Gingerbread Houses - Prague Style

I love Christmas and all the traditions that accompany Christmas. So when our friend A asked if we would be excited about building and decorating a gingerbread house for Christmas, the obvious answer was, "Yes!" Since we are in Prague with some of America's best and brightest scholars (i.e. the Fulbrights), we decided to ask a few of them to help us in our quest for Christmas fun. Thus spawned the weekend of building the "best gingerbread house ever"...

When A and I decided to organize gingerbread house making, we enlisted two architects, E and Z, to come up with a plan. I have to admit, A and I put a lot of pressure on E and Z to design a "really cool" structure. And because they are good sports, and were willing to humor us, they produced plans for the most amazing gingerbread house ever built: a replica of a church in Namesti Jiriho Z Pojebradeho in Prague, the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of our Lord (Kostel Nejsvětějšího Srdce Páně na náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad). (Note: E also spent 16 hours designing a Gothic tower turned helmet to wear during Halloween, so he didn't need that much convincing...)

I can't really put into words how incredible the plans were for this Czech gingerbread church. There were computer renderings, measurements to scale of the building, a trial run earlier in the week to estimate the length, width, and height of the gingerbread, and at least 50+ individual pieces of gingerbread cut and baked. Did I mention the plans for a Cubist lamppost that involved 72 individual pieces of gingerbread? Sorry Z, that was the one thing we had to 86...but there's always next year! I'm convinced that E and Z really don't understand how amazing, incredible, and over-the-top their efforts were in this architectural extravaganza. They are both incredibly smart, unique, and innovative individuals who humored A and me by lending their talents to the gingerbread house extravaganza like they had just been commissioned to design the new National Library in Prague. Of course, if we had wanted the library, we could have just chucked a bunch of dough in the oven and covered it with green sprinkles and some purple Jolly Ranchers. (By the way, I'd much rather have them design a new library than see what is planned right now get built, but I digress...)

What ensued was the coolest, best-est, most awesome gingerbread cathedral ever constructed.

Highlights included:
7 hours of baking on Friday night
6 hours of construction on Saturday night
2 Jon Dong inspired play lists full of Bell Biv DeVoe and the Crue
30 cups of powdered sugar + 18 egg whites to make the icing/cement that held the gingerbread together
A stained glass window made of crushed and baked hard candy (in place of the clock that more accurately should be in there)
Svarene vino (mulled wine) to fortify our Christmas spirit - this is totally coming back with us for the Xmas holidays, so be prepared for some Czech goodness.

A, I love friends who also think building a gingerbread church is the most fun ever. E and Z, I love architects with a sense of humor.

I love Christmas in Prague.

The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Red Bull

Phil and I just returned from a wonderful weekend in Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg is famous for many things including being the birthplace of Mozart and, to many Americans (and Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer lovers), as the location of The Sound of Music. Salzburg is also famous as the hometown of Deitrich Mateschitz, billionaire owner of Red Bull. While many people may be aware of the Sound of Music and Mozart connections, I'm not sure many people know about the latter. Why do Phil and I know about the Red Bull connection (considering I had never tried Red Bull's infamous energy drink until last weekend)? Well, that brings us to why we spent a weekend in Salzburg...

A childhood friend of mine, Jen, used to be a bartender in New York City. During her time mixing cocktails at swanky NYC bars, she began to work with Red Bull. I'll spare everyone the lengthy details, but this fall she was offered an amazing opportunity to live in Salzburg and work for a few months at Hangar-7, a one-of-a-kind airplane hangar/restaurant/museum/bar. Adventurous soul that she is, Jen decided to do it and move to Salzburg for a few months. Phil and I obviously had to visit to: 1) most importantly, spend time with Jen, 2) see Salzburg and 3) check out Hangar-7.

First and foremost, we had an amazing time with Jen. She's just one of those beautiful people who makes the world a better place just because you know her. She makes you laugh, helps you see that the world is full of opportunities, and loves life. I don't know anyone else in the world like her, and Phil and I are lucky to call her our friend. Jen, we love you so very much.



As for Salzburg, what a beautiful city! Everyone we talked to told us we were very fortunate to have beautiful weather, particularly on Saturday afternoon. The skies were clear and the weather wasn't too cold. Considering it was the first weekend of December in Austria, I couldn't complain about 40 degree weather...Phil, Jen, and I spend most of Saturday walking around the city. Salzburg is very accessible, small enough to walk around but large enough to still feel like a city. We started the day off by exploring Monchsberg, Monk's Mountain, for all the non-Deutsch speakers (like me). We hiked up the hill and had an incredible view of the city. The Austrian Alps felt like they were only a stone's throw from the city. These were not the Appalachians of Virginia!

In addition to the views, we cruised by the Museum of Modern Art, the Sacher Hotel (famous for the Sacher Torte), walked along the Salzach River, and explored the Mirabell Garden. Below is a photo of the garden, made famous by Fraulein Maria's singing and frolicking under the arbor.

We also timed our visit to Salzburg to coincide with the first Sunday of Advent. In Salzburg (and in Prague), Christmas markets open up in all the squares throughout the city. The opening day of the markets was on Saturday, and the streets were packed! All the Christmas decorations, lights, and general merriment made it really feel like the start of the Christmas season to me. And I really love Christmas, so this was an extra special treat!

Our Friday and Saturday night destination was Hangar-7, where Jen has been working for the past few months. Our evenings at Hangar-7 with Jen "the mixology queen" were fantastic. Hangar-7 is difficult to explain, and I'll try to be brief. Herr Mateschitz, Red Bull's billionaire owner, apparently loves airplanes, cars, and other vehicles that go fast. As his collection of these large toys increased, he needed a place to house them. So he decided to build his own airplane hangar next to the Salzburg airport. But he didn't just stop there. He also decided to build another gorgeous glass building and call it Hangar-7. This building houses a "museum" of prized planes and cars, an art gallery, a beautiful restaurant, and two swanky bars, the Mayday Bar and the Sky Bar. While I think Hangar-7 is completely over the top in its extravagance, I'm glad that Herr Mateschitz decided to invest his money in food and art in addition to his fast vehicles;) Phil and I spent most of our time with Jen in the Sky Bar, which was a pretty astounding structure in itself. The bar is an enclosed glass "bubble" hanging from the ceiling above the planes and cars below. Even the floor is glass so you can see straight down - certainly not a place for people with a fear of heights. What I was struck by was the attention to detail of Hangar-7. The sleek, modern style was executed exquisitely. Whoever the architect and designer of this place are, they really know what they are doing. I'm not sure my photos will do it justice, but the Hangar-7 website is pretty incredible if you want to take a look. Our trip to Salzburg was quite an experience. From the snow-capped Alps to a chi-chi, glass-encased bar, there was never a dull moment. Jen, you are an amazing hostess! Much love to you!

Seriously, Phil, What Do You Do in Prague?

Looking back over our posts, one things is glaringly absent: anything about my work (besides my sincere hope for a posting on the variety of mullets here:) I managed to get the government to pay for Danielle and me to live here; I even got UVA to lend a hand. But what are they paying me for? This is a fascinating question.

So, I am mostly a historian. Not quite yet, but it's getting close. When I was in divinity school, one of my favorite professors told me that there are two kinds of historians: those that find new sources, and those that do new things with old sources. I am certainly one of that latter. Think of it this way: I'm trying to write a story that chooses certain facts and leaves others out - these choices are what ultimately makes one historian different from all the others. I don't dig around in musty archives trying to find a long-lost chronicle from the city notary of Plzen (and trust me, there are many folks who do just this). I do read all of the articles and books written by people that do, and I consult the sources that are out there so I can piece together my own account of the past.

The problem with this is that when everyone draws on the same sources, there's only so much difference. So, most of my time is spent being really nervous that I'm saying the same thing as someone else - and it's probably written in another language, which I barely read (i.e. Czech). So, it's read, read, read, write (a little) - read more to make sure everything is accurate, read the authors those people cite, write (a little less). It's a time consuming process, but I like it. I spend a lot of time in libraries, at coffee shops, and on our couch with the TV on mute, with an open dictionary and a pencil.

I suspect that this explains why our blog is mostly concerned with travel, food, and fun. But, it really is much better than it sounds. I just finished a chapter of the dissertation (55 pages - it's a hot read), and I am ready for the next. I am a) not burned out, which is positive, and b) feeling like I am bringing something new to the table in terms of my field.

So, that's what I do. It is strange to be just writing now, without teaching. Being in my head, and with my favorite dead Czechs, all the time is a little disconcerting. It is good to put this last piece of the puzzle into the picture, though, and realize that I can do the research part of this job. Obviously, I am in a writing mode right now - as this post is much too long, but this is the danger of an historian with a blog. Look forward to Christmas festivities, a trip to Switzerland, and a wrap-up before we head home for the holidays...

The Tale of Two Thanksgivings

When Phil and I commigted to spending the year in Prague, we anticipated many incredible things about living in Prague: the old beauty of St. Vitus across the river (a view we see almost every day), the newness (and challenges!) of a different culture and language, the vibrant city life of Prague, and the accessibility of so many amazing places to visit from our new home in Central Europe. While there were so many things we were excited about, but we never anticipated the best thing we've experienced living here: the incredible people we've met. Our Thanksgiving(s) highlighted this for us in a very special way. Being far (in distance) from our family and friends back in the States, we have been blessed to be able to celebrate with new friends in Prague. And we were lucky enough to celebrate it twice;)

On Thursday, November 22, we attended a Thanksgiving day extravaganza at the home of our new friends, Phil and Shanna. They are an incredible couple with two children (and one on the way!) who are missionaries here in the Czech Republic. They throw an annual Thanksgiving Day bash, and this year was no different. They had fifty adults, twenty children, four turkeys, truckloads of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and assorted casseroles, and six pumpkin pies. To say that they outdid themselves would be an understatement. And to really make it feel like Thanksgiving, the Lions vs. Packers game was on TV thanks to the magic of satellite cable. There were a few funny discussions between some Americans and British expats regarding American football vs. "real" football (i.e. soccer)! While the rest of the Czech Republic went on like any other Thursday, we were able to take a break (from my Czech classes and from Phil's research and writing) to share a wonderful day with new friends.



On Saturday, November 24, we helped organize our second Thanksgiving a.k.a. The Fulbright Thanksgiving Blowout. The director of the commission generously offered to host a sit down dinner for 25 people at her home. All the Americans had to do was come up with the meal...no problem! I quickly emailed a sign up sheet to all the Fulbrighters to organize what everyone would bring for dinner. (Yes, I'm really that organized on occasion.) The response was fantastic! We had every side dish you could think of...and now all that was left was to get the turkey. Phil and I were able to procured a 18 lb. turkey and two 4 lb chickens from a British butcher in Prague. I won't bore you with all the details of getting the birds, but just picture Phil on three different trams carrying them in an oversized Ikea bag. To complicate matters, we don't have an oven (welcome to our Euro flat and tiny kitchen!) so we spent Friday night roasting them at our friend Alice's place. Yes, we took photos with the bird...Phil named her Queen Zophie. Don't ask me why... (editor's note: Zophie was the queen of Bohemia during the 1410s and a real fan of Jan Hus. Obviously, that's why the turkey was named after her)



On Saturday afternoon, all of us and our assorted Thanksgiving offering made it to Hanka and Pavel's house, about 20 miles outside of Prague, via cars and trains. By the time we sat down for dinner, I was astounded again at the incredible meal we had put together! At the end of the day, we had to appreciate the new people we had found in Prague. If friends are the family you choose, we felt very thankful for our new Czech family. And while we can't wait to see everyone at home for Christmas and New Year's, we must admit that we never really missed Thanksgiving in the States - it felt like we were there.

Life in a Northern (Czech) Town

As the Dream Academy once sang, "In winter 1963, it felt like the world would freeze." Well, it's 2007 now, but last weekend Danielle and I knew what they meant. We ventured to the northern Czech Republic to visit our fellow-Fulbrighters, Chad and Chloe, and to take a serious look at the glass industry in our new home. Just to remind everyone where we are, here is a map of the Czech Republic:


View Larger Map

Before we get details, I have to say I'm sorry. I've been hiding for weeks, because I've been writing, and we have been keeping our heads down. Thus, posts have been few and far between. The good news is that things are picking up again - we had our visit last weekend, our Thanksgiving(s) here, the beginning of the Christmas season, and a potential visit to Austria. So, be prepared for Na Zdravi to pick up again...

So, here's the back story. Chad, Chloe, and their son Thomas live in a small town named Kamenicky Senov. They are from Seattle, and Chad is a glass artist. He came over here to learn certain techniques for engraving and sculpting that are done in the C.R., so he can teach these techniques back in the States. Chad is working and studying at a technical high school in Kamenicky Senov that is the oldest glass-working school in the country, with a man named Frantisek that he has known for several years. Last weekend, the school had an open house, and Chad invited us all up. We also visited a glass factory, a combo glass-studio and restaurant, and experienced life in a small Czech town. All in all, about fifteen of us headed north via car and the Czech bus system (ugghh - it makes Greyhound looks like Rolls Royce; trust me - stick to the trains in Europe), and we got in on Friday night.

The whole trip was amazing. We ate in a great restaurant on Friday night that featured traditional Czech food and glass blowing. It was called Ajeto, and was in Novy Bor, which is the largest town near Kamenicky Senov. Chad blows glass there once a week, and the owner is an incredible artist. We watched him (his name is Petr Novotny) create a sculpture which consisted of a hand holding a conical vase; he also let Elise, the seven-year-old daughter of our friends, Heidi and Mark, blow a Mickey Mouse head after dessert.

After dinner, we retired to our hotel, which was a German villa during the first half of the twentieth century. After WWII, most of the Germans left (read: were not so politely asked to leave by the new Czech government), so it was taken over and turned into a hotel. It also has a spring in back of the hotel which still delivers clean water. Kamenicky Senov is set on a couple of hill tops that rise from a small valley, and it became a glass center because the forest there is primarily beech - the ash from beech can be used to fuse glass when it is burned, so it was natural for glass furnaces to be built there. The town has about 5,000 people, and a couple of major glass makers. The most famous is Preciosa, who makes chandeliers; they recently sent a crystal chandelier to Dubai that was 8 meters high.

We toured the Jilek factory, which is a smaller firm that makes hand-blown art glass. They also do a lot of sales in the Middle East, and the factory was amazing. We watched the workers, who operate in teams of three or four, blow vases - one man takes a lump of molten glass and smooths out the imperfections, a second blows it into a a hollow globe, a third blows the vase into a mold, while a fourth works the mold and finishes the base. We learned several surprising things from the tour:

1) The glass blowing industry is unapologetically all-male. The blowers and bosses are all men, while the few women work the molds or finish pieces. When asked why this was, the director of the factory suggested that women weren't strong enough to handle the steel glass-blowing rods, would be offended by the blowers' lack of manners(!), and wouldn't want to use the communal rods. Needless to say, Danielle was totally satisfied with this explanation.

2) Everyone drinks while they work. Generally, I would hesitate to mix alcohol and 1300 degree molten glass, but it seems to work for them.

3) Being in a small town and seeing a traditional industry made us appreciate just how how conservative life can be in the Czech Republic. People were nice, but older men really seemed to feel responsible for us. It was surprising, and sometimes frustrating, but you could really see how traditional social values have persisted in the country.

The undoubted highlight of the weekend was our visit to the school where Chad works. It is called Střední uměleckoprůmyslová škola sklářská. The school was amazing! The students' work was remarkable, and we learned about blowing, carving, engraving, and finishing glass. We also learned about how the students are trained, because they have to master figural drawing, scultpting, and some art theory and history before they begin to work with glass. Students elect to attend this school at age 14, and train until they are 19. Even though the school is the equivalent to a high school in the U.S., the students' education is more like a college degree in art. The showcase of their products was amazing, and Danielle and I bought a beautiful clear glass plate with sandblasted squares and cut grooves on the edge of the surface. It was crazy to think that an 18-year old had made this! Be sure to check out the gallery on the website to see what the students have done.

Otherwise, we had a long dinner and lunch in local hotspots (i.e. smoky pubs) and just spent time walking through the town and the beautiful woods surrounding it. There were 10 inches of snow on the ground, and it was misty all day. Between the surroundings and the amazing art we saw, it was a great escape from Prague. The tiny town was REALLY different, but an incredible experience; seeing people create something beautiful out of ash, sand, and a handful of chemicals (for color) what an unexpected reminder of what people can do with artistic vision and traditional materials. BIG thanks to Chad and Chloe (and Thomas!) for hosting us and sharing their world with us for a weekend. Below is a slide show of some of the incredible photos from the weekend.

D's Czech Lessons - I Love Consonants

In the past two weeks since we went to London, Phil and I have spent a wonderful two weeks here in Prague. We have a few trips planned before the Christmas holidays, so we thought it might be a good idea to stay put in Prague for two weekends in a row;) I wouldn’t want anyone to get the false impression that our life in Prague is all fun and games. (Well, it’s mostly fun and games with a little work thrown in here and there...) Phil has been digging through archives, translating Czech and Latin texts, and getting down to the lengthy process of writing his dissertation. I can testify to the fact that he is working hard, but then again, I can also tell you there isn’t a time when he isn’t working hard! On the other hand, I decided to take the plunge and begin an intensive Czech language class. It meets five days a week for six hours a day. I decided to dive head first into a Slavic language and see if I would sink or swim. I prefer to think of myself as currently treading water while desperately grasping for a life vest...but that’s just on good days;)

As many of you know, Phil spent eight weeks in Bloomington last summer taking an intensive Czech language class. And as even more of you know, that husband of mine has a real aptitude for languages. He is well on his way to being “that American guy who can communicate”. In other words, he speaks solid “Survival Czech”. I, on the other hand, am just beginning to get a feel for the sounds, the accent, the grammar…all of it is completely new. I have only been in class for eight days, but I thought I'd report on my initial thoughts and impressions.

First and foremost, the pronunciation is astounding. I’m not in Virginia anymore. Even the deepest Southern drawl or the harshest New York accent cannot compare to the new sounds I hear everyday. As I listen and read Czech words, I've learned that there are specific rules for the pronunciation. As long as you follow them, things should theoretically be ok. But, yikes! Learning the rules with a few totally new sounds that don’t exist in English (or French, my only other foreign language) is proving to be, shall we say... challenging. The sounds I am attempting to make are very foreign to my mouth and ears. For instance, the letter ř is pronounced “ruh-jzuh”... sort of. (Forgive me, I am learning!) On the other hand, "c" sounds like “ts” in the word cats. So the world “co” (‘what’ in Czech) is pronounced “t-so”, a bit like the English word ‘so’ with a ‘t’ sound at the beginning. An ě when paired with the letter m becomes “mě” pronounced like “mn-ye”. Whew! My brain hurts just thinking about it.

My pronunciation issues started to kick into high gear when I realized that Czech has a serious dearth of vowels. I am overwhelmed by the number of consonants I am supposed to be able to pronounce in a row. Seriously. A few of my new favorite words are: zmrzlina = ice cream; samozřjmě = of course; čtvrtek = Thursday; trh = market. And just in case you didn’t believe me, this is a sentence that has no vowels: Strč prst skrz krk. I’m not kidding, I learned this on day two in class .

So after eight days of Czech classes, what have I learned? Well, you’d be surprised. I can say things like

Excuse me, I would like to buy a loaf of bread and an apple. = Promiňte, chtela bych cléb a jablko.

I can carry on the following conversation:

Would you like something to drink? Yes, I’ll have a large beer, please. = Co si daté k pití? Ano, dám si vélké pivo, prosím.

In addition to my useful knowledge, I’ve also learned some ridiculous phrases that I will never use:

I have a blue notebook= Mám modrý sešit.

And my personal favorite:

I’m hungry like a wolf! = Mám hlad jako vlk!

Yes, the title of lesson eight in my textbook translated to hungry like a wolf. Wasn’t that a Duran Duran song? Better question: why was this the title of my lesson today? I'm not making this up.

Even with the extraordinary newness of Czech, I am really enjoying my class. There are eight of us in the class from all over: Paraguay, Spain, France, Sweden, Switzerland, and Israel. Each person has a fascinating story about why he or she is living in Prague, and everyone has been extremely friendly. We are all beginners trying to figure out what is going on everyday in class. I have found the experience of starting from ground zero quite liberating. While daunting, it is concurrently freeing to learn Czech from the very beginning with “dobry den” (hello) and good bye (na shledanou).

I guess one of the most important reasons I wanted to take Czech was the fact that a small amount of Czech goes a LONG way to making life easier. We live in Praha 1, the center of things, and there are tons of tourists as well as locals in the area. From our interactions at the local potraviny (convenience store), to the ticket counter in the metro, to the local grocery store, everything is made easier and more pleasant with a few small Czech phrases/niceties. Many people here speak great English, though they will almost undoubtedly tell you they do not. It seems to me that many Czechs I have encountered really appreciate any attempt by foreigners to speak Czech. Phil has had more than one older Czech lady at the potraviny give him an extra smile just because he can tell her “You are very kind to help us” in Czech. I have no illusions that I’m going to master the Czech language in one short year. Regardless, I know I made the right decision to take some Czech lessons while here Prague.

I can’t wait to use my new Czech skills this weekend. Along with a few other friends, Phil and I are going to a small town on the Czech-German border called Novy Bor. One of the other Fulbrights is a glass artist and is studying at an art school. His school is having an open house and invited us all to visit. It will be my first experience in small town Czech Republic. I’m guessing English won’t be useful, so I’ll just have to try out some of my new Czech phrases. I’m hoping to find a way to work into my conversations, “I’m hungry like a wolf”. If that happens, I think the weekend will be a success! We will be sure to report back when we return…

NYG vs. Miami – NFL in Europe – 28 October 2007

My love of the New York Giants is an inherited passion. My Dad first bought season tickets to the NYG about 500 years ago. Just kidding, but it was over forty years ago! The autumns of my childhood were filled with Sunday tailgating at the Meadowlands with my immediate family (Mom, Dad, and brother) and my aunt and uncle. We had lunch in the parking lot before heading inside to the swirling winds of Giants Stadium. (Anyone who has ever been there knows the wind is ridiculous, especially during a mid-December game). We knew every person in row 22, section 107 of Giants Stadium. When I think about my love of the G-men, part of it is certainly about the game of football. I love watching great football on TV or live. The other part of my Giants love is certainly due to my childhood and the memories. There is a happy piece of my life as a child, teenager, and now adult that is wrapped up in the Sunday experience of cold weather/tailgating/game watching/cheering for Big Blue. I have a special place in my heart for the experience of going to a Giants game.

My brother has inherited our family’s season tickets now and attends every home game, rain or shine. (Solid work, Big Brother). If Phil and I ever end up living in the NY/NJ area, we’d be right there every fall. Instead, our life has taken us to other places like Charlottesville and now Prague, and attending a Giants game has become a once a year activity if we are lucky. Nostalgia aside, when I heard that the Giants were going to be playing in London the same time Phil and I were living in Prague, I thought to myself, “Obviously, this is a sign. We must go.” The game sold out extraordinarily quickly even though Wembley Stadium seats over 90,000 people. Thanks to our extraordinarily resourceful friend Tia, (a Tarheel living in London), we got tickets and we made it to the game (T, you are the best!)

The entire day was fun-filled from beginning to end. Let me just go ahead and say it: the best part was the Giants win. The fan in me that is so excited about the Giants six game winning streak and 6-2 record. Even if the football was ugly (which it was) and the game stats were less than ideal (which they were), a win is a win. Here are a few pictures I snapped during the game:

Just some of my thoughts on our experience of NFL football in London:

1) Giants Fans on the Tube: While heading to Wembley on the tube, we encountered a family from Garfield, NJ heading to the game. They were season ticket holders (section 308) who had booked hotel and plane reservations the day the NFL announced the Giants were going to play in London. It was incredible: three generations of Big Blue fans (I talked to grandma for awhile), complete with heavy Jerz accents and decked out head to toe in Giants gear –and one Slippery When Wet-era acid washed black jean jacket. I felt like I was back in the parking lot at the Meadowlands…

2) God Save the Queen: The Star Spangled Banner was followed by the British national anthem, God Save the Queen. Impressively, everyone in the crowd was belting out the song and I captured the last few moments of the song on video. Though the quality of the picture isn’t great, I do love how fired up the crowd was. As a mortifying “I love Americans” side note, I heard more than one story about Americans in the crowd wondering why England stole the tune of America the Beautiful for God Save the Queen…yikes.

3) Unusual booing: Proof that the game was being played in London and being watched by people who didn’t really understand the game:

• During the coin toss, one of the honorary captains was John Terry, captain of Chelsea (and English national) soccer team. Chelsea is seriously underachieving right now and London is not happy about it. When his name was announced, the crowd booed so loudly that you could barely hear anything during the coin toss. Love it.
• At the end of the game, it was 13-10 Giants. After the onsides kick attempt by the Dolphins failed (Jay Feely kicked it out of bounds – which didn’t surprise any Giants’ fans), Eli and the G-men knelt down for three plays to run out the clock. You could not believe how much booing ensued! The Brits wanted more football and were mad they weren’t getting anymore.

4) Streaking: A man dressed up as a referee streaked the field at the start of the second half. The security response was pretty apathetic – perhaps they thought this was typical in American football? Enough said.

5) Public Drinking: consuming beer seems to be encouraged in public places in England, especially on public transportation. 90,000 fans + no laws about beer + long lines = one heck of a game day atmosphere.

6) Outdated Jerseys: I know that ridiculous throwbacks are gaining in notoriety these days (for proof, see the “Straight Cash, Homey” section on ESPN.com), but we saw some sweet ones in London. I really liked the Culpepper and R. Williams Miami jerseys, and was surprised that they were more popular than the jersey of the actual starting quarterback for the Dolphins (Cleo Lemon??!!). Here is a photo of a quality Ron "No Gain" Dayne " jersey. What is with the Eagles helmet on his head? Obviously, not a real Giants fan...

7) Cheerleaders: I guess they don’t have them across the pond, so pretty much all we heard about from the English dudes was their…ummm…"appreciation" for the cheerleaders from the Dolphins. Some of the guys might have seen some of the game, but I doubt it.

8) Wembley Stadium – fantastic but underprepared: I loved the “Wembley arch” which is visible as soon as you exit the tube station. The stadium is enormous, seating 90,000, and an excellent place to watch a game. Our seats were near the end zone on the Giants sideline and our view was top notch. The only problems with Wembley were how unprepared they were to deal with the rush of consumerism. First, the lines at the souvenir stands were outrageous. Londoners love to queue up (stand in line), but throw a bunch of American NFL fans into the mix, and the queue ceases to exist. Not a pretty scene. Secondly, there were two ATMs in the entire stadium and one ran out of cash halfway through the game. Come on people. Didn’t you expect people to spend their money?? Favorite items at the stands: “match day scarves,” which are a soccer staple, and “the rugby balls you play with,” as Tia’s friend from New Zealand described the balls. He stood in line for twenty minutes to buy one, but they sold out just as he got to front of the queue/line/mob.

All in all, this was a day to remember. Good friends, fun times, and the NY Giants.

Heaven is a Place on Earth...

And its name is Borough Market in London, England. Now let me explain. Phil and I just spent a long weekend in London. We had multiple reasons for going. First, we wanted to visit our friend Tia, a fellow Tarheel living in London. Second, we (well, probably more I) had to attend the NFL’s first game in Europe to see my beloved NY Giants stomp on the Miami Dolphins (more on the game in a separate post later). Lastly, because we could! How could we say no to a short two hour flight from Prague to London? Little did I know that I would actual find my own personal heaven in smer-y London. (Smer-y is a new word I learned that means “not really raining, but sort of damp or misty”. Amazing addition to my vocabulary. Really, brilliant. (Another UKism that I think is quality.) Anyway, on to the market…

Anyone who says London doesn’t have good food has certainly has never been to Borough Market. It is located on the south side of the Thames River near the London Bridge tube station (for anyone who is familiar with the area). It is apparently the oldest food market in London and has been there for 250 years. As someone who LOVES food markets, I jumped at Tia’s suggestion that we go for lunch on Saturday. It did not disappoint. There were endless stands of incredible produce, specialty shops of every variety, fresh fish stands, butchers…you name it and it was there. It was a veritable Mecca for food. Now I love our local Charlottesville farmers' market, I adored the Baltimore City Market, and first discovered my love of local markets at a small weekly market in Brookline, MA (Thanks to Edith Dietz!), but Borough brought the market experience to a whole new level. In my humble opinion, it was much better than the Green Market in Union Square, NYC. Our goal for the afternoon was to buy some bread, cheese, olives, and chocolates. We ended up sitting at a nearby pub with outside seating and enjoyed a few beers with our bounty. But what actually made me decide that Borough Market was heaven was the famous Brindisa chorizo roll, the best sandwich I have ever eaten. I can admit that I am not afraid of hyperbole on occasion (one of my favorite words is phenomenal), but this meal was the real deal.

The queue at Brindisa, a specialty shop selling Spanish delicacies, was no less than 50 people long when we arrived. Tia assured me that it would go quickly, but I had my doubts about the superiority of this particular sandwich when I saw how long we had to wait. Tia, you were right, I was wrong, thank goodness you made us wait. If you don’t like chorizo, you won’t appreciate the magic of this meal. (And I think you are just plain crazy.) But if you love charred chorizo, this one is for you. First, the chorizo is split and thrown on a searing hot flat top grill. After a few minutes, it is then charred on a flaming grill. The "single or double meat" is then thrown onto grilled ciabatta bread. Roasted red peppers, rocket (aka spicy arugula), and a drizzle of olive oil finish off this masterpiece. For your viewing pleasure, here is a video of how the magic happens.

We have plenty more to tell you about London’s museums, beautiful green spaces, interesting people and, of course, the Giants game. But seriously, if you had just discovered heaven on earth, wouldn’t you want to tell your friends and family about it first?

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
Virginia Woolf

Konopiště Castle – Guns, Antlers, and a Missing Bear

Fall has arrived in the Czech Republic! All the Praguers we know keep telling us to enjoy it while it lasts. Apparently, Prague’s winter is cold and very grey. Everyone seems to fear the cold here. For those who really know us, you are aware that we like the cold better than the extreme heat, so we aren’t too worried about the winter. (Phil may tell you I only like 67-75 degree weather, but I would beg to differ!) I am probably jinxing us as I write, but so far, our weather has been fairly cooperative. Our typical fall days have been cold/cool in the mornings and evenings, but warm and usually sunny during the day. Last Saturday might have been the perfect fall day – clear blue skies, bright sunshine, and that crisp fall air that makes you want to get out of the city and go on a field trip. So we did just that and spent the day at Konopiště, a castle about 40 miles southeast of Prague.

Phil and I boarded a train bright and early for Benešov, the town closest to Konopiště. Our new friend, Dave joined us for the trip on just a few hours sleep. As a Red Sox fan, he had been awake in the wee hours of the morning watching game 1 of the ALCS. (I know, I know, but he and I are still friends.) He is also a Fulbright and a mathematician (translation: Dave does something with numbers that we don’t understand.) After an hour on the train, we had a 2 km walk to the castle (zámek in Czech). While the town of Benešov is nothing to write home about, here is a photo of the landscape just outside Benešov. The leaves are just starting to change colors here. While this particular photo doesn't do it justice, you can see a lot of fabulous yellows and oranges throughout the countryside.

The Konopiště Castle was the summer home of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. He is actually most famous because his assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 marked the beginning of World War I. There is your history lesson for the day, readers. You might ask what makes Konopiště castle more intriguing than any other castle in Europe? The answer is what’s inside it. The Archduke Franz LOVED hunting. And when I say loved, I mean really and truly loved it. He is said to have killed 300,000 animals in his lifetime. Whoa. There are three separate tours available to the public because his collections and the castle are so extensive, you really can’t see them all in just one hour. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take photos, so you’ll have to rely on my ability to describe the collections. Here is a link to a few photos on the Konopiště website if you are interested. We chose tour number two, also known as the “dead animals and weapons” tour. Every inch of wall space was covered in animal skins, mounted animal heads or whole birds, horns, or antlers carefully labeled with a date and place of the hunt. Franz must have been a little obsessive compulsive with all that organization. One of the strangest “prizes” was an ashtray made of an elephant’s foot sitting on a table made from it’s leg. Creepy. In the last room of the tour, we even saw three stuffed bears, one posed up on its hind legs as if it were ready to attack. Apparently, Franz really loved bears and used to keep them in the moat around the castle. Even today, a real bear named Kazimir lives in the moat with his own zoo-like setup. Phil was pretty upset that we didn’t get to see him, and by the end of the day was convinced the missing bear was a lie, just a ploy to get people to the castle. I think the bear was just sleeping inside his little cave, but who knows?

The other part of the tour showed us Franz’s collection of weapons and armor dating from the 16^th century. Many of the guns were actually pieces of art, not just hunting tools. There was a gun made entirely of ivory, guns with inlaid jewels and mother-of-pearl handles, or others etched with detailed biblical or battle scenes. I was impressed more by the artistic talent it must have taken to create these guns than with the Archduke’s obsession with shooting them.

For the rest of the afternoon, we explored the grounds of Konopiště – the gardens were out of season, but still well manicured. There was also a gorgeous lake which we spent a while walking around. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the day:

So a martyr, a baby, and a bearded lady walk into a bar...

So, it shouldn't be surprising to anyone that I (this is Phil) have been struck by the incredible variety in the churches and church decoration here in the Czech Republic. It's been alternately amazing, shocking, humorous, and awe-inspiring to see how people have chosen to design and construct space and images to help them get in the mood to worship God. So, while I have not yet found any sketchy AM radio Czech preaching to make me feel like I'm back in Virginia, I will now mention five things that I have particularly enjoyed as images of Czech religious history:

1) the creepy: two 2nd century Spanish martyrs reconstructed out of wax (Sts. Felicissimus and Marcia), with real human hair in the wigs. The actual skulls of the martyrs are embedded in the wax, and they are preserved in glass cases inside a chapel. We were not allowed to take photos at the Loreta's chapel, so here is a link to the virtual tour to view these wax figures. Seriously, the photos don't do them justice. A less creepy, and more expensive, version of this type of preservation can be seen with the skull of St. Wenceslas. He has a golden bust in which his head is kept, and it is displayed every year on his feast day (September 28th).

2) the ironic: the Bethlehem Chapel, where Jan Hus preached for 10 years, was saved from destruction by the Communists(!) around 1950. It had been used as a barn and warehouse, but the socialists saw Hus as the leader of a proto-proletariat revolution, so his church was worth saving. In the course of reconstruction, the archaeologists uncovered fragments of texts written on the walls in 1412 and 1415. Then they ruined the authenticity by painting pictures of peasants whacking knights with flails all over the place (the pictures are taken from a manuscript from about 1500) - oh well, I suppose you need some ideological continuity...



3) the ostentatious: during the 18th century, Catholic authorities needed a homegrown Bohemian saint to replace the popular Hus, so they cobbled together a legend for Jan Nepomuk, a fourteenth century "martyr" who was drowned in the Vltava river by the king, Wenceslas IV. So how do you commemorate a new saint? How about building a tomb in the cathedral out of a TON of pure silver. Yikes. It is also worth noting that when his body was dug up to be transferred to its new digs in 1719, it was found that his tongue was miraculously intact. Why does this matter? Because he was killed for refusing to tell the king what his wife, Queen Sophie, had said in the confessional.

4) the bizarre: in the same complex as the wax saints, there is a side chapel with another wax statue of the little known St. Wilgefortis, who was a bearded lady (yes, I'm serious). She didn't want to get married, so she prayed to God that he would make her so ugly that no man would have her. A monstrous beard certainly did the trick, and her father crucified her for defying his wishes that she marry. And yes, the statue's beard is made of real human hair. You know you think I made this up, so here's a link to the Catholic Encyclopedia's article on Wilgefortis.

5) the miraculous: there is a small wax figurine of the Infant Jesus (think Ricky Bobby in Talledega nights if you want to get in the mood) in one church in Prague (the Church of our Lady of Victory). This figure has cause the miraculous healings of many people over the years. In thanks, many people have sewn robes for the Infant Jesus. He has enough clothes now that he can no longer wear each outfit during the year. There is a museum in the church with some of his most spectacular threads from places such as the Philippines, Colombia (with national flags sewn into the hem), and Brazil. This is a bit ironic as well, as the church was once the first Lutheran church in Prague - it was also the first church built in the baroque style. The church is both an active parish and a popular pilgrimage site - if you want to see the Infant, you can read more on the church's website.

So, mega-churches and Jesus Camp it ain't. After seeing it all, though, you do have to appreciate the creativity, ingenuity, and pure devotion of people over time. One man's holy relic is another man's sideshow attraction, I guess (sorry, Wilgefortis). If we come across more things that top these, we'll be sure to let you know, but I suspect that these sites (along with the Ossuary) will be tough to top.

Kutna Hora and the Bone Church

One of the last few days my parents were here, the four of us took a day trip to Kutna Hora, a town about 45 miles east of Prague. There are a few highlights in the town, but the most famous are Saint Barbara’s Cathedral and All Souls Chapel and Ossuary. In 1999, Phil visited Kutna Hora and was particularly struck by the ossuary. My Dad remembered talking about it with Phil back then and has wanted to see the ossuary ever since. So after eight years, we made it happen.

The “bone church” deserves some explanation, so bear with me for a little historical context: In 1142, a Cistertian monastery was founded in Sedlec, which is now part of the town of Kutna Hora. This monastery had burial grounds on the land and for a multitude of reasons including the plague and wars, thousands of people were buried there over the centuries. A chapel was built in the 15^th century and an ossuary (kostinice in Czech) to house the bones was established. As the story continues, legend mixes with a bit of history. A half-blind monk was put in charge of the ossuary during this time and began assembling and organizing the bones. (I’m not entirely clear how or why the “half-blind monk” is pivotal in the story, but he’s in every single account of the ossuary, so I felt obliged to keep him in this mini-history.) By the 19^th century, there was quite a collection of bones in the ossuary and a Baroque chapel had been built on the grounds as well. At this point, a man named Františeck Rint used the bones to decorate the chapel. It is said that the bones of 40,000 people are in the chapel.

I had and still have very mixed feelings about the “bone church”. On one hand, it is an incredible sight. From a purely aesthetic viewpoint, it is astounding. There is a cross, a chandelier (containing every bone in the human body), and the papal coat of arms made entirely of human bones. The detail and intricate design of the bones clearly indicate that Františeck had some artistic vision and engineering ability to dream up the bone church and make the idea a reality. On the other hand, there is an overwhelming sadness to the chapel, amidst the tourist snapping photos in the dimly lit room (myself among them). The bones are human bones, from real people, thousands of them…I found it hard to wrap my brain around all of it. I was standing in a graveyard, a uniquely decorated one, but a graveyard nonetheless. I was glad that there were candles available to light near the cross on the wall. My Mom and I lit a candle for the souls of the people who had died and were buried there. As I said, I still feel conflicted about the ossuary, but right now, I believe it is a moving, sad, strangely beautiful, and intriguing place.

Moving on to the rest of the town of Kutna Hora – what an adorable town! We spent the rest of the day roaming around the picturesque center of town. The main cathedral, Saint Barbara’s, was a classic Gothic cathedral. (I’m quickly learning the architecture of cathedrals. Gothic = windows with pointed arches at the top, flying buttresses, stained glass windows, BIG freaking ceilings. Very precise architectural terms.) After seeing Saint Barbara’s we walked all over town: cute stores, lots of green space, an Italian Court (Vlašsky Dvur) built in the 14^th century which became a royal residence...just your average town in the Czech Republic!

The weather was lovely, and this particular Saturday, we saw five weddings. No joke, five brides and five grooms, each taking photos in front of the same fountain in the main square. One of the funniest “cliché tourist” moments happened when we ran into a Chinese tour group. (My Dad was standing next to the group and recognized a few people speaking Chinese.) The entire group surrounded the bride and groom, started clapping for them, and snapping photos of them! The group was large enough to elbow the couple’s wedding photographer out of the way so they could get better photos of the couple! It was pretty hilarious.

All in all, our first trip outside of Prague was a great success. We enjoyed both the complexities of the bone church, and the simplicity of quality time spend with family. Dad, I’m glad you wanted to visit Kutna Hora and that we (finally) made it happen.