Category: Places

“Happy Day”

Published on by Grace7 Comments


This past weekend, a couple of friends visited us in Kolin. There was a children’s event at Kmochuv Island and we went there to check it out.

A famous TV personality for a children’s show was supposed to show up.  But for some reason, her appearance got cancelled.    Ironically, the event was called “Happy Day.”  But I guess it wasn’t too happy for the kids who got disappointed with the TV personality’s absence.

So the organizers made sure that the kids enjoyed the children’s disco.

But for our group, it didn’t matter at all.  We still managed to have fun.

..At least the kids did.  We were there for the children’s disco.

It was fun to watch my little boy dance.

At the end of the event, everything would’ve been perfect except for a mini meltdown.  He refused to wear shoes!

Luckily, his ever-patient daddy dealt with it.  After all is said and done, it was still a “happy day.”

How was your weekend?

My Little Comic

Published on by Grace10 Comments
A few days after he was born, he already knew how to pose.

Don’t you just love the innocence of a child?  Here are a few snippets of my encounters with my almost 2yr old boy.

One morning after getting out of bed, Jakub picked up his toy cellphone and said:  “Babi, mlecinko is gone.”  (Grandma, milk is gone)

To stop him from climbing the cabinet, I told Jakub:  “Don’t climb this or mommy will be mad at you.”  I then went to his bedroom to ventilate his windows.  When I came back, he was already carrying a chair so he can open the cabinet.  Knowing that it was still wrong, he looked guiltily at me as he exclaimed:  “Mommy, ne mad at you.”

Tommy, Jakub’s cousin who is the same age as he, has blond hair.  Whenever he sees blond-haired boys (which is 50% of all the boys in the playground),  he calls them Tommy.

To lure him to sleep, I told Jakub that I will make palacinky when he wakes up.  I then proceeded to ask:  “Do you like palacinky?”  He responded:  “Ne.  Ice cream”

Jakub calls our car “taxi” because he gets to sit in the back.

So I can do household tasks, I oftentimes let Jakub watch educational videos.  On a Barney show, children were pointing at things and identifying what they were: “it’s a bird,” “it’s a rainbow,” “it’s a plane….” Jakub, tugging his diaper said: “It’s kaka (poop).”

Who needs to go to a comedy club when I have a comedian at home.

Of Boys, Books and Toys

Published on by Grace9 Comments

As Jakub is about to turn 2, his preference for toys are now more and more “boy-like.”

He just loves the bike.  Although here in the Czech Republic, it seems like having a bike is mandatory.  Every Czech kid has to have one.  The bike models change as they grow too.

Another machine that is clearly fascinating for him is the train.    On our last trip to Brno,  his dad and his grandpa took him and his cousins on a 1km miniature train ride.  They were beaming with joy.

Although he has been on a real train several times, nothing beats being on a toy train.

I guess seeing the machine in its entirety is better than being inside it

.

But if there is one thing that I would like him to love, it is books.    I believe that it is a valuable legacy that can be cultivated at this tender age.  And since we are in a multi-cultural household, he has books in different languages.

Right now, majority of his books are in Czech rather than English.  There are only limited English titles that are available here and some of them are not appropriate for his age.  I’m glad that at his age, he doesn’t mind if I repeat the english stories over and over again.  But recently, my mom-in-law solved the problem.

This is a gift from his grandma – a dual language book!

This is the perfect book for this household.  We have a rule that whenever I talk to Jakub, I will only use English and whenever his dad talks to him, he will only use Czech.  If my parents talk to him, they will only speak Filipino.  That way, he can learn several languages at the same time.

It is funny though because at his age now he is mixing everything.  One day I was teaching him the ABC song and he sang it like this:  “A, B, C, D, už je tady….”  (already here).  Oh well.

An Eventful Weekend

Published on by Grace9 Comments

Despite the scorching heat this past weekend, it was a very eventful one.  On Saturday, friends from Prague and Brno came to visit us.

Picnic at the park

Jakub had a new favorite buddy –  Kuya Mico.

He always likes to play with big boys.

On Sunday, they bonded again because we went to Prague for the FCA dragonboat recreational activity.

While the kids were checking out the boats, we were paddling on the river.

The dragonboat activity exceeded my expectations.  In a scale of 1 to 10 for fun, it was a 10!  I got nervous in the beginning fearing that the boat would capsize because all the paddlers were amateurs.  But we amazingly did well.  Thanks to a great team and wonderful coach –  FCA President Marison Rodriguez.  The Prague Dragonboat Club were gracious enough to let us use their boat and their facilities, and the generous members of FCA brought yummy food, so the bbq portion that followed the activity was equally enjoyable.

With fun activities, good food and good friends, this weekend was one of the best I’ve had here in Czech.

Photos courtesy of Arnel Cueto and Glenn Sanchez

Pruhonice Park: A Romantic Park in Prague

Published on by Grace10 Comments

Pruhonice Park is a great place for nature lovers and those looking for romantic walks in Prague.  Located southeast of Prague, the park is approximately 15kms away from the city center.

My favorite spot in the park is the Chateau overlooking the pond.  On a great day, you can almost see its image directly reflected on the pond below it.

We visited this park in March this year and were only able to catch the remnants of winter, but the place itself was already beautiful.  I haven’t been back since but I can already imagine what it looks like now.

There are several species of flowers and trees lining the path and it is arranged in a way that it respects natural terrain but offering nice viewpoints.

As we went further into the park, this is what we saw.

This is just one of those flowers surrounding the whole area.

There is also a botanical garden inside the park but we didn’t visit it during that time because the flowers were not yet in full bloom.

Artificial bridges can also be found at designated spots for easy transfer to key spots areas.  There are marked trails for long and short walks.

Pruhonice Park is definitely one of my favorite places in Prague.  If you are ever in the area, you may want to check it out too.

More information about the park can be found here.

Kolin: Home Sweet Home

Published on by Grace22 Comments

I have featured several towns here but don’t really have a single post dedicated to my little town. So what’s in Kolin?

We have historical buildings.

We have awesome architecture.

We have a nice park inside Kmochuv Island that is very beautiful in the fall.

The river that is surrounding it is equally beautiful.

We have a place for kids.

New flats are sprouting all over town.  There are those that are modern….

…..and those that have breath-taking views of the countryside.

But best of all, there is still space for one and for all.

Don’t you just love my little town?

The Festival of The Royal Silvering of Kutná Hora

Published on by Grace14 Comments

These past few days, we had nothing but blue skies and bright days.  Summer is indeed here.

This morning, since we didn’t go out of town, my husband and I decided to take a short trip to Kutna Hora, a neighboring town, for a picnic at one of the famous parks there.  Because we didn’t check the event calendar for the park, we ended up running on to the “Festival of the Royal Silvering of Kutna Hora.”

Performers dancing a traditional medieval dance
Young girls dancing as part of a short stage play.

The event was held at the Italian Court, the central mint of the Kingdom of Bohemia and former residence  of the king in the 15th century.

The Italian Court overlooking the Park where the festival was held.

It was an awesome event filled with music, dancing, jousts, and the fictitious arrival of King Wenceslaus and Queen Sofia of Bavaria.

Drummers announcing the arrival of the king and queen.
The knights’ parade
The king and queen arrives.
The king’s court

Being in the event made me feel like I was transported back in time when Kutna Hora was at its prime.  Back then, Kutna Hora was a famous silver mining town which was the second most important town in the kingdom of Bohemia after Prague.  The costumes that were worn signified wealth and prosperity in the town.

One of my favorite parts of the show was a sword fight performed by actors.

Another favorite was the performance of a band that specializes in Medieval music.

It was also fun to watch people dress up for the event.  Kids in costumes always have a soft spot in my heart.

But I wasn’t the only one who was totally entertained.  Guess who were at the front row?

I am really glad that we accidentally attended this event in Kutna Hora.  I will mark it in my calendar next year, so it will be one of those weekend events that we will go to.

More information about this event can be found here.

Vesely Kopec: An Open-air Museum

Published on by Grace5 Comments

Perhaps one of the best attractions in Vysocina, the Czech highlands, is “Vesely Kopec ” (Merry Hill).  Vesely Kopec features a collection of folklore buildings, arts and crafts in an open-air setting.

Entrance to the museum

Once you are inside the museum, it gives you a feel of being transported back in time when people lived simply with ancient tools.  It is even more amazing to note the craft they had created through it.

A typical folk cottage

Here’s a peek into one of the cottages.  Isn’t it amazing how people used to survive in such small space?  One room serves everything:  eating, sleeping, socializing.

Interior of the cottage

But the view outside seems to make up for what’s lacking in the inside.

The museum features a mill, a barn, a weaving area and a flax and fruit dryer to name a few.

The equipment used for weaving.

This cabinet is an ancient fruit dryer.

One of the volunteers doing some restorations.  Yes, it is restored the same way it was built.

Vesely Kopec is the only architectural folklore exposition in Eastern Bohemia.

So if you are ever in the Czech Republic and decide to go beyond Prague to explore the countryside, this is one spot worth checking out.

More information about Vesely Kopec can be found here.

Kouřim: Remnants of an “It” Town

Published on by Grace9 Comments

Kouřim is a historical city located 45kms east of Prague.  During the 13th to the 16th century, it used to be one of the most important cities in Bohemia.    The first 300 years of existence of Kouřim as a city experienced bloom and prosperity that was seriously untouched even by the Hussite wars. In 1421, it surrendered without a fight to the approaching troops to remain spared. The end of the Hussite wars and the subsequent secularization of church property brought a huge economic boost to the city.  At the turn of the 15th and 16th century, Kouřim stood in the zenith of power and wealth.

The first harbinger of the end of the “golden age” of the city was the year 1547, when Kouřim actively participated in the rebellion against the Emperor Ferdinand I of Habsburg.  But that was suppressed and the town suffered severe punishment in the form of economic sanctions, especially the confiscation of almost all of its landed property. Horrible disasters followed including the Thirty Years War where the city was repeatedly looted by passing troops. Although in 1648 the Peace of Westphalia ends the greatest horrors, it is unfortunate that at the end of the 16th century, it was further  decimated by religious oppression, plague and a series of fires.

Today, Kouřim stands as a favorite destination for history lovers.

The Kourim town square

Relative to the size of the city, it has a pretty big town square.  In it is found the Statue of the Virgin Mary  which was built in 1850.

Also found in the square is a huge rock, called Prokopu Velikemu to commemorate the battle of Lipan.

(Rickard, J. (12 October 2000), Battle of Lipan, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_lipan.html)

But perhaps the biggest attraction in Kouřim is the Church of St. Stephen, which has a unique Romanesque Gothic style, and is one of the oldest churches in Europe, built sometime during the 13th century.

So if you are visiting the Czech Republic and would love to know more about its history, Kouřim is definitely a “must see” spot for you.

Sources:  Mesto Kouřim, Wikipedia