Prague - Part 1

Before hitting the city itself, Everett rocked out a little bit!

  

Here is Liam on our first morning in Prague!  He did care much for anything but his stick!

Delaine poses in front of the Vlatva River overlooking Prague's endless line of ancient bridges!

Everett ran all the way down to the base of this ramp, he was excited to get out and stretch his legs. 

One of the many cool old trams in Prague.

Statuary is everywhere, even in places you wouldn't expect.

This is the Old/New Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of Prague.

This is the Jan Hus (Czech Religious Reformer) Monument in the downtown center of Prague

We noticed recently that we still had a long list of things to see, and now that we only have three months left here in Europe, we jumped in a rental car and drove to Prague!  It was stupendous.  There is really no other way to describe it.  It took us about six hours to get there, and it only cost us 30 Euros a night for a hotel including breakfast!  This was Steve's first time to the Czech Republic, and he LOVED it.  He repeated nearly 1,000 times, "I love Prague!"... or something similar.  There is much more to come.  We had such a great trip.  It was long overdue, and it was a great opportunity, because Steve had a four-day weekend (Gotta love Liechtenstein's Holiday/Work Calendar).

Neuschwanstein Trip: Part 4 - Wrap-Up

Four different blog entries for a single trip might be a little overkill, but we had a blast, and we wanted to account for the details.  Once we were inside the castle, we were confronted with absolute grandeur.  It was beautiful.  There were tapestries, paintings, carvings, and other gaudy baubles.  It turns out that King Ludwig was arrested here, and died shortly thereafter under very strange circumstances.  He was found drowned with the doctor who declared him insane, but he was a great swimmer and the water was only a few feet deep.  His death must have had something to do with his debts and insatiable drive to build castles.  When he died, all building projects were halted, and although the exterior was finished, only a third of the rooms were completed.  It was fascinating, and the ballrooms, throne hall, and personal quarters are unbelievable.  If you are ever in this neck of the woods, it is worth the trip, even though it is a well-known touristy area... we would recommend it anyway!

We weren't technically allowed to take pictures inside the castle, but we couldn't help ourselves! 

Another picture we snapped in secrecy... quite a view, huh?  That is another castle in the right of the picture in Hohenschwangau.

Another view on our way back down the hill. 

All of us posing for a quick shot before the sun went down. 

This time a little closer. 

From the path back to the town.

The powdery snow added a pretty effect. 

The hotel and restaurant on the way down had a tower in the Fachwerk style; the sunset and the snow laden trees added a nice touch.

We walked all the way down to the town, where the car was parked, and by this time, the palace at Hohenschwangau was all lit up, and the waning light made the sky turn dark blue.  Awesome!! 

Neuschwanstein Trip: Part 2 - Walking up the last stretch

The carriage drops you off with a short walk to the top. The way up was awesome, and there were some beautiful views as we led the boys up the snowy path. This place is so beautiful and it is obvious as to why the folks at Disney decided to use this castle as a model for its famous princess castle. The boys were awesome the whole day!

The castle peeking around the trees.

One of the towers caught our eye.

When you are standing next to the castle, a craned neck is necessary. The castle dominates the scene when you are up close!

The boys and Delaine are rounding the final turn...

The Snow was awesome, it just seemed to rest on the trees and everything else to add to the effect!

Neuschwanstein Trip: Part 1 - Hohenschwangau Palace and the Carriage Ride

We decided to take a car ride up to Neuschwanstein (the Disney Princess Castle) in the Bavarian Alps while Mindy was here. We picked a wonderful, but freezing day to hit the road. It was more picturesque than we all thought. Even Steve, our resident German expert, was impressed at the beauty of Crazy Ludwig's extravagant alpine hideaway. These pictures show the ride up to the palace itself.

But before we get too far into the details, none of this would have happened if we weren't informed immediately of the imminent closure of the ticket booth, which is not inside the castle but at the bottom of the mountain. How this makes any sense at all is beyond our understanding, but we sent Steve to work his German magic, and luckily he caught the last ticket booth employee before he closed for the day.

As a note, the Palace at Hohenschwangau below Neuschwanstein is also pretty impressive, although we didn't have the time to take the tour.

Here we are in front of our noble steeds.

There was some traffic on the roads on this day!

All bundled up on the coach ride to the Palace.

Here are Liam and Steve in front of the palace at Hohenschwangau. Pretty cool, huh?

Killer Party with Gemeinde Dornbirn (New Year's)

There were more fireworks than at the Fourth of July. There were teens throwing them at each other, booms blasting across the landscape, and a celebratory spirit in the air. Yes, this was our first experience of New Year's in the Rhine Valley. Every time a firework would explode, Liam would open his mouth wide and say the German word, "Feuerwerke." The ward threw a wonderful party that was put on by the Young Single Adults, but everybody was invited. We all had a great time, and it was a nice way to wrap up a wonderful Christmas vacation for the Smith Family.

Here is Everett enjoying a little refreshment at the same table as his buddies from his Primary class, Aurelia and Zoe...

Everett chasing a balloon in his favorite color.

Liam is practicing his King Kong routine, he still needs a little practice.

Our boys are not shy to bust a move... as Liam demonstrates his break dancing skills.

Delaine is surrounded by her good friends, Kirsten Vuissa and Tabea Griell. It is so nice to have such wonderful friends around us here in the ward!

Day #21

Everett's Kindergarten had an open house day, and the parents were allowed to come and see what the class is up to. We were able to drop Liam off with a babysitter, so that we could both go. Everett was so happy to show us the songs he is learning, and he loved introducing us to his life as a Kindergartner in Austria. He loves his class, and he feels right at home. Steve took half the day off to be there, and it was a huge success. The kids sung songs and showed us their shadow story. It was a wonderful experience. Afterward we all had some cake and treats. All of the parents and teachers were so interested that Steve spoke German, and when he showed the teacher where the Smith family had lived in the US, the entire classroom of parents and children watched. That dispelled most of the rumors that we were from England.

Here is Everett's teacher, Christiana. She has taken a special interest in Everett. She has been teaching Kindergarten for 30 years!

Everett is showing daddy the dance he has been learning at school.

Now it's Mommy's turn.

Here he is dancing with one of his best buddies, Abdul!

Here is Everett sitting around the table during the event.

Day #19

So, as described, here in Austria, they celebrate the four Sundays leading up to Christmas as Advent. We were invited by our friends, the Vuissas, to enjoy the fourth Advent, and they also had some other friends from the ward. It was very special, and we all sang dozens of Christmas songs in German and English and listened Christmas stories. All the while, we ate cookies and treats and had a phenomenal time. We love this tradition, and we are so excited to take it back with us and integrate it into our holiday routine every year. In the States, the day of Christmas is the focal point of the season, but the Advent Sundays will give us some milestones every year to focus on the birth of our Savior. We are so grateful for the things we are learning here in Austria and Liechtenstein, and are so happy to be here. It makes being far away from home much easier when people love and support you. We are truly blessed!


Here is everyone gathered around the four candles of the Advent, on the last Sunday before Christmas.

Liam is enjoying the candles. You can see Everett and Delaine in the background, as well.

There were even musical instruments: a recorder, two guitars, and even a flute!

Here is Everett's buddy at church, August Vuissa!

Here is Christian Vuissa (Director of many LDS films), Annika Vuissa (who loves Liam and Everett), and Günter Steiner (another friend from the ward)

The Hills are Alive...

Come on guys, we are in Austria... You knew it was coming...

Wild Park Revisited

We recently made another hike up to the Wild Park up on one of the hills in Feldkirch. Here are a few candid shots.

Liam is petting a donkey with Mommy.

This was Everett's favorite little goat. He LOVED feeding it grass!

Everett stepped in some poop, and daddy was banging the shoes to get it off, and this huge buck came to investigate.

Two forces of nature... one rules the Wild Park, the other rules his environment in his own right. They stared each other down for a few minutes. It ended with a draw...

Circus Royal

We went to a Euro-style circus this past week, and it was pretty interesting. It was based in Switzerland, but all of the acrobats were from the Ukraine. As traveling shows and circuses were born in Europe, it was fun to experience an authentic experience. About halfway through, one of the circus people told me that cameras were forbidden, but I still got a few photos. The clowns were scarier than on Dumbo. In fact, Everett was mortified every time they took the stage. One time, Delaine was clapping for them absent-mindedly, and Everett gave her a death stare, and said: "Mommy, we don't clap for THEM!" Each time they took the center stage, Everett would lament: "Oh no, not them again." We had to constantly assure him that their act was almost over. Yeah, they were creepy. But the gymnasts were really cool, and the animals were really pretty cool. Delaine also hated seeing the animals get snapped with the whips, but they were well trained. Liam loved the animals and just pointed and laughed the whole time they performed. It was a fun family experience to say the least. Everett loved the trampoline show. Delaine and Steve thought that the acrobats on the high bars were the coolest.

The camels performing, but if they got out of line, this rigid little woman would whip them into shape.

These guys were the first act, and were also one of Everett's favorites.

Here they are at the very beginning of the show!

This was at the very top of the tent.

Our family waiting for the show to begin!