czech republic – Page 5 – Czech the Flip

Just Another Day in this Mama’s Life

Published on August 6, 2013 by Grace18 Comments

We only have 2 months left before another member of our family is here. Since this is already my third trimester, I have been feeling very sluggish lately and cannot seem to get myself off the couch. I feel bad for Jakub because this is the time when he is most active and really wants some interaction. But who can blame me, with a burgeoning belly like mine, laziness is an expected side effect. All I can do now is do some educational things with him as we are stuck at home.

For now, this is the book that Jakub and I are currently reading. It’s a great introductory book about the existence of different ethnicities. This early on, I intend to make him realize that the world is full of different people, and it’s ok to be different. In our area, we are the only multi-cultural household, so I think it is best for him to understand this at the onset.

One of the challenges of living in CZ is finding a good English book. Of course, most bookstores do sell English books but the selection is very limited. There could be a wider selection in the bookstores in Prague, but since it is 45mins away from us, travelling all the way there is such a hassle in my present condition. Luckily, I found this great website with the widest selection of books even offering free shipping. The items are reasonably priced and delivered on time.

If you live in an area where high quality english books are hard to find, it is worth checking out. To go to their website, please click here.

Anyway, to keep myself occupied, I recently busied myself with “nesting.” We have finished cleaning up our new arrival’s future room and I did some minor decorations. I’ll post some pictures as soon as it is finished. I also organized some of our picture albums and was surprised to realize how well I’ve documented the growth of my children from conception to birth. As an example, here are 2 ultrasound pics of both my children at the same stages.

Jakub's sister at 21 weeks — Jakub’s sister at 21 weeks

Based on these ultrasound pics, it looks like both of them will have similar features. They all look like me. The excitement is mounting. We’ll see.

Have a great week!

The Heat is On

Published on August 1, 2013 by Grace7 Comments

We have been having scorching hot weather in this part of the world these past few days. After the very long winter, now comes the heat. It is the 3rd week now where temperatures had been at 30C++. Although it is not unusual to get this high temperature, I have been told that having it linger for 3 weeks is quite unusual.

Thankfully, our passive house has kept us comfortable despite the soaring heat. Even without AC, we have managed to avoid overheating by scheduling our activities to conform with nature. For instance, I schedule all my cooking at night time when temperatures are normally low. At dawn, when the temperature is at 10-17C, we increase the ventilation and open the windows to quickly let the cold air in. During the day, we normally get 30+ temperatures, so we have all the blinds closed. Although one of the features I love of this house is an abundance of natural light, no sunlight means minimal heat accumulation, so it will do for now. The thick insulation is enough to preserve the coldness that was trapped at dawn. The only drawback is that we, (mainly my husband) has to wake up early just to open the windows and quicky let the cold air in. But this is very minimal considering the comfort that it brings.

To give you an idea of how it is ventilated, here is a short video about the ventilation system in a passive house.

So there you go, a passive house is not only good in winter but in summer as well. I am sharing this with you so that if you ever think of building your own home, the passive house is the way to go. It is good for the environment, good for your pocket and good in any weather!

Wordless Wednesday

Published on July 31, 2013 by Grace3 Comments

Destination: Čáslav

Published on July 25, 2013 by Grace6 Comments

One of the neighboring cities in my county is Čáslav. I’ve passed by this town several times but never really stopped to view the locale.

One weekend, we decided to visit Čáslav to explore the area.

Like most towns here in the Czech Republic, the town square is laid with cobblestones. During our time there, we didn’t see a lot of people roaming around the streets since it was a Sunday. It was nice to see the town so quiet.

Going further, we passed by the monument of Jan Žižka, one of the greatest Czech generals of all-time. In 1910, part of his cranium was discovered in the Čáslav parish church.

We then walked further to view the remains of the city’s walls.

It further led to a sporting area with a playground for children.

My little boy had a great time playing there with his daddy.

After almost an hour, we decided to walk through a small lake to complete the loop.

We then found ourselves on the square again and this time we went the other way where the Parish church is.

But perhaps one of the most notable landmarks in this town is the Dusikovo theater, which is the oldest theater in the Czech Republic.

With its artistic heritage, no wonder it produces world-class talents. The famous director Miloš Forman was born in Čáslav.

To know more about this historical town, you can visit their website.

Czech the Cyclist

Published on July 23, 2013 by Grace13 Comments

If there is one thing that strike me as the best Czech past time, it is cycling. Now that the weather is definitely getting better, cyclists abound the streets of my little town. The cycling paths are not that well developed but people still go out and ride their bikes.

A Czech friend once told me that it is almost mandatory for every Czech child to know how to ride a bike. And these bikes come in all stages depending on the child’s age.

They start out with little plastic ones.

Then as they get older, they have those that resemble a real bicycle but without pedals.

And of course, your bike grows with you.

As much as I would like to join the trend, I cannot ride a bicycle for now. Plus, I do not own a good bicycle…just yet. All I can do is reminisce my biking days.

But the good thing is, we may be able to save some money on my bicycle since I am a small person. Those bikes for teenagers may just fit me just fine. We’ll see.

Krtek: The Czech Mickey Mouse

Published on July 19, 2013 by Grace4 Comments

Because it is summer break, I am now constantly looking for exciting things to do for my active toddler. Between visiting the playground and going for a walk, there is also a need for quiet playtime, reading and learning. One day, as we were walking through a toy shop, I decided to buy him a puzzle to see if he will be interested. Sure enough, puzzles got him hooked! Maybe it is the feeling of completing something, the joy of seeing the picture unfold in the puzzle, or perhaps it is the mere challenge of solving something, but he loves puzzles.

And it’s not just any puzzle. It has to be a krtek (little mole) puzzle. Krtek is a very popular cartoon character here in Czech and in some parts of Europe. Its creator Zdenek Miler, was said to have gotten the idea of bringing this character to life after stumbling through a mole hill. Krtek was first shown in Prague in 1956, and now it is still running and has been shown in other countries as well. The character in itself has expanded to a whole brand of merchandise – from children’s books, to puzzles, to videos, etc. There is a shortage of Mickey Mouse merchandise over here but an abundance of Krtek.

I am still loyal to the mouse, but this mole is slowly winning my heart. Here is a short Krtek video of this endearing character.

Have a great weekend!

Thankful

Published on July 4, 2013July 4, 2013 by Grace1 Comment

I just had my final class last Tuesday. Through Skrivanek, I had been teaching English to adult learners this past school year. It gave me something to do while my son is out in school.

At first, I never really thought that teaching was for me. I didn’t think I had the passion and diligence to do it well. My mom was a high school teacher and she was very passionate about it.

When we got to the Czech Republic, teaching was the only job I could find that didn’t require any Czech knowledge. Since my Czech was not yet at a professional level, I thought, what the heck, I’ll try it for a year. Little did I know that I would enjoy it and regretted that I didn’t do it sooner. I was able to expand my network and meet new friends.

Through interaction with my students, I was also able to gain a deeper understanding of Czech culture and have come to love this country and its people. My students were adult learners with advanced knowledge in English so teaching was not difficult at all.

I am quite sad that this chapter of my life is over, as I know I would miss it. However, I am very thankful to all those people who were part of this life -enriching experience: the people at Skrivanek, my students, the people at Krokodyl, who took care of my son while I was away, and especially my husband who had always been very supportive of this endeavor.

Anyway, I’d like to share with you 2 of my favorite art pieces that Jakub made in school. As I was teaching, he was making these.

He calls this: “Flowers for mama.”

Have a great weekend!

Destination: Znojmo

Published on July 1, 2013 by Grace5 Comments

One of the most visited places in Moravia is the southern town of Znojmo. On our recent trip to Vienna, we decided to make a quick stop in this magical city to somehow get a glimpse of it. I hope it will also give you a glimpse of this beautiful city.

Before entering the town center, this was the piece of architecture that greeted us. I thought it was impressive.

Right across it was the town theater.

Upon entering the town, this is the view of the town square.

View of the buildings surrounding the square.

There is a passageway behind the squarish flat building with beautiful pictures of the city. What a great way for visitors to relax and see the city through pictures!

Aside from its beautiful architecture, Znojmo is also know for its wines.

That red tram was ready to take tourists to the wineries.

It’s too unfortunate that because of my current state we didn’t have the chance to taste Znojmo’s wines. Well, at least there is something to look forward to when we go back to this place.

To cap off our day, we went to this cafe and had a good serving of gelato instead.

If you would like to learn more about Znojmo and what it has to offer, please click here.

Have a great week!

Weekend in Vienna – part 2

Published on June 26, 2013 by Grace9 Comments

We reserved the second part of our trip for the Schonbrunn Palace and gardens, the summer residence of the Habsburg Monarchs. The place was located a little bit farther from the city center, so we decided to already check out of our hotel, spend a couple of hours over there, then head for home.

We entered the palace from the side entrance since it was where we found a good parking spot. I also figured it was a great way to cut the walking distance.

But I was wrong. In order to fully appreciate its beauty, one has to enter it from the main front entrance.

The place was so huge and grand.

We walked through the whole perimeter to view the gardens. This next picture was taken from the right wing.

It has amazing French-style gardens that are simply breathtaking.

The rear side of the castle did not fail to impress either.

The gardens at the back were just as beautiful as the ones on the side.

There was also a huge fountain with the statue of Neptune at the far end.

With its huge expanse, it was quite a walk.

But the view from the fountain facing the palace was also awe-inspiring.

Furthermore, the area seems to be a runner’s haven.

With all its mazes, varied terrain and beautiful scenery, it makes up for a very good run.

After walking and admiring the beautiful sites of the Schonbrunn Palace, we headed for home.

If there is one person I know who likes to have everything planned, it is my husband. But since we were on holiday, I somehow persuaded him to just follow where the GPS navigator will take us. And so we did. The funny thing was, it added a twist to our already colorful day. I chose a route that avoided toll roads and highways so we can see the countryside but it took us somewhere we didn’t expect – the ferry boat!

I thought it was a lot of fun, but he was not so happy about it. My friend Georgia used to say that her GPS is a Global Piece of Sh*t, because of all the wrong directions that it takes her. At this time, my husband was thinking the same.

Although later on, we all just laughed about it. It’s another adventure added to our list.

Anyhow, the route did take us to the countryside.

It was an interesting drive through small villages and farmlands.

Until finally, we arrived at the border. Home sweet home!

All in all, the trip to Vienna is now part of my most memorable trips . My son who is turning 3 next month will surely remember this — specially the ferry ride.

For Train Enthusiasts

Published on June 10, 2013 by Grace2 Comments

This past weekend, we visited relatives in Moravia to celebrate our nephew’s birthday. Since all the kids are boys, going to the exhibition of steam engines at the Olympia Park in Brno was the best pre-birthday activity for us.

The Olympia Park in Brno is an awesome place for kids. Among its best attractions is this railway park.

As you can see, it is perfect for kids of all ages, shapes and sizes.

The ride is approximately 1.5 kilometers long, and would take 13 minutes. My son has been on a lot of train rides in amusement parks and in the malls, but this one is his favorite because it really simulates the real train – terrain, engine and all.

Since it was a steam engine fest on this particular day, the steam engines were a hit and the most sought after.

Looking closely, you would see that the model train really simulates a real steam engine.

I was thinking of taking a ride myself. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s enough space for my burgeoning belly. My little girl wouldn’t like it that much anyway.

I was content with watching the happy expression of the kids’ faces and was quite amused with models such as this.

The mood was very festive, with a local band playing on the side.

After the train ride, we stopped to look at the exhibits at the parking lot.

My son was totally in awe. He escaped my grasp and made his way into this model.

I was just glad I was able to get to him first before somebody else did.

There was an area for the hobbyists, and here you can see more model trains.

Here’s a view of what the engine looks like.

So, if you are a train enthusiast or know someone who is simply fascinated by trains, this is a good place visit. It is one-of-a-kind, and it may be the first in the Czech Republic.

For more information about the park, please visit their website by clicking here.

I hope you had a great weekend!

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