Burger Fest

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I frequently preach that the best way to experience local culture while travelling is to attend local festivals and events.  A year ago we went with high hopes to Nameste Miru to the Burger Fest.  We were completely put off; there were too many booths crammed into too small a space.  There were hoards of people and intertwining queues to get any food or drink.  We left with empty stomachs.  I did not write about it here but gave the event bad reviews elsewhere–as did others.

This year I was intrigued that the organizers appeared to be properly chastised.  They had moved the fest to the much larger Výstaviště exhibition grounds, added corporate sponsors and increased the number of participating restaurants.  My curiosity and my love of hamburgers got the best of me; I decided to give it another try.

Bejzment VIP Burger FestHellmans VIP Burger FestTGIFridays Burger Fest

Beer and Burger at Prague Burger Fest I am glad I did.  The first two photos show the VIP areas that required a special ticket.  The third shows some of the American influence.  I couldn’t get decent photos of the three long rows of booths because they were spread out with plenty of space in between.  The more popular places had short queues; many you could walk right up and place your order especially for beer–and Jack Daniels, another sponsor.

Being American I wanted an unusual burger so I chose the Night Rider.  It had grilled onions and cheese with a delightful sauce.  The black bun was actually quite tasty as well.

By the way there were plenty of other choices of food, drink, deserts, etc..  When I left about 13:30 on Saturday there were more people poring in then leaving so it may get crowded yet but I am optimistic that no one will leave hungry this year.

A Slow Sunday

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As long term travelers we have learned to mix up our days of intensive activity with a few slow days.  This rebuilds both our stamina and our enthusiasm.  In Prague most Sundays are easy going both because many shops and cafe’s are closed and we try to avoid the extra busy tourist centers.

Charles U Botanical Garden pathThis last Sunday we wanted to take advantage of a free cake offer at the Costa Coffee at Karlovo namesti so I looked over the map to see what was near there that we had not seen lately.  The Charles University Botanical Garden jumped out at me as a big green space surrounded by buildings.  We had been in their green houses several times but had only seen a small portion of the outside gardens because we usually visited in the winter.

Contorted Pine at Botanical GardenBoth Karin and I had our expectations exceeded by the scope and beauty of the space. I am not that much into gardens but the tremendous variety in species was highly interesting.  A large number of plants, shrubs and trees had descriptive signs, though few words in English, but also a large number had no signs.  Perhaps the highlight for both of us was the Geology section because the explanations were in Geology exhibit at Botanical GardenEnglish as well as Czech.

Seed pod collectionAs long as I have known Karin–a whole lotta years–she has collected seed pods.  This day she was in hog heaven as the ground was covered with collectible items.  All in all we had an excellent adventure walking up, down and around along the many paths.

 

To top it off the free cake–chocolate tort with pistachios and other stuff– at Costa Coffee was delicious.  I am not a fan of their coffee or prices but Karin likes the atmosphere and they always seem to have the best locations.

So what is your favourite way to spend a slow Sunday?

Photos by Karin

Prague cemetery to become celebrated

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Street of buildings in cemetaryOlšany, the biggest cemetery in Prague, although not featured on our Favourites page, is, nevertheless, a place we visit often.  We wrote about it here and Karin has a photo journal here.

Now, according to a recent press release from the Czech News agency it will no longer be known to locals only. The Prague Cemeteries Management wants to attract both locals and tourists by organizing cultural and social events on its 50-hectare premises.

Martin Červený, director, would like picnics and workshops in the Olšany Cemetery, as well as readings from books of authors who are buried here. He suggested, “Outside the cemetery gate, a café could serve up black coffee and a popular Czech dessert with whipped cream called “rakvička,” or small coffin.”

Most decorated grave“We would like to present Olšany Cemetery as a cultural site that is open to the living,” Červený said.  “Such is progress,” I say.  What say you?  Please comment.

Brno: A Place in the World

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Have you ever heard of Brno, Czech Republic? Have you ever heard of Oaxaca, Mexico?  What do they have in common?  The former reminded me of the latter because Oaxaca is where I first realized how big and how populated our world is.
On our honeymoon in Mexico Karin and I found ourselves in a large bustling city that we had only heard of because we were scouring the map for places to go.  Further as I watched the people go about their business in the crowded market, I realized that they in turn had probably never heard of my home city, Portland Oregon.  Or as my brother put it after attending an Army vs. Navy Football game where 50,000 fans were rabidly involved in the outcome:  900 million Chinese could care less.

Brno pillarsSimilarly, Brno, the Czech Republic’s second city, gets little attention in the wider world.  We found it very delightful.  First thing we noticed was while it had all the facilities and size of a big city, the hustle and bustle was definitely missing.  People walked at a slower pace—we could feel that the intensity of Prague or other big cities sidewalk cafe in Brno in Aprilwe knew was not here.

The city is home to the huge Masaryk University with over 42,000 students.  As we approached our hotel we heard trumpet playing coming from a 3rd story window.  We were delighted to discover we were across a narrow street from the Music Department—which in turn was across the street from the city philharmonic music hall where the next day we heard a rehearsal while walking down the street.

Like most places we really enjoy there is nothing spectacular to see in Brno.  The castle has an interesting history but is not impressive to look at.  For instance the well in its central courtyard is claimed to be the deepest in the country and therefore important to the survival of the residents.  Yet looking down we saw just a black hole.

Brno reservoir

Reservoir Reflections — all photos by Karin

The first day we followed a walking tour of the city center’s main sites.  The second day we went out into a couple neighborhoods and then to a large reservoir at the edge of town.  All very pleasant.  The highlight for me was a steak dinner at Monte Bu (Cow Hill).  Karin really enjoyed the Romani Museum which displayed the history and culture of the gypsy migration across Europe since they came from India about 1,000 A.D.  Zwibelmuster design of Czech ceramicWe both enjoyed buying cups with the authentic but very common Zweibelmuster design.

So my travel advice for the day is: don’t always look for the spectacular and impressive.  Instead seek peaceful and pleasant experiences for a true perspective of the world.

Read more of our journeys away from Prague:  Environs