Category: Family Journal

An archive of our family’s daily life.

Family Journal: Walking to School

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This week our car has been in the shop and we’ve been forced to walk to school. It is very nice. The boys walk much faster as they are now older and it is easier for us to go. It is also a good family time and we can talk and laugh. When the car comes back today, we might decide to walk instead of ride for now on. The only advantage is that it gives us 10 minutes extra at home. Nadia is shown above on the road to school. Behind them is one of the typical old mansions that fill the neighborhood. 

Monday I took a rare sick day. I had a fever and felt miserable. It was nice to watch Ocean play in the yard with the nanny and later the baby sittter.

Ocean with Ivana in the Yard

Third Place in Sofia, Bulgaria Tourney

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Showing Off the Medals

This weekend the ISB basketball team finished third out of six teams in Sofia, Bulgaria. We were short-handed as you can see with only 7 players making the trip. We also had 4 freshman on the tourney squad. The kids really played well and we lost to the eventual tourney champion in overtime. They played five games in two days. They used the same format as in CEESA events with a running clock, only stopping for free throws and dead balls in the last minute.

We all had a great time. It also gave me a chance to see an old friend from my village in Michigan who lives in Sofia. Overall a fantastic weekend.

Home Sweet Home

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Owen’s Slalom Run, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

It felt like spring today being back in Belgrade after the cold Austrian Alps. Above is a video of Owen’s silver medal performance in the slalom course of his ski school. We are back in Serbia mode and all looking forward to getting back to school tomorrow.

Below is a photo of Ocean at the train out of the Gastein valley. She loved putting the car on the train.

Holidays Ending

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Go!, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Today we say goodbye to Austria and our Ski Week holiday. It was a lot of fun and we’ll remember the good times we had for long to come. On our final full day in Bad Hofgastein, we returned all of the equipment and prepared the car for the way home. We concentrated on cross-country skiing and Oliver and Owen are shown above starting their third race. Yes, the Kralovec boys are competitive like most brothers. Oliver cried when he lost the second time in a best of 3 competition. They both took to it quite well and it is something we hope to pursue in the future.

Ollie Attempting to buy a pack of Marlboro Lights

It was funny to commonly see cigarette vending machines in Austria. They are pretty much banned in the USA due to age restrictions, only being found in some bars or casinos. The Austrians like most Europeans, smoke more than Americans. The machine above was in the hotel lobby. By the way, the Marlboro Lights are 4.80 Euros which is about $6.50 a pack.

We also took the boys for a haircut. Ollie looks like such a little boy. He was sad yesterday when he dropped his skiing medal down the elevator shaft while exiting. He carried around the medal for two days.

Bill’s Thoughts on Skiing

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I rented skis and spent a day on the mountain with friends. We watched our children’s races and had a day of skiing for ourselves. It was a long time since I went downhill skiing and by the end of the day, I felt more comfortable. The runs in Europe are marked blue for easy, red for intermediate, and black for difficult. We mostly went down red and I could handle them. I did feel a bit out of my league on the steeper reds. On our final run from the top to the bottom, I felt the “buzz” of skiing and really was having a great time. To get to the top, one takes a train, then two chair lifts. We skied all the way down to the ski school for the award ceremony. It is amazing how long the runs are. Being from Michigan, with hills and not mountains, I am always impressed with the length and variety of slopes in the Alps or Rockies.

I am not sure however, if the joy I felt on the slopes outweighs the cost and hassle of skiing. Renting the equipment (36 euros) and a lift pass (50 euros) are crazy expensive. The day felt crowded, as there were lines to get on the train and chairlifts, lines for lunch, and lots of people all around. I think there are too few ski areas for the number of people that want to ski. I prefer the solitude and ease of cross-country skiing. It is also a better workout. Downhill skiing is a nice family day outdoors. Nadia will never downhill ski, however. Owen loves it and Oliver I think will like it once he is a bit older. I am still not sure if we will have a ski holiday in the future. Once again, I don’t think the costs and hassles outweigh the fun. I do have a newfound respect for downhill skiing in the Olympics. The speed they attain is amazing. The Austrians are organized the week of skiing was as easy to organize as it could be. We all received lessons (classic cross country, skate cross country, and downhill) and got on the slopes or trails immediately upon arrival.

My lunch on the mountain was great without kids and the wheat beer and “Jagr Tea” was delicious and motivating for my afternoon ski down.

Kralovec Boys Take Gold and Silver in Austria

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Yesterday was the final day of Ollie and Owen’s ski schools. Oliver is shown above with his gold medal. Each group of students did a timed giant slalom course. There was a big awards ceremony at the ski school to wrap up the week. Both boys were in the Schischule Schlosssalm with the crazy mascot, Bobo der Penguin. Ollie came first in his group and Owen came second in his group. Owen’s slalom course was a real one up the mountain. I love it when the Austrians yell that “yup, yup,yup,yup” when the skier begins the course.

Ollie’s Award Ceremony
I’ll post Owen’s slalom run video later when I get a chance.

Family Holiday Continues

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Tired Papa, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Nadia and I really had a great day together on the cross country ski trails. As you can see, our little “ball & chain” (a cute one however) keeps us both busy so we need to swap watching her so the other can ski. We were doing time trials around the 2.5 kilometer loop near the village. Cross-country skiing is a great workout and fun. We watched the races last night from Vancouver- we have a long way to go to beat them.

Heading up the mountain with Owen this morning as both boys have their races in their respective ski schools.

Ollie is getting good

Europeans Love Their Spas

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A classic Euro photo in the hotel spa sandals and robes. With our hotel stay, we have access to the Alpentherme water park. It has an outdoor pool with views of the Alps, water slides, and a children’s swim area. The kids love it. I like walking through the hotel in robe. They even have a “Sauna World” in the water park and in typical European style, it is complete nude. I haven’t mustered the will to visit that part yet. In the Puritanical USA, this would be scandalous.

View of Bad Hofgastein from slopes above the village

Bad Hofgastein is a small town (around 6,000 inhabitants) near Salzburg. It is a major ski resort area and with all of the 278 connecting ski lifts and 860 kilometers of slopes, it is a skiers paradise. Owen is really taking to skiing and I am going up with him tomorrow. Very pricey however, and a two-day ski pass for Owen and I costs 126 euros (ouch). This is definitely a vacation we won’t be doing alot as it is very expensive. We are having a great time however. Nadia and I did some more cross-country skiing today.

Winter Sports Heaven

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Nadia On Cross-Country Skis

We are enjoying our holiday in the Austrian Alps. Bad Hofgastein is a winter sport heaven, especially with the Eurosport coverage of the Winter Olympics, we watch the events at night and then go out and do them during the day. Nadia is pictured above learning how to nordic, or cross country ski. She really liked it and we hope to go for our first ski together today.

The boys have been doing downhill skiing the past couple of days. Owen plans to go up the gondola today for the first time – graduating from the kinderschule. Oliver is doing well and able to stop by himself. Ocean isn’t ready for skis yet, but we put her on the toboggan. I took a lesson in the skating cross country ski technique and plan to get better at it before we head back to Serbia.

Ocean finds parks everywhere

Family Holiday in Austria

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We are pictured above in the train going from M to Bad Gastein. It was the final part of our journey yesterday. We left Belgrade Saturday morning in blizzard conditions and 10 hours later, arrived at our destination.

The kids loved the train. It was the first time I’ve see a train that you could place your car on and then ride up on. Bad Hofgastein is located in the Gastien valley and the shortest entrance to the valley from the south, is a tunnel that goes through the mountain. The tunnel is only for trains, hence why we put our car on the train. The alternative is to drive east and enter from the north which adds an hour and a half onto the journey.  Snowy Belgrade is pictured below – near the entrance ramp to the highway heading to Croatia.

Snowy Belgrade