tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25145442008-08-22T13:06:32.881+02:00Dorisnoreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-55689244676142675002008-07-13T22:02:00.004+02:002008-08-21T21:18:46.673+02:00

So, I went out to dinner this evening, to one of my preferred restaurants, U Básníka Pánve. I ordered one of my favorites, the boar goulash. In the mood for a green veggie to go with it, I also ordered a side of ... wait for it ... steamed broccoli! What? You aren't shocked? The waiter was. "But, the goulash comes with dumplings!" "Yes, I know." "So, you want the broccoli instead of

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-83888461608349590182008-07-12T08:02:00.016+02:002008-08-21T18:24:28.183+02:00

I finally visited ?eský Krumlov after putting it off several times. While it's possible to visit as a day trip out of Prague, it takes about three hours to get there, and the prospect of spending a total of six hours in one day sitting on a bus was not appealing. So instead, I took the Student Agency bus down for an overnight trip. The seal of ?eský Krumlov: And the sight for which it is

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-21616820177085389852008-07-06T13:47:00.003+02:002008-07-06T13:57:39.995+02:00

So, I've set myself up a new blog: Commonplace Book. I created this for two (unordered reasons): I'd like to keep the focus of Život v Cizine here on life abroad, and so I needed somewhere else to put my more miscellaneous postings. I was worried that my webgeekstress credentials were being eroded by my time spent teaching English. So, setting up a WordPress blog, which is really so much

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-59462245527124542532008-07-05T22:01:00.004+02:002008-07-11T12:23:45.785+02:00

Today is the Day of Slavonic Apostles Cyril and Methodius, and it would be a work holiday if it weren't a Saturday. And tomorrow's Jan Hus Day would similarly be a holiday from work if it weren't a Sunday. The next holiday on the books is September 28's Day of Czech Statehood, but that falls on a Sunday this year, so again, no day off of work. There won't be another work holiday until

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-13000368019738715622008-07-01T21:04:00.003+02:002008-07-05T10:57:31.778+02:00

Yesterday, the Embassy here in Prague hosted an event, especially aimed at long-term U.S. residents in Prague, featuring "information on absentee voting procedures, consular services offered to American citizens in the Czech Republic (including passport, notary, and immigration services), as well as updates on federal benefits". I've already registered to vote, but I figured I might as well

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-66171600414818000662008-07-01T18:50:00.001+02:002008-07-04T19:20:43.689+02:00

I completely forgot yesterday that it had been my first anniversary here in Prague. What should I do by way of a belated celebration? Should I do anything?

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-5115632964758295882008-06-27T17:38:00.003+02:002008-07-04T19:37:35.306+02:00

I taught my last two English classes of the academic year this morning. Whew! Now to take the teacher hat off and put my student hat back on: that's right, Czech classes for me this summer! What fun.

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-39559957725590212642008-05-27T22:47:00.002+02:002008-07-04T17:02:51.991+02:00

Well, I've set up an account on Twitter: twitter.com/webgeekstress. I've resisted this for a while: after all, I already have my blog! But, hey, all the other cool kids are twittering, and I was feeling left out. Unfortunately, the name puts me in mind of a former and massively unlamented manager. My description of her ignorance, lack of humor, and propensity for parroting the latest

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-79209969639573830642008-05-25T20:39:00.002+02:002008-07-04T16:52:10.097+02:00

For the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (formerly known as Corpus Christi), sv. Tomáš again had one of these joint Czech / Spanish / English liturgies. The reason for the joint liturgy was to ensure that we would have enough time for a procession after Mass: We processed from sv. Tomáš to sv. Josef, which we entered and had a brief prayer and hymn in Spanish. From sv. Josef we went on

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-21428699877547751282008-05-25T07:58:00.001+02:002008-07-04T16:26:49.574+02:00

So, casting about Saturday for something to do, I ran across a reference to a Japanese Spring Festival at Vyšehrad. Curious, I headed out to Vyšehrad. While searching for the clearing where the Festival was to take place, I ran across a playground: There were some wooden sculptures scattered about, but I have no idea who (or what) they represent: When I found the clearing, people were just

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-84441380250728232662008-05-18T08:39:00.002+02:002008-07-04T09:54:23.367+02:00

I don't know if it was related to the feast of John of Nepomuk on Friday, but on Saturday, sv. Ignace was holding a fair at Karlovo Nám?stí. There was a swing set for the kiddies: And a pony ride (I wanna ride a pony!): There were craft booths: And this being Prague, of course there was beer. And not just any beer, but Pilsner Urquell: Of course, some people were content to just sit back

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-65514890983732072112008-05-17T18:08:00.006+02:002008-07-05T22:36:42.110+02:00

Legend has it that St. John of Nepomuk was martyred by Václav IV of Bohemia (AKA Václav the Drunkard) because the king, believing that his wife was cheating on him, tried to force her confessor, John of Nepomuk, to violate the seal of the confessional. Most reputable sources think that the real reason had to do with a power struggle, with John of Nepomuk thwarting the king's attempt to hand over

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-3297696278162181522008-05-12T18:10:00.003+02:002008-07-05T22:35:13.189+02:00

May 8 is a holiday in the Czech Republic (as it is in France and elsewhere) celebrating the Day of Liberation (the end of the 2nd World War). Since it fell on a Thursday, I persuaded (without great difficulty) my Friday classes to forego their lessons on the 9th, and visited Olomouc for a long weekend. Why Olomouc? Much as I like Prague, I'd really like to try living elsewhere in the Czech

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-78744031228678218392008-05-04T09:59:00.005+02:002008-06-01T13:09:17.153+02:00

While the Augustinians have been at sv. Tomáš since the end of 13th century, svatá Dobrotivá, near Zaje?ov, was the first Augustinian foundation in the Czech lands. The church and monastery are named for Saint Benigna (and how you get "Dobrotivá" from "Benigna" is a mystery to me), whose relics are kept there. sv. Tomáš holds an annual Marian Pilgrimage there the Saturday of the 6th week of

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-12307090038007634412008-04-29T22:30:00.008+02:002008-05-31T14:33:00.535+02:00

While I was at Prague Castle on Saturday, in my failed attempt to get a look at the Czech Crown jewels, I happened to run across a flyer advertising a "Pottery Making Market at Nelahozeves". Nelahozeves is a Renaissance château a little ways north of Prague; it's been restituted to the Lobkowicz family. The town of Nelahozeves is also known for being the birthplace of Antonín Dvo?ák. So, on

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-83431764587741451262008-04-29T22:14:00.005+02:002008-05-30T18:27:08.154+02:00

The Czech crown jewels are not on permanent display, but are trotted out only once every few years, and the current display marks the first time in five years that they have been shown. I had heard that, at the time of the last display, so many people lined up that the line was being closed by 11 AM (for an exhibit that closes its door to visitors at 5 PM), so I made a point of heading to Prague

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-32290654185100916522008-04-20T21:13:00.002+02:002008-05-30T18:23:56.570+02:00

I visited Národní Divadlo (the National Theater) to go to the opera, so now it was time to visit Státní Opera (the State Opera) to go the ballet. (To make this come full circle, I'd need to attend a play at the National Ballet, but, alas, there is no such theater. The National Ballet also performs at Národn&iacute Divadlo). I went to see Phantom of the Opera, which recently premiered and which

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-28757921268178006682008-04-19T22:13:00.003+02:002008-05-29T19:04:07.283+02:00

Once again, I turned to my handy little guidebook for ideas on where to go outside of Prague, and this time I settled on K?ivoklát. Its appeal is that it was described as a sort of "living museum of medieval life and crafts". Reportedly, there are resident artists and craftsmen whose products are for sale. To get there, I took the train to Beroun, then transferred to the train for K?ivoklát.

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-64092833417968817732008-04-18T21:37:00.002+02:002008-05-24T18:58:56.361+02:00

Since I cited Tom Lehrer in my post about clubbing carp for Christmas, I thought it was appropriate to highlight Google's tribute, on the occasion of his 80th birthday. (Belated) Happy Birthday!

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-39520450286521119422008-04-06T11:56:00.003+02:002008-05-24T12:11:41.742+02:00

I haven't been out of town for a couple of months, not since my January trip to the Butter Museum at Máslovice. So I pulled out my little guidebook and started paging through the section on day trips, where I ran across a description of M?lník. So I hopped on the bus to have a look. The castle (of course there's a castle: this is a Czech town) is beautifully situated, on a hill overlooking

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-86100422808895570112008-03-29T22:27:00.005+01:002008-05-24T11:19:34.694+02:00

So, spring is putting in some tentative appearances: the snow seems to have stopped, the cherry blossoms are in bloom, and people are venturing into the parks. I paid my first visit to Stromovka ("place of trees") Park this weekend. The weeping willows are drooping picturesquely: The afore-mentioned cherry blossoms are on display: And everything is beautifully green: (And no, I'm not sure

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-29591591405203450892008-03-23T22:24:00.005+01:002008-06-01T11:46:05.427+02:00

I was half expecting quadrilingual liturgy for Triduum, much as we had for Palm Sunday, but in fact, for Holy Thursday and Good Friday, we had strictly English language liturgies. The Spanish speaking community had their liturgies in St. Barbara's Chapel, just off the cloister garden, and I have no idea where the Czech community ended up. And for Easter Sunday, we had our usual schedule of

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-74112108615974886822008-03-22T16:40:00.000+01:002008-05-24T11:25:57.048+02:00

I haven't yet mastered the art of taking photos at night. At the very least, I think I need a tripod, but it may just be that my trusty little Canon isn't up to the task. I keep trying, though, and I'm actually quite enchanted with this shot of Týnský Chram (Tyn Cathedral): Trčs surreal, n'est-ce pas?

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-44665307356133393852008-03-22T15:37:00.000+01:002008-05-24T11:25:47.945+02:00

Easter Markets I was curious to know if Easter Markets were substantially different from Advent Markets. There are really only trivial differences. They're smaller, for one; in fact, Nám?stí Míru didn't even have one. Most of the stalls sell the same touristy junk that they sold before Christmas, and the food and drink are largely the same. In particular, the trdelník stalls are hugely

Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514544.post-881447005624363492008-03-18T22:30:00.002+01:002008-04-26T15:08:35.907+02:00

So, I finally called Canon again and, this time, I was successful in reaching someone who spoke English. I explained the problem and was referred to an authorized Canon repair shop, which oh-so-conveniently is just a few blocks from my flat. I went in, handed over the camera with the speculation that it was a problem with the CCD. The technician looked at it, agreed, confirmed that this was a

Dorisnoreply@blogger.com