Bohemian Rhapsodizing: Mirakulum

Nana and Grampa left Tuesday. By Thursday, we were missing the hustle and bustle, the travel and the sightseeing. I mean, it had been 2 days of being back to normal. I needed to plan something, STAT.

I kid. But only kind of. Even I knew we did need to slow down but we also had a beautiful weekend staring us in the face. It was supposed to be a day without rain, and with temps in the mid-70's. We had to get out and enjoy it because those days have been hard to come by lately. And I already had the perfect day trip in mind.

Mirakulum is an open air play space for kids (or those that are kids at heart) about 45 minutes from Prague. The area is 10 hectares of old Soviet training ground that sat unused since the Soviets left the country about 20 years ago. One man had a vision to turn this abandoned wasteland into something that would bring joy back to the area. He bought the land, brought in prison work crews and created something very unique, and endlessly fun.

We arrived just after opening (we learned something from our zoo adventure) and even then had to park out in the boonies. But parking is free and walking is healthy, so we didn't mind. The girls were still skeptical. We took a long car ride, parked and ended up in what looked like an abandoned strip mall. They were not excited. Even I was starting to wonder if the website was all hype. But somehow, behind all of the abandoned soviet buildings, there was a park full of wonder.

Yep, this surrounds the park.

I'm not going to write a lengthy post about the park and what fun it is. I have a lot of pictures that tell the story better than I ever could. What I will do is tell you that if you are ever in Prague for an extended period, this is a place that you should take the kids. It is an adventure, it is history and it is just downright fun. Except for the tanks - that is only an adventure and not a good one with little kids. And it is the only story I will tell in depth...so stick around for it. It is after a bunch of pictures...

There is a shrub maze that is absolutely perfect. It is just large enough, with just enough dead ends and twists to get you good and lost, and it is high enough that the kids can't cheat by looking over the shrubs (but adults can)

Lunch in the park. Stinkerbell's favorite! You can also bring your own food and have a picnic. I was lazy.

This castle is amazing. It has slides, tunnels, poles to swing from, underground tunnels and 4 levels.

The girls were too small. This leads from the top floor, down four stories and into the underground tunnels. The girls giggled when they heard him scream...Guess there was a reason for the height requirement.

A bit apprehensive about the tunnels...at first. My only suggestion - take a headlamp or flashlight with you because they are pitch black. And, as a warning, they can get pretty small. But I can't just let my 4 and 6 year old's wander old Soviet tunnels by themselves.

Was never so thankful for my flashlight app on my phone.

Look how big she looks in there and she is half my size.

Waiting to see if her Papa can actually get out...(I was on hands and knees trying to crawl out)

The climbing structures

Zip line!

This bounce pillow is huge (and there are 3 of them). It measures about 25m x 15m (approx. 75 ft x 45 ft)

GIANT swings (catching the theme here?). I think they are about 60 feet off from the top and swing in an arc of about the same distance. MadHatter loved it - Stinkerbell didn't think she could hold on so she didn't try.

And now - the tank story. Which, if you let MadHatter tell it to you, we all almost died in. See the picture above? This is the tank arriving back after a 10 minute journey around the old Soviet training fields. Everyone, even the kids, look like they had a good time. They aren't all smiling, but they aren't hysterically crying either. I saw this and told B we had to do it. He said next time. I countered with, "we always say that and then there is no next time. When are we ever going to get to ride in a real Soviet Tank, on old Soviet training grounds ever again?" He agreed and we got our tickets.

This is us while loading in. We picked a spot just by MadHatter's left elbow. We figured it was small enough to hold only the four of us (you can see it in the picture above better) and we were in the back. See those smiles - everyone was so excited. Until the engine started and the noise made Stinkerbell shriek in horror (given, she does hate loud noises - how did I not think about the noise factor?). And then we started moving. Slowly at first so we got thrown around with every bit of rought terrain we hit. And it was all rough. The tank picked up speed and I was being thrown into the sides of the space we were in with more and more force. All I was trying to do was not squish MadHatter. As a consequence, I was being beaten to a pulp by this tank. Finally, I pushed her down between my legs, inside the tank, told her to wrap her arms around my legs and hold on tight. Now I didn't have to worry about giving her internal injuries - I just had to worry about mine. Stinkerbell was being held by B, with her legs outside the tank so they didn't get crushed and he was holding on to her as tight as he could while not being thrown around inside the tank himself. It was the longest ride ever. The kids were both screaming and crying, I was in so much pain from hitting the tank with my hips and arms that I could barely walk and I realized that that was the worst idea I had ever had...I keep thinking about it now and I shudder when I think of what could have happened to the kids. I was bruised and battered (and would have the wounds to prove it for the next few weeks). I wonder why no one mentioned to us that the kids might be too little for this, or that it might be dangerous...I do not recommend this to anyone who doesn't have the ability to hold themselves steady in a moving vehicle that is going to pitch you at steep angles, very quickly.

We got off quickly and I apologized a thousand times. And then promised them ice cream. It was the least I could do. MadHatter will still shudder when I mention the word Tank. But enough of the horror...There was more fun to be had.