From Liz

The next morning we got up and finished our packing to head to Prague. We (Liz and Erik) were getting quite good at the packing by this point (hint: it helps when things are clean!). We would be taking the train to Prague which is about a 2.5 hour ride. We were given some advice to choose the seats on the left side of the train as the views are better. Although we didn’t know it when we booked the tickets we were on the left! The views did not disappoint!

 

Arriving in Prague we were given some interesting directions by our host. The apartment was close enough to walk and we had directions that said something like this “Walk straight out of the train station to the park across the street. Walk through the park and then find a small street on your left. Walk that street to another park which is by a church….” Well you get the idea. We wound our way through the TINY streets of Prague to find the building we were looking for. We came to a blue door covered in graffiti.

We were debating our next move when the door opened and our host appeared! He greeted us and led us through the hallway to the elevator – the tiniest elevator I have ever seen! Thank goodness Erik was willing to ride the elevator with the luggage. It fit only one person and part of our luggage. I gratefully took the stairs with the kids and the rest of the bags. Charlie on the other hand was not so grateful and wept all the way up the stairs. Poor Charlie.

We settled into the new place and found many exciting things here – a loft for the kids, a beautiful bathroom with luxurious shower, and even a few fans! But we weren’t in Prague for the apartment! We were ready to explore!

My paternal great- grandfather and great-grandmother immigrated from Bohemia in 1886. I have always had a curiosity about genealogy and feel a connection to exploring my heritage. My maiden name is Hladky which is about as Czech as you can get! So as we entered the city of Prague I felt my connection to the city was almost palpable. I couldn’t wait to explore! Except first – Lunch! We asked our host for recommendations and then set out. We quickly found our lunch destination. Now in Germany Erik’s command of the German language has been incredibly helpful. In Prague we found less English speakers and even less German speakers! So we chose some random lunch items and hoped for the best. I have to say this lunch was one of my favorite things I ate the entire trip – but I can’t pronounce it!

After lunch we explored the Old Town Square and found much entertainment. We were a bit disappointed to learn the famous astronomical clock is going through refurbishment. I guess we’ll have to go back! However, we did find giant panda bears, motorcyclists, and acrobats! Katie was a not a huge fan of our lunch and used her meat radar to find a vendor selling roasted ham. It was incredible and helped to fill her empty belly!

We then walked to the Charles Bridge. We strolled along the bridge taking in the sights and doing a little people watching. It was a beautiful day and nice to just enjoy one another’s company along the bridge. Reaching the end of the bridge I was determined to get a trdlenik. This is a rolled dough which is then grilled, then covered in cinnamon and sugar. To make it even better you can have it filled with ice cream, chocolate, fruit, and whipped cream. They are very popular in Prague so it did not take long to find one!

We walked back along the Charles Bridge and into the city again. We did a little shopping finding a candy store with crazy gummies, a wood shop with every animal cutout, and some souvenirs for home. As we were making our way back to our apartment Erik remarked “Your dad would have loved this.” The kids picked up on this and started asking some questions. I was able to share my family history with them and how much my dad, Paul Hladky, loved his Czech heritage (At his viewing he wore his “Proud Czech American” shirt). Just as I was sharing this Katie exclaimed “Wow, I think he can hear you!” and I looked up to see a chair with the name “Paul” across the back. Turns out there is a cafe in Prague called “Paul.” Thanks dad!

We finally made it back to our apartment and settled in to bed. It was a glorious day and we were excited for more adventures tomorrow!

The next day we decided to explore the Prague Castle and Church but first breakfast! There was a small cafe just a few doors down from our apartment so we decided to start there. It was delicious and would be requested even the next day! After breakfast we were off to figure out the train system. Good thing Erik is good at math and puzzles! The kiosks in the Czech Republic are not so user friendly but somehow we managed. We made our way by train to the base of the Castle. We left the train station and started climbing – it was a lot of steps! Once at the entrance we went through security and started exploring but struggled figuring it all out. This area is a huge complex including a castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, treasury, picture gallery, St. George’s Basilica, the Golden Lane, and more. There were many different combinations of tickets but in true Lilla fashion we chose to do it all. We explored all of the sights and buildings trying to take it all in. The last area we

found was the Golden Lane which is a collection of houses in which castle workers lived. It was inhabited up to WWII and even housed the famous writer Franz Kafka. This was the most kid friendly part of the day and we should have started here! However, we were all a bit tired and worn out so we decided to head back into the center of the city.

As we were searching for dinner (again!) we passed a barber. Now, before we left on this trip Erik tried to get in for a haircut but we ran out of time. Every city we went to he would try to find someone to cut his hair but it never seemed to work. So even though we were all tired and hungry the family decided Erik needed a haircut. They had an appointment available! He sat down and the barber went to work. At this point I have to admit I was a little nervous. The haircut started out as a bowl cut and I had visions of Erik walking around with a pageboy haircut! I was trying hard to suppress my giggles but the kids did not! We were all relieved (including Erik) when the man continued to work and the haircut turned out very nice!

After the haircut we headed to dinner finally settling on a restaurant in a hotel so that we could also watch the World Cup soccer game! The food was good – Katie enjoyed the pork knuckle, Juliette some fish and chips, Sam ate chicken fingers, and Charlie enjoyed “parent schnitzel.” We filled our bellies and headed “home.”