day 6- U.S. embassy in Prague

I thought I'd keep going with my Europe posts, since I stopped on day 5 because of the craziness of the holidays... for a recap of the first five days, check here: one, two, three, four, five

 Our hotel in Prague was AMAZING. And their breakfast buffet didn't disappoint. This is what I ate EVERY morning. And sometimes I went back for seconds. I can't believe I didn't gain 500 pounds. I love an open-faced sandwich- it's SO my mom, so Finnish, so European I guess. I tried to talk Adam and his parents into eating one but to no avail. The yogurt and granola were homemade and who doesn't love dried plums (aka prunes?) Don't forget the freshly squeezed orange/grapefruit juice. Yum.

After breakfast we walked up to the U.S. Embassy where our friend Honza worked. The sun was finally out and it made Prague look so different and even more beautiful!  

It was also very busy since it was Friday and the weekend travelers were starting to pour in. Not to mention a soccer match with Scotland that weekend. I've never seen so many guys in kilts. And yes- I have to admit we walked right by one in the dark streets as he was peeing on the corner. Drunk and loud and obnoxious as can be.

Love the color of the buildings against the blue sky!

 We thought we'd get a tour of the inside or something, but after going through the metal detectors, leaving our passports and Honza meeting us, we went straight through to the back gardens. Oh. My. Goodness. This was the best view we saw of Prague. And the gardens were amazing! They have a full-time gardner there. I wouldn't mind applying for that job. I wouldn't have to know Czech for that right? We couldn't take our cameras in, but Honza's boss was out there showing a new American recruit around so he took these  and emailed them to us. (The castle in the background is where we had our closing dinner.) I wish we had some pics of the garden. Just like out of a storybook.

As part of Honza's job, he gets to help host any American dignitaries that come into town... and other things that have slipped my mind at the moment. His English is so good- it's amazing. And he knows a lot about American politics from working there. 

 After the tour we went to the best Thai food I've ever eaten. Yum! It was really cool visiting with Honza. He's as cool as they come.

 Honza suggested going to this monument in a nearby park. It was so sad- a memorial to those affected by communism. It shows what happens to man as communism takes control of their lives. Weird to think that Czech Republic was under communistic rule until 1989.

              

We decided to stop by the Prague Museum of Music, where they had really old instruments. It was pretty fascinating. They were also having a Beatles exhibit on the main floor.

 It was kind of low budget, Ringo looks oriental and John looks like he's been fake baking, but still fun. 

 Karen and Steve

I just love the cut out concert people- it reminds me of something my niece Elli would do...

 We laughed so hard at this painting! "Beatles Retired" is the title. We still laugh about it. Can you guess who is who? Adam just can't believe George turned Arabian in his old age and Paul gained 100 lbs and looks similar to Mrs. Doubtfire...

crazy cool instruments (glass harmonica above)

 yellow submarine

Adam with his super cool parents.

above: modern meets old world buildings

We decided to walk home while Steve and Karen went a different way... We walked along the river. It was so beautiful. Why is water so pretty? 

I wish we would have paddle boated...

Little shops selling open-faces by the bucket load.  

Clint, Alicia, Adam, Sini, Tisha and Drew

 That night we went to Italian food with the sales reps from Midwest. The crazy thing was that both Alicia's dad and Drew's dad went on their missions to Finland! Weird right? They went after my mom moved away, so she didn't know them. Also funny that in real life we all live within ten minutes of eachother. 

Of course after we got back to the hotel, we slipped out to the KFC to use their wifi and check in with the babysitter. I loved the quiet streets of Prague at night with the buildings all lit up.