Tuesday, July 31, 2012

MORE ZBIROH...

During our stay at the castle Zbiroh, we were able to catch a dinner full of entertainment
 sword fights
 with great costumes (LOVE these boots)
 magic tricks
 and live music
Oh, and don't forget the yummy DESSERT!
We were also super lucky enough to go for a buggy ride.
 The castle staff prepared a lunch basket for us
and we had a castle view picnic.
 Ivanka drove nice and slow so we wouldn't get dirty or lose the food
but then it was my turn to drive...
 (Ryan Gosling ain't got nothing on my new driving jacket)
 I may have returned my buggy a little more dirty than when they gave it to me
 The other buggy stayed clean in their white shirts...
but who had more fun?!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Zámek Zbiroh (ZBIROH CASTLE)

We spent the night in a for reals old castle.

 part modern chateau

decorated to look as it did when kings used it for hunting.

 Birthplace of Josef Václav Sládek and a favorite place of Fraňa Šrámek, Alfons Mucha and Adolf Branadl. Kings Charles IV (known for building the Charles Bridge in Prague mentioned in a previous post), King Rudolph, and the Pope are rumored to have stayed here.
On the castle side is some powerful rock,
a castle chapel (which dates to the late 14th century),


well 164 m deep,
and a spooky prison.
I slept in the room where Charles IV liked to stay.
His room was the only one with a toilet.
Thankfully, there was a modern bathroom added later.
Here is a view of the toilet from the outside...
Look out below!

Saturday, July 28, 2012

WHO IS MORE FUN

My sister in law posted this photo from my niece's journal (don't worry, she had permission to read it).
Mom is the one who makes her do work and dad is the one who takes her to do fun things.


I thought of this today when Ivanka made us pull weeds UGH
(don't mind the crazy village girl hair...
forest humidity:1 / deanna:0) 
vs
when Milan took us to ride the bobsled in Lipno at the beginning of the week 
(at 47kph I got my thumb in the photo)

My dad is fun
My mom is not
ha ha ha

Friday, July 27, 2012

I SAY YES WHEN YOU SAY LIPNO

Milan, William, and I left Granny for the afternoon and set out for an adventure to Lipno. We thought we were just going for a bobsled ride and that was it...boy, were we wrong! There was so much action to take in.
First, we walked along the charming marina
where I spotted this super amazing water playground

Then we rode the bobsled (7 times in a row)
 You go up 1 km then down the twisty side as fast as you want. My maxed out speed was 47kph.

Next, we hit the zip line across the pond


After that, was the ropes course
Practicing...

This is where I taught William to say he is 21 or stand on his tippy toes when the employees are trying to test if he is big enough to participate in the attraction.
And we ended with the trampoline
In between those events was plenty of ice cream and a yummy lunch.
**Don't worry about Granny...she had all afternoon to pick mushrooms in the forest.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

CHARLES BRIDGE

Besides the dancing house (click that post...I adore this building for some reason) and the giant clock named Orloj, my next favorite site in Prague is the Charles Bridge (Karlův most)

I love it from the side
I love it up close
I love it early in the morning
I love it in the evening
I love it late at night
I love it from the top
I love it at both ends
 I love it with a million tourists who won't get out of your photos
I love the worn parts that people touch for good luck
 I love the vendors, musicians, and painters along it
I love the view of the castle in the background
 I love the statues

Oh, Charles (that's him above), thank you for the countless walks.