Forgotten Rooms

Whenever you take a tour of a historic place, the rooms are usually decorated with period pieces to represent what it would have been like for the people that lived there. This can be a good way to truly see how opulent certain lifestyles were, but there are times when it just feels like a family abandoned the room. This is especially true when it is a child’s room or bedroom with children’s toys. For this week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Teddy Bears, Dolls, and Toys, we have chosen a few pictures from the Kilkenny Castle as well as the fortress churches of Romania.

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Bedroom in Kilkenny Castle
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Bedroom in Romania
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Another Room in Romania
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More of the Room in Kilkenny

Spending Christmas in Prague

As we mentioned, we decided to go to Prague over the Christmas weekend since we didn’t have any family in town. We still have another day before we fly back to Frankfurt, but it has been a wonderful time. Apparently a lot of other people had the same idea and it has been extremely busy, even on Christmas Day itself. Old town was packed with tourists and we were glad that we booked dinner reservations in advance. There is a lot to share, but for the moment we are just soaking it all in and trying to absorb everything that we have seen. This is just a tease of some of the sights that we have seen. Prague has lived up to all expectations, a truly memorable experience.

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Charles Bridge
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Christmas Tree in the Old Town Square
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Prague Castle Complex

 

Do Not Abandon All Hope

To say that the last twelve months has been interesting would be an understatement. Not just for the personal changes that have occurred, but equally for everything that has happened in the world. As we have mentioned, our site is not a political site, but there is no way to avoid the consequences of such a tumultuous year. It would be easy to bury one’s head in the sand and pretend that none of these events occurred, but whether we are outraged, discouraged, frustrated, or worse yet, ambivalent towards the events of the year, we cannot give up on the hope that is the human spirit. Every year provides moments that inspire us as well as fill us with dread. It is also possible that a single event can instill one emotion in some and the complete opposite emotion in others. We hope that the year to come brings more optimism than the year that is coming to an end, but we will remind us of what we told our children as they were growing up, “you can’t control the world, but you can control your own emotions, you can choose to be happy, sad, or mad. You can choose to be happy or you can let the world tell you how to feel.” Obviously that is an over-simplification, but we will choose to find the joy in life and do our best to surround ourselves with those who choose a smile over a frown. In response to this week’s Daily Post Discover Challenge – Hope Gone Viral, we have decided to choose this video instead of a single photo. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all of our friends and enjoy this little video of children singing holiday songs for a local TV special at our hotel in Strasbourg, France.

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Backdrop for the Kids