Another one bites the dust

This is #3 of the 4 single socks that I'd resolved to finish before casting on any more socks. I'm still going to complete my resolution, provided that I find the yarn for the 4th socks. It seems to have gone walkies.

Not such an interesting socks, so I treat you to more photos of Prague. I'll take some photos of that hat for you over the weekend. Yes, it's a handknit but not knit by my hands.

So, why would anyone leave the relatively balminess of Britain to venture somewhere cold, snowy and ... in one of the busiest travelling times of the year?If you have been reading about Phyllis and "Magellan's" hilarious trip to Europe, you might want to skip the text and just look at the photos....

One of the really, really nice things about living in Europe, is that you don't have to travel far to be somewhere completely different from home. Whilst I'm not the most gregarious of people, my mama did not raise me to be a shrinking violet either. So this year, the husband and I decided to have a short break, just before Christmas to Prague to visit the City of a Hundred Spires, attend a few concerts, visit the Christmas markets (and to sample it's finest Gluhwein).

Gluhwein.

First off the bat, it cold. How cold? Really, really cold. I brought along Benny and was even forced to wear it for fear of losing my ears to frostbite. ( I needed these ears in tip-top condition as I was planning to attend the Christmas concerts.)

It was so cold, that I put Benny on.

After a day, the husband bought me a new hat. This one has earflaps... (very useful) and is a looser knit. I still had hat-head, but I looked so silly with this hat on, that I couldn't decide if hat-head or hat on head was a more ridiculous look. (I think he bought me this hat because he was tired of walking around with a Benny look alike)

My ears were still cold, hubby bought me a new hat.

Let's just say that my scarf from the SYNO knitalong saved my neck. Thanks to Kristel for making this such a stylish and warm accessory. (It was admired and fondled when I was in a Czech yarn shop)

There was so much to see and so much to do in the few days that I was there. I'd only wished that it wasn't so cold, since it made me somewhat unwilling to fish out my camera for photos.

A few days before Christmas, the streets are filled with large tubs of live, swimming carp. You can buy it for approx 75 CZK a kilo (that's about £2.00). You pick the carp that you want, and it'll be weighed and cleaned for you on the street. This reminds me of Chinese restaurants, where you get to pick the fish that they'll cook for you.

Carp.

These characters were there to entice you to try their restaurants of choice. Austrian dumplings don't taste anything like Czech Bread Dumplings (Houskove Knedliky). I came home and looked up the recipe, convinced that the restaurant had dropped a loaf of stale bread into hot salty water and sliced it for me. Honest, that's how it really looked. I'm inclined to think that 'real' Czech home-made bread dumplings are delicious and the restaurant was serving tourist fare. If you're an affectionado of Czech food, please point me to some good recipes. I would love to know if 'real' Czech cuisine is like that which we ate in Prague, otherwise a visit to the Czech and Slovak Club will be required.

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Just about every single restaurant we visited had goulash, bread dumplings and strudel on the menu. The Czech Republic is land-locked, so seafood is a luxury. I'm told that food has vastly improved and vegetables are now served with every meal. The only evidence that I saw of this was a few wilted leaves of iceberg lettuce or a bit of pickled cabbage. Although the food was heavier than that which I'm used too, it was good, in a comforting way for the winter (you need fuel if you're going to spend the day shivering). The strudel was magnificent.... the coffee was foul. I don't know why even the expresso tasted like Nescafé. Polly going through caffeine withdrawal is not a pretty sight.

Although a meal of goulash and bread dumpling enabled me to drink my gluhwein and not have the effect hit me im.. ..me...........diately (hic).

That's the problem with drinking too much Gluhwein, you forget about how many photos you've taken of the gluhwein signs.

Did I mention that the Czech really know how to celebrate Christmas? The probably weren't worried about the lawsuits with having a manger on display.

Manger at St Vitus.

Posted by atu at January 20, 2006 08:38 PM