Today, Leo and I traveled to the end of the "B" line to visit Ikea. Why Ikea? To kill time, I guess. Which I know seems like an insane concept; we are in Prague after all. But, when you have two kids who like nothing more than to bicker and like nothing less than to sightsee, then it's killing time to keep the peace, just like at home. So, we head off to look for measuring cups, which we haven't had any luck finding. To buy a laundry bag, so we could stop using random paper or plastic bags. And, to find an alarm clock, which sadly, I will need as we enter reality next week with school starting.

We got into two separate cars, because Leo is an independent soul and that's how he rolls. We got off the train and I was secretly hoping, as I always do, that our destination spot will be obvious. It never is. I looked for the yellow and blue building, but only saw a Merko of the same colors, but seller of cars. We asked someone who pointed us down a street. We followed the street to only find a huge shopping mall. We asked a young woman smoking a cigarette. She said we could cut through the mall and turn right. We cut through the mall, but it was so huge, I couldn't determine how to escape it on the other side. Finally, we figured it out, and just as I was thinking how crazy this was to even try to find Ikea, that we'd be this close and not find it, we saw the big block letters. Even in Schaumburg, Ikea intimidates with its size and turns. But here, where I can't read the signs, it's 100 times worst. Plus, I'm feeling guilty that I dragged Leo on this stupid endeavor. We wandered around, circled to the same spots multiple times, but eventually found what we needed. No cloth napkins, though. Only paper. We ate swedish meatballs in gravy and the gravy made me think of Thanksgiving and how we are going to celebrate that here. Leo was super excited to buy an ice cream cone for 10 czk. That cone made the whole trip a success.

When Elliott got back from work, Leo was determined to have his hair cut. Please shave my head, he begged. I left for the food market down the street and when I came home, he was shaved. I couldn't look. I stole a quick glance, but that was all I could do. His head is so shaved, you can see his skin. Everywhere. Oy. Now the three of them are off for Elliott's first soccer pick-up game in the Czech Republic. It's in Vinohrady somewhere and I hope it went well. I hope the players welcomed him warmly, and I hope the boys had their own fun and kept the peace. And I hope they are enjoying a good pizza right now, while I'm enjoying a night on my own, reading and drinking wine on the terrace, and now figuring out this blog thing.

I'm still sweating from my row on the Vtlava River and am feeling an incredible high. My lesson was at 4pm (or 16.00). Going into the lesson, I felt nervous, doubted whether I should be doing this. Maybe joining a rowing club isn't worth the trouble. Feelings of "I can't do this" threaten to knock me out of the game. I persevere through the negativity, meet Jan, my coach, and get in a scull. At first I am tentative and nervous. Then I feel the groove and the power behind my strokes. I am focusing on my left hand being directly over my right, my arms being straight until the last possible moment, powering with the legs, making sure my right oar is going in straight, checking my left oar that it's skimming the water properly, and then I look up and out and what do I see....a gorgeous sunny day, bridges, the Dancing House, Prague Castle, Vichorady, swans. Beauty upon beauty. And I wish I snuck a camera in my top so that I could photograph this incredible moment. I get off the river and I'm dancing above the ground. I want to cry I'm so happy. And tomorrow I can do it again if I want and Monday and on and on. The boat house is a 10-minute walk from our flat. Jan will carry the boat to the dock for me, so I can row whenever he's there. Also, there is a 65-year-old woman who is also a lightweight, so has trouble carrying her own boat. I suggested he put us together, so we can help each other with our boats. And we will. And I will row for as long as the weather holds. Life in Prague is good.