While we lived in Prague, we were simultaneously awed by its beauty and frustrated by the rapacious tourism development that had swamped its old town. Recently, I’ve read a few blog posts from travelers disappointed by their visits to Prague because of the city’s tourist schlock. Yes, there’s a fair heap of it. But, there are also ways to avoid it.
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Filed Under: Czech Republic, Europe, Prague, Travel by: Audrey Scott
50 Comments | 15 May 2011
So we’ve been running all over creation for the last three and half years and living abroad for almost ten. In May, before visiting the United States we told people we were “coming home for a visit.” More recently, we found that Central Europe (Prague, by way of Vienna and Bratislava) still feels like home.
In an email just yesterday, one of our friends in Uruguay asked: “Are you back home finally or at least in the U.S.?”
It was his confusion that tuned us into a more universal query: Where is home?
And more importantly, what is it? Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Travel by: Daniel Noll
62 Comments | 15 July 2010
Medieval castles, imperial palaces, blocky Soviet throwbacks and new glass and steel buildings lined our paths; poppy seed strudels, potato dumplings, and goose feasts filled our stomachs; light Austrian white wines, hearty Hungarian reds and freshly pulled Czech beers served as social lubrication; and Slavic, Germanic and Finno-Ugric (Hungarian) accents provided the soundtrack.
This is the cultural goulash of Central Europe.
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Filed Under: Europe, Hungary, Photography, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
9 Comments | 24 November 2008
In the midst of catching up on all things bureaucratic and beer in Prague, we opted for a week-long countryside interlude about an hour from the Czech capital.
Two country buses later, we were completely removed from the big city and found ourselves thrust into the pastoral – a slower pace of life. And thanks to a friend’s generous offer, we were immersed in the eclectic-bucolic aesthetic of a remodeled Southern Bohemian schoolhouse from the early 1900s. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Czech Republic, Europe, Motley Mots, Travel by: Daniel Noll
4 Comments | 1 September 2008
We have been in Prague – our previous home – for a little over a week now. We’ve noticed our friends’ questions regarding our journey and current state huddling around certain themes.
Although we can’t succinctly recreate online the atmosphere of a Pilsner beer-driven discussion in a Czech pub, we can attempt to answer these questions with astounding brevity in case you’re also curious. [Twitter’s limit is 140 characters.]
1a. How do you stay sane while being together 24 hours a day? (Politically Correct Version)
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Filed Under: Europe, Motley Mots, Prague by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
2 Comments | 17 July 2008
As scheduled, we are flying to Europe today from China.
Asia has been our home for almost 18 months. Now that we’ve become accustomed to dumplings, noodle soup and Nescafe with condensed milk for breakfast, we depart with mixed emotions (well, our emotions towards Nescafe are clear: we are very happy to leave it behind). We also leave behind the richness of Asia’s chaotic streets for a different European pace punctuated with cafes and medieval stone architecture. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Europe, Prague by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 24 June 2008
When we first moved to Prague in 2001, ethnic restaurants were relatively expensive; the selection was slim and value low. In response, we sought out odd spice shops and developed new skills in cooking Italian, Indian, Thai and Mexican. As with the availability of ingredients, the number of ethnic restaurants in Prague has grown substantially over the last few years. We’ve even been introduced to some new cuisines like Afghan and Georgian. Continue Reading »
- Malesice – Prague’s Little Hanoi
- Cooking Well in Prague
- Eating Ethnic in Prague
Filed Under: Food, Interactive Maps, Prague by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
2 Comments | 7 September 2007
When we first moved to Prague at the end of 2001, fresh goods like celery and limes were luxury food items with out-sized price tags whose whereabouts were restricted to an imported food shop called Fruits de France.
In the last five years, however, the landscape for finding fruits, non-root vegetables, spices, herbs and imported goods in Prague has evolved rapidly. Prague still doesn’t have a good central food market or a “fresh market” culture like Vienna or Munich, but the Vietnamese community has managed to fill some of the void by opening endless fruit and vegetable shops. Although it’s still difficult to assemble a sophisticated, full-course meal with one stop, if you know where to look you can find almost anything you need. Continue Reading »
- Malesice – Prague’s Little Hanoi
- Cooking Well in Prague
- Eating Ethnic in Prague
Filed Under: Food, Interactive Maps, Prague by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
9 Comments | 7 September 2007
Wondering where the real Vietnamese food is in Prague? Are fresh herbs and Asian goods your thing?
Where did you get those bags of frozen tiger shrimp? Where do you get your fresh Thai basil and long beans? Where did you get all those fresh herbs for your Vietnamese summer rolls?
If we had a nickel (a Czech koruna, perhaps?) for every time we’d been asked these questions, we’d have enough money to buy a vote in the Czech parliament. Continue Reading »
- Malesice – Prague’s Little Hanoi
- Cooking Well in Prague
- Eating Ethnic in Prague
Filed Under: Europe, Food, Interactive Maps, Prague by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 30 May 2007
