Winter, At Last

Winter, At Last

Snapshots of Prague in Winter

Ice-skating Near Podolska Vodarna, Prague 4

Let me apologize off the bat for the poor image quality.  Amy is away in America, along with her nice camera.  

Anyway, the past two weeks in Prague have finally been like winter.  A sudden cold-snap has frozen most of Europe, with record-breaking lows.  Apparently, birds on the continent have been falling dead out of the sky.  

During the first week, I was so sick of people talking about it being "freezing" outside.  It barely even dropped below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.  To me, that just means it's winter.  However, last week, it got legitimately cold.  Single digits.  A few mornings, I woke up to find it was below zero--Fahrenheit.  I accepted it was cold enough for complaints.  However, I often relished the cold.  I felt like I could breathe clearly for once.  I enjoyed the sun that came with the frigid temperatures.  Give me this over damp and dreary weather any day!  

Today, I woke up and looked out the window to see snow for the first time in Prague 1 this winter!  We live right in the center of the city where no snow had collected so far.  On the outskirts, it had snowed quite a few times but mostly just turned to slush.  

Learning to Skate Among the Boats at the Marina

This snow is not in jeopardy of turning to slush any time soon!  It's soft and powdery, like walking through icing sugar.  Last week, I had noticed from the window of the tram, there were boys playing hockey at the marina by Podolska Vodarna.  This little inlet off of the Vltava had frozen over.  The marina roped off sections that were not safe to skate on but the rest was fair game.  

I went back today to take pictures in the snow.  Surprisingly, no one was playing ice hockey.  Mostly, there were just families sledding and skating.  

Using Docks As Benches For Putting On Ice-Skates

I love marinas in general, having grown up in a harbor village.  But I'd never had the opportunity to walk around boats stuck in the ice.  

The Tram Back to the Center

I enjoyed myself, even without ice skates.  What is it about walking on ice that's so exciting?  Is it that it could snap beneath you at any moment?  Or is it the idea that you have conquered water?  

Small Boat Frozen in the Ice

The freezing weather will not be letting up any time soon.  I look forward to more wintry adventures!