Date Night #15 - Chips & Soy Sauce

Date Night 15 - April 27, 2008
Temperature: High - 55 °F/13 °C; Low - 39 °F/4 °C
Location: Calvera Restaurant (Click here for map)

Last night, we located what is perhaps the worst Mexican restaurant in the world... well, at least in Prague. I pass the Calvera Bar & Restaurant just about every day on my way to and from work, and curiosity finally got the best of me. It looks like one of those places that might be a hidden gem - one of those "hole in the wall" restaurants that you take your friends to to impress them with your insider knowledge of Prague. So - with high hopes, and tummies yearning for good salsa, we stepped under the faux stone archway decorated with skulls, and found a table by the bar.

We decoded the Czech menu enough to make our order, and sat back to enjoy the ambiance - the walls were decorated with murals and framed photos of famous western movie stars. Cowboy nick-knacks swathed in greens, yellows and reds dominated the crowded room. So far so good. Then the food arrived. We should have known we were in trouble when we saw the array of condiments placed at each table - bottles of Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce Extra Virgin Olive Oil and "Mexican Ketchup" complemented the Heinz chilli sauce. Erin's Tortilla plate arrived first... some dry chicken, topped with a tortilla, topped with a dollop of melted cheese. Ten minutes later, our appetizer arrived. The "Nachos con gusto" consisted of grated mozzarella cheese, tossed with a bowl of tortilla chips. Yum! Finally, just as Erin was polishing off the remnants of her cheesy tortilla, my fajitas arrived. By now, I was starving, and I dug in with gusto... to what is probably best described as sweet & sour chicken wrapped in a warm tortilla. No wonder there was a bottle of Soy Sauce on the table! Oh - I forgot to mention the "Strawberry Margarita." Fortunately, I secretly kind of like cough syrup. That's what this drink reminded me of. A nice, fruity, red cough syrup, poured over ice, with a lemon stuck on top. We escaped Calvara with Czk 590 ($35) in damages, and headed out for greener pastures to find dessert. Fortunately, the delights of a springtime Prague evening awaited!

Prague in the springtime is a magical place... all over town, tables are appearing on sidewalks, people are lounging on blankets in the parks, and trees are blooming. After a walking tour through the back alleys of Mala Strana, we climbed the hill to the imposing Strathov Monestery. The BellaVista Restaurant definitely lives up to its' name -- Beautiful View. The panorama view of Prague at twilight was ...bella! Gelatto and cappuccinos were ... buono! The price was... well, let's just say we paid for the view!

Date Night #14 - Dilly Dali'ing in Old Town

Date Night 14 - April 12, 2008
Temperature: High - 55 °F/13 °C; Low - 39 °F/4 °C
Location: The Gallery at the White Unicorn (Click here for map)

Have you ever had a really strange dream? One filled with odd images, weird figures and stories that make perfect sense - but only while you're still dreaming? Maybe they're fueled by bad curry. Maybe by stress. Whatever caused the weird dreams, Salvador Dali must have had a lot of them... and then remembered them well enough to paint them as well! I guess they don't call him a surrealist for nothing!

Spring is springing into full force here in Prague. This means not only the flowers are blooming and the sun is shining more, but also that tourists are popping up all over Prague in the busloads! We walked across the Charles Bridge, dodging packs of tour groups, heading towards Old Town Square through the quiet courtyards of the Klementinum. We'd seen the sign advertising the Salvador Dali exhibition at the Gallery of the White Unicorn for months now - and decided that tonight was the night to finally get around to visiting it! The collection was pretty large - a combination of paintings, prints, ceramics and even some small sculptures, as well as a collection of photographs of Dali, taken in Paris by Czech Photographer Václav Chochola. Well worth the visit and the Czk 150 admission fee.

Our appetites worked up by the weird weird art, we headed off to find some grub. Not being especially good at planning these things ahead of time, our dinner selection was the first thing that caught our eye from the current issue of Prague in Your Pocket. Unfortunately, that first thing was U Musketyra (At the Muscateer). Just down the road from the National Museum at the top of Wenceslas Square, the restaurant is easy to miss unless you're looking for it. The basement was dark and a little dingy... decorated with fake wooden shields and swords. Service was decent (and even in English)... but the selection was pretty slim - no goulash to be found, despite the advertisement for "Moravian Wine, Czech Cuisine" outside the restaurant.

The garlic soup was tasty, but the cheese plate consisted of a slab of butter just about as large as the three varieties of bland cheese. We settled for two plates of just average Pork and dumplings, and left without too big of a dent in our wallet (Czk 500 for appetizers, entrees and drinks).

Surreal art, followed by real food. Not a bad night out!

Date Night #13 - At the Tomcat

Date Night 13 -March 3, 2008
Temperature: High - 50 °F/10 °C; Low - 35 °F/2 °C
Location: Pubs in Prague's "Mala Strana." (Click here for map)

The Mala Strana neighborhood at the foot of Prague castle is normally bustling with tourists - but this Sunday night, it was strangely quiet. Prague minus the tourists is a rare, and almost magical experience. If you time it just right, you can have the place almost to yourself, as we did tonight. Lamplights glistened on the cobblestones, and our footsteps echoed in the narrow alleyways snaking between the ancient buildings. The very oldest building in the United States would probably count as "recent construction" in this part of town, where the average building is over four hundred years old. A few steps off the main street, and you're transported back in time!

We had a hankering for good Czech "soul food" the other night, and figured that a real Czech pub would hit the spot. Despite being located smack dab in the middle of Prague "tourist central", most pubs in Mala Strana neighborhood are the real thing - hard wooden chairs, a simple menu heavy with dumplings and pork, cheep beer, and an ice hockey game blaring on the TV. Taking furtive peeks at our tourist guidebook, we headed first to "U Hrocha" (at the Hippo). Unfortunately, the four tables of the hippo were already full, so we wandered down the alleyway to "U Kocoura" (at the Tomcat).

We quickly settled on plates of ham and pork, piled with dumplings, cheese and cabbage. The bill is calculated on a slip of paper on your table. The price for each item gets jotted down as your order is taken. You use a shorthand for beer - a quick hash-mark on a horizontal line each time another 1/2 liter is dropped off. Non-smoking dining is a concept that hasn't yet reached the Czech Republic, especially in Czech pubs. But the food was good, the Bernard Beer excellent, and the ambiance a slice of real Czech life. Total damage? Just under 300 Crowns ($18)

We moved on for desert to U Kostela (at the Cathedral) at Malostranska Namesti just a couple blocks away. This place had a live pianist, and decent deserts and coffee, but it was a definite tourist trap, and its prices proved it! We paid as much for desert as we did for our entire pub dinner! Another date night on the books - so many places to visit - so little time!

Date Night #12 - Sushi, with a side of Gershwin

Date Night 12 -February 3, 2008
Temperature: High - 39F/4C; Low - 30F/-1C
Location: Obecní dům (Municipal House) & Palladium Mall

OK - here we are, living in a city full of culture and music. I'd say it's about time to get some culture and music - not to mention Sushi! Last night, we convinced our friends Roger and Janice to keep an eye on the kids for the evening, and headed out for a night on the town. Prague's Obecní dům, right in the center of town houses several concert halls - one of which was featuring "The Best of Gershwin." The brochure mentioned that all musicians were members of "famous Czech Symphony orchestras." Famous is good, right? We gulped a bit at the price - Czk 800 each ($47) but decided to splurge.

Tickets in hand, we headed across the street to the glistening Palladium Mall (home of our favorite Lebanese restaurant) to sample some Sushi at the "Running Sushi" restaurant. A fixed price gets you unlimited refills of Sushi, Tempura, Dim Sum and other Asian delicacies from two conveyor belts that run a never-ending supply of cold and hot food right past your table. "Quick honey - grab that shrimp!" There's nothing quite like a healthy dollop of wasabi to warm you up on a chilly winter evening in Prague! Being two Americans in Prague (rather than an American in Paris, for example), we washed down the raw fish and miso soup with 1/2 liters of good Czech Pivo.

On to the music - click here to read moreBut enough about food - time to Strike up the Band! The literature on the Municipal Hall claims it's one of the best examples of Art Nouveau. Not being an art major, I probably couldn't tell Art Nouveau from Baroque... except for noticing that the former is kind of more blocky and the latter is definitely a good bit more gilded. That's one reason I like to make sure there's always Someone to Watch Over Me in situations of high culture like this one... someone with a bit more education on the finer points of society (Erin).

Nouveau or not, the seating in the "Art Nouveau Hall" something short of 'S Wonderful. Sure - we saved 200 Czk by not purchasing "VIP Seats"... but for $45, I expected a little bit more than wooden chairs lined up in rows. Speaking of chairs, we couldn't help notice that there were only 5 on the stage. This wasn't going to be the grand symphonic introduction to the Arts in Prague I had envisioned. The musicians were good - don't get me wrong! The five piece string section and trumpet soloist hit every note... but left us hungry for more. Unlike the never ending sushi buffet, these guys were done almost before they began. "Rhapsody in Blue" completed in 5 minutes? With neither a Piano nor an Oboe? I got the feeling the musicians were missing the tourist throngs of Prague's Summertime:

"Uh - fellow members of the famous Czech Symphony Orchestra - what'cha doing this winter?"
"What you have in mind?"
"Ever played Gershwin? Heard he's good for a couple bucks."
"OK - I'll bring my trumpet if you bring the music and a violin!"

I may not be a professional musician, but I Got Rhythm, and I do know when we're hearing much abridged versions of Gershwin classics! Chalk this one down to the lesson books - next time we'll skip the box office and sneak in two minutes after showtime when the ticket takers head to the bar!

Date Nights #10 and #11 - Movie Nights!

Date Nights 10 and 11 - January 2nd & 5th, 2008
Temperature: Cold!
Location: Palac Flora Mall, Gold Class Cinemas

Two date nights - in one week - I could definitely get used to this! We took advantage of Erin's parents' last night in town to head out for a movie - hitting Cinema City in the Palac Flora mall. Movie? Elizabeth - The Golden Age - two thumbs up for a great (mostly) historical movie with good performances from Kate Blanchett (Elizabeth) and Clive Owen (Sir Walter Raleigh) and fabulous costumes. Also has some great scenes of the naval battle that brought down the Spanish Armada.

Just a couple days later, Mitch and Janie - a couple friends of ours treated us to Date Night #11. Talk about a full service date night - they provided their teenage kids as babysitters, picked us up, introduced us to the Gold Class Cinemas at Anděl and then, to top it off, took us out to dinner at the Kavala Greek Restaurant not far from home!

Once you've seen a movie at Gold Class, it's hard to go back to a "normal" cinema. The cinema has no more than 12 or so seats - each one a plush, comfy recliner. Waiters deliver food to your chair once the movie starts up. It's kind of like being at the best home theater money could buy... complete with a waiter! We saw "American Gangster" - starring Denzel Washington in the "based on a true story" tale of the Drug Lord Frank Lucas and the cop who brought him down. Moral of the story? "Crime pays, but not forever." Another takeaway? Never buy a house for your mother (you have to have seen the movie.)

Dinner was tasty - for a great, spicy starter, try the "Kafteres Piperies" (Grilled Hot Peppers with Garlic). Interesting movie, good food - great company! Thanks, guys!

Date Night (and morning) 9 - Aria Hotel

Date Night #9 - December 28th & 29th, 2007
Temperature: High 32 °F / 05 °C, Low 26 °F / -3 °C
Location: Aria Hotel, Prague

For the first time since Kyler was born, we snuck away for a night. Once again, courtesy of my visiting parents-in-law, "Tayta" and "Jiddo", we had free and very reliable babysitting! The Aria Hotel sits just 100 yards down the road from the US Embassy in Mala Strana - Prague's historic "Little Quarter." Because it's so close to work, I've made many a reservation at the Aria - for others. It's always received good reviews, so we thought we'd give ourselves an early anniversary getaway while the gettin' was good... and the Aria didn't disappoint!

The Aria is all about music. When you check in, you're handed not only an electronic key in the shape of a Treble Clef, but an iPod, loaded with hours of tunes. Each floor of the hotel is themed after a different genre of music, and each room is set up in honor of a composer or performer who was instrumental (get it?) to that genre. We had the Gypsy Kings room - celebrating Salsa music. Fluffy robes and slippers, down comforters, a PC, and a plasma screen TV made it really easily to settle in for the night. The library downstairs, just around the corner from the home movie theater offers a wide variety of books, DVD's and CD's that you can enjoy during your stay.

... there's more to this post. Click here to keep reading!With music from our iPod playing through the pro quality speakers, the bed looking warm and inviting and the weather outside looking pretty chilly, we almost didn't want to leave for dinner! Eventually, though, we managed to drag ourselves out into the cold to the "At the Knights of Malta" Restaurant just down the street. As with many restaurants in this part of town, the Knights of Malta occupy the ground floor and cellar of a house down one of Mala Strana's many narrow alleyways. Good, Czech home cooking, priced on par with most places in this tourist area (1000 CZK / $60 for two meals + drinks.) Their wild boar was fantastic and made the foray out into the cold well worth it!

We returned to the Aria for desert - and to soak up the ambiance of the Music Salon, sinking into red leather chairs by the fireplace as a piano/saxophone duo improvised on jazz standards. Breakfast the next morning was served in the Winter Garden - a fabulous spread of breads, cheeses, meats and my favorite - French Toast, topped with whipped cream and smothered with fresh berry sauce. To make it even better - between wrestling with Tayta, and reading books with Jiddo - I don't think the kids even missed us!

Date Night 8 - Lebanese Food!

Date Night #8 - December 22nd, 2007
Temperature: High 23 °F / -5 °C, Low 21 °F / -6 °C
Location: Palladium Mall, Prague

Erin's parents are in town for a Christmas visit. What does that mean (apart from new playmates for the kids to wrestle with?) - more Date Nights for Erin and I, of course! Tonight, we headed downtown to the shiny new Palladium Mall off of Republic Square (Náměstí Republiky). It's so new that Google Earth still shows it as a construction zone! The mall is currently the largest in the Czech Republic - with nearly 200 stores, close to 30 restaurants and cafes, and the foundations of a 12th century palace featured on the ground floor! As tempting as the five floors of glistening shopping opportunities were, our goal tonight was one particular corner on the top floor. Being an upscale shopping center, the Palladium doesn't have a food court. Rather, the top floor of the mall is the "Gourmet Floor" with restaurants which are kind of half-way between "real" restaurant and mall fare. And there - beneath flowing white cotton streamers, and ornate lamps, we find what we've been looking three months to find here in Prague... good hummus!

The El Emir restaurant is one of the newest entries to the Prague dining scene, and let's just say it's the best Lebanese food we've ever tasted in the Czech Republic. Of course, it's also the only Lebanese food we've ever had here! Needless to say, being in Europe, our meal was a tad more spendy than a night out at the Automatic Restaurant in Muscat. But when hummus hit the table and we dipped in with fresh khubz (arabic bread), we knew we'd come to the right place! Believe it or not, it was some of the best chickpea these hummus snobs had ever tasted! We quickly progressed through the cold mezza - tabouleh salad, stuffed grape leaves, and more; to the hot mezza; to the mixed grill, topping it all off with thick turkish coffee. So - here we were, Americans speaking Arabic to a Tunisian waiter in a Lebanese Restaurant in the Czech Republic. Fantastic!

Oh - by the way... if you happen to be looking for yarn or other "notions", Erin has discovered her new favorite store in Prague. Filium, on the ground floor of the mall, sells all types of yarn - and best yet - you can actually browse through it yourself - rather than having to ask the not-so-friendly counter clerk in your best Czech to pull down a skein from the shelf.

Hummus and yarn - in one night! I'd call this date night a success!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (Date Night 7)

Date Night #7 - December 9th, 2007
Temperature: High 42 °F / 5 °C, Low 32 °F / 0 °C
Location: Old Town Square, Prague

We walked right into the pages of a Christmas fairytale tonight when we stepped into Prague's Old Town Square. The twin gothic spires of the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn tower in the night sky above us, windows at the very top of the turrets orange eyes watching the scene far below. Usually, the tower dominates the square. Tonight, though, a massive tree draped in red and white lights steals the show.

The square is like the Christmas Song come alive. Shoppers dressed up like Eskimos to ward off the winter chill wander through rows of decorated wooden booths topped with bright red roofs. We pick up a bag of real live chestnuts - roasted over an open fire in a corner stall. On the stage below the tree, Yuletide carols are being sung by a children's choir. The stable on the side of the square has already packed up for the day, the sheep and goats carted away to a warmer spot for the night.

The aroma of roasting ham wafts through the air, pauses, then mingles with the steamy tang of a cauldren of svařák (hot wine). Pastry chefs roll out tubes of Trdelnik - a Czech pastry coasted in sugar and crushed almonds). We can't resist the crepe hut - and come away with a delicious triangle of folded pleasure - dripping in chocolate sauce. We finish our progressive dinner at the ham roastery, where the vendor cuts a hunk of ham off the spit, slaps it on the scale, and serves it up along with a hearty roll and a dollup of horseradish.

... Click here to continue readingChristmas ornaments, candles, nativity scenes, gloves, hats and wooden toys feature in crowded booths in between the food. These vendors are equipped for tourists too - "sprechen sie Deutsch? Italiano? Francais? Enlish?" they ask passing shoppers.

As we pass the stage, the choir is just finishing up for the night, and amid the throngs of Christmas shoppers, just below the glistening lights of the Christmas Tree, we make a discovery. In a makeshift stable at the base of the tree lies a nativity - a silent reminder of a tiny event, so many years ago.

Among the hubub of a busy census, searching desperately for shelter from the cold, a travel-wearied man supports a woman who's clearly pregnant. They've been on the road for days, making the long journey from Nazareth, 120 miles to the North. They didn't hop on the train or drive down in the family station wagon. Most likely, they walked... and walked... and walked some more. You know, I bet the booths were out in Bethlehem the night they arrived! Vendors from all over town, setting up shop to take advantage of the sudden influx of tourists registering for the census. I doubt there were any Chestnuts or Trdelnik for sale that night though... hummous and flatbread probably took the place of crepes at the food stalls in Bethlehem. All the hotels are full. Door after door displays a "no vacancies" sign. Finally, though, away from the chaos of the marketplace, the weary couple find a corner of solitude... in a stable on the outskirts of town. And none to early either! All this walking has taken its toll, and the baby just isn't going to wait any longer. A feed trough is hastily converted into a cradle... a stableboy brings in a bucket of water... and in a moment... amid the smells of an occupied barn, a stone's throw away from the crowded marketplace... a King is born. A King who ruled no lands, commanded no armies, and overthrew no occupiers. A King though, whose birth is still celebrated around the world, and even here, in what's possibly the most Athiest country in Europe... by choirs of kids, stables full of live animals, and nativity scenes in town squares.

Among the hustle and bustle of the season, amidst the Christmas markets, the singing choirs, the throngs of shoppers and shelves of ornaments, take the time this week to pause... and listen. And maybe... just maybe, from the nativity in the glow of the Christmas tree, you'll hear the faint cries of the babe in the manger 2000 years ago that got all this excitement started.

Date Night #6

Every family needs a friend like Sophie -- she loves kids, she makes herself useful in the kitchen, and she knows the importance of date nights for me and Kevin. Sophie also has the distinction of being the first non-family member to fly to Muscat for a visit and she repeated the tradition here in Prague. Sophie is from France and has been our friend since our Portland days. She has a degree in food technology so I picked her brain about cooking low-sodium for Danna. During her 3-day weekend visit, she read to the kids, played with the kids, listened to the kids, and taught them how to make a yummy (and nutritious) cake. And she insisted on babysitting so that Kevin and I could enjoy a date night!!! Anyone who will take care of our 3 kids single-handed is a keeper!! Like I said, every family needs a friend like Sophie!

She was with us for our weekly 'family fun night'.. We went to the Prague Castle, saw the changing of the guard, and walked across Charles Bridge (see above photo-- Kyler isn't in it since he was helping me take the shot). The next evening, for our date night, Kevin and I went to the Crocodile Cafe for coffee and sweets. (Sorry, no photo!)

Date Night 5 - Lucerna Cinema

Date Night #5 - November 18th, 2007
Temperature: High 36 °F / 2 °C, Low 30 °F / -1 °C
Location: Lucerna Palace - Wenceslas Square

You don't often come across a statue of a saint sitting on the belly of a decidedly dead horse. Believe it or not, that's exactly what hangs from the ceiling in the lobby of the Lucerna Palace Cinema, just off Wenceslas Square. Having opened in 1909, the cinema boasts being the oldest operating cinema in Europe. The single screen theater, seating 500, is truly stunning. Until the velvet curtain opened and the Dolby Digital Surround Sound kicked in, you could almost believe that you'd been magically transported back in time to 1929, when "Show Boat", the first "talkie" movie premiered here. We made ourselves comfy, settled down and spent a couple hours learning about the life of Jane Austen in "Becoming Jane".

I thought the movie flowed a little like a Jane Austin novel... introduce a slew of characters speaking thickly-accented English (no - the Czech subtitles did not help) through a very slow opening 30 minutes or so, and then spend the rest of the movie figuring out who was who and what they were up to. Not a bad way to spend a date night though - and this was the first movie we've gone out to see since this summer in Oklahoma City. Tickets were 120 CZK / US$7, but there was no popcorn... so we had to settle for sneaking in a Bratwurst from the corner hot dog stand!

We rounded the night off with a visit to TGI Friday's for a good, American style hamburger. Delicious, messy, and well worth the trip! We'll have to remember to bring our own drinks in next time though - the 1/4 liter bottles of water just didn't do justice to the thirst worked up by a sausage and a Jane Austen movie. Free refills? Forget it!

Date Night 4 - 235th Marine Corps Birthday Ball

Date Night #4 - November 10, 2007
Temperature: High 37 °F / 3 °C, Low 32 °F / 0 °C
Location: US Ambassador's Residence

We had dinner at with Ambassador Graber and his wife tonight as their home in Prague. Well, to be perfectly honest, so did about 100 others, including the six "birthday boys" - members of Prague's Marine Security Guard Detachment.

November 10th is celebrated each year as the birthday of the United States Marines Corps. Since 1921, Marines around the world have gotten together each November to celebrate the formation of the Corps - this year, they turned 232 (but didn't look a day over 20...)

The location, inside the Ambassador's residence was just about perfect. The Marines marched in, carrying the US and Marine flags (the tips of the flags only slightly brushing the crystal chandelier), did a smart about face, and sang... yes actually sang the Marine Corps Hymn - "From the Halls of Montezuma. To the shores of Tripoli..." OK - to be completely honest, the Vienna Boy's Choir they were not. A proud and joyful noise? Sure.








We left early (11pm) to relieve the babysitter before the party really got underway... walking to our car in a light dusting of snow. To all of you men and women around the world, standing guard at our Embassies and Consulates - many thanks! And a very happy birthday!

Date Night 3 - Cantina Restaurant

Date Night #3 - October 20, 2007
Temperature: High 44 °F / 6 °C, Low 32 °F / 0 °C
Location: Cantina Restaurant, Mala Strana

Tonight was one of those "rapidly planned" date nights. In other words, as our babysitter arrived, we were still discussing where we'd like to go. Mexican food sounded good, so we called up a friend and got the name and address of a good Mexican restaurant. A quick lookup on Google Maps pointed us in the right direction, and we headed downtown. It was a chilly night, but we liked the idea of free parking at the Embassy and a stroll down Ujezd to number 38. Nothing could be easier, right? Wrong!

Number 45... 41... 39... 37... eh? We checked the other side of the street - nothing there remotely Mexican looking! Number 38 was just not there! Visions of salsa still dancing on our brains, we hunted for a couple more minutes before deciding to head to the Funicular that runs up to the top of Petrin Park. The station looked deserted, and sure enough, we'd struck out twice in 10 minutes due to an annual maintenance closure. Imagine that - our most hastily-laid plans coming awry!

Walking down the hill back to Ujezd, we crossed the street and headed North back toward the Embassy... and found (you guessed it), the Cantina Restaurant, in all its glory, at number 38. Number 38, which was right across the street from Number 19 (of course). So - important lesson learned. Though the odd and even numbers are, in fact, sequential along the length of the street, the two sides are not necessarily in sync!

Restaurant found, we settled in at the bar ("rapid planning" also means no seats) and enjoyed a GREAT meal. Good food, at decent prices - and at the address it was supposed to be!

A quick stop for desert at Caffeteria Coffee in the shadow of Prague Castle, and we headed home for the night, mission accomplished!

Date Night 2 - Old Town

Date Night #2 - September 30, 2007
Temperature: High 66/Low 44
Location: Old Town, Jewish Quarter & Mala Strana

Erin's Mom was still in town, so we headed off a little early to catch the last rays of a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Wanna follow our walk? Download this Google Earth file, which includes the route, waypoints, and pictures along the way.

Our starting point tonight was the heart of Prague - Staré Město (Staray Myesto) or the Old Town. Prague is a city steeped in music, and Staroměsteké Náměstí (Old Town Square) is no exception! Tonight though. instead of a soaring opera Aria or the lofty notes of Vivaldi though, the square hopped to the brassy notes of the four-piece Staroměsteké Dixieland Jazz Band! Their leader, topped in a Civil War bugler's cap, took breaks from his trumpet to belt out completely incomprehensible "scat" through a tin megaphone. It sounded authentic, no matter what language it was in!


Click here to read the rest of this post

The real star of the the Old Town Square though, is the famous Astronomical Clock. The clock, hung on the side of the Old Town Hall, draws a huge crowd every hour when the figures of eleven Apostles plus St. Paul parade by windows set just above the face. Surrounding the clock are the figures of Death, a Turk, Vanity and Greed. When the parade is finished, a cock crows, and the clock strikes the hour... and the throng goes about their merry way, buying crystal, drinking beer and listening to Dixieland Jazz!

We left Old Town, and after a quick coffee recharge at the Domeček Café tucked away down an alley off Dlouhá street (good coffee - great 80's music!), wandered north towards the Josefov - the Jewish Quarter. This is the domain of the Golem - a mythical clay protector of the Jewish population of Josefov. As we walked the winding alleyways bordering the Old Jewish Cemetery, we didn't spot the lumbering clay beast. We did, however, sniff out a cafe on the glitzy Parižska street selling gelato - (Italian for "YUM"). Sweet teeth satiated for now, we carried on up Prague's most exclusive shopping street, passing the glistening windows of Prada, Cartier, Fabergé and Burbery. Our next destination was Letná Park, sitting on a plateau above the river, just across the Čechuv Bridge.

The view from the granite pedestal overlooking the city is spectacular (see the panorama at the beginning of this post) - especially around sunset when the city takes on a golden glow. A statue of Stalin used to stand on this spot - it's now occupied by a huge metronome - which is reputedly not a whole lot more popular! The Vlatava river curves below us, dotted with barges and dinner cruise ships. Far off in the distance to our left, the Žižkov Television Tower rises like a spaceport, hundreds of meters above the town, its modernistic architecture a stark contrast to the ancient church spires dotting the city below it. Some people say the best view of Prague can be seen from the observation deck of the tower... precisely because you can't see the tower from there! To our right, the symmetrical arches of the Charles Bridge make their way across the river.

Having soaked enough of the view to last us the rest of the evening, we made our way back down to the river, and headed toward the familiar Mala Strana (lesser quarter) for dinner. These early fall evenings are ideal for sightseeing - and several tourists were doing just that - dangling from a hot air balloon!

Trying a "short cut", to Charles Bridge, we were cut off by a canal advertising some rather sharp-toothed inhabitants. We decided to play it safe and retrace our steps via land. Prague is a city that hold surprises around just about every corner. Tonight - we found what was probably the most... um... anatomically correct? fountain I've ever seen. Erin took a liking to one of the guys... good thing he was metal and rather rooted to the spot!

We finished up the evening with a traditional Czech dinner at the Baráčnická Rychta - a pub tucked away in a tiny alleyway just around the corner from the Embassy. Decoding the menu was a challenge - even with the English menu. We passed up such tantalizing options as "Leg of Fallow Deer on a Skewer", "Roasted Pork Neck in Three Colored Pepper", and even an entire section labeled "Seasoning Additives for Beer". I settled for the "Pork Knuckle" - a leg of pork, baked on the bone, surrounded with crisp pork crackling. It was delicious! So delicious that I could feel my cholesterol rising with each bite! Erin chose the much healther chicken schnitzel, deep fried in a golden batter, and we finished up apple pie a la mode and a plate of "Flipper to Blueberry" (a plate of blueberry-covered scones smothered in whipped cream). Total damage, including drinks? About $25. Eating out around here on a regular basis could definitely turn into a very unhealthy habit!

Dinner in a Dungeon

Date Night #1 - September 16, 2007
Temperature: High 72/Low 54
Location: Prague Castle & Old Town

OK - here's the start of a new series chronicling our Date Nights while here in Prague. At 1 per week (assuming we can find a babysitter), 52 per year, this has the potential to be quite a series!

Click here for a Google Earth KMZ file with our route. Click the camera icon within Google Earth for pictures along the route. Don't have Google Earth? Download it here!.

We started off at the Malostranské náměstí tram stop. This square lies at the feet of Prague Castle - and that was our first destination for the night. Nerudova street, named after the Czech poet Jan Neruda winds up the hill toward the castle, lined with quaint restaurants, pubs and shops - catering mainly to the hordes of tourists that descend on Prague each summer. My favorite was a little shop filled top to bottom with puppets of all shapes and sizes - including a full-sized wizened old man guarding the front door.

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We took the sharp turn up Ka Hradu street, passing a couple tourists on Segway scooters - an interesting blend of the new and old, and one way to make the steep climb a little easier! As we ascended the vista of Prague at sunset expanded with every step. Peeking over the wall towards the top, we spied diners settled comfortably on a terrace overlooking the Castle gardens. The Orange tiled roofs of houses and palaces below - most 300-400 years old in this section of town - gave way to the greenery of Petřin hill.

Making our way past the stern guards, we entered the Castle proper. I have to note that these guys, though they didn't smile, were not the quite the stony faced Grenadier Guards of Buckingham Palace. They stared straight ahead and didn't smile, sure... but the ones we watched made quite a variety of facial contortions to each iches, clean teeth and otherwise stay alert! We wandered past the impressive gothic spires of St. Vitus Cathedral, guarded on all corners with grotesque gargoiles, past St. George's Basilica and the Prague Toy Museum. We reached the far side of the castle just in time to take in the view of Mala Strana stretching to the Charles Bridge, and the old town beyond that.







Next, we headed down the old Castle Steps, and across the Manasuv Bridge. As the sun set behind the castle, tour boats plied the Vlatava River below us, towards the Charles Bridge just upstream. By now, we were hungry, but we didn't want to pop into yet another tourist joint along the river. We walked along the banks of the river through the Jewish Quarter, and once we hit Old Town, started exploring the side alleys off the beaten path. One of the first spots we came to was the Pražsky Most u Valšu Restaurant and Brewery.

The tables on the ground floor were full, so we ventured down a circular staircase to the cellar below. Heavy wooden tables lined the stone walled chambers, and we settled down to a well deserved dinner of Goulash and Pork Chops, accompanied by a (very small) Neperlava voda (non sparkley water) and (very large but typical, 1/2 liter) house beer. Delicious!













A quick walk through the near-deserted streets of Old Town took us to the Staromeštska Metro stop and our ride home.