Living in Prague - NYC Expats

I'm a Big Fat Liar

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:24:00 +0000

I'm a big fat liar. During my last days in Prague, I promised that I would keep on blogging from New York. Well, that clearly hasn't happened. I've only posted two entries from New York. There are several reasons behind this.

First, I have no free time on my hand. Even though I work from home, I am busier than I ever was in Prague. I have many more friends here and I am out of the apartment at least 4 nights a week. Also, R is working now and I have to pitch in with household chores. I even washed laundry this week. Laundry! Can you believe it!

Also, my entertainment options are more plentiful in New York. I have 1000 channels of crap on my TV at all times. Just this past weekend, I got sucked into a True Life marathon on MTV. That's something that never happened in Prague. R also got me hooked on American Idol again - wasting a good 2 hours of my life each week. I swore off that show many, many moons ago but Adam Lambert sucked me back in.

The other reason why I am not blogging is that I'm just not inspired. Most of my blogs in Prague were about traveling to exotic cities and the crazy things that Europeans do. I don't have the same inspiration in the States. Just as an example, R and I have been to Las Vegas and Miami within the last month, but I've felt no reason to blog about it. Everyone has been to Las Vegas and Miami. I have absolutely nothing to say.

So, with that, this officially marks my last post on http://livinginprague.blogspot.com I will keep the site up to serve as a reminder of the great times we had in Prague... but I will no longer be posting to it.

I want to thank everyone who has followed this blog for the past 2+ years. I can probably call you all out by name right here, but I won't do that.

If you are a bit sad and really miss my comical musings on the minutia of everyday life, I am trying to post on Twitter a couple of times per day. You can follow me at: http://twitter.com/ninotasca

Godspeed!

P.S. For everyone who is wondering how Bauer is doing, he is fine. He is no longer depressed and he is a normal, happy puppy. But he is still absolutely petrified of Casey, the big dog down the hall.

A Dog's Life

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:02:00 +0000

As I wrote in my last post, Bauer spent the first week back in New York a bit depressed. Everything was new and he didn't have a set routine. I've always heard that dogs love to have a set routine. They like to get up at the same time, eat at the same time, go on walks at the same time, etc. Routine makes them happy and comfortable.

Apparently, I am not much different than a dog. My first two weeks back in New York have been completely without routine. I've rotated between sleeping on an aerobed in my bedroom, sleeping on my neighbors couch and crashing at my friends place when he was out of town. I don't have a TV in my apartment yet and there is no food in the refrigerator. I haven't had a single home cooked meal that didn't consist of peanut butter and/or jelly. In short, I've been living like a hermit and it is really starting to bug me. I need a routine.

Yesterday, I couldn't take the randomness any more and decided to do something about it. I started setting up my apartment the best way I could - even though my furniture and main belongings still have yet to arrive. I put dishes away, went to get food (OK, milk and bread) and even set up a ghetto desk using empty boxes and a load-bearing comforter. This is my new routine... typing on a keyboard that sits on a creaky box while holding it together with my leg so it doesn't shake too much.

But, not everything about moving sucks. If nothing else, I've learned two new lessons.

First, moving is so damn expensive. It starts with the home improvement projects. We had to come home and clean the house from top to bottom, paint, get the carpets cleaned and re-do the floors. Even though we did much of this ourselves (I'll get to this in point two), it still costs a lot of money. Every time I go to the hardware store I walk out at least $100 poorer. It's not just the big stuff, but the little things as well. Cleaning products, gloves, sand paper, etc. It all adds up.

And then there are the electronics. I had to sell all of my electronics before moving to Europe. So I now I had to buy everything new. A new TC, stereo, DVD player (I choose an PS3 instead), wireless router, printer, etc. Don't get me wrong, it will be fun to have the new entertainment system around the house. But it is very expensive to buy it all at once with everything else.

The second lesson I learned is that I am never - ever - doing home improvement projects by myself again. I spent the better part of the last week sanding and refinishing the floors. I talked to my dad before hand and got instructions. I watched how-to videos on YouTube. I bought all of the products - top quality. And, you know what, it looks like shit. I did a bad job.

Honestly, I should have known better. It's not that I'm an idiot and can't do manual labor (although some people may claim that is the case). It is just that I have never refinished a floor before. Of course I'm going to fuck it up the first time I do it. You need to learn from someone, practice and make a few mistakes before doing it yourself. But I didn't do that. My first job was my apartment. Great decision on my part. Last time I make that mistake again. Seriously, I'm never lifting a finger again. If I have to change the battery in my smoke detector, I'm going to call my super and ask him to do it.

But, it's not all bad news. R started her new job and has been in Las Vegas training all week. I head out there on Wednesday night to join her for the weekend. So life could be worse...

Back in NY

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:56:00 +0000

I have been in New York for 10 days and haven't posted a blog. Sorry about that. I've been busy doing manual labor - trying to fix up my apartment before my furniture arrives. I'm not used to that type of work. A decade of sitting behind a desk has made me soft. The truth is, I'm exhausted. And my finger tips hurts. I've been using my hands so much that my fingers are raw. Every type I hit a character on this keyboard I endure a little bit more pain. The fact that I am putting up with this intense pain to post you a blog just shows how dedicated I am to my readers. So, on that note, here is the blog entry I have been meaning to write....

R, Bauer and I made it back to New York safe and sound last week. For the humans on board, the flight was perfectly fine. For the canines, it may have been a bit more stressful. We'll never know for sure because Bauer spent the 9 hour flight stuffed in a crate with the rest of the cargo.

Once we landed in JFK, we went through customs and got our bags without delay. But it took quite some time for the airlines to bring Bauer out. After about 30 minutes of waiting, we finally heard some yelping in a crate in the far off distance. It was good ol' Bauer... and he wanted out of the damn crate. Rightfully so. It took another 20 minutes or so to get all of the dog papers signed - with Bauer making himself heard in the crate the whole time. Finally we got outside, let Bauer out of the crate so he could do his long-awaited business and order was restored in the universe.

I wish I could tell you what a great time we've had eating/drinking/laughing during our first week back in New York. But the truth is much less sexy than that. We've been doing hard manual labor for 12 hours per day. Cleaning, painting, sanding, etc. Lots of work. We're trying to fix up our apartment before our furniture arrives.

And, in case you are wondering, Bauer is doing OK. The transition from Prague to New York is a tough one and he is quite confused. You could tell that he was depressed the first couple of days. But he's starting to come out of it and will be fine in a couple of days.

The real bad news is that he doesn't remember his friend Casey - the German Shephard down the hall. Not only does he not remember Casey, but he is absolutely petrified of him. We've been forcing the two of them to hang out with each other all week but Bauer wants no part of it. He's scared to death of the big dog. Our plan is to just keep on forcing them to hang out with each other until they eventually like each other.

Don't worry about Bauer. He'll be fine in a few days. I'm much more concerned about my precious hands right now.

Top Ten Things About Living in Prague

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:45:00 +0000

OK - the last post while I am living in Prague is a tribute to the city I have called home for the last 2 years: Prague. I may have not always said the nicest things about Prague in this blog - but the truth is this city has been absolutely great to me. Although it isn't perfect, it's been a really, really good place to live. Here are the top 10 things I liked most about the city:

Beauty of the City
The first thing that has to be said about Prague is the beauty of the city. The tourist attractions aren't anything speial, but the buildings and the streets are just amazing. I never get bored of walking around the city and just looking up at the buildings.

Czech Beer
The Czechs love their beer. The drink more beer per capita than any other country in the world. And, as you might expect, the beer is fantastic. You can order a half liter of beer for as little as $1.50 in most restaurants. I have probably ordered less than 10 mixed drinks in my entire time here - I always get beer. Since the beer is great and ridiculously cheap - it makes for an easy decision.

Easy, Cheap Living
The lifestyle in Prague is pretty easy. People live and work at a relaxed pace. It is nothing like New York. At the same time, the city is pretty cheap to live in. Especially compared to New York and other European cities. Groceries are cheap and you can go to a restaurant without spending a lot of money. (Unfortunately, you get what you pay for)

Urban Parks
As much as Czechs like their beer, they also love the outdoors. And the city planning in Prague is some of the best I have ever seen. I can't think of another major city that has so many parks spread throughout the city. I can be at 5 different major parks within 15 minutes of walking out of my house. It's great - especially witha dog. Which leads me to my next point...

Dog Friendliness
Never have I seen such a dog friendly city in my life. Dogs can go off leash in all of the parks. They are allowed on the subways, the busses, the trams and in taxis. You can bring them in to all but the finest of restaurants. And, when they do come in the restaurant, the dogs are usually served water before you.

Our Apartment
After living in New York for nearly a decade, I've become used to a small apartment. A very small apartment. I remember the first apartment that R and I lived in together in 2000. One day I went out and bought basketball. I came home and no where to put it. Literally - there was not a single unoccupied space in my apartment that was large enough to fit a basketball.

Fortunately the current apaartment we own in New York is a bit bigger - but not much. It is still a 1 bedroom and space can be tight.

In Prague, we got to live like kings. We had a great 2 bedroom apartment that overlooked the river. The place is about 60% bigger than our New York apartment. If this place was in New York, it would probably cost between $5000 and $6000 a month to rent. Here... it significatnly more affordable.

I should also throw a shout out to Mirka and Pavla - the two ladies that work in the apartment directly across the hall from us. They have helped us out a thousand times over the past two years and have adopted Bauer as their own. We have been very lucky to have their help and friendship over the past two year (although I still think Pavla tried to posion me)

Sex Shops
OK, this one is just in here to see if you are still paying attention. I've said it many times in the blog but I'll say it again. There are a ridiculous number of Sex Shops in Prague. They're on every other corner. I have no idea how they all stay in business. It fascinates me.

10 Minutes from the Country
When you are in downtown Prague, it can feel like a major International city. It's not on the same level as a London or a Paris - but it has all of the essential ingredients. However, if you get on your bike and ride for 10 minutes, you totally escape city life. It feels like you are in the middle of the country and went back in time by 50 years. The difference is amazing - but in a pretty cool way. I really enjoyed riding my bike through these tiny little towns and villages on the outskirts of Prague.

Intra-City Transportation (Trams)
Here's a random entry - trams! I love a city with good trams.

In New York, I NEVER take the bus. I have literally been on the bus less than 5 times in my life. I have no idea how the numbers work and am always afraid that the bus is going to take a random left turn and leave me far away from my destination.

Since trams have built in tracks on the ground, they always go where they are supposed to. The ride is smooth and the stops are freqent. Trams are great!

Central European Location
Finally, one of the things I like most about Prague is how easy it is to escape from. If you look at a map of Europe and find Prague, you'll see it is stuck pretty much right in the center of Europe. This makes traveling ridiculously easy. For all of the traveling we have done, the only flights longer than 90 minutes were to London, Lisbon and Istanbul. And some places are so close that you can easily take a train or drive by car. We have traveled by train/car to Italy, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. The location has made our traveling life style much easier.

I won't end my stay in Prague by putting a list of things I didn't like (the food, the surly attitude of everyone that works in retail, etc.). Those thoughts are well documented in some of my earlier posts when I first moved here.

In all honesty, there were many many great things about living in Prague. We are so glad we made this trip and have never regretted our decision for a single second.

Top Ten Things I Will Do When I Get Back Home

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:58:00 +0000

Today is a fun blog. Instead of looking back and places we have been and getting sentimental, I'm going to look to the future. In 48 short hours, we get on a flight and head back to New York.

Although we are very, very sad to leave Prague - we are also very excited to move back to New York. Here are some of the things I will do within my first week of getting back.

Eat Good Food
During my first 6 months in Prague, I was an mission to find a good burger. It never happened. I eventually gave up and lead an essentially burger-free life for the past 18 months. That's a crying shame. I can't wait to eat a good juicy burger when I get back home. I'll probably go get a Hickory Burger at Houston's, but I may also get a burger at Blue Smoke, Corner Bistro, Shake Shack, Rare or another new place that I don't even know about yet.

And then there is sushi. Prague does have a pretty significant number of sushi joints. I can think of at least 6 within a 20 minute walk of my house. Unfortunately, since the Czech Republic is a land-locked country, the sushi is not that good and ridiculously expensive. There is one good place near our house, but it is so expensive that we have only been there twice.

Finding great, cheap sushi in New York is not a problem. Our favorite spot is Yama on Houston - but I heard a nasty rumor that it was closed. I hope it is not true. But, if it is, no worries... there are dozens and dozens of other sushi houses that I am sure I will like just as much.

(On a side note, I could have made this whole blog about food. But that's no fun. Just know that I could have easily added Wings, Mexican food and Pizza to this list)

Buy a new Home Entertainment System
When I left for Prague two years ago, I had to sell all of my major electronic equipment. When I move back home, I will have nothing.

Many people would be upset about this since they have to outlay a lot of cash immediately upon landing. While this is true, I'm still excited. I get to walk into Best Buy and get everything brand spanking new. I can buy a flat screen HD TV, a Blue Ray Player and a Home Theater System. All brand new, all bought at the same time and all bought to integrate perfectly with each other. The best news is that the price of this entire system combined will be significantly less than the HD TV I bought 5 years ago.

I'll probably be at Best Buy within 3 hours of my plane landing.

(On a side note, i was planning on buying this Home Entertainment System with my winnings from Fantasy Football. But Donovan McNabb had to ruin all of those plans on a Monday night against the Browns. Four lousy yards! Four F&*%ing yards!!! If he doesn't get those four yards, I am the champ and get a free system. I'm still bitter)

Watch the Cavs... in HD
While I was able to watch a ridiculous amount of football while in Prague, I have only been able to watch a single basketball game. The games are on too late and I don't bet basketball.

This is unfortunate because my Cleveland Cavaliers are having the best season in franchise history. LeBron James - a hometown boy - is the best player on the planet and I think he will bring Cleveland a championship for the first time in my life.

But, I don't just want to watch basketball. I want to watch it in HD. I haven't seen a sporting event in High Definition in over 2 years. I'm going to be blown away all over again.

Browse Book Stores
My favorite thing to do on a rainy day in New York is to go to the Barnes & Noble in Union Square. I spend hours and hours just browsing the book store. I don't know why, but I love it.

I haven't had the chance to do it much in Prague. Although there are a few bookstores that carry English language books, the selection is not nearly the same.

Go to a Comedy Club
I love going to Comedy Clubs. I haven't seen a stand up comedian since I left New York. I feel less funny because of it. I can't even think of a joke right now. Seriously.

Punch an Investment Banker in the Face
Just because it seems like the right thing to do.

Go Shopping
OK - let me try to write this without sounding too pathetic. I don't love shopping. The act of shopping gets me tired after about an hour. But, that being said, I would like to get some new clothes.

I haven't bought a single thread of clothing in Prague. Literally. Not a sock, not a shirt, not underwear and not even a hat. Nothing. The clothes are overpriced and not my style (to say the least). When I get back to New York, I desperately need some new gear.

Live like the average American
I can't wait to eat fast food, watch endless hours of mindless reality TV, shop at Wal-Mart, work 60 hours a week, buy a shot gun and shoot a moose.

Wait. I don't want to do any of that. Why am I leaving Europe again?

See Bauer reunite with Casey
We got our dog Bauer one week after our neighbors got their dog Casey - a German Sheppard. They grew up together for the first year of their life. They played everyday and were nearly inseparable. Then, one day out of the blue, we drugged Bauer, threw him in a small crate on a plane and he woke up 10 hours later in Europe. He has not seen Casey in the two years since.

The dogs - who both turn 3 in the next couple of weeks - will be reunited on our first day back. I have no idea how they will react. They will either play and get along like they never left each other... or Bauer will see the big dog and roll over on his back and put his tail between his legs. There is no in between.

Hang Out with Friends and Family
This item is obligatory. If I don't put it in here I'll sound like an asshole.

Check back tomorrow for my final blog from Prague.

Top Ten Pictures in Europe

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:39:00 +0000

This post belongs to R. During our two years in Prague, R really took an interest in photography. She got a digital SLR camera, took a couple of photography classes, learned how to use Photoshop, got a better digital SLR camera when her first one was dropped in Aegean Sea, etc.

Fortunately for her, Europe provides a pretty amazing background for taking pictures. Here are her ten favorite pics from the past two years...

Two random people in front of the Charles Bridge in Prague. I am typically quite shy of snapping pics of strangers but this was a perfect moment!

A guy in Istanbul with a scale & tissues. Apparently you could pay him a few cents for the privilege of using his scale. Not really sure what the tissues were for....maybe to cry after reading your weight?

Famous Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) in Florence, Italy. I loved the reflections and shades of yellow when taking this shot.

An atrium in The Vatican. We paid for a private tour and so were able to enter 30min. before regular opening. This explains why there is not a single soul there yet. The sun was starting to shine within the atrium and it was just beautiful!

A random door in Sicily, Italy.
I waited for the whole family to enter the apartment so that I could take this picture. I loved the bright blue door and the contrasting blue bucket colors.

Bikes in Sicily, Italy
I just loved the dimension of the walls and back window yet with the front wall bikes.

Costumes on display in Venice during Carnival. This may be viewed as out of
focus but I just love it!

Costumes on display in Venice during Carnival. Rule of 1/3's and the background just seemed perfect to me.

View of Vernazza in the Cinque Terre region of Italy. This is probably the most beautiful view I have ever seen in my life! The colors were amazing especially with the water contrast. Plus, I loved how behind the city is another small inlet/beach.

A small little street on one of the Greek Islands. This sums up Greek architecture!

Check back tomorrow to read the top ten things I am most looking forward to about returning to New York.

Top Ten Places We Would Visit if We Stayed in Europe Longer

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:06:00 +0000

OK - I've already spent enough time talking about the trips we took while living in Prague. Today, I'm going to talk about the trips we didn't take.

Had we stayed in Europe for a bit more time, here are the Top Ten places we would have visited. These are listed in no particular order and, truth be told, some of the places aren't even in Europe. To make this list, it just has to be a place that is easier to get to from Prague than from New York.

Moscow & St. Petersburg, Russia
This is definitely #1 on the list for the simple reason that - if I don't go to Russia now - I don't know when I will go. I can't see myself taking a vacation from New York just to Russia. I feel like the opportunity may have passed me by.

R and I did have plans to go to Russia and talked about it quite a bit. But, we decided against it because (a) it was extremely expensive and (b) I heard foreigners were treated pretty rudely there. So we decided to go on affordable trips where people would embrace us. I may regret missing the cultural significance that is Mother Russia, but a trip during these last two years just wasn't in the cards for us.

Egypt
Egypt is just the opposite of Russia. It's a place I really want to go to and I do see myself making a separate vacation just to go to Egypt. That being said, it's much closer from Prague than New York.

My friend Brian spent a considerable amount of time in Egypt last year and he advised me not to go. He was a bit turned off by the people - for whatever reason. He's also my #1 nemesis - so the fact that he didn't want me to go to Egypt just made me want to go more.

R and I had tentative plans to go to Egypt over Thanksgiving weekend in 2008, but she got a consulting gig in Portugal that was too good to pass up and we went to Lisbon instead. So that was that. But, like I said, I'm not too disappointed because I will get to Egypt one day.

French Riviera
If I close my eyes and think of the ultimate Eurotrash vacation, I think of lounging on a beach in the French Riviera, sipping champagne and wearing all white clothes - with excessive amounts of jewelry and hair product thrown in for good measure. It doesn't matter if it is Monte Carlo, Cannes or Nice. The fantasy is all the same. Me wearing all white standing on a yacht with models and bottles and the French Riviera in the background.

Now, if I actually went to the French Riviera, I'm sure the vacation itself would differ wildly from the images in my head described above. So it's probably a good thing that I never went. Still... I want to go and it's on the list. Maybe I should wait until I have enough money to experience the vacation that's in my head.

(A quick side note to accompany my food blog from Monday. My freind Brewsta - who operates one of the best food blogs in Prague - says the Oysters in Cannes are better than anywhere else. Just another reason to go here.)

Stockholm
I've heard that Stockholm in the summer is the most beautiful city in Europe. The city spans a bunch of islands and the temperature is pretty mild - in a good way.

But that is also part of the problem. The best time to see Stockholm is the summer, but it's not a beach destination. When the summer time hits, I want to go to the beach. I want to be lying in the sand, jumping in the water, diving, etc. Not going on vacations to visit the cultural capitals of Europe.

Had I been living in Europe during my high school years, I am sure I would have made my way to Sweden. That's because I used to LOVE blondes. Now, I'm much more of a brunnette fan. So I'm sure that played a role in the fact that I have not been to Stockholm.

Copenhagen
My nemesis Brian once told me that Copenhagen was his favorite city in Europe. I think he told me that because he specifically knew that I had not been to Copenhagen. Fuck that kid. Does he think he's better than me?!?!?!? I want to go to Copenhagen just out of spite.

Golfing in Ireland or Scotland
My friend Mark and I had planned to go to Ireland last year for a round of golf. The trip fell through for a variety of reasons and we ended up golfing in the Czech Republic instead. But, you know what, I'm kind of glad the trip fell through.

Don't get me wrong, I still very much want to golf in Ireland, Scotland or both. But not now. Not yet. I'm not a good enough golfer yet. When I have a realistic shot of breaking 90 on a regularly basis, I will book the first flight to the UK with my golf clubs in hand. But not now. Not yet.

Turkey - Cappadocia
One of our favorite trips was our five day stint in Istanbul, Turkey back in March 2008. I would love to go back and spend a full 2-3 weeks in Turkey. The country is so huge with so much to explore. And one such area is Cappadocia. Just look at the photos below and you'll see why...

Fjords
Another entry from Scandinavia on this list. As you can tell, I have never been to Scandinavia and really want to go. As far as pure beauty goes, it would be hard to beat the Fjords in Norway.

To be honest with you, I don't even know that much about this area. I have only seen pictures and they blow me away.

Ice Hotel
Actually, this isn't on my top ten list. This is all about R. I'll let her explain..

So, yes, this is a place that I truly wanted to experience and I do think that one day I WILL!

Picture this.. you arrive at the airport and are greeted by your personal sled diver who will take you to the ICEHOTEL. You are given warm outer clothing at the airport and your luggage is taken directly to the hotel. Meanwhile you just sit back and listen to the silence as the sled driver along with 15 reindeer take you to a magical hotel made of all ice!

For those of you that hate the cold... You only spend one night in the ICE hotel and the other nights in a more traditional WARM hotel. At the ICE HOTEL, you are outfitted with special clothing to keep you comfortable to remain in the hotel surroundings.

There are amazing excursions available such as forrest snow mobile ride, Moose watching tours and of course the mystical Northern lights- which happen in this part of the world! And as a dog lover, you have many opportunities to meet the many dogs that are used with sleds. "In Jukkasjärvi and its environs, there are more dogs than people."

This is an adventures I truly want to take one day! Just look at these pictures!

Cycling in French Wine Region
I always thought it would be great to go on biking tour of France. Especially the wine regions. I love cycling, I love french food and I'm a big fan of wine... what's not to like.

The problem is that I don't trust myself to just hop on a bike and start riding from one town to another. My sense of direction is not good enough and I wouldn't know where to stop. If I were to do this properly, I would want this to be part of an organized group. The kind of group where they take your clothes and belongings in a car from one hotel to another and you just have to merely ride along and follow the group leader.

I looked into these type of tours quite a bit when I first moved to Prague and I was SHOCKED by the prices. A 5 day trip will cost over $4000 per person - and that does not include my travel to France. With these kind of prices, a trip like this may just remain a pipe dream.

Of course, there are many more places that we would have liked to visit had we stayed in Europe. Morocco, Dubai, Sardinia and> Belgium all come to mind. And this list doesn't even include some of the best aspects of Europe - those little towns and villages that are off the beaten track. Places full of history that still feel like they did 100 years ago. These are some the places I enjoy most.

The good news is that we're still (relatively) young and I don't plan to stop traveling any time soon. Hopefully we'll hit these places - and a few more - sometime in the future.

Check back tomorrow for R's favorite pictures that she took in Europe...

Top Ten Best Tourist Attractions

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:26:00 +0000

During our travels in Europe, we had the opportunity to see many typical "tourist attractions" in Europe. Here are our ten favorites. Please note: we are limiting the list here to man-made tourist attractions. These are also limited to things we have actually seen while we've been living in Europe the last two years. I'm sure there are plenty other great attractions out there but, if we didn't see them, they're not on this list.

The Vatican
Any list about the best attractions in Europe has to start with the Vatican. I was absolutely amazed by this place, errrr, country. Every time you put your $5 into the church basket, it just feeds the catholic church monster. For everyone that does that on a weekly basis - thank you. The Vatican was very impressive and I thoroughly enjoyed the art that your donations helped buy.

The Colosseum
This was legitimately cool. Even though the Colosseum is just a shell of its former self, you can smell the history in the place. The guide told us stories of the "shows" that used to go on in that place and... WOW. Now I'm normally not one that likes to watch people brutally murdered in front of me purely for entertainment purposes. But, I would have really, really liked to have visited the Colosseum during its heyday. (In case you are wondering, I watched the movie Gladiator again within 2 days of returning home from Rome)

Charles Bridge
Here's an attraction that I can see from my bedroom. OK, that's not technically true, but it would be true if I had a 20 foot long neck. I try to cross the bridge at least once a month - just for the fun of it.

Blue Mosque
After seeing about 100 different churches in Europe. I've got to be honest with you, stain glass windows and crucifixes (crucifi?) just don't do much for me any more. The Blue Mosque in Istanbul was my first Mosque and was a nice change of pace.

Gaudi Architecture in Barcelona
My favorite architect ever - Antoni Gaudi. The city of Barcelona is loaded with works by this guy. The guy must have been on some serious drugs - because his buildings were like nothing I have ever seen. Each one was better than the other.

The Last Supper
I had always assumed that The Last Supper was just a normal piece of art - produced on a regular canvas. I had no idea it was painted on the side of a church wall. It's not part of a museum. You have to order your tickets months in advance and all you get to see is The Last Supper - there is not much else. The whole experience takes 15 minutes. And, after reading The Davinci Code, I spent 14 of those minutes trying to figure out if the one dude was a chick. Diagnosis - inconclusive!

The Louvre in Paris
I have to admit, I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to art. As an engineer in college, I didn't have much room on my schedule for electives like Art History. So, when I am in a new city, I feel like I should go to the top museums even though I know I won't get a whole lot out of them.

That's not true with The Louvre. By far the best museum I have ever been to... and there is not even a close second. I prefer the sculptures to the paintings. While I can comprehend how some people can be good painters (even though I am not), I have absolutely no idea how some of these sculptures were done. It blows my mind.

Belam Castle
This is a little castle on a port in Lisbon. It doesn't have nearly the same fame as any of the other items on this list. But, what can I say, I really enjoyed this place. I felt like a little kid running around the castle, taking pictures and hanging out in the dungeons. If you find yourself in Lisbon, definitly chek it out.

Statue of David
The Statue of David resides in a little museum in the outskirts of Florence. The museum isn't much, except for the big statue of David in the middle of the room. As I mentioned above - sculptures blow my mind. But this sculpture in particular is head and shoulders (and penis) above the rest.

I remember staring at this statue for a solid 30 minutes. I walked around it and studied it from every angle. I was mesmerized... ans I have no idea why. For lack of a better word, the statue was just "perfect". Bravo Michelangelo, Bravo!

Acropolis, Greece
This one is on the list just for the history. The Acropolis itself is falling apart. You really are looking at big pieces of marble and rock. On the day we visited it, it was at least 100 degrees outside and we had to walk up a very tall hill with the mid-day sun hitting our back.

But still, knowing the history of the place, it just made the trip well worth it. It's a place everyone should visit once.

It should be noted that I put this together almost out of obligation. The truth is that the typical "tourist attractions" are rarely the best thing about a city (except Rome). The best parts of a city are walking around the neighborhoods, eating the local food, talking to people, etc. Sure, you visit the typical tourist attractions, but that's not what you remember. It's the time you spent in the city.

Prague is the perfect example of this. With the exception of the Charles Bridge, the tourist attractions in Prague are rather lackluster. But, it is still arguably the most beautiful city in Europe. And the best way to experience that beauty is by just aimlessly walking around the city... not by visiting the attractions.

Check back tomorrow for a list of the places in Europe I wanted to visit, but didn't have a chance to.

Top Ten Most Memorable Meals in Europe

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:52:00 +0000

No doubt about it, the best thing about living in Europe is the food. There is fantastic food nearly everywhere you turn (except, unfortunately, in the city we have called home for the last two years).

Here is a list of the Top Ten Most Memorable Meals we've had while in Europe. Now, these aren't necessarily the best meals, but the most memorable (although they are all pretty damn tasty). I also won't be including any meals that are memorably bad. Just memorable in a good sort of way

Here is the top ten, listed in no particular order:

Oysters in Paris
We visited Paris 3 times in the past two years and enjoyed several Oyster meals each trip. I can't get enough of these slimy little suckers. The taste is like heaven. Some of the Parisians we talked to said that they taste better without lemon. I've tried them that way, but have to say that I prefer them with a little spritz of lemon. That brings us to Nino's Life Rule #1: When anyone asks you if you want lemon with that, always say yes.

Oktoberfest Food
Growing up, I always liked Pretzels as much as the next guy. No more, no less. You put a pretzel in front of me and I would eat it. But I'm not going to go out of my way searching for a pretzel.

However, bring me to Munich, and all bets are off. I'd kill another man for a pretzel. These things are out of this world. And, the best part, they are served in a variety of ways. You have traditional shaped pretzels, pretzel sticks, pretzel rolls, sandwiches with pretzel buns, etc. All fantastic.

These pretzels are great when sober but, throw in 10 liters of beer at Oktoberfest, and they turn down right orgasmic. It's not just the pretzels. The sausages, the spaetzle, the bratworst... all amzing. I think I ate 6 feet of wieners in the 3 days I spent in Munich for Oktoberfest.

Fruit in Sicily
When most people think of food in Southern Italy, they naturally think of pasta, pizza, fish, etc. Don't get me wrong. These are all out of this world. Some of the best food on earth. But, it's not the best food in Sicily. The best food in Sicily is, without a doubt, the fruit.

Let's start off with the tomatoes. The reason the pasta is so good is because of the tomatoes. And the tomatoes in Sicily are just better than anywhere else in the Universe. I haven't been to everywhere in the Universe, but I still feel 100% confident making that statement. Go to America and get one of the best tasting fresh tomatoes right from your garden. It will taste amazing. Then go to Sicily and try a tomato. You'll never look at your shitty little garden the same again.

And, don't forget about the blood red oranges. These look like oranges from the outside but, when you open them up, the juice is bright red inside. Very unique and very tasty. These are only available a few months a year, but well worth the wait.

Saving the best for last... the figs. I can honestly say that I've never had a fig before going to Sicily this year. If you asked me last year to name my top 20 favorite fruits, figs wouldn't crack the list. Today, they're at the top of the list. I ate a full tree of figs in my week in Sicily this summer.

Traditional Turkish food in Istanbul
The most fun I had at dinner in Europe was at a restaurant called Al Jamal in Istanbul, Turkey.

For $100, you get a huge family style serving of traditional Turkish food and all-you-can-drink wine. The all-you-can-drink wine comes pretty handy - because the place isn't just a restaurant, but a full scale nightclub (with belly dancers to boot). So once you are finished eating, you stay at the club until all hours of the night drinking free wine.

There is no menu at the restaurant. They just start bringing you food. It never ended. A variety of hot and cold appetizers (hummus, baba ganoush, etc.), kebabs, etc. OK, I have to be honest, as I am sitting here trying to remember what we were served, I am failing to do so. So I guess the food itself wasn't too memorable. But, I think that has much more to do with the all-you-can-drink wine than the quality of the food. I remember raving about how great the food was for weeks after... so it makes the list.

Authentic Cuisine from Central Asia in my office
Here's a surprising entry to the list. My company has many people who originally come from Central Asia. Places like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. And these people like to have a good time and celebrate a success with parties. When it comes time to celebrate a success (like the launch of of the Kazakh or Kyrgyz website) - they do so with food.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what this food is called. It usually consists of rice with lamb, meat pies and similar food. It's all home cooked and it's all delicious. I can't get enough of this stuff. It's like a much better version of Chinese food. I try to launch new websites at work just to get people to have more parties and bring more of this food to the office.

The one thing I don't love is Baklava. It's a little too sweet for my taste. But, I'm clearly in the minority here since this stuff is like crack for some people in my office.

Portuguese Breakfast
I recently blogged about how amazing the breakfast in Portugal was. It's good enough to make my top ten list. This includes Pasteis de Nata (custard cream pies), Pao de Qeijo and more meat pies. In case you are sensing a theme here, I like meat pies.

Another theme I'm realizing is how difficult it is to write about food while avoiding double entendres. Between my love of cream pies, six feet of wieners and Portuguese Breakfast - you can't tell if I'm writing a food blog or am a sexual deviant.

Ice Cream in Meda, Italy
R's parents live in a little suburb outside of Milan called Meda, Italy. The town is marginally famous for its impressive furniture production. However, R and I think it should be more famous for a little, nonchalant gellatto (ice cream) shop on the outskirts of town.

This is hands down the best ice cream I have ever tasted. Every trip to R's parents house includes more than one stop at this store. The best flavor is something called fior di latte - literally translated to "Flower of Milk". It's taste like vanilla ice cream laced with heroin and some magic fairy dust sprinkled on for good measured. If we're playing the association game: Fior di Latte is to Vanilla what Fillet Mignon is to a McDonald's hamburger patty.

Czech Beer
Finally, an entry from my adopted home town of Prague. Beer's here!

The Czech beer is world renowned. It's much more flavorful than it's American counterparts and much cheaper. You can get a half liter of local beer for less than $2. Sometimes much less. As such, the Czech's drink more beer per capita than any other country on earth. There is an old wive's tale that says girls should drink beer to get bigger boobs. You have to love a culture like this!!!

The most popular brands are Pilsner Urquell, Staroparem and Budweiser Budvar. Interestingly enough, the last entry has nothing to do with the American Budwesier. The Czech counterpart started brewing 100 years before Anheuser-Busch started producing their own. There have been several lawsuits between the two companies and they have reached an agreement based on what name can be used in which part of the world.

My personal favorite is Kozel. It's a dark beer - which I usually don't go for - but this is just too damn tasty. I will certainly miss the beer when I say good bye to Prague.

Crepes with Nutella in Paris
There are many, many great things to eat in Paris. Croissants, seafood (mentioned above), steak frites, foie gras, cheese, wine.... just to name a few. With all of this high class food, it's pretty surprising that my second French entry on the top ten list comes from street vendors.

Whenever I am in Paris, my breakfast is always the same. Leave the hotel, find the nearest street vendor and get a crepe filled with Nutella and bananas.

The funny thing is that there is nothing particularly special or French about this meal. Nutella is an Italian based chocolate spread found on grocery shelves all across the world. Bananas are a tropical fruit. And while crepes did originate in France, the recipe isn't exactly rocket science.

I'm surprised that little crepe stands aren't available in more cities. I think they would work perfect in New York (among other cities). I've seen a crepe stand or two in SoHo - but they certainly aren't wide spread. Maybe this will be my calling in life. If my little IT Executive career path doesn't work out, maybe I should just buy an industrial size vat of Nutella and open up crepe stands on random corners in Manhattan. I'll put on a beret, learn to speak with a French accent and make millions.... $3.50 at a time.

Tapas in Spain
I'm one of the most jealous eaters I know. The worst 20 minutes of my life are between the time I order my food at a restaurant and the time it arrives. I absolutely hate it when someone orders a dish that looks better than mine. It ruins my entire meal.

That's why I love tapas so much. Especially in a group. You just order a bunch of food for the table and eat whatever looks best. All food should be served this way! Of course, the best tapas experience we had was in Barcelona. Everything was perfect - from the cheese, to the iberico (ham), the vegetables and especially the sangria. There's no better way for a small group to share a meal.

I tried my best to cut this list down to ten items. But it was just impossible. There were so many delicious and memorable meals in the past two years. Here is my honorable mention. These meals are all fantastic in their own right - but not quite good enough to make the Top Ten.

Honorable Mention

Pork Knee in Prague
If you ever come to Prague, you have to try these.

Mussels in Dubrovnik
Great muscles... and cheap.

Octopus on a Plate in Sicily
Very memorable. A full Octopus dropped on my plate. I had a knife in one hand and a fork in the other. I went to town.

Plachuta in Vienna
A shockingly excellent restaurant in Vienna. Who knew boiled beef could taste so good.

Anchovies in Monterosso
I never liked Anchovies - but my friend in Monterosso al Mare made me try and converted me for life

Pasha in London
Like a mini Al Jamal... only much more expensive.

Donor Kebab in Turkey
Best. Drunk Food. Ever.

Honey Cake in Prague
R's favorite.

Spaghetti Lobster in Greece Islands
This meal doesn't make the top ten because we had it on a tiny Greek Island but there is nothing Greek about it. So if we are judging it on being "memorable" it doesn't make the cut. But, the food was absolutely perfect and deserves special mention. The tomatoes and lobster were as fresh as can be.

You may be surprised that - despite our many trips to Italy - there are very few Italian meals on the list above. I think this deserves a side note. I grew up with a very Italian grandmother that made out-of-this-world home cooked Italian meals. I married an Italian bird who cooks amazing home made Italian meals. My very Italian mother-in-law cooks for me whenever I see her... and she may be the best cook of them all.

In short, I have become very spoiled when it comes to Italian cooking. I have yet to find a restaurant in Italy, New York, Cleveland, anywhere.... that makes Italian food as good as the three ladies mentioned above. Had I married a Turk, I'm sure I would remove Al Jamal from the list above and replaced it with one of my meals in Rome, Florence, Milan, or Sicily. But that didn't happen. I married and Italian and you're stuck with my list.

Check back tomorrow for the Top Ten Sites we visited in Europe.

Two Years - Time Flies

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:11:00 +0000

After over two years of living in Prague, R and I are set to come home next week. We have mixed emotions. We are both very excited to return to our favorite city in the world, visit friends & family, eat like a king, etc. But, at the same time, we are very sad to leave Europe.

Those of you who have followed the blog know how lucky and fortunate we have been. We were given an amazing opportunity to live smack dab in the middle of Europe - and we made sure to do as much traveling as we possibly could. We'll never regret that we didn't do enough while we were here.

To celebrate our last week, I'm going to do a blog post every day. I'll highlight our two years and talk about some of the places we visited, the food we had, the sites we saw, etc. Keep checking back every day of this week.

Today, we'll focus on some of the countries and cities that we were able to visit. We hit 15 countries in just over 24 months. Some countries, like Italy and Germany, we visited many times. For other countries, like Slovakia and Poland we only went once.

OUR EUROPEAN TRIPS

Austria
Vienna
St. Anton
Grundlsee

Croatia
Dubrovnik
Hvar

Czech Republic
Prague (obviously, we live her)
Czech-Switzerland
Cesky Krumlov
Kutna Hora (Bone Church)
Karlovy Vary
Český Ráj (and again)
Karlstein Castle
Marianske Lazne

France
Paris (and again)
Normandy

England
London
Batch
Stonehenge

Germany
Dresden
Munich (Oktoberfest)
Berlin
Nurenburg (I don't know why I didn't blog this trip. Sorry people)
Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Greece
Athens
Greek Islands

Holland
Amsterdam

Hungry
Budapest

Italy
Dolomiti Mountains
Milan (many many times)
Monterosso al Mare
Lake Como
Rome
Florence
Sicily (and again)
Venice

Poland
Krakow

Portugal
Lisbon
Faro

Slovakia
Bratislava

Spain
Barcelona

Turkey
Istanbul

I can honestly say that we didn't have a single bad trip in the bunch. Of course some were better than others. But, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves every single time we left Prague. It was great to experience different cultures, people and food.

(On a side note, I'm not trying to be conceited by listing all of the places that we have visited. I fully realize that it comes across that way. I am also aware that I am very lucky to have the traveling opportunities that I have had. Not everyone does and I am lucky, fortunate, spoiled.... whatever adjective you want to use. But, you also have to realize that this blog is for me more than anyone else. This blog helps us track our journeys and remember where we have been. So don't hate me for using technology to help my memory. That's like hating on Stephen Hawking for using technology to help him speak. And getting mad at Stephen Hawking is just cruel. )

Come back tomorrow for out Top Ten Most Memorable Meals in Europe

Venice, Italy

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:55:00 +0000

After a week of skiing, R and I wanted to extend our stay in Italy for an extra day. The drive to Venice was less than 3 hours and Saturday was the start of the Carnival - so it seemed like a great idea.

I have to be honest with you, I didn't know much about the tradition of Venice Carnival going into the weekend. All I knew was that it occurred at the same time as Mardi Gras in New Orleans - so I assumed they were somehow related.

I am sorry to say that traditions surrounding Carnival are exactly the opposite of Mardi Gras. Whereas people usually go to Mardi Gras to see people take off their clothes, people go to Carnival to see people put on clothes.

The streets of Venice were completely packed and some of the more festive people were dressed in the traditional Carnival garb. This includes pristine porcelain masks, headdresses, and elaborate outfits. Since R loves photography, she was in heaven. She spent several hours walking around St. Marks Square taking picture after picture. Some of the best outfits are displayed below:

While R spent several hours taking photos, I soon got bored with the process and walked around the small side streets and bridges of Venice. We had both been here before - way back in 2000. But it's not the type of city you get sick of. It is truly remarkable. You really can't compare it to any other city in the world. At least no city that I have been to. It has 118 islands formed by over 150 canals; all connected by over 400 bridges. For some reason, it reminds me of the It's a Small World Ride from Disney World. Just replace the thousands of annoying midgets with a bunch of slightly taller annoying Italians and it is virtually the same.

Although we only had 24 hours in Venice, it made for a good last trip in Europe (we move back to New York in 2 weeks). Venice is one of the most unique cities in the world and nothing - absolutely nothing - like it exists in the States. But, aside form that, this type of trip exemplifies why we loved living in Europe so much. In a short 3 hour car ride, you can go to one of the most famous cities in the world and feel like you are taken back in time hundreds of years. Taking the train from New York to Belmar just doesn't compare. The only thing similar is the Italians in funny outfits.

Skiing in Italy - Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:31:00 +0000

R and I just finished up our week of skiing in the Italian Dolomiti Mountains. During the week, we encountered all of the different types of weather that you can expect on a mountain in February. This includes: beautiful powder snow falling, a warm, sunny day, a cold sunny day and a freakin' freezing, windy, cloudy snowy day.

Thursday was pretty brutal on top of the mountain. Temperatures were -12 C and it was windy and snowing pretty hard. For a couple of hours, the top of the mountain was a complete white out. You couldn't see more than 10 feet in front of you and you couldn't even judge the bumps in the terrain. Not the best skiing in the world but it was fun - in a crazy, sadistic kind of way.

Now for the bad news. As I mentioned in my last post, the Dolomiti Mountain range is damn near gorgeous. If there is a more picturesque skiing spot in the world, I haven't seen it yet. Since we only had our big SLR camera, we didn't want to bring it up on the mountain every day. It was too big and bulky. And, at my rate of falling, I was sure to break it.

R waited until the end of the week to skip skiing and just spend a day focusing on photography. She had the idea to do this on Friday morning. Unfortunately, the weather can change on the mountain pretty fast. By the time she decided to make her way to the top of the mountain, the clouds came in and severely limited visibility. So we don't have any great shots from the mountain peak. The pictures below are just a few random shots we collected throughout the week.

Finally, we have some of the worst shot video footage of all time. R is skiing down the mountain while I attempt to follow her while holding a Flip camcorder. This video is not pretty and is not for those that easily fall prey to motion sickness. But it does show the great snow we had on the mountain

Skiing in Italy- Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Despite the driving adventure I wrote about in Part 1 of our Ski trip - everything has been great so far. We've had two days of skiing so far and they were completely different - but both excellent.

The first day of skiing was a snow day! There is no better feeling than waking up during your ski vacation, looking out the window and seeing fresh snow fall. It brings a smile to my face like few other things in this world. With the fresh snow falling, R and I had a great breakfast and were one of the first people on the mountain. I'm kind of anal like that. If it is snowing outside, I don't want to miss a second of skiing.

The next day was just the opposite. There was a beautiful blue sky and the sun was shining bright. This is not a bad thing. The snow season in the Alps is one of the best in many years - everything is covered meters and meters of snow. A few days of sun is not going to hurt anything. In fact, just the opposite. We got to ski in great weather while still having a fresh layer of powder from all of the snow fall a few days before. R and I completed a run known as the Sellronda - it's a series of trails that circles one of the impressive mountain peaks. It takes about 5 hours to compete. You can read about it at www.DolomitiSuperSki.com

Not only were the ski conditions perfect, but the mountain is probably the most beautiful I have had the pleasure of skiing on so far. Instead of snow capped mountains that are typical in the Rockies, the Dolomiti mountain range is a bit different. They have about a dozen huge rock formations that stick out above the ski mountains. These are far too steep to ski, but they create a fantastic background when skiing. We haven't brought our camera to the mountain yet - but plan on brining it out one day this week. The only thing I have to show off right now are pics from my BlackBerry camera. Trust me, they don't do the mountain justice.

Now, despite all of this great news, I do have a few complaints.

First and foremost, the skiing is a bit too easy for my liking. There are no runs here that would even rank in the top 10 most difficult at Vail. That's a bit disappointing for me - but R loves it. I'm the kind of guy that loves to stand at the top of the mountain and look down and say to myself "How the F*&% am I going to get down that?!?!?"Then I just jump down and figure a way to get down - working up a great sweat along the way. Here, everything is very doable and I'm trying everything in my power to find the most difficult runs off-piste. Which brings me to my second complaint...

European skiers are ~~pussies~~ wimps compared to Americans. Sorry, there is no better way to say it. Everyone, and I mean everyone, stays on the runs here. There are hundreds and hundreds of acres of fresh snow covering the mountains but no one ever goes and explores. In the Rockies, I'm always seeing people trying to get off-piste and find the most difficult route down the mountain. Not here.

If my cousin John is reading this - I REALLY wish you were here right now. There are so many side routes that I wanted to take today but had no one to go with (Sorry R - that's not really your strong suit). Going off in the tress by yourself is never a smart idea, so I would usually chicken out every time I contemplated doing it. If you were here right now, I know I'd be the one chasing you down impossible routes and we've had a great time doing it. Maybe next year...

Anyway, despite those two complaints, I'm still having a great time. I had the guts to do an impossible off-piste route by myself on my last run today. The run went right below one of the major gondalas, so I knew if I had a Sonny Bono incident there would be many witnesses that could point the ski patrol in the right direction. Still, in the 30 minutes it took me to get down the run (it was VERY hard), I didn't see a single other skier attempt the run. ~~Pussies~~ Wimps.

The final run beat me up good but it was well worth it. If the best feeling is waking up and seeing snow falling, a close second is the feeling of relaxation after a solid 8 hours of skiing. I'm thoroughly exhausted, happy, relaxed and living off the kind of natural high that only skiing can bring. Well, skiing and a quality German beer. Life is good.

Skiing in Italy- Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:29:00 +0000

Right now, R and I are in the middle of our last European adventure. And adventure is the right word. But, before we get to that, let's back up a bit.

The trip started out great. We flew from Prague to Italy, rented a car and drove to R's parents house just outside Milan. The day in Milan was very relaxing. We didn't even go out in the city. We just relaxed around the house, hung out with the family and, of course, stuffed our face with fantastic Italian home cooking.

The next day we woke up early to drive to Santa Christina, Italy. This is a little town in the Dolomiti Mountian range. I knew that finding a small town in an Italian mountain range would be nearly impossible, so I bought a GPS specifically for this trip. Well, check that. I tried to rent a GPS from Hertz, but the price to rent a unit for a week was 250 Euros. For that kind of money, I decided it was just better to buy a GPS and keep it for future trips (we can download a map of the US for a few bucks and use it in the States as well).

The morning drive wasn't great because it was pouring rain. Which, was actually good news in the long run because the rain that we were seeing would be snow in the mountains. But, we kept driving and got most of the way without incidence. It was supposed to be a 3.5 hour trip.

Well, the adventure started as we got to the foot of the mountains.
The rain had turned to sleet because we were getting higher up. And the roads started to go straight up. I was able to take the Ford Focus that we rented up a couple of the hills - but we got to one part of the road which wasn't particualry steep and the car just couldn't make it up. I was going in first gear and there was just nothing.

So R and I decided it was time to put some chains on the tires. I had anticipated this being a problem so I watched a couple clips on YouTube the day before about how to properly put chains on a tire. It seemed easy enough. We got the chains out of the car and, of course, the chains that we had looked nothing like the chains on YouTube. It was impossible to put these chains on without either taking the wheel off or jacking the car up. F that. Since there was a gas station at the bottom of the hill, R encouraged me to go back down there and get the chains installed professionally. Good idea on her part. We got to the gas station without any problem and the attendant jacked up the car and had the chains on within 10 minutes. I handed him a 10 Euro tip and we were on our way. (It should be noted that we were one of the very, very few cars that needed chains. Our good friends at Hertz rented us a car with summer tires despite the fact that we told them we were going skiing and needed a suitable car)

The good news is the chains worked like a charm (for now). We could get up all of the hills and mountains that we had problems with before. But the bad news is that this is the time the lady inside the GPS decided to go crazy. We'd be going in the direction she told us and out of no where she would just yell "TURN LEFT NOW". She had no fucking clue where we were. And, neither did we. So we ended up going through many more mountain towns than we needed to and asked directions along the way.

As if this wasn't stressful enough, one of the chains on the front right tire broke. The whole set of chains was still on, but one individual chain came undone and would bang against the car with each revolution. I got out and tried to fix it but, without any tools, didn't have much luck. We kept driving and driving while making a horrible noise through the mountains. Finally - after a solid 45 minutes of this, we saw another gas station. When we got in there, we realized that the broken chain finally fell off and was gone. But the chain on the LEFT side was now completely broken and barely hanging on. The attendant at this gas station couldn't get the chain off; it was so messed up that he had to use wire cutters to cut it off. (And, remember, don't laugh at the New Yorker who doesn't know how to put chains on his tires. You're right, I don't. But I'm smart enough to pay someone who does. I paid a guy to do this who works at the foot of the mountains and probably puts on 50 chains a day).

So now we were left with no chain on one tire and a broken chain on the other. I was afraid to take the other one off in case we needed to get up another hill. Truth be told, I was also a little bit afraid that, with only one chain on, I would have to go up the mountain in circles. The good news is that the gas station attendant knew where our town was and pointed us in the right direction - just 15 minutes away. And if you tack on another 20 minutes driving around that town trying to find our house on a hilly mountain road, we finally made it there about 2.5 hours later than expected.

Whew! So this drive now is officially listed as my 2nd worst drive ever. Oddly enough, the top 3 are all ski related (#1 was a drive from San Francisco to Tahoe in one of their worst storms ever. #3 was from Montreal to Cleveland
during a horrible, horrible ice storm). I guess that makes sense. You would expect to have your worst drives when you are going to places specifically because they are hilly and have lots of snow. You should just be smart enough not to rent a shitty Ford Focus with defective chains with summer tires from Hertz before going skiing.

Now that we made it here, I think the above story will be my only complaint all week. We have a great little apartment that is a 5 minute walk to the ski slopes. The town is a great mixture of Italians and Germans. Meaning you get the best of both cultures - including the food. I'm drinking a great German beer while I type this.

And, of course, the skiing is amazing. I spent so much time on this post talking about the adventure to get here, I'll do another post in a few days to discuss the skiing. But here are some pics from in front of our apartment.

Our Last Trip in Europe

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:04:00 +0000

R and I leave for our last trip in Europe this weekend. I know - it's sad.

But, the good news is that we'll be making the last trip a good one. We're getting a 3-in-1 adventure out of it.

We start the trip out by flying to Milan to visit R's parents. We have been to Milan many times and really have nothing planned for this trip. Just food. Lots and lots of food.

The highlight of the trip comes next when we drive 3 hours East to the Italian Alps. We will be doing a week's worth of skiing - my favorite activity in the world. I can't wait.

Finally, we'll end the trip with 24 hours in Venice for Carnival before returning home to Prague.

It should be a fun time and - if I can get Internet access - I'll try to put up a few blog posts during the week.

Random Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 10:06:00 +0000

It's been several weeks since I last posted a blog entry. I've had a lot of things that I wanted to write about over that time - the inauguration, the incredible story of the plane that landed in the Hudson, etc. But I realized that this was not the place to post those items. This blog has become very much a travel blog. I tell stories about my time in Prague, the cities we travel to and, of course, my dog. It wouldn't be "right" to use this medium to post a 4000 word essay on my thoughts on Obama.

When I return to New York, I will start a blog that allows me to post anything I damn well please. I understand that no one will read this blog except my Mom and Amy (my #1 fan!) - but that's OK. I will use the blog more as a means to write than to be read. More to come on that, so now back to your regularly scheduled program...

You know what sucks about living in Prague? I get sick all of the time here! I have no idea why. Right now I'm fighting off a sickness for the 3rd time in two months. I had a cold in early December, the flu in mid December and now I have another cold. This is probably the 8th time I've been legitimately sick in my two years here. I don't know why this is. I was never sick in New York. I eat (relatively) healthy, take vitamins, exercise regularly and try to stay away from kids. Here are my theories:

Europe has a whole host of viruses that don't exist in America. My body hasn't built up the immunities to these viruses yet

The fruit here generally sucks so I hardly ever eat any of it. Therefore, I may be lacking essential vitamins and nutrients

Due to the fact that I walk by multiple brothels on my way to and from work, I have acquired AIDS by osmosis. My immune system is slowly breaking down

I spend too much time hanging out with my dog and he is really just a 40 pound sack of dirt, grime and disease.

I'm getting old

My maid is slowly poisoning R and I so we will grow weak and tired and will be unable to stop her from stealing our dog before we leave.

All of these theories are just as likely and any one could be true. Whatever it is, I have to say it sucks. I'm sitting here with a headache, runny nose, a cup of tea and nothing to watch on TV.

In other news, the move back to New York is still on schedule. We'll be there on March1, just as we had planned. Our stuff is slowly sailing over the Atlantic ocean as we speak. R and I are both in the midst of finding jobs as well; me as a consultant and R as a full-time employee. Things look good so far but wish us luck.

My emotions are still mixed. Yes I'm happy to be going back home and, yes, I am upset to leave Prague. There are so many pros and cons to each place. Sometimes it's the little things that can shift our emotions from one side to the other. For example, on Friday night we went out to get pizza. And the pizza was incredibly bland and boring. Not horrible - but just above the Mendoza line on the edibility scale. These are the type of meals I have become used to here. When I had just finished my last, tasteless bite, I uttered the phrase "I can't wait to get back to New York!"

Big News: We're moving back to New York!

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 08:58:00 +0000

After two years of living in Prague, it is time for us to move back to New York. We move back on March 1, 2009.

This news brings me mixed emotions. On the one hand, I'm very excited to move back to New York. It's the best city in the world, there's never a dull moment and we have plenty of friends there.

At the same time, I'm sad to leave Prague. We've had a GREAT time here during the last two years. I had a very rewarding job, met some good friends, we lived an excellent life and got to travel to a ridiculous amount of European cities. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

The big loser in this move is my dog Bauer. The guy lives like an absolute king in Prague. He gets to run off leash 3x a day in any one of the huge parks that surround our house. He has full access to our second bedroom. He can go on the subway/trams with us and can also join us in any restaurant. And, finally, he's fallen in love with more than a few females in Prague. His life in New York is not nearly as spectacular... although I'm sure he'll be excited to see his friends Casey, Shellie and Arlene again.

But, fear not loyal reader. Just because we are moving back to New York does not mean that this blog is ending. Far from it.

First off, we still have 7 weeks left in Prague and I have a lot to write about. We still have some blog-worthy trips coming up; R is going to Arizona for work next week and we have a big ski trip planned in the Italian Alps in February. I also want to write more about my experiences in Prague and Europe from a reflective standpoint now that I know our journey is coming to an end.

Secondly, I plan to keep up this blog once I move back to New York. Truth be told, I kind of like writing it. And, since I may very well never have children and have built up a lot of self-proclaimed wisdom in my lifetime, this blog is one of my few outlets to share this wisdom with the rest of the world. (Just as an example, here are some of the rules I have learned in life: Unless you get into Harvard or Yale, go to a college in a warm weather location. If someone asks if you would like a slice of lemon with that, always say yes. Lotion makes everything better. Etc.)

The only thing I'll have to change is the name of this blog. Running a blog called "Living in Prague" will make little sense when I am, in fact, NOT living in Prague.

I have to run now. The movers are already here packing up our apartment. It takes 6-8 weeks to ship this stuff across the ocean and time is of the essence.

Barcelona, Spain

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:44:00 +0000

R and I wanted to spend New Year's Eve in a fun city. And what city in Europe has a better party reputation than Barcelona? Easy decision. So we found some cheap airfare, booked a hotel and were all set. We also know that New Year's is best spent in a group - so we were lucky enough to have friends from the States join us. Raffy's sister and brother-in-law met us at the hotel as did one of my friends from college and his wife.

I've always had a weird fascination with Barcelona since the summer of '92. The Olympics were held in Barcelona that year and - for those of you with fond memories of failed pop culture experiments - NBC offered the infamous Triplecast package. For 16 days I had 3 channels broadcasting the various sporting events around the the clock. As a bored, underemployed 16 year old who loved TV almost as much as he loved sports - this was visual crack. I couldn't get enough.

Of course these channels didn't just show sports - they also had features on athletes and the city itself. I fell in love (Shannon Miller - if you're reading this - call me) After the 30th feature on Barcelona, I was mesmerized by the city. The funny thing is that thinking back, I don't remember anything about those features other than the fact that people in Barcelona eat very late. Dinners often start at 10:00, 11:00 or even midnight. This blew my mind. I couldn't get over the fact that people could eat that late. In my house, dinner was served at 6:30 sharp. No exceptions. Who eats at 11:00?!?!? It must have been a crazy city.

Now that I was actually in Barcelona I couldn't wait to eat late. It sounds stupid, I know. But I couldn't get this thought out of my head.

I was also excited to get to Barcelona so I could put my four years of public education Spanish to the test. After traveling to all of these countries with R (aka: the language show off, aka: the Pocket Translator) I was excited to hold my own. This, despite the fact, that my Spanish was never that good and the only phrase I ever mastered was Tu mama es muy bien en la cama. (Remember, this is my 16 year old self described above making these translations)

I was shocked - shocked I say - to get to Barcelona and find out that they don't speak Spanish. How did I not know this? They speak Catalan, which is like Spanish with a dabble of French and Portuguese and a whole lot of X's thrown in the mix. Seriously, they love their X's. We joked that the letter X is so common it must only be worth 4 points in the Catalan version of Scrabble. I haven't seen this many X's in names and on store signs since, well, this morning on my way to work in Prague when I walked past all of the sex shops.

I was also shocked - shocked I say - to learn that my wife doesn't speak Spanish. She always claimed that this one of the languages that she spoke but I am going to throw the Bullshit card. Every time I heard her speaking to waiters in what she claimed was Spanish - she was really just speaking Italian. I now know the difference. Just because the waiters understood her when she spoke Italian and pointed at the menu doesn't mean that she was speaking Spanish. That's like saying me and my dog speak the same language just because he sits every time I hold out food and raise my hand. Or that I speak Czech because every time I hold up a dollar, the Czech strippers do a dance. (Just kidding... there are no strip clubs in Prague silly, only whore houses).

OK, let's get to Barcelona now. The absolute best thing about Barcelona is the architecture. If Prague is the most beautiful city in Europe, then Barcelona is the coolest. The city is defined by the architecture of Antoni Gaudí. To say the guy was a genius is an understatement. He is now my favorite architect of all time; breaking a four way tie between Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Mike Brady and Ted Mosby.

So, where to start with Gaudi? How about with Casa Batilo. A house that sits nestled among the other buildings on one of Barcelona's busiest shopping streets - but unlike any building you have ever seen. Like I said, the man was beyond genius. Every room in the house had it's own unique look and structure.

Don't forget about Park Guell. A park on the outskirts of Barcelona that looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale. If I ever become rich and build a house from a blank plot of land, my house will look like the one below. Who needs another McMansion.

Last but not least is La Sagrada Familia. I guess it is a church, but it's so much more. If Park Guell looks like it came out of a fairy tale, this church looks like it is straight out of Middle Earth. They started construction over a century ago, had some down time in the middle and won't be finished until 2030. This is very cool because it gives you a chance to see one of the wonders of the world under construction. I have had the chance to visit churches all over Europe and - with the possible exception of the Vatican - this one is at the top of the list.

Although Gaudi deservedly gets all of the attention, the rest of the architecture in Barcelona was nearly as nice. The streets were very clean, the buildings were in impeccable condition and there were balconies galore. Who doesn't love a good balcony? I always wondered why the buildings in New York didn't have more balconies. I mean, if you are putting a building up, how hard is it to add a 30 sq ft balcony. The value of the apartment automatically goes up by $50k and everyone is happy. Aside from a few more deaths per year due to falling beer bottles, what's the downside? I don't get it.

If the architecture was the best part of Barcelona, the food was a close second. Nearly every meal consisted of a healthy dose of tapas. That's another great idea that should be adopted in more cities: tapas. Instead of ordering one appetizer and one big entree, order a bunch of small plates that can be shared by the whole table. You get to try a little bit of everything and, if one plate is loved by all, order more! Such a deliciously simple concept that is far too uncommon in most other parts of the world.

The best dishes of the weekend were, in no particular order: iberic ham (basically a thick cut of local prosciutto), chorizo (spicy sausage), artichoke crisps, deep fried sardine spines (may sound gross - but delicious), tuna ceviche, sangria and fried zucchini flower stuffed with mozzarella. For those of you who haven't tried the last dish, you are missing the hidden gem of your local garden.

If you have squash or zucchini growing in your yard and throw away the flower when you pick the vegetable; BIG mistake! I was first introduced to these gems by R's mom several years back. If you want to know how to cook them... well you stumbled across the wrong blog. I have no idea how to make them or why I went 25 years of my life without trying them. But now that I have, I'm doing my best to make up for lost time. These are officially my favorite flowers. Although, I have never tried to eat a rose. I'm sure it wouldn't taste bad if it was filled with cheese and deep fried. In fact, I can't think of many things on this planet that wouldn't taste great deep fried and filled with cheese.

So I've already mentioned the balconies and the tapas. There is one final thing that they do great in Barcelona that needs to be exported to my town pronto: the siesta! I had a solid 90 minute nap every single day in Barcelona and loved every second of it. Have you ever met anyone that woke up from a solid mid-afternoon nap and said "man, that sucked"? Me neither. Naps rule! Why do you think kids are so ~~annoying~~ happy and full of energy? They nap every freakin' day.

Our trip to Barcelona was one of the most fun times we had in Europe. The vibe of the city certainly had something to do with it, but so did our traveling crew. A big thanks to Brendan, Alex, Brian and LA for taking a trip across the bond and joining us in Spain. Hope you guys had as great a time as we did.

A Classic 80's Song that Most of America Missed

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:48:00 +0000

R and I were driving through Germany last year when a song came on the radio. I had never heard the song before so I quickly ignored it. But R got all excited, turned up the radio and started signing along. She remembered it from her days growing up in Frankfurt, Germany in the early 80s.

I remembered laughing at the song - which was half in German and half in English - but didn't think much of it. I assumed it was just a random German song that R remembered because she happened to live int he right place at the right time.

But then I heard the song again in Italy. Then in Prague. I kept hearing it on the radio many times over. I heard it again today while I was in the coffee shop. And this is a 20 year old song. Why had I never heard this song before I moved to Europe? There had to be a reason.

OK - I'll stop the suspense. The song in question is named Jeanny and was recorded in 1985 by the Austrian pop star Falco - best known (in the US) for the hit song Rock Me Amadeus.

And it turns this song was effectively banned in the USA. I found this out while reading a Chuck Klosterman book a few weeks ago. According to critics, the song glorifies rape and stalking. I don't know about that. It must be the German part of the song, because the English lyrics are harmless enough. The chorus goes soemthing like this...

Jeanny, quit livin' on dreams
Jeanny, life is not what it seems
Such a lonely little girl in a cold, cold world
There's someone who needs you
Jeanny, quit livin' on dreams
Jeanny, life is not what it seems
You're lost in the night
Don't wanna struggle and fight
There's someone who needs you

If you have lived in the US your whole life, there is a good chance that you have never heard this song. I certainly didn't. And that's a real shame. This is one of the most awesomely bad song ever created. You can't get it out of your head. It's so so very bad. But in an awesome 80's kind of way.

I feel bad that us Americans were deprived the chance of having this song as part of our childhood memories. Everyone should hear this song on the radio and laugh at how horrible it is. And then scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs as you remember how much you loved it when you were 12. We missed our chance... there are very few 80's song that are more cheesy than this. R.I.P. Falco

You can see the video of Jeanny below. And, just so you know, I wrote the majority of this blog before I watched the video. Now that I have seen the video, I love this song ten times more. Oh my God it's great!!!!

Christmas in Prague

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:35:00 +0000

R, Bauer and I spent the 2008 Christmas Vacation by ourselves in Prague. We were just in the States a few months ago and didn't feel like going back again. And, we're heading to Barcelona next week for New Year's, so the last thing we needed was another vacation.

Despite the fact that we were by ourselves for this Holiday, we decided to make the best of it. We hosted a dinner party with some of our friends on the night of the 24th. R wanted to make a "traditional" Christmas meal for the event and bought a turkey to prepare.

Turkey is not commonly served in the Czech Republic. In fact, the one Czech friend we had over for dinner had never eaten a real turkey before. Just processed lunch meat. Also, you can't just walk into the local super market and pick up the turkey of your choice. R had to order the bird a week in advance from a special butcher.

Another difference came apparent when we went to pick up the Turkey. We were expecting the turkey to be vacuum sealed in "normal" poultry packaging. Not too much to ask for, right? Nope. We got a bird in a plastic bag. Literally. They opened up a normal plastic bag, picked up the bird, and dropped it in there. That was it. Here are some of the pictures for proof.

Despite the questionable packaging, the dinner came out great. We had a fun time with our friends and the food was fantastic - as always.

Christmas Day itself was very lazy/relaxing. We took the dog on an extra long hike to one of the better parks in the neighborhood. Then we came home, napped, and I downloaded Weeds - Season 1 from iTunes. We watched an embarrassing amount of TV and didn't do much else.

We were supposed to go cross-country skiing today - but the weather didn't cooperate. So we're spending the rest of the weekend hanging around Prague. I'm downloading Weeds - Season 2 as we speak and trying to get the theme song out of my head....

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same,
And there's doctors and lawyers,
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school,
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.

And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

Merry Chrismas Everyone!!!!!

Paris (This time for Work)

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:34:00 +0000

This week I had the opportunity to attend LeWeb Conference '08. This is one of Europe's best - if not the best - conference that focuses on the Internet industry. And, the conference is also held in one of Europe's best - if not the best- city: Paris.

R has never been one to turn down a free hotel room for 3 days in Paris - so she bought a cheap plane ticket and joined me on the trip. While I toiled away at the conference, she got to enjoy Paris by day. And, since she speaks near fluent French, she had no problem getting around the city. She even took a cooking class one day - all in French*.

This is our 4th time in Paris and the cooking class mentioned above is one of the great things about visiting a city multiple times. Let me explain - because I've become a bit of a self-proclaimed expert at this over the last 2 years. The first time you go to a city, you feel obliged to hit all of the tourist attractions. It is just something you have to do. You go to the Louvre, you go to the top of the Eiffel tower, you take a walk around Sacre Coeur, and you eat at some of the typical French restaurants. It's a great, fun vacation and you have all of the pictures from all of the sites and you have a common interest when someone talks about the city.

The second time you visit a city is a bit different. You don't want to do ALL of the tourist attractions, but you remember the best attractions and might visit them again. For example, the Louvre is the best museum in the world and you have to visit again. No way you saw everything the first time. But, instead of going to top of the Eiffel tower, you just stroll by it a snicker at the huge line of people waiting to get to the top. Instead, you go get a great dinner at a place a few blocks away from the Eiffel tower and spend more time relaxing and drinking wine than you do acting like a tourist. You may also try to hit the cool nightspot that only the locals know.

Now, the third time you visit a city, you try to expand your horizons a bit more. You go to the 2nd tier of tourist attractions. These are things that aren't as popular - but arguably much cooler. This includes things like having a picnic at Versailles or going to the extreme edge of the metro line to visit that Catacombs.

This leaves us with your 4th visit to the city. This time, you have absolutely nothing planned. Going to visit a tourist attraction couldn't bore you any more. You've already hit the most famous restaurants and nightspots. But, you know the city well and remember which parts you liked the best. So you take the Metro and just start walking the streets. You walk streets that have no tourists on them. You wander into random stores like Shakespeare and Co. (which was charming beyond belief but, I just found out, also famous as hell. I guess this nullifies the point I was trying to make.) You do things at your own pace and act somewhat like a local. You may even go to a cooking class.

OK, now that we have gone through all of that, let's cut to the chase and talk about the most important attraction in Paris. The one that never gets old no matter how many times you visit the city. Of course, I'm talking about the food! Every time I visit Paris there are three things that I have to get - and this trip was no exception:

Oysters

Steak Frites

Crepe with nutella and banana

I'm not going to go on and on talking about how great the food was. I find it very difficult to write about food without coming across as overly cliche and dramatic. So let's just say that the food was as good as I remembered, as good as I could hope for and satisfying in every way.

Since the whole point of our Paris trip was the conference, I suppose I should spend a few minutes writing about that as well. The conference gets an "A" for content and an "D" for operations. The speakers and attendees of the conference were great. Many interesting people and topics. And, the best part was that it wasn't just a bunch of tech blowhards screaming back and forth at each other (although the last session certainly was that). They had interesting speakers from all walks of life, including author Paulo Cuehlo, scientists, anthropologists, and even the French Minister of Finance. The conversations that these people brought to the table allowed you to see a full 360 view of the state of the Internet industry today - and not just the tech side of it.

However, as I alluded to above, the logistics of the conference were pretty awful. There has been much discussion about this in the blogosphere and rightfully so. The conference organizers used a brand new building for this years event that wasn't quite ready for prime time. The heater broke the night before the conference and it was absolutely freezing inside the first day. I couldn't stop shivering and it made it hard to concentrate. The lunch was also a disaster. A bad combination of portions that were too small, not enough food to feed the crowd and no where to sit and eat. As a final kick in the balls to all of the bloggers covering the event, Internet connectivity was spotty at best. Many, many people complained about this but I didn't bring my laptop so it didn't effect me much at all. All of these points created a pretty negative picture of the conference for some, which is a shame because the content was great.

Finally, I'll leave you with one funny story from Paris. On our last day, R and I took the bus from the city center to get some lunch. We're on the bus for about 20 minutes and everything is going fine. At one stop, there is a taxi blocking the official bus stop so the bus has to stop about 20 meters short. The people waiting at the stop had to walk these 20 meters to get on the bus. Not the end of the world, right? Well, one surly old Frenchman didn't like this at all. So he got on the bus and complained to the driver about this. He wasn't yelling, but you could tell that he was not happy. After about one minute of this, the bus driver had enough and pulled over the bus. She told everyone to get off the bus because she was now upset and she could no longer continue to drive. The bus was pretty full without about 40-50 people on it. This includes students, mothers with kids, older folks, etc. We all looked around in disbelief. A few people tried to talk to the bus driver to calm her down but she had none of it. She rolled up her window so no one could come near her and wouldn't budge. Everyone literally had to get off the bus and wait for the next one. I can't imagine anything like this happening in New York. Especially on a cold day. As we got off the bus, I heard one man bitching that this was all Sarkozy's fault. funny.

* I mentioned R speaking great French in this blog. In my last blog about Portugal, I failed to mention what a great job R did speaking Portuguese. She spoke like a pro and many of the locals told her that her language was flawless. This is very impressive considering R hasn't lived in Brazil in nearly 20 years and NEVER speaks the language. It's been one of the greatest advantages to being in Europe - I constantly live and travel with a translator. Any city I go into I just let R do the talking and everything is taken care of. That's why I call her my pocket translator. Which is funny if you know that our last name literally translates to "pocket" in Italian. And she's also shockingly short. So the joke works on several levels.

Portugual

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:49:00 +0000

R and I made a trip to Portugal over the long Thanksgiving weekend. R got a consulting job for a week in southern Portugal, so we decided to go a few days early and see the sites.

The first stop on our trip was Lisbon. I didn't know much about Lisbon heading into this trip. I knew it was the capital of Portugal.. and that was pretty much it. I had heard from friends that it was unlike most of the other major cities in Europe. And, it turns out that they were correct. It's different for two reasons.

First, it doesn't "feel" like a big city. The roads are small, there are very few buildings more than a few stories high, and you can tell everything is connected to the ocean. In fact, it feels like a small fishing village. When I was walking around different parts of town I felt like I was in Dubrovnik, Croatia or a little town in Sicily. The main difference is that Lisbon covers a MUCH larger geographic landscape.

Secondly, the city was made up of a culturally diverse set of people. Much more so than most Western European cities. Not everyone looked the same and you could see the diversity by looking in the faces of the people. But, the good news is that the true Portuguese people were definitely better looking than average.

As you know from reading this blog, whenever we travel to a different city, the food is always one of the highlights. And Lisbon was no exception. In particular, I fell in love with the breakfast snacks at the local pastellerias. There were three things I loved:

1) Empanada de Carne. Or, in English, meat pies. I've had many meat pies before, but these were the best

2) Pasteis de Nata. The store called them custard cream tarts, but I considered them to be the breakfast version of a creme brulee. Delicious!

3) Pao de Qeijo. It's like a cross between bread, cheese and cookie dough. It's hard to describe, but whatever it is, it's heaven.

(On a side note, I did a quick Google search on "Portuguese Breakfast" and found out the term has an entry in the Urban Dictionary. The Urban Dictionary describes something that I certainly did NOT have in Portugal. I honestly had no idea this slang term existed and now regret that I set my Facebook status to "Nino loves Portuguese Breakfast". But seriously, Portuguese Breakfast - the real kind - is absolutely excellent. I can not and will not make any claims about the slang kind of Portuguese Breakfast)

After Breakfast, we went to see a few of the famous landmarks on the Lisbon coast. The first one we saw - and the one I initially thought was the coolest - was the Monument of the Discoveries. It is a very impressive statue (monument?) that has 33 very large men looking out to sea. Each figure represents a famous navigator or intellectual in Portuguese history. They are arranged so the whole monument looks like a bow of a ship.

Pretty cool, right? That's what I thought - until I was walking away and saw a sign that indicated the monument was less than 50 years old. That spoiled everything. After living in Europe for nearly two years - I like my landmarks to be historic. Anything less than 300 years old and it's barely worth getting out of bed for.

That's why we walked about 1 kilometer down the coast to the Tower of Belem. We had already read in the guide books that this tower was over 500 years old; so my first criteria was met. The Tower of Belem was originally part of the Portuguese defense system but it has had many uses over the years. No matter what it was used for - the architecture was stunning. For a small fee we were able to explore the entire Tower. It was a great day for photos so R took plenty of shots. I won't bore you with our family slides, but there are a few pics of the Tower below

It happened to rain on our second day in Lisbon, so we decided to go to the Aquarium. I know this sound slike a pretty lame way to spend a day in Europe - but the Aquarium was incredible. It was ranked #2 in the world and - unlike the artifical ranking of the Prague zoo - I feel like this was quite justified.

The center of the aquarium hasn an ENORMOUS tank (4 million liters) filled with all kinds of sea life. They had about a half-dozen sharks, some manta rays, sting rays, eels, tuna, barracuda, scores of tropical fish and one sun fish (which is one huge, ugly mofo).

The layout and architecture of the building was spectacular as well. The main tank served as the trunk of the building and you constantly walked around it - on multiple floors - to see side exhibits. This included some pretty close encounters with penguins and sea otters. If you ever find yourself in Lisbon and have a few hours to kill - I highly recommend the aquarium.

Our next stop was a 2.5 hour train ride south of Lisbon to a part of the country known as the Algarve region. The train took us through the mountains of Portugaul and it was a pretty bumpy ride. It proved too much for R's stomach. She ended up leaving her Portuguese Breakfast somewhere on the tracks about 30 minutes north of our destination.

Although the journey there was far from luxurious - the end result was absolutely worth it. We pulled up to a fabulous 5-star resort and spa that would be R's office for the next week - The Villa Vita. I was forunate to get a couple of free nights at the hotel while she worked. It's about time I got to mooch off of her for once!

The hotel was incredible. It covered something like 100 acres and it was situated right on huge cliffs that overlooked the ocean. The only bad part is that it wasn't beach season. So, although we didn't get to enjoy the ocean, we did take full advantage of the other parts of the hotel.

While R toiled away at work on Saturday, I thought it was a good opportunity to go golfing. The region is a tourist mecca for English speaking golfers (the place is full of Brits in khakis and golf shirts). And, rightfully so. They have some beautiful courses there.

I got a tee time on a course called the 'Ocean Course'. My rule of the thumb is that if you are given the option to choose from dozens of golf courses, always choose the course with "ocean" in the title.

This rule of thumb turned out to be the correct move. It was the nicest golf course I have ever played. Four of the holes were right along the ocean and you could see the waves crashing against the beach as you walked the greens. It was also pretty cool because the course holds rather important tournaments on a regular basis. Therefore, they have bleachers set up surrounding the 18th green. I did my best Carl Spackler impersonation and pretended I was finishing off a tournament at Augusta. (in case you are wondering, I three-putted 18)

Unfortunately, not only was this the nicest course I have ever played, but also the most expensive. Here's a quick tale to you explain just how expensive it was. I had to rent a car to drive from the hotel to the golf course. It was about 45 minutes away and too far for a taxi. Well, my golf cart (or, buggy as they call it in Europe) was twice as much as my rental car!

All-in-all, our trip to Portugal was another great European experience. We saw lots of sites, ate great food, met interesting people and I even got a round of golf in. What else can you ask for?

Doggie Duty

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:21:00 +0000

I am not afraid to admit that my best friend in Prague is my dog Bauer. And this is not just in a dog-is-a-mans-best-friend kind of way. I mean it. He really is my best friend. We hang out a lot. When I'm looking for something to do, he usually is option numero uno. We play sports together. We watch football together. We eat together. When we go to the park, I act as his wing man and try to get the bitches to notice him. When he gets rejected, I point at him and laugh. These are all things that you do with your best friend.

(There are two disclaimers that I need to make here. First, although much of the above can be said about R, we can't count her because she is my wife. And your wife can't be your best friend. That's not only cheating, it's also pathetic. For every wife who is reading this and has received a card on Valentine's Day that says something like 'To my best friend..' please know that your husband was lying to you. You are not his best friend and never will be.

Secondly, Bauer is only my best friend in Prague. When I get back to New York, I have several friends that are much cooler than Bauer. Truth be told, Bauer is a bit of a douchebag at times. He is very needy, self-centered and has been known to eat shit. The act is getting a little old. Don't get my wrong, we'll still hang out in New York. I'll just drop the 'BFF' label when I have some better options. I need my space)

Anyway, the last few weeks Bauer and I have been spending more time together than usual. R has been away a lot recently for work and for trips to New York - so Bauer and I have been able to share some quality time together. We go for walks every morning and night and I have been taking him on special field trips on the weekend. This past weekend we went hiking in Cesky Raj.

Last Sunday, I took Bauer to the zoo. Remember, Prague is the most dog friendly city in the world. Everyone has a dog and you bring your dog wherever you go. This includes the zoo. Which provides a fascinating social experiment as the animals can interact. It should also be noted that this is not a little rinky dink zoo - the Prague zoo is rated as the fifth best zoo in the world. At least, one of the billboards in the Prague zoo says that the Prague zoo is the 5th best zoo in the world. You would be wise to question such a ranking. It's about as official a ranking as the time I gave R a Valentine's Day card that said "To the World's Best Wife"

Anyway, once we got to the zoo, I was very curious to see (a) which animal would freak out the most at seeing Bauer and (b) which animal would freak Bauer the most.

The surprising winners of Part A were the Penguins. I never would have guessed this. When they saw Bauer coming, they would all swim up and press their beaks to glass and just stare at him. They were absolutely fascinated. They couldn't give a shit about me, just the dog. Interestingly enough, Bauer didn't take much interest in them. Maybe becasue they were behind glass he thought it was just a big TV screen. Stupid dog.

The winner of option B was not surprising at all - it was the elephant. Can you just imagine living a life thinking that the only things that exist in this world are humans, dogs, birds, cats, squirrels and ducks. Those are pretty much the only living things that Bauer has ever interacted with. Then one day, out of the blue, along comes a big ass elephant.

What would you do? I would fucking freak out. At that is pretty much what Bauer did. But he didn't freak out in "Get me the hell out of here" kind of way. Instead, he freaked out in a "oh my god I have to sniff that things ass to find out more about it" kind of way. Fortunately for Bauer, I didn't let him get any closer.

(Editor's Note: I spent a solid 30 minutes trying to come up with an adequate analogy for a dog seeing an elephant for the first time. I had about five really good ones - but they were too risque for even me to post in my blog. And only three of these made not-so-subtle references to my penis. In the end, the best "acceptable" analogy that I could come up with was: It would be like taking an 18 year old Mormon to a Las Vegas Strip Club for the first time. However, I'm not very pleased with this joke and think I can do better if given more time. If you have a better one, post it in the comments.)

The other animal that took an interest in Bauer was the lion. I picked Bauer up so he could have a good look and he was pretty damn curious about that big cat across the moat. And the lion noticed Bauer too - but he did it in a pretty cool way. He had this laid back look in his eye that said... "I notice you looking at me. And I'm not going to waste my time getting all excited about you. We both know that I could tear you in half with one bite. So you just stay on that side of the moat and keep your calm. If you try anything funny, you know how this is going to end".

At least I imagined that whole conversation in my head. I guess these are the kind of things you think about when your best friend is a dog. Damn - I need to get back to New York and start hanging out with humans again.

Back in the USA

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:34:00 +0000

R and I spent the last ten days in the States. I came back on Monday in time for work. R decided to stay an extra week just because she could.

We started off the trip in Cleveland. If you read my most recent blog, you know that trip started off bad. Our flight was delayed and we missed our connection from Atlanta to Cleveland. Very rarely does this happen to me - mostly because I hardly ever take connecting flights. I've decided that is one of the most underrated things about living in New York: you have to direct flights to 95% of the places you want to go to. Everyone flies straight to New York. And, if they don't? You probably don't want to hang out in those places anyway.

Cleveland was as good as always. Running around from house to house, visiting every part of the family. And, most importantly, stuffing our face of home cooked food at every stop along the way.

The highlight of the trip - other than seeing my lovely family of course - was playing with my dad's new toys. My dad has become something of a racecar fan in the last couple of years. He has bought a couple of vintage Porsche's and has been working on restoring the engines. Whenever he gets the chance, he races them on the weekend. I believe one in 1968 912 and the other a 1972 911. I got to drive them along the shores of Lake Erie last week. How did I do? Let's just say that Leonard Hamilton has no need to start looking over his shoulder any time soon.

The lowlight of the trip brings us back to the airport. We had a flight Tuesday night out of the local Canton - Akron airport and were headed to New York. We got in to the airport just in time to find out that the flight was canceled. Perfect. Our best option was to take the 6:30 AM flight the next day. That left us with the alternative of taking a ride back to my sister's house 25 minutes away, sleeping on a bed built for a 7 year old, getting up at 4:30 in the morning and taking a $50 cab ride back to airport. I couldn't think of many worse ways to spend a night - so I ponied up $100 and got a room at a local airport hotel.

OK. I realize that this blog post is getting long and is not that funny. I guess that is because traveling back to the States is not as eventful as traveling around Europe. I've been in Cleveland and New York a million times. Nothing is going to surprise me. And, I'm not talented enough to keep you interested while writing about the banality of everyday life.

So just assume that New York was fun. Saw friends, met with old colleagues, partied, ate great food, watched movies, got propositioned by a transvestite on Christopher St, watched a friend get 2nd degree burns on his hand during a magic trick gone wrong, etc. All normal, daily activities. Nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary.

Come back for the next blog post when I actually travel to some place I have never lived before. The next trip planned is for Portugal over Thanksgiving. I promise to write a thoughtful and entertaining blog about those crazy and wacky Europeans. We can all read it and laugh together at their expense.

Until then - all I can say is that it is a great day to be an American. Very happy about the election results.

Blogs on a Plane

noreply@blogger.com (N) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:11:00 +0000

I am writing this blog while I am 30,943 feet in the air somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. I have no idea when I will actually post this blog, but rest assured that this is my first ever post on a plane.

R and I are heading to the States for my official “home leave” from work. I get one of these trips paid for by the company every two years. We have are taking a direct flight from Prague to Atlanta – then jumping on quick flight from Atlanta to Cleveland. There is just one small problem. Our plane left Prague about an hour late and the wind over the Atlantic isn’t helping us any.

Based on our current arrival estimate, we have 45 minutes to disembark the plane in Atlanta, go through customs, pick up our suitcases, take the underground shuttle in the airport, and get on the plane heading towards Cleveland. Right now I’m taking the optimistic approach that we will make our flight. R is being a pessimist and says that we have no chance.

Either way, I see this as a win-win situation. If we make the flight, then we make the flight and we arrive to Cleveland on time. Everybody is happy. But, if we miss the flight, we get to go to Chili’s for dinner!

I am a notorious hater of nearly all franchised restaurants. Don’t do Friday’s. Wouldn’t eat at a Benningan’s if lunch were free. Think the Cheescake Factory is over-hyped. And, I have an utter hatred for Applebee’s that is difficult to put into words (it goes back to some frozen vegetables in a pasta many moons ago that I can never and will never forget).

But, one of the only exceptions to the rule is Chili’s. I freakin’ love that place. Any time I am driving in suburban America I go out of my way to find a Chili’s restaurant. They don’t have a franchise in Manhattan, nor is there on in Prague, so I consider it a real treat when I get to go to one. As luck would have it, the Atlanta airport has a Chili’s in one of the terminals. If we miss our flight and are delayed by a few hours, you’ll know where to find me.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I am also fond of Outback Steakhouse. Apparently, my rating of the franchised restaurants is directly correlated to how good their jingle is. I haven’t seen these commercials in two years yet I still occasionally hum I want my baby back, baby back, baby back, etc. or Let’s go outback tonight…)

So now that I am on a plane I thought I would share with you, oh loyal blog readers, my three greatest fears in life. They are:

Peak Oil Theory

That I’ll die before the Browns win a Super Bowl

That I’ll be stuck on an airplane without something interesting to read

Honestly, those are pretty much the only things I worry about in life. And it’s not in that order. It’s not even close. I spend an ungodly amount of time making sure that I have adequate amount of reading material for my plane ride.

It’s not such a simple problem as making sure I have a book in hand before I leave the house for a flight. My narcosis runs much deeper than that. Here are all of the things I have to consider:

I never like to start a new book on a plane. There is too much risk involved. What if the book sucks or starts off too slowly? Ideally, I want to be in 2-3 chapters into a book before getting on the plane.

Just as I don’t like to start a new book on a plane, I can’t risk being too far along in my current book. Nothing worse than misjudging the number of pages that you have left and finishing the book with two hours remaining in the flight.

You could say that I could just bring another book, but that doesn’t work either. First, I don’t like having to bring extra books in my carry on. Unnecessary weight to lug around. Secondly, I don’t like finishing Book A and the immediately picking up Book B and starting to read it. It just becomes a big mush of words in your head. My rule of thumb is that you need a 24 hour break before finishing an old book and starting a new one.

The topic of the book is also critical and is directly tied to the destination. I’d say I read about 70% non-fiction (mostly business, strategy, technology and biographies/memoirs) and 30% fiction. But if I’m going on a vacation for a week in, say the Greek islands, I don’t want to think. I’m either going to pick a fiction book or an entertaining non-fiction entry. On the other hand, if I’m headed to a conference, I may pick one of the more “serious” non-fiction entries.

Finally, I don’t like to read two books at once. I’m completely monogamous with my current book. If I’m knee deep into a non-fiction book and pick up a quick, easy read for a weekend vacation- I consider it to be cheating. Is it really any different than taking a young, hot mistress to Vegas for the weekend while your wife stays home with the kids? I would argue no. (I’m fully aware that equating these two acts says more negative things about my moral character than positive things about my love of reading)

With all of these rules in place, going on vacation can be rather stressful. I have to plan my reading schedule weeks in advance. Every time I pick a new book off the shelf I basically have to have my calendar in hand so I know how it will affect any and all upcoming plane rides.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel. If my fear about Peak Oil theory holds true, then gas prices will probably skyrocket so high in future years that I won’t be able to afford many plane rides. So, ironically enough, if one of my fears does come to fruition, it will actually remove one of the primary problems in my life. Very weird. Now, if we can just do something about the Browns, I’ll be all set.

******* SPOILER ALERT ********

In case you are interested, I actually got around to posting this blog early Monday morning at my Dad's house.

We didn't make our flight to Celveland. Not by a long shot. We arrived 90 minutes late due to a strong head wind and had to sit on the runaway for an additional 40 minutes before pulling to the gate.

The good news is that we were easily booked on another flight to Cleveland just a few hours later. The bad news is that the terminal we were booked at did not have a Chili's in it. I briefly contemplated going from Terminal to Terminal looking for the elusive Chili's - but the big Ohio State - Penn State game was just about to start. I sat down at a Sports Bar and watched the first half while eating one of the worst chicken sandwhiches I have ever tasted in my life.