Get 'Em Out by Friday

Well, technically it was Sunday when I kicked my folks out of the country, but they were gone from Hradec Kralove by Friday, so this song title works (it's a stretch, but it works).

So, I've had NO time for updates over the past week as I've been busy entertaining my Mom and Larry in the Czech Republic. I left last Friday and met them in Prague, where we stayed at the Hotel Petr in a nice triple room (tremendous value for the price...if you're ever in Prague--Hotel Petr is the place to go). I played the part of tourguide during that weekend, showing them around all the places I know in Prague: Wenceslas Square, the Old Town, the Castle, Na Kampe (where Mission Impossible was filmed--yes Grandma, I showed them). On the Saturday night we were in Double Trouble (Jessica, the same pub where the group of us went when you visited) and there was a bachelorette party of English girls there. When I got up to get Larry and I a shot of absinthe each, I came back to the table and my Mom and picked the WHOLE GROUP OF THEM up. About 15 girls (most of them really hot) started cheering when I arrived--now that can make a man smile :) When my Mom sends me the photos I'll post them here...it was pretty funny.

Then I brought them back to Hradec Kralove on Monday via train. I got them set up into their hotel in the Old Town, and we went out for dinner, and later drinks with some of my friends here. We did the same thing all week until they left on Thursday. They even came to visit one of my classes on the Tuesday afternoon.

I went back last Friday and met them again in Prague, where we closed out the visit nicely. We went to a nice classical music thing at the National Museum--they just sat us all on the stairs and played the show on the landing in the middle. The music was terrific. Then I took them to the airport on Sunday and waved goodbye.

All in all, it was a great visit. I'm glad they got to meet all of my closest friends here: Tomas, Eva, Ondra, Ilca, Zuzka, Mike, Petra, Bara, Martina, Johnny English, and Lucka and Hedvika--the two receptionists at the hostel in Prague I became friends with. (By the way Jess, I finally had a date with Lucka on Sunday night after Mom and Larry left--she took me to the most beautiful part of Prague that I'd never seen before: Vysehrad).

Hmmm what else. Oh yeah! Since Mom and Larry returned to Prague on the Thursday, I was able to go to this huge open air festival they have every year here all over the Czech Republic. It's called Majales, and the Hradec show this year featured none other than MONKEY BUSINESS, the English-singing Czech band that I absolutely fell in love with this year. Picture old school funk and soul with updated electronic music technology and mixing techniques and you get some awesome awesome stuff. So although I have all four of their albums, I was doubtful I'd get to see them live before I left; but I did last Thursday, it was sweet. Oh yeah, ran into a LOT of my students there too, most of whom had beers in their hands (like me). I actually bought some of them some beer too--two of my nicer students.

So the week went pretty quickly, and I'm left visitorless for the next while. It looks like my old comrade James "Jimmybuoy" Byrne might be able to join me for a week at the end of June. James got accepted to Medical school in Cork Ireland for next year, so he wants to celebrate his acceptance into 6+ years of no social life with a bit of a Euro tour, which will hopefully pass through my way.

In the meantime, I have some catching up to do at work, but I thought I'd kick off a quick little update to let you all know I'm still here and still doing well.

Till next post...