At the end of our trip to Olomouc in the Czech Republic last month, a new friend gave me a cookbook. I was thrilled! Inside were recipes for many of the foods we'd been enjoying on the trip.
Eli and I decided to host a "Czech Gummy Party" to share some of the treats we brought home. And we decided to bake Bábovka, a marble cake that we enjoyed many times on the trip.
When we visited people's homes for a meal, not only did we make new friends and eat many yummy things, but people also often gave Eli candy. Eli decided to save it all and take it home to share with friends. He divided everything so everyone would have a chance to try the treats. The hosts who shared their home with us gave us cookies, and we shared those too.
The big white gummies with the funny faces are called "Milk Ghosts."
Everybody loved the treats! The gummies were brought home were softer and more flavorful than United States versions. The big hit was the "Milk Ghosts."
In addition to the treats, we put out games that we brought back with us. The favorite was the "Hopping Hat" game when you use a flipper to launch small cone-shaped hats to try to land in a rack to collect points. But a wooden block puzzle that someone gave Eli was also a big hit as was the Dobble game (matching pictures) and a wooden egg-stacking game. (There are five eggs but the most anyone could successfully stack was three.)
At a toy shop in Olomouc, we found bags of small glow in the dark plastic links that can be snapped together. Both the kids and the grownups loved making long chains.
A good time was had by all and everyone learned more about the Czech Republic. Eli gave everyone a shiny crown coin to take home.
To our Czech friends... We miss you! Thank you so much for the treats and games!