Get the Czech Look

For the average non-Czech, you might be thinking, "Oh, but how can I look Czech for an outing?" The answer my friend is to head to your nearest REI and let them clothe you from head to toe. The Czechs love their outdoor clothing and they love potential utility as much if not more than Americans. The big difference is that while Americans want to have the ability to "climb any mountain", the Czechs actually do it.

Czechs love adventure and thusly, this is the reason that they sometimes die in the pursuit of said adventure. Regardless, they're ready for it. Just toss on a sporty backpack, some hiking shoes, or the ubiquitous padded-strap sport sandals and you've got yourself the Czech look. If the day is moving a little slow, then maybe toss on a pair of inline skates and whiz around town.

A lot of this stems from seemingly everyone having a cottage out of town that they all go to on the weekend for hiking and general outdoors business. But, they don't limit it at that. While sitting in a beer garden, I saw guys pulling out their mountain climbing picks and either comparing the length or the use with each other. I mean, why do you bring a climbing pick to a beer garden? Because you Czech and you never know when a mountain is going to come your way, that's why.

30 06 2008      0 comments

Tags: clothing, czech republic, potential utility, prague, the europe

In Dobra vs. Dobra, we all Win

For a tea drinker, Prague is a veritable heaven. It was most likely due to the Russian influence (Russians love tea) during the communist years that got the Czech Republic at large started on tea. Of course what they had then were probably "brands" like "Victory Black" or "Benign Autocracy Breakfast Tea" which were most likely the same damned thing and not so amazing.

Apparently a group started to meet in secret and worked to smuggle tea in to the Czech Republic where they would then drink it in secret, stealthy groups. This was daunting and exciting for these folks and after The Wall fell, things opened up a great deal. Suddenly, importing any myriad of teas was a much easier order to carry out and people started to truly enjoy tea as opposed to it just being something to have because there was no choice in breakfast beverages.

Out of all of this sprang, Dobrá Čajovna, which is a tea house that has grown to be a chain across the Czech Republic as well as other countries including the US. This was the original tea house in Prague from which all others copied the model of having a relaxed, "salon" setting in which is enjoy a massive selection of teas from all over the world. Several locations of theirs started up in Prague, but ultimately it's the one at Václavské Náměstí 14 that has hung on to be their main and only location.

Another tea house started up as well in the same model as Dobrá Čajovna, but with a bit of a twist. They're called Dobrá Trafika and they have two locations in Prague. The main thing that's very cool about them is that they've chosen this speakeasy format for their cafes. A 'trafika' is a place where you buy tobacco, newspapers, metro passes, and the like. Thusly, the front of their establishments look just like a typical, slightly rundown trafika. But, when you make a turn past the counter and down a rather non-obvious hall, you come to the actual cafe in the back. If I hadn't know that there was a cafe in the back of the first one of these I went to, I probably would have just left, which is great, because I'm sure a very many, non-curious tourists do this.

So, as to which one might be the better one? Really, they're both great. The advantage of Dobrá Čajovna is that the tea selection is ungodly huge and detailed. You can order just about anything at their place. They have outdoor seating, but as we found out, they are often burning incense out there to cover up the pot fumes the staff are creating in the passageway to the place. The other downside is that it's rather expensive at 3€ a pot or so.

Dobrá Trafika on the other hand is a bit cheaper, but has a much smaller selection. I think I might prefer their outdoor seating a tad more as it's usually a bit more quiet and the speakeasy, in-the-know quality to the place is quite appealing. That and while you will get expats there, you'll get virtually no tourists.

But, these aren't the only two places in Prague for tea. There are countless more that have copied this tea house model and have a good selection. Some have got more grungy hippie funk than others and some are more trendy than others, but they're all cool in some way. There are no uppity joints like Samovar in San Francisco, which is a welcome change.

29 06 2008      1 comment

Tags: czech republic, prague, tea, the europe

Banksy is Good, but has Competition

For those not familiar with Banksy, first take a moment to check out his graffiti artist style he mainly plies around England. You'll see that his work has depth, humor and a good deal of social commentary to it. The guy really is a smart guy and has a great deal of artistic gift. There are those who even go so far as to worship him, but they're, for lack of a better word, wankers.

Whatever the case and no matter how great a collection, Wall and Piece may be, Banksy has others who are on his tail. We saw a great number of them around Prague who used his style of stencil technique and commentary to make a message. Maybe they predate when he was doing, but probably not. At any rate, they are really everywhere and I'll get together a gallery when I get a chance, since it's cool stuff. I just hope that Banksy continues to morph and evolve as I like what he does a great deal and I'd hate to see him wash up so fast.

28 06 2008      0 comments

Tags: czech republic, prague, the europe

The Old Czech Man and the Vest

If there is one thing that is damned near a universal truth about the old men you see in the Czech Republic, it's the fact that they love vests. Man do they love vests, but not just any vests. They have to be vests with a bazillion pockets on them to store god knows what; perhaps the plan for world peace and a cure for AIDS, although they'll never let you know.

The first one was pointed out to me in Prague. Then I saw a few more and then a more than a few more until I realized that the fashion scene in the older men's clothing lines is dominated by the highly-pocketed vest. It's like one of these guys accidentally went to a fashion show once (thinking it was a free newspaper giveaway) and some nubile young model came out with nothing on but a pocketed vest and the fellow who was there thought to himself, "Why yes. While my hips aren't so slender nor my breasts so perky, I do love the idea of being able to have a place to put everything I don't want my wife to touch." And thusly, the highly-pocketed vest craze was born.

The vests are original unto themselves, but they are often seen in the accompaniment of sandals with socks, rather tight shorts that the owner has had since turning 25, and maybe even a hat if one was feeling "jaunty" that morning.

This fashion sense has been spotted in other regions such as Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary, but everyone that the original vesters were those in the Czech Republic. Truth.

27 06 2008      0 comments

Tags: clothing, czech republic, the europe

Enter the Prague, Cross Off Another City

Prague always seemed to be a lovely city to visit. While my mind wasn't full of the grandeur that so many other Americans attributed to this capital of the Czech Republic, it seemed like a nice place to go. Telling friends in Barcelona we were heading there for a couple of days before heading on to Budapest got a lot of the same responses such as, "Oh, well, enjoy I guess." or "Have fun with the Americans!"

I was wondering what they were getting at. I've been to Venice in August and I've seen the glut of tourists in Barcelona in the high months as well. How bad could it be? Surely they were exaggerating. As it turns out, once setting out for a full day or two of exploration, they weren't exaggerating all that much. While places like Barcelona are shielded from a great deal of the assiest of tourists because they all go to the beach, there is no beach in Prague, so every last speck of tourist booty is parked right in the center. So, if you go anywhere in the center, you are greeted by Marge from Oklahoma calling back home while on the old Charles's Bridge (about 650 years old) to ya know, check on the kids and stuff. Yes, I actually witnessed this, take a listen below.

The examples of crap, mostly American tourists are quite endless and there is little reason to go in to them other than to say, stay out of Prague during the warm months. It appears to me that Prague tourism has done the exact same thing that Croatia tourism has done, in that they built too fast with little regard to much else than profit which has created a town center that is just jam packed with every crap tourist knickknack one could ever want, but little else.

It's quite sad to see, because if you swipe this away, Prague is quite a nice city. It has an absolutely fantastic Metro and tram system that takes you anywhere you could want to go for very little money. The food, while heavy and Central European is very good and priced such that it makes buying your own food to cook pointless. The beer is very affordable as well, costing about 1€ for a half liter and it's damned good beer too. The buildings are impressive, unique, and beautiful, and the layout of the town is cozy and meandering allowing one to enjoy all the twisting streets while wending through the slow tourists in countless groups of course. And then there is Nakládaný Hermelín which is without a doubt the "bee's knees" (whatever the hell that phrase means, but you mostly likely get the point.) Additionally, if you know how to read a map well, you can go see sites and stroll through the parks just outside the immediate center which most tourists never go to. Spots such as Vyšehrad are a great day out in Prague.

Overall, I would say that Prague is a worthwhile visit if one comes outside of summer (although I hear the crowds are still strong even then and there is a stable base of 20,000 American expats hanging out, attempting to write, who live in the city) and haven't been to a Habsburg-era city before. If you've been to Vienna, the capital of all things Hapbsburg, I think it's still worth a visit since I like Prague a great deal more than Vienna due to Vienna being far too oppressive and palatial. But, for someone like me who has been to Zagreb, Ljubljana, Maribor, Varaždin, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Vienna, Graz, Brno, and Budapest, it's a tad, well... "normal". Yeah, I know, I need to slow down a bit someday.

Obviously, I have a great many more things to follow on Prague, after staying here for five days with #1 Fan. But the one thing that I've realized here and it seems to be another universal truth of life is that whatever Habsburg-era city you see first is ultimately the one you'll love for the rest of your life. For me, this means loving Zagreb despite the fact that few do actually love it, including the great majority of the people who live there. For others this means Prague and so be it. It's a perfect place to start a love affair. Just choose wisely when choosing your first Habsburg entry point.

26 06 2008      0 comments

Tags: czech republic, prague, the europe

The French are Crème Brûlée Stealing Bastards

There is most likely a good deal of truth to the fact that the French got Crème Brûlée from some other country and are now laying claim to it. One place that they quite possibly ripped it off from was Catalonia and their Crema Catalana.

I'm not sure as to whether it's just decades of bad Spanish marketing or the fact that Franco's legacy really screwed over Spain when it came to getting credit for what they deserve to have credit for. Whatever the case, I greatly prefer to have a Catalana over a Brûlée. I find that the flavors are deeper and tastiest overall. The cream is succulent and it happens to go great with sweet wines, which you always have to have to close out a meal in Catalonia.

Outside of Spain though, the Crema Catalana can be done not so well. For instance if you head to Zarzuela with the hopes of finding a good one, you're going to be let down. Theirs is quite bland and not too inspiring as is a common problem with a number of their dishes. I have yet to really find one that's done properly in the US, so about the only thing I can recommend is to order it at every chance you get whenever you're staying in Catalonia, which is probably not nearly as much as any of us would like.

25 06 2008      0 comments

Tags: catalonia, food, spain, the europe

I Tried the Snail

One of the last things I did while in Spain this year was to finally try escargot, or 'cargol' as they're known in Catalan. Obviously the thought of eating a snail is always one of the more revolting things to American sensibilities, but I suppose at some point, one has to broaden one's horizons and try that which might otherwise be found completely repulsive.

So, how do they taste? Like not a lot I found. It's basically the sauce that is the key to the buggers, because otherwise, the snail itself doesn't have a ton of flavor. Sure, there's a little and what's there isn't really all that offensive because it really comes down to the premise of picking this garden slug out of its shell and savoring it. Now that I've tried snails, I can't say that I would really seek them out again. They're just kinda plain and I would much rather spend my time eating other creature. The in laws love them and they're quite sought after in Catalonia because there is actually a season for the buggers, which in turn has created a saying:

This means that it's too hot in July for both lovin' and for snails, just to put it in to perspective how much your typical Catalan loves the snails.

24 06 2008      3 comments

Tags: catalonia, food, spain, the europe

'Spain is Absolutely without a Doubt, Amazing!', says Spain

There is one thing about public works projects in Spain, where they excel above all other countries' public works projects, which is that they really love to congratulate themselves on basically just doing their jobs. It's something that you only see once you read full cycles of the news media runs. While there isn't anything demandingly annoying about it, it is a marked contrast from the US, where no matter how hard some governmental body tries in a project, there will always be criticism and those who say it failed. Maybe this happens in Spain as well, but certainly not in the media.

Take for example the new, Visca Barcelona campaign which is a novel concept. It makes use of a number of web technologies to create an online fanclub of Barcelona. After weeding my way through packs of feral tourists in the center just before writing this, it makes me wonder as to why it's needed. It just exists to say how great Barcelona is. I know this. Anyone who has been here knows this. As they might say, "Barcelona no quiere una abuela." which means, "Barcelona doesn't need a grandmother." in that it gets all the compliments it needs elsewhere, include this new, apparently interactive proxy grandmother setup they've come up.

While the Visca campaign appears to be rather new, something that got me started on this whole article was that constant back patting (and I would go so far as to say, butt sniffing) that's gone on about the new AVE which is Spain new and currently still being built, high speed rail system. Yes, it's quite impressive and while being able to scoot around at 300km and hour (screw y'all in metric-so-scary-land, I'm not converting this) is great, I think that most would say, "It was about time." This brings up the question as to why an article need to be published stating that it is "...the admiration of Asia and the United States..."? This is news to me. Those of us who love trains and want to see more of them instead of airplanes, worship the French, TGV. That's been around a very long time and goes all over the place in France. Eventually the Spanish system will indeed go everywhere, but how about we hold off on all the praise until the damned thing at least reaches France and eventually covers all the cardinal points of Spain? No, that's not the way it's done here.

But, I could maybe go along with this and be down with all the media press of AVE if it was actually affordable. It costs 169€ (106€ each way, plus 20% discount for a return ticket) to go round trip from Barcelona to Madrid. That's about 109€ and one and a half hours slower than flying. I would much rather take the train as its considerably more environmentally friendly, but at those prices, it is incredibly elusive. And as you can see in the article image below, they do indeed compare it to other systems in order to justify the costs because it's cheaper than say, Paris to London. It just so happens that that is an outright lie. You can trying booking yourself at Eurostar and find that they are quoting the absolute highest prices. It's very easy to get a return ticket of 82€ which even the least talented math whiz knows is about 87€ less than AVE.

Anyways, it's just a silly practice here and while it ultimately doesn't do any immediate harm, it is part of an overall problem in that people who aren't being taken to task on something and think that they're doing a good job even still. Is this better than the US in the end where people just give up trying because no one is going to be satisfied? In some ways, I'd say no because we don't blindly say things like, "Oh, that AVE tunnel we're digging under La Sagrada Familia? Nah, it won't be a problem. We know what we're doing. Even the media say that. Oh, that thing in Carmel in 2005 where we dug a metro tunnel, caused a sinkhole in the neighborhood that caused 1,500 to lose their homes? Ah, that was nothing, just a little trouble with a stream bed we hadn't predicted. Again, [holds of copies of ABC, La Vanguardia, and El Pais] they all say we're doing a great job!"

23 06 2008      0 comments

Tags: spain, the europe, trains

Words that I have Known: Tantarantana

There is that age-old question as to, "What's in a name?" Well, if your name is Tantarantana, probably a lot of twisted tongues. This is a street in Barcelona at the edge of the Ribera quarter as it starts to go in to Born. It's a fun name to say and that obviously wasn't lost on a restaurant and theatre that share the same name as the street.

Overall, it's not a bad street and is actually quite pleasant to stroll down. There isn't too much remarkable about it beyond the name though and it's like a great many streets in the area. If you're a bit more curious, the street is here.

But what does the word mean? I haven't really found a good answer to this. Most likely it was a person's name and at this point, my mouth hurts a bit from saying it, so I'll leave it at that. Tantarantana.

22 06 2008      2 comments

Tags: barcelona, catalonia, language, spain, the europe

Spain has a Serious Prostitution Problem

In 2007, I had my first taste of Spain and like most Americans, I came back with the, "Hot butifarra, this is a badass country!" Of course, that visit was just little flirts with various areas of the country. I was completely and irrevocably, a tourist. This year, I have dug in a bit deeper and seen what life is actually like. I still love Spain, but I know that I couldn't live here right now unless I found a job with a foreign company, since wages are crap (1000€ a month or so to be exact.) I've also driven around a lot more and am never ceased to be shocked at the blatant display of prostitution that exists in all of Spain, but in heavy concentrations near the French border.

By no means is there a casual attitude towards prostitution in the country at large. Unlike Germany, it is very much illegal here, just like in France, except in France, you don't see hookers out in broad daylight, along the roads, or in brothels with neon signs. We have plenty of hookers in the US and even have places where prostitution is legal, but it isn't flashed around like it is in Spain and that's what shocked me about it all.

Since I've spent most of my time during this trip in Catalonia, that's where I've seen most of the prostitution. You see the hookers walking around in certain areas in the big cities and to some degree that is expected, especially with the throngs of idiot beach tourist guys who just want to find a "good time" with a lady of the night. Happily for some of these nitwits, they often end up some some of the transsexual hookers of which there are a great many in Barcelona.

But, beyond the urban hooking, there are the highway hookers. Again, in the US, you might find hookers at truck stops, but much like having gas wherever you might need to fill up, an industry of hookers have been set out by pimps along main roads, starting in Girona and running up to the French border. There you'll see girls sitting on chairs, sometimes scantily clad (as in just a bra, thong, and thigh high stocking scantily clad) and sometimes wearing more clothes. One thing is for sure in that if you see a girl with a heavy tan and who looks South American (none of these are Spanish women) sitting in a white plastic chair near a dirt road, then that is a hooker. The johns will just drive by, chat up a price and then head down the dirt road for whatever servicing they requested. I really feel for these girls as it's a crap existence to sit out under the sun and rain all day, having sex with sleazy guys, being scorned by the locals, and also risking their lives.

Some time back, there was a girl who went missing. Being that these are foreign girls with little or no family, the public and the police didn't really give it any notice. Eventually the girl's body was found and near that location there was a security camera that recorded a truck going in and out of the place. The police found the trucker, who turned out to be a German, and arrested him. He admitted to killing the girl and a great number of others, which were unsolved crimes in other countries. Apparently, the reason he killed them was because while he was having sex with them, he would strangle them so that their vaginal muscles would contract as he climaxed. Sometimes this meant the girl died and other times not, but he didn't care. He thought of these girls as something that was just meant to be used and discarded once used. Amazingly it was the Spanish police who caught him. Sadly they don't spend much time catching others. In purely selfish terms, people should be very concerned with catching these guys because once they get away with killing hookers, they often move on to any other woman they fancy, hooker or not as they feel that they are somehow invincible.

For those not sitting on a plastic chair waiting for a killer or just a loser, there are brothels that have sprung up along N-11 highway in Spain. Many girls find themselves working in these places. They are easy to spot with their big neon signs that have names such as, "Moonight", "Eros Club", "The House of Love", "Paradise". Beyond sounding like Tom Cruise's resume, these pose as being bars, but in reality, everyone knows that they are places where you go to pick up a girl who then pays some of what she earns to the bar owner and/or a pimp. Below is a map that outlines several of these clubs in Catalonia as well as showing the main route where the girls sit on chairs along the road.

Most likely, you're wondering why more isn't done to stop this problem? After all, it doesn't exist in France and it very well could. It also isn't just in Catalonia and thusly a supposed "Catalan problem". I saw a great many hookers out all day long in Madrid in very public places waiting for johns to proposition them. There, the girls were a mix of South American and Russian. And from friends, I'm told the problem is the same throughout Spain and the public doesn't want this as farmers are tired of finding hookers having sex in their fields and residents in big cities don't want the blight that it brings to a neighborhood. So why is it there?

The police do indeed do some work on this issue. Beyond catching the killer that I mentioned before, they go to these brothel clubs with the intention of busting the girls who are seemingly in the country illegally. This doesn't work though, as all the girls have their papers in order and you can't deport someone just on suspicion alone in Spain, unlike the US. The girls who are obviously hooking alongside the road should be easy targets as well, except that whenever questioned by police, they just state that they're "hanging out" or waiting for friends. Again, it makes it impossible to arrest them.

In reality, there are only two ways that this is going to be stopped. One for the police to step up their actions even more and do what seems to be a very difficult step for them that requires busting the girls and guys in the act of prostitution. The second way to stop it is going after the guys. Public humiliation has worked well in some countries and it's quite easy to catch the guys doing this, but again, it requires the police to work more. But is forcing it out of the public eye really the best solution, because if you do crack down on it, it isn't going to go away, it will just get more hidden. Is this better? I would almost say no, but then again, I seem to never get used to seeing some girl sitting in a chair by the road offering her body for sale.

21 06 2008      8 comments

Tags: catalonia, poverty, spain, the europe