Czech food; Site of Defenstration of Prague

Yesterday set out first to New Town Hall (built in 1400s, to give you some perspective) to see the site of the first defenstration of Prague. If I have my facts straight, a few officials were thrown out the window to their death -- Hussites. I will look this up again and get back since the facts aren't clear in my head. Ernst mentioned this a few times so we thought it best to find this site.

We also stopped at a coffee shop so that Max could help Fiona with her application to the Czech FAMU. Fiona is Swiss, speaks 4 languages, and is now learning Czech so she can attend FAMU for free. Brains bigger than mine.

We had two amazing Czech meals yesterday. I think I like the food, but one must go lightly because it is so heavy. Really it is not good for you, but is satisfying as long as you don't eat so much that you feel that lump in the stomach. Also it is very slow to digest, so you don't have to eat many meals.

See photos -- beer cheese, pig tail, goulash, fried cheese, and potatoe pancakes.

The Nutcracker Chrstmas Carol; Attempted Shopping

But first, let's talk dogs. In Prague, most dogs are leash-free. And surprisingly all dogs are well behaved. I even saw a dog in the subway -- no leash. How can this be?

It's really kind of cute. I read in the guidebook that dogs are now supposed to be on leash, but most people disobey. Max says that dogs universally follow their master's directions -- i.e., sit under the table at this restaurant etc.

The ballet was a quite different version of the Nutcracker, it is based on both the Nutcracker and Christmas Carol stories. Scenes of note: Scrooge throwing the contents of his bedpan at the Christmas carolers (never in the U.S.), and my favorite, the bed filled with 10 children in the middle of the woods. So cute, reminds me of a cartoon from the 30s-40s.

Sitting in my row were an international assortment of military men and their wives. The men were in full regalia. My favorites - the turban and the guy with spurs on his shoes.

Before the ballet, I really tried to shop. I went to three Christmas markets and actually saw interesting stuff, just not motivated to buy. Went to many shops (botanical, beads, porcelain), but nothing inspired me. So I guess shopping will have to be limited to my last day here.

Christmas markets -- rows of wooden stalls sprinkled all over the city, particularly at the foot of cathedrals. Standard items for sale are sausages, cooked for eating now and raw, mulled wine, rum, brandy, and Tredlink. Tredlink are cylinders of sweet pastry made by wrapping dough around a stick and roasting on a fire. They are covered with cinnamon and sugar and they are very good and fresh.

I'm finding that when I'm alone, I prefer eating at the Christmas markets, but then the weather has been perfect. Today calls for rain so we will see how attractive this seems.

Pork Products?

After yesterday's march, had a much quieter day. Max picked me up at my flat at 1:30 and we took the tram to Namesti Republika. We were both hungry so went for another traditional Czech pub. It was charming and the menus were in Czech. They did bring us one in English. I ordered the special of he day - a pork stew with cabbage with dumplings and Max ordered a bacon/beef dish. I ate maybe half of mine and felt that heaviness in the belly begging me to stop (see photo of dish).

Next we went to the Cubist coffee shop for coffee and sacher torte. I love that there was no pressure to actually see the cubist museum or understand the movement. We just ate the food. I reallly love these European coffee houses with their cranky waiters in long aprons. I do feel like I am somewhere different.

Max and I shopped for pants (his) in the British department store and then walked to FAMU which is stunningly situated on the river overlooking the Prague castle. How spoiled must everyone be with this view such a common part of life.

Max took me to the cheap restaurant beneath FAMU where we had only beverages due to the pork earlier in the day. After meeting a Turkish couple, a Costa Rican, a Macedonian and a real Czech, we walked back to Namesti Republika. By then, of course, we were starving so we had to have another sausage from yesterday's stand. $2.50 and you can't really eat anything else.

Tomorrow is shopping and the ballet.

Grand tour

Max took me around to get a survey of the city. We started with a sausage -- for sale on the street at the Christmas market. They serve you a very large sausage with two pieces of rye bread and mustard or ketchup. Max said that the sausage was unusually good. It did taste very good going down, and it made me stomach feel great for the first hour. Afterwards, though, my tummy did feel a bit overloaded owing to the 4 ozs of fat floating around in there. But we needed it to get through the day.

Our first stop was the Jewish quarter -- jam packed with tourists. The area was unbelievably charming with ancient synagogues and a cemetary that had many many tombstones. For 300 crowns ($15) you could see inside each synagogue and museum, but there were lines for everything. Maybe when I'm alone? I do want to see inside the Spanish synagogue - it looked so lovely online`. Note picture of Max with the statue of Franz Kafka. Max took me to a restaurant where Kafka and Einstein used to hang out (separately?) called the Louvre. It's a huge cafe with billiards in a series of tall tall rooms with plenty of ornamentation. I ordered tea, Max coffee. Each of our orders came with five dishes: teapot, tea strainer, tea strainer holder, tea cup and saucer, pitcher of hot milk and sugar bowl. Coffee comes with hot milk, sugar, hot water. So elegant, so many dishes. I want to go back and eat at that restaurant, but could not due to earlier sausage consumption.

Next we walked to Max's school, FAMU, and peered through the window. He tells me there are three restaurants in the building, all sharing the same kitchen, all with different prices serving the same food. One tfor tourists, one for students, and I guess one for Praguians (Pragueanistas?).

We crossed the bridge (not the Charles- it was groaning under the weight of tourists), but the other --Most Legii -- and walked through blocks of heartbreakingly beautiful buildings up to the castle. The complex is spectacular from afar, and lovely when you're there. It is a number of buildings, cobblestone streets, etc. all surrounding a huge cathedral.

The cathedral is called St. Vitus. We went in and I was going to light a candle for my brother, but a ticket was required to move into the church. That is the first time I've seen admission only churches (and you have to buy a ticket for everything, not just the church). At any rate, the gargoyles are wonderful -- full bodies extending horizontally that function as rain gutters with the water pouring out of their mouths. Lovely image that would scare away any sensible spirit.

After all of this (and very very sore feet on my part) we stopped at a pub called "Lokal" and had a snack. Bohemian soup with mushrooms had no mushrooms in sight, but flecks of cheese. We also ordered pickled camembert. Beer $1; coffee $2.50.

We hopped a trolleycar to Max's place and climbed up the stunning circular staircase to his flat on the fifth floor. I passed out for a few hours, my feet throbbing from the miles of walking in new boots. All the flats here are beautiful with high ceilings and giant double doors leading from room to room. The flats have separate toilet rooms, and then the bath itself is in a room with the laundry. All floors are wood it seems, some new bamboo the old ones of local wood. The windows are all huge and open into the flat.