Travel

The Most Magical Christmas

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I had the most magical Christmas this year, and I would love to share a little bit of it with you!

This winter, I got to visit my grandparents in their little village in the Czech Republic! I usually only go in summer (check out my blog “Adventures With My Grandparents”), but this year we decided to visit for Christmas, as well. And let me tell you, Christmas in the Czech Republic is so wonderful. People spend a lot of time with family and friends. They bake gazillions of different kinds of cookies that they share and exchange with others – it is a very sweet-smelling tradition! We made about a dozen kinds of cookies, and the family thought we were seriously slacking off. I guess we will have to do better next time! 😊 Another and perhaps the most important tradition is watching fairytales. They are loaded with the best actors in the Czech Republic, and no, they are not animated or baby movies. These fairytales are so magical and special.

Most days, the temperatures hovered right around freezing. And the crazy thing is, my grandpa and I went bike riding nearly every day anyway! We would ride out into the woods, and we found lots mushrooms (though we didn’t eat any, as they were ‘edible, but not tasty’)! Check out some pictures of these cool mushrooms in the slideshow.

While inside, I often baked with my grandma. We made lots of yummy treats, most notably gingerbread cookies (there is a picture in the slideshow). But we also made Christmas breads, linzer cookies, and other kinds of cookies. The scent of the doughs and ingredients filled the air with a beautiful, sweet aroma.

A lot of my extended Czech family came to visit us, which was really nice. There is something very magical about having most of your family in one room. I am sure you agree. My relatives would always bring Christmas cookies they made, and quite frankly sometimes we almost ate the whole box in one sitting! Czech cookies are really delicious.

And then there was Christmas Eve (that is when we celebrate Christmas) – the most magical day of the whole trip. The celebration started in the afternoon when we all went to the little chapel in the middle of my grandparents’ village. It was getting dark and really cold but it did not stop anyone from joining in. Nearly everyone from the village was there, and we all sang Christmas carols. We soon returned home and had a delicious Christmas dinner – most people still eat the traditional fish and potato salad that evening. Christmas is not a big culinary feast. It is a day to appreciate the people in your life and things that really matter. After dinner, we sat and more or less patiently waited for the bell to let us know that it was time to come to the tree. Finally, it rang, and we all rushed into the living room where the tree was lit up and wrapped in beautiful packages. We opened our presents and we all were very happy and grateful.

But there was a surprise yet to come. I told my grandparents that I had one more gift – a little surprise I had been preparing for a while. It is a famous song from the most beloved Czech fairytale. I had prepared and recorded the piano part that we then played on their TV while I sang the song for my grandparents. I even had a costume that looked like it was from the movie! My grandparents were shocked! My grandma was so surprised she had hard time breathing when I started, and my grandpa was crying. My grandparents did not know where to look first – at me singing or at the TV where I played the piano! I think they liked it…. 🙂 What a wonderful evening.

P.S. After I sang the song, we watched the fairytale from which the music came! 😊

Here is the recording of this song:

 

 

I was only able to play this thanks to my wonderful piano teacher Ms. Irina. She is an incredible pianist, teacher, and friend to me. Thank you, Ms. Irina!

My grandma’s birthday also falls around Christmas time! We celebrated with a delicious French cake drizzled with raspberry sauce – my Mom made it. The cake was so delicious! Check out a picture in the slideshow.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season yourself. Feel free to share how you celebrated in the comments section! Happy New Year!

Adventures With My Grandparents

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Wow! I can’t believe that summer is over. I am still reliving the memories of being with my grandparents in the Czech Republic. I had so many wonderful adventures with them, including bike riding, roller-blading, mushroom picking, baking, and climbing up into my tree house:

My grandpa and I would go out into the woods on our bikes and when we reached an area with a certain set of characteristics we would stop and look for mushrooms. We brought a ginormous backpack with a bucket inside of it, and that is where we would put the mushrooms. We ran around the woods, sifting through mushroom after mushroom, looking especially for the squishy yellow ones – because they are soooo good! We would pick them all up, hop on our bikes and ride on to find a new location, and so on and so forth. Once we came back to the house, my grandma and I would start chopping the mushrooms up and then she would lay them outside in the sun to dry. We found so many mushrooms that they should last all winter long.

In the evenings, my grandparents and I would go out to the playground area across from their house. I would roller blade and my grandpa would ride his bike. One night we created a show that we later performed for my parents. My grandma was the ‘judge’, and my grandpa and I would ride around and do tricks. What a blast we had! We could not stop laughing.

While at home, my grandma and I would bake wonderful treats for the family. My grandma is a fantastic cook and baker and makes everything from scratch! We made kolache, fruit cakes, gingerbread cookies, and most importantly fruit dumplings. Oh, you never heard of these? Look them up! So yum! I love my grandma’s fruit dumplings, and therefore we made them almost every day.

I spent my birthday with my grandparents, and to celebrate, my grandma made me a big gingerbread cake, which was delicious! We decorated it together and then put it away until my birthday, as to avoid the temptation of eating it immediately! (because I would have)

We would often venture out to a nearby medieval city. There, we would just stroll around, stop at a vibrant cafe for a treat or we got soft-served ice cream. I developed a new taste for mixed soft served (vanilla and chocolate together). You might want to try it when you get a chance…

We also went to the city for my birthday dinner, and we ate at my favorite Greek restaurant. We go there every year – it is a real treat!

A couple of years ago, my grandpa built me a ‘tree house’ in their yard. I love to spend time up there playing games, eating treats, and hanging out with my grandparents. I have to climb a really tall ladder to get up there because it is quite high off the ground. It is my own special place. I always have the fondest of memories from that tree house and cannot wait to be perched up there again.

I had a such blast with my grandparents – they are the best! And I am so excited to see them soon!

Sitting in Cafe Nero

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The scent of hot coffee fills the air in the streets of Glasgow. The door of Cafe Nero is swung wide open. “Should we go in?” My family and I exchange confident glances. Hand-in-hand we walk into the warm cafe, out of the eyes of the clouds who threatened to rain.

We ordered two hot chocolates and a cappuccino. We took a seat in three soft chairs by the window. Once our warm, marshmallow-covered treats were on the table, and we had documented the moment with photos, we dug into the delicious, creamy dream. We talked and laughed and enjoyed, sitting in Cafe Nero.