Photos

Believe it or not, I finally got around to sorting through our photos. Check them out here:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AaNmLhw0atWUH

Kent's pic's

Here are Kent's pictures from the trip:
http://gallery.mac.com/rkentb#100429

Day #6

Hard to believe it is our last day in Prague! We got an early start today and headed North to see a bit of the up-country. Our first stop was the birthplace of the great Czech composer, Antonin Dvorak. Afterwards, we went a bit further up the hill to visit Castle Nelahozeves. Although I love walking around the city of Prague, it was nice to get away from the hustle-bustle for a while. The weather was great –chilly and clear blue skies. The leaves are starting to turn and it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. After touring the castle, we had a very nice lunch inside the Castle complex and then the girls visited the gift shop while I went outside to take some scenic photos.

We got back to the hotel, and rested a bit before the 2nd Lightning –vs- Rangers game this evening. We were smart and hired a driver tonight instead of taking the bus with the rest of the group. We got there just before the game started and left with about 5 minutes remaining to beat the traffic (we were losing 2-1 and not looking good for a comeback).

Now, it’s time to lay out the clothes for the LONG plane ride back to the US tomorrow and start packing! We have really enjoyed our trip to Prague and hope to come back someday.

Day #5

We actually got to sleep in a bit this morning! J We were still sawing logs when the wake-up call rang at 9am. We had to be in the lobby at 10:30am to catch the bus for our river boat cruise. The bus took us down to the river and we had a short walk across the bridge and down to the pier. We cruised up stream for about an hour past many magnificent sights and then turned around and headed back. There was a buffet lunch served downstairs and there was an open-air deck on top which was great for taking photos. The weather was a bit chilly, but sunny and clear. We had a very nice time.

After we got back to the hotel, Michele and I headed out into the city to shop for a few more gifts. The main square was so crowded today, we could hardly move from on street to the other! Michele finally got everything picked out and we got back to the hotel in time to rest for a few minutes.

Then, it was time for the main event: Lightning –vs- Rangers! We met down in the lobby and boarded a bus with the other Lightning fans. It was pretty strange going to see a Lightning game in a foreign city –talk about an away game! The arena was sold out and everyone was in their seats, but it was pretty quiet. The Czech people were watching and would occasionally clap for a good play or shot, but it was mostly the American fans making all the noise. The NY fans vastly outnumbered us, but we tried to make up for it with enthusiasm. The Rangers really outplayed us, but Mike Smith kept us in it most of the game. Ultimately, the Rangers won: 2-1.

Now, we’re back in the room calling the kids to say hello (it’s about 4pm back home). I think we’re going to watch some TV and turn in early. Tomorrow, we have another castle tour starting at 9am.

Day #4

I think I’m starting to get used to the time zone –it wasn’t quite so difficult to roll out of bed this morning. We met Lida, our tour guide, this morning at 9am and headed out to tour the old town square. We walked the streets while listening to her narrative and sneaking in a little window shopping. I managed to find a decent camera shop and purchased a charger for my SLR camera (I accidently left mine at home).

At 10am, we arrived at the Estates Theater for a private tour. Although feature had been repaired or replaced over the years, they have kept the design exactly the same as it was a hundred years ago. It was absolutely breathtaking! Our theater guide informed us that W. A. Mozart personally conducted the world premiere of his opera Don Giovanni here, which was very well received. During our tour, we even got a chance to go under the stage and see all of the special equipment they use to produce the shows.

Next, we walked to the Jewish Quarter and toured a couple synagogues. We learned that, for many years, Jews were only allowed to live in this small section of town. Although the synagogues were beautiful, the most interesting part to me was the Jewish Cematary. According to the Jewish faith, once someone is buried, the remains must never be disturbed or moved. After so many years confined to the small Jewish quarter, the cemetery was full to capacity. In order to accommodate more, they removed the tombstones, added more soil, creating another layer of graves. Today, there are 12 layers with all of the tombstones together on top. I have never seen anything like it.

Next, we had lunch at the Lamborgini Italian restaurant and walked to the high-end retail street so the girls could do some more shopping. Luckily for us, they didn’t buy anything! J Next, we walked back to the hotel for a quick rest before dinner.
Tonight, we went to the Campa Park restaurant and got a wonderful table at the rivers edge. The food and service were outstanding and we all had a great time –they even had fireworks over the river as we finished out meal!

We walked back to the hotel (again) and got in at a reasonable hour, so I am able to write a bit more detail tonight and include some pictures.

Day #3

Man, was it tough to get up this morning! It took me much longer than usually to get myself ready –I felt like a zombie walking around the room. Finally, after a shower and a few cups of coffee, I began to come to life. After breakfast, we met up with our tour guide, Lida, and driver, Peter for a ½ day city tour. We started with a private tour of the Strahov Monastery Library, which holds over 200,000 volumes. I know touring a library sounds boring, but it was actually quite fascinating!

I could have spent all day poking around in there, but we were soon off to our next destination: Prague Royal Castle. We arrived just in time to see the changing of the guard and enjoyed a walking tour of the complex.

We were all getting hungry & tired, so we got a bite to eat and went back to the hotel for a nap. Later, we went to the O2 arena, where the Lightning & Rangers had been practicing for a team reception. We had a very nice time meeting the new owners, chatting with coaches & players, and meeting more Lightning fans.

After the reception, we went to the best restaurant in town, the Bellvue, where we enjoyed a fine dinner. Mom & Dad caught a cab home, while the rest of us enjoyed an evening walk back to the hotel.

Day #2

We got into Prague about 10:30am local time (6 hours ahead of Eastern time). We got through immigration, picked up our bags, breezed through customs and our guide & driver were waiting to take us to the hotel. It had been about 15 hours since we left home (and about 24 hours since I had any sleep), so we were ready to get checked in and crash for a while. Unfortuneately, our rooms were not ready yet when we arrived at the hotel about 12 noon, so we had to wait in the lobby for about an hour.

Once we got in our rooms, we immediately lay down and slept for about 2 hours. I could have slept MUCH longer, but we forced ourselves to get up so we could try to get adjusted to Czech time. We met up with a bunch of other Lightning fans in the lobby later for a “Pub Crawl”. They took us on a bus to the furthest point and then we walked back toward the hotel, stopping in 4 pubs along the way. We were tired, but it was fun to visit the local pubs, drink a few beers, and meet some fellow Lightning fans.

Michele and I excused ourselves toward the end and headed back to the hotel to get some rest.

Day #1

Michele and I finally got all our packing done and were ready to go when my parents stopped by about 1:30pm to take us to the airport. We picked up Kent and Cristina and then went to Tampa International to check in for our flight. The airport was almost deserted and we checked our luggage, got our boarding passes, and got through security very easily and quickly. We had time to grab a quick bite to eat at the airport restaurant before we boarded the plane for the short flight to Atlanta.

We made our connection in Atlanta and boarded our next flight bound for Prague about 7pm. They were having some maintenance issues with the plane, so we sat at the gate about an hour before we finally were able to taxi out for departure. Luckily, we had a strong tailwind, so the flight was a bit shorter than scheduled (8 ½ hours) and we still arrived on time. The flight was long, boring, and I wasn’t able to sleep at all.