Time to hit the shops and get those gifts!! Je to muj koniček!!
This City is an amazing place to live during all seasons but during winter it really comes to life. So atmospheric and magical. Especially if we get snow. That as a parent is so helpful as we can throw on the kombinéza step outside the door and we have lots of little hills to sled down. I think I actually enjoy it more than the kids. A few years ago I was invited with my daughter to Krkonoše. It was an amazing experience to sled down the mountain together, slightly more exhilarating than on our hills here.
About 4 years ago I was walking home from work and all the kids were out sliding down the hills. You have to watch yourself or you get taken clean out!! Anyway, I saw one boy hurtling towards a bench..........his parents screamed I looked away.....all I heard was the crunching noise. Not pleasant. He was ok but broke his nose........badly. Could of been much worse. So what did the local authorities do?? Put in even more benches!! But these are metal in place of the old wood ones. So we have dangerous hot benches you could fry an egg on during summer and dangerous freezing cold benches you wouldn’t dare sit on in winter. Some locals have taken old mattresses out with them and tied them to the benches.......just in case.
What the difference between Christmas here and in London?
Of course it is the same in that people rush to the shops to buy gifts, something I don’t really care for but it’s a neccessary evil I suppose? Opportunist gift wrappers charge a fee here in London it’s free.
Back home we have roasted turkey, roasted potatoes, vegetables and stuffing.........every year. Since moving here we have decided to really spend more time together and not waste it on hours in the kitchen. I don’t mind carp..........but the cold potato salad isn’t really my cup of tea. I like the homemade biscuits so much that they have to be hidden away for my own good or I’d eat them all. I love the walnut flavour with the chocolate in the middle. I really don’t get the fact why so many people have to bake 50 different types though!! We never baked anything in London. We usually bought mince pies or a christmas pudding. Here we open presents on the 24th in London it’s on the 25th.
So what’s a typical Prague Christmas?
For us it’s relaxing at home watching Czech fairytales, Mrazík being the favourite, even though it’s Russian! I used to think Czech fairytales were crazy looking things. But as I’ve become more ‘Czech’ I quite like them too. We sometimes go to Old Town Square to look at the Big Tree, the street markets and feed the animals there. Or to Vysehrad. Prague is a great city to go for walks in and we love to walk from Old Town square down to Charles Bridge and down onto the island below. They have really done a great job there with the new playground and laid new grass. It’s a nice place to relax by the river while the kids play. Then home to eat dinner and open the presents and maybe watch a movie on Nova!