The Garrison's European Reunion

Here we are in front of one of Prague's famous churches

Well, this year for Thanksgiving, we were blessed with a visit from the Garrison clan. John, Laura, and Casey packed their bags and headed east to spend some time with us work-aholics in Germany. Like all family visits, we didn't let them un-pack for long, as we made them jump onto another plane and head further east to Prague, Czech Republic.

Before heading to Prague, we took the family to Ernie's for a wine probe. Every time we visit Ernie, our intention is to chat a bit and pick up a few bottles of wine. Each visit then turns into a 3-hour event full of wine tasting. With the Garrison's in tow, this visit did not disappoint. Eight bottles of wine and eight crossed eyes later, I drug our poor family out of the cellar and into the car. I think there was actually even a point when Casey and Mom G. asked if the room was fuzzy. I felt badly because the lengthly probe wasn't what they were expecting, but Matt thought it was funny.

We finally made it to Prague...after participating in nothing less than a circus. Our intentions were great, as we were to get to the airport about 2 hours early. However, our first train to the airport was delayed, which caused us to miss our connecting train en route, which then caused us to get to the airport with less than one hour before take-off. After standing in a slowly moving check-in line, what seemed like a mile-long security line, and then the passport control lines, we still hadn't made it to our gate. For some un-known reason, there was another security checkpoint located in front of our gate, so we had to endure another long line. Once through this line, we finally made it to our gate--5 minutes before take-off. Oh, and did I mention that Matt and I lost the rest of the family somewhere in between check-in and the gate? Matt is a speed demon when he travels, so he just takes off and leaves everyone behind. Luckily, I know his travel style, so I was able to keep up with him. Unfortuantely, the Garrison clan must have forgotten about Matt's urgency when travelling and we lost them along the way. Crisis was averted, as they caught up to us at the gate, and all 5 of us made it onto the plane (nice and sweaty, of course).

Once in Prague, we had a great time seeing the sights of the city and trying Czech food. Paul and Janna Willingham (and family) happened to be in Prague the same time we were, so we were able to meet up with them and have some gluwine and dinner one night. Here is a picture of Prague's famous astrological clock in the main square.

Prague isn't a huge city, so after seeing the castle and all the other tourist things, we managed to also visit a Communist museum (it was a lot of reading) and take a Ghost Walk one evening. The Ghost Walk was Casey's idea and an experience we probably won't ever let her live down. Our guide's english was shaky at best and the tour was filled with ghost stories followed by people dressed up in sheets who would jump out in front of us to try to create a shock factor. The group with us who had also purchased tickets started off with about 30 people. By the end of the walk, the group dwindled and I think we were able to count maybe 10 of us (including us 5 and a freaky German man with a chin-hawk). Given that we're Garrisons, we just laughed and made fun of the 'scary situations.' If you ever find yourself in Prague and interested in participating in the Ghost Walk, we do have a 10% off coupon for you! The picture on the left is of Amy sitting in a gigantic chair she managed to climb up into...we were thinking that maybe Gulliver had been in town before us.

Overall, we all had a great time in Prague and enjoyed spending some fun time together.