Tis Peppermint Mocha Season

And just like that, twinkling lights adorned the buildings and Christmas decorations were everywhere in Prague!

On one of our walks we came across this lit-up penguin display on the Vltava River -  so fun.  

Megumi & Nat on the Charles Bridge

We gathered early to watch the annual lighting of the big Christmas tree in Old Town Square on November 27th.  The Square got uncomfortably packed with people, but the excitement of the crowd was so festive.  The lighting display itself was nothing crazy, but it was a fun kick-off to the Christmas markets here and the holiday season (time to put those holiday albums on repeat!)

St. Wenceslas Square

St. Nicholas Church in Mala Strana

 It wasn't long after that before a blanket of snow covered all of Prague.  

The winding medieval streets of Prague took on a whole new character with the snow

such charm!

We climbed up to the Castle District to show our friends & check out the snowy landscape.

At the Castle

The Castle was adorned with joyful wreaths & bows

Inside St. Vitus Cathedral (probably for the last time in awhile)

It was slippery outside the Cathedral, but so beautiful

It was a great surprise to see this huge nativity scene made out of hay outside the Cathedral

Dillon & James

The Flying Buttresses on the Cathedral are still awe-inspiring

Holiday cheer!

The view from the Castle:

The previously red roof tops are now covered in white

Crossing the Vltava River

Trdelnik!

Climbing the Old Town Clock Tower has an entirely different experience with the snow.  

This time was especially neat because we happened to be at the top just as the clock stroke the hour.   We were pleasantly surprised when the trumpeter showed up literally right next to us to broadcast his tune from the tower.  

Looking out over enchanting Old Town:

...and that "blanket" of snow soon turned into a blizzard that dominated the weather forecast for days.  It took some getting used to at first, but that's what good boots & mittens are for (along with 6 other layers of clothing).  Hard to believe that the semester is wrapping up... and with only one week left, we find ourselves buried in papers and studying for final exams (yes, schoolwork).  More on our end-of-semester adventures coming soon!

Here's to Friendship

THANKSGIVING!!

It's never easy being away from home for the holidays, but we managed to put together a very homely meal anyway. Two of our friends, Megumi and James, came to visit in addition to some of our closest friends here in Prague. It was a great time spent in the company of true friendship.

We picked up a 5.5 kilo turkey (about 12 pounds). They're pretty hard to come by in Prague... considering nobody celebrates Thanksgiving here!

Lots of "fun" prep work

For some reason Thanksgiving tastes so much better when you devote your entire day to cooking! Thanks Mom, we get it now.

It was nice that everyone helped out.. even if the girls didn't want to touch the turkey

Such a pleasure to cook with:

Abe pretending to do something

(maybe not everyone helped out)

Of course Thanksgiving is never really complete without the pies! Natalie made sure that we had "the most important" part of our meal

Here are the girls working hard on the apple crisp. Wish you could've tried it!

Bromance.

Megumi, Sam and Albert. The boys are our next-door neighbors who have become quite close friends. It was nice to have two kitchens to work in

After what seemed to be an endless day of baking, frying, slicing and boiling, we were ready to eat! Dinner wasn't served until around 9pm, but it was well worth the wait. We were very satisfied after feasting on the fruits of our labor. Well, maybe there wasn't any fruit... but we did have vegetables!

Very happy girls

... and boys!

Our Thanksgiving family:

Thanksgiving is always a dish best served at home. Even though we weren't with our families, we were in the company of laughter, friendship, and most importantly... good food. Its never easy being away, but   good company definitely helps! Skyping with everyone also took off a little homesickness. 

We're looking forward to spending Christmas at home in only 2 weeks!