November Moviemania

While holiday season is exciting for a great many number of reasons, one of those is the release of better movies. Theater attendance spikes, with blockbuster releases planned on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days (my family always sees a movie Christmas Eve- one of my favorite relaxing traditions!). Oscar races are right around the corner so all the notable indie releases happen too. While I saw a bunch of movies last month, here's a few I think are worth mentioning:

Last weekend I went to see the second "Hunger Games" installment (I wish I was young enough to catch the midnight release and still be able to function at work the next day). I was a big fan of the first movie and felt it was the best adaptation of a book that's I'd seen in quite a while. I have to say, the second one is even better! Some people are complaining about the length (run time of 2.4 hours) but for the fans it's not an issue, I mean, it's shorter than any "Lord of the Rings" movie. The casting for the other victors was really good (love Jena Malone as vicious Johanna). Philip Seymour Hoffman is a good addition to pretty much any movie and is perfectly shady in the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, who was less memorable as a written character. All of the special affects in the arena were visually stunning and the costumes for the victor's parade should definitely be nominated for it's creative way to translate a book description into fashion. If I don't go see it again in theaters, I will probably buy it when it comes out on video. The third installment, "Mockingjay" will be split into two (mo' money for studios!), with the first one slated to come out November 2014.

Would my work judge me for Hunger Games wallpaper?

A movie likely to be up for a lot of nominations is "Dallas Buyer's Club," starring Matthew McConaughey. The movie takes place in the mid-80's when the HIV/AIDS scare was really starting to ramp up. Cowboy/hustler Woodroof (McConaughey) learns he has HIV and when he goes to the hospital finds out that the drug their testing is actually more harmful than helpful. He heads to Mexico and finds cheaper drugs to bring into the States, starting a drug club of his own. He reluctantly befriends transvestite Rayon, who I thought looked familiar but didn't find out until after that it's Jared Leto. The buzz is that Leto is likely to be up for "best supporting" awards when the season rolls around. McConaughey surprised me with his acting skills again, I thought it was on par with "Mud." I guess he just needed to break away from his rom com cast typing. My only qualm with the movie was Jennifer Garner's performance as an empathetic doctor who supposedly feels passionate about the issue but Garner's flat emotion seems the opposite of passion.

Leto and McConaughey

I have a nerdy weakness for all movies related to "The Avengers" so I went to see "Thor: The Dark World." It was pretty good, very comparable to the first "Thor." The plot line was similar but a good action movie if you need to shut off your brain for a while. Chris Hemsworth seems born to play the role of Thor. Natalie Portman is fine, but I more enjoy Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgard as her quirky scientific sidekicks. Tom Hiddleston brings the character of Loki to the forefront and makes him almost someone you want to root for. Also, the bad guys in this movie being "evil elves" was a bit silly but I'm sure that was taken from the comics so I won't blame the screenwriters for that. The movie's not a must see and will probably be a frequent rotater on cable once it comes out.

Lastly, I also went to see the (over) hyped "Gravity," with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Clooney's character is pretty enjoyable but SPOILER ALERT: he dies off fairly quickly and then it's just Bullock floating around in space, which is pretty boring. It's like Hanks in "Castaway" or Farrell in "Phone Booth." Movies with only one set location tend to give way to overly introspective monologues. Bullock should have probably died about 10 different times but seems to persevere somehow. There also just seems to be a lot of plausibility issues overall, like one second she's floating over China and the next second she's over Europe. There's no way she's just floating around the world that fast. The views of Earth from space are probably the best part of the movie, so I'd rather just watch some NASA special on the Discovery Channel. Could someone who loved this movie please explain to me what I'm missing? 

Sandra- stick to "Speed"!

Friendsgiving SF-Style

Last Sunday night a few of us got together for a "Friendsgiving" dinner, only instead of turkey and pot luck dishes we hit one of the hottest new Mexican restaurants in San Francisco. I mean, I like turkey but I'd really rather just have some nice ceviche and a margarita. The place I'm referring to is La Urbana, which opened about 3-4 months ago and while it's been labeled as one of the trendy new spots to go, it's not insane yet. However, based on the amazing food, fancy cocktails, cool ambiance and fun location (Alamo Square on Divisadero), I'd go now and try to get in while you can. Eater SF just nominated it as one of five "So Hot Right Now" restaurants although Stones Throw won. It was also nominated for "Stone Cold Stunner" but honestly I'm not really sure what that means...

The inside of the restaurant is mostly modern with Mexico City influences, with brightly painted wood, neon lights, skeletons and cacti succulent arrangements. We ended up getting seated at the communal table, which I was a little nervous about (especially when the other half was initially comprised of mostly small children when we first got there- what were they even eating there?!), but it really wasn't bad. There's a tinted glass partial wall that separates it from the restaurant and cuts down on the noise a bit. Usually when I sit at a communal table I find myself saying what or just politely nodding out of deafness, but the glass wall plus the table size may for reasonable noise level.

Even if you're not particularly hungry, this is a great place to go for drinks. The cocktail menu boasts one of the largest mezcal collections in SF of 40+ bottles. All of the females at the table ordered the violet flower margarita, because who in their right mind would pass up a tequila drink with orange blossom water, violet flower liqueur, rose cava and actual flower petals! For some reason none of the men ordered this drink though. The La Urbana margarita is pretty potent but delicious as well.

Onto the food. The cuisine is upscale Mexican, with authentic dishes spiced up with molecular gastronomy. Although tempted to do the grandiose "We'll take one of everything," we practiced self restraint and picked out a couple dishes to share. I'll go through them in order of favorite to least. I thought the best was the ceviche de pescado, which came in a capped mason jar. After being opening in theatrical fashion, mesquitesmoke billowed out. The fish retained the smokey taste but also had a good balance of citrus and avocado.

I also really like the corn side dish. Although it's usually better on the cob, they took the esquites and made it into a tasty bowl of corn, lemon aioli, garlic butter and epazote (a common Mexican spice). The only thing is could have used is a little queso fresco. The oysters had that cool gastronomic flair, with the shell being filled with a cucumber serrano foam that had a spicy after-kick. Our starter (after the complementary amuse bouche) was the huarache de carnitas on brioche, which is a great appetizer for those who can handle their spice.

My favorite entree was the braised short rib with potato puree and grilled squash. The meat was incredibly tender and wasn't drenched in sauce, allowing the quality of the meat to shine.

The other entree we tried was the pollo con mole negro. I'm not a huge fan of mole sauce but this one was particularly pungent. It almost tasted like it had espresso or something in the sauce. Lastly we had the ensalada verde, which was thinly slice cacti, fava beans, frisee, avocado and cilantro dressing. They were able to make the cacti non-slimy but it was overall a forgettable dish. We didn't order the pozole but I heard it is really good, so I'd definitely give that a try next time I go back (although now the great Divisadero debate will be do I eat at Little Chihuahua, Bar Crudo or La Urbana.... so many good choices!).

*Food photo credit to SF Gate.  I clearly was too busy eating to play food paparazzi. 

Part IV: Surviving Oktoberfest

For the last leg of Euro Adventures 2013, we took a bus from Prague to Munich. I'd been to Munich before in 2002 (funny story, first place I was ever drunk- thank you high school Euro Tour!) and hadn't been a huge fan but this time we had a reason for going. It was officially the last weekend of Oktoberfest and we were going to meet up with the rest of the Birr family!

We caught a bus at the crack of dawn, so it dropped us off in the busiest train station in central Munich right around midday. While I'm sure the station is normally pretty bustling, with Oktoberfest is was downright chaotic. There were dirndls and lederhosen everywhere, with beer splashing all over the place.

German outfits aplenty.

Once we figured out what train to get on to make it to our apartment in the outskirts, it was relatively easy. I do have to say out of all the public transit trains/rails/trams I've been on, Munich's is the clearest and cleanest. We took it every day and a couple times I took it by myself. More major cities should take a page out of their book. Anyway, we made it to the apartment and met up with Adam's family.

Neighborhood we stayed in- Autumn in Germany!

Since we'd been staying pretty loyal to local cuisines, we hadn't eaten much outside of meat, potato, bread and cabbage in quite some time so we figured it was okay to try the Greek restaurant on the corner. Nothing to write home about in terms of the food so I'll spare you the details, but it wasn't bad and I was glad to have more vegetables represented on my plate. The remainder of the day we relaxed. It was nearing the end of our trip, everyone was getting the flu, and we wanted to be in tip top shape for Oktoberfest the next day. Dinner was at a local place in the neighborhood, where I gave schnitzel another try. It's fine, just forgettable. I just think there's much better Eastern European and Germanic cuisine options.

The next morning we were up early and ready to go (after several sudafeds and some potent eucalyptus oil). I was a little nervous because I don't drink beer (I actually kind of hate beer) but all the pre-trip reading material assured me that there would be other options. Walking up to Oktoberfest, a thought struck me and was continually validated throughout the day.

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is Disneyland for adults. It's rows of giant beer halls that are all themed and look like castles. There's carnival rides and food everywhere. Lebkuchen (giant heart shaped gingerbread cookies saying "I Love You" in German) are hanging in every available space. And it's not just for adults, it's a full family affair.

Lebkuchen stand

The first hall we hit we'd read good things about, the Lowenbrau tent. Plus it's theme was a giant lion and I'll go to anyplace with a cat theme.

Lowenbrau Lion

The hall was gigantic with endless rows of communal tables and benches. There was a grandstand in the middle for the polka band, which was already in full force (along with the drunkards waving steins around).

Inside at Lowenbrau

The guys ordered a round of liter beers. There weren't any non-beer options in this tent so I ducked out for a bit to go explore. After they were done with their beers, I suggested the hall across, Winzerer Fahndl. It has bottles of wine and looked like Christmas inside. That place was rather mellow, as it was more of an eating establishment and still before lunch.

See? Totally like Christmas.

When people with table reservations started to pour in, we vacated and went to another big beer hall, Speisekarte.

Beer Hall #3

Faced with beer-only options and a half bottle of wine serving as liquid courage, I bit the bullet and ordered the closest thing I could stomach to beer, a liter of radler. Radlers are half beer, half lemonade. While it was hard to stomach at first, half a liter in it started to go down a little bit easier.

Can you spot the radler? (Spoiler: Middle)

We chatted up some locals at our communal table and found a good tent to hit for lunch (yes- this all happened before lunch). The local girl recommended food at Kafer Wies'n-Schanke, so we trekked on over and got a table outside. This place had wine thankfully. I got a skillet of sauerkraut, sausage, some potent German mustard and rye bread. A hearty and authentic meal that was much needed.

Best sausage of the trip!

After that (and this is the point where I stop naming beer halls because things get a little blurry- but my educated guess is Braurosi), we went to another larger hall and another radler (this time made with Spaten- although I think it tasted the same as the Paulaner one) was ready to be consumed. After that, Birr and I were on a mission so we ducked into yet ANOTHER tent to get another round of liters. Due to my powers of deduction (i.e. my photos of a ceiling painted as a blue sky with clouds), we were able to cram in and find a seat at Hofbrau-Festzelt- no tent wouldn't serve you unless you have a seat.

Photographic evidence we made it to Hofbrau-Festzelt

After that it was mid/late afternoon and impossible to find seats in any of the other tents. Also, I should clarify something at this point. Since it was the very last day of Oktoberfest, it was the emptiest day as most tourists had left the city. If it was in full swing, we still would have had to arrive at the crack of dawn but probably would have been able to go to one tent, maybe two before having to camp out due to lack of seats. Another thing to know, parties under 8 can't usually make reservations.

You would think at this point we'd throw in the towel but we found the most unlikely of "beer halls" where you can get a drink if you stand. And they don't really serve beer, it's all liquor and wine. And it looks like you're in Candyland. Seriously, the "tent" is shaped like a castle with all these gaudy ceramic candy canes and gingerbread people everywhere.

Candyland

We ordered a round of these atrocious "orange drinks" that were some from Aperol, a liquor that I will never, ever consume again. After one of those, you might really start to think you might have been transported to Candyland and and start looking for the gumdrop forest (if it wasn't for the cover band playing Robin Thicke songs).

Orange drinks lining up to be poured...

But you look like this after drinking them.

After escaping the madness of Oktoberfest, we headed to the heart of Munich for some much needed substanance.

Farewell Oktoberfest- we survived you!

Another plate of sausage, sauerkraut and potatoes later, we found ourselves sitting next to this old man, who was also drunk and wanted to regale us with stories of his life. Turns out he'd been to Sausalito in the 1970s to film a documentary on those "damn hippies on houseboats." Such a small world and a little reminder that although it had been a great trip, I was getting ready to return to San Francisco soon. 

Our other full day in Munich we spent the morning wandering around the main square of Munich, which falls between the Odeonsplatz and Marienplatz stops.

Main square on a foggy day.

There's lots of shops and restaurants, plus the oddest homage to Michael Jackson that I've ever seen.

Not sure who the statue is for or if he enjoys being turned into a Jackson shrine.

Since we missed it at Oktoberfest, we had lunch at the famed Haufbrau House, so more sausage, more beer for the guys (I'd gone back to hating beer) and a full blown polka band.

Inside Haufbrau.

After that, we spent the afternoon walking Englischer Garten, which I loved. It was like the European version of Golden Gate Park.

Cafe in Englischer Garten.

It's still Autumn in the Garten.

Obviously these are only a few of the many shots I took in the Garten.

We even saw some guys surfing the river (I think these guys might need to come to California).

River surfers.

I loved it so much I actually work up early the next morning to run the park before the impending overseas flight.

Morning fog in the Garten. Gorgeous run.

For our last dinner in Munich we deviated from traditional fare again went to an Italian restaurant that our drunken friend from the night before had recommended. Not quite sure if it really even existed we were pleasantly surprised by the quaint establishment that had some delicious Italian food (apparently there are a fair amount of Italians that actually reside in Germany). It was a great way to round out a trip filled with culinary adventures.

My travel family. Thank you Birr's!

One other thing I'd like to add, I love German people. Yes, I know a lot of them from growing up in Minnesota and I'm even a quarter German. And I always root for them during the World Cup because they pull fake injuries in order to get PKs way less than all the other teams. These people are so nice and polite that I don't think they get the recognition they deserve. They're also incredibly honest. On our train ride to the airport we had to switch trains at one of the busiest depots. I was a little out of it (damn you morning run) and I had my first "Larisa moment" of the trip (hey- at least I made it until the last day). Twenty minutes into the ride on the second train I realized I was short a purse, which housed my passport, all other forms of ID, money and credit cards. On the verge of a hyperventilation attack we hopped off and grabbed a train back. So forty minutes later we get back to the stop and I'm thinking I'm going to be stranded in Germany for the foreseeable future (thanks to Birr for keeping his cool during all of this) and I walk over to the area we were sitting and there it is. My nice Marc Jacobs purse, filled with everything of value that I travel with, just sitting nicely next to where I had been sitting. In forty minutes not a single person had touched it, at the most central train stop in all of Munich. Amazing. I feel like had this been any other major city in the world, that purse would have been gone in a heartbeat. Thank you Germany, I will continue to cheer for your soccer team.

And of course, because this is Germany, land of beer, here's a recap from Birr. Someone who actually drinks beer (which you will be able to tell from the much more accurate and in-depth analysis along with a little heartwarming father-son bonding moment): 

I had thoughts of nothing but bier, as we left the Czech Republic and made our way to Munich.  Coming from a family with a strong and proud German heritage it had been a long and restless wait to visit the Vaterland – and what better way to visit and experience our German heritage than to go to Oktoberfest! 

If you are unaware Oktoberfest originated as a celebration of the marriage of King Ludwig I and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. The party hasn't stopped since, and has turned into the world’s largest fair attracting millions from all over the world. It is still a 16-day festival running from late September to the first weekend in October. We were able to time our visit to coincide with the very last day of Oktoberfest 2013.

The fest is held annually in the Theresienwiese (called Wies’n by the locals), near Munich's city center, which is extremely convenient to get to via the amazingly efficient and extensive public transit system. Entering the grounds I couldn’t help but smile. My first impression was that we had walked into a real-world version of the board game Candy Land – super bubbly and colorful with paths leading everywhere to delicious goodness (i.e. bier). On second look, it was really more like a supersized version of the Minnesota State Fair, with the added exception of bier being everywhere instead of fried-foods-on-a-stick.

Even though it was barely past 10:00 in the morning, we were there for one reason – to drink bier, so we headed to the first bier “tent” we came across (all of the “tents” are permanent structures of enormous proportions, having an average capacity of 6,000 people). We happened to walk into the Löwenbräu tent, which was impressively large and surprisingly (or not) full of drunk or nearly drunk people. We were able to find a seat right away, and by 10:25AM had 1 liter of frothy golden Oktoberfest bier in front of us ready to be enjoyed. Note: all beverages in the main tents only come in one liter volumes!

Time to begin!

We soon discovered that the bier options were limited at Oktoberfest.  Most tents had three options including a dunkel or dark bier, and Radler or shandy bier that is half lemonade and half bier. More often though the bier maids (not sure if that is PC, but seems to fit the event still) just came up to you and asked if you wanted a bier, the third and default option. A “yes” answer would result in you being served an Oktoberfest bier. 

Oktoberfest bier is something special. First of all, a true Oktoberfest bier must be brewed within the city limits of Munich. Second, it has to have a minimum of 6% alcohol by volume. Finally and most importantly, it can only be brewed conforming to the Reinheitsgebot (German Bier Ruity Law).

The law was first penned in the city of Ingolstadt, north of present day Munich, on 23 April 1516. In the original text, the only ingredients that could be used in the production of bier were water, barley and hops. In the 1800s when yeast and its importance were discovered wordage was added to include it as well – yeast had always been present they just didn’t know about it (hurray for science).

The breweries that can produce Oktoberfest bier under the criteria are:

• Augustiner-Bräu
• Hacker-Pschorr-Bräu
• Löwenbräu
• Paulaner-Bräu
• Spatenbräu
• Staatliches Hofbräu-München

After nearly 12 hours we (my dad, Al, and I) had downed 5.5 liters of bier, including Oktoberfest biers from Hacker-Pschorr-Bräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner-Bräu, and Spatenbräu. In Al’s words “we walked the walk; we talked the talk; we killed the fest like I knew we would. Great times in Germany.”  

Father and son bonding over beer.

Overall, Oktoberfest did indeed offer great times. It was a festive, carefree environment brimming with fun, camaraderie, and lots of bier. I wish I could breakdown the taste quality of each of the biers we had to determine a preference, but in the end Oktoberfest is less about the bier and much more about the experience. Leaving Munich, bier was still very much on my mind, but more in the way of the hangover. Until the next one…zicke zacke zicke zacke hoi hoi hoi!

Caturday Lunchtime Break

Apparently there is an actual name for cats dressed as pieces of sushi: nekozushi. Well, I like cats. And I like sushi. So here goes nothing....

For more nekozushi, go here.

Part III: Czech This Out

Our third stop of the trip was Prague, which was a favorite city of mine when I backpacked through Western Europe in 2002. I'd heard it changed a lot since then and was excited to check it out. A friend of mine, Shannon, had been living there for the last 4-5 years as well so I was excited to see her and get a local's insight into the city.

Miss this girl!

She met us at the airport and from there we took the tram into the city, which didn't take too long and was much more affordable than a cab. From there we went straight to her apartment for some much needed laundry time (the Bucharest laundry experiment had left some interesting dried soap spots). She lives in a neighborhood south of the main part of the city, Vyshrad. It was a really cute and relaxed neighborhood and I knew we were in a good spot, as there were wine vines everywhere (almost felt like Northern California!).

Vyshrad view from Shannon's apartment

We walked to the top of Smichov, which allowed for spectacular 360 views of the city at sunset.

Prague west of the Vltava

There's also a famous graveyard up there, where many influential Czecks were buried.

Graveyard

More importantly there's a cafe up there where I found my favorite drink if the trip, svarak. Svarak is basically mulled wine, heavy on the cloves and cinnamon, perfect for the crisp autumn weather. After trekking back down, we went to a nearby restaurant, a local chain specializing in local fare. We started with what is my new favorite cheese, hermelin. This white cheese is split in two with a chili layer in the middle, then coated in olive oil and topped with raw onion. I tried a bite of the local soup kulajda, which is quite good if you're a fan of dill. For my meal I got the duck confit with pickled red cabbage. They don't do cabbage as good anywhere outside of Eastern Europe (also Asian kim cee is a different kind of amazing).

That night we trekked over to Mosaic House, a hostel where we'd made a 5 night reservation. We'd heard cool things about it, like they had their own music venue. Unfortunately it's been under new management for the past year or so. Even though we got there at 11pm on a Monday it was like walking into a rave/frat party, awesome only to those under the age of 21. We checked in and went to our room on the 2nd floor, only to find out the noise was not blocked at all. We were getting a little freaked out but luckily my friend knew the local hostel scene well. She recommended Miss Sophie's a couple blocks away. We called and they had space so we walked over. It was probably the nicest hostel I've ever walked into. The front desk workers were so helpful and got us all set up, even though it was past midnight at this point. In the mornings, Miss Sophie's has a French chef cooking breakfast for ~$5. There's a little buffet, French press coffee and a warm plate made to order (crepes, eggs, omelettes, pancakes). I would recommend Miss Sophie's (and their amazing breakfast) to any travelers headed to Prague!

Should have snapped a better picture of Miss Sophie's. Best hostel ever!

For our first full day we headed over to Old Town. Before that we headed to Wenceslas Square.

Wenceslas Square facing the museum

There was a farmer's market, where we got authentic kielbasa sausage, with great mustard and rye bread (a specialty of the Czecks). And they had svarak again so I was happy.

Svarak, rye bread, kielbasa with mustard, raspberry beer

After that we headed to meet up with the free Royal Walk tour, where we had a Romanian guide of all things (though she thought we were crazy for going on vacation there). The tour was great, they rely 100% on tips so lots of knowledge and enthusiasm. We saw the Astronomical clock tower, Old Tower Square, the Powder Tower, Wenceslas Square and the Jewish Quarters.

Astronomical Clock Tower

Old Town Square with local musicians

That night we went to a vegetarian restaurant near the hostel, Radost. The ambiance is super funky, so much so that  Rihanna filmed part of a music video in their lounge. It was also one of the best veggie burgers I've ever had. We also hit a local brewery (stay tuned for the Birr beer rundown at the end of the post) for some cribbage and mediocre apple strudel.

Inside of Radost- No Rhianna sighting

The next day was Wednesday, which we dubbed museum day. First up was the Communist Museum, which I was super excited for. They had great ads posted all over town. The collection was vast and touched not only on communism in Czeckoslavakia, but other neighboring areas throughout the last few eras.

Communist Museum!

After that we headed back to the Jewish Quarters. We got the medium level ticket, which still included 4 synagogues/museums and the Old Jewish Cemetery. The Cemetery is so interesting looking (they buried in layers causing old the old tombstones to cluster) that it's inspired artists over the decades. Each synagogue had a ton of information to digest and were in a good order for the most part (the one after the Cemetery should be before it so people know the background when they walk through that.

Old Jewish Cemetary

Getting through everything took 3-4 hours, so we grabbed lunch at a weird Czech restaurant after that had perverse cartoons covering the walls. I had a sausage which was a little too reminiscent of hot dog for my taste even though it was topped with tasty pickled onions and peppers. I did get a bowl of onion soup, which was much better as they diced up rye bread and let it soak in there.

Sausage, rye break and onion soup

In the afternoon we headed across the famed Charles Bridge, which has great views of the palace, river and city. It's full of artist stands, but I think you can find much better handmade jewelry for half the price at the local markets.

View of Prague Castle from the Charles Bridge

Near the end of the bridge on the other side is the Lennon Wall, which is covered in graffiti. It's a little chaotic these days, but you can still see some of the Lennon homages.

Lennon Wall with Lennon cover musician

After that we headed up the hill to the palace but unfortunately it had already been a full day and they stop selling tickets at 5pm. Walking around the outside of it still provided some gorgeous views of the architecture.

Prague Castle and cathedral views from courtyard

We circled it, then headed to the nearby monastery, also known for their brewery. They had an amazing hermelin cheese.

Hermelin- My new favorite cheese dish!

I also order a traditional Czech dish for dinner, svickova (beef in creamy gravy, topped with cranberries and a side of white bread dumplings).

Svickova at the monastery

We stayed there for quite a while, then decided to do as the locals do and take the city tram back. Unfortunately that's where the good day ended. We figured out how to buy tickets even though everything was in Czech and got on the 22. Adam stamped his ticket getting on but I didn't see anyone else doing it so I just went and sat down. Not even 30 seconds later I was accosted by 2 plain clothed tram officers. They loomed over me and in broken English told me they were giving me a ticket for 800 crowns (~$40). When I showed them the ticket and explained I'd just gotten on, the opened up a little rule book they carried while shoving a badge in my face. The booklet said to stamp your ticket when you get on but nowhere at the stop nor on the tram did it say that anywhere in anything else than Czech. Even though I had just sat, they made me give them 800 crowns in cash right there after yelling in my face. With the speed at which they approached me, it was like they were waiting for tourists who don't know the rules to get on. In all my years of travel I can say this was one of the most impolite, violating experiences I've ever had abroad. Prague wants to bring in visitors, but if city workers treat people like this they'll get a bad rap. It definitely bumped down my overall opinion of the city.

The next morning I met up with my friend and we went for a run through several small city parks, followed by another delicious and well-deserved Miss Sophie's brunch. After that it was finally time for some shopping. There are a couple main streets near Wenceslas Square with good boutiques and the usual apparel changes. I also grabbed a drink and read for a bit at Cafe Louvre, a neat historic spot where the likes of Kafka and Einstein hung out. After some walking by the river, I headed back to Wenceslas for some svarak and street food. I tried a really good pastry snack trdelnik, which is dough rolled around a spit and roasted over coals. When the outside crisps up, they sprinkle it with sugar, cinnamon and sliced almonds.

Trdelnik being roasted on a spit and sprinkled with sugar

For dinner we headed back to Cafe Louvre, which had borscht soup and a local salad sopsky salat (shopskee salad), which is a local crumbly cheese over diced cucumbers and peppers.

Friday was our last full day, so we took the train out to the countryside town of Karlstejn, which is about a 45 minute ride and home to a very nice looking castle.

Castle view from the town

We passed on the tour and did some off-trail hiking in the woods behind it (hiking around there is very scenic but I recommend finding some actual trails). There were lots of small restaurants in the  nearby town and I got to try the last Czech special, fried cheese. Nothing to write home about, just a large patty of deep fried cheese (better to stick with Midwest cheese curds). For dinner that night we got a nice home cooked meal (thanks Shannon and Ondra!). For dessert, we had honey cake which sounds like it would be super sweet but it instead a light, layered dessert that tastes strangely like graham cracker.

And now it's time for the Adam Birr beer rundown, who was very happy to leave the Turkish and Romanian beers behind and into a country with many more options:

Beer sampling- pinkies up!

 There was a welcomed return to beer culture with entry into Praha (as the Czech’s spell it), with many beers to choose from and all for the better. Two aspects of Praha beer were quickly noticed coming from Romania and Turkey. First and best, was the reintroduction of craft beer. Second, international commercial giants were still very much present, but easy enough to avoid.

If you’re looking for good craft beer and the best beer in Praha, head to the Strahov Monastic Brewery (Katsterni Pivorar Strahov). They offer year-round brews, as well as seasonal specialties. Their Special Dark Beer is not to miss and widely available. If you happen to sneak away from the city for a day, head to Karlstejn via the super convenient and cheap train west. Once there check out the castle (there’s not much else in the town aside from an endless street of generic souvenir shops and restaurants). More importantly, pick up the beer named after the castle, Hrad Karlstejn. It comes in four-packs, but also sold individually. Other than these two brews, the local craft beers are relatively uninspired and unexceptional.

Putting flavorful craft beer aside, there are plenty of Czech pilsners to choose from. The darling of the Czech Republic is the internationally recognizable Pilsner Urquell, which is brewed a little over an hour away from Praha in the city of Pilsen. It is oddly flat tasting compared to the bottled variety available in the States. It is also widely available around Praha, but definitely not the go to beer for the locals.

Arguably, the local favorite is the assortment of Staropramen beers, which are available in their own chain of restaurants throughout the city or at most local distributors. To get the whole story behind Staropramen you must check out the brewery’s visitor center in the Smíchov district of Praha, and take their Brewery Tour. The tour, while short and impersonal, is over the top if not outrageous. A hologram version of Josef Paspa, a famous head brewer working for Staropramen around year 1930, serves as the tour guide to visitors. Through various stages the visitors are immersed in a world of beer, with Josef’s performance oddly reminiscent of a cross between the great and powerful Wizard of Oz and the curious and playful Willy Wonka – with staging and production value sparing no expense. To finish the tour up you get a mug of a beer of your choice. I recommend going for Josef’s original recipe, Granát ("garnet"), a 4.8% red lager, but you can’t go wrong with any brew.

The remaining assortment of Czech pilsners include: what I deemed “The Other Bud” Budweiser Budvar (not as good as the American Bud), Bernard, Svijany, Radegast, Kozel, Gambrinus, Branik, and Krusovice. Each can be found most commonly in a svĕtlý (light) variety on tap and in bottle/can at your choice establishment or convenience store (depending on their brand loyalty). All were enjoyable in their own right, but need to be explored for personal preference.

Birr with his beer flight (included green nettle beer!)