A blooming flax field is not a common sight in the Czech Republic. Here’s a picture of a field of flax growing right in front of my eyes as I type from my summer getaway spot.

And a closeup of the pretty flowers:

I went out yesterday in the hope of finding some signs of spring in Prague, considering that the official first day of spring (March 20) is just over a week away.  I ended up at Petřín Hill, which is a favorite place to go for a walk.  Well, it was pretty devoid of people and the weather was cool and cloudy with some rain.  I did not see any buds on the trees just yet.  There were some nice views and the few dogs I saw looked to be enjoying themselves.

Today is December 5th, the eve of St. Nicholas Day or Mikuláš in Czech. We have written about our experience spending a fun Mikuláš evening on Prague’s Old Town Square. This year, we decided to visit a smaller Prague square away from the center. We went to Náměstí Míru in Prague 2. You rarely run into foreign tourists here and the area has quite a local feel. The Christmas market that is put up on the square every year is a small, rather intimate affair and you’ll mostly find Czechs here, shopping for Christmas gifts on their way from work, showing their kids the lights or enjoying a cup of mulled wine and a klobása purchased at one of the stands. Before we headed out this evening, we had expected some commotion on the square, some families with kids and a few Mikuláš-Devil-Angel groups. We got there a little after five and were surprised to find the square literally packed with people. So packed you could hardly move amidst the crowd. People dodged each other, looked for each other, stood in lines to buy sweets, beer, hot dogs… They carried their children in their arms and on their shoulders, or tried to make their way through the crowd pushing strollers. A number of Mikuláš and Devil characters clad in elaborate costumes handed out candy and tangerines to well behaved children. People had fun.

Jeff took some pictures as usual.

The Christmas Market on Peace Square (Náměstí Míru) in Prague opened up last weekend just as some winter weather moved in.  We had our first snow on Saturday.  It was only fitting since last week, while the Christmas Market was being set up, the last remnants of fall were being blown aside and swept up.

The Christmas markets on Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) and Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí) will begin tomorrow.

We updated our Prague Christmas section with the dates and hours of many Christmas markets in Prague.

The varied scenery around the Czech Republic can be appreciated in every season. Fall offers a particular mixture of melancholy and vibrant colors. We’ve been taking lots of walks in the countryside lately and have enjoyed the strange autumn silence, the crisp, transparent air, and the thick, rustling carpets of leaves under our feet. The colors were at their most striking around the middle of October. They changed from green to red to bright yellow and brown in a matter of days and are now mostly faded. Some trees seemed to lose their leaves almost overnight.

Here are some photos that Jeff took on our walks.