Hard Luck Day On Hard Candy Mountain, 1: Strahov Monastery Libraries

It was not our most successful outing, but, as the story unfolds, you'll see we were caught up in some larger events. The plan was to take trams #15 and #22 up to Hradcany (Hard Candy) Castle, situated on a hill overlooking Prague, and to do the several churches, monasteries, and museums up there, then the castle, then, finally, St. Vitus cathedral. Ambitious, but doable with an early start. En route to Mala Strana, our tram was halted several times for small motorcades to pass. Some official late for a meeting in town, we figured. When we got to Mala Strana, we hopped on #22, and all seemed well until we crossed the river and noticed we were going in the wrong direction. We hopped off, planning to reverse direction, but then lingered to inspect two of the more impressive art nouveau buildings we'd yet seen. Then we hopped back on, now headed in the right direction. We went one stop too far, but that was easily corrected, and we were finally at the top of the hill, ready to begin a busy day, starting with the Strahov Monastery and its libraries. All was well.

The first of the two beauties encountered going the wrong way
on tram #22; note PRAHA spelled out on top

The second, right next door, the Topic building

Details of the first

Stepping inside

Very famous astronomers; from back when there
was much discussion about what revolved around
what, etc., and you'd better be sure it's in agreement
with the Church; or else

Only photo I got of the small motorcades still passing by us,
now up on the hill (cue dark foreshadowing music...)

At the Strahov Monastery libraries they don't actually let you
into the library halls, but rather showcase examples of the wonders
within in an ante-hall; here, the Selmbirk Bible, 1440, possibly
an incunable, I guess

Above, Al-Sufi's Astronomical Atlas, mid-14th century; interesting
to see the constellations so depicted

Europe as a young lady, from Daniel Adam, Veleslavin Itinerarium,
Prague, 1592

"Map of the Catholic Religion in North America," from Heinrich
Scherer, Atlas Novus, Augsburg, 1705; note that California is
depicted as an island unto itself; still is...

Now we are peering into the Theological Library; this was before
the Dewey decimal system; libraries had but two divisions: 1) theology,
and 2) everything else (philosophy); note ceiling treatment...if it ain't
Baroque...

Rotating reading table, presumably allowing easier comparison
of texts, etc. cleverly constructed so that the books don't fall off;
Medieval version of multiple open windows, Vicki says

Note storage of over-sized books under the benches

Now we are peering into the Philosophical Library

Ceiling treatment

Sort of a School of Athens; sort of...

Interesting library furniture

Librarian's desk; Vicki says she could have worked with this...

Card catalogs? Candidly, we have seen our share of libraries and,
while interesting, visually, this one did not live up to price of 
admission

Prague Food And Drink; And Smoke

As elsewhere in the past two years, we have mostly eaten-in in our apartment in Prague, though what we've eaten has largely been Czech or German fare; or our standard French or Italian dishes. When we've eaten-out, it's been street food or cafes or restos with outdoor seating. (Hardly anyone wears a mask here). Consequently, our experience has been quite limited. Not so limited, however, as to prohibit a few observations. 

The chief observation is that Czech food itself is still the meat-and-potatoes "hearty" blandness it was when we were last here, a decade ago. The despicable bread dumplings are everywhere. The happy corollary, however, is that--credit the tourists, the youngish population, the improved economy, or all--Prague has gotten very international in its food offerings. Within a few blocks of our building, one can find upscale Argentine steaks, Italian, French, Spanish, Vietnamese, Japanese, American BBQ, Georgian, and any other national cuisine you can imagine. (OK, not Russian). And they are popular. The arcade that passes through our building on the ground floor is called the "Gurmet Pasaz Dlouha," has a dozen restaurants or cafes, and there are foodie tours stopping at Nase Maso or the Three Sisters there throughout the day. 

The drink side of things has changed similarly. Czech beer is very cheap and very good. I've been drinking Pilsner Urquell, Staropramen, and Budweiser--the Budweiser, not the piss Americans drink--for a little more than a buck a bottle. It's universal, but that's not to say you can't get the usual aperitifs or wines, etc., anywhere in Prague. A Czech vineyard took first prize in the international Chardonnay competition in Lyon this year, so Czech wine is coming along. Probably global warming is helping.

Most smokers smoke cigarettes, but there are fine cigar stores all over town, sporting the Cubans, naturally. If you don't smoke tobacco, marijuana is legal and plentiful, a shop on every block, sometimes two. Maybe that's why we hear so many college-age kids speaking American English here.

Anyhow, here are samples, documentation, incidents, curiosities...

Perhaps the most common food site are the chimney cake stands
and shoppes; something imported from Hungary, we were told

We even tried some, enticed by this advert on
Carlova St.

Thus; another once-in-a-lifetime experience, we concluded

So what is a chimney cake? you ask...it's a pastry baked on a spit,
over charcoal, then filled with cream, or maybe ice cream, or fruit,
or maybe meat and dumplings; Wikipedia has its usual helpful
article here; if you like burnt bread and ice cream, this is for you

Another popular street food item was ham roasted over a wood
fire

Goulash and dumplings; I guess you have to go to Hungary or
Austria or Bavaria to get interesting goulash; the potato dumplings
were nearly interesting

In three weeks in central Prague, we saw no food trucks; just
this food tram on Wenceslas Square

Fancy Fries...best frites in Prague

Barware in our apartment...a good clue as to what you're expected

to drink in Prague; I did my part

Czechs have come up with many innovative ways to drink beer

Not least the beer hot tubs

Entrance to the gourmet passage in our building

The main draw is Nase Maso, a butcher shop with a deli on the
front end...scores of customers standing and eating in the arcade
whenever it's open

Best pastrami ever, Vicki said; we had it three times

Front end of Nase Maso

Sushi train at the Palladium

Venison restaurant in Old Town; also rabbit,
boar, auroch...

Actually fits right in with Czech fare

Americana

The farmers' market in Smichov...well beyond the tourist zone,
a real market

Mountains of sausage

Beautiful, very tempting cigar shop just down the street; one
of dozens in Prague

Of course, you don't have to smoke tobacco

Or marijuana; you can drink it

Comfort food, for us

Prague By Night

We'd been out past dark on several occasions, but not high enough to see the city lights, so we planned a dinner at a favored restaurant in the Josefov, to be followed by a stroll across the bridge and then a walk up to the castle belvedere we'd been to before.

Paris St. at sunset

View from our table outside Les Moules

Our default French/Belgian repas 

Moon rising over the Old New Synagogue

En route to the Charles Bridge, another gorgeous
door

Looking back toward New Town

Hradcany Castle and St. Vitus' Cathedral; and the Vltava

Entering Mala Strana

St. Nicholas in Mala Strana

From the belvedere

Eiffel Tower "replica"

Towers of the Basilica of St. George

Church Of Our Lady of Tyn

It's the Gothic just off Old Town Square, built in the 14th or so, whose spires are visible all over Prague. It became Hussite as long as they held out against the Catholics, then over-the-top Baroque when the Hapsburgs re-imposed Catholicism. No fotos are permitted, although lots of people were snapping away. I didn't, mainly because it is a visual nightmare of sparse Gothic buried under layers of Baroque gold and silver. There's a good article and photo gallery on Wikipedia. Oh yes, Tycho Brahe, who argued against the Aristotelian "incorruptible and immutable" nature of the heavens, is buried there.