Newlyweds in Prague

As usual, it seems I've underestimated the amount of time involved in an undertaking.  Leon suggested that we extend the deadline for my list.  To cram all the remaining activities in the next two weeks would seem to defeat the purpose of the list in the first place.  And the fact that we have friends arriving this weekend for the rest of the month would also challenge the mission.  So, I think Leon's is a good call.  And with last week's exam/interview off my plate - I'd been studying for it nonstop for the past month - I feel like summer is just starting for me now, and so much of the stuff on the list were inspired by the warm weather.  So, we'll give our whole summer to all the great stuff on the list.  That means it's no longer about our first anniversary, but that's really okay, because we're having a pretty rockin' first year of marriage as it is. 

We did recently cross off several things from the list, though.  See my posts below!

We put this one on the list because Leon's been craving his mom's chili, so we got the recipe from her and made a pot last night.  Except for the fact that I ended up putting in a little too much cumin, I think it turned out all right!  Leon gave a thumbs-up and said it was not exactly his mom's, but pretty close.  I'll take that.  :-)

When I originally put this on the list, I imagined a romantic getaway for me and Leon.  But the way we ended up crossing this one off turned out to be totally different and yet totally perfect.  And it did meet my primary criterion, which was that the destination be a lesser known village, somewhere off the beaten tourist track (in other words, not Český Krumlov or Kutná Hora or any other place written up by Rick Steves). 

We ended up joining a group of friends on a wine tasting adventure in Moravia, the wine country in eastern Czech Republic.  We traveled by train to a village called Bořetice, where we wined, dined, danced, and spent the night.  It was so fun and so cheap, I want to do it again tomorrow.  On our way back to Prague we stopped in Brno to have lunch and spend a couple of restive hours.

The view from L & G's place, originally uploaded by shinwha.

Last weekend, an older couple we know in Prague invited us to dinner at their home. They have this amazing, top-floor apartment in the middle of Old Town. Besides the lovely dinner, we were treated to the wonderful views from their apartment windows, which look out onto the city. This particular window faces Old Town Square - the path you see in the photo leads to the astronomical clock and the center of the square, which are just steps away from the apartment. Talk about location, location, location!  {Go here for a bigger and better view.}

We got to cross this one off the list two Saturdays ago!

I'm writing about this way after the fact, but on May 1 Leon and I crossed our first thing off from my list.  A friend told me about this Czech holiday/tradition, which I will let the internet explain for me:

In the Czech Republic the first of May traditionally marks Labour Day, a national holiday which is celebrated not only here but all around the world, in commemoration of various historic achievements of the Labour movement. In the days of the Cold War Czechs were as good as forced to take part in massive May Day parades, and not surprisingly now most prefer to treat the holiday as nothing more than a welcome day off work. Alternatively, they celebrate May Day as a symbol of spring and love, as most famously marked in the great Czech romantic poem, Maj, by Karel Hynek Macha.

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On May 1st, couples gather at the statue of Karel Hynek Mácha, the Czech Romantic "poet of love", in Prague's Petřín Park where they lay flowers and spend a few moments. The park is a particularly romantic place in May when its cherry trees are in bloom. Since May 1st is a national holiday in the Czech Republic, lots of people come to Petřín for a stroll if the weather is nice.

When my friend told me about this, I told Leon I wanted to do it too - I thought that the idea of joining other Czechs on Petřín hill on the first day of May was nice, and I was also curious about whether we'd really see couples kissing under cherry blossoms!  (Apparently that's another aspect of this tradition.)

So we went up to Petřín, and indeed, the park was more populated than usual - with couples, yes, but also with families, children, and dogs, all happy to be out in the sun after a recent cold spell.  Except for a brief, sprinkly shower, it was sunny and beautiful and perfectly spring.  Leon and I joined the throng and started off in search of Macha's statue, but we never made it because we got too hungry!  Still, we enjoyed the beautiful view of Prague from the hill, and we did spy couples kissing under trees!  (I won't tell whether we participated in that custom or not.)  Then we went to have lunch and margaritas at our favorite Mexican place down the hill -  which is how Californians celebrate, well, everything.