Best of Prague, Part 2: Food & Drink!

With the Czech Republic's currency still on the krona (or crown), it is so cheap and sweet to eat out in Prague! 17 crowns to 1 US dollar was a great exchange rate for this poor student. Eating in Prague was such a huge pleasure and indulgence because, yes, beer is cheaper than water and also comfort food (pork stew, dumplings, hearty soups) happen to be everyday food.

FOOD you need to eat!

• Goulash & Bread/Potato Dumplings. This is a traditional Czech dish, and is very savory, heavy, and delicious!
• Smažený sýr or fried cheese. Don't forget the tartar sauce! I loved munching on a fried cheese sandwich from a street vendor after a night out ... tastes so good!
• Fruit dumplings. This is a dessert you'll either love or hate.
• Czech pancakes. Which are basically American crepes. Actually, maybe even better than American crepes!

Some very, very special DRINKS:

• Pilsner Urquel -- the Czechs' favorite beer, brewed in Plzen, Czech Republic
  
• Staropramen -- my favorite Czech beer, so light and tasty
  
• A Radler -- a mix of beer and lemonade/sprite. I always order this. Always.
• Becherovka -- A cinnamon-tasting liquor only manufactured in the Czech Republic, barely exported in the US. This one you'll either love or hate as well.

Knockout Restaurants/Cafes I'd recommend:

For Brunch/Lunch:

• Cafe Zanzibar -- This was my favorite brunch place, with affordable prices and huge, delicious portions. I went here almost every week! I loved their avocado & chicken salad, grilled feta cheese & toast, and all of their egg combinations
  
• Radoste -- Club/bar at night, amazing vegetarian brunch cafe on weekends. You must try their waffles and wraps
  
• Bohemia Bagel -- the Westerner's hangout with Western-style food; comforting if you're in Prague for long and want a taste of home. Dig into their American cheesecakes, homemade soups, and yummy burgers
  
• Au Groumand -- Cute cafe with lots of decadent desserts and gelato
  

• Cafe Cafe -- Known more for its incredible Meatpacking District vibe (think fashion and glamour), skip the entree here but get lots of desserts, like chocolate cake. Mmm.
  
• Country Life -- This one's for you vegans out there! Both a restaurant and a store, this place is the ultimate vegan buffet in Prague
  

For Dinner:

• Las Adelitas -- Best Mexican food in Prague, hands down. Best service too (which is hard to find in Prague, unfortunately). Order anything, you can't go wrong. I recommend their mojitos and passion fruit margaritas too. They were so unbelievably tasty.
  
• Prague Lokal -- Only 2 months old, this restaurant offers the best traditional Czech food you could ever find. (And I've eaten a lot to compare!) One of my Czech professors told me about it (and he lives in Prague), and he even said it was the best Czech food he'd ever tasted!
  
• Pivovarsky Dum -- A tourist favorite. This place is named after beer ("pivo") because it has an incredibly large flavored beer selection (my favorite was banana) and some of its courses are even made with beer as an ingredient! Neato.

Me at Las Adelitas for Mexican Monday (my long-time tradition)!

There are plenty other restaurants in Old Town Square to choose from, but these ones happened to stick to me -- I had such great memories wining and dining in each! Please let me know if you have any specific questions about anything. Feel free to email or voice your question in a comment below!

Keep a look out! More "BEST of Prague" yet to come...

Part 3: Day trips (for those on extended stay)!
Part 4: Night life (Bars, Clubs, you name it.)
Part 5: Czech specialties + souvenirs

2 more days... and snow!

View from outside my window

It's been so, so cold for the past week. Literally 20 degrees (Fahrenheit!). And I'm inside eating mushroom soup with the heat cranked all the way up. So toasty :)

But I'm stuck with papers and lots of work, ugh. I need to get everything done by 6:30pm because Isabel, Anna, and I are going to the ballet! Swan Lake, here we come! It's actually nice that we have snow to enjoy (from inside) right now... it's like a wintry preview of the performance. Snowflakes are like little ballerinas themselves, gliding through the air and landing oh-so gracefully. Don't ya think?

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Update! Here's my post on Swan Lake + pretty pictures!

3 more days

The sun sets so early now in Prague. Pitch dark by 4pm...

I have two papers and one final to go. But I have a Swan Lake performance (I love ballet!) to watch and a good-bye party to enjoy before I leave. I can't believe that by Friday, I'll be back home in the 'burbs of Philadelphia, eating Chinese food and resting in my own bed. It might even feel like these three months never existed, all the emotional and physical challenges and growths. The best thing about home is that nothing ever changes, but I certainly have, I think. Just a little bit.

6 more days

Six more days in Prague (and my emotions are all over the place). So I thought it fitting to jot down six random events in my life from the past week:

1. Went to McDonald's (for first time in Prague!) and got a gigantic burger with jalapeno peppers. It was divine.
   
2. Yesterday, I celebrated my first Hanukkah and helped make latkes! My hands smelled like potatoes the rest of the night. I had so much food, I wanted to undo a pant button. (But I was wearing long underwear, so no buttons to unbutton!)
   
3. Visited my special Mexican place for the 52131th time! Mexican Mondays have become Mexican+Mojitos+Margaritas+Adorable Waiters Monday-Wednesdays-and-sometimes-Sundays.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Went to an NYU Photo Expo and admired the artistic works of my dear friends. Found out my friend Will had modeled in some photos completely naked, but for a tube sock. I almost died cracking up.
5. Went out dancing with the girls. LOVE clubs in Europe, because it's not considered snobby if you don't want to dance with any greasy men (who unfortunately love to sneak up on you from behind) and jam out solo.
   
6. Friends and I bought tickets to Swan Lake for this Wednesday, and I am SO. EXCITED. (!!!)

Okay, I better continue with writing my papers/studying for finals. Isabel just walked in on me crying from this especially touching blog post. It's just the PMS, I swearrrr!

Fall Break Recap: Barcelona, Last DAY!

Now, we actually weren't planning on staying an extra day... we should've been in Southern France already! But Isabel, Kate, and I still felt like there was so much adventuring and exploring to do in Barcelona. We hadn't really walked through our own little neighborhood in the Gothic Quarter, nor had we been to Park Guel, the only Gaudi work we hadn't seen. So we resolved to do just that!

Our last day, we took our time taking in the Roman ruins, checking out the souvenir shops, flea markets, and the general surroundings. The Gothic Quarter is everything that I could have hoped it would be. Clothes hanging out to dry from every window, plants (and palm trees!) everywhere, tons of little shops...

We ran into a tiny little Arabic pastry shop, and obviously couldn't resist trying! I got a walnut-y dessert and another treat with figs inside. Yum!

We also looked through plenty of flea markets. There were so many vintage treasures that I wanted to take home: old typewriters, elegant telephones, jewelry, photo frames, tea sets...

That evening, we hiked up to Park Guel, which is not so much a park as it is a beautiful series of rugged hills. We must've climbed about three of them -- the views were incredible. When we reached the tallest rock on the tallest hill, we were serenaded by a funky band, which I loved (and have a video of now!). Everybody looked so happy to be right where they were. Even when it started drizzling, we sat on the rock, looked down at the view, and listened.

View of Park Guel from one of the hills


We were on this rock, enjoying the music :)


Most enthusiastic entertainers ever!


The Gaudi Museum in Park Guel

It was getting late, and we had a bus to catch for France at midnight, so we went out to dinner for our last taste of tapas and sangria, shopped for a thank-you gift for Cande, and bid farewell to Barcelona. I was really sad to leave. Barcelona is so different from Prague -- it's much more energetic and upbeat (while Prague is historic and quiet). I loved practicing my (very rusty) Spanish and experiencing this city. Hopefully, I'll be back?

Last Barcelona tapas dinner

PS: You can find all of my pics from Barcelona HERE. Enjoy!

all for some pilsner

Today, some friends and I woke early and took a bus to Plzeň to visit the Pilsner beer factory. I actually have no great passion for beer, and Pilsner is my least favorite (because it's so strong and bitter!) -- but we're all here to try new things, right? I've never been to a beer factory before, so at least I can check that off my list. :)

A Pilsner motorcycle?

Drinking fresh Pilsner in the cellar

Bottles lining the restaurant where we ate

Super tall Kaitlin and super short (sans heels) me :(

After lunch, we had a tiny siesta on a bench (we were so sleep-deprived); the view up

The Pilsner tour was fantastic and very museum-y. We watched videos, touched the ingredients, walked through the packaging plant, brewing building, and fermentation cellar, and had fresh beer! (I couldn't finish my cup though. It was still early! I know...weak.)

But I have to admit, the trip was pretty aggravating. We missed our first bus over to Plzeň, had to purchase new (and more expensive!) tickets for the next bus because the bus company was sketchy and inhospitable, and were blatantly ogled at in the 90% male-occupied restaurant at the factory (although the food was delicious!). After our tour, we slept through the entire hour on the bus back and returned to our dorm in a total daze. Traveling can be exhausting sometimes!

peace, democracy, and human rights in asia conference

Package and translator; His Holiness the Dalai Lama

List of delegates

The conference was held in Prague Crossroads, a gorgeous building

Every speaker was interesting, passionate, and inspiring. And the Dalai Lama was surprisingly lively and eloquent. I'm so grateful and honored to have been allowed to attend!

Nightlife Do's and Don'ts

The past week, I've been hitting up some of the popular clubs in Prague with my friends. I don't do this often in the States, because there's always some slick chump trying to grind up on me from behind, and that gets old fast. But I do love to dance, and the clubs here surprisingly don't disappoint. Before you attempt though, a few guidelines for my ladies:

• DO watch where you step. Some idiots slosh beer and even smash their glasses on the ground.
  
• Your guy friends will leave you in search of their own pleasures, so DO stick with at least one other girlfriend. If either one of you happens to have a dance partner, well, I'm sure he'll think two is better than one.
• DON'T dance with a guy who has an entourage. They'll inevitably want to join, and you'll find yourself in an awkward testosterone sandwich. Not fun.
  
• DON'T talk to guys who say "You're so beautiful" in broken English. You are so not the first and only. And he's a sleazeball, no excuses.
  
• If a girlfriend tries to leave with a creepy stranger, take her aside and DO ask her firmly, "Are you sure about this? Like, really, really sure?" Raise your eyebrows and gesture wildly for effect.
  
• And DON'T leave anyone behind. Friends before silly drunken hookups.
• But DO have fun! Dance!

Also, if you're planning on visiting Prague, here are some places NYU kids frequent:

• Karlovy (famous 5-story club next to the Charles Bridge)
• Chapeau Rouge (a crowd favorite, though very seedy)
  
• Mecca
• Roxy Club
  
• Radoste
• Lucerna
• Nebe
  
• M1 (tiny place though)
  
• Beer Factory (in St. Wenceslas Square)
• Cross Club

the last few days

Yesterday, I went on a boat cruise down the Vltava river...

The night before, I had the privilege of seeing the Czech Philharmonic in the very first row! It was such an incredible experience, I'm such a music nerd and totally shouted "Bravo!" embarrassingly loudly. :D

I also visited Vyšehrad, a part of Prague with a ton of history. We saw the castle and the cemetery where the most famous Czechs rest. Each grave has its own personality. Everything was gorgeous.

And then I went dancing til 4AM in a pair of (now scuffy) heels...

***

But I have been feeling a bit homesick. There's a lot to explore here in Prague, but I miss my lovely friends and family and doing the most banal, comforting things, like sipping tea and having long talks. I'm desperate to just veg out and watch a movie with my best friends (who are all over the world now!) instead of going out all the time. Besides Kaitlin, I don't feel like I can count on anyone just yet. Tonight I curled up with the newest Jhumpa Lahiri book because I needed a mental break... I think I might actually an introvert with extroverted tendencies. Am I completely insane?

some fun facts and activities

1. Prague is 6 hours ahead of New York time, not bad!

2. There will be approx. 160 people in my program, which includes NYU and non-NYU students.

3. My orientation week (Aug. 31 to Sept. 6) is going to be awesome. I'm taking some intense Czech classes and a billion tours, starting with a "Jewish Prague" tour, which means visiting the famous Jewish Cemetery:

via here

4. Then there's Old Town Square...

via here

5. The Prague Castle...

via here

6. And a Kafka tour, which I hope is not as depressing as The Metamorphosis. This is where he lived from 1916 to 1917:

via here

7. Boat cruising down the Vltava River:

via here

And then, for a special evening event, I get to choose one of the following:

MONDAY: Cirque Trottola, Letni Letna
WEDNESDAY: Rusalka, National Theatre OR Jazz Concert, Jazz Dock
THURSDAY: Ice-hockey match, Tesla Arena
FRIDAY : Carmen, National Theatre OR Turandot, State Opera OR La Putyka, La Fabrika
SATURDAY: Czech Philharmonic, Rudolfinum

I'm thinking either the Cirque or Carmen at the Opera. What's your opinion? I love them all! This is going to be tough.