The Gingerbread House

One thing about blogging is that you have to be sure about the facts of what you’re writing. With that said, I have to warn you people that my once infallible memory couldn’t be trusted 100 percent anymore since I reached the big three-oh, so I'm not really sure if I could remember this particular experience in detail. I was just viewing our picture files when I remembered about this trip we made with my kids at the preschool during the summer camp barely two months ago and thought I should share this.

The place is called "Perníková Chaloupka" which means Gingerbread House. It is in a small village called Ráby in the district of Pardubice, a two-hour drive from Prague. This is a place best for children as it is inspired by "Hansel and Gretel," the immortal duo who came upon the witch’s house made of gingerbread in the middle of the woods....oh you know the story, don't you?

There is a guided tour inside this big house (no, it's not made of gingerbread at all) which has the following stops:

-the steel bars with attached holes to measure if your fingers are fat enough for you to unfortunately become the witch’s yummy dinner.

- a miniature house made of gingerbread. In this room the children will be told stories and be asked some questions though I didn’t understand anything because it was in Czech. But judging from the kids' expressions and enthusiastic replies, I knew they were having a grand time.

- the witch’s lair. This room is pitch-dark with skeletons and dead people everywhere... Oh, not for real. Just dummies he-he. If your kid is afraid of the dark, better skip this room but none of our kids cried so go ahead, have fun with this one...

- the baker’s room. They will show you how to make the gingerbread with all those intricate designs. I remember the smell of this room. It was heavenly.

- the showroom. Amazing how they could turn a gingerbread into a winter wonderland.

- Heaven and hell. When we went there heaven was still under construction but hell has long been finished. Fabulous. It was soo hot inside this room with red lights and scary-looking "people." My kids' reaction? "It’s not so bad at all."

After the tour each of us was given a gingerbread to eat. What’s good about this place is there is a castle or ruins of a castle on top of a hill which is just a few minutes walk through the woods. There is also like a farm where goats and some ostrich are roaming around. I have to admit it wasn’t just the kids who enjoyed this trip, I had a fantastic time as well.

For more info about this place, visit http://www.pernikova-chaloupka.cz/.