I love Prague. I love Prague. Also, I love Prague. Did I mention that I love Prague? Because I do. Why do I love Prague? Well, why not? But if you want reasons, I have plenty. First, it's an absolutely beautiful old city with more historic sites than you can shake a stick at. And I've been known to shake a mean stick in my day. Two, there is great food- from rib-sticking tasty Czech staples to international cuisine to fine dining to street vendors hawking fried cheese sandwiches 24 hours a day. Yes, I said FRIED CHEESE SANDWICHES and yes I said 24 HOURS A DAY. Third, the Czech people, while initially sometimes coming off as reserved or a bit standoffish, are amazingly warm and generous people who really know how to treat their guests. Fourth, the ladies roaming the streets of Prague at any given moment of the day are certainly not hard on the eyes.
And finally, and most importantly, Prague is a drinking man's town. The Czechs consume more beer per capita than any other country in Europe- over 1.5 beers per DAY for every man, woman, child, elderly, and otherwise incapacitated but still breathing person in the country. Think about that, if you were to exclude all categories other than adults from the ages of say 18 to 60, you're probably looking at an average consumption of somewhere around 2 - 2.5 beers per person per day. And if you've ever been to Prague, the reason for that statistic becomes quickly evident: Czechs brew great beer. They are known for their pilsners which originated in Pilzen, Bohemia several hundred years ago, but they are by no means the solitary brew on offer. I personally prefer the lightly carbonated deeply flavored black beers brewed and served at almost every brewpub across the city.
But honestly, I would be wasting my time discussing Prague if I didn't mention its most important facet in my mind at least: the widespread availability and consumption of my personal favorite drink, absinthe. And not just any absinthe mind you, but real, high octane, high thujone (the active chemical compound in wormwood), knock your socks off, warms your entire body as it goes down, green fairy inducing, absinthe. Despite living in the US where absinthe was banned (for nearly a century) until relatively recently, I have done considerable research and tasting of this fine, and notably highly flammable, spirit. So for the few of you dear readers who are not familiar with this rare libation, indulge me in providing you with a (relatively) brief primer:
Absinthe is a distilled spirit usually flavored of anise (think licorice) with an alcohol potency of 45%-75% ABV or 90 to 150 proof. Yes, 150 proof. Often you will find it colored light to darkish green, but it can also be found in red, blue, purple, clear, or a very off-putting artificial neon green (which clearly you should avoid). While absinthe is predominately anise flavored a great number of other herbs and botanicals are steeped in the mixture during the distillation process, most notably Artemisia absinthium commonly known as wormwood. And no, not wormwood as in rotting wood with worms. Wormwood is a silvery-green plant and it contains the chemical compound thujone which is believed to have psychoactive effects.
Absinthe was popularized in the late 19th century France during the Bohemian movement of writers, musicians, and artists and began to gain fame during the early Prohibition era. Many people will claim that you halucinate when you drink absinthe but from my personal experience that is flatly untrue. Usually what happens is people drink too much of cheap very high proofed low thujone absinthe and just get really drunk and act like idiots. Consumption of good proper absinthe is best done slowly and in moderation (yes I'm actually advocating moderation) to enjoy both the flavors and the warming expansive feeling.
In the US and most countries in Europe absinthe is now legal but with strict limits still enforced on the thujone mg per liter ratio. The US sets the limit at either 10 or 15 mg/L and if I remember correctly most of the EU follows a similar course. The Czech Republic, however, has no such limit to my knowledge as you can readily purchase a bottle with 100 mg/L thujone. An absinthe of this level will not only have a considerably different effect on you, but will also be more refined, smoother, and exceptionally more expensive. A 750 ml (1 fifth) bottle I investigated would have run me over $190.
That said, there are plenty of other excellent absinthes with varying strengths between 100-140 proof that offer moderate (25-40 mg/L) levels of thujone that won't break the bank. And if you would like to give it a try before you buy an entire bottle there are dozens of absinthe bars scattered around the city with extensive menus and well trained staff. Finally, there are two widely popularized methods of serving absinthe (and several more great ones that I won't bore you with but feel free to leave a comment and I'll gladly divulge):
(1) the Czech way, which involves setting an absinthe (slotted) spoon on top of a glass and placing a cube of sugar on top of that. Pour the shot of absinthe over the sugar and into the glass and light the entire thing on fire. Continue to let it burn until the cube has melted, caramelized, and fallen into the glass. Stir the mixture, drink the shot in one swig, and chase with a fresh sugar cube; and (2) the Parisian way, which follows the initial set up but instead of lighting it on fire you slowly drip water over the cube and into the absinthe until the mixture turns a milky white or whitish green. This happens because the chemical compounds in anise bind to water below a certain proof level thereby making the drink appear opaque. The sugar will dissolve into the drink and it is then sipped, occasionally with ice or straight up.
Personally my favorite method is the Parisian method. One, as I mentioned I prefer to enjoy it slowly, and two, I hate the thought of unnecessarily burning off alcohol unless you are starting with a very high proofed absinthe. Hm.. so that ended up being a longer primer than I had anticipated but given that I could have probably written a treatise on the topic, we'll count it as a win. I'll talk about my experience with absinthe on this particular trip later as it didn't occur until after my old work buddies had already departed. Anyway, let's pick up the adventure where we left off- a tired but excited group of gents hopping off a train from Krakow after a few beers and with the rest of the afternoon free.
After checking into the hotel and meeting up with one of Joe's old college buddies Derek who happened to coincidentally be in Prague for 2 weeks for meetings with his firm, the first thing we all needed was a shower and some fresh clothes. Refreshed, the next objective was clearly to take a stroll around the city: swinging by Wenceslas Square, Tynsky Church, St. Nicholas, the Astronomical Clock, and the main square.
Given that it was Sunday and we weren't sure what would be open, Derek suggested we head over to the James Dean bar and check out the scene. Let me just say, the James Dean was awesome. It wasn't incredibly crowded and we weren't really up for too much more than a couple beers given that most people had meetings the next day, but I was stunned by just how cool it was. Imagine a 1950's hamburger/milkshake joint but only in bar form! Actually, the upstairs even had burgers and shakes, but the downstairs was a hopping place with 1950's/60's music, cool retro relics, and a great vibe. It was Sunday and people were dancing in the bar! Plus they gave you free cheese popcorn as a bar snack. How great is that? Here is a tremendous shot of Mark sitting in what is half-car half-table. Seriously, they cut a car in half and put it in the bar as a table. Pure awesome.
On the way back to the hotel we were a bit hungry and so I tipped the crew to a particular delicacy served by the many late night street vendors occupying Wenceslas Square: fried cheese sandwiches. These vendors have an assortment of things: sodas, beers, waters, sausages of varying types and sizes, and the coup de grace, a giant mozzerella stick in between a hamburger roll. Talk about the perfect food to steady your stomach after a night of beers! Obviously we all had to belly up to the bar so to speak and try one for ourselves.
The next morning Rudy and I ventured out on the free walking tour of the town. I had actually never done the regular walking tour as last time I was here I arrived a day later than my ex who did the tour without me. Despite this, she had shown me most of the sites when I arrived so I had a pretty good idea of what we were seeing. First up was the main square where you can see St. Nicholas, the main church of the Hussites.
Also there is the famous Tynsky Church, or Church of Our Lady of the Tyn, which is located nearby a statue of Jan Hus, the Hussite leader, a Christian reformer.
The other famous thing in the square is the Tower housing the Astronomical Clock. The clock does a bunch of stuff but I found it mostly overrated. The coolest thing was that the Czechs liked it so much they cut out the tongue and poked out the eyes of the guy who made it so he couldn't make another one elsewhere. Read about it on wikipedia if you're interested in more.
The other really neat thing we saw that was new to me was the Estates Theater where Don Giovanni first premiered. The theater still stands and runs the show numerous times during the year. It was actually running while we were there but I refuse to go to such an event without a stunningly hot date and a full tuxedo, neither of which Rudy or I had the time or money to procure before that evening's show.
After walking around for most of the day, we met the working chaps after their day was done to check out the tour of Prague Castle. Before we went, however, Mark insisted on getting another fried cheese sandwich. And who could blame him? The lady at this stand was so impressed by his persistent bravado she called him "big boy" and offered him up a double. See what I was telling you about the Czechs? This is a sandwich for half-men half-gods.
The castle tour is a great one and something I would highly recommend you do if you are in Prague. It runs about 3 hours, costs $10 or so, and winds you all through that side of town and the castle itself. The highlights in my mind are the Wallenstein Palace with its gardens, St. Vitus Cathedral where the crown jewels of the Czech Kingdom are kept, and especially the great views from the monastery atop the hill. The monks also brew their own beer so you can stop in for a pop or two if you are so inclined.
From the castle we walked back down the hill to the waterfront by the Charles Bridge in search of this particular pub that is supposed to have bacon and blue cheese potato pancakes. Yea, read that again. Tragically that pub seems to have disappeared or undergone an ownership change. Nearly downhearted, our spirits were suddenly revived when we discovered the opportunity to take a one hour boat cruise for only a few dollars. Since it was the perfect day for it, how could we say no?
After the cruise I took the guys across the Charles Bridge which, as always, was filled with street musicians, artists, and tourists all trying to shake out of Prague whatever it is they came for. A chaotic but inspiring scene. Since we had taken it easy the past couple nights I convinced the team to do a pub crawl under the condition that the working folks didn't have to stay out the whole night. Overall it was very similar to the one I did several years back- an hour or so of unlimited beer, wine and shots and then you get a welcome drink at the next 2-3 places. Finally you end up at a club. The first place we went was called Propaganda and was plastered with all kinds of paraphernalia from the World Wars era. Personally, I love this painting of Lenin and Stalin having a pleasant chat before everything went catastrophically awry.
We went to the next place where somehow we ended up losing the pub crawl. :/ ? So we had a couple drinks and then the working stiffs headed back and Derek and I decided to take the 5 story club by storm. This place is nuts- 5 levels of all different types of music and it's seemingly always packed. This was a Monday and it was bonkers.
I think I ended up getting back to the hotel right around sun-up and exhausted I slept away most of the day while everyone else did their thing. That night we had dinner at Pivovarsky Dum, a brewpub near the Sheraton that has a great beer offering and some awesome Czech dishes. My favorite is the chicken soup and the brewmaster's pocket (pork loin stuffed with blue cheese and ham, fried). Oh baby. Czech food is great but probably not the most healthy for you. We opted out of the beers, however, and instead took a walk around the city where I got a nice shot of the Prague Castle at night.
The next day the fellas all departed early in the morning with the exception of Derek and I who met for a late lunch and strolled over to check out the Lennon wall- basically a huge wall covered in Lennon inspired graffiti (under no circumstances to be confused with Lenin inspired graffiti).
That night Derek and I mustered up all of our remaining courage and gusto and hit the final two places on my list: U Flecku and Absinthe Time! U Fleku is a Czech beer garden that opened in 1499 (yea, whoa!) that has multiple rooms including a cabaret and two huge outdoor garden areas. The waiters come by every so often with trays of their famous dark beer and "Czech medicine" shots. You simply ask for one, they mark a tally on a sheet of paper and you're off and drinking. They also have great "beer cheese" which is a cheese spread with butter and onions and fried, yes fried, bread to put it on. Arteries beginning to clog. Note: be careful with that Czech medicine, it's strong stuff.
Finally, and not a moment too soon, it was time to get some great absinthe. Thankfully, one of the better absinthe bars was right down the street from U Fleku, Absinthe Time! Derek and I both opted for a relatively expensive (about $12 per shot) absinthe of about 60% and 30 mg/L thujone recommended by the owner's daughter. Derek went with the Czech presentation:
And I went with Parisian:
In all it was an outstanding absinthe and so we ordered a second! But after that, I was honestly toast. The next day needed to find me in relatively reasonable shape for my flight to London to visit my old college buddy Mike Paradis and to gear up for a week of insanity that is the 2012 Olympics! So I bid Derek farewell and off to my insufferably warm hostel I went. Which, after staying 6 nights in Sheratons, the difference between that and the hostel I crashed in my last night in Prague was noticeably severe. But, I suppose, that is the life of those of us on the road. We must embrace all unknowns, good and bad. Plus... I knew I'd have a decent place to crash the next night anyway. ;)
Absinthe was popularized in the late 19th century France during the Bohemian movement of writers, musicians, and artists and began to gain fame during the early Prohibition era. Many people will claim that you halucinate when you drink absinthe but from my personal experience that is flatly untrue. Usually what happens is people drink too much of cheap very high proofed low thujone absinthe and just get really drunk and act like idiots. Consumption of good proper absinthe is best done slowly and in moderation (yes I'm actually advocating moderation) to enjoy both the flavors and the warming expansive feeling.
In the US and most countries in Europe absinthe is now legal but with strict limits still enforced on the thujone mg per liter ratio. The US sets the limit at either 10 or 15 mg/L and if I remember correctly most of the EU follows a similar course. The Czech Republic, however, has no such limit to my knowledge as you can readily purchase a bottle with 100 mg/L thujone. An absinthe of this level will not only have a considerably different effect on you, but will also be more refined, smoother, and exceptionally more expensive. A 750 ml (1 fifth) bottle I investigated would have run me over $190.
That said, there are plenty of other excellent absinthes with varying strengths between 100-140 proof that offer moderate (25-40 mg/L) levels of thujone that won't break the bank. And if you would like to give it a try before you buy an entire bottle there are dozens of absinthe bars scattered around the city with extensive menus and well trained staff. Finally, there are two widely popularized methods of serving absinthe (and several more great ones that I won't bore you with but feel free to leave a comment and I'll gladly divulge):
(1) the Czech way, which involves setting an absinthe (slotted) spoon on top of a glass and placing a cube of sugar on top of that. Pour the shot of absinthe over the sugar and into the glass and light the entire thing on fire. Continue to let it burn until the cube has melted, caramelized, and fallen into the glass. Stir the mixture, drink the shot in one swig, and chase with a fresh sugar cube; and (2) the Parisian way, which follows the initial set up but instead of lighting it on fire you slowly drip water over the cube and into the absinthe until the mixture turns a milky white or whitish green. This happens because the chemical compounds in anise bind to water below a certain proof level thereby making the drink appear opaque. The sugar will dissolve into the drink and it is then sipped, occasionally with ice or straight up.
Personally my favorite method is the Parisian method. One, as I mentioned I prefer to enjoy it slowly, and two, I hate the thought of unnecessarily burning off alcohol unless you are starting with a very high proofed absinthe. Hm.. so that ended up being a longer primer than I had anticipated but given that I could have probably written a treatise on the topic, we'll count it as a win. I'll talk about my experience with absinthe on this particular trip later as it didn't occur until after my old work buddies had already departed. Anyway, let's pick up the adventure where we left off- a tired but excited group of gents hopping off a train from Krakow after a few beers and with the rest of the afternoon free.
After checking into the hotel and meeting up with one of Joe's old college buddies Derek who happened to coincidentally be in Prague for 2 weeks for meetings with his firm, the first thing we all needed was a shower and some fresh clothes. Refreshed, the next objective was clearly to take a stroll around the city: swinging by Wenceslas Square, Tynsky Church, St. Nicholas, the Astronomical Clock, and the main square.
Given that it was Sunday and we weren't sure what would be open, Derek suggested we head over to the James Dean bar and check out the scene. Let me just say, the James Dean was awesome. It wasn't incredibly crowded and we weren't really up for too much more than a couple beers given that most people had meetings the next day, but I was stunned by just how cool it was. Imagine a 1950's hamburger/milkshake joint but only in bar form! Actually, the upstairs even had burgers and shakes, but the downstairs was a hopping place with 1950's/60's music, cool retro relics, and a great vibe. It was Sunday and people were dancing in the bar! Plus they gave you free cheese popcorn as a bar snack. How great is that? Here is a tremendous shot of Mark sitting in what is half-car half-table. Seriously, they cut a car in half and put it in the bar as a table. Pure awesome.
On the way back to the hotel we were a bit hungry and so I tipped the crew to a particular delicacy served by the many late night street vendors occupying Wenceslas Square: fried cheese sandwiches. These vendors have an assortment of things: sodas, beers, waters, sausages of varying types and sizes, and the coup de grace, a giant mozzerella stick in between a hamburger roll. Talk about the perfect food to steady your stomach after a night of beers! Obviously we all had to belly up to the bar so to speak and try one for ourselves.
The next morning Rudy and I ventured out on the free walking tour of the town. I had actually never done the regular walking tour as last time I was here I arrived a day later than my ex who did the tour without me. Despite this, she had shown me most of the sites when I arrived so I had a pretty good idea of what we were seeing. First up was the main square where you can see St. Nicholas, the main church of the Hussites.
Also there is the famous Tynsky Church, or Church of Our Lady of the Tyn, which is located nearby a statue of Jan Hus, the Hussite leader, a Christian reformer.
The other famous thing in the square is the Tower housing the Astronomical Clock. The clock does a bunch of stuff but I found it mostly overrated. The coolest thing was that the Czechs liked it so much they cut out the tongue and poked out the eyes of the guy who made it so he couldn't make another one elsewhere. Read about it on wikipedia if you're interested in more.
The other really neat thing we saw that was new to me was the Estates Theater where Don Giovanni first premiered. The theater still stands and runs the show numerous times during the year. It was actually running while we were there but I refuse to go to such an event without a stunningly hot date and a full tuxedo, neither of which Rudy or I had the time or money to procure before that evening's show.
After walking around for most of the day, we met the working chaps after their day was done to check out the tour of Prague Castle. Before we went, however, Mark insisted on getting another fried cheese sandwich. And who could blame him? The lady at this stand was so impressed by his persistent bravado she called him "big boy" and offered him up a double. See what I was telling you about the Czechs? This is a sandwich for half-men half-gods.
The castle tour is a great one and something I would highly recommend you do if you are in Prague. It runs about 3 hours, costs $10 or so, and winds you all through that side of town and the castle itself. The highlights in my mind are the Wallenstein Palace with its gardens, St. Vitus Cathedral where the crown jewels of the Czech Kingdom are kept, and especially the great views from the monastery atop the hill. The monks also brew their own beer so you can stop in for a pop or two if you are so inclined.
From the castle we walked back down the hill to the waterfront by the Charles Bridge in search of this particular pub that is supposed to have bacon and blue cheese potato pancakes. Yea, read that again. Tragically that pub seems to have disappeared or undergone an ownership change. Nearly downhearted, our spirits were suddenly revived when we discovered the opportunity to take a one hour boat cruise for only a few dollars. Since it was the perfect day for it, how could we say no?
After the cruise I took the guys across the Charles Bridge which, as always, was filled with street musicians, artists, and tourists all trying to shake out of Prague whatever it is they came for. A chaotic but inspiring scene. Since we had taken it easy the past couple nights I convinced the team to do a pub crawl under the condition that the working folks didn't have to stay out the whole night. Overall it was very similar to the one I did several years back- an hour or so of unlimited beer, wine and shots and then you get a welcome drink at the next 2-3 places. Finally you end up at a club. The first place we went was called Propaganda and was plastered with all kinds of paraphernalia from the World Wars era. Personally, I love this painting of Lenin and Stalin having a pleasant chat before everything went catastrophically awry.
We went to the next place where somehow we ended up losing the pub crawl. :/ ? So we had a couple drinks and then the working stiffs headed back and Derek and I decided to take the 5 story club by storm. This place is nuts- 5 levels of all different types of music and it's seemingly always packed. This was a Monday and it was bonkers.
I think I ended up getting back to the hotel right around sun-up and exhausted I slept away most of the day while everyone else did their thing. That night we had dinner at Pivovarsky Dum, a brewpub near the Sheraton that has a great beer offering and some awesome Czech dishes. My favorite is the chicken soup and the brewmaster's pocket (pork loin stuffed with blue cheese and ham, fried). Oh baby. Czech food is great but probably not the most healthy for you. We opted out of the beers, however, and instead took a walk around the city where I got a nice shot of the Prague Castle at night.
The next day the fellas all departed early in the morning with the exception of Derek and I who met for a late lunch and strolled over to check out the Lennon wall- basically a huge wall covered in Lennon inspired graffiti (under no circumstances to be confused with Lenin inspired graffiti).
That night Derek and I mustered up all of our remaining courage and gusto and hit the final two places on my list: U Flecku and Absinthe Time! U Fleku is a Czech beer garden that opened in 1499 (yea, whoa!) that has multiple rooms including a cabaret and two huge outdoor garden areas. The waiters come by every so often with trays of their famous dark beer and "Czech medicine" shots. You simply ask for one, they mark a tally on a sheet of paper and you're off and drinking. They also have great "beer cheese" which is a cheese spread with butter and onions and fried, yes fried, bread to put it on. Arteries beginning to clog. Note: be careful with that Czech medicine, it's strong stuff.
Finally, and not a moment too soon, it was time to get some great absinthe. Thankfully, one of the better absinthe bars was right down the street from U Fleku, Absinthe Time! Derek and I both opted for a relatively expensive (about $12 per shot) absinthe of about 60% and 30 mg/L thujone recommended by the owner's daughter. Derek went with the Czech presentation:
And I went with Parisian:
In all it was an outstanding absinthe and so we ordered a second! But after that, I was honestly toast. The next day needed to find me in relatively reasonable shape for my flight to London to visit my old college buddy Mike Paradis and to gear up for a week of insanity that is the 2012 Olympics! So I bid Derek farewell and off to my insufferably warm hostel I went. Which, after staying 6 nights in Sheratons, the difference between that and the hostel I crashed in my last night in Prague was noticeably severe. But, I suppose, that is the life of those of us on the road. We must embrace all unknowns, good and bad. Plus... I knew I'd have a decent place to crash the next night anyway. ;)
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