Prague, Day 3
Prague, Day 3
…marked several things:
Almost 7-1/2 miles of walking;
The ill-timed demise of one of my pairs of flip-flops; and
An amazing introduction to Absint, as it is called in the Czech Republic.
We took a different route out of our hotel, and I passed by this whimsical person high on the wall. I have no idea what the lettering means, but that did not detract from the decoration.
We continued toward the Jewish section. The cemetery there is quite famous, and I wanted to photograph in it and perhaps find some of my Taussig ancestors. Alas, everything had an entrance fee because, as one woman explained, too many people entered without a sense of history, more as idle gawkers. So, we avoided the long ticket line and continued exploring in the direction of the river.
Prague Castle sits high on a hill with a commanding view of the city. Full of museums and cathedrals and palaces, it is quite extensive. The spires and towers rose way above us, and I found it difficult to make an effective photograph. There were scores of tourists, as we were nearing mid-day, so I concentrated instead on some of the marvelous hardware on the ancient doors. 
Just outside the castle walls, there were some wonderful views looking down on the tile rooftops drifting off into the distance. 
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It was time for lunch, so we returned to the restaurant that yesterday was closed between lunchtime and dinner. Sitting along the riverside railing was delightful, and we had a lovely, light lunch, a cheese plate for Arnie, and spinach soup with salmon and a poached egg for me, supplemented by a refreshing glass of white wine, Czech, of course!
On the way out of the restaurant, one of the straps on my flip-flops broke, and since there was no way to repair it, I adopted a Quasimodo shuffle … step … drag … step …drag. Soon, the strap on the other one broke, and Arnie and I were laughing at the utter ridiculousness of the situation.
A lady was sweeping outside of her shop, and it turned out that while she didn’t speak English, she spoke quite good French. She kindly gave directions to a place a few blocks away where I could buy replacements, so off we went … shuffle drag … shuffle drag … WHEW! And off we went, me clad in my new, sparkly, bluey-green flip-flops!
We passed by the John Lennon Wall where Arnie did some photographs. It was a very moving tribute by Czech students for freedom of expression and peace. There is no way to properly describe the impact that this wall has, so when you visit Prague, you will need to see this wall.
It has been our custom here to return to our room, catch up on e-mails, write my blog, and process some images, and this day was no exception.
When we went back out to take advantage of the evening light, we found ourselves back in the Jewish section.
There were some very high-end shops and some very high-end cars. Maseratis, Audis, Porsches, Alfas, etc. We even saw a hot-rod VW! Prague is doing quite well to support this luxury. 
Many of the buildings and synogogues were beautifully decorated, and tributes to Franz Kafka abounded. 
Eventually, we found ourselves back in the Old Town Square where the pastel-colored buildings stood out against a darkening sky. 
After looking at some menus that didn’t quite work for us, we found a lovely restaurant in a very old building, originally 14th century, but probably built on the old foundations sometime in the 16th century. The waiter recommended an excellent, Gold winner, bottle of Czech Cabernet Sauvignon. I was the taster this time, and my eyebrows immediately went up in appreciation. For our “food porn” selection, we feature Arnie’s Sea Perch. He said his was really tasty, as was my chicken with an herb-butter mini-tower. And for dessert, their crème caramel, also yummy. 
We thought it would be fun to try one of the absint bars and had seen one just down the street from our hotel. Next door was a store feature a huge selection, of which this is a mere, tiny fraction. 
Upstairs, there were sofas and comfy chairs, and we could look down upon the bar. It was a busy night, but we suspected that it is always a busy night there. Absint, as they spell it in the Czech Republic, is somewhat of a national drink along with beer. 
Being new to this, we asked the gentleman at the next table, who clearly knew about Absint, for some recommendations. He described the different properties, and we settled on a “Beetle”. It came with a flagon of water, as one is supposed to have a sip of the liquor, then a sip of water. Since some of the Absint is some 140-160 proof, that water is necessary to even contemplate staying hydrated!
After that, which we quite enjoyed sharing, he then recommended the Zombie (don’t ask, but it was quite tasty.) More water!
Meanwhile, another gentleman had come upstairs and obviously knew our new friend quite well. He had a bottle of Absint “champagne” and generously shared it with us. Lots of toasts, some great conversation, and … more water!
It turned out that Pavel Varga, along with his partner, is the major manufacturer of Absint in Prague, in Europe, and he even sells his stock in New York, LA, and other places in the US. They also have about five Absint bars in Prague.
Because we were all having so much fun, he told us we needed a B-52, made with his Absint, Kalua, and Bailey’s. Three glasses were brought up in shot glasses. Out came the lighter, and our glasses were aflame. We toasted with the tradition straws, and as instructed, downed it, still burning, in one strong sip through the straw. It was so smo-o-oth, and … more water! 
More animated conversation, and OMG, three more glasses appeared! Down the hatch again, and when he offered yet more, we prudently declined. As it was, we were not quite sure if we would make it back to our hotel in one piece. We did, by the way, with no problem whatsoever, but we also took in LOTS of water!
It was time to leave, and we said our good-byes with kissing of hands (mine), hugs (Arnie and me), European kisses on the cheeks (me again), and still more hugs and kisses. Pavel presented us with a VERY nice bottle of Staroplzenecky Absint that we shall carefully wrap in our chic rain gear from the other day, and protect it with lots of laundry!
What an evening, and one we shall not soon forget. I wrote Pavel in the morning to thank him for such a great evening.
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Since you had a flat in your flip flop then you really became the barefoot contessa.
Except, alas, I would prefer to walk barefooted in a farm field than a city street where what knows what is there!!! I still cimg our local NH mountain in my bare feet. Does that count?
Thanks for chiming in!
Take care,
TBC
An excellent day – well described and documented. The absent evening, in case you can’t remember it, sounds like the highlight of the day. Love the picture of the bar from above. Hope Arnie was able to get some of his character shots, I mean photos, from the bar crowd.
David,
When all was said and done, we actually did not lose that evening. Thank god for WATER! Arnie diod, indeed, get some character shots, one of which he will post on FB. It was not from the bar, but on our way back to the hotel!
Great fun, and reminders of his family business!
Take care,
TBC
Scott warned us about the “absint” (I don’t know how to spell it properly) so we avoided it when in Prague. Too much good wine and beer as alternatives.
Actually, Dave and Sue, I think the warnings about absint (yes, in Czech) and absinthe (in French) stem from lesser-quality goods. We had some REALLY good stuff … very smooth and yummy. No ill effects in spite of the quantities.
Hugs to you two, and see you in Paris!
TBC
What a fun day
And funny, too! Glad you enjoyed it!
Take care,
TBC