Ms. Peacock in the Conservatory: A continuation & then there was Brno.

I have been bad, very bad, because I have forgone updates in favor of travelling & visiting. How shameful. That said, I must admit that I have been enjoying my time with a lovely new friend who I just think is the bee’s knees, or maybe he just has bee’s for knees.

Where to begin. Weeks three, four, & five of the Czech food Challenge have been met with raging success from Brno to Prague—mixed with a brief trip back to old time Americana for some apple pie.

We should asterisk these:

Bramborak. It was okay… I blame it on the copious amount of Prague food vendors. Perhaps I should have done more research or rather used my brain. How could I expect to get delicious fried potato pancakes at an outdoor carnival in December? My new theory is this: One should only expect, and thus order, outdoor fried food in the summer when one’s skin is frying too. Maybe I will try indoor Bramborak.

Smazeny Syr. I wish I had read this blog before I went on quest for the Smaz. Oh well, next time. Best part of the Smaz? Getting to eat it along with my little brother and a dark beer (this makes Vic a happy girl J)

Trdelník Delicious sugary thing? Yes, please. A most nutritious and hearty breakfast for this andelska divka. Watch them make it here.

While Prague appeared to be fried and friendly, Brno definitely added its own flavor to the challenge serving up the cult classics like: Punč, pizza, everything that my friend Irena’s sister made for me. Enough on food for now, but first, let me tell you that my recreation of Punč at the first ever Litomyšl Thanksween is sure to be the best thing since my apple pie ala Brno.

On Prague:

Highlights of this excursion were definitely the human traffic jam in the underground station at Stare Mesto. It appeared that every breathing soul in Prague (& some not) joined the odyssey leading to the lighting of the Christmas tree. There must have been someone there saving lives. I went to a hookah bar-whoops!

Highlight number two was taking photos of my little brother and I wearing Staropramen box armor-like helmets. It never gets old dressing up. The drinking of the Staropramen was enjoyable too. Oh yes, let’s tie in looking for sushi in Prague at 11 PM.

Serious highlights arrived the morning after. This time I was wiser, I had some kind gents lead me to Charles Bridge so I could begin my tourist-trap-trek from there.

I got to tackle Kampa, which I equate as the Central Park of Prague. Big open space, people walking their dogs, some humongous trees with the autumn season still tacked to their bodies, and of course sculptures of crawling babies reading books (should be in every park). Kampa is beautiful, especially on a Sunday morning when all the smart folks are still in bed sleeping. Upon further review, I will have to check out

Petřín for more greenery in Prague.

Just west of Kampa is John Lennon Wall & for all you Beatles lovers you will just have to take a look at the innumerable photos below.

A short distance from the John Lennon Wall is a sight not in the tourist book! However, it was a place I had been keen to find for sometime. My friend Kat wrote a great piece on this attraction a few months back, or rather the novel that inspired the action/movement. A more revealing account can be found here. Locks of love not to be fooled with Locks of love is a movement where lovers attach a lock to a bridge and then throw the key in the water as a symbol of their immortal and boundless love for each other. A romantic concept, no?

Prague was wonderful, as always, but I was eager to return to Litomysl to see “Bees Knees“. That evening we got lost in the forest and had to climb what appeared to be a small landslide (at least that is what it seemed like in the dark). Nothing will solidify a new friendship like finding your way out of dark, large, forest, together.

On Brno:

Massive Malls, big "racket" clocks, Twilight, and an outdoor festival (“Yet another excuse for Czech folks to drink outside,“ Bees Knees), but not in this order.

Last weekend I ventured to the second biggest city in Czech Republic, Brno. Friday afternoon, Irena and I set out on 90 Km of Czech Highway to visit her sister, Pavla, in what could only ascertain, given its breadth from the city center, as the Logan Square neighbourhood of Brno, which made jubilant. At last, a neighborhood haven in the Czech.

Shortly after arrival Irena and I hit the most commercial and modern tourist attraction right outside Brno, Olympia. It is a shopping center or rather a commercial palace in the middle of fields. Rest assured, I was able to do plenty of shopping and I am finally outfitted with appropriate clothing for Czech zimní.

That evening we hit the “clubs“ and I partook in a substantial amount of Tequila and B52 drinking.

Saturday was lazy and filled with Pavla and Rere sturtting around the house, modeling heels and designer jeans, while this lowly American made apple pie :)

Bees Knees ventured from his home in the center all the way out to Brno, Logan, to take me for a walking tour and movie.

Highlights of our tour were the big astronomical clock or colloquially, and affectionately, referred to as the "racket" clock. Unfortunately, because of winter darkness I was not able to get live photos, but hopefully these will suffice (here and here). I mean, come on, you cannot even read the time on that thing.

At last the tour of the fine city of Brno came to an end.

One piece of new found Czech Trivia:

What is the longest word in Czech?

Nejneobhospodařovavatelnějšímy (the gist being, the land where nothing grows)

Makes the longest English word, Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, seem lame

....................... & pictures

It's like the Magic Kingdom, but better because it is in the Czech Republic