The Culveys… Czeching In - Nov 2003

Firstly, we’re sorry, this is the best title we could come up with this morning!!

So, we’ve been in Prague now for just over a month and we’re starting to settle in. Hopefully this week will see the arrival of our furniture from Korea so we can stop using cardboard boxes as coffee tables etc! This part has probably been the hardest, you just don’t realise how important all that furniture is until all you have is an uncomfortable sofa, a couple of garden chairs and a bed!

Lyra is doing great, especially considering that she hasn’t had anything comfortable to sit on! She’s 31 weeks gone now (and I mean she’s really gone!), we’ve had a check up with our new Doctor in Prague, who’s great, and everything is fine. Antenatal classes start next week!!

We are really pleased with our house and the village we live in, Pruhonice (pronounced   Proo-ho-nitsa) has everything we need, good restaurants, a couple of pubs, and even it’s own Castle!

My new job is going great, lots to learn, and even more to do! But the people are keen and want to get things moving so we should have a few years of fun ahead. 

Prague itself is every bit as nice as people tell you, it has a real fairytale look about it in the old centre with lots of weird Communist offerings around the edges. It’s going to take years to try all the restaurants here, but we’re doing ok on the bars thanks to England’s triumphant run in the recent World Cup (Go Jonny!!), oh how sweet can victory be when you snatch from an Aussies hands!! Sorry mustn’t go on about it!!

One big difference we have noticed since arriving is that getting anything done takes a month, you name it, internet connection (boo hoo no broadband!), cat flaps..nothing happens quickly, even my visa is taking forever to get!

Well we are getting ready for our first visitors next week, beautifully timed to coincide with the arrival of our furniture! My Mum & Dad, arrive on Thursday for 5 days of getting in our way while we try and sort out the house! Only joking, can’t wait to see them really!

Now I’m sure there are a few of wondering… what about the cats!! Well unfortunately they made it too! In fact it was a breeze, at immigration in Prague airport they were only interested in giving them a stroke!! Obviously we’re delighted it was as pain free as possible and they are already spending time checking out the neighbourhood, and avoiding the enormous Doberman next door!!

Well apart from the 1st week the weather has been unusually mild (so we’re told) but any day now the winter is due to set in and a few months of freezing temps, snow and ice await us. So were buying lots of fur lined boots and thick coats in anticipation of it all.. surely it can’t be colder than Korea! Can it!

So that’s it for now, we’ll drop you all another note in a couple of months when I think there is a bit of an important event happening…. Oh yeah the birth of our Baby! 9 weeks to go!!

For now though here is all of our contact info:

Address:

Na Michovkach II / 690
252 43 Pruhonice
Czech Republic.

Phone:
Home: +420 267 751 459
Ly Mob: +420 721 235 949
Dan Mob: +420 724 008 211

Email:
Lyra: lyrac@seznam.cz (hotmail is still working but very slow)
Dan: danculverhouse@seznam.cz 

That just leaves us to say ‘have a wonderful Christmas & new year, looking forward to seeing you soon’.

And Lyra just wants to remind you all that it is very cheap to call Prague using Post office phone cards (7p per minute…no excuses!)

Lots of love, Dan, Lyra, Big Bump, and those moggies!

xxxxxxx