Fridge-less in Prague!

As my time in Prague is drawing to an end (where did the time go?), I find myself reflecting on my first two weeks in this fairy-tale city.

I landed in Prague knowing only that someone called Kristýna would be waiting for me, and that she would be the blonde in the red coat. I was so worried that she would just drop me off at my apartment and leave me to fend for myself. Instead, she saw me up to the apartment and showed me where the tram stop was. "Let's hope your building has a lift!", said my mom, after watching me lug my suitcase down the stairs. Thank goodness it does! 

When she left I noticed that the flat was quite bare, with two bright green and orange plastic plates and bowls, and one teaspoon. But it made me feel quite special to see a plate with homemade muffins and fresh tulips in a vase.

Before

My first weekend was all about adjusting, before I started my internship the next week, and that was great. I was determined to get out of the apartment and explore the city. The first thing I did was to make my apartment more homely (I bought a pink carpet and a mat, put a fruit bowl here and there and magazines on the coffee table, under a ruby red candle – it needed some love) and try all of the Czech food and drink (trdelník, langoše and svařák)*.

After

I had never lived on my own before, so, that has been a real experience and adventure in itself. At the time, I was excited, but also worried about being lonely, as I consider myself to be a people's person. Looking back, I think I've managed just fine, except for the few conversations I've had with myself, in my head, before I made friends.

The weekend began with a quick Google of the days of the week in Czech to figure out what would be open over the Easter weekend. Despite the cold, the city centre was buzzing, with activities in every square, live music and stalls selling hot wine, Czech beer, sweet pastries, beautifully painted Easter eggs and wooden sticks with colourful ribbons.

I saw lots of little boys carrying these sticks around and even a man on a motorcycle with lots of ribbons attached to a broomstick. As part of an Easter Czech tradition, boys go around hitting girls with their sticks and only stop if the girls give them painted eggs. Make of that what you will!

A giant cracked egg next to Charles Bridge.

An "egg tree" in the city centre.

I was minus a fridge for two weeks, after being assured that it would arrive on Easter Monday. It was a curse and a blessing... I guess. Coffee creamer in my tea versus eating out a lot and getting to know the city (but you do crave a homemade meal after two weeks!). Also, cooking for one person is hard! 

It was a wee bit cold for my South African blood that first weekend, so, my mom (I think jokingly) suggested that I put my groceries on my windowsill - which probably would have worked, because it was 2°C outside! So much for Spring!

*Trdelník is a sweet Czech pastry made from leavened dough cooked over hot coals and then rolled in cinnamon sugar and almond flakes. There’s a Nutella option, which does not disappoint! A trdlo is the wooden stake the dough is wrapped around for cooking which gives it its traditional hollow shape.

Langoše (basically a Czech pizza) is a deep fried flatbread which is topped with garlic, grated cheese and tomato sauce, and served hot.

Svařák is mulled or hot wine. It’s dark purple, spicy and perfect for 2°C weather! 

Coffee with Frida (Kahlo)

Image: Pinterest

I am loving Prague's coffee culture. Each week I try and visit somewhere new.
Here are 6 of my favourite coffee shops in Prague (so far):

Cafe Frida

A hidden gem just outside of Prague city-centre, with delicious Mexican food and cool décor. I wanted to come here on my first night in Prague, but they don't take credit cards or Euros. So, as soon as I had my hands on some Korunas, I was back through those black doors and have become something of a regular. 

                      

                      UN CAFE MAS PORFAVOR
                    "No puedo dejar de beber los cafes"

           

The coffee is good and is served with a small glass of water and a little caramel biscuit.  

Try their:

- Raspberry and lime lemonade (the best raspberry lemonade I've had so far, with real raspberries)

- Chicken Chipotle Tortilla (spicy)
- Chicken Quesadilla
- Their Guac!

- But pretty much everything looks good! I've yet to try the burgers. 

The menu is only available in Czech, but if you know any Spanish, you should get by just fine. The first time I ate at Cafe Frida, they reassured me that their English menu was busy being printed. That was about 5 weeks ago. In the meanwhile, the staff (all young) have been more than happy to translate for me.   

NOTE: They must have known this blog was coming, as this week the waitress very excitedly told me that they had finally received their English menu!

The portions are quite big. 
All main meals come with nachos.

http://www.cafefrida.cz/

Karlínské náměstí 11

180 00 Praha 

cafefrida@email.cz

Tel: +420 728 042 910

Café Dismas - Cafe without Prejudice

I pretty much camped out here in my first two weeks, because the staff are friendly, the couches are comfy and the coffee is good and Fair Trade.  

Dismas (as in St Dismas, the penitent thief) prides itself on being a bias-free zone.They have a great project going on, where they employ socially disadvantaged people and former convicts, in order to reintegrate them into society. The goal is to help them succeed in the open labour market in the future. 

Try:

- Their jugs of lemonade (0,5 l)
- Their range of hot chocolates: you get hot milk and a chunk of chocolate on a stick (which comes        in different flavours) and voila!

http://dismas.cz/

Na Poříčí 37/1061, 110 00 Praha 1

Tel .: +420 727 945 745

Cafe Ebel

The coffee is Direct Trade, which means that the boss communicates directly with the farmer, and that there are no third parties involved.

Try:

- the chocolate cappuccino (below)
- the chocolate brownie topped with caramel and white chocolate shavings - to die for!

 

http://ebelcoffee.cz/en/

Cafe Ebel Kaprová

Kaprová 11, Praha 1

+420 604 265 125

Tricafe

You wouldn't believe that this great little place is right next to Charles Bridge, with its swarms of tourists. Tricafe is perfectly hidden in a quiet square.

You can buy these photographs and
follow the photographers on Instagram.

You get a jug of fresh water when you arrive - which I love! 

(It's not a typical Czech thing to do AT ALL). 

Leave your mark on their chalk board. 

Anyone can tick off where they come from.
There are now 12 South Africans. 

- Try the orange and coconut cake

You can also exchange your old books for new ones. 

http://tricafe.weebly.com/

Anenska 188/3, Prague 110 00

+420 222 210 326

La Bohème Café

Awesome décor and a really cool vibe. Could sit here for ages.

Try the Lavender Latte!

 

Even the bathrooms are fun!

The Indian Spice tea is also really good.
They suggested having it cold, but I loved it hot.

http://www.labohemecafe.eu/

Sázavská 2031/32,
Praha 2-Vinohrady, 120 00
+420 734 207 049

Můj šálek kávy (My Cup of Coffee)

I love that you can arrive here at 3:30pm on a Sunday and still have breakfast off their Weekend Menu. It's always good to know that the extremely late-risers of the world are catered for.

  

The food and coffee are great! However, I did feel that their apricot and lemon balm lemonade could have used a little more apricot and a little less soda water... And that they could have been a bit more generous with the vanilla syrup in the "London Fog". 

http://www.mujsalekkavy.cz/

Křižíkova 386/105, 

186 00 Praha

+420 222 981 874

Saving the World Two Tanks at a Time

Perhaps you're wondering what I'm up to when I'm not doing walking tours of Prague, visiting Bone Chapels or being called a Step-geek. 

Well, I am an intern at an NGO, the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award for Young People: Czech Republic (it’s called the President’s Award for Youth Empowerment in South Africa). I have completed the gold level of the Award, which means that I completed 5 tasks: learned a new skill, did 72hrs of community service, went on a 5-day adventure hike, participated in a sport and spent one month at a residential project. All these tasks had to be completed within the space of 18 months and I had to show progress in each component. 

I'd never really thought about doing the Award until half way through my second last year of high school. The main reason I hadn't considered it, was because of the adventure hike. I am a city-slicker through and through. Hiking is not my cup of tea. But I thought "it's now or never" (I seem to do that a lot) and decided to do the Award. 

Image: http://www.holidaybug.co.za/the-best-hikes-garden-route/

For the residential project, I got to spend one month in Thailand and it was honestly one of the best experiences of my life. I found myself in a small village in the north of Thailand, in the mountains. The village had no drinking water, no electricity and no showers. It was really basic. The week before we arrived, they had built one flushing toilet. I bet you're thinking "Wow. Is this the same girl who hates hiking?" Well, something changed that year. 

    

Our task was to provide the village with clean drinking water. This entailed finding a water source, digging trenches from the water source to the village, laying down pipes and building two large water storage tanks. Standing in front of those tanks and hearing the water run into them and knowing that the village would have fresh water long after we left, must be the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

Perhaps not the most stable-looking scaffolding. 
Don't look now, mom!

The Team

The Thai people were so warm and accommodating and although we did not speak the same language, we managed to get by with smiles. I stayed in the same little house as the grandfather of the village, with two other girls on the project. Every night, without fail, Gramps would shake the entire house with his thunderous snoring, and every morning, the village rooster would crow right underneath us. Oh, did I mention I’m not too keen on birds either!

With Gramps

I really believe that the Duke of Edinburgh's Award has played an important part of who I have become in the last few years, and it doesn't hurt that it looks great on my CV. But who would have thought that I would land up interning in Prague!

8 million young people from 140 countries around the world have participated in the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. Check the Award out at: http://www.intaward.org/

On my way to save the world...

Love, Labour Day and Eiffel Towers

No, I'm not talking about Paris, the City of Love, but you'd be right to be confused. 

Petřínská Rozhledna

Being alone in Prague on Labour Day is like being on your own on Valentine’s Day at home… not wanting to join in the rallies, I headed for Petřín Tower (Petřínská Rozhledna), otherwise known as Prague’s Eiffel Tower.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived at Petřín Hill and all I could see were couples making out under the cherry blossom trees.

Seeing all these lovers really drills into you that your significant other is half way around the world. Wandering around by myself, I even got a few looks of pity! 

Take that, you star-crossed lovers!

A few action-shots:

 

This one is quite sweet actually.

And so, I climbed almost 300 steps to the top of the tower. Well, more like I conquered them. I'm afraid of heights. It had rained earlier that day, I clung onto the metal railing which was icy cold, and the wind hit me like a knife. Even the steps were wet! By the time I reached the first observation deck, I was a little worse for wear and my fingers were numb. But not wanting to give up - who knew what was going on in my head at the time? I decided to plough-on. "You can do this, girl"... Deep breath... "Don't look down"... Pause... "Keep going!"... Deep breath..."Oh, crap! I looked down".

There are two staircases around the tower, so that
the people going up will never meet those going down.

I finally reached the top. Of course the view was worth it. But then there's the next problem with travelling alone... Who will take your picture? I'd only have pictures of the monuments and scenery, if I didn't occasionally ask someone to take my picture... usually after they ask me to take their couple picture... a young girl travelling alone is obviously very approachable. 

Prague Castle at night.

Do the walk up - you can stop, catch your breath and take pictures along the way. The lines for the funicular (Lanovka) were a nightmare both times I went. Maybe take the funicular down. It's cool that you can use your public transport ticket for the funicular and you won't have to pay extra. 

Prague Castle

Along the way...

Take your student card, you'll only pay 65 Kc to go up the tower, instead of 120 Kc. 

The Mirror Maze (Zrcadlové bludiště na Petříně) is very small and you may have to wait in a line inside the actual building, if it is a busy day. You may find it disappointing, so, only pay it a visit if you feel like a laugh and enjoy taking pictures of yourself looking distorted. The maze has 35 ordinary and 15 distorting mirrors (which sounds like a lot, but really isn't).

The tower lights up at night, just like the real deal.

The whole situation reminds of my dinner for one predicament. "Table for 2?" "No, for 1. I'm alone, OKAY?" It's just me, myself and I... and that's okay, because this year is all about being a strong, independent woman, with my beautiful red lipstick. But a post about all that for another day.