A Cycling Event

When we lived in Albuquerque we really enjoyed riding our bikes. In England recreational cycling is a bit tricky. Riding on the roads is very dangerous, and we've only seen bike paths in Cambridge. Our bikes took a beating in the move, so Jacob worked extensively to get them ready to ride. And Saturday we were excited to ride our bikes in Thetford Forest, Britain's largest lowland pine forest.

Thetford Forest has a big recreational site with 30 miles of bike and walking trails, picnic areas, a high wire suspension course and more. We rode the red trail, which is just below the black trail in difficulty. We were surprised to discover little obstacles and other "sweet jumps" on the trail. I attempted one, fell off and decided to play it safe on the others. Jacob, however, decided to take a few more risks. On one ramp, he took quite a spill and wound up with a few wounds. The bumps bruises from the fall look painful to me, but the worst of it was from the unidentified vegetation that came in contact with the exposed skin. ("Thank goodness for underwear." ~Jacob) He only got a few hours of sleep last night because the itching and burning kept him awake.

Despite the bumps and bruises, we had a great time and hope to bike again soon.

We can't help but be a little inspired by all the cycling medals won by Team GB in the Beijing Olympics, especially in indoor cycling events, which we were previously unaware existed. We've really enjoyed following the Olympics, especially getting some of the British broadcasts and seeing things from a non-American perspective. We're already looking forward to London 2012 (1433 days to go!).

Czech us out: Prague on the blog

This week we had a few extra days, so we went to Prague! We had an amazing time, and photos don't do it justice.

We took a 6-hour tour of the city and learned a lot about its fascinating history. We saw dozens of gorgeous churches, but the Czech Republic has one of the least religious populations in Europe; our tour guide said that 75% are atheist. Most of the beautiful churches serve as concert halls/performing arts centers, but some do hold services on Christmas and Easter. The photo below shows Tyn's Church in the old town square. Also in the old town square is a reminder of Prague's importance in the tumultuous Protestant Reformation. The statue in the middle of the square is Jan Hus, an influential Protestant thinker who was burned at the stake in 1415. Hus's ideas influenced Martin Luther and the overall Protestant movement in Europe. We find it ironic that a place steeped in so much religious history is currently so nonreligious (probably a result of Communism).

Also in the old town square is the famous Astronomical Clock, constructed in 1410, with most of the original mechanical parts still operating. The Clock gives an hourly performance where the 12 Apostles appear in the 2 blue windows above the Clock; it was lots of fun to watch.


Our tour included a river cruise along the Vltava River. The cruise also took us into a cute little canal. We haven't been to Venice (yet), but we thought the experience felt a little Venetian.
Then we toured Prague Castle, which is the largest ancient castle in the world. The Castle is dominated by St. Vitus Cathedral, a breathtaking structure where coronations and other significant events have taken place in Czech history. Another historical event that took place at Prague Castle was the famous Defenestration of Prague, which started the Thirty Years' War -- another important event from the Protestant Reformation. (You can see the Castle on the hill above the Vltava River.)

We also took the Haunted Prague Tour, which was a little cheesy and not at all scary; but it was fun to see the amazing city at night.

Famous Prague residents included Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler; they worked on their groundbreaking theories of planetary motion there (Kepler as Tycho's assistant). The writer Franz Kafka was also from Prague. I read his most famous work Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis) in German in college. I wasn't a huge fan, but we visited his monument in Prague anyway. The statue is located in the Jewish Quarter (Josefov), which was preserved by the Nazis, who intended it to be a museum of an extinct people.

The Czechs were under the rule of the Communist party from 1946 until 1989 when the famous Velvet Revolution occurred in Wenceslas Square (pictured below).

Charles Bridge is one of the iconic Prague sights. Most sections of the bridge are original--from as early as the 1300s.

The Lennon Wall is filled with John Lennon-themed graffiti and Beatles song lyrics; it was originally an outlet for anti-Communist protest in the 1980s but survives today as a symbol of the ideals of peace and love.

We loved Prague!

Glad to be home

I just returned from the Middle East. I'm happy to be back at home with my beautiful wife in England. I won't bore you with a lot of details about the trip. Instead I've attached a few pictures that everyone might enjoy....

(This is a picture of me with a familiar face.)

(I did a lot of traveling; I traveled via C-17, C-130 and Army Sherpa--pictured above)

(It was very, very, very, very, very hot. To give you an idea of how hot it is, the tar on the road melted every afternoon.)

(The military can be creative. This is a row of carports just outside Saddam's private terminal that have been converted into offices.)

(I had the opportunity to tour some of Saddam's palaces. This is a picture from the top of one of them, overlooking his palace grounds. The lake is not naturally occurring. The island building is his mother-in-law's house. Insert your own joke.)

(This is a picture of me standing by a playground built for Saddam's grandchildren. It was supposedly built to resemble the Flintstone's cartoon. It was pretty extravagant, with an elevator and a kitchen.)

Everywhere Signs (Part III)

Funny signs are EVERYWHERE! Since I have so many to share in this post, I'm not giving individual details (i.e. locations); I hope you don't mind. This first pair is interesting; in Nick's defense, we encountered the horse before we saw the sign.

There are some signs that are very castle-specific; remember it's the expressive figures that are funny and not so much the words. Here are a few favorites (or should I say favourites):
Here are a couple of miscellaneous offerings that might elicit a laugh (or at least a smile).

Nick and I were pretty baffled when we saw this bug sign. What do you think it means? The next one was on the same street, and we really enjoyed it. Is it a joke? (Note the times--it's in a very busy pedestrian zone.)
A particularly funny (and ubiquitous) theme of signs is represented in the next few. They don't just TELL you to pick up after your dog, they have lovely illustrations (and steep fines) that really reinforce the message.

Parliament & Monarchy

On Nick's last day here, we had a wonderful day in London. We took a tour of Buckingham Palace, which was spectacular! The rooms are opulently furnished, and the art and architecture are remarkable. This year they decked out the ballroom as it would look for a royal banquet, and it was absolutely amazing! The following photo is the back of the Palace, taken from the garden.

We also happened to witness part of the famous changing of the guard ceremony. The guards marched and played band instruments, and it was exciting. Throngs of people were on hand to watch.

After Buckingham Palace we also had the chance to tour the Palace of Westminster (not to be confused with Westminster Abbey or Westminster Cathedral). The Palace is more commonly known as the Houses of Parliament, and the famous Big Ben clock tower is attached to the building. We learned a lot about the Constitutional Monarchy here in the UK, and it was incredible to be in those rooms we see so often on TV (especially the House of Commons). We had an amazing tour guide and learned a lot, but the architecture of the building was just incredible on its own!

Nick left Thursday, and arrived safely in Fairbanks early Friday morning; hopefully he had a good time while he was here. I'm going to miss him!

Jacob is doing well, but he's ready to come home. We're hoping he'll be home within the next week, maybe a little more. Here's a photo he sent; I hope you enjoy it.