Day 9 - Christmas Shopping

Today we decided to circle back around and hit all the shops where we previously found Christmas gift ideas and do some serious buying. We left the apartment and headed south along the west side of the river. We had taken this route once before from the hotel, but it was night and we didn’t get to see a lot. What a difference the daylight made. Our apartment borders Kampa Island, a small strip of land off the west bank of Mala Strana that is separated by a small waterway/canal. Kampa begins on the south side of the Charles Bridge and is a highly coveted living area with plenty of open space that includes Kampa park. Walking along the canal, we stopped to admire the stone walls of the canal, marveling at the amount of work it must have taken to build them (just like we do when we see all the cobblestone sideswalks and amazing architecture throughout the city). Continuing farther south we crossed at the Jariskov Bridge (we had to look the name up), where both sides of the river (Mala Strana on the west and Stare Mesto on the east) are lined with beautiful packed buildings that are shaded in a variety of soft colors. A quick glance back and forth might make you think it was a mirror image. The sky today was a soft blue with huge fluffy clouds. There wasn't a lot of direct sunlight - everything was a bit hazey which made really beautiful reflections on the water. On the east side of the bridge sits the “famous” Dancing Building. It is on all of the lists of "must see places" when you visit Prague. It is unlike any of the other architecture in the city and I read that even the residents themselves aren't sure if they like it. We stopped for a quick gaze then turned up the pace toward Wenceslas Square because it was getting colder out (cold front moving in….high of 16 degrees…low of 9 degrees coming….yes, Fahrenheit). First stop, of course, was for Karl to get a Trdelnik (which he is now pronouncing "turtleneck")…and…well, just look at the pictures below. We stopped to watch a metalsmith making bells among the booths in the front of the square, picked up a few gifts, then beat feet for Old Town Square…but not before buying some gloves for me and a hat for K. The temperature dropped fast…even some of the street vendors were closing up shop early due to the cold. Once in the square we quickly found our shops, both to get warm and to purchase our gifts. Despite the cold, we found it hard to leave without taking in a bit more of the Christmas spirit by looking at the lights and decorations in the square once more. We headed back to the apartment around 7pm and had a simple pasta dinner that I overcooked. Oops. The next several days are going to be cold and snowy (according to the online forcast but they rarely get it right and I am choosing to be optimistic) so we are hoping to get up early each day and hit some of the inside stuff….the Prague Castle, museums, etc, which will take a bit of time…something we didn’t want to commit to on a nice, sunny day. We discovered that the large rooms in the apartment are a little chilly with this weather front, so we finished the night cozied up on the couch with a blanket and a space heater (watching HBO...haha). But this is supposed to be a cold city after all.

Also, I wanted to thank everyone that has sent me feedback on the Plog. I am pleasantly surprised at how many people are reading! The positive comments are really appreciated.

The view of the street outside the apartment.

Walking towards the Jariskov Bridge.

Majority rules (ok...just Karl and me) think that this is one of the top pictures so far taken in Prague.

Looking across the canal at Kampa Park.

On the bridge looking down the river... not really sure what that structure is but it made for a good picture...

Looking up the river.

Buildings on the west side.

The colors of the east side buildings.

Again.

The Dancing Building.

Caught red handed sneaking a "turtleneck".

I don't know what they are but I want them.

A metalsmith making bells in Wenceslas Square.

...Aaand again. A sausage and a kabob. "...but we are walking so much..."

Old Town Square at night. How festive!

Hello 800 ISO. A street leading to Old Town Square. Pretty lights...

There was a kiddie puppet show happening... all in Czech of course and no one else was laughing so we left. Not to mention we were freezing our @sses off.

Day 8 - Moving Day

We moved into the apartment. Yay! It is so cool. We left the hotel just after noon. Once again we amazed (shocked) our driver with the amount of baggage we had. “Just the two of you?” Ha ha. In any event, he was really nice and refused to let Karl help with the bags. When we arrived at the apartment he made us wait in the car to keep warm while he dragged our bags through the snow into the courtyard, plowing a nice path for the other residents. The apartment is a loft style with an eclectic blend of old (exposed beams, wood floors, furnishings, etc.), industrial (steel beams/supports, steel stairways, and hardware), and new (appliances and fixtures). It is also huge (as big a house). We got lucky because they gave us a major discount for the last minute rental since it was otherwise vacant. The apartment is a bit excessive (two floors, 2 bedrooms, small kitchen, living room, PIANO (that is obviously just for looks because it is desperately out of tune), surround stereo t.v. system, a little park/garden area out front, etc.), not to mention the amazing neighborhood, but that’s the way Karl rolls (I am working on changing that…ok maybe just a little). It is very warm and romantic, despite some of its industrial characteristics…very classy. After tucking away our belongings we ventured out for a bite to eat (late lunch as usual, but that always means we have the place to ourselves). It was not hard to find a nice spot. Just around the corner from the new pad we found Café de Paris, a reputable French restaurant, where we enjoyed amazingly fresh food, including steak tartare, lasagna (ok, I can’t help it, I love Italian food and it was their special….it was unlike any other lasagna I’ve ever had, yum), and of course crème brulee and tarte au chocolate…not to mention of few glasses of red wine J. Karl of course went into his French accent routine, making fun of the French. But, since a) his mother is French, b) he has actually lived in France, and c) he speaks the language, I approved...this time, even joining in a little. After eating we ventured to a local super market to get some staple items for the new pad (ok….they really don’t have “super” markets around here…just a small corner shop with the basic necessities…eggs, yogurt and wine). I have to say... I really enjoy Hannafords (Whole Foods for the brat). On the way back we spot another restaurant and, after seeing a sign for fried cheese, I decide this is where we would eat dinner tonight (we have been here a week already and have not tried this local specialty yet!). We walked back just as dark set in. It was still snowing lightly, something that had been happening all day. Admittedly it was a bit sad not to see all the wonderful cobblestone sidewalks, alleyways and roads - they are now blanketed in snow - but the old roadway lighting makes for a picturesque (and romantic) setting, as well as brings us the warmth of the Christmas spirit. Back at the apartment we crack a nice bottle of South African red and kick back to relax with some itunes. Life is good.

Emptied the bottle of wine then headed to the restaurant...basically all the hype about fried cheese is just that. It was just a your typical breaded and deep fried cheese stick, but on steroids…literally about the size of a filet-o-fish at McDonalds (I find it funny that this is the comparison Karl made considering he swears he has not and never will set foot in that establishment)….and equally as unimpressive. Oh well, I tried it. So far pastries and mulled wine are the big winners as far a Czech cuisine goes.

No real photos today other than a few apartment shots below and a few snowy scenes from the hotel window so that you can see the overnight change from green to white. Now that we are finally settled in I am expecting a good week of shooting (hopefully the weather will cooperate).

This was taken our last night in the hotel. The snow was really coming down!

You may remember a similar picture in previous entry...minus the snow.

Little Mole!

Transformed to winter wonderland.

A view of the kitchen in the new pad.

From the kitchen looking towards the rest of the apartment.

The toilet and the bath-shower are in two seperate small rooms. Obviously this is the shower room. I didn't get a good shot of the stand-up shower, but very cool design...steel panels separated by granite. There are body jets along the wall of the shower and the handle to turn on the water doesn't have very clear directions... needless to say I completely drenched myself when I tried to turn it on (my clothes can be seen here drying out for the "incident"). The body jets shoot straight out. The good news is, we have great water pressure...

toilet room..

The living room. I included Karl in the picture for a size reference ;)

This is the other side of the living room.

ditto

Up at the top of the stairs...small sleeping area.

The second bedroom that has obviously been turned into Karl's personal walk-in closet.

The hall down to the other bedroom.

The other bedroom! This space isn't over the lower floor of our apartment and seems to be much chillier than the rest of the place. Thus the space heater.

Again.

* * * * *

Okay... it is a beautiful day outside so we are off to wander and shoot some more!

Day 7- Attack of the Plog/ Apartment

Our goal for the day was to find our final living space for the rest of the trip. Before we left the U.S. we tried a couple times to get in touch with a few different apartment rental agencies but failed to get a response. So we had to settle on staying in a hotel for a few days while we searched from here. We aren't sure why, but as soon as we contacted the agencies from Prague we had responses! Anyway, yesterday we went to see an apartment in the area where I was taking the first few pictures on the last post (Lesser Town/Mala Strana). We were a few minutes late getting there (...who, us?!) because we had to fumble around a few winding back streets, but we found it in the end. The apartment is very cool. A bit hard to describe, but don't worry, pictures will be coming soon! We liked it a lot and decided to take it! The apartment sits just off the river in the Kampa district - a highly sought after living area - and is only a stones throw from Mala Strana, which is home to nice shops and restaurants, as well as many of the foreign embassies including the US. It is a bit quieter than the “tourist” areas, yet still walking distance to the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square and many other popular sites.

We will be moving from the hotel tomorrow and then we can finally be settled. Until now we have been living out of our suitcases and the thought of having to move has been weighing on Karl. It will be nice to have all of our stuff organized and not have to trip over (6) suitcases AND camera gear. It will make it easier to live and, most importantly, get out and take pictures! I will post some pics of the apartment soon.

After looking at the apartment we made a quick trip to Starbucks (yes) for a quick breakfast (brunch) and then, to Karl’s absolute delight, we stumbled on an outdoor vendor serving trdelnik and, of course, he chowed one despite just having finished eating.

Returned to hotel to catch up on the Plog (hours!), and brief trip outside to a small Mexican place for eats which was very good, despite the fact that they got my order wrong, and then back to the hotel to Plog a little more. THEN SLEEP.

Day 6- Wenceslas Square

We actually got up and ate breakfast with the few other guests at the hotel (the first time we have seen any other guests). It's actually a great time of year to be here as it's a lower tourist period. Anyway, we would have been out on the streets earlier than usual for us but we ended up skyping with Leah and Mom for a while. Mom got a Christmas present early: a bran new Mac desk top!! WooHoo! It was also fun to see the kittens wrestling in the background too. I miss the little buggers (yes Leah, even Char). We headed out to Wenceslas Square around 2pm. We took a different route than normal, heading south along the river (on the west side) towards the Charles Bridge. We discovered some new shops and got a few interesting shots. I really liked this part of the city (Lesser Town). Across the Charles it was about a 20 minute walk to the square. Just like home, it gets dark very quickly here. Wenceslas square is a long rectangular shape with a huge museum at one end and (this time of year) a Christmas tree and small booths selling goods just like in Old Town Square at the other. Lining both sides of the long square are shops. This square is comparable perhaps to Times Square in NY, just without the huge TVs. It was starting to get really cold fast so Karl and I stopped at a stand and I got a mulled wine (soooo good) and Karl got a tea and rum. We also shared a sausage with onions. We walked up one end and down the other and decided to go inside a cafe for some tea and to defrost. This is where Karl drank his very first coffee, ever! This was a very bittersweet moment for him. When we had warmed up we went into a couple stores and then poked around the different booths a bit more. K got himself a Trdelnik and then we headed back over the bridge to explore Lesser Town/Mala Strana, where we were hoping to find an apartment to stay in for the remainder of our stay here. We stumbled upon a thai restaurant and decided to grab dinner. With full bellies we decided to explore farther south through Lesser Town, cross back over the river (again) to view the "dancing building" and cross back through the city (though a rather creepy and precarious section) into Old Town Square where I tried a hot honey meade. We headed back towards the English pub we had been to a few nights earlier for a beer and some live music. This time it was an American wearing a cowboy hat who did a very wide range of covers of popular songs. He was pretty good at everything except the Black Eyed Peas' "I Got A Feelin'". Sorry dude but no one can do Fergie but Fergie. Then headed home and crashed. A good day.

Little Mole out on the small balcony outside our room with the Prague Castle behind him. Isn't he cute?

A view of the rooftops from the balcony.

Ditto.

Ditto.

Karl in front of the river on the west side.

Karl 'posing' so I can subtly take a picture of the people on segways... haha.

Me on the west bank of the river. Probably laughing at the segways.

Door. I like this one :)

In lesser town on our way to Wenceslas Square (still on the west side of the river).

Ditto. I have to say that I really love using the wide lens (14mm-24mm) in the city.

In Lesser Town.

In Lesser Town.

Lesser Town. One of Karl's favorites.

Tourists swarming the Charles Bridge. It was much less busy at 2 am...

Love this one... from the east side on the way to W.S.

The stand where we got...

...mulled wine and sausage!

One of the treat booths. Fruit cake anyone?

Candy.

This is in the window of a spa along W.S. I think the little fishies are eating the dead skin off her feet?????

Looking down the square from the top.

Making trdelnik. (Karl's new obsession.)

The tree!

K's first EVER coffee!!! Also like this shot... maybe I should have a "slightly out of focus cafe drinks" collection too...