Cesko February 2011

It was finally time for my annual trip to Czech to see my family! Of course the week I chose to come out, there were record low temperatures... 19 degrees... beyond freezing!! However, since most of my time consisted of sitting, drinking coffee and eating... it wasn't all too bad. I flew into Vienna and got in late Sunday night... Jituska and Mirek picked me up and took me to our town, Valasske Klobouky... it was SO good to be back and in my grandma's arms!

Dasa and Ivo made it out all the way from Berlin to see me... it was an extra special treat and I soaked up every minute with them. Since they had to leave on Tuesday, we took all of Monday to be together. We went to Luhacovice for lunch and ate at a famous spa resort in the middle of town. It was so fun to catch up and reminisce of old times together.

After lunch we tried to walk around town a bit but our cheeks nearly froze off so we headed straight to the chocolate shop for hot drinks and Oplatky (the town's famous spa wafers).

I can't go to Czech without having Oplatky... they put them in a waffle iron and heat them up so they are fresh and delicious. I bought several boxes to take home with me... Ry loves them too.

After tea time, we discovered a new resort that had just been built and found out that they have a brand new spa area with an indoor pool, hot tub and different sauna's... we were all about it but we didn't bring our suits! So we decided to go back to our town (which is 30 minutes away) to get them... yes we were that desperate for some warmth! Before grabbing our suits, we made a pit stop to see my grandpa and aunt Lenka... so fun to be together.

We grabbed our suits and made our way back to Luhacovice and checked into their spa... it was SO nice to relax, especially since jet-lag was kicking in.

After spa'ing it up, we got dressed up to go to the resorts new Alexandria Restaurant... said to be the best in the area!

And it really was... we had a delicious 4 course dinner with great wine and for dessert the waiter made us table-side flambeed crepes... what a great day together... it was so special to spend time with Dasa and Ivo!

Tuesday we all had breakfast and lunch together before Dasa and Ivo departed back for Germany and in the afternoon Mirek took Jituska, Lenka, Zuzanka and I to Trencin for an outing and coffee.

Trencin is a cute town in Slovakia and is famous for their castle on the top of the hill... we bundled up and headed for hot drinks at a coffee shop!

We had hot chocolates, teas, cakes and yogurt parfaits... told you that I didn't even mind that much that it was 19 degrees! Love hanging out with my family, they are all so cute.

Wednesday I hung out with my Grandma and aunt Zdenka and then my cousin David came to pick me up and take me to their home to hang out for a bit before dinner. Lenka and Zuzka came to meet us and we went to dinner at a Pizzeria in their town.

Since the week was quickly coming to an end, I took all of Thursday to just hang out with my Grandma and Zdenka... we sat for hours and talked about everything.. then my cousin Daniela came from school and we all had a fun time telling stories of my Grandpa and all the funny things he used to do.. it was like he was right there with us :)

We had one last dinner together and soaked up every last minute... I love my family so much and even though they live so far away, I am so lucky to have them so close to my heart.

Friday morning it was time to pack up and get last minute things in town... before I knew it, it was time to say good-bye.. the WORST part! After our sad good-byes, Mirek and Jituska picked me up after lunch and we drove to Bratislava to have a mini-vacation at the new Kempinski Hotel, right on the Danube River.

The hotel was stunning and our room was gorgeous... we quickly settled in and changed into our robes and took the elevator up to the 11th floor to be greeted by this...

A gorgeous roof-top indoor pool and spa area! It was the perfect ending to my trip. We swam and relaxed and loved that we could have one more special night together.

After our R&R, we went back to our room to get dressed for dinner... how cute are my aunt and uncle?

We had wine while getting ready and then continued downstairs at dinner... which was amazing! I had a White Perch Filet with whipped potatoes and a spinach puree in a lobster sauce... really delicious. We had home-made tiramisu for dessert and lingered over more wine and fun conversation!

Since my flight was leaving at 10am on Saturday, we had to get up quite early but it was worth it because we had the most wonderful breakfast downstairs...

It was a breakfast fit for kings and queens... this hotel really outdid themselves... we will definitely be coming back!

After breakfast, we got packed up and checked-out... had to bundle up so we wouldn't freeze!

We made it back to Vienna airport just in time for my flight but before I departed, I had to get poppyseed rolls for my parents from our favorite Vienneese Bakery- Struck!

Once again, so tough to say good-bye... what an amazing week with my family... I couldn't be more thrilled to have had this special time with all of them. Now I will miss them terribly but at least I have the best memories to hold me over until the next time we can all be together :)