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...