My First Evening in Prague 2/26/09

My first evening in Prague Thu, Feb 26, 2009
I have just gotten back from a wonderful evening. Based on my state of inebriation I am a bit surprised I was able to walk straight to the hostel. I only had 2 beers and one shot (more on this later) but we all know what a cheap drunk I am. (Mom, I get this from your side of the family!). Before starting out for the evening, I laid in supplies for the morning--instant coffee, juice, milk and muesli (cereal).--at a local grocery. The owner and his wife kept up an on going conversation (some might say argument) while I shopped. They greeted me in Czech, “Dobry den”. I said “hello” and, to be polite, they switched their argument to English as an automatic car does from first to second, seamlessly. How kind? The woman who seems to live at the desk of the Golden Sickle Hostel, Pam, helped me arrange a walking tour for tomorrow. I am to meet at 11am at the astronomical clock in the old town, Stare Mesto. The system seems to be quite different here than anywhere I've been. Typically the hostel acts as a booking agent and gets their cut. But that's not the case here. When I tried to explain it to the clerk, she stared blankly. Obviously, they have not been completely influenced yet by the west! Pam also steered me to an amazing pub. The U Fleku did turn out to be in my guide book, but I never would have found it without the hostel’s recommendation. This is an old pub--really old. The same family has been making and serving beer in the same place since 1499! Here, as in much of Bohemia, beer halls, or pivnice, serve the brew of one brewery. There may be several beers, pivo, though this evening there was only one. U Fleku served a dark brew, but is was not thick or bitter. Judging by how I felt after 2, I'd say it has high alcohol content.

U Fleku is busy! The waiters brought around trays of beer and set them in front of you if you didn’t stop them. The waiters, who spoke just enough English to understand "yes I'll have another" brought around trays of mugs and set them in front of you, marking a simple blank sheet of paper with a pencil--just like in a Dim Sum restaurant. If you didn’t want another you had to clearly refuse. They also brought around trays of liquor redolent of cinnamon. I asked 3 waiters the name. The third waiter patiently said, slowly and clearly "ALL CO HALL" as though I was a simpleton who couldn’t figure that out. I don't find it in my guide book, but I'd like to bring some home. (later note: The liquor turned out to be called Bechrovka and it’s hard to find outside of the Czech Republic) The hall itself was everything you hope for, frankly what I feel I missed in Germany. Dark, carved solid wood walls had hooks for coats and hats. Benches lined the walls with long tables. The ceiling had blackened wrought iron light fixtures that hung from a white, barrel ceiling. The windows were bottle glass. Just about everywhere outside of the US, people sit together at restaurants and cafes, even if they have never met. Because I am a single, I will usually sit with a couple at a table of four. The couple was Italian, from near Bologna.

My meal, sausage on roll with braised cabbage and dark beer, at U Fleku It didn’t take long for their grasp of English to win out over my 20 words of Italian. (most of which turn out to translate to "please excuse me") As I sat, they were talking to a Russian photographer in the lingua franca of Europe--English. I actually got to help translate between the two parties. Not that I speak either language, but they would look at me and say a word and ask me for another word that was similar. So I just kept suggesting words until they selected one they liked. Czech food is heavy, probably to soak up all that alcohol. I ordered sausages with a picked slaw, mustard and horseradish. Good choice to battle the cold I'm fighting. It was also just about the only thing on the menu that they actually had as my table mates found out. They finally split an order of roast chicken.

The According Player at U Flecku (the U mean “at”) There was an old man playing accordion. All his songs came out sounding like a polka. Try to imagine everything from Doris Day singing Que Sara to the Beatles' Yellow Submarine as a polka. Shame there was not enough room to dance. Four young women moved into the front room of 4C at the hostel while I was at dinner. They have been dressing for a night out while I typed. I was about to call it an early night when one of the women, a Czech, runs into my room. "You are pleased to talk, yes?" I was puzzled. "English?" and she handed me her cell phone. It turned out that someone who almost spoke English was on the line. I gave him directions to get here. Which is really funny considering I barely know how to get here myself! English does come in handy!

My room in the Hostel, The Golden Sickle