me knows my memory is awful (I remind myself of Flight of the Concords' song "Jenny"). Anyway, I digress. So, returning to Moscow.


Before arriving, I looked up how to get to my hotel from Sheremetyevo airport, which lies about 20 or so miles from the city. Then I learned about the "AeroExpress train," brand spanking new only since June 2008, it was beautiful and modern. In Soviet times (and long after), the choice from Sheremetyevo airport was either a suicidal taxi ride or a doing a chain of local buses before reaching the farthest metro stop. Now, with AeroExpress, people start within Sh.'s Terminal 2 (foreign arrivals/dep) to a metro stop just outside the metro's ring line, which separates the inner/outer parts of the city. Price was 250 r., well under a restaurant dinner. Yeah, can't say enough good about AeroExpress, a real boon for tourists. (Prague could use one)



I neglected to exchange any crowns to rubles in Prague. So at the airport the first goal was to find a cash machine. Had little care about exchange rates, only to get my hands on local currency before I do anything. My little travel tip is this: take note of the withdrawal choices on the cash machine screen. For me, the choices range from one lunch plate to one night in a nice hotel, no matter what country or currency I'm looking at. I chose the 2nd highest option, 7,000 rubles. I just looked it up...that's about 4,000 crowns or $200. My 7,000 r. about paid for all food, entertainment, metro and souvenirs. Yeah, the number's a sign of inflation, but that's another post.


Speaking of food, I ate in a restaurant exactly one time over my 3 days. I'm sort of proud of that. Instead of dining out, my first night I found a city supermarket so I stocked my hotel room frig. While sightseeing I mostly ate "street food" (as our India trip friends could only expect). Lots of carbs: pastries, pirozhki, blini, ice cream.


The one restaurant dinner I had was shashlik (sorry Bill, but it was sooo good!). Shashlik is skewered lamb, very seasoned. It's a Georgian dish and a favorite exotic dish for Moscovites. Shashlik was my favorite street vendor food back in 1991, so the taste brought back some fond memories.


Touring around, sightseeing also brought back some vivid memories...and then again, it didn't. Red Square, St. Basils cathedral, GUM department store, all very stirring at first sight. I wandered Red Square and watched tourists every day, maybe twice a day.



However, going into GUM, the behemoth department store lining Red Square long-ways was most mind-blowing.


GUM
In 1991: GUM is an acronym in Russian that meant "government universal store") was dark, dank and dreary. And empty. Back in 1991, void store shelves was just a normal sight, whether in GUM, the butcher or the bakery.

Today is different. Same acronym, but in Russian it's is now "Main universal store." GUM is all about splendor and indulgence. Some stores I at least recognized: Dior, Articoli, Emporio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Breguet, Cartier and that is just the first floor of 3...you can lose serious wealth in this megamall. Here is a link to their store map, but it takes time to load.


To compare, here is GUM in 1893. It's a beautiful building inside; the splendor was there all along. But today - the stores - wow.

The monument of mottos.
Karl Marx and his famous "Proletariats of the world, unite!"

Recognize this place? In 1991, the lines to the one, newly opened McD's went around the city block. Today, they're everywhere. You want fries with that, Karl?

And another chain appears below. I also spotted a T.G.I.F in the airport.

Lenin's mausoleum.

He (or someone very similar) has been on display for 85 years now for your and my viewing pleasure.

I went ahead and saw him, my first time. The line was much shorter this visit; I only waited an hour to briskly walk through and around him. Vladimir Ilyich is looking very good for 140.

Well, I think that's it. Getting tired of writing. For more pictures, and what was the most fun of my trip, please see the video "We Miss You Bill".

Happy Birthday to Ella

Ella's 4 today!

Just talked with Maylia and Ella on the phone. They're all in Halifax, surrounded by family and friends. Ella told me all about her new balloon. Sounded pretty excited!

Happy birthday to my sweet girl!!

Moscow Trip, Part 1 of 2

So, I flew to Moscow last Monday for 3 days. But before I write about my trip, let me tell a story about how this trip was supposed to happen.

Nearly 20 years ago, I spent my final university semester studying abroad in Moscow. For me and 8 other new friends, it was a tough time as the Soviet Union was on the verge of collapse. Real revolutionary times and the foreign students of the Pushkin Language Institute were given no special treatment.

I and a guy named Bill dealt with the hardships together, fast becoming close friends by the end. We always figured we'd arrange to experience Moscow again someday, but since 1991, it never happened for either of us. Until this summer. The plan: Bill flies to Prague for 4 days, then we fly to Moscow for 3 days.

Or maybe not. Unfortunately, Bill's only experience of Russia this summer stopped with the Russian embassy, who held his passport for 2 weeks longer than expected, overlapping even the departing flight to Prague. No passport, no flight to Prague or Moscow. In short, vacation ruined for Bill, thanks to the embassy.

So, before I write about how Moscow went for me, I'm going to share how Moscow called out for Bill. I sent it off to Bill only a few minutes ago.

We missed you, Bill!

Keeping Busy, but Not Too Busy

Clearly, between me and Maylia, only one of us is on vacation. And it ain't her.

Maylia has her hands full. May's mom has been in Halifax helping May's sister, Erin with baby Ben, so Maylia has her own full day with two kids. May's dad stays busy with community projects and goings-on.

Finally, since yesterday, Maylia and her mom switched places. Ella and Mattias are now with their Yaya, while Maylia gets some quality time with Ben (& Erin & Michael).

I, on the other hand, only dream of rallying the kids for breakfast or readying them for bed.

Bachelorhood is a tough & lonely life, but I'm getting the hang of it.

Last weekend, I was invited to a friend's birthday party. Dinner was pleasant, but dancing until sunrise was grueling fun.

This weekend, I'm spending tonight and tomorrow night at a coworker's house outside of Prague. A large group will help us celebrate a summer party which a coworker and I have been planning for months.

And as a bachelor I find I'm even losing weight. Not because of any exercise, of course. I'm just not eating big meals. Making meals is too much a bother anyway, so long as there's corn flakes. If milk only came in containers larger than a liter, I'd be all set.

This past week, between these tough weekends, I took a little vacation to get away from the snap, crackle, pop of Prague. I only told my managers (work and wife) and very few friends, so my vacation was quick and quiet. I'll post a teaser video here...

I'm going to start thinking about painting the flat next week, though. I'm really strongly considering it. So close.

[Meanwhile, back in Prague]

Sure is different here since Monday.

No worrying about noise, spills or writing on walls...
No kisses hello when coming home...
No kids to bathe and get to sleep...

Last night I spilled some rice on the floor and I had to laugh. I actually enjoyed cleaning it up.
Tonight after doing some laundry, I might draw on the walls. Why not.

And They're Off...

2nd Update: Got word from May's dad, Bill that he successfully met up with Maylia in Montreal. Whew! Will make for a much easier last leg to Halifax. Kids are doing well.

Update: Got a text msg from Maylia in Frankfurt about 2 hours ago. First flight went okay. Frankfurt to Montreal flight was a bit delayed, but she's since taken off.

I'm watching the flight at work here: http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightTracker/flightTracker.do



"It's going to be tough," Maylia said to me at airport security. Maylia and the kids left for Canada at six this morning. Already at airport security, Maylia was looking a bit worn, but maybe because we got only 3 hours sleep since Ella woke twice in the night, once just for a runny nose. We figure Ella was nervous, too. And then the alarm rang at 3:30am to start the trip.
Flying alone with kids is hard enough, but tack on two connections, Frankfurt and Montreal. And, since yesterday, both kids have coughs. In fact, listening to Mattias' cough this morning had us considering calling it all off. But we calmed ourselves with the thought their coughs always sound worst in the morning. We only hope the flights don't make the kids' health much worse. They should recover well when they get to Canada. (It's fresher air there anyway, right?)


Everyone, have positive thoughts for Maylia's sake. (And pitiful thoughts for the passengers around them)


I know she will make it (she has to), but it's going to be a long journey.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD, BENJAMIN SPENCER!!!!

We are so very thrilled to announce the birth of our nephew. Congratulations to Erin and Michael on this new addition to their family. And an even bigger congratulations to Ben for finding himself with such amazing people to be his parents. Born on July 10 at 3pm and weighing in at a whopping 9lbs 8oz, Ben is someone who likes to do things at his own pace. He finally entered the world 12 days past Erin's latest due date, nearly 2 days after Erin's water broke, and after nearly a full day of active labour. (Erin is one strong woman!) Seems like he's already teaching Erin and Michael the virtues of patience while parenting. Or maybe, he figures, after this commencing ordeal, any other trouble he causes will seem like peanuts!

As you can well imagine, we are chomping at the bit to meet him and smother all three of them in hugs and kisses.

Two more sleeps....

Health Check - at 3 and counting

Sherman is at his WayBack machine again. After 3 years in Prague, this all seems (almost) ordinary.

It's time for us to keep with a blog tradition - our anniversary "health check." We'll keep the same categories as in our first check:

Happy?
2006: Dizzily happy.
2009: As happy as could be anywhere

Culture shocked?
2006: Oh yes
2009: Nope, not at all.

Homesick for...?
2006: Family & friends back home
2009: Family & friends back home

Local circle of friends...?
2006: 0 (a zero makes a circle, doesn't it?)
2009: Growing, but trying to balance.

Eating...?
2006: Take-out & ready-made meals (looked ready-made on the package)
2009: Maylia plans, shops for and prepares all meals...no worries.

Czech speaking ability?
2006: "hi." (sort of)
2009: Maylia working hard with improvement. Ella's shy but able. Jeff's flatlined and content. Mattias picking up a few words in an effort to woo his beloved "Nyna" (Kristyna).

Czech understanding ability?
2006: ..........silence. total f-ing silence.......
2009: May and Ella: "Ano, rozumím." --but-- Jeff: "What'd you call me?"


Entertaining ourselves by...?
2006: Trading pictures with Jeff K's "Prague scavenger hunt"
2009: Maylia taking classes; Jeff reading more; both spending more time with kids group


Who gets our paycheck...?
2006: Landlord & IKEA
2009: Bank (mortgage) and our indebted travel budget


High on the Priority List...?
2006: An iron, basic cookware and toilet paper
2009: Maylia and kids' flight home in 3 days (Monday morning) to welcome a new nephew/niece from Maylia's sister Erin (Big question: Who will arrive first, them or the baby?!?)

Fourth of July Weekend

It works out quite well for Americans living in the Czech Republic that, although the 4th of July is not a holiday, the 5th and the 6th are. That meant this year we had a 3-day weekend. YAY! And how did we spend our time?

On the 4th, we met friends (Valerie, Dan, Vincen, and Benjamin Reeves) at Zlute Lazne, a local swimming spot. Kids and adults alike had lots of fun playing in the playground, splashing in the pools, and soaking up the sun. The best part was, that being a local spot (versus a tourist trap) and being a holiday weekend, we had the place almost to ourselves!

Ella and Vincen in the bumper boats.

Later that day we were invited to a BBQ with the Reeves and two other families. What a treat! YUUUUMMMMMM! Jeff even won a prize for best red, white and blue attire - a Snickers bar, of course!

Jeff with Mattias and Benji.

Drum roll, please....

We took it easy on the 5th, but on the 6th we visited a new park called Gutovka. This may well be the coolest playground we have ever seen! Can't wait to take some of our engineering friends there the next time they come to visit. The park hosts a very nice regular playground, restaurant, rock-climbing wall, tennis courts, skateboard park, and beach volleyball courts. But, the best part is the water playground. It consists of a big, manmade hill with a small stream running around it. Along the stream are a series of stainless steel tools (water wheels, giant screws, buckets) that allow the kids (and adults) to experiment with water movement. What a great place to take a science class! The sandpit even hosted a mechanical excavator that kids could sit on top of and operate! This place was amazing - and it was free! (Big kudos to Prague 10.)

The rock climbing wall.

Ella, Jeff & Mattias experimenting with water.

Mattias reading Daddy a bedtime story.

The fun didn't stop there. Jeff had to go back to work, but the kids and I have had two more fun and exciting days. This week, some of the mothers that I work with through Class Acts (the group that does the toddler music classes and storytellings) organized an Explorers Summer Camp Week. Leah and I lead a dramatic "forest day" in Stromovka Park yesterday. The kids were tasked with finding the Witch Doctor and helping her remember her song. (Perhaps you know it...?) It went over really well...we played music at Ching Chang Bridge, did tree rubbings of the OOO EEE Trees, cooked up a potion at the Bing Bang Kitchen, made a living sculpture at OOO AAH Stump, and learned the Walla Walla dance from the Willow Tree Fairies. The climax of the day was most definitely meeting the Witch Doctor!

Although the rest of the camp events sound wonderful, we've opted out of them to be able to do some other things to get ready for our trip away. Today we had the pleasure of visiting our dear friends Ali, Dylan, and Bailey in their new home. We had too much fun to remember to take pictures! Oops!

Only 5 more sleeps til we fly to Canada...

So very excited!

But sad to be leaving Jeff/Daddy.

Happy 4th!

We had a very busy 4th of July weekend (we had a holiday weekend here, too!).

Post and pictures to come.

p.s. We were so so so much busier than we were on Canada Day (1 July), that we didn't even get to the blog until now. :)