Ben & Garrett's Excellent Spring Break

We're deep into Week TWO of the boys' spring break (two weeks?? sheesh!), and I think we've done a pretty good job of keeping them entertained. Actually, Prague has done a lot of the heavy lifting in the Keeping Us Entertained department. Here's what we've been up to ...

Paddleboating on the Vltava ~

Karl and Garrett paddle while Ben mans the helm.

Garrett chills out with a Prague Castle backdrop.

Novotny's Footbridge

Family pic!

Bonus -- the camera didn't fall into the river while we waited for the self-timer.

Approaching Legions Bridge in search of a geocache on the wall between the river and the lock.

Getting closer

The online description told us that the cache wasn't accessible from the driving/walking part of the bridge. Can you see it?

It's the little tube right above the label.

I spotted it on the sign, attached with a magnet, presumably. Unfortunately there was a police boat on the other side of the wall, and we weren't feeling sufficiently confident about our right to hop up on the barrier. 

Karl gets his turn to relax.

Visiting the fairgrounds on the far side of Stromovka ~

The boys and I walked to the fairgrounds through the park and took the tram home after our outing. We'd hoped to go to Matějská pouť (St. Matthew's Fest) which runs throughout Lent and through Easter, but I had faulty info and didn't realize it wasn't open on Mondays.

Year-round, however, there's a small, rather run-down carnival area with some sketchy rides at another part of Výstaviště, the expo grounds where St. Matthew's Fest takes place. 

This dragon ride wasn't so bad, except that the "safety strap" hung limply across their legs. The boys could have climbed out with little trouble.

And they were pretty far up. At least they got a nice view.

But this, THIS was the ride that scared the stuffing out of them. It looks harmless, no? But it pops up much farther than this -- still at a tilt -- and circles around with the cars spinning in their own orbit. Which wouldn't be too bad (the boys loved The Scrambler when they rode it an an amusement park last summer), but it doesn't have safety bars to adequately secure little guys. So once this thing got going, Garrett freaked out, started crying and both boys yelled to me at each revolution "GET THEM TO STOP IT!"

But things are a little different in the Czech Republic. It's kind of a race to the bottom between safety and customer service. So even though there were two boys screaming their heads off and an anxious mom, pleading, "Prosím!" ("Please!") ... nope, no stopping that ride.

So, that was exciting.

After a snack and a little decompression time, we abandoned the carnival and headed into Mořský Svět (Sea World), which -- if you ask me -- wasn't that impressive. But on a day when things weren't exactly going our way, it was just fine.

Caiman

Snowflake Moray Eel

Before heading for home, we let the carnival redeem itself with cotton candy.

Spending a day at the Prague Zoo ~

We love the Prague Zoo. I've been meaning to write a post just about the zoo, and maybe I'll get to it. We visited it the first full day we were in Prague, bought a family membership for the year, and have returned about seven times. The boys and I went last week with a classmate of Garrett's and his mom and brother. Previous to this trip we hadn't spent any time in the petting zoo.

Ben, Garrett, and Owen choose their stallions.

A couple of kids.

The Children's Train

Owen's brother, Elliot, is a big fan of Garrett's.

And Garrett likes playing "big brother" for a change.

Checking out Children's Island, a big, long playground off the west side of the Vltava ~

I've been meaning to get to this place for months. Karl brought the boys here in the winter, but it's not nearly as much fun when it's freezing. Another Riverside family met us there.

Quinn, Garrett, Max, and Ben on the swings.

Sharon with cute-as-a-button Nico.

Gorgeous views across the river.

National Theatre

Tančící dům (Dancing House, or Fred and Ginger), designed in part by Frank Gehry

Exploring Vysehrad, a fortress south of New Town ~

The Leopold Gate. Boys provided for scale.

Our Ampelmenn

Dětská hřiště (Children's Playground)

"Czech legends" is the theme of the playground.

Přemysl, the ploughman – mythical founder of the Bohemian royal dynasty of Přemyslids

Another zip line!

Ben atop Bivoj, who killed a wild boar with his bare hands.

Garrett and Libuše, the princess and prophetess who foretold the founding of Prague. She chose Přemysl as her husband.

We weren't the only ones out having fun on this glorious day.

Spring is in the air ... as are the tightrope walkers.

That was much of Week One. I'll get to the trip to Karlovy Vary and Loket later. Tomorrow, however, we're off to Paris for the weekend. :)

Parting shot ~

Ben & Garrett in Stromovka, April 18

My latest favorite picture of the boys.