Paprika spread
Garlic soup
Goulash soup
Stuffed crepes (Budapest)
Hungarian beef stew
Gnocchi with sheep cheese (Bratislava)
Langos (Budapest)
Sauerkraut
Tsizitaki sauce
Baguettes
Hard boiled egg sandwiches
Wienerschnitzel
Potato pancakes
Quiche/fluffy omelets
Pesto potatoes
Spinach burger
Tomato preserves
Friday, June 1, 2012
Cesky Krumlov
Pronounced chesskey krumloff, it is a short train ride from Prague - roughly 4 hours with a train change in Cesky Budajovice. We thought it was closer but that was alright because it was definitely worth it.
Eric shared our little train mishap on this adventure. We got there and that's all that matters. Plus we got to see rural Czech Republic from the comfort of a bench at the train station while we waited for the train going back to Cesky Budajovice.
Side note: Cesky Budajovice is where Budweiser is made. The Budweiser beer in CR is way better than that in the States. Add it to the list.
The weather wasn't the greatest in Cesky Krumlov but we made it work. We got checked in at our little bed and breakfast and then went on our hike to Klet. It was pretty challenging but it felt great after completing it. It was good exercise. It rained the entire time we hiked which was annoying but we didn't let it stop us. 3 1/2 hours, 16 km, and an altitude change of 500 meters. done and done.
We grabbed some dinner at a local joint which was yummy. I had a chicken dish and Eric a pork one. They were both tasty. Eggenberg is the local beer of choice and quite good as well. It is made there in CK.
The town itself is small in both size and population which makes it easy to get around. After dinner we wandered in the square and found a bar to enjoy some Budvar in. The town itself doesn't have much open after 9 but we managed to find a place.
The place we stayed was called a pension which I think is the Euro way to say bed and breakfast. There were several of these throughout CK. The breakfast we received was typical Euro breakfast with meat, cheese, and bread. I got used to it and will most likely go into shock when I have to eat cereal again.
After breakfast we did some sightseeing before heading to the train and back to Prague. CK is a beautiful town with a castle (of course) and the Vltava river flowing through it. It's quite lovely.
No train mishap on the return. Quick check of the departure board, grab a sandwich and chips, and on our way to Prague. We managed to do all of that in 10 minutes. We became quite an efficient team.
The chips there were addicting but I suppose the ones in the States are too. We enjoyed the paprika chips and the onion chips.
Eric shared our little train mishap on this adventure. We got there and that's all that matters. Plus we got to see rural Czech Republic from the comfort of a bench at the train station while we waited for the train going back to Cesky Budajovice.
Side note: Cesky Budajovice is where Budweiser is made. The Budweiser beer in CR is way better than that in the States. Add it to the list.
The weather wasn't the greatest in Cesky Krumlov but we made it work. We got checked in at our little bed and breakfast and then went on our hike to Klet. It was pretty challenging but it felt great after completing it. It was good exercise. It rained the entire time we hiked which was annoying but we didn't let it stop us. 3 1/2 hours, 16 km, and an altitude change of 500 meters. done and done.
We grabbed some dinner at a local joint which was yummy. I had a chicken dish and Eric a pork one. They were both tasty. Eggenberg is the local beer of choice and quite good as well. It is made there in CK.
The town itself is small in both size and population which makes it easy to get around. After dinner we wandered in the square and found a bar to enjoy some Budvar in. The town itself doesn't have much open after 9 but we managed to find a place.
The place we stayed was called a pension which I think is the Euro way to say bed and breakfast. There were several of these throughout CK. The breakfast we received was typical Euro breakfast with meat, cheese, and bread. I got used to it and will most likely go into shock when I have to eat cereal again.
After breakfast we did some sightseeing before heading to the train and back to Prague. CK is a beautiful town with a castle (of course) and the Vltava river flowing through it. It's quite lovely.
No train mishap on the return. Quick check of the departure board, grab a sandwich and chips, and on our way to Prague. We managed to do all of that in 10 minutes. We became quite an efficient team.
The chips there were addicting but I suppose the ones in the States are too. We enjoyed the paprika chips and the onion chips.
Thanks!
Obviously none of them will be reading this, but we wanted to thank all the locals who were helpful to a couple of naive tourists. We really ran into a lot of nice people who could have easily ignored us.
The staff at both hotels and the pension in Cesky Krumlov were both very nice. From the man in Budapest who taught us to say thank you in hungarian to the woman in Prague who let us pay part of our bill with our remaining money.
Both our rental hosts were nice and gave us valuable information about our neighborhoods.
All if our servers were very patient with us as we navigated a foreign language and currency. I ordered many a meal by pointing Except of course for the guy at the Blue Tomato who got mad at us for screwing up the tip.
And last, but not least, the train conductor in the Plizen line who didn't speak any English, but helped us get back to Budweis.
The staff at both hotels and the pension in Cesky Krumlov were both very nice. From the man in Budapest who taught us to say thank you in hungarian to the woman in Prague who let us pay part of our bill with our remaining money.
Both our rental hosts were nice and gave us valuable information about our neighborhoods.
All if our servers were very patient with us as we navigated a foreign language and currency. I ordered many a meal by pointing Except of course for the guy at the Blue Tomato who got mad at us for screwing up the tip.
And last, but not least, the train conductor in the Plizen line who didn't speak any English, but helped us get back to Budweis.
Prague - Eric's Point of View
Shannon already covered the ins and outs of our first weekend in prague. I won't rehash, but would like to share my thoughts on the city.
It was kind of overwhelming at first due to all the tourists, but after I got a feel for it, I found it more enjoyable. It was a more subtlety pretty city than Vienna. It took me a little while to appreciate the architecture, buildings, and winding streets. I think that is because you need to get away from Old Town to truly appreciate it. Don't get me wrong, the castle and medieval town are nice, but the mass of tourists and street peddlers distracts you from that beauty. Im glad we walked across the Charles bridge, but I don't consider it a highlight of my trip. I don't need to be sold some useless trinket in front of every statue.
I enjoyed the sites much more from a bridge over or off the beaten path on Petrin Hill. One of the highlights of. Prague for me was our sunset paddle boat ride on the Vltava. Cool way to see the castle and bridge. Very relaxing, very peaceful. And of course, they let you bring drinks on the boat.
My favorite building was probably the national theater. Something about the gold trim and detailed statues impressed me.
There is a good fashion scene if you're into that. It's not really for me, but Shannon almost convinced mr to buy white loafers, like Marian Hossa. Unfortunate (or fortunately, depends how you look at) my feet are bigger than the average European and the didn't have my size.
Our last day in town we got a little adventurous. We wandered to the town market. It wasn't quite what we expected. We thought it was a farmers market, but it was mostly souvenirs. We also walked into a local watering hole for a couple of beers. It was a blue collar place where people went for a drink after work. One guy was still in his city worker uniform. We didn't really fit in, but people were nice nevertheless. Finally, we walked into a random restaurant for dinner. Mad Bar- a Mexican fusion sort if place. It was near our hotel. The menu was only in Czech and the waitress spoke limited English, but we navigated our way to a delicious meal.
Finally, there is the Czech beer. Amazing, delicious Czech beer. I couldn't possibly pick a favorite, but I will miss them dearly. I might shed a tear the first time I have to drink a Coors Light back home.
It was kind of overwhelming at first due to all the tourists, but after I got a feel for it, I found it more enjoyable. It was a more subtlety pretty city than Vienna. It took me a little while to appreciate the architecture, buildings, and winding streets. I think that is because you need to get away from Old Town to truly appreciate it. Don't get me wrong, the castle and medieval town are nice, but the mass of tourists and street peddlers distracts you from that beauty. Im glad we walked across the Charles bridge, but I don't consider it a highlight of my trip. I don't need to be sold some useless trinket in front of every statue.
I enjoyed the sites much more from a bridge over or off the beaten path on Petrin Hill. One of the highlights of. Prague for me was our sunset paddle boat ride on the Vltava. Cool way to see the castle and bridge. Very relaxing, very peaceful. And of course, they let you bring drinks on the boat.
My favorite building was probably the national theater. Something about the gold trim and detailed statues impressed me.
There is a good fashion scene if you're into that. It's not really for me, but Shannon almost convinced mr to buy white loafers, like Marian Hossa. Unfortunate (or fortunately, depends how you look at) my feet are bigger than the average European and the didn't have my size.
Our last day in town we got a little adventurous. We wandered to the town market. It wasn't quite what we expected. We thought it was a farmers market, but it was mostly souvenirs. We also walked into a local watering hole for a couple of beers. It was a blue collar place where people went for a drink after work. One guy was still in his city worker uniform. We didn't really fit in, but people were nice nevertheless. Finally, we walked into a random restaurant for dinner. Mad Bar- a Mexican fusion sort if place. It was near our hotel. The menu was only in Czech and the waitress spoke limited English, but we navigated our way to a delicious meal.
Finally, there is the Czech beer. Amazing, delicious Czech beer. I couldn't possibly pick a favorite, but I will miss them dearly. I might shed a tear the first time I have to drink a Coors Light back home.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
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