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Another Trip to Prague without a Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit (by Riffic)

Another Trip to Prague without a Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit (by Riffic)

Old Jun 14th, 2004, 08:04 AM
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Another Trip to Prague without a Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit (by Riffic)

Part I

This trip was a surprise for my wife?s (?H?) birthday. Before you all get teary-eyed at my generosity, take note that Prague (read cheap beer haven) is also my favorite city in Europe as well. It was our third trip to Prague, but the first for our Yorkie, who has grown quite accustomed to baroque architecture in her travels.

I must also admit that it was just about as important for me to keep this trip a secret, as it was to hit roads without slow-moving holiday traffic. So we left Munich about 5.45 a.m. on Thursday to beat any ?slacking? holiday travelers who, at that time, were surely snuggled cozily in their beds like most normal people. I see myself going off on a tangent here, but?.the thrill of taking flight on the Autobahn is hard to match. I must admit that there are a few things in Germany that will make me cry buckets to say goodbye to when H finally decides that she needs to return to live in the U.S?the Autobahn, 30 days paid holiday, 10-14 public holidays, many of which fall on a Thursday (like this one).

Anyways, once outside of Munich proper, the streets were clear and dry and off we went. We average about 210 kph, although at times I slow down to let a car pass, so that H can?t quip ?during the entire trip, not even a single FAST German driver passed you?. Funny thing, though, how traffic moves so fast in Germany, given the obscenely expensive fuel costs. At fast cruising speeds, you average about 14 Liters per 100 km. Okay, whoever can convert that into mpg gets the nobel prize for mathematics. Watching the gas gauge trickle down faster than Reaganomics (and I?m a staunch supporter of the Gipper), we pull over to refuel just after passing Regensberg. Shortly thereafter, I let the cat out of the bag and the H seemed quite pleased at the surprise. Our Yorkie barked her approval. Then again, maybe she was just barking at the cat (the one who had just been?.).

The last 20 or so km to the Czech border winds along a country road for most of the way. The border-crossing is one of the few that remain in Europe. Although the Czech Republic has joined the EU, it will be some time before the border patrols are lifted. I can?t remember if this is because the CR is not a signatory to the Schengen Treaty or if it?s simply because more time is needed to beef up the Poland border, as this will be the new gateway from the East to the West. Anyways, I just hold out my passport to the guard, who sees it is USA and he waves us through. (On the return, the German authorities actually open the passport to confirm that our faces match the picture. I breathe a sigh of relief that they didn?t question if we really were those people in the pictures, because we never walk around with the scared, puzzled looks that emanate from our passport pictures).

Like Austria and Switzerland, CR requires the purchase of a highway toll vignette sticker. You buy these immediately after passing through the border crossing. I get my first chance to fuel the CR economy by paying for the vignette in Euro at an exchange rate no less than 30% over the going market rate.

Call us weak, but we do get a hankering for a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit from time-to-time, and we happily pulled into the Mickey D?s that lay a few km over the border. The breakfast offering of a big mac and pilsner wasn?t up to our taste buds? standard at 7:30 in the morning, however, so we depart still hungry. The remainder of our trip is rather uneventful. The speed limit in CR is 130 kph, although Czech drivers still manage to make it dangerous. We pass through the town of Pilsen, which makes even south-of-the-border (those of you driving through the Carolinas know what I?m talking about?Pedro and his weather report) look like a holiday resort.

I had wondered how driving in Prague would be. I found it to be not too different from other big European cities. We didn?t drive into the heart of the city, as we arrived from the west and stayed near the castle on the NW portion of the city center. Around the castle, it?s of course all cobblestone road, windy and narrow at times. Probably the biggest concern is the trams. Although the tracks in the road should be a dead give away as to their path, they seem to come at you from every angle. We used our navigation system (mimicking a confident, British female), which got us to the hotel without a hitch, but just in case she copped an attitude along the way (you know, the ?you?re not on a digitized road? speech), I had printed out directions from www.aral.com. It was the only on-line route planner I found that actually pin-pointed the hotel.
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Old Jun 14th, 2004, 08:05 AM
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Part II

Our hotel (for the third time) was the 4*U zlate studne (http://www.zlatastudna.cz ), which is nestled into the hills of the castle on a small street having the same name. At times, I feel it?s a bit pricey for what you get (6,300 Crown for double; 7,100 for a superior), but we?ve now attached sentimental value to the hotel, and it would be difficult to return to Prague without staying here. This was our third ?morning arrival? (the other two times we took the night train), and each time a room has been ready for us. This hotel could really do better to market itself, IMO. There is no excuse for it not to be so empty most of the time.

The pluses to the hotel are that each room is individually appointed and contains a whirlpool tub, and the views from both the restaurant (breakfast incl w/ stay) and many rooms are some of the best in the city. On this particular occasion, two of our windows overlooked the city, which was spectacular. The front desk was very helpful in reserving (and having delivered to the hotel) opera tickets and dinner at a great restaurant after the opera. They also arranged secure parking in a nearby garage for only 250 Crown/day, which I found to be a great value.

The minuses to the hotel are that service has slipped since our first visit. For example, there used to be Burberry toiletries restocked daily, but those must have been washed out with the flood, because they were also noticeably absent during our second visit in November 2002 (3 months after the flood). Also, when the maid cleaned our room, she failed to replace our large towels. It?s a bit difficult to dry off with even 4 hand towels! And, finally, the breakfast service is not as attentive as it used to be: luke warm at best coffee if you go late and, although you get to order eggs/omelets off-menu (in addition to the cheeses, cereals, fruits and breads that are on the breakfast buffet), I couldn?t help but feel like I was burdening the staff to bring me some eggs.

Leaving the hotel, our first stop was an ATM in Malá Strana on the main drag leading up to Charles Bridge. I punch in for 7,000 Crown and, you guessed it, the machine spits out 3X2000 plus a 1000 crown bill. Looks like this machine took lessons from the 100?s- and 50?s-only Euro ATMS dotting the Munich landscapes.

Rather than go by memory, our first goal was to get a map. I quickly found a great detailed city map for 60 Crown, only to have to put it back on the shelf after the clerk could not break my 1000 Crown bill. So instead, we overjoyed the next-door café owner by washing down 80 Crown worth of that not-so-famous-for-a-reason Czech espresso and ridding her of all her change in the process. Back to the map store, where I happily plopped down a 100 Crown bill, we were on our way?this time with coins jingling in our pockets.

Meandering across the atypically uncrowded Charles Bridge, we couldn?t help ourselves and shot a few photos of our dog rubbing the brass dog that everyone else rubs, which sits on the far NW portion of the bridge. You may think that to be weird, but, hey, everyone knows that dogs have bad memories, so why not do something to show her in the future?

The first stop across the bridge was café/restaurant Reykjavik, where we (mostly me) quaffed down a few cold pivos. Made eye contact and tipped my glass to some Germans sitting beside us. Hey, even they know when they?ve been outdone, and it?s fair to say that Czech beer beats German beer, which is a close second.

Next, I had made lunch reservations at a newly opened seafood restaurant called Rybí trh, which (from the website) appears to be affiliated with the swanky Flambée French restaurant, (http://www.flambee.cz/rybi_trh/default.htm located at Týnský dvùr 5). I reserved a table on the terrace about 1 week in advance. You ever have one of those experiences where you felt that staff was laughing at you for making a reservation? This was one such experience for me, as there were about 18 of 20 tables vacant on the terrace. I should have taken that as a sign to turn around and find another locale.

Although the food was innovative and, for the most part, quite good, I do not think I can recommend this restaurant. First, if you click on the above link, you?ll find a ?business lunch? offer on their web site. Well, that appeared to be as fictitious as cow tipping, because it does not appear anywhere on the menu and the wait staff acted as if it never existed. I didn?t want to act like a Johnson during my wife?s b-day celebration, so we ordered off the menu to the tune of 12 Euro salads and 20-something Euro main courses. Don?t ask how much the beer cost. Hey, wait a minute, aren?t we supposed to be in Prague? Where food is relatively INexpensive?

I think the reason the salads were so expensive was because they had to harvest an entire Czech farm to fill up the salad bowls. It was about 1 lb of lightly fried goat cheese with a dandelion honey dressing and assorted greens and veggies. Very good, but also very very heavy. Maybe this fell under the ?dinner? heading of the menu (despite it being lunch time), but I swear we thought it was a starter. Stuffed to the gills (remember, we?re in a fish restaurant), our main course arrived ? mine, a heavy cream salmon/pasta concoction; for H, the appropriately named ?butter fish?. We each had a few bites and staggered off the terrace like gluttons in search of a digestif, a.k.a. a reasonably priced half-liter of beer.

Once we felt we could subject our stomachs to movement, we slowly worked our way back to the hotel, committing to memory the prices of various pieces of crystal in shops we would plunder two days hence.
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Old Jun 14th, 2004, 08:06 AM
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Part III

The hotel had reserved tickets to Mozart?s comedy opera, Cosí fan Tutti at the State Opera house. This is a great, light opera that even the not-too-frequent operagoer would enjoy. The tickets indicated they were from bohemia-ticket, a very large ticket outlet in Prague. Face value on each ticket was 1,2000 Crown (approx 39 Euro), but the hotel charged us slightly less?including delivery to the hotel?so I was quite pleased.

We took the Metro to the opera, which set us back a total of 50 cents p/p each way. Something that surprised me was the amount of ticket inspectors walking about. We actually got checked each of the three times we used the metro. The first time (on the way to the opera) was great, because H?who was trying hard just to forget about the pain her high heels were giving her?thought the nice old man with a red badge was one of those street vendors trying to sell her some red trinket. Pushing the man aside, she found out that Czech men don?t take rejection too well. When I produced our valid tickets, he laughed it off and I, in turn, laughed at H (in a supportive spousal way, of course).

At the opera house, we were pleased to find ourselves situated in the 5th row, stage right, last two seats on the end. This opera house is cozy and intimate; probably one-third the size of Munich?s opera house, so I guess there?s really not a bad seat here. The best part of our location was that we were the first people in line to grab the bohemia sekt during intermission.

Our hotel came through once again with an amazing restaurant recommendation. ?Zahrada v Opere? (translated as garden in the opera), which is just behind the opera house. This place is very trendy, but not snooty. And it?s quite cheap. For starters, H had the cream of mussel soup (recommended by the Prague Post) and I had the beef carpaccio, both of which were fresh and excellent. As luck would have it, our second weakness (as you will recall, the first one being an occasional bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit) is sushi and Thursday at Zahrada v Opere is Sushi night. They really need to work out their pricing system, though, because each piece of Nigiri?be it tuna, salmon, rubbery calamari or that stupid tamako egg (the latter two always appear in bundled dinner or lunch platters because no one wants them)?cost the same: 45 Crown (read dirt cheap). Alas, we ate too much sushi (shunning the egg and squid) and had to pass on non-liquid dessert, opting for the Johnny walker black label for me and the soon-to-be-famous Becherovka for H. Just ask Ahaugeto and she?ll confirm that ?It?s good for the stomach.?

Afterwards, we metro?d it home, without pushing any ticket inspectors forcefully out of our path.

The next morning, we started with a rather late breakfast overlooking the city. The only schedule thing on the agenda was dinner at 20.00.

Despite the looming thunderheads, we decided to climb the nearby hill to Letna park and have to post-breakfast beverage at the Hanavsky Pavilion. It?s really a short trek (albeit uphill) from the Malostranská metro stop. Thank goodness there really was a pavilion to shelter us from the rain. This place should be on everyone?s agenda for a peaceful view of Prague. We sat outside and had sekt and beer. On this morning, there was a wedding taking place on the pavilion, about 10 meters from us. I felt badly because we had better seats than most invited guests.

After walking around shopping for crystal glassware for some time (I will spare you the details), we paid faithful tribute once again to our favorite casual restaurant in Prague?El Centro?a rather authentic Spanish restaurant. Gearing up for an expected large dinner, we just had gazpacho, beer and sekt for lunch. You could tell that our waiter wasn?t particularly interested in getting tips that day, as he found it his duty to inform us that no one?s ever ordered gazpacho and a bottle of sekt together on his watch. However, it turns out we both lived in Valencia, Spain at some point in our lives, so we actually got along quite well.

After lunch (and more shopping), we went back to the room for some R&R before dinner. That night, we had reservations at U Petrske veze, an authentic Czech Restaurant that caught my eye after reading Marktynernyc?s reviews on Prague restaurants. www.upetrskeveze.cz/english.htm. This was another great meal with some of the friendliest service I?ve had in a long while. For starters, H that the home-made pate and I had the Quail breast with raspberry sauce. For the main course, H had the Old-Bohemian style breast of wild duck with black sauce, with a side of filling Czech Dumplings; and I had the Saddle of lamb with currant jelly, with a side of Roasted potatoes Grenaille with herbs. Dessert was Two-colour chocolate mousse and Blueberry cake. We rounded off dinner with 2 Becherovka?s. I highly recommend this place.

We took the nice stroll back to the hotel in the most romantic nighttime city in Europe. Old Towne Square was still bustling with restaurant goers and other passers-by. That?s when the rain clouds opened, serving as a bold reminder that we left our umbrellas at the hotel. While I found the evening ?dew? refreshing, H did not. Good thing for her, the crystal-lined shops can turn into umbrella kiosks at the drop of a dime, so for 150 Crown she regained her dry personal space.

Eventually we ended up at Joe?s bar, on the Malá strana side of the bridge, where we?ve spent a happy hour or two in the past. Two years ago, this was the first place H had a flaming B-52 shot. Perhaps it was because beginner?s luck was behind her, but this time, she caught the straw on fire. We left without burning anything else and headed back to the hotel.
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Old Jun 14th, 2004, 08:06 AM
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And Finally

Saturday morning began lot like Friday? late breakfast, cold coffee, stuffy breakfast staff, but nonpareil views of the city and about 73 of its 100 spires. After checking out of the hotel (and leaving luggage, boxes of crystal and a doggy bed with the front desk for a few hours), we headed straight to the original Bohemian Bagel store located at Ujezd 16. We went here not to eat, but to stock up for future breakfasts in Munich. Bagels haven?t quite arrived in Munich, and I?ve been suffering from withdrawal from my morning starbucks bagel and grande black coffee. (Yes, I am fully aware that ?starbucks sucks? (yeah, in your dreams) and that ?franchising will ruin Europe? (and I still haven?t found a good bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit in these parts, either). We took advantage of the buy-10-get-one-free deal. Lucky for me, 11 bagels fit snugly in H?s purse. I opted to walk the dog while she carried the bagels?an even exchange, if you ask me.

Next, we strolled into the south part of Kampa and ended up at a yellow-colored pub (cannot recall the name, but it has ?Pub I? and ?Pub II? painted on the building) with a garden in the back. We were just here for a quick drink in the sunshine, and it was a nice outdoor garden. H found it particularly amusing to watch some Germans yell at their waiter for not giving them the best customer service. The irony being that these people are from Germany, the land where customer service will arrive with Bagels! (unfortunately, not the ones in H?s purse).

The next venue was El Centro for Lunch (yes, we are people of routine), to round out our Bohemian experience with Valencian Paella. Having lived in Valencia with a Spanish host mom who belongs the conservative culinary school-of-thought, I had been trained that there is only one paella?that is, Valencian Paella with Chicken and Rabbit. No Mussels, no Fish, no other meat. Well, El Centro does a fairly good job of sticking to tradition. While it is not as good as what María Dolores? kitchen served up for Domingo almuerzo in Valencia, it is respectable. And dirt cheap. Something like 11 or 12 Euro for two people.

Afterwards, we made our final crystal purchases and reclaimed our bags from the hotel. I was relieved to find that the car was unharmed and there were the same amount of kilometers on the odometer as when I parted with the keys.

On our way out of the city, we made a stop at the Tesko hypermarket to get Becherovka and cream cheese for all of those bagels. Then it was back to the land of the best roads and the second-best beers.


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Old Jun 14th, 2004, 08:40 AM
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Krikey, can we come along next time? What a great report.

I haven't been to Prague since the statues of Lenin were melted down into belt buckles. It's really time I think.
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Old Jun 14th, 2004, 08:52 AM
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Eyeballing it, would that be about 15 or 16 miles per gallon?
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Old Jun 14th, 2004, 10:39 AM
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Nice report, riffic.

Thanks for sharing.
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Old Jun 14th, 2004, 10:58 AM
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Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for the report.

Karen
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Old Jun 14th, 2004, 12:30 PM
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Great report, and funny, too. Those salads are killers. And my DH still gets all weepy remembering the $1 beers.

Now, PLEASE, will the next fodorite heading to Prague PLEASE let me know in advance so I can score some more Becherovka (Gardyloo, this means you!)??? I'm down to my last bottle. Mmmmm. It's good for the stomach!!
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Old Jun 14th, 2004, 09:49 PM
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I just realized my posts also fell prey to question mark phantom.

I turned off the "smart quotes" (as others have recommended) in MS Word before pasting, because I thought that would do the trick. Is there something else?
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Old Jun 14th, 2004, 10:15 PM
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Did you turn it off after you had composed the piece? If so, Word doesn't go back and alter the quotes that are already there.

Also other things on the "autocorrect" menu come across as ?s - long dashes, three dots... what a kluge. No matter, it's still good stuff.
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