As I was walking home last night through the dimly-lit cobblestone streets of Prague, it began to snow. Not just any snow...it was bit, fluffy, beautiful flakes of joy...swirling around my head and up and down and left and right with no seeming convention whatsoever. It was free and floating and eccentric and gorgeous. It made me smile.
It's March in Prague, and whereas I am used to Minnes(n)o(w)ta winters with heaps of March snow, Prague is certainly not. In fact, Prague isn't used to snow much at all these days. Before I left for the States at Christmas it started to snow. And, it wasn't just a fluke thing...because it continues to snow today. The snow brings to the surface moments of magic into my life...up in my office on the third floor of
Czech Inn I feel like I'm in a snow globe...last night as I walked through the dark and eerily quiet streets in my neighborhood, I found myself sticking my tongue out, playing a game to see how many of the oversized, fluffy flakes I could capture in my mouth...today the snow began to fall again - with wild abandon - and I started singing (loudly - pretty sure the locals thought I was crazy), 'if all the snowflakes were milkshakes and cupcakes...oh what a snow that would be...standing outside with my mouth open wide...' (like Cass and I used to sing at ski races). Magical and delicious. I love the snow.
So it would only be appropriate that I spend the weekend - after it snowed on Friday - bussin' it to the north of the Czech Republic to conquer the Czech (big) hills. And what's more...my bro was able to strap on the ol' skis and boots with me. I've quite sufficiently fed my love and passion for snow in my time here by heading to Germany last winter for the world cup, Switzerland to board (Laax and Flumserberg), Austria for a work/ski outing, Austria for the world cup (kitzbuhel!), CZE (Liberec with bro), and now to Switzerland (Gryon - hittin' up the Frenchy side with
my fiance!)...I am so truly blessed to work in the business of hospitality where contacts in faraway lands are easily established. I have met some of the most amazing people. Wow.
I am still holding out for one more large snowfall...JUST ONE...please GOD?! Come on...just one more. That's all I am asking for. :) Funny to see all of my southern friends hatin' on the snow, when I just continue to love, love, love! Okay, okay...hang with me for a sec. If it snows once more - more than 3 inches - I will make a vow to ski Petrin hill in the center of Prague and get it on video for all of you to see. I promise.
Okay, now...LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!!!
Check out the Winter Wonderland below...
the snow globe effect in my office
with the goods in karlovo namesti - totally (not) normal
breakfast of champions (in honour of tom) with crazy guy in background (ha!)
smilin' in the sunshine!
beautiful tracks (not ours...it just looked pretty)
meg(ski) and bro(ski)!
alpenrider: no friends on powder days! hardcore...ha. :)
the sibs smilin' atop ski jested, liberec, cze
skiing: cze-style. ha.
snow surprise
Oh yeah...you're probably wondering how the skiing in the Czech Republic is? Well, let's just says it's no Alps...but it isn't Buck Hill either. It's respectable, and probably would have been better had we arrived earlier (bus got in at 11 and we spent the better part of an hour trying to figure out where to go and how to maneuver the ski area...not super self-explanatory, as you can imagine). Snow was rock-hard ice, a lot like the midwest.
But...surroundings were epic. Tons o' tree coverage...very cool and beautiful, although they could have had a few more good runs had the trees been cleared (don't hate me, environmentalists...I like me a good tree-hug every now and then too. but come on..that's skiing land! :)). Zach and I were talking about it, though, it's interesting why there are so many trees. You see, the trees are fairly young (post-Communism)...as many of the natural resources had been cleared out and land built upon during Communist reign, with little or no regard. As a result, there are regulations to how the land can be used now. Good if you like trees...bad if you like skiing. But what if you like tree skiing?! Well, not so fast, mister. Tree skiing'd be sketch here. We czeched (ha! never gets old!) it out and it was sketchy indeed.
But really, at one point I said to Zach, 'It looks like Narnia!' Shortly thereafter he informed me that this was probably because Narnia was filmed here. Oh. That could be why. Duh. :)
What a gorgeous gift...these little white flakes. So simple, but give me such joy. It's the little things in life.
Let's just hope there are a lot of little things...Petrin, here I come. :)
Ski fast,
Me
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