I've just come to a realization and decided to share.
In the United States of America, when dining out the question of what to order for a beverage typically meets a simple, "Just water, please." Maybe a different variation, "Water with lemon." or even sometimes (for the strange), "Water. No ice please!"
However, seeing as you have to pay for the tap water that they fill your opened glass Bonaqua water bottle, ordering drinks becomes a much more intense experience in the Czech Republic. The options are suddenly open. No longer can you cheap out by not getting a drink, now there are other options, some even cheaper.
Beer? Big or small? This kind or that? Vino? Red or white? Coffee? Tea? Coke, Fanta, or Sprite?
This brings a whole new angle to eating out. As you sit down and pick up the menu you have to not only judge your hunger, but you have to judge your thirst. Are you getting something spicy or salty? Maybe you should get a big beer then. But, two cokes added, is that cheaper than a big beer? The beer will fill you up too... good point, maybe I'll just get water.
Up until this point, I've been in Praha for 3 months, I've always thought it an annoyance that I had to order a drink. Now I see it as an opportunity to better understand the dining out culture.
Na zdraví!
April 3, 2009
April 1, 2009
These few presidents....
I emailed my professor of my antisemitism class on Sunday about my book review. He responded with a weird cryptic message about Terezin and President Peres. I had no idea what he was talking about. I thought he was canceling class because he was going to a ceremony with the president. Later in the day I get a text from Jarka (the RD for the Jewish Studies program, shes cool). The text said something like, Monday instead of class we are leaving at 2:50 to go to Terezin to be a part in a ceremony with the Czech President and Israeli President.
Crazy. Oh, and we had to dress up. Good thing I brought those black suit pants...
Around 2:50, a group of maybe 13 of us gather downstairs. Jarka led us to a minibus that she rented just for this occasion. We took the hour drive to Terezin. After going through a bit of a fiasco trying to find kippas for all the guys, we walked to where the ceremony would take place. There was a podium, maybe 20 chairs, and a huge wreath, all set up behind the cremetorium (not the bad kind like Auschwitz, just the one for people who lived in the ghetto). It was in the cemetery in the ghetto part of Terezin, there was a different ceremony at the little fortress on the other side.
Finally after standing around for several minutes, a huge motorcade pulls into the cemetery. The presidents went into the cremetorium. Then come out and speak to about the 50 of us who were there. The Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, spoke in Czech (which was translated into English), and vice versa. Peres is 85, but he spoke surprisingly well. Klaus was pretty bland. He isnt very well liked anyways, he doesnt believe in global warming...
Peres said some weird stuff. Some stuff I don't agree with, but whatever. It was all bull. They then walked over to the huge menorah. Some guy prayed, some Czech chick sang, then they each put a stone on the huge menorah. It was cool. See the photos below. Youtube links soon to follow...
I think you can tell who is who. Old man with stache is Klaus, tan dude with kippa is Peres. As you can tell, we were about 15 feet away. I have a video of them walking directly in front of me. When I say directly, I mean two feet away...
Crazy. Oh, and we had to dress up. Good thing I brought those black suit pants...
Around 2:50, a group of maybe 13 of us gather downstairs. Jarka led us to a minibus that she rented just for this occasion. We took the hour drive to Terezin. After going through a bit of a fiasco trying to find kippas for all the guys, we walked to where the ceremony would take place. There was a podium, maybe 20 chairs, and a huge wreath, all set up behind the cremetorium (not the bad kind like Auschwitz, just the one for people who lived in the ghetto). It was in the cemetery in the ghetto part of Terezin, there was a different ceremony at the little fortress on the other side.
Finally after standing around for several minutes, a huge motorcade pulls into the cemetery. The presidents went into the cremetorium. Then come out and speak to about the 50 of us who were there. The Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, spoke in Czech (which was translated into English), and vice versa. Peres is 85, but he spoke surprisingly well. Klaus was pretty bland. He isnt very well liked anyways, he doesnt believe in global warming...
Peres said some weird stuff. Some stuff I don't agree with, but whatever. It was all bull. They then walked over to the huge menorah. Some guy prayed, some Czech chick sang, then they each put a stone on the huge menorah. It was cool. See the photos below. Youtube links soon to follow...
I think you can tell who is who. Old man with stache is Klaus, tan dude with kippa is Peres. As you can tell, we were about 15 feet away. I have a video of them walking directly in front of me. When I say directly, I mean two feet away...
Springtime in Prague?
Yesterday it was in the 50s!
Later this week we might hit 66!
Prague is starting to transform. The people, not so much. I almost got hit by a car two days ago... Terrible drivers even in the nice weather...
The good weather has perfect timing. Friday we have a make-up class for Art History and we are doing an extensive tour of a section of the city called Vysehrad. I think thats how its spelled... Its like a fortress/cemetery/cubist buildings. I'm pretty excited because its close to our flat, but we've never ventured in that direction before.
Sunday Obama will be speaking at the Prague Castle. The public is allowed to attend, so I think the majority of us are going to go. That would be three presidents in one week for me. I'll be posting about the other two in a different post.
Apart from the five finals, three 10 page papers, and bunch of readings left, the semester is nearly over. I am looking forward to being in the States, but while I'm here I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can.
Now that the weather is looking up there are thousands of tourists in Prague. Its disgusting. I don't really have to venture into those sections of town, unless its by choice. Despite the fact that we've spent nearly 3 months here, to the Praguers we are still just American tourists. Slightly disheartening.
The last weekend of April is a free weekend. I know people who are traveling every single weekend in April. I don't know why, Prague is great. I think I might go on a day trip or two, and maybe on the free weekend take a train trip to Krakow or somewhere not terribly far. Paris is great an all, but I'm not really looking for that experience. Although I would love to go to the Louvre. I have the rest of my life to go to Paris, but chances are I'm never going to be traveling in the Czech Republic again (although it is pretty sweet and I'd like to come back one day).
I also have tons of visitors coming Easter Weekend. April 9-12 I think. Then I think I have friends coming April 22/23ish. We'll see if that works out.
The two places I'm thinking for day trips are Oloumost (most definitely spelled wrong). Its where three of the Czech buddies go to University. Its supposed to be really nice, and its really rich in history. Another group make a weekend trip earlier in the semester.
The other place I want to go is Karlsbad. There is a castle there that Charles IV specifcally set aside for his collection of religious garbage. Most of it is still there. There is a room that is covered in jewels, gold, and these awesome paintings of saints. Its supposed to be a great place to visit in nice weather, and its only about 45 minutes away by bus or train.
Later this week we might hit 66!
Prague is starting to transform. The people, not so much. I almost got hit by a car two days ago... Terrible drivers even in the nice weather...
The good weather has perfect timing. Friday we have a make-up class for Art History and we are doing an extensive tour of a section of the city called Vysehrad. I think thats how its spelled... Its like a fortress/cemetery/cubist buildings. I'm pretty excited because its close to our flat, but we've never ventured in that direction before.
Sunday Obama will be speaking at the Prague Castle. The public is allowed to attend, so I think the majority of us are going to go. That would be three presidents in one week for me. I'll be posting about the other two in a different post.
Apart from the five finals, three 10 page papers, and bunch of readings left, the semester is nearly over. I am looking forward to being in the States, but while I'm here I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can.
Now that the weather is looking up there are thousands of tourists in Prague. Its disgusting. I don't really have to venture into those sections of town, unless its by choice. Despite the fact that we've spent nearly 3 months here, to the Praguers we are still just American tourists. Slightly disheartening.
The last weekend of April is a free weekend. I know people who are traveling every single weekend in April. I don't know why, Prague is great. I think I might go on a day trip or two, and maybe on the free weekend take a train trip to Krakow or somewhere not terribly far. Paris is great an all, but I'm not really looking for that experience. Although I would love to go to the Louvre. I have the rest of my life to go to Paris, but chances are I'm never going to be traveling in the Czech Republic again (although it is pretty sweet and I'd like to come back one day).
I also have tons of visitors coming Easter Weekend. April 9-12 I think. Then I think I have friends coming April 22/23ish. We'll see if that works out.
The two places I'm thinking for day trips are Oloumost (most definitely spelled wrong). Its where three of the Czech buddies go to University. Its supposed to be really nice, and its really rich in history. Another group make a weekend trip earlier in the semester.
The other place I want to go is Karlsbad. There is a castle there that Charles IV specifcally set aside for his collection of religious garbage. Most of it is still there. There is a room that is covered in jewels, gold, and these awesome paintings of saints. Its supposed to be a great place to visit in nice weather, and its only about 45 minutes away by bus or train.
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