Charles Bridge (Karluv Most)

spent a good part of yesterday above and below Europe's longest medieval bridge. This is probably the greatest tourist attraction in the city of Prague due to the stunning views offered from above, all the decorative statuary, the souvenirs, the entertainment and the fact that it connects the Castle district with the main city. After strolling across to the Castle side, we made our way down to the shoreline and boarded one of the many boats available for river cruising. This gave me the chance to get some pictures from a new perspective. I was reading about the bridge yesterday and it has an interesting history. Charles IV had it built back in the 1300's but selected a particular date. Apparently the corner stone was laid at exactly 5:31 am on 9 July, 1357 which creates a palindrome--135797531. I thought that was cool. You know they were all superstitious about things back then, so I guess he was told that was a fortuitious date. Anyway, it apparently was finished just in time to permit his funeral procession a crossing. All the statues lining the bridge are Saints with significance to the Czechs and the ones we see today are copies since the originals have been moved to places where they can be protected from the elements.

Another interesting story says that when they were buliding the bridge, a call went out to all the neighbouring villages for wine and eggs to add to the lime to create a stronger mortar and I guess it worked since the bridge lasted right up until 1890 when a flood wiped out 3 arches. They are currently working on a huge section of the bridge and I don't know the specifics but it cuts the width in half and makes it more crowded than usual.

It was nice to see the bridge from the river Vltava. The river is substancial and it's easy to see how it was a major transport link in its day. Apparently they used to raft huge convoys of timber along it's length cut from the surrounding forests to yards lining the river. All that ended when they constructed dams for hydroelectricity. Most of the traffic you see now is made up of small boats chugging along loaded with tourists including moi.

The "Billa" Way.

My local grocery store is called "Billa" and it's across the street from the school which makes it handy on the way home. My first trip was not the most successful since I didn't know the rules of the game. They rejected my two loose apples at the check-out, "Neh!" and the woman berated me for not taking my groceries out of the hand-held basket. I didn't recognize names for most of the products and I couldn't even ask for any ham. Well, I'm happy to announce I've made some progress through the tried and true process of trial and error. I now know how to weigh my veggies on the touch screen computer and stick the price on the bag. I know that ham is called "sunky" (Shoonky) and rolls are "rolicky." They have my fave yogurt "Activa" in vanilla flavor, Krusli is a no brainer and I'm slowly deciphering the huge range of Klobasas. The 7-up is "limonada" and BBQ'd flavoured chips are called "Paprika." Chocolate is "cokolada" and eggs are vejce. When you get in the check-out line, have your wits about you as it's a busy store. You have to bag your own groceries and you'd better do it quickly! They say "Dobry den" and all you have to say is "Dikuye" and you're on your way! Easy right? Hmmmm. Maybe not. I still haven't figured out how to unlock the grocery carts as one needs to insert a coin in the handle...and I'm still intimidated by the giant selection of meats and cheeses. I've been sticking to Edam and Brie for the most part but really feel I need to step out of the safe zone and give that really strange one a try. The Vodka selection is epic and cheap. My first bottle was a half litre of "Boris Jeltzen" made in France for about $6 Canadian. I've graduated to "Amundsen" triple distilled with "arctic purity"from Bratislava, Slovakia which cost 139 crowns. At the current rate of exchange that's about $8 bucks. Daaaaaangeroulsy cheap, right? Not to worry....you are your own liquor control board. : ) They sell all sorts of beer including Heineken in mini vats and today they had Paprika on sale. At least I know how to weigh my veggies now. It's rather amusing but the smallest accomplishments are encouraging when everything is so foreign. My strategy is to move quickly and say as little as possible and hopefully I will exit without arrousing any undue ire. Phew!

Spa Town Karlovy Vary

I travelled a couple of hours outside of Prague this weekend to the spa town of Karlovy Vary or Carlsbad (in German) as I had read it was beautiful. The guide books did not exaggerate! (See full range of pics on my profile page on FB.) Anyway, the bus was inexpensive and the scenery along the way was rolling green hills and attractive hamlets which made the journey even nicer. Karlovy Vary has an interesting history so I'll give you the nutshell version. It was discovered back in the 1300's when Emperor Charles the IV was hunting. One of his dogs fell into a spring and Charles decided to build a hunting lodge to take adavantage of the natural thermal waters. It became known as "Carlsbad" or Charles Bath. Many famous people started to come including Bach, Freud, Marx, and the list goes on. It soon became a center for the performing arts and the architecture followed. Anyway, there are a total of 13 springs all located in the "Spa District" and the buildings that house the springs are designed to capture the benefits allowing visitors to bathe, drink or absorb the curative vapors. The Strudel Spring is the largest and most famous and shoots 15 meters into the air at a scary temperature of 162*F! Step back! Elderly tourists stroll the promenades clutching their "invalid cups" and dip from the thermal fountains found throughout the spa area. There is also an "elixer" on sale called Becherovka which was created by a Dr. Becher back in the 18oo's. It's an herbal mixture with alcohol so I guess you could get a nice buzz while "taking your medicine." I bought a small bottle just to try and it tastes like jacked up cough medicine. It's still the main souvenir today so I guess the Dr. must have profitted nicely! I also ate my first Schnitzel and it was sooooo delicious!! The place I had it at had a variety of sauces on the table and one of them was Salsa Maggi, all the way from Mexico so I had some with my boiled spuds. : ) All in all it was a very enjoyable side trip and I look forward to the next one.

Mleko, Clever Toilet Paper and the Cortez Cafe.

This is a short one. I have to say I was amused by the fact that the toilet paper I bought at "Billa" the grocery store is called "Clever." That follows along the same line as the bread in Mexico being called "Bimbo." Maybe my Czech toilet paper should get together with the Mexican bread and show him a thing or two.

I wasn't drinking much milk during my years in Mexico, mostly because I always favoured bevies with ice in the hot weather. I bought some "Mleko" the other day and have been enjoying the icy cold quality of my little apt. fridge. Last night I bought a bottle of 7-UP and it was listed on my grocery bill as "limonada." Another interesting discovery! Limonada in Mexico, of course, is the wonderful water with freshly squeezed lime juice. A 7-Up in Vallarta was simply called "Un Seben." These are just interesting things that happen several times a day. How about the irony of the restaurant next to the school being called "Restaurant CORTEZ." They even have some tortilla dish on the menu along with all the meat and potatoes. Their Pilsner is also ridiculously cheap and they have a little outdoor cafe which is fine for a quick lunch or whatever. It's as if Mexico meets the Czech Rep. in some ways, but that's where the similarities end. Have a good weekend!

My Course, of Course.

The course I'm taking is intense. One month long, five days a week, 10:00 to 6:00 not including prep. time for teaching. We are being observed, evaluated and graded on our lesson plans, teaching techniques and so much more. OUR instructors are really excellent and I've already learned half a notebook full of new information, at least.

Yesterday we learned about phonemes, dipthongs and monophthongs as we will be teaching new sounds to our students. We all have to teach for 45 minutes tomorrow to Czech students ranging in age from 18 to 60 plus. The school classrooms come complete with white boards, CD players and other props to use in the field of language acquisition. Lesson planning is more intense since all lessons need to have four or five different activities. It's going to be very challenging, to say the least but this is stuff that will serve me well in the teaching field regardless of where I am or who I'm teaching.

One really valuable class for us was when our teacher, Terry, spoke to us only in Czech for 45 mins. He was teaching us how to purchase bread, cheese and meat at the store. The conversation was fairly simple but the pronunciation of the Czech words was the most difficult aspect of the learning process. Obviously the point of the whole exercise was to put us in the shoes of our students and share what we were feeling. It also taught us some basic survival Czech. Well, I would write more but I have to go plan my lessons. : ) Na Shledanou!

Observations From a Foreigner.

I've been here almost a week now and want to record my initial impressions before they fade away.

This is a big City! Even though the numbers are 1.2 million or something, it looks bigger. I am out in Prague 9 (the Old Town is Prague 1) and I see tons of commuters and lots of traffic so I really get the sense of a busy metropolis. (I'll only be in this district until I finish my course.)

The people are tall! Yes, after 22 years of being in the land of short people, stature really stands out for me. I am no longer staring over a sea of heads but rather staring into an ocean of backs! How refreshing!

Everyone smokes! I guess the United Rep. never got the news, but I am amazed at how many people I see lighting up. Especialy women, which could also explain my next observation: all the women are thin. (By the way, my computer is automatically translating any Czech words I use, so "United Rep." was not my first choice, but it will do.)

Speaking of the women, I'd been told they are the most gorgeous in the world and I have no problem believing that since I have seen many, many stauesque blondes with fabulous bodies and any one of them could be on the cover of a fashion magazine. Yowzer!

Hair coloring is popular but not in the traditionl sense. I see a fair amount of women featuring slashes of pink and the cuts are much more avant guarde than anything you'd ever see in Mexico!

The Metro is easy to use. The first time I was left to take the metro on my own I was a bit freaked since they are crowded and they move FAST! Now that I have been on them a half a dozen times and get what the procedure is, it does not seem difficult and in fact, I actually enjoyed the last couple of runs. It made me feel like I had accomplished something. Czech that off the list!

Ok. So, I know I will have many more observations as the weeks unfold, but that's a warmer upper. I have to skedaddle off to school and I have an appointment with "Just the job finding expert." I wanted to see what she recommends before I take the plunge. Ciao!

Czeching it Out!

The last few days have been a Whirlwind of people, places, emotions and information. Not having internet at my apt. has hampered my ability to communicate, but now that classes have started, there should be fewer delays.

The weather has been wonderful every day and I'm glad I got here a few days early since it gave me a chance to see some sites before the ax came down. Yesterday I even got my 30 day Metro / Tram pass complete with photo which makes me feel a little more apart of the scene.

I've been down to "Old Town Square" every day for one reason or another and we even took Tram # 22 up to the Castle which offered spectacular views over the City. The Cathedral of St. Vitus actually brought tears to my eyes it was so overwhelmingly gorgeous. This monument to God was started in the 1300's and not completed until the 1920's! Later, we walked down a 100 steps to the City on the lower river and passed lots of shops, museums (Franz Kafka) and eateries. We walked along "Paris Ave." which features the likes of Cartier, Dior, Burberry and Rolex. That led us into the old Jewish Quarter and the Cemetery where over 12,000 Jews are buried. Finally we stopped at a local pub which, translated into Español, means The Shot Goose. There I was treated to a steaming bowl of potato soup in a bread bowl that was soooo delicious and cheap! This is where the locals eat, well off the tourist trail.

Classes started yesterday at TEFL Worldwide Prague. The school is located next to the Hotel Pivovar, so about a 15 min. walk from my apt. There are about 24 teacher-students in our course but the group is divided into two, so it's manageable. There are two main teachers, Terry from England and Trish from from Minnesota. Both are highly competent but I much prefer the style of Terry as he is entertaining, bright and an excellent teacher! We start teaching today at 2:30 (day 2!) to a group of Czech speaking students at the elementary level. Tomorrow is the intermediate group and on Friday we teach a full 45 min. class, so we do not have a lot of time to mess around! Nights are not as exciting, but we have lots of reading to do and lesson planning, so it keeps me busy until bedtime. Things are really hectic right now and the course was billed as "intensive" so I am not really surprised at all the things we have to do. Overall, it has been really informative and interesting and is exceeding my expectations. A woman named "Jen" gave us an info session as our Job Guidance person and she has a wealth of information about possible job openings along with the fact there will be a number of schools coming at the end of the course to recruit us. Exciting stuff!

Heading to Prague but not just to Blague...

I've been up in Canada for exactly one month visiting friends (see photo) and family before heading off to Prague in the Czech Republic. I have decided to start a new blog since The Burning Burrito has run its course and I'm no longer living in Mexico, therefore I'm officially launching the Prague Blague (title suggested by my friend Kim Gertler, also known as one of the Dub Brothers.
This will be a useful way to communicate with my peeps instead of short status updates on Facebook, although I'll likely keep that up too. Anyway....I fly out tomorrow, Sept. 9th at 4:40 bound for Prague and expect to be settled in my cozy apt. by sometime around 10:30 local time. I will be stationed at the Hotel Pivovar which I understand is close to many amenities and my Prague connection/friend Sarah will be meeting me around noon to show me around. Exciting! Talk to you all soon!