obložené chlebícky

Obložené Chlebícky are artful open-faced sandwiches. As our food tour guides Zuzi and Karolina said: the Czech version of fast food. Sorry I can't help with the pronunciation. Below are a caseful of these beauties at a deli in Prague. It's a fuzzy shot, but you get a hint of the variety and creativity available in these little sandwiches.

Blue Doors

For this Too Good to Miss Tuesday I must address a universal truth . . . blue doors are beautiful. The evidence: substantial number of instances found throughout Europe.

With shades ranging from chicken egg blue (yes they exist--my sister has a chicken that lays blue eggs) to "almost green" turquoise I love them all. Included are a few "un-door" examples too significant to leave out.

"Sky on a snowy day blue" with a "dash of retro vibe aqua"

Clockwise from top left: Riomaggiore Italy, Bratislava Slovakia, Paris France x2, Verona Italy, Paris France

"Solemn-enough" grey/blue fit for nobility and a monastery

Clockwise from top left: Modena Italy, Prague Czech Republic (x2), Inveraray Scotland. Center: Prage Czech Republic

"You know you want to know more" electric blue  juxtaposed with "sophisticated sky" blues

Clockwise from top left: Bologna Italy, Amsterdam Netherlands, Zurich Switzerland, Amsterdam Netherlands. Center: Paris, France

The unorthodox mix . . . of course the Gelato University sign is blue, and the 2 black doors in Amsterdam are made even more stunning by the neighboring blue paint. Those sky blue/grey door and window frames in Zurich are the portals to a cozy home decor shop. I dream of wallpapering a nook with their library/book wall covering just as they did.

Turquoise that's all I'm gonna say

Clockwise from top left: Ghent Belgium, Inveraray Scotland, Dozza Italy, Gothenburg Sweden, Verona Italy, Edinburgh Scotland

And below, the pic of that romanticly lit door caught in a drizzly haze was the last blue door I captured on my last night in Europe.

Ardently Indigo

Clockwise from left: Bergen Norway, London (Notting Hill) England, Paris France

A morning walk in Prague

May I please buy an adjective? I can't think of enough to appropriately describe the scenery around me.

We stayed in a "charming" hotel, above the castle away from the city center, but still only a short tram ride from all the action if you didn't feel like walking. The staff was fantastic. Oh and yes, it's part of the monastery.

Exiting our hotel and then the monastery walls through "enchanting" archways...

To this "idyllic" landscape...

On "time worn" paths...

Past "enigmatic" doors...

Over the "grand" Charles Bridge...

To find yourself with this "splendid" view...

Is a "sublime" way to spend a final day in Prague.

Spring for a Day in Prague

The sun came out for one glorious 50°F shining day. I am THAT happy about it. Along with it came the birds and all the other tourists. You could hear them singing (people and birds). It's a wonder how a blue sky makes everything more beautiful.

Your brain teaser for today: What are the 11 differences you find between these 2 pictures.

                 

Prague, Progressive Feast

What has 37 ingredients, is 8 years old and is from Geneva?
The sauce on my Entrecôte at this restaurant.

Yes we are in Prague right now eating at Cafe de Paris, but it comes recommended in Where Chefs Eat and from our Taste of Prague tour guides. The sauce was delicious served with beef, french fries, and a salad with sinus clearing horseradish dressing. And our servers were endearing.

Now back to our Taste of Prague tour. We spent 4 amazing, taste bud tickling hours on this tour. Our guides were a delight. Not only did we taste prague food, but we received a good helping of Czech history and warm hospitality.

We started at Cestr, where meat is the main course, every part. And the menu changes twice a day based on fresh ingredients. There must have been 15 different dishes on our table. My favorites were the chicken with stuffing and truffle sauce, fried cheese, and golden muscle (cut of beef) with goose fat sauce.

This restaurant butchers their own meat. The meat is brought in from a local provider and it is stored in-house. Those numbers on the glass refer to the age of the cow and the number of days the meat has been aged.

After the meat course we shared some sweet items. Ice cream and sweet poppy seed rolls in a vanilla foam. These rolls are a typical Czech item that may be served as a meal. Sweets for a meal, I'm game!

We then went for a walk down Wenceslas square to our next stop to try typical Czech fast food, an open faced sandwich with a variety of toppings. A few typical items include potato salad as a spread (instead of mayo) and a Czech pickle.

At Choco Cafe we had these lovely little pastries that are only made by one bakery in the country. Only 2 people know the recipe. "They say" they are not allowed to travel on a plane together. You dip them in the chocolate. Or you can drink a whole cup full of the chocolate.

Here our tour guides and group enjoyed the last hour together. This was the perfect way to spend our first official day in Prague. Our guides were fantastic, sharing their perspective and enthusiasm for Prague. When you're in Prague I highly recommend a Taste of Prague tour!

2 cities in 3 days with lots of yummy food

Starting in Prague we enjoyed a meal of traditional Czech food with a modern twist

Cucumber ginger lemonade. Loved this drink, however they did NOT use burp-less cucumbers :)

Katie's dish of Duck Confit with potato dumplings was my favorite. I will take duck like this anytime.

My dish of beef tenderloin was tastyreminding me of thanksgiving dinner with the stuffing-like bread dumplings and current dressing.

Then off to Vienna o the train. Yes we sang the Blue Danube waltz and may have yodeled as the train crossed the Danube into Vienna.

Before the opera that night we had italian. That is a calzone the size of a football on Katie's plate. It was prepared and baked in an oven right next to us and the man was a magician with dough. Wow! 

Gutenmorgen Vienna! We worked up quite the appetite during our cold morning walk around the city and meandering with the hordes of people through the farmers market. My pastries weighed at least 2 pounds. An apple strudel and something filled with a less sweet tasting eggnoggy custard. It was hard to balance them on our laps they were so huge. You know that pigeon is just waiting for one to go down. We both almost lost our fingers to frostbite to enjoy these sweeties.

Later hotdogs. These aren't just any hot dogs. This is a hotdog/bratwurst filled with cheese in a whole crusty baguette. Perfect when sitting on a bench when accompanied by an accordion player performing Flight of the Bumble Bee.

After a very packed day (more tomorrow) we ended the evening with this: an original Sacher Torte. The cake is drier on the inside than expected but the yummy dark chocolate on the outside makes up for it.