When Radek mentioned he’d like to take me to Paris to celebrate my 40th birthday (which happened to coincide with Easter weekend), it sounded too good to be true. I imagined walking hand in hand along the Seine, visiting Trocadero at sunset to see the Eiffel Tower, and climbing the steps to Sacre Coeur in Montmartre. Afterward, we’d drink champagne and eat mussels cozied up at a table for two in the Latin Quarter. It would be the perfect way…
It’s Saturday night at our local microbrewery. Radek and I are chatting about the recent Czech presidential election with our neighbors. (Truth: They’re making jokes. I’m listening in hopes of improving my Czech humor.) The younger children have lined up plastic soldiers and army tanks on the wooden table and are preparing for battle. And my 13-year daughter is hunched over in an armchair at an empty table. She’s not pouting. She’s reading. …
For the past three Christmases (and many before that), my family has become temporary caretakers of a large, bottom-dwelling carp. Although having our Christmas dinner swimming in the bathtub a few days before we serve it on the table seems strange (even for many Czechs), it is one of the Czech holiday traditions my sons adore.…