Mushrooms Chicken Mushrooms is my favorite at Friday's too. I hope you signed up for the new version of "frequent fridays" which they cancelled last month without telling anyone. It called Goldpoints (more info at www.goldpoints.com or www.fridays.com .

Great report as always. I really like that you convert all the foreign currencies, because I am waaaaay too lazy to do mth when i read FT

[This message has been edited by markbach (edited 09-18-2000).]

QuietLion,

Thanks so much for sharing a great story! Brought back a lot of memories, and a lot of contrasts as well. The last time I was in Prague (summer of '71), they were still repairing the bullet holes in the National Museum.

Wow, how things have changed! Casinos? Versace pullovers? T.G.I. Friday's? Graffitti? All of that would have been unthinkable during the days of the Workers' Paradise!

But some things stay the same. The Charles Bridge and the Hradcany Castle. Wenceslas Square and the National Musuem. The old town square, the clock tower, and the statue of Jan Huss. "The cobblestone streets, red roofs, and Medieval spires." Charles University.

I especially liked your story of the girls who said, "Hey what�s up man! Don�t hit me in my ...!" Actually that reminded me more of the Festrunk brothers from Sat. Night Live.

Wow! You've really rekindled some memories! Now, I've gotta go back and see firsthand what's changed...and what's still the same. Now, as soon as CO fares start to drop for the winter...sigh!

I know that that long and detailed, but fascinating narration, took you some time to write. I really appreciate the fact that you took the time to share it. And the pics were great too! Thanx, QuietLion!



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"An upgrade, an upgrade! My kingdom for an upgrade!"

Great report, QL. Keep 'em coming...

Ah, another QL saga. I'm going to have good travel reading for a while....

Of all the possible things I could comment on, I will just mention that Joker Poker machines with the jackpot paying on five of a kind are very easy to find in Atlantic City.

The Princess of Poland

Kevin�s flight from Warsaw was due in at 10:50 so when I didn�t hear from him by 12:15 I went down to the lobby to wait for his arrival. My old friends Jim and Carol from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, were down there waiting for their friends so we chatted a bit. I was about to walk across the street to the Czech Airlines office to ask if the flight was delayed when I saw Kevin standing by the front desk. He had been here for 45 minutes but couldn�t call up to my room because the staff told him my reservation was canceled and I had gone home. Just after I went down to the lobby he had read my email with my room number in it and called my room and left two messages but I had already left for the lobby.

Kevin told me he had met the princess of Poland, who had attended his seminar in Warsaw. We went for a walk but first asked the concierge to make dinner reservations for us for the next three nights at the three restaurants mentioned in Three Perfect Days, two of which I had been to and agreed were tops: Aqua and Kampa Park. The third, Bellevue, I had tried to get into on the last trip but it was reserved for a private party.

We headed straight for Pravda for a great lunch. I taught Kevin how to pronounce Pa��sk� Street. Inside Pravda was full but we sat outside in the brisk air since we had brought our jackets and we watched the tour groups filter through the Jewish Quarter. I had gazpacho and a perfect Pacific salmon. Kevin had a burger. He told me about meeting the princess of Poland. Service was provided by a mysteriously smiling young Czech waitress, charming as usual. The bill came to 1190 K� ($29) for two.

Refueled, we walked back through Old Town Square and did the required pilgrimage to the crystal shops. I took Kevin through New Town, where we stopped at Kaverna Slavia for a couple of Coca Cola Lights. The waiter asked us if we wanted zero-two or zero-three and we said zero-three of course, we�re Americans, so he brought us two large fountain glasses of Coke Light, the name used for Diet Coke in Europe and the JFK Red Carpet Club. Kevin told me he had met the princess of Poland. We got the Czech and then strolled across the bridge and through Little Town where I showed him my favorite candle shop where on my first trip I had bought a huge 30 lb. candle and schlepped it back home to Hunnybear to prove my love for her.

We walked over the Charles Bridge but there was only one musician playing the autoharp with hammers and no Dixieland band. The tourist season was apparently winding down. We walked all the way back to the Marriott and Kevin took a nap while I played some video poker and got hoovered for a couple thousand koruna. As I played I suspected I had made a math error in creating my strategy table so I went to play some blackjack and won back what I had lost at video poker.

At 7:40 it was time for Kevin to meet me in the lobby for dinner. We took the hotel car to Aqua for 300 K� ($7.50) and were seated in the best table in the house for a phenomenal dinner served by a charming young Czech waitress with a mysterious smile. She recommended the �antipasto,� actually a tasting selection of five appetizers, all of which were phenomenal. We worked our way down the long narrow platter they were served upon as Kevin mentioned to me that he had met the princess of Poland. First was asparagus in a sweet sauce, cooked perfectly. Next came pat� de fois gras, then a salmon terrine, grilled monkfish with wheat noodles, and finally a duck spring roll. Yum! As recommended in Three Perfect Days we ordered a bottle of the local Riesling which way dry and delicious. For the main course I had venison with a chocolate sauce that made me grow fangs. Kevin enjoyed the chicken, broiled to a golden brown. As a rule I don�t eat dessert but Three Perfect Days said to order the raspberries au gratin so I did, with a glass of Sauternes. Perfect. The bill came to 3000 K� ($75) including a 10% tip.

It turned out Aqua had a casino in the back so we popped in and Kevin got hoovered in about five minutes at blackjack while I watched some locals play a blackjack-like game called Pontoon. A five-card hand that didn�t bust got paid 3 to 2 (or �6 to 4� as the felt declared), blackjack paid 2-1, and the dealer won pushes. We walked the short 20 minutes back to the hotel but we walked quickly as it was getting nippy. We headed straight for the Millennium Casino on floor �1 of the Marriott and I made quite a killing at blackjack and even at the evil video-poker game now that I had my adjusted strategy chart. Kevin headed up early, wanting to reflect on his meeting the princess of Poland, and I followed not too long thereafter.


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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com

Yes, but has anyone ever met the Princess of Poland?

Wow...the whole republic! (But, did you meet the Princess of Poland?)

Quietlion,
Great report.
If you have time, go take a look at the newly restored 14th century "Last Judgement Mosaic" on the south gate of St. Vitus.
It was inaugurated officially on the 15th by Vaclav Havel. Spent quite a few years working on it.



[This message has been edited by Droneklax (edited 09-19-2000).]

The Princess must be a real museum piece, since the Russians, Prussians, and Austrians divided Poland up a LONG LONG time ago. Because life was not very good for the Poles in that arrangement, there was a mass migration in the Early 1900's to America. And that's how I got to be born in Michigan

Oh, Kew El! I shoulda mentioned my fave spot for when you gotta have a burger (that really tastes like a burger), decent shoestrings and a pint o' Guinness ... Molly Malone's at 4 U. pbechniho dvora, Prague 1. It's on a little alley just east of the InterConti. You will get hosed for the Guinness but Molly's is open late - 1ish or 2ish. Tres cozy and comfortable. Good blend of ex-pats of all kinds and some locals. I generally avoid ex-pat hangouts and eateries when in Prague, but Molly's is a gem.

Another gem lies a copule of doors down from Fruits de France, off Vaclavske namesti. Can't remember the name of the place, but if you can find F de F (on Opletalo), you're about 3 or 4 doors away from it. This small bakery sells delicious little open-faced sandwiches, kind of like a Czech version of tapas. You can get 'em to go or eat at the stand-up tables. Quick and cheap, about a buck apiece.

[This message has been edited by essxjay (edited 09-20-2000).]

QL,

If you don't mind, approximately what rate should I expect at the Marriott? I am considering Prague in October and the rate I've seen is about $220 USD which seems high.

Thanks.

Carberry

Thanks for the comments everybody! Glad to know you're reading.

$220 is the lowest rate I was able to get at the Marriott until I booked through American Express Travel Services. They had a negotiated rate of $135.

Lying Cheating Thieves

Today was the day to climb the hill, called Castle Hill, to see the castle, called Prague Castle. We set out through Old Town Square and across the Charles Bridge where we stopped for a bit to listen to some Dixieland jazz. I tipped the musicians 40 K� ($1). When we got across the Vltava to the Castle side Kevin wanted to change some money so we poked our noses in a couple of places and settled on a place that advertised 0% commission and had a �buy� rate posted that looked pretty darn good. Kevin slapped down two Benjies and got about 10% less money back than he had expected. The girl explained that there was no commission, but there was a 9.8% service charge and it was written in plain English in fine print below the sign with the rates. He asked to cancel the transaction but it was impossible so we hung around about 10 minutes with Kevin continually asking for his money back, the girl saying no, and me warning potential customers away. After I had scared away three sets of customers and she hadn�t budged we decided to move on. The name of the lying cheating thieves was Chequepoint and they are all over the city, recognizable by their big �0% Commission� sign. Beware!

We walked through Little Town Square and up Nerudova to the Bazaar restaurant for some lunch and a view. I had an excellent beef carpaccio and some yummy squares of garlic bread. We had a very leisurely lunch and enjoyed the view. Afterwards we walked up the hill all the way to the Hotel Savoy because I wanted to say hello to Jana, the concierge there who was so great the last time Andrew and I visited in March. She was there, bright and smily as always, and I introduced Kevin and said we just popped in to say hi. She asked why we weren�t staying at the Savoy and I replied that it had been fully booked, which was true, but I preferred the Marriott anyway except Jana wasn�t there. I gave her the www.liontales.com web address so she could look at pictures of herself.

By this time the skies had cleared and the weather couldn�t have been better. We walked back to the Castle and did the executive tour, popping into the Cathedral of St. Katharine but otherwise briskly strolling around the grounds. Kevin got a Coke Light from a vendor who was selling them for 50 K� ($1.25) and selling beer for 5 K� less. We walked down to the gardens below Prague Castle, called Gardens Below Prague Castle, and paid 80 K� ($2) each for the privilege of strolling through. There were no flowers just terraced lawns. We ended up back near Little Town Square and decided to look for the John Lennon Wall. We walked to and fro but didn�t find it even though we asked a nice lady for directions. She sent us though the park by the river so we walked all the way through and ended up back at the Charles Bridge where we gave up and headed back toward the hotel. I stopped briefly at the lying cheating thieves at Chequepoint to warn a half-dozen potential customers that they were lying cheating thieves and then we walked back to the Marriott. We must have covered 10 miles.

I went down to play some video poker and blackjack and as usual lost at video poker and won at blackjack. Around 7:40 it was time to meet Kevin to walk to dinner. Tonight we had reservations at Bellevue, a very fancy place on the river with a modest entryway that was easy to miss as we walked by. I saw a big �B� on the sidewalk though and that was the tip-off. We entered right after another American couple who was asked to sit and wait for a few minutes and they likewise asked us to wait. But a few seconds later they said our table was ready! We quickly followed, leaving the previous couple mumbling remarks about why we got seated first.

They showed us to a table in the back but Three Perfect Days had said to beg for a window table so we asked if there was anything better. We ended up outside on the terrace, which we didn�t mind because we were both wearing coats and they had heaters on. I ordered the exact meal recommended in Three Perfect Days, the wild mushroom and aubergine terrine, the fallow deer and duck combination, and the wild berries for dessert, which I don�t eat as a rule but it was recommended in the article. We also ordered the Moravian wine recommended in the article which was inexpensive and tasty. Before the appetizer the chef sent out a complimentary puff pastry filled with delicious salmon mousse. Food and service were excellent. We sat sipping wine and gazing up at Prague Castle over the river as recommended by United Airlines as we slowly dined. The bill came to over 4000 K� ($100) after tip for the two of us.

We walked back to the hotel to play some blackjack and I quickly got sucked down but remarkably made a comeback. Two ex-pats, Larry and Robert, came and sat down next to us and the whole table started winning so much that they were running out of purple 250 K� chips so I cashed in some of mine for red 1000 K� ones. We played for a couple hours then felt the momentum shift so we all cashed out winners. Larry and Robert knew a good club to go to so we hailed a taxi (never get in a taxi standing still in Prague because they have the turbo meters) and because they spoke Czech we got the real rate of 78 K� ($2) instead of the courtesy rate tourists normally pay. We got to the club and it turned out to be a ballet show so we had a few extremely expensive beers and watched the show until the wee hours. We decided to meet up with Robert and Larry tomorrow night for dinner and more blackjack. As the hours passed Kevin and I decided our strategy for tomorrow night would be to stay up all night rather than trying to get a couple hours sleep before our early-morning flights.

The taxi ride back cost 250 K�, the more normal courtesy rate, and we ended up home after five.


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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com

The wall is a bit work to find, even when you know where it is on a street map. Speak any French? If so, you can ask nicely at the French embassy and they'll point you there. The ambassador's office overlooks the Wall.

[This message has been edited by essxjay (edited 09-20-2000).]

QL,

I read all of your travelogues. I love all of them... including this one. Sitting here in Copenhagen on vacation (trip report coming when I get back) thinking about how to get OneWorld to do a Berlin, Prague, Vienna mileagerun in nine days next spring for less than a fortune.

Keep 'em coming!