September 6, 2012

Central European Eats

WordPress statistics show that my posts regarding food are by far the most popular and most frequently visited, consequently, they also require the least bit of writing on my part since they mainly consist of pictures. So, back by popular demand (and because it’s easy), I give you more food porn.
My journey through Europe began with Kiev and ended with Helsinki, in between were 2 months of some of the most incredible food I’ve ever tasted. Central Europe may be best known for its hearty meat dishes and fresh pilsner beer, but I can vouch that there is much more to offer. Since I covered the full longitude of this part of the world I got to sample the changes in flavors that climate can provide as well as differences in land locked versus seafaring countries. Below is a showcase of some of the many different dishes, drinks and delicacies I got to gorge myself on throughout my travels in Central Europe.

The roasted pork knee, a Czech specialty. A reasonable meal for 2 people, the knee joint is slow roasted and traditionally served on a spit over pickled vegetables with fresh horseradish and mustard on the side. This particular knee was consumed in a restaurant below my Prague Hostel (Hostel Orange) off Wenceslaus Square.

Dalmatian Ham, a signature dish of southern Croatia. Despite the name, this ham is indeed made from pig, not from the dog of Disney fame. The ham is simply named for the area of Croatia referred to as Dalmatia. Usually served as an appetizer, the ham is very thinly sliced and has a smooth oily texture. Very similar to Italian Prosciutto, but with a more noticeably smokey flavor. Accompanied by pickled vegetables and washed down with the local pilsner, Karlovacko. This plate was ordered while staying on Vela Luka, an island off the southern coast of Croatia. Not pictured, but also worth trying is the Croatian Pag Island Cheese, as it goes well with the ham.

A classic Croatian dish called Cevapcici, imported from the medieval Ottoman empire. Widely popular in the south of Croatia these finger length sausages are made of seasoned minced meat and served with onions and a red pepper paste. Since this is a fairly representative of Croatian “fast food”, this dish is often accompanied by French fries.

This was an epic Croatian meal that I received at a local kitchen in Vela Luka. On recommendation from my dive master I ordered the “mixed grill”, which, at a modest price of less than $10, provided me with way too much food. There were at least 4 steaks, some beef, some mystery meat. Chicken kebabs and more Cevapcici sausages. The grilled meats were served alongside some grilled veggies and more of that bitter tasting red pepper spread.

What you see above is simply a british style IPA, but what makes it unique is that it was served in a Prague monastery. It is neigh impossible to find a classic IPA in the sea of delicious lagers you find in central Europe, so this hoppy malt beverage was a welcome refreshment. The monastery is the Strahovy Monastery in Prague, situated in between Petrin Park and Prague Hrad. Its quite a hike up a steep hill to get there, but totally worth the effort since I hadn’t had an IPA in over 2 months.

Typical Central European street food, a brat with coarse ground mustard. This little guy was my lunch on a cold rainy day in Old Town Prague. Over 6 inches long and less than $3, it can’t be beat for any other fast food.

This is considered the most typical Czech dish, Roast Pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, or as its called locally: pecene veprove s knedliky se zelim or colloquially vepro-knedlo-zelo. I had this dish most often in Czech Republic, but I found variations of it all over Central Europe. It is essentially a slow roasted meat (beef or pork), smothered in a brown gravy and served alongside sauerkraut with rye seeds and Knedliky which are steamed and sliced bread like dumplings. The Knedliky are everywhere and certainly didn’t fit my idea of a traditional dumpling, these dumplings are more like undercooked bread and can be made from potato or wheat.

This is a chicken and cheese dish traditionally served in Czech Republic. The cheese is a gravy-like concoction and is used quite liberally over the chicken and French fries. Czechs love their cheese. Alongside the esophagus clogging portion of protein and starch were some fresh veggies and raw cabbage. This was served to me in a hole in the wall cafe in Ostrava and I garnered some dirty looks from the waitress/cook/owner when I couldn’t finish the gigantic portion I was served.

Goulash originated in Hungary, but it’s an extremely popular dish all over Central and Eastern Europe. A strange bit of trivia is that the name Goulash means “herdsman” in Hungarian. This pic is goulash from Krakow, Poland, and it was decidedly more tomato based than the beef based goulash I often ate in Czech Republic.

This is more typical street food, sausages and fries. I got this plate in Zakopane, Poland, on perhaps the coldest day of my entire journey through Europe. Zakopane is small skiing village in the southern mountains of Poland and even though it was mid-summer, it was cold and raining. The sausages were welcome nourishment along with the fries, carrot salad and grilled onions.

This is another style of roasted pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, in the Austrian variety. The pork is similarly slathered in gravy and the sauerkraut has the distinct rye flavor and bitterness, but the difference lies in the dumplings. The Austrian style is typically more spiced and textured than the pure white potato dumplings of Czech Republic. I was in Vienna for this meal, at an outdoor cafe while I waited on my clothing to dry at the laundromat next door.

This was perhaps the fanciest goulash I was served, I was at the Pilsner Urquell restaurant in Prague, immediately after my tour of the Staropramen brewery next door. As you can compare with the Polish goulash above, the Czech version is darker in color and served with the traditional Knedliky dumplings, garnished with raw onion. The spicy fresh red pepper bits were a nice touch to the dish and the dumplings blurred the lines between Czech and Austrian dumplings.

The all too typical, liter of beer. This was a small brew-pub next door to my hotel/dorm in Vienna. Great brewing operation and fantastic beer in a city known for its white wines.

This is one of the mainstays of Croatian coastal cuisine, the seafood risotto. This particular risotto was mainly shrimp and mussels in a tomato base. Despite the fact that they always leave the heads on their shrimp, I felt closer to my second home of Charleston than ever with the flavor of local seafood.

Wrapping it up are a trio of lagers from the Staropramen brewery in Prague. Staropramen was by far my favorite beer in Czech Republic and it was awesome to tour the place where it was made, also the second largest brewery in Czech Republic. The tasting room offered fresh cold glasses of all type of lagers they brew. The three pictured are the Dark Lager, the Unfiltered Lager and Granat (special) Lager. Some of which you can only drink at the brewery itself.

Posted in Central Europe, Croatia, Czech Republic, Food, Krakow, Ostrava, Poland, Prague, Vela Luka, Vienna
Tagged Central Europe, Cevapcici, Croatia, Dalmatia, Goulash, Helsinki, Knedliky, Krakow, Ostrava, Pag Island, Pork Knee, Prague, Smoked Dalmatian Ham, Staropramen, Vela Luka, Zakopane
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August 25, 2012

Croatia Divers

A good chunk of my stay in Croatia included a weeklong trip to Korcula (core-chew-la), a small island just south of Split in the Adriatic Sea. In Korcula is Vela Luka, a small harbor town on the western end of the island. With a population of just over 4,000 Croats, Vela Luka is the second largest place in the Adriatic Islands. I journeyed to this small town in order to fulfill a “bucket list” experience – diving in the Mediterranean.

Getting There: I took the Jadrolinja ferry service from Split to Vela Luka for a surprisingly low cost of around $11 (70 Croatian Kuna). Having come from using Thailand’s ferry services rather extensively, stepping into a Jadrolinja ferry ship was the lap of luxury. Upon entering the great hull of the vessel (used for car transport) you take an escalator up to the passenger deck…that’s right, an escalator, stairs are for losers. Once on the passenger level one can choose from a variety of seating options inside the carpeted, teak-wood, air-conditioned interior. There are leather booths, group tables and even massage chairs. There are also several restroom options and a copious snack bar where I ordered 3 too many espressos during the 3 hour voyage. If you’d like to take in the views from outside the air-conditioned comfort there is also a multi-leveled outside viewing/seating deck with shaded areas and picnic tables where you can take in the spectacular island scenery as you cruise by.

Checking In: The Jadrolinja ferry pulled into Vela Luka harbor right on schedule. The next task was to get across the harbor to my destination, Croatia Divers. As I walked along the bay, I encountered the “water taxi”. For 5 Kuna, the water taxi took me and several other travelers across the bay, which was a superior alternative to walking the entire circumference of the bay in the early morning heat. The aquatic taxi dumped us off at its only stop, the Posejdon Hotel and I fixed my gaze on the sign adjacent to the hotel for Croatia Divers. Upon approach it seemed the early morning divers were just getting back in and use of the word Hectic would be an understatement. I walked in the open garage bay door to what appeared to be a counter. People in half stripped wet-suits were buzzing around carrying boxes of gear and rolling carts of oxygen tanks. After standing conspicuously in the middle of this mess for a few minutes, someone finally took note of my existence. Hard to tell of that someone was an employee or client of Croatia Divers seeing as how everyone is either half naked or wearing a salt stained tshirt. My greeter turned out to be Billy, brother of the owner and the general manager of activities during the day. Billy got my info, checked my diving credentials and informed me that since the Posjedon hotel had run out of rooms, I would be put up in a studio apartment one street off the bay. What Billy lacked in hosting ability he certainly made up for with efficiency and a humorous grin. Next on the agenda was getting my equipment. The only piece of diving equipment I carry with my while traveling is my own mask and snorkel as this is commonly the most frustrating (and defective) piece to borrow and its also easy to pack. This means, however, that I do need the rest; regulator, BCD, tank, fins and wetsuit. The only surprise here was getting fitted for a full 5mm wetsuit with hood and booties, which did not give good indication that the water would be warm, contrary to the 90 degree heat of the air.

Staying There: After the rigors of getting checked in and fitted for diving, the studio apartment was a pleasant surprise. Situated on the second level of a local home, the room had air-con, kitchenette and a sizable balcony overlooking the bay. After talking with some of the divers staying in the Posjedon hotel, the private apartment was a much preferred option. Since the only drawback was no easily accessible food option (rook service didn’t extend across the street unfortunately) the next task was to do a little grocery shopping. Another 5 Kuna water-taxi ride and I was back to the busy side of town and easily found several options for groceries. The combination of some local produce stands and a Konsum market proved sufficent for my culinary needs, the only negative being that i couldnt find any eggs…my search for a high-protien breakfast in central europe continues. Since my first dives started early the next morning, I spent the rest of my afternoon relaxing, writing and reading on my porch as the sun set.

Diving There: 7:30am, out front of the Croatia Divers HQ, the sun is already beating down on me and my new dive group; 2 Swedish, 2 Finnish and myself (much smaller groups than in Thailand). The Croatia Divers staff seems busy enough, buzzing around stacking gear and wiggling into wetsuits. The whole scene is a bit of an unorganized mess and I start to get the feeling that this is the norm for international diving operations. I begin to organize my own gear into staging and ensure its all working properly (much of the rented gear from CD is well worn). I experienced one of the regulator hoses explode as a Swedish dive partner turned on her air pressure, it nearly took my eardrum with it, luckliy this is why we check our gear before getting out on the water. After another hour and a half of delays, we were loaded into a rubber raft boat and shot off across the bay to begin a busy day of diving.

The water was a revelation, crystal clear, some of the most incredible visibility I could imagine underwater. If only there was any sea life to see! Despite its awesome visibly and unique underwater geography, the Mediterranean surrounding Croatia is relatively devoid of much life. I did encounter a spattering of fish, mostly smaller than my hand, a few lobsters and a few Octopi. The Octopus was probably the most interesting sea creature to encounter, I would find them hiding in the seabed with only their bulbous heads sticking out. After poking at this protrusion, the Octopus would pop out, squirt some ink and elegantly float away. Perhaps the coolest aspect of diving in Croatia was the underwater geography. There are numerous caves, cliffs and overhangs of rock that really give the diver a sensation of flying. Nothing like coming over a ledge drop-off to look down into a clear blue abyss. Another surprise (to me at least) was the temperature of the water. I mentioned getting fitted for a 5mm wetsuit with all the trimmings, but when I first jumped in, the water on the surface was as warm as the air. Even through my first dive of up to 18 meters the temperature didn’t change all that much and I found myself suffocatingly hot. It wasn’t until my second dive of the day did I realize the necessity. 20 meters and below you reach a thermocline that drops the temperature of the water dramatically. It goes from bath water warm to ice cold immediately. It created an interesting spa-like sensation when you are floating over rock formations, dipping into and out of the temperature change and having your body freeze and thaw repeatedly. During one of my dives I was able to tag along on an extra deep dive of 40 meters (I’m only certified to 30m), after spending 20 minutes at 38 meters, I was frozen solid, but it was an incredible feeling to rise back to the warm water and sun above…or maybe I was just slightly Narced.
I got to dive in a variety of locations, such as St. Ivans, Papillion and the Saddle, but there were several dive sites (mainly the caves) that I had researched beforehand and yearned to visit. Unfortunately dive sites have to cooperate with the weather and just like my time diving in Thailand, Croatia also experienced some unusual winds and stormy seas. I tried to inquire (politely) about extending my diving experience with Croatia Divers, if I was able to visit a few of these aforementioned sites. Billy beat around the bush for quite a bit, but ultimately I came to understand that the chances were slim to none, because of the weather history. I appreciate that no false promises were given, but he could have been more direct about it.
All in all, my experience with Croatia Divers was a good one. Despite what some people may have written on sites like TripAdvisor, I found the staff to be kind and welcoming. In fact, almost every night of my stay in Vela Luka I shared either a meal or drinks with members of the staff. The equipment was well worn, but also well loved, of course you are welcome to bring your own. As for their knowledge of diving and instruction, I didn’t find a shortage. Each of my instructors (I worked with almost all of them) gave me the essential rundown and answered any technical or naturalistic questions I asked. The instructors also provided me with a great deal of autonomy, from my equipment to my dives, which was great for me as I learn better by experience. It’s always a pain to have dive instructors looking over your shoulder and scrutinizing your every move. The price was indeed negotiable and I felt I got a good deal, including a great place to stay for the week. I did my negotiating online through email with Marjolein, one of the owners. I highly recommend this method, emailing and requesting a package deal. I would totally reccomned diving the Med to any avid diver, despite its lack of sea life and its chilly depths, it’s an awesome experience to behold. As for Croatia Divers, it’s a mixed bag, I enjoyed my situation, but I can understand a beginner having a rough go of it. If you are an advanced diver with a good attitude, you will have no issues, only a great time.

Eating There: When I wasn’t living it up with my dive team, I spent my evenings walking the tight tiered streets, lined with white stone houses filled with local Croats having dinner on their porches, talking and laughing. It was really a unique experience to see the island life played out in a small town. Locals living off the land or the sea and having their family vacations together just as we do back home. I was lucky enough to befriend the dive boat operator, a Vela Luka native named Bruno. Bruno enthusiastically showed me around the small town in exchange for workout tips (he was an aspiring fitness guru). Bruno introduced me to numerous residents and the local club scene (3 bars). I also have him to thank for one of the most satisfying meals of my life. When you wake up at 5am to get ready for a morning dive, a wholesome breakfast is generally pushed asunder, and after a rigorous day of hauling equipment, sucking canned air and baking in the sun, I can assure you that you will want to eat your weight in calories. After a few days of near collapse from starvation as I searched for a lunch big enough to quench my ravenous appetite, Bruno directed me to an innocuous looking cafe (aka someones house) filled with locals only. Once seated, the waitress didn’t hand me a menu or ask me what I wanted, the food just started coming out. First: A gigantic bowl of soup, literally a serving for a family in a huge salad bowl. It was mainly broth, but lurking at the bottom were deliciously al-dente spaghetti noodles. After polishing off the soup, I was the served the customary liter of Karlovacko along side a big bowl of sliced cabbage in vinegar (same as cole slaw) and a plate of tenderized pork chop with mashed potatoes slathered in gravy. To top it all off, the entire meal (including beer) was only 40 Kuna ($7). This meal definitely makes my top 10 all time.

I’ll say it again: forget Italy, head straight to Croatia.

Posted in Central Europe, Croatia, Diving, Food, Sporting, Travel, Vela Luka
Tagged Adriatic Sea, Croatia, Croatia Divers, Croats, Diving Croatia, Hrvatska, Jadrolinja, Karlovacko, Korcula, Kuna, Mediterranean, Mediterranean Octopus, Narced, Papillion, Posjedon Hotel, Split, St. Ivan's, Vela Luka
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August 7, 2012

Meet Croatia

Just as I was beginning to fall for Vienna, I leave to continue on my jouney south. While vagabonding, I’ve often found it to be the case where as soon as I get a handle on a country’s currency, language and customs I decide to bound off somewhere new to repeat the process all over again. Comfort and familiarity are always a fingertip away from this travelers reach, but that is the key to much of the excitement I get to experience. I do think I am getting better at the adjustment period with each successive place I visit. I like to think its a bit like the technological progress of mankind: with each new development the next comes exponentially sooner. This day, I start my adjustment to Croatia, or as the Serbo-Croats call it Hrvatska.

Inside a cramped but interestingly retro (a nice way of saying old) sleeper car, with 2 British travelers, the bittersweet memories of Vienna faded quickly when I awoke at dawn to the gorgeous scenery of the Croatian countryside gliding past my train car. I found myself glued to the window from the moment I wiped the sleep from my eyes and adjusted to the misty daylight. Piney green rolling hills gave way to mounds of arid Balkan splendor. Soon the deep blue, crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean came into view and squat towns filled with red roofed homes gained in frequency as my train approached the city of Split, Croatia.

Hopping off at the Split train station at 7am, energized by my new surroundings, I headed off to the waterfront to find food and my requisite daily caffeine dosage. I’ve come to terms with the fact that it is incredibly difficult to find a decent high-protein breakfast in this part of the world, so I find myself sitting in a seaside coffee bar listening to Bob Marley and eating a breakfast of Americano and croissant. Entering into the, “coffee culture”, part of Europe, starting in Vienna and now in Italian influenced Croatia, there are always outdoor locations with loads of patrons sitting outside in lovely cafes, but no one is eating, only sipping piping hot espresso and nibbling on a biscotti or two. This can be immensely frustrating when you have a growling belly and each cafe looks like a shining oasis to your hunger.
Many people (especially Americans) ask me, “why Croatia?”. Easy answer: culture, language and currency. It also helps that the city of Split is the San Diego of Croatia, lots of sunshine with a high of 86 and predictions of less than 2″ of rain in July. In comparison, many of the seaside towns of Spain, France and Italy have been culturally decimated by tourism. It’s difficult to find an ounce of authentic food or craftsmanship amidst the hoards of cruise boat tourists and gypsy vendors trying to appease them with unauthentic imported crap. While Croatia hasn’t entirely flown under the radar of the tourists and gypsy touts, they still remain a pleasant minority. I imagine that the Croatian coast is what Italy used to be 10-20 years ago. Split goes by several local nicknames; “the most beautiful city in the world” and “city of champions” to name a few. The latter name stems from the numerous athletes that call the city home. The city is drenched in the colors of the local soccer team, Hajduk, and murals to the team are painted around every corner of its cramped streets.

Many in my generation may recall the championship Chicago Bulls teams of the 90s, which included one of my favorite role players of all time, Tony Kukoc, also a Split product and also a Champion.
In southeast Asia, no matter what area I found myself in, my eardrums were always bombarded by the same techno-pop top-20 playlist, I was relived to discover that the Croats of Split seem to enjoy 70s easy listening music and a variety of shag-similar beach music, instead of the pulse pounding house beats I was so tired of hearing in Asia. The language is Croatian (obviously) and is a typical Slavic language, but this also meant that many of the words I learned in Czech Republic and Poland were applicable here (or a close variation), so I wasn’t completely lost in translation. It can also be noted that since Split is a beach town that many non-western tourists frequent, many of the essential signs and menus are translated. As for my third reason listed above, currency, Croatia isn’t using the Euro, they stick by their own mint, the Kuna. The exchange ratio is favorable to the USD which makes my budget happy. Coming from Euro dominated Vienna, it was like going outlet shopping for everything from sunglasses to food.
Another aspect of the culture is the food; a unique mix of Italian and Greek influence, judged by my western palate. Dinner is typically eaten very late, usually 9pm or later, I found myself sitting alone in deserted restaurants around 7pm on more than one occasion. After a few nights of adjustment, I realized that this schedule meshes with the eating habits bestowed upon me by my family. Back in the US of A I usually took my supper at 10pm. An important part of the Croatian dining experience are carbs, lots of em’. They force bread on you at every meal, I made the mistake of turning it down once, only to receive a confused scowl in exchange. In short, I’m eating ice cream, bread and pasta every day, a far cry from my usual eating habits, but hey, it’s all locally sourced and organic so it can’t be all that bad. The “must try” dishes in Croatia are Gnocchi and Risotto, I had the best Gnocci I’ve ever tasted at Bon Apetit, an eatery located within the Diocletian Palace walls of Split.

Handmade nuggets of gnocchi pasta slathered in a gorgonzola cheese sauce and accompanied by a bowl of fresh black olives. I could eat this dish once a week for the rest of my life. The risotto of the Croatian coast comes in many varieties, including the famous Black Risotto, usually served with puffer fish. My personal favorite was the shrimp scampi risotto, the only drawback being that Croats prefer their shrimp with head and exoskeleton intact. After the first few I just decided to go with the crunchy flow and wash it all down with the cold Karlovacko.

For a Latin geek like me, Split is also a visual gold mine. Split was originally an ancient greek colony called Aspalathos in the 6th century BC and later became known more famously for the retirement palace of Diocletian in AD 305. The palace and its walls still stand today, built from local limestone and marble of high quality, and they surround the many shops, eateries, hotels and monuments of the city center. In old town Split, restaurants and hotels leave their walls exposed in order to showcase the white stone and mortar of the ancient Diocletian palace. Archways adorn almost every entryway and window and the white cobblestone has become slick as glass due to heavy foot traffic for centuries. The palace was constructed to be Diocletian’s retirement home, after he almost died of an illness, making him the first Roman Emperor to voluntarily remove himself from office. The palace is rectangular in shape and surrounded on all sides by 70 ft walls. Over the centuries the interior of the palace has been built to house more and more tightly constructed buildings, making way for cramped but romantic streets for foot traffic only. At one point, the walls of the palace enclosed a population of 10,000. Of course these days the palace marks the center of a much more sprawling city of Split and is the epicenter of tourism and cultural heritage, making it a UNESCO World Heritage Monument.

The last two photos above show the Emperors apartments and religious buildings, including Diocletian’s mausoleum, now transformed into the Cathedral of St. Domnius. The stairs of the bell tower of the cathedral can be climbed (for a small fee) and it reveals some incredible views of the surrounding palace, city and ocean.

Next to the cathedral is the Peristyle, a monumental court that gives central access to the Emperors religious buildings. The Peristyle is also home to a couple of authentic sphinxes, imported from Egypt by Diocletian.

Of course this area is now the center tourist attraction and meeting spot for all tourist activity within the palace walls, however, I was surprised to discover how alive the palace seemed to be with local activity of residents pruning their gardens, tending to their homes and attending local fish markets. Even with the periodic influx of tourists, life goes on as usual within the palace walls for many Split citizens, as it has for centuries. From togas to t-shirts.

Not far from the palace is the recreational park of Marjan Hill, established by Diocletian for the many residents and servants of his palace grounds. Still a very important cultural and recreational landmark for Croatians. I took on the steep climb on a hot day in order to soak in one of the best vistas in Croatia.

In the evenings, the palace is tastefully illuminated and walking the tight streets sometimes transported my imagination back to the Classical times.

It also helped that I experienced one of the coolest hostel experiences in my travels. I stayed at the Diocletian Palace Hostel, built into the ancient limestone walls and just a couple hundred feet from the Peristyle. The hostel lobby and restaurant are fashionably modern and the staff extremely friendly. The rooms, however, depend on your co-occupants. As you can see below, my lodgings were a bit unkempt due to a rambunctious group of young Austrians.

All in all, Split was awesome. One of my favorite travel spots and a place I could seriously consider long-term. The only thing I wouldn’t recommend….don’t get an I heart split t-shirt…for obvious reasons amongst English speakers.

Posted in Central Europe, Croatia, Food, Sightseeing, Split
Tagged Balkan, Black Risotto, Cathedral of St. Domnius, Croat, Croatia, Diocletian, Diocletian Palace, Diocletian Palace Hostel, Gnocchi, Hajduk, Hrvatska, Karlovacko, Kuna, Marjan Hill, Mediterranean, Peristyle, Scampi Risotto, Sphinx, Tony Kukoc, UNESCO World Heritage site
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July 20, 2012

Ostrava: Slavic faces, Beautiful places

In my travels I’ve been lucky enough to make new friends and connect with old friends along the way. I tried my best to set up a network of couch surfing in order to release some tension on my bank account and (selfishly) give me built in tour guides to various foreign cities. It’s a highly recommended strategy for any of you would-be vagabonds. Ostrava is one such location and Chris is one such friend. Chris and I worked together at our former Amazon subsidiary, but have both since moved on to greener pastures. Chris’s pasture is currently Ostrava, where he works as a consultant and lives a life of central European luxury in an interesting Czech town that most would not consider to be on the top ten sightseeing tours. Ostrava is within 2 hours of the Polish border and is Czech Republics 3rd largest city.

A key contributor to energy production, you can see the remnants of the old communist coal mining town that once was. In present day the city has closed its black coal mines and now focuses on more modern methods of energy production and metallurgy, giving it the nickname of “the steel heart of the republic”.My time on Chris’s couch (usually sharing it with his Puggle, Lolly) was well spent as I got to explore a city outside the typical tourist circuit and indulge in more authentic Czech cuisine, scenery and nightlife.

The highlights of my Ostrava stint include visiting Stramberk castle, a wakeboarding park and several nights spent on the raucous Stoldoni street. Since Chris was given a company car (a sweet Audi)

he was kind enough to take me to see some sighs outside the city. As I was getting adjusted to the feeling of simply riding in a car again, we were speeding down the unpatrolled Czech highways at over 100mph. One of our first stops was a small lake, which contained a tow-rope wakeboarding park.

As I normally spend my summers wakeboarding in SC, I eagerly jumped at the chance to try my hand here. Fun ensued, which calls for a video:

Chris also took me to nearby Stramberk, a small town in the Moravian-Silesian region. It lies on the slope of a forested lime hill, dominated by the Trúba castle tower. Because of the town’s location, its many historical buildings and a unique collection of timbered houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, the town has nicknamed the Moravian Betlehem. Nearby there is the Sipka Cave where Neanderthal child bone remnants were discovered.

The Czech castles I visited were decidedly different than those of picturesque fame, these castles seemed more rustic and functional. Old and medieval, most lacked the flair of their western European counterparts but made up for it in history and authentic style. Just below the castle tower in Stramberk, I was able to enjoy some delicious Czech potato pancakes with strong sheeps cheese and a skewer of bacon wrapped chicken. Washed down with the darker variety of Czech pilsner, the delightfully roasty but clean finishing Kozel.

To cap it all off, just outside of Stramberk Chris and I got to visit the teadional Czech home of his ladyfriends mother in Koprivnice. There we were showed incredible hospitality and given a variety of snacks, including fresh fruit and one of the best (and largest) pineapple (ananas) cakes I’ve ever tasted.

One of the more enigmatic attractions I Ostrava is the infamous, Stoldoni street. Every Friday night, young and old flock to this one street lined with bars and clubs. Czech youth will travel from hours away by train, bus and car just to see and be seen on Stoldoni.

Around 2am the street becomes completely packed, a mass or drunken humanity, I’ve seldom seen anything like it. Perhaps the closest comparison would be Halloween night on Franklin St in Chapel Hill, but the mayhem on Stoldoni occurs EVERY Friday night. Everyone is throwing back cocktails and the popular local pilsner, Ostravar, followed up by dancing, rabblerousing, tail-chasing and most likely a Doner Kebap for fourth-meal. The bars don’t close until sunrise as the out of towers stumble back onto trains and trams to head back home, wether its 5 minutes or 5 hours away. Even though English speakers are seldom found, you can still notice their love for western style and culture. I experienced this love in the form of many free drinks, which apparently led Chris and I to become victims of a date-rape drug one cloudy night. No need for concern, we don’t think anything happened to us as we both woke up in Chris’s hotel with our clothing and belongings in tact. The situation simply led to a, “The Hangover”, type aftermath where we spent the entire next day trying to figure out who, what, when, where, why and how we ended up in that condition. Earlier that night, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at a concert on Stoldoni, here is a quick clip from the Czech bands set, showing their western love with a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s, Superstitious (coincidentally the lead singer is indeed blind):

Posted in Central Europe, Czech Republic, Food, Ostrava, Sightseeing, Sporting, Wakeboarding
Tagged Central Europe, Couch Surfing, Czech castles, Czech Republic, Kozel, Lolly, Moravian Bethlehem, Ostrava, Ostravar, Spika Cave, Stevie Wonder Superstitious, Stoldoni, Stramberg, Truba, Wakeboarding
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July 17, 2012

Train Troubles

I think everyone has that one city that only seems to deal them negative vibes, mine is Katowice. Close to the border with Czech Republic, Katowice is a Polish industrial town and the likely connection stop for any train transport headed through the western border. Being that it is such a hub, you would think they must have a pretty nice station right? Negative Ghostwriter. As I may have mentioned in my last post, Katowice train station is the pits. Confusing, dirty and full of unpleasant shady people, if you find yourself changing trains there, beware.

As I was making my way to Krakow, my nifty EuroCity train came to a halt in Katowice. From there I knew I had to purchase a connecting ticket for the 2 hour remainder of my journey. Sauntering up to the ticket counter I gave my best travelers smile and asked for a ticket to Krakow. In response to my request I received a cold blank stare. I slowly started to repeat myself but before I could finish the attendant was railing off some Polish, printing a ticket and requesting a sum of money. Of course she wouldn’t be bothered to tell me the train number, time of departure or platform, I was summarily shooed off so she could assist the next person in line. Using the sparse information printed on the ticket (most fields were left blank), I consulted the Arrivals/Departures chart and tried to make sense of the mess. Ultimately I went with my instincts and choose the platform I felt was correct in my gut, I’d been lucky so far. Boarding a much older train than the EuroCity (we’re talking 70s era) and taking an unassigned seat in a musty traditional 4 person train cabin, I settled in for what should be the final 2 hour leg. After about an hour, an attendant came by to punch my stub and the suprise in his face said it all, I had obviously gotten on the wrong train. He didn’t speak English, but his hand gestures indicating I was heading the opposite direction of Krakow told me all I needed to know. I gathered from his broken English that at the next stop I would be switching trains, obviously. What I didn’t realize was how quickly that next train would be departing the station. Slowing down for the next station and before the train had come to a complete stop, I was bring urged out the door by the attendant, frantically pointing and trying to express that I needed to get over to the train 2 platforms away. The quickest suggested method; literally jumping 4 feet down into the greasy train tracks and clambering over metal and concrete with my bag slung over my shoulder… 10 heart-pounding seconds later I made it into the other train just as the car was lurching forward. Relieved to have made it, but frustrated by my mistake, I found a seat and prepared for what would now be a 4 hour trip instead of 2 hours.
6 days later when it came time to leave Krakow, I was headed this time to see a friend in Ostrava, Czech Republic. A shorter journey than before, I approached the ticket counter brimming with confidence, but there it was again, an ominous connection in Katowice. Since there was no direct train with Ostrava, I had to book a ticket to Katowice and hope that I could get my ticket to Ostrava from there. A decent train and a fairly smooth ride to Katowice, so far so good. Once I reached Katowice I again approached the sour old crone in the ticket booth, this time she had pleasure of informing me that the only train departing for Ostrava would be at 11:57pm. At the time it was around 1:00pm. Since I was already there and had no other apparent option (Katowice is apparently technologically isolated as well, so no WiFi) I bought the ticket. Ostrava was literally only 2 hours away, but I wasn’t about to start hitchhiking. So now I had about 12 hours to waste in a small Polish town with no Internet and hardly any English, oh well, Ive had worse layovers in airports. I spent a few hours walking around the area to try a little sightseeing. Once my shoulders were sufficiently aching from the weight of my pack I stopped that nonsense and took a seat on a bench in a quaint little city park.

There I ended up staying for a good portion of my day, reading and people watching. It’s always interesting to watch people in a foreign country just going about thier business. There were moments I felt as if I was back in the States, but then a passing gypsy or doner kebap vendor would remind me I was still far from home. Needless to say, I got pretty darn bored by the end of that day and as day faded into night I sought refuge in a nearby restaurant. The one positive of the purgatory that was Katowice was that restaurant. I was the only customer and they didn’t serve beer (which at this point I really wanted) but I had the most incredible Polish pancakes stuffed with ham, strong cheese and mushrooms. They looked like burritos but they were far from it.

Finally, the witching hour had arrived and I boarded my midnight train to Ostrava. It was supposed to be only a 2 hour ride, putting me at my destination around 2am, just enough time to meet my friend Chris for some post-bar late night food. However, Katowice still wasn’t done messing with me. At around 1am I was waging war against the pull of sleep. I couldn’t afford to doze off and miss my stop in Ostrava. I tried music, reading and finally resorted to standing up in the train car. Coming down the home stretch I was starting to lose the battle with the sandman, then we came to an abrupt stop. I looked out the window to confirm that we were not yet in Ostrava and indeed, we were only in a dark train stop somewhere in the outskirts of town. We were stopped 10 minutes, then 20, then 40. When the delay mounted to 2 hours my curious confusion turned to outward rage, but I was too sleepy to do anything about it. Besides, there was literally no one around to ask, or punch. I surmise that this stop was in order to switch tracks and split the train, but an announcement confirming that would have been nice. 4am came around and finally I felt the forward movement of the train. From that moment it was only about 15 minutes to the final stop at Ostrava Hln. I could have walked…oh well, the sun was rising and I hadn’t slept in close to 24 hours. I was simply looking forward to laying down my pack and getting some rest. Hopefully I’ve seen the last of Katowice, but I get the feeling it’s going to be like a bad penny, considering I will be traveling back toward Poland in a few weeks…

Posted in Central Europe, Poland, Rants, Travel
Tagged Czech Republic, EuroCity, Katowice, Krakow, Ostrava, Poland, Rants, Train Travel, Trains, travel
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July 15, 2012

Krakow

Whilst thoroughly enjoying myself in Prague, I got an invitation from my buddy Jon to visit him in Krakow, Poland. Jon informed me that he would be heading back to the USA in less than 4 days so since I wasn’t doing anything THAT important, I simply told him to expect me in Krakow that evening. The journey to Krakow started at Praha Hlavni Nadrazi (or just Prague Hln. train station), aboard a sleek EuroCity train. The EuroCity train was in stark contrast to the trains I’ve been riding in Asia. Smooth, fast (200mph) and comfortable, it was certainly the nicest train I’ve ever been on and upped the ante on my concept of public transportation worldwide. All the trains were impeccably clean, on-time and stops were announced clearly in a variety of languages. It was quite the luxurious 6 hour ride, the only hiccup happened when I crossed the border into Poland and stopped in Katowice for a train transfer. Katowice train station ranks very low in my list of transport depots, even compared to third world Asian countries. It’s confusing, dirty and full of unpleasant people. The attendants were rude and uncaring and it was glaringly apparent they hated their jobs more than the guy who cleans the portable toilets. Due to their inability to assist me, I relied on Polish arrival/departure lists (essentially my own intuition) to determine my next train platform. Needless to say, there was some confusion, but I’ll be elaborating on that in my next post.
When I finally arrived in Krakow, it was 2.5 hours later than I had told Jon. Unfortunately I had no way of updating him to my situation, since getting WiFi on the train was not possible. Luckily, the train station, Dworzec Glowny Krakow, empties into the giant Galeria Krakowska shopping mall where there was poor but serviceable WiFi. I messaged Jon and waited outside in the cool (frankly, COLD) night air for his arrival.
Reunited at last and both relived that i had finally made it, Jon and I set out for a celebratory beer and some renowned Polish food. After having my first half liter of Zywiec and exploring some nightlight, it was too late to find a suitable hotel or hostel for me that night, therefore Jon and I decided it would be a good idea for me to sneak into his dorm residence for the evening. This involved scaling a 10 foot stone wall, capped with broken glass to deter would-be intruders like myself, then shimmying 20 yards on top of the wall in order to drop down 2 levels into the courtyard of Jon’s place. All the while dong this in stealth mode to avoid security cameras. Mission-possible. Aside from a scraped palm i made it in no worse for wear and felt like a total badass. It wasn’t until the next morning when I was walking out the front door, that the security guard stopped me and asked for payment for the night that I had just stayed. Busted, epic fail. Luckily it was only 10 zloty for the night, gotta love student dorms. In fact, it inspired me to extend my stay there in lieu of finding another hotel. In my quest to experience as many different living situations during my travels, I certainly got the student experience in Krakow. For a week, my accommodations were the dorms in the middle of the city, just outside of the Old Town Krakow. I was back at UNC, sharing spartan quarters with a roommate and rubbing elbows with other students in the hallway and elevator.
Aside from the cool residence and getting to hang with my good fried Jon once again, there were 2 standout highlights in Krakow: the food and the EuroCup. The food speaks for itself, I believe Pierogies and sausage are world famous, but I sort of stumbled into the Euro Cup situation. Like any good soccer fan, I had been watching the games and following the action of the tournament, since I was in Asia, but chance would have it that I would end up in two of the host cities during the time of the games. Actually going to a game would have been incredible, but tickets were near impossible to come by so I was happy to settle for watching the games with the locals and fans in the authentic atmosphere. On game night, Krakow sported banners and tents galore, so we grabbed a seat on one of the beer hall benches in the main tent for this weeks round of games, most notably, the quarterfinal PK shootout game between Italy and England. There were tons of fans from each team inside the tent and only a spattering of local Poles and neutrals like me. The game was a tense match and despite the free flowing Zywiec, the atmosphere was amicable even in the end. Here is a quick video of Rooney’s PK make, just before the deciding miss by Ashley Young.

As for the food: after the hearty dishes of Prague, I wasn’t sure how much more my stomach could take, that is untill that first steamy plate of Pierogies was set in front of me. Jon had found the perfect spot: simple Pierogies, boiled, not fried, served by the dozen, for less than $5. Any number of delicious fillings were possible, shredded meat, broccoli, cabbage, potato, cheese, fruit or any combination. I enjoyed the traditional “ruskie” style of cabbage, potato and cheese more often than not.

Polish cusine also relies heavily on soups. Soup is supposed to be eaten with every meal and the Poles traditionally believe that soup is the cure-all for health. Got a cold? There’s a soup for that. Got digestive problems? There’s a soup for that. Got performance issues? There’s probably a soup for that too. I had many differnt soups while visiting, but my favorite was traditional Zurek soup, a sour broth with boiled egg and sausage.

There was also, beet soup, mushroom soup and their own version of chicken noodle soup. To my excitement and the dismay of my emerging belly, pancakes are also a staple of the Polish diet. Potato pancakes (Palcki) with onion and mushroom gravy as well as thin nalesniki pancakes stuffed with sweet or savory fillings.

Probably the coup de grace of my culinary adventure in Poland was when Jon took me to a Polish buffet. You simply load your large plate up with all manner of delicious looking cabbage, dumplings, sausages and potatoes and they weigh it at then end. A feast of epic proportions for dirt cheap.

Of course there were some sights to see around Krakow after my bloated stomach stopped swelling. Jon took me on a thorough tour of the historic Krakow Old Town and the Wawel Castle hill.

The fortified entrance to the Old Town area. Old Town is surrounded by a large castle wall and encircled by a thin strip of green city park. Once you enter the gates you are confronted by tourists and typical tourist shops, but there are many hidden gems in between the cheap souvenir peddlers.

St. Mary’s church, a beautiful gothic structure in the middle of the Old Town Market Square.

Locals playing in the public water fountain in the Market Square on a warm day.

Walking up the hill to the Wawel Castle, the seat of ancient Polish kings and legend has it, the home to a dragon, slain by mythical King Krak. The Wawel was impressive, hosting a variety of domed churches and the remains of the original structure. Of course, there are numerous statues to honor the JP, the most recent Polish Pope. Poland is staunchly Catholic.

Krakow at night. The actual market building of the Market Square and a statue commemorating Polish victory outside of the city center.
My final days and nights in Poland were capped off with a rainy day trip to the mountains of Zakopane, a ski destination during the winter months and during the summer it is supposedly a great place for hiking, biking and hangliding. The weather kept us from actually doing any of these great activities, but we still managed to take the funicular up the mountain and the clouds gave way for a few good pictures. In a strange but familiar way, the vibe of Zakopane kind of reminded me of Maggie Valley, NC, or even Gatlinburg, TN. Lost of local hillbilly flair evidenced by the foods and crafts being peddled by locals.

Lastly there was an interesting night spent in the dorm trying to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew.

It can be done people. Jon was relentless in his efforts and aided by YouTube we tried the shoe method as well as the pounding method, but ended up getting the cork out only halfway before deciding that we better not wake up the whole dorm with loud thumping sounds. So we resorted to the, “gouging with knife”, method. Our persistence was rewarded as we filled makeshift wine glasses and toasted to our time in Poland.

Posted in Central Europe, Food, Krakow, Poland, Sightseeing, Travel
Tagged Dworzec Glowny Krakow, EuroCity, EuroCup, Galeria Krakowska, Hlavni Nadrazi, Katowice, Krakow, Nalesniki, Palcki, Pierogies, Poland, Rooney, Ruskie, St. Mary's, Wawel, Zakopane, Zurek, Zywiec
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July 11, 2012

Czeching into Prague

Still hazy from my late night and early morning in Kiev, my plane touched down in Prague around 8:00am local time. The weather was stupendous and the airport much cleaner and more organized than in Kiev, there was even free WiFi for crying out loud. Taking much less time to compose myself and acclimate to my situation than my experience the previous day, I took a seat and allowed Google to educate me on the best way into the city. I quickly realized that it is incredibly easy to get around in this town. The buses, trams, subway and train all operate on the same universal ticket which you simply purchase for the amount of time you need (15 minutes-1 week). The electric buses ran right up to the baggage claim so I stepped out the double-doors and hopped on the #100 bus. I purchased a 15 min ticket to take me to the subway station at the end of the line, Zlicin (the airport is still quite a ways out of town). Upon arrival to the Zlicin subway station, it appeared that you could simply walk down and hop on the train, no gates, ticket stalls or security attendants. However, me being a good world citizen, I still proceeded to go to the nearest ticket kiosk and purchased a 30 minute pass so that I could get into downtown with time for mistakes. I would later find out that all Czech public transportation runs on the Honor System, a trusting bunch these Czechs are, which surprises me based on their history of being taken advantage of politically. Once on the train I popped in the earbuds and jammed out to my latest playlist until my train stop showed in glowing LED letters above the door. Out and up I went to surface in New Town, Prague.
It only took me a short walk to find my hotel, I was staying on the south end of New Town, in the Vysehrad area. Since I had just capped off 15 hours of travel, punctuated only by a short night in a Kiev hostel, I decided to spoil myself for some R&R at The King Charles Boutique Hotel (still only $40 a night).

Once I was, “Czech-ed”, into my hotel my next goal was to find sustenance. Upon a brief investigation of the establishments in my surrounding area, I thankfully found that Prague had all the things I had been missing in Asia: hearty meat dishes, good beer and gravy, ohhhh lord the delicious gravy. Czechs eat their largest meal at lunch and lucky for me it was about 1pm. I had a heaping plate of dumplings filled with chopped pork, smothered in onions and sauerkraut, along with half a liter of Budvar (the original Budweiser). It goes without saying that I ate myself sick. I like to think it was a situation similar to when someone is lost in the wilderness, facing starvation for a time, and you have to ease them back into normal eating habits or they eat themselves to death. Yeah…that’s it, except my wilderness was filled with rice and mangled bits of chicken. So I guess the 160 pound frame and svelt six pack I sculpted over the past 2 months is now going to waste, but I couldn’t care less this was comfort food to the max. Besides ruining my physique, the change of cuisine did wreak havoc on my GI system as well. I usually consider my tummy to be as durable as a leather saddle bag, but the instant transition from Asian food to heavy central European was a little intense even for me. I still enjoyed every kraut drenched dumpling I shoved down my gullet despite the frequent post-meal WC sessions.

After eating and recovering from the subsequent food coma, I decided it was time for a sightseeing walkabout. Walking only 100 feet down the road and tripping at least a half a dozen times I came to the following realization: Prague is a rollerbladers nightmare. To all you ladies out there, if considering a trip to Prague, don’t even think about packing heels, instead you should consider ankle braces. Almost every street is cobblestone; from large protruding blocks to carefully lain tiles, you are in constant danger of rolling an ankle. The good news is that it keeps those rascally skateboarders off the streets. My second home of Charleston SC is known around the southeast for its “romantic” cobblestone streets, but the roughly 100 meters of cobblestone in Chuck pales in comparison to the miles and miles of toe snagging goodness in Prague. Its also worth noting that in Prague you can get fined for jaywalking and cars appear to have no concern for pedestrians, so mind the tick-ticking of the crosswalks. So while Prague is a very walkable city, please walk at your own risk. As I continued, much more conscious of my footing, I was reminded that i’m a great big nerd about some things and Prague certainly brings out two of those: architecture and beer (blame college for both). As you walk around the city there are towers, statues, spires and friezes everywhere. You obsessively want to take pictures of everything (much like Angkor in Cambodia), but you know that will only lead to a laboring photo upload session later as well as killing your memory card. So I tried my best to hold that itchy trigger finger and try to let my brain just soak in the visual magnificence. A stunning mixture of Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance and Art Nouveau surprises you on every corner. There is even a spattering of the short-lived, “Cubist”, architecture inspired by Pablo Picasso.

Prague is truly blessed to have largely avoided the destruction of the World Wars, everything is so well preserved. Having visited several other European cities, I can honestly say I have never seen a more amazing and unpredictable mixture of architecture that melds together so beautifully. I was in constant danger of breaking my nose on lampposts as I walked around the city with my eyes drawn upward. Its no wonder why Prague is the 6th most visited European city, my only question is why isn’t it the first? Below are a few of the highlights of my first day walkabout:

Just behind my hotel was the Vysehrad castle, supposedly the location of the first settlement that later became Prague. Built in the 10th century, many of the original fortress walls still stand. The view above is from one such battlement. Situated within the castle walls is the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, a great example of neo-Gothic.

The, “Dancing House”, one of the more extreme examples of modern architecture (Deconstructivist to be exact) in Prague. This building was built on top of one of the few sites that was destroyed in WWII bombing. A collaboration between, Canadian-American and Croatian-Czech architects, the building is supposed to resemble a pair of dancers (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers).

The National Theatre, amazing neo-classical, with larger than life statues surrounding the golden roof.

A view across the Vltava river of the famous Charles Bridge, Petrin hill and Prague Hrad (castle).

Shots from Charles Bridge. The bridge is lined with statues and various street vendors catering to the tourists, everything from musical performers to caricatures. At each end of the bridge is a dominating gate tower.

After crossing the Charles bridge on your way to Prague Castle, you must first climb the hill. As steep and exhausting it may be, the panoramic views of the city are worth the ascent. From the walls of the castle you see rooftop after rooftop of Baroque red tile roofs.

From the castle vantage point (and with a long range zoom) you can capture almost every major landmark in Prague, including the infamous Zizkov television tower. Built by the Russian commies during the Cold War era, it was originally considered an eye-sore and a bad memory of the communist occupation, however it appears to have grown on the locals and it serves as a great tourist attraction for more panoramic views of the city. It now sports several statues of crawling babies which you can barely see in the photo.

Once inside the castle, after entering through the overly violent front gate, you are confronted by the towering gothic, St. Vitus Cathedral, the most important church in all of Czech Republic. This church houses the remains of Bohemian Kings and Holy Roman Emperors.

Back across the river and into the heart of Old Town, there is the famous Astronomical clock. Installed in 1410, it is the third oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one that is still working.

This is the statue to commemorate famed Prague resident Franz Kafka. In the square surrounding the astronomical clock there is a cafe where Kafka and Einstein used to have coffee together. Kafka once famously quoted, “Prague never let’s you go…this dear little mother has sharp claws”. I can relate, ever since I’ve visited I want to go back.

Wenceslaus Square, the hub of shopping and party going tourists in Old Town Prague. Later in my visit to Prague I stayed in a nice Hostel overlooking the square.

Various artistic statues, with penises included. Some artists prefer to leave the male anatomy off or cover it with a fig leaf, it is apparent that the Czechs feel no such shame about the twig and berries. The statue of the boy was placed in front of a children’s museum and included a shining golden rod.

As for the Beer, or as the Czechs call it, Pivo, it is not served by the pint but by the liter. Half liter of the freshest pilsner being most common. On average, I was consuming 2-3 liters of beer a day (its recommended that you consume 1.9 liters of water a day), not because I wanted to be drunk, but because this beer was so incredibly fresh and refreshing and cheap that it was far superior to the conventional water. Being a homebrewer myself (and trying to reason my consumption), I can tell you that beer is mostly water anyway.

There is no sour or bitter taste, not even a lingering hint of alcoholic tang on your palette, unlike so many so called pilsner beers in the states. You can literally chug this stuff like mineral water, which I did, on the reg, anytime I was parched from walking around the city or needing to wash down some savory meat and dumplings. Which reminds me, it’s time for dinner! Aside from swilling their world famous Pilsner, every traveler to Czech Republic must also have the goulash. Obviously this was my go-to option for my very first dinner in Prague. Goulash differs in most European countries, the Czechs prefer theirs with slow cooked beef covered in a brown gravy with sliced raw onion and accompanied by a heavy dose of dumplings. The beef is tender, the gravy is savory and the dumplings are like a doughy half-cooked sliced bread.

After dinner my eyelids were heavy and my feet were sore, so made my way back to the King Charles Hotel for some much needed rest. Since Prague sits roughly on the same latitude as northern Canada, the sun refused to set until close to 10pm (and it rises around 4am), but my travel weary body was ready to hit the cushy comforts of a European bed before the sky had even darkened. As my head hit the pillow and drifted into semiconsciousness I dreamily recounted my first day in central Europe: a favorable currency, a clean city, great weather, scrumptious food, and stunning sights. I believe I fell asleep with an insatiable urge to shave the sides of my head, buy some loose fitting Capri pants and put on an extra extra small t-shirt in the attempt to make myself a local.

Posted in Central Europe, Czech Republic, Food, Prague, Sightseeing, Travel
Tagged Architecture, Astronomical Clock, Central Europe, Cobblestone, Cubism, Cubist Architecture, Czech Republic, Dancing House, Deconstructivist, Europe, Franz Kafka statue, Goulash, King Charles Boutique Hotel, neo-gothic, New Town Prague, Old Town Prague, Petrin Hill, Pivo, Prague, Prague Castle. Charles Bridge, Staropramen, Vysehrad, Zizkov tower, Zlicin
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ZachCoddington

Every day is Saturday

Category Archives: Central Europe