Prague – March 5th
Sorry for this rambling blog – it really is meant for those of you who are truly hanging on our every word (hi, Mom – I love you)!

We are now almost one month into our travels and last night at dinner, as a family, we were reflecting on some of the experiences we’ve had along the way. We all agreed that we laughed the most in Quebec City – we had silly fun at the Winterfest Park and Madeline kept us in stitches with her good humor and excellent timing. We talked about some of our favorite meals and realized that the” best meals” we’ve had are not necessarily the “finest meals” we’ve had. The bread/salami/cheese sandwiches, apples, animal cookies and cheap little bottles of red wine that we had on the night train to Krakow was absolutely our favorite meal so far. We were famished, tired and a little giddy, and by the time we got on the train, in our little sleeper car, we were just happy to be there – together. Our fondue meal in Quebec City was memorable because it was a bit of an inside joke as a family. When we were in Paris a few years ago, we walked up and down several streets on the Left Bank and tried to convince a restaurant to serve us one serving of fondue that we could all share. We weren’t really that hungry, but we really wanted fondue! We walked into at least five, completely empty, restaurants and every one of them told us they would only serve us fondue if we ordered four! After a while it became comical and we gave up – hence the greatly appreciated fondue dinner we had in Quebec City. In Amsterdam we were having a late lunch at a fabulous little find, Café Sevini, and we asked the girls what their favorite and least favorite aspect of the trip was so far. Alex said “My favorite thing is getting to spend every day with you guys – especially you, Dad.” (honestly!) and her least favorite thing was “missing Tatiana.” Madeline said “My favorite thing is just getting to a new city and walking around and looking at all the new things and people and taking it all in,” and her least favorite was “having to share a bathroom with her sister,” (which we think is funny, since she shares one with her at home – although they do each have their own sinks!) Our favorite moments: toboggan ride in Quebec City; falafels in Amsterdam; gourmet food section in KaDeWe, Berlin; Picasso Museum in Berlin; Daddy tripping over a little black dog in Berlin; antique Czech puppets in Bric a Brac in Prague; Beaver Tails in Quebec City; trying to buy our train ticket to Auschwitz with Euros, when they only take Polish dollars – and we were already on the train; the cute Golden Retriever in Berlin; Guinness and fish-and-chips in Ireland; Sheridan’s Cheese Monger in Dublin; the Butterfly Garden at Amsterdam Zoo; Spamalot; tube rides in London; chocolate shops in Brussels and clean clothes on laundry days.

We’ve been incredibly lucky with the places we’ve stayed so far, except for one. Matt has been using the New York Times Travel Section as a basic guide and the recommendations have been right on. Of course Loews Quebec City was just crazy nice, thanks to John Thacker. We adored our hotel in Kilarney, the Kilarney Royal – so cozy, friendly and beautiful. The Thistle in London was a big hotel, but our family room was huge and nice and in the Marble Arch area of London which is a great place to be. Brussels was the only hotel that was less then perfect. It was big, but really sparse and just a little funky – not dirty, just a weird vibe. Luckily we were only there for one night. Amsterdam was another great surprise. The A-Train Hotel was right across from the main train station and it was small, incredibly charming and with a great attention to décor and detail (old train theme). We loved our stay there and would absolutely go back. In Berlin we had two nice, large rooms at Hotel Arco which was situated in the west side of Berlin in an older neighborhood with lots of character. Now we’re in Prague and we have an apartment on a quiet street in the Flathotel Orion. It’s nice to have so much space to spread out and a kitchen to make breakfast and snacks. Again, all recommendations from NY Times. No complaints.

As we travel on, each city seems more beautiful then the last, with one exception. The scenery on our train ride through Poland down to Krakow and then out to Auschwitz was oppressive and depressing. I realize its winter and generally the scenery along the train tracks in any city may not be its finest, but it just seemed sad. I’m sure there are incredible places to visit in Poland; it just didn’t happen for us on this trip. I have to say, after the day we spent yesterday in Prague – I am convinced that this city will be my favorite. Aesthetically, Prague takes the top prize. We are all captivated with its magnificence. We’re so happy we have time to take it all in.
More Later…