Birthday balloons hung and notes on the kitchen counter in the morning, special meal and dessert in the evening...and of course a few thoughtful gifts sprinkled in along the way.
But Dave's birthday almost always comes during our JV Fall Conference, which means it's hard to get in a special family celebration.
Unless we do it early!
So Claire and I put our heads together and figured out a way to celebrate Dave with a fun little trip this year.
We parked the car at our little station here in Frydlant and headed out to the train platform.
Our friend, Lucy Till, happened to be getting on the same train so we even got a picture with all three of us that wasn't a "hand-held/faces-too-close-in-the-picture" kind of photo! Thanks Lucy!
Taking the train here is something all of us enjoy. It's not only relaxing but...
You see all the iconic sites of the Czech railway as you travel.
It often has the feel of "days gone by", and yet even this town, Paskov, is still a real stop on the route!
And then there's just something comforting about being in one of the train cars, rolling along down the track with time to talk...or pose for a picture! :)
On this particular route you'll also see signs of the coal mining era that this area was, and still is, known for.
Our friend and JV teammate, Amy Hartman, just wrote about Ostrava yesterday on her blog. Check it out to see what was written up about it just a few months after we'd moved to this region in 1993. I remember the Ostrava they described.
But it's a different world here today. This particular train route has a stop that puts you at the new mall, built recently in downtown Ostrava.
A huge new walking bridge spans the highway underneath, and lets passengers easily cross over.
Or stop to take pictures! :)
We headed in to see a movie, but first stopped at one of our new favorite cafes in the mall...because who can resist that selection?!
Chocolates and a latte? Perfect celebration for Dave!
When I downloaded photos and looked through them, this one cracked me up! It looks like Jack Sparrow is on the escalator with Claire and Dave after the movie!
We grabbed some dinner, did a little shopping (no luck in the shirt department mom...he'll have to spend his birthday money later when some new merchandise comes in!), and then headed back across the bridge to the train station.
So happy to celebrate this man. Not just on this day, or on his actual birthday...but every day!! I love you Dave!
Aww....so quaint. :) What a good day!
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a fun day! Make sure to tell Dave Happy Birthday from me! I had to chuckle after reading the description of Ostrava from Mrs. Hartman's blog and think of Dave choosing to go there on his birthday. It's kind of like taking a bus to Springfield from Eugene for your birthday!
ReplyDeleteOn another note...I think it would be a cool blog post for you or Claire to take pictures of the old railway depots! Very retro cool!