La Bodegita del Medio

http://www.kubanskarestaurace.cz/index.php?pid=2&lid=1

had a dinner with some fellow ex-pats the other night at the Little Bodega . . .

I learned that there are two kinds of Mojito . . . the cubano with white sugar, and the European with brown sugar . . . . who knew?

The chicken wings we had were excellent, unexpectedly spicy.

But the beef tenderloin was a surprise of the first order . . . all that tenderloin should be . . . Mrs said she was going to interrorgate the waiter till he told her where to get it for our home efforts . . . almost had us in the meat sweats by itself . . .

But two good ol’ boys had opted for the meat platter to share . . . this was an awesome pile of meat that started with the tenderloin, included some beef ribs, some chicken, some pork chops, and a partridge in a pear tree . . . .those boys broke out in a full-fledged collar-drowning, pit-puddling, meat sweat . . .

Incident At The Kampa Museum

SO: A few weeks ago, we went to the Kampa Museum . . . we saw Beckman, and some glass & water guy, but we liked best the COBRA painters . . . like crosses between Chagall & Klee & Miro . . .

We went to the museum shoppe, we wanted to buy a picture . . . they didn't have it, but they did have this one, which we had also liked, just not as much, Corneille's Tauromache . . . so we bought a poster . . . been an SOB to frame . . . it's square . . . and finding matte board to mount it has not been easy . . . we think we can now, but not yet . . .

but it did not quench our "thirst" for culture . . . for the picture we had actually desired, of which I could not even find on the Internet, if you can believe it . . . so now, I am providing you with what was not provided me . . . when I tell you how I got it you will not believe me but I swear it is true . . .

we went back to Kampa, and concocted a cover story in the museum shoppe that we could not find matte board, and the cashier willingly helped us . . . helped Mrs, while I watched thru the glass doors into the room at the old lady security guard . . . when she went to the back room, we abruptly went into action . . . Mrs. steamed in there and headed to the back room, intercepted the guard and asked foolish questions in English, flummoxing the guard, totally.

I slid in behind her, camera-phone already armed . . . the picture was by the front door, and it was child's play to square up to the frame and *snap* . . . with that, the need for pretense was over . . . I called out to Mrs . . . "come along dear, we're in the wrong place!" We bustled hysterically back over the Charles Bridge into Starometska, flushed with our success.

And now, for the first time on the Internet, Karel Appel's Le Regard . . ."Look upon my works, ye mighty, and Despair!"

Josef Capek - Namesti Miru

Oh!

I had confused Josef with Karel, his brother . . . apparently I am not the first . . . but the reason I am blogging this remains the same, tho' I was confused . . . he is credited by Karel as inventing the term Robot, tho' Karel wrote the play I knew, RUR, which is where the term Robot is first ever used . . .

why he would be honored on the grounds of Namesti Miru -- "Peace Square" in English, I do not know . . . I am not objecting, please understand, I just don't know . . .

but this is now my opportunity to blog an idea I have had long before . . . that there should be a square in Prague called Namesti Nameste', which would combine Hindi & Czech to make: "Peace Square".

Ungelt Ungainly Juxtaposition

Neither has nuthin' to do with the other, nor with anything else, for that matter, except that they are within meters of each other in Ungelt, outside the Botannicus . . . .

Corner Spirit

A more modern version . . . on the corner of a building, like a bowspirit on an old sailing vessel . . . if you see what I mean . . . in Staromeste . . .

Kampa Nude

I don't know how I missed this one before . . . near the Kampa Museum, next to the river . .

So, Off to Kutna Hora with BigRed at the wheel . . . just a quick afternoon trip . . . we had a date at 5pm for beers by the river back in PRG . . . I'd looked up Kutna Hora Restaurants and come up with Pivnice Dacicky . . . the reviews seemed good, but what made my wheels squeal when we got there was the Alchymistická Menu . . . Alchemy . . . sign me up !













. . . seemed to have a lot of dishes with 24carat gold flakes or wrapped in gold foil, but what I went for, based on the names were the Ignis Innaturalis (Unnatural Fire, perhaps?) I tho't it might be On Fire, but it was like a gazpacho or a watery seafood sauce . . . don't get me wrong: it was delish, but what is up wid dat?

The other thing I had was Kureci Szezky . . . Chicken in creamy gravy . . . (kuřecí plátky, bílé víno, smetana, sekané mandle, cibule, petržel, zázvor, šafrán, pepř) . . . I guess --in the old days -- they had more faith in the power of rare herbs than I do . . . but it was scrumptious . . . their dark beer had an off-taste to me tho', not disagreeable, just not as good as Krushovice or U Flecku . . .

Mrs had simple grilled chicken

















Big Red had a trout


















after lunch we debated going to the silver mines, but it was later than we could bear, so we just headed off to the church . . . took about 5 minutes to scope it out . . . and our dinner companions at the Casa Blu said the mines were a better visit that the Bone Church, where EVERYbody goes and takes a picture . . . or . . . dozens . . . we were just wondering whether they refurbish ever. . . or do those bones not disintegrate?

Then there was this saint . . .

Slunucnice

On the road to Kutna Hora, an amazing field of sunflowers

 

Karlovy Namesti Lounger

in a chicken/egg kind of deal . . .
which came first: the Praguers who lounge in the park or this statue that perfectly emulates their style?

Saturday in Karlovy Vary

place holder till my camera comes back . . .