In the beginning...

This is the inaugural post of the blog designed to keep my family posted on the big Prague Adventure.

For those of you who don't know, my Mom, Gramma, Robert, and I are going to visit Tim (my younger brother) in the Czech Republic for the holidays. The countdown to liftoff began back in about August, and has finally reached a realistic number. As of today, we have only 16 1/2 days til departure!

The story of how Tim ended up in Prague is a good one, but maybe I can convince him to tell it on this blog, later. It's his story and he tells it well. Besides, I have such a reputation for exaggeration that no one would believe it if I told it! Haha

So, to begin this saga, I will detail some of the preparations (and bizarre questions that have come up) for our big adventure...

1) Learning Czech-
Mom got us all CDs called "Czech on the Plane". The hope is that we will learn a language so very different from Germanic languages... on the flight over. Mom and I are cheating; we've been listening to the CD already. So far I can ask for beer, a bathroom, say please, who and where, and two very bad words (from Tom the bartender who used to live in Brno). But hey, I have 16 more days to become fluent!

2) What to wear-
I recently found out that the climate in Prague is nothing like that of Gunnison. I thought it would be cold with very little humidity. Wrong. It's quite humid there. Today it was 87% humidity! In Gunnison we have about 10% for our average. It's going to feel a lot colder in Prague.

3) Are we required to eat Carp?
It's apparently a tradition in the CZ to select a giant, living Carp from a giant vat of swimming, happy fish. Then, according to said tradition, scales are removed and placed under the dinner plates and in the wallet. It's good luck. Then, the Carp is dispatched and eaten by the now lucky family.

So, in the interest of keeping this blog interesting and relevant, please feel free to ask questions and make suggestions. Thank you for visiting!