Apartment Dwellers Prague Style

This is our Czech home for the next 5 weeks. We are on the 5th floor in the back corner. It is the lovely suburb of Vysocanska. Rubeska 521 for any of you who get here in the next 5 weeks. We are 25 minutes from church on the metro (subway with a transfer) or 30 minutes on the tram, definitely a more scenic route. Last Saturday was my solo ride on the metro and I must say I was quite proficient. (Something I didn't think possible 3 weeks ago) I went in to help Sister Alsop fix the lunch for the sisters who came in for Auxilliary Training and to view the Women's Conference. Mike had his own solo when her came in later for a baptism.

This is the kitchen-living room and Elder Robbins is listening to the BYU game! We have all the comforts of home just in a small space. We even have a washer and dryer, unusual here and a garbage disposal, but no dishwasher except for the 2 human ones and were pretty good at sharing that responsibilty.

The Brockbanks (friends of Kari and Eric) picked up their missionary in Hungary and on their way through Prague, as they took this Sister to the temple in Germany. graciously stopped to bring us a package from our kids and a few things we decided we could use. Thank you, thank you! Robbins children thank you for the bday present. Couldn't have received a better gift...digital frame of the kids big and little.

Then we were off to VIENNA!!!!!

We went for 3 days to receive training in setting up the Outreach Center. We took a 4 1/2 hour train ride through the countryside and it was beautiful, The country was mostly rolling hills and black soil farm lands. Here and there we passed by small villages mostly with red tilled roofs and always a church steeple pointing heavenward. It appeared that the last 40 years hadn't touched them very much. Many people in Prague have what they call their cottages in the country and we saw many of them along the streams we passed. To call many of them a cottage was a stretch, but they were lined up on plots about 50 x100 with the the cottage at one end and the rest they use to plant their gardens. The training was so helpful and we feel much more confident in what and how to accomplish what we have been called to do. There were six couples to be trained and two of them were with us in the MTC and it was good to see them again.

The first night we were there we had famous Weinerschnitzel, (highly reccommended by the missionaries and BYU study aboard students) You can't really tell from the photo but those pieces are two deep and cover the plate. Talk about great doggies bags. Took us 3 days just to finish them!

We didn't have much time for sight seeing but what we saw was gorgeous. We visited Karlsplazt and Sisi's summer palace. (An Austrian queen) I tell you what, that girl knew how to live, I'd love to see her permanent residence. If you're wondering about the elegant "fleece-blanket" wrap. Somebody's mother didn't tell her to take a warm coat to Vienna. But I did stay snuggy warm and recieved all kinds of comments from the couples we were with: "Strange blanket woman seen in Vienna. Blanket woman appears to have been abducted by people in black suits and coats."