Live blogging from Prague Czech Republic and Germany

FredHayek wrote:

Walter L Newton wrote: So...

I haven't had a adult beverage in 8 years, and of course being in Prague, being in the Czech Republic, I'm missing one of the special treats this country has to offer... Czech beer.

So...

Earlier this evening we went to a pub/restaurant right down the street from our hotel... a recommendation from Lonely Planet. It was called "Local" and the clientel was a mixture of blue collar, students, older folks and a few fashion conscience yuppies.

In short... a melange of people, comfy and warm.

Thee gods of Pilsner were apon me... they had a non-alcoholic brew... a Czech beer minus the kick. I quickly ordered one and it was fair tasting, not as good as O'Douls, but it was still a Czech brew.

When dinner came, I ordered another one. The way they keep track of your drink orders is to check off a beer glass on a small card with about 15 rows of glasses on the card. Each row represents one of the beers they offer on the menu.

I noticed when she came back with my second glass of beer, she marked the second drink on a different row. I wondered, did she give me a real beer? I tried a sip. I wasn't sure if it was my mind playing tricks or if it really tasted a tad heartier? So I drank it, since it was now on my order, and my Czech language skills is primative at best. I didn't want to try to convey my confusion.

I drank it down with supper and after the waitress cleared the dinner plates I ordered a third glass. This time she brings the drink, and marks off another glass on the slip of paper, this time on the same row as the first drink.

The third driink tasted different than the second drink. I finished the third drink, paid my bill and on the way out, I found a manager who spoke good English. I inquired about how the drink cards worked, and he explained.

Yes... the second drink was real beer... real Czech beer. Oh my goodness, after 8 years I had alcohol pass my lips.

What the hell? I missed my first opportunity in 8 years. I didn't feel a thing.. No buzz, no light headness... not a damn thing. I walked down the street toward Namaste Republiky, we were headed to see what a small Czech casino was like.

Nothing... I felt nothing. My girlfriend suggested that I don't go back to try again. I won 47 Czech Crowns in the casino... that's about $2.35 US.

I tasted a real Czech beer, came out ahead at a casino and got in a good walk in the eveining air. I'll take it... not a bad night at all.

I am jealous, never been to Prague. Planning to go there in 2015. Guess I will just have to stop by Cafe' Prague in Morrison this weekend. The owner is also opening a place in Evergreen called just Prague.

Do not go to the Prague Cafe in Morrison. It is a overpriced pretentious cafe with small food portions. There is a Prague bar on Broadway (you'll have to look up the actual name) and the food is hearty and full portions and very low priced.

We went there before this trip and I can confirm that they serve food like you would find here in Prague. The word "Czech" may be in it's name... you'll have to do a little Google-fu and find it.

But take my recommendation... you won't be sorry.

There are some new pictures at https://www.facebook.com/walter.newton.50

It's 10:34 pm... I'm going to sleep. The Charles Bridge tomorrow morning.

What's the elevation of Prague?
Your blood is tuned to a higher elevation so it may take more than a beer or 2 to feel anything. I notice that I can drink like a fish for a few days and outpace my old friends when I travel back to the midwest.

Liking your updates so far. Keep us posted.

Photo-fish wrote: What's the elevation of Prague?
Your blood is tuned to a higher elevation so it may take more than a beer or 2 to feel anything. I notice that I can drink like a fish for a few days and outpace my old friends when I travel back to the midwest.

Liking your updates so far. Keep us posted.

I'm at aboout 675 feet above sea level in my hotel room right now, acording to my Iphone. Interesting point... but I'm not going to test it. It was a mistake last night, it would be a bigger mistake if I did it again... and again... and again.

I'll have some new stories and pictures to post as soon as I can. I'm a bit tired today, we still have to go out for supper and in the morning I have to take the subway and bus out to the airport to pick up our rental car.

And then down to Kutna Hora south-east of Prague for a day in that town. Then Monday, out to Terezin concentration camp with the 85 year old suvivor of that camp, and on Tuesday it's off to Bochum Germany and then back... then to Kalek Czech Republic to spend the night with a friend of Tom Locke who is the editor of the Flume.

Then back into Prague Friday morning. So we will be basically out of the city for almost a week.

But I post what I can when I can.

Thanks you for your interest.

I'm typing on a bluetooth key board on a Ipad, fingers slipping and I'm too tired to edit my comments today.

Sobo151 on Broadway in the Baker neighborhood if you don't mind a drive. Might visit this weekend.

I went "a begging" today on the Charles Bridge. I didn't make a single crown. But I did manage to photo bomb a lovely young lady.

See new pictures at https://www.facebook.com/walter.newton.50

Yesterday we went to a "casino." I put casino in quotes because these small Czech gambling establishments are peppered all around town and there are over 800 in the country. They manly consist of 10-20 slot machines, 1 or 2 coin operated roulette wheels and a blackjack table.

The Czech government would really like to get rid of these places all together. They just passed a law that will close over half of the casino. But honestly, the way these casinos are operated, they will eventually close on their own because the gaming commission has numerous operating rules that make a customers visit about as annoying as they can.

First off they want some sort of picture ID and they take it and write down all sorts of information. If you win something from a slot machine when you cash out you get a printed ticket.

There is no cashiers cage. There is ONE person that handles cash. You have to hunt him down. He will take your ticket BACK to the machine. He uses a key to put the machine in a maintenance mode and FEEDS YOUR TICKET BACK INTO THE BILL ACCEPTOR.

Then the machine prints out ANOTHER ticket will an approval code on the ticket. Then the cashier/manager/slot technician pay you from a cash source that he keeps in a currency holder taken OUT OF HIS POCKET.

I only won around 2.35 US. It took 20 minutes to get my cash, my Czech crowns.

I was the ONLY person in this casino. And I looked inside other casinos... practically empty. There is no doubt in my mind that these restrictive gaming operating procedures is designed to drive customers away.

I know I had no interest in going back. I figured I'd win more money begging on the Charles Bridge (see Facebook link above).

Going to airport in morning to pick up rental car and then off to the town of Kutna Hora. Get ready for pictures of human skulls and bones arranged in curious ways. This is an ossuary that makes the catacombs of Paris look like a 3 year old Halloween party.

Picked up a rental car this morning. Took the Metro to the suburbs and then a city bus to the airport. Total price for all that transportation about $1.60.

I found the Czech drivers to be some of the safest driver I've seen in Europe. The Italians have a death wish, the Poles think they are Grand Prix drivers, the French are all over the place but the Czech drivers really are careful.

That's not to say that they drive slowly... the top speed on the open highways is 130 km... and they use every kilometer allowed.

We went to Kutna Hora today, about 60 km east of Prague. It's a large medieval town most famous for it's silver mining in the 1300's through the late 1500's.

And it has one of the largest and most unusual churches in central and Eastern Europe. Saint Barbara's... a flying buttress construction with three "tent" like peaks. Think the Cirque de Soleil tent... you'll get the idea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KUTNA_HORA_(js )_11.jpg

And then we took a tour of one of the old mines. Hard hats, canvas frocks, handheld lights, 160+ stairs down to the mine and some of the narrowest and lowest passages you'll ever see.

https://www.facebook.com/walter.newton.50

By the time we headed back to Prague, it was dark and raining. It was a challenge to drive in the rain, back county roads, 130 km per hour highways and then when we hit town, the crazy intersections with trolleys, people, multiple traffic lights, construction and strange signs.... all in the dark and rainy evening.

Tomorrow morning it gets serious. We will be going out to the Terezin concentration camp with Dr. Dagmar Lieblova, a 85 year old survivor if the camp and of the Auschwicz death camp., to do some research for my new play.

When I did my research for "A Field of Buttercups" in Warsaw in 2004 I was personally devastated by the places I visited and the people I spoke to.

There is nothing funny about the Holocaust.

lol Walter could die and go to heaven and I still wouldnt care what he'd post. He has the uncanny ability to make even the most interesting subjects tediously boring..

Black Dog wrote: Walter ask the Chechnians if they think PF's pumpkin sucked?

Chechnia is no where near Czech Republic. If you left Burland and moved to a remote island off the Icelandic coast, the intelligence quotient would go up in both places.

Hey Black Dog. I took a picture of a table and some food for you. Unlike your phony links to food pictures. How come the style, color, make and model of your breakfast table changes 3 times a week?

https://www.facebook.com/walter.newton.50

Well... we made our trip to the Terezin concentration camp today with Dr. Dagmar Lieblova. She is 85 years old and more spry than most of us. I recieved an insight for my research that no one could get from books or other printed accounts. I have almost 3 hours of audio recording of her comments about her life and the time she spent at the camp.

I took some pictures with my regular digital camera instead of my Iphone, so I won't be able to download those pictures until I get home. But for anyone interested, I will eventually post them in this thread.

Time to sleep now. We start our three day car trip to Bochum Germany in the morning and then back to Prague by Friday. I'm afraid that I don't want to remember my dreams tonight.