25 August 2009

Madonna, Matt Fletcher, Stockholm, It's a Boy...

Greetings. This might be my most random post yet.

Madonna
She played here two weeks ago at an outdoor ampitheater. It was one of our 'What the Hell are We Doing in Prague Nights' *. She is worth the price of admission. Just seeing the stage, lighting, and video screens is almost worth the ticket price. Then she sings, swears, and dances for two hours. It was fun.


Matt Fletcher
Fraternity brother, groomsman, fellow tree geek, and dude Matt Fletcher paid us visit last week. It was his first trip to Europe so I wisked him away on a romantic journey to Vienna and Budapest. Then we spent a few days in Prague before he shipped out (and the recovery started). Great times all around. And I never thought I would put 'Madonna' and 'Matt Fletcher' in the same sentence.


Stockholm
Molls and I made it up there a few weekends back. It was a fun weekend in an absolutely beautiful city. We didn't set foot in a single museum or place of learning. Instead we opted for walking around town and riding bikes in the park. The weather was perfect, the people were nice, and the food was good. In fact, we found the best cheeseburger yet in Europe (but we ate our fill of Swedish food first: hash, fish, meatballs, etc).


It's a Boy
What a relief. I risked nicknaming a daughter Czewi and won. Fletch sumed it up best: "sweet, now you don't have to pay for the wedding" **. Indeed.


That wraps up the last few weeks. On the baby front both Molls and Czewi are doing well. However we may still need methadone for the cereal addiction (Claire, Molls' favs are Honey Nut Cheerios and Corn Flakes). Phototime:




Molls in Stockholm.



Me in Stockholm.



Fletch and I dining on schweinsstelze (spit-roasted pork) in Vienna's Schweizerhaus beer garden. Not pictured are the three liters of Budvar we each drank.



Fletch and I drinking beer in Budapest Castle.



Fletch and I at the communist statue park in Budapest.




And Fletch and Molls on his last night in Prague.


* WHWP Nights: We have these nights from time to time. They commonly occur when we're in a huge crowd of Czechs and everyone is either 1. smoking a cigarette, 2. drinking a beer, 3. eating a sausage with their fingers (no bun), or 4. all of the above. Additionally, most men will be wearing socks with sandals and all the women will be flaunting copious amounts of cleavage.


** Another classic Fletchism. When we bought our house in Seattle, which is brick, Fletch sumed it up: "brick, cool. You never have to paint it".

10 August 2009

One Year In, Introducing Czewi (or CB)

Back in July we unceremoniously celebrated our one year European anniversary. And in celebrating we broke our streak: we finally spent three full weeks alone in Prague. It's hard to believe, but we went a full year never having been here three weeks without traveling or having guests. Good thing too...

...because if you haven't heard, Molly is pregnant. Due date December 27. Czech baby at Christmas. We're very excited. Molls is doing well - although I'm growing concerned with her new addiction to cereal (or is it the baby's?). I asked her this morning if I should find her a feed bag to make it easier. To my relief she honestly laughed. So Molls and Czewi (or CB: Czech Baby) are doing well.

On the Prague front, although we've been here a full year it still feels very new. I have the feeling once we're completely comfortable it will be time to move home. Not to worry: we have another year of language desecration, ingredient subsituting, massive beer and espresso consumption (I'm drinking for three right now ok?), and having a European baby.

Here are six of our favorite photographs from the last year. Molly's three favs are first.


Hanging in the Montmartre district in Paris.




Masts in Santorini Greece.



In the English countryside.



Me, Karl, and Friedrich in Berlin.



Molls in Mykonos Greece.



Molls and Jeff Hawley in Copenhagen.

Cheers everyone. And Go Mariners.