Prague

Brandon and I had the opportunity to go to the Czech and Slovak Repubics and Austria last month. Brandon served his mission in the Czech Republic and Slovakia so it was really fun for him to go back and it was fun for me to see all of the places he served. It was an amazing experiences and we created so many good memories. We were so grateful for the opportunity that we had to go! Warning: This is going to be a very long post. Like seriously, a really long post.

Day 1

First stop, Atlanta Georgia. We had a twelve hour layover in Atlanta and fortunately Brandon's Uncle John and Aunt Debbie who live there were kind enough to pick us up from the airport and show us around. It was so fun to be able to visit them!



While we were in Georgia we got to see Mt. Kennasaw. This was where the last major battle in the Civil War occurred before Sherman made it to Atlanta. John and Debbie also showed us where they lived, took us out to lunch at a good restarauant called Bahama Breeze, were kind enough to let me shower at their house, and we got to see their kids. It was a fun day.

Day 2:

After a long flight we finally arrived in Prague, Czech Republic. We checked in to our Penzion, showered and then went and did the "Prague Walk." We were so exhausted by the end of the day.

Summer Palace

Prague Castle's main gate

The Arch Bishop's house

St. Vitus Cathedral

Brandon in St. Vitus Cathedral

This is a garden right below the Prague Castle that was built by a man who was trying to out do the royal gardens

This was a wall in the garden. It had faces, snakes, and other random things on it.

On Charles Bridge going into Old Town

Tinsky Chram

Vlatislavske Namesti

Brandon drinking the Czech version of coke: Kofola. It tastes like black licorice. Let's just say I took a sip and that was good enough for me.

Day 3:

We took a train to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Brandon spent time here on his mission collecting signatures to register the church in Slovakia. They had to gather 20,000 signatures and they did it in 5 days. When we arrived in Bratislava we got directions to our hotel from a lady working at the trainstation. The directions she gave us were not very good so we got a little lost but eventually arrived to our hotel after hauling our luggage up a long, steep hill. Well I should say after Brandon carried our luggage up the hill. He was kind enough to carry his bag and my bag which was probably good because I might have died. That night we went into the town center.

This is the spot Brandon spent hours at collecting signatures.

I'm sorry but I can't figure out how to rotate this picture. I just want to point out that big bowl of tomatoes in front of me. We went to a pub for dinner and I wasn't hungry so I just decided to order a salad. We asked the lady which one was the best and she showed me one so I just went with it. She brought out our food, Brandon's Halusky (also pictured) which is what he calls "macoroni and cheese on steriods" and my salad which was just a big bowl of tomatoes with a few cucumber chunks mixed in. For those of you who know me, you know that I hate tomatoes! I ate the few cucumbers, Brandon finished his dinner and my tomatoes and then...

I went to McDonalds and got a classic American meal. My apologies for the picture. I'll fix it when I have more time

Day 4:

We woke up and caught an early train to Kosice, Slovakia. Kosice holds great personal meaning for Brandon. He and his companion openened the city. He was pretty much like a movie star to the church members here. Everyone would say as he walked by, "he was the first missionary." When we arrived, a man Brandon baptized named Robert and his wife Ria came and picked us up at the train station. They were kind enough to let us stay in their house. We dropped our luggage off and went to a barbeque that the missionaries put on. This was a lot of fun! Brandon taught at the MTC when he got home from his mission and some of the missionaries he taught were there. It was really fun for him to see the missionaries and see how the church has grown since he left. When he left, there were only 3 members and now there are about 15 (still not a lot but it's a start).

Brandon and Robert at the BBQ

After the barbeque, Robert and Ria took us out to dinner and then we went and walked around the old town center and had the most amazing green apple ice cream.

Day 4:

We went to church which was so cool! Brandon got to speak during sacrament meeting and did a great job. The Sunday we were there was the very first time they had Relief Society in Kosice. I was so grateful that I was able to be a part of it. Some of the sisters shared their conversion stories. I found out that one of the members was one of the only survivors from the concentration camp Aushwitz. I could not believe what amazing stories these women had.

Day 5:

We went to Ria's apartment for breakfast, had some more tomatoes and then Robert had a planned a surprise day for us. We went to a National Park in Slovakia and floated down the river that went through it. We loved this day!

These were our rafts. They tied 5 canoes together and then put pine leaves over the front to keep the water out. This was truly an authentic experience.

Floating down the river. Slovakia was on one side of the river and Poland was on the other side. Robert gave Brandon this funny hat to wear.

After floating down the river, we took a carriage ride up to a lodge where we rented bikes and rode the rest of the way up the river.


We rode across a bridge into poland, ate some cheese, and then went back to Slovakia all in a matter of minutes.

Polish Cheese

Poland

Day 6:

We took a train back to Bratislava and spent the day there. We just went back to the old town and walked around.

Coronation Chapel

Bratislava Castle

Overlooking Bratislava

Day 7:

We went from Bratislava to Vienna, Austria. We loved Vienna! We spent the day site seeing and then met up with one of Brandon's mission companions who is from Austria. We had dinner with him and his wife and ate Wiener Schnitzel. This was probably my favorite meal of the trip. Unfortunately we don't have very many pictures in Vienna because our camera died. The pictures we got were mostly of a Schoenbrunn which was the beautiful palace that once housed Maria Theresa and Franz Joseph. We got to go inside but were not allowed to take pictures so here are some pictures of the outside of the palace and the palace gardens. The gardens were incredible! The pictures really don't do them justice at all.

The Gardens. In the background is a victory arch.

How do you like my new hat?

A fountain in the gardens

The Victory Arch

Another Fountain

Day 8:

We went back to Prague and spent time in Old Town. We also got to see Prague at night which was seriously breathtaking. We couldn't get a good picture with our camera, but if you ever have the chance to go to Prague, make sure to see it at night.

We got to go to a violin concert inside of the Cathedral featuring Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It was amazing.

Day 9:

We flew from Prague to the Paris airport. Unfortunately we didn't have a long enough layover to leave the airport but still I'll just say we went to Paris. We went from Paris to Georgia and then from Georgia to Salt Lake City. We had a wonderful time but boy it felt good to be home and sleep in our own bed!