Thanksgiving, part deux

I want to go to Paris. Danny wants to go to Paris. Yeah, yeah, I know, everyone wants to go to Paris. I can't help it, when I think of food, I think of Paris. Don't get me wrong, I love to eat in Italy (pizza, pasta, gelati,) Czech Republic (Staroceske trdlo,) Austria (schnitzel and streudel,) Germany (flammkuchen,) Ireland (sausage,) to name a few and the list goes on and on (and on and on and on...,) but as great as all of those places are, nothing holds a candle to Paris. Every corner, every bakery, every restaurant offers something luscious, delicious, rich, and amazing from the pampelmousse (grapefruit) sorbet to the pain au chocolate from the steak to the foie gras, yum yum yum. But, alas, Paris is out of reach temporarily due to lack of time and money. Instead, I indulged the foodie by duplicating my favorite American meal. (You may recall that I was responsible only for dessert at our family gathering this year.) So, sans dessert this time, Danny and I had a second Thanksgiving feast.

candied yams

mashed potatoes and enough cranberry sauce for a large family

Tom

and the piece de resistance...stuffing (and courtesy of our new diet - more on that in a future post - there is still some left in the freezer for future food emergencies.)

Best of...

As my final two Bulgarian posts, I'm going to do a best of montage.  This first post will be a collection of images from my favorite trips and places outside of Bulgaria this year.  If you're using me as a reference for future trips...this is the post for you:

Athens/Delphi:

   

This was one of the most incredible places I have ever been.  The connection to history and literature, the geography, the magic in the air...in spite of what people told me, I loved Athens, but I wouldn't have loved it nearly as much if we hadn't gone to Delphi.

Baden Baden:

Just when I needed it most, along came Baden Baden (and thanks to Geoffrey and Cora, also Strasbourg and Heidelberg).  It is the most beautiful non-island paradise I have ever experienced.  I met Geoffrey and Cora only a few months ago, and prior to that I'd never heard of Baden Baden...now I'm thrilled to have such great friends and I'm already planning my next trip to visit them there!  With so many incredible places in the world to see, a return trip speaks volumes.

Budapest:

Big, wide boulevards...great food...lovely people...Budapest was an incredible experience.  We were there for Christmas and I hope to get back someday during the spring, as I can only imagine how incredible it is then.  Don't miss St. Stephen's and the baths!

Istanbul:

Everyone wants to go to Istanbul to see the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque...and they were amazing.  What knocked my socks off however, was the Basillica Cistern.  Everyone should see Turkey, particularly Istanbul as it is a crossroads of culture.  It's a pretty phenomenal experience.

New York:

What can I say...I'm a Europhile, but New York will always be home.  Visiting my family over spring break proved to be a pivotal moment in my year.  

Prague:

I'll admit - I was skeptical.  Another Eastern European city and one that had been hyped by everyone...surely it couldn't live up to my expectations.  It really did.  Prague is as beautiful as people say.  Totally worth the trip...I'd go back.  And fyi...St. Vitus Church at Prague Castle is without a doubt, the most incredible church I've ever seen.  It has edged out Sainte Chapelle as my new favorite.

Valencia:

We spent Thanksgiving here.  I knew nothing about Valencia, but found a cheap flight and decided to give it a shot.  It turned out to be one of my favorite cities, ever.  My memories are a little bittersweet now, since it was the last trip Greg and I took together, but all in all, it was a fabulous place and fabulous trip.

Vienna:

Vienna was ok.  Honestly, of all the places I've been, it wasn't my favorite (but everyone else in the world loves it, so you may want to go see it anyway).  My time there though was one of my best trips.  The weather was perfect, the gardens were in bloom, and Jr. and I had a blast together.  We ate well, walked a lot, and bonded.  And to top it all off, this was my first trip accompanied by music that subsequently became the soundtrack of my spring and my link to my home and my future.

Fun, fun, and more fun...

You know you're back in Eastern Europe when:

humans are dressed as dancing trees for no apparent reason

men are openly drinking beer on the subway

and lollicops are sleeping on the job

Loving the cafe culture in Old Town!

Radost Cafe - fun!

Fun signs:

So....we wanted to go into the Jewish Cemetary, but...since we didn't...Cat took some photos through the slats in the gate:

Cat and Steve have a contest going...any time either of them travels, the goal is to bring back the most tacky, offensive kitcsh they can find. Cat's been winning lately; a victory on this trip was ensured because now there were two of us. Below is a photo of our first choice gift, but it exceeded the 5 Euro price limit. These are Russian dolls in the images of celebrities. The sports figures are funny, but Obama, Bin Laden, and the pope...those were truly offensive.

And just in case you were wondering, we ended up with three great gifts...all quite offensive...all riffs on local traditions such as the Soviet leaders in Berlin, socially acceptable behavior in rebellious Prague (think Milan Kundera), and cubism that included the phrases 3x and spanek. That's all I'm willing to publish about that. 

Big open squares with live music, fountains, and gorgeous warm sunny days...what more could you ask for on holiday?

Paddleboating in the Vltava River...great sun, great views sunbathers (and of the Charles Bridge), and new friends as we did a camera exchange for photos. A perfect and relaxing end to a lovely holiday!

Catching rays at lunch near Prague Castle:

Eatin' well in Prague

George, the chocolate monkey


For our first dinner in Prague, we went to Cafe Louvre. We ate outside on a rooftop patio between buildings...it was adorable. I started with an asparagus appetizer, since 'tis the season...

For our main courses, Cat ordered Vaclav Havel's favorite dish, roast beef in a carrot sauce, cranberries and sour cream, with a side of potato dumplings...it was interesting...

Sticking with the cranberry theme, I ordered the duck breast with cranberry sauce, leek saute, and potato cakes...delicious!



That evening we headed out to Radost for dessert. Lounging on a comfy, bright pink couch, listening to the DJ spin, we indulged in chocolate cake and key lime pie.



After walking around Old Town all day, and then strolling across the Charles Bridge on our way to Prague Castle, we decided to stop for lunch. Cat continued her quest to try all the Czech beers, while I continued to enjoy Czech cuisine. (Cat was ready for a change and went for jalapeno poppers for an appetizer; I had potato pancakes with cabbage.)

Grabbing every opportunity, once again I ordered the duck. This time it was in a cabernet demi-glace. Again, delicious!


While strolling down Parizska (the street of Paris, which has beautiful buildings and all the shops you'd find on Madison Ave), we stopped at a cafe for coffee treats.



That same night (oh yes, the entire day was focused on eating), we went for our final dinner in Prague. Having had our fair share of Czech food, we felt compelled to try something different. We gave in to the ubiquitous messages that we were meant to eat Thai and headed across the street from our hotel to the Lemon Leaf Restaurant. It was amazing!

We began with a goat cheese salad appetizer. I realize the picture doesn't do it justice...but notice it's half eaten...it was so good I couldn't stop long enough to take the photo! The goat cheese was baked in honey, then covered with pistachio pesto and sitting atop spring mix drizzled with balsamic...wow.

We opted to dine family style, since we wanted one of everything. The first dish was a veggie couscous, including more fresh asparagus. The second dish was pork and lime rice with tomato sauce. So good!



On our last day, we crossed the bridge again and this time made it all the way to Prague Castle. On our way back down, we stopped for lunch at one of the cafes on the grounds. I had a chef salad that was as big as my head. That's chicken, heirloom tomatos, bacon, and fresh mozzerlla you see.

And we certainly couldn't leave without dessert after we laid eyes on the apple streudel with vanilla custard sauce...yup, those are vanilla beans in there!



And the highlight of the trip....Staroceske Trdlo...crazy bread! The closest thing we have in the states is a sweet pretzel. Basically, it's a bun dough that is dipped in crushed almonds, cinnamon, and sugar, then grilled so all those goodies carmelize. This is a mini-version of the yummy fire roasted treats Alanna and I had in the Budapest Christmas markets. Lucky for me, not only are the ones in Prague better, they are available year round! Luckier for me, I discovered this on our first evening, and my favorite shop was in walking distance to everything we did...so I went back over, and over, and over, and over....you get the idea...





And fyi...I did find a recipe on the internet to make them on a grill at home...I will definitely try it out and let you know how it goes!