Prague High!

You would think since the Ingham Family Tails has been silent for almost three months that not much has happened around here.  Quite the contrary!  Yet since we have been so busy, finding time to sit down and write is a bit of a challenge.  As for our recent travels, I MUST get this blog posted today (May 31).  Tomorrow it will be June, and at the end of June we are going to Ireland.  I cannot put off this Prague post any longer! 

Quick Kid Update:  Since our last post, Darian has settled into nursery school with flying colors.  She loves it, and has made lots of new friends.  Maxwell loves having her there, and is such a good big brother to her.  Maxwell is really excelling with his reading and maths.  He is "quite keen" as his teacher puts it.  :o)

March was a busy month for us all.  The kids finally started swimming lessons again.  Darian is in a Mommy & Me class and is doing fantastic.  Maxwell, on the other hand, doesn't really like being in a pool without us, but hopefully as time goes by he will warm up to the class and the teacher.

Maxwell and Mommy on Mothering Day

The Birthday Boy

We had that big 4th birthday in March.  We had a nice, small little pizza party here at the house with our friends, and Maxwell had a great time.  March in the UK is also the month to celebrate "Mum's Day" or "Mothering Day," as we saw on many signs around town.  David and the kids made it a very special day, and I had a blast.

Back to our travels...

When we decided to go away during Maxwell's week off school for Easter, my vote was to go somewhere warm.  I had been in serious need of some sunshine and temps above 50*!!  In our research though, there wasn't really anywhere in Europe that could guarantee anything more than 60 or 65, so I told David to just go wherever he wanted and to surprise me.  I just wanted to show up.  No planning, no research. I just wanted to get away, and since my job here at home is to be prepared and ready on a daily basis to keep the two littles entertained and fed and everything, the vacation part for me would be not having to worry about all that.

David came through with flying colors!  When the time came, I knew that we were going to Prague, and he had run a few ideas by me.  But when it really came down to it, I did not know anything about the city, what to expect, or what he had in store for us.  Being away from his office and all the calls and emails is a holiday for David, but for me traveling with the kids is still my "job."  David is an amazing trip planner!  Like I said...Prague High! I am still all giddy from our trip, and we have been home for more than six weeks! We had the best. week. EVER!  (Sorry about all those exclamation points, but it really was a fantastic week).

We left Saturday morning pretty early in order to get to the airport.  David arranged for us to valet park so that we didn't have too far to get to the terminal.  Our flight was easy and uneventful.  All this traveling has made the kids pretty used to road trips, flying, hotels, etc.  They were great!

When we arrived at the airport in Prague, there was a gentleman with an "Ingham" sign, ready to take us to the car.  How posh!  :o)  It really worked out great though, because we didn't take car seats and planned on using public transport all week.  The airport runs are the only hiccup in that plan, and David found a company who provided infant seats.  Nice!!

We were quite early for check-in time at the hotel, so after dropping off our bags we went for a walk to explore a bit of the neighborhood.  We walked to Wenceslas Square, where David was pleased to see his favorite European thing:  markets!  Pretty much the same as Christmas markets, except these were Easter markets so there were lots of stalls with souvenir eggs, rather than Santa's.  In fact, a hand-painted egg from one of the markets was the only souvenir we bought that week (we prefer to take home pictures and memories!!).  Our first Prague food experiences were not Czech, unfortunately, but they were delicious nonetheless.  We stopped for a pizza lunch and went to a local grocery store before heading back to the hotel.   Grocery shopping in a new country is one of my favorite things to do.  With two picky toddlers, we have learned to pack a picnic style lunch (and sometimes dinner) for the kids each day when we are traveling.  Eating out is expensive, and half the time they won't eat anything at the pub.  I LOVE perusing the aisles at the market, finding the right bread, fruit, searching for snack foods the kids will eat.  It is so fun!!

Wenceslas Square, Prague

After stocking up on groceries, we headed back to the hotel for a swim.  The heated pool was actually quite chilly, so Darian didn't last long.  But Maxwell had a blast and was doing great with his new floaties.  Now if only we could get that same behavior at his structured classes.  Hmmm...

Dinner on Saturday night was quite a treat for us.  Margaritas and Mexican food from a very authentic restaurant, Banditos.  Experiencing Czech food would have to wait until the next day.  That first day was very low-key, but exhausting because of traveling and getting up so early for the airport.

To break up the descriptions a bit, I will end this one here.  Many more Prague adventures to come!