Wine and Pirates a Good Weekend Make

Just a quick post to prove we're alive and kickin' with a few pics...

This weekend we celebrated Vinobrani (Wine Festival) in Melnik. We took the train up Saturday morning and spent the day shopping at the stalls, eating yummy food, and drinking burcak (the new, unfinished wine...see post dated 23 September 2007, titled "Yesterday and the Drink Before").

We also enjoyed puppet shows.

We watched traditional Czech folk dancing. Jeff and Ella even joined in for one dance, not pictured here!

We discovered that Ella is an amusement park junkie! She did the bumper cars with Jeff....

then the trampoline and spinning cups on her own, followed by the flying swan with me...

and she finished with a solo Jungle Book jeep ride.

After listening to the rockin' band on the main stage, we decided to find some peace and quiet at the local castle. The tower, pictured here, was originally constructed in the 1480s. Ella and Jeff climbed to the top!

Sunday we celebrated a fourth birthday pirate-style!

No pirate party would be complete without a treasure hunt! Zach, the birthday boy, is front left.

The pirates anxiously waiting to collect their bounty! (What a cake!)

The party took place just across the street from us at Cukrarna Alchymista. It hosts a gorgeous garden and is known for it's scrumptious cakes made by a Russian woman who lives in a nearby apartment. (One more reason to visit us in Prague?!?)

Here's a bonus photo of Ella and Mattias enjoying the tunnel we recently purchased for the new toddler music class I'll be starting up in a couple weeks.

Congratulations to Steph, Joe and Luke on their newest addition

- Sadie Jane!