Easter travels, part IV: Praha (continued)

I just couldn’t wait to share more photographs of the lovely city of Prague with you!  Especially when the alternative is to continue revising.  I think I deserve a break, right?

Inside the Katedrála St. Víta (St. Vitus’ Cathedral), the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. I keep using the same adjectives to describe the cathedrals of Europe, but each of them is truly magnificent. Work on this one began in 1344. What history!

There was an entrance fee to go past where the rope is, just before the pews begin.  This broke my heart, because I’ve never heard of their being an entry fee to a house of worship.  This opened my eyes to the lack of widespread, strong faith in the Czech people.  I’m not certain why this is, but I’m glad that there is still a Christan presence and that the government is still committed to preserving this magnificent cathedral.

I was stunned by the view of morning sunlight streaming through this stained glass window in St. Vitus, overlaying the wall next to it with vivid colours.

Bazilika Sv. Jiří (St. George’s Basilica). I don’t think I have ever seen a church painted such a vivid colour before; I love it! This was originally built in 920, expanded in 973, and rebuilt following fire in 1142.

This was the street sign for a pedestrian crossing; every time we saw one I grinned, because it reminded me of Billy Joel’s song, “Piano Man.” All I can see when I look at it is a man dancing on giant piano keys!

The next place we explored was the Karlův Most, or Charles Bridge, which was built in 1357!  This is the most famous bridge in Prague; dozens of beautiful old statues, many of saints, line the entire bridge for pedestrians.  Local artists and craftsmen dot the entire length, displaying and selling their work.  I stopped at many of them to admire the jewelry, paintings, or other pieces, and everyone I talked to was quite friendly whether they spoke English or not.  Fortunately, I at least know how to say hello, good day, please, and thank you in Czech [thanks to my wonderful voice teacher at Erskine, Ms. Svatonova, a native of Prague]!

A collage of a dozen of the statues that line the Karlův Most.  Scott laughed at me because I spent several minutes in front of every single statue admiring it.

This bridge had a place specifically for lovers to add a lock, just like the bridge in Paris. I love seeing symbols of love like this!

Despite how little sleep I had the previous two nights, how long I had already been awake, and how cold I was, I was still so excited to see everything! This is at one end of the bridge, near a super old tower.

This was my favourite part of the bridge. It dates to 1628.

A series of plaques in English, Hebrew, and Czech beside The Calvary explains the Hebrew on the statue:
” The addition to the statue of the Hebrew inscription and the explanatory texts from 1696 is the result of improper court proceedings against Elias Backoffen, who was accused of debasing the Holy Cross. The additon of the Hebrew inscripton of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Holy, holy, holy is our Lord of the multitude,” which represent a very important expression of faith in the Jewish tradition, was intended to humiliate the Jewish community.”

A detail of the crucifix. This photograph brings tears to my eyes nearly every time I see it; I can’t explain why but it really touched me.

This was my second favourite part of the bridge.

The Latin inscription underneath this reads,
“O vos omnes, qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte, si est dolor sicut dolor meus.”

We finally made it to the other side of the bridge! It probably took us an hour in total to make it across, mostly thanks to me taking so much time to look at everything. It was entirely worth it though!

Scott and I had a late lunch at Lokal, which gave me heart-shaped sugar…cubes?…with my drink. The waiter was super friendly, recommending good combinations of traditional food. I had fried cheese with homemade tartar sauce and a side of buttered potatoes. Sounds like an odd combination but it was delicious!

This is the restaurant we ate at, Lokal, which boasts of being the narrowest restaurant in Prague. I believe them! I took this standing several metres in from the front door, looking toward the back.

The façade of a building in Prague (not certain which one, though I know where it was). Almost all of the older buildings were ornate like this and often quite colourful.

I have so many more photographs and stories to share with you, but I need to spend some time revising before our hall’s Valedictory dinner this evening.  I was sort of nominated to give a speech, so that will definitely be improvised.  We’ll see how it goes!  I am looking forward to it though.  I also want to wish a huge congratulations to all of the 4th year students at Erskine who finished their last undergraduate classes today!  I wish you all the best as you finish out your semester and take your final exams.  Less than 10 days left! I am praying for you all.

An Ode to Ranch Dressing

One of the most important and bonding characteristics of any culture or society is food, and Scotland is no exception.  I have tried many different dishes and drinks since I have been here with varying success.

I love the family atmosphere of the Melville dining hall.  We all go through the same line and sit at long tables together.  One great thing about Erskine is that they have a lot of different options at meals, whereas here there tends to be a red meat option, a poultry or fish option, and a vegetarian option for the main dish, followed by 3 choices of sides and a dessert.  Of course there is the small salad bar, fresh fruit, and sandwiches or baked potatoes if you prefer.

I think one of my absolute favorite things about the Melville dining hall is the hot drinks machine: you put a mug under it and press a button indicating the beverage of your choice (hot chocolate, with water or milk; coffee, cappuccino, mocha, latte, tea, hot water for tea bags, or several other options) and it automatically fills the mug.

I also like the fact that there are fewer meal options; I am much more willing to try an unknown dish because I don’t have the option to stick with a safer or more familiar option.  As with any kitchen, sometimes dishes are a success and sometimes…they’re not.  But I never go hungry and mealtime conversations are always incredibly enjoyable and involve lots of laughs.  When the staff kicks us out of the dining room, we tend to carry on our conversation in the foyer downstairs until gradually we all realize that we have some place to be or homework to do.

I have recorded several videos of me trying different unique foods, and as I cannot upload them directly onto the blog site I have put them on youtube. Links are below:

You may recall me mentioning that I attended a ceilidh my first Friday in St Andrews in honor of Robbie Burns day; while at the ceilidh we had a traditional meal involving haggis.  Here is my reaction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgzlSYemaqs&feature=youtu.be

The second strange food that I tried was Marmite.  In my right mind I may have been a wee bit more wary of trying something advertised with the slogan, “love it or hate it,” but in my defense I was still half asleep (I have yet to become accustomed to waking up at 7:30) and agreed before I realized what I had agreed to. Here is the Marmite test. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O6pVrlyf6k&feature=youtu.be

At the Six Nations rugby game there was an abundance of haggis, various kinds of pies, and alcohol.  I chose to indulge in one of those, namely Scotch pie.   I figured, what better time to try another traditional Scottish delicacy than at a national rugby match?  My experience was recorded and you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Rt7L7phUM&feature=youtu.be

speaking of haggis….
we passed this bus on North Street one night. only in Scotland.

- – -

Now, you may be wondering why the title of this post refers to Ranch dressing. Well, let me tell you why:
There is no Ranch dressing in Scotland.

I’ll give you a moment to let that sink in.

It astounds me that the number one salad dressing in the United States is all but impossible to find in the UK.  It has also been an adjustment for me, because I am one of those annoying people who eats ranch dressing with everything : salad, chicken, vegetables, bread, French fries, pizza, pretzels…you name it.  And the Brits unfortunately like to eat everything with vinegar, which means that now I dip my fries–or chips, rather–in mayonnaise because that is one of the only options that I like.

However, I have some wonderful friends, and I am now a very happy American.  My friend Scott had an interview in London a few weekends ago; while he was there he searched around until he found a Whole Foods store that sold Ranch dressing and brought me back a bottle. Granted, it is not Hidden Valley, but it’s delicious nonetheless and the bottle is over half gone already.

But wait–there’s more!  About a week ago I received a care package from a friend in the States; inside was SIX packets of Ranch mix, Hidden Valley style, which means that I am set on dressing for the remainder of my time here and I have plenty to introduce it to friends who have suffered their entire lives without experiencing the delicious taste.

My care package also included, among other things, a box of Cheez-Its and 2 bags of cheddar Goldfish, neither of which can be found in the UK (except perhaps at specialty stores, but who has time to find one of those?).  They taste of home and it’s wonderful.  I have introduced several European friends to both goodies so far, and they have been a hit all around.

I think that is enough talk about food for now (are you hungry yet? I am! I’m heading off to dinner), but I have tons more pictures to post and lots of exciting adventures to tell you about.  Until then, have a wonderful week and God bless!

Something New

There’s a new restaurant in town.

It’s name is…

wait for it…

SASSY BUTTS!!!

Yeh, my thoughts exactly. But I’m impressed. As a business major, I find it funny how I’ve begun to see businesses in a completely different light than I did before I really delved into my major and I was just another bright-eyed consumer. They’ve been really spreading the word about their business with word of mouth and having a visual countdown on their door until the Grand Opening, which so happens to be today! It’s neat because I actually have gotten to see this business employ and use the various marketing techniques I’ve been learning in my business classes. This is a good sign cause obviously I’ve actually learned something. ha.

I’ve already heard my friends making comments about the food and the service and people are satisfied! Finally, there is another eating option in the great metropolis of Due West, SC. I’m looking forward to making new memories there with my friends next year.

I plan to go there for dinner tonight. I’ll let you know how it goes!

SASSY BUTTS…sorry, I still can’t get over the name…

A Taste of Spain

The tempting picture in my cookbook... how could I resist?

One of my favorite ways of remembering Spain (and perhaps to try and re-live it a little) is by trying to recreate some of my favorite foods from the country.  I even received a cookbook of Spanish foods for Christmas two years ago, when I came back from my trip.  I was flipping through a week or so ago and I spied one of these tasty treats, ensaimadas – little spiral pastries topped with powdered sugar.  They are light, sweet, and a delightful breakfast treat with a chocolate (hot chocolate) or café (coffee).  They’re from the region of Mallorca, but you can find them pretty much everywhere in the country (at least in the major cities).

So, I decided to have a go at my Spanish baking skills – after all, I have a recipe and everything.  It’s not a particularly difficult recipe, either, but I had never worked with yeast before so I was a little worried about messing up the cultures and ending up with flat pastries… but hey, at least they would taste good.  I admit that it was a little bit of a challenge to find all the proper cooking utensils in the dorm, but Robinson is pretty well stocked, luckily.  The only thing that I couldn’t locate was a food mixer, so I had to knead the dough by hand, which was not a problem.  I even documented my progress in this exciting endeavor:

First, before going into the oven, after cooling for 24 hours, then rising for three...

Then, after coming out of the oven, looking pretty good so far...

 

Finally, my proud final product, lightly dusted and tempting. Not bad!

They didn’t turn out exactly like they’re supposed to, but they were pretty close (and still quite delicious).  Success!

Living Abroad and Thanksgiving in Spain

Have a seat, make yourself comfortable, and enjoy a scrumptious Thanksgiving meal on the Mediterranean

There is just nothing like living in another country to broaden one’s perspective. Since arriving in Spain, I’ve discovered that almost everything—from gestures and language to packaging in the grocery store—is a little bit different. It’s one thing to read about and study other countries; it’s something entirely different to daily encounter little differences that cause you to scratch your head and say, “oh…but I thought everyone did it this way”. For example, I enjoyed a delicious vegetable stew the other day, prepared by my wonderful host mother, only to discover (with a shudder, I’ll admit) that that “unusual” soup ingredient that she’d mentioned and which I’d eaten with relish was blood sausage. (It was probably for the best, because, had I known what morcilla was beforehand, I highly doubt that I would have enjoyed my meal so immensely.) When Puri saw the look of disconcerted comprehension dawn on my face as I looked up the
word for said dish after lunch, she calmly explained how black pudding is made and pointed out that we eat far more questionable animal products in the form of hotdogs and hamburgers. She’s quite right, of course, and it’s been interesting to think since, in light of that experience, about how the “psychology of food” works.

Allison and Cassie with the mashed potatoes!

Now, don’t get me wrong—when I say that Spain is “different”, I don’t mean to imply that it’s dramatically different from the US. As in most modern, developed countries, houses, clothing styles, transportation, and the amenities of life are all about the same, with the one exception in Alicante being the absence of heating and air in houses. You see, since the weather here is rarely extreme, there really isn’t all that much need for AC and heat. Even so, I confess that I sorely felt the lack of air conditioning during my first couple of weeks here. As the seasons have changed, though, and it’s become a bit chillier, the absence this particular amenity has been really made me think. Perhaps having buildings toasty warm—almost to the point of discomfort—inside makes our bodies less able to adapt to seasonal changes of temperature? Being without heating and air has also made me realize how often I flip a switch when I feel hot or cold when really, I could sim
ply put on warmer clothing or drink some iced water and get the same effect in a more economic and environmentally-friendly way.

The table set for Thanksgiving at the home of our beloved professors, Armando and Cynthia

Call me a comfort-loving American (guilty as charged), but when I was first adjusting to life in Spain, the idea of not being able to control the temperature of my surroundings whenever I wanted was rather disconcerting. However, as I’ve seen that yes, it is quite possible to live comfortably—albeit in an area with a mild climate—without heating and air, I’ve also become much more sensitive to body-temperature phenomena like these: Cold? Solution: more clothing, hot tea, and/or blankets. Hot? Solution: don’t drink hot tea, wear cool clothing, and sit outside in the breeze. All that isn’t to say that I’m going to stop using heat when I go home (hardly)…but the experience of living in an area where almost no houses even have a heating and air system installed in them has certainly made me more thoughtful about the way I view stewardship and the way in which something I consider a necessity may actually only be an unexamined habit of living. Really, then, as in a
ll areas of life, when it comes to our expenditure of energy, balance is the key; and I think I’ll return home a bit more balanced.

Another “little” difference that is obvious but which still struck me as odd at first is the absolute absence of a vitally important holiday, which is celebrated by festivities all around the world (right?)…yes, Thanksgiving. Well of course no one in Europe (or anywhere else in the world except in the US, for that matter) commemorates the first thanksgiving meal held by the pilgrims in the New World out of gratitude to the Lord for his provision. In fact, if you type the word “Thanksgiving” into Google.es (the Spanish version of Google, which automatically appears in place of Google.com when one is in Spain), you will immediately pull up perfectly natural questions like “¿Qué es Thanksgiving?” (“What is Thanksgiving?”) and the subsequent explanation. In fact, I just had a conversation with my elevator friend (dubbed thusly because she’s a delightful former teacher whom I always seem to bump into in the elevator in our apartment), and she was under the impres
sion that Thanksgiving was the American version of Christmas. My mother was also quite surprised to hear that, today, November 24th, was the day of my final exam for one of my classes. I will be celebrating the holiday this afternoon, however, by having a Thanksgiving meal with my study abroad group at the home of our esteemed professor, Armando. I’m also going to attempt to make buttermilk biscuits without real buttermilk (which, like cranberries, doesn’t seem to be sold here in Alicante) and using an entirely different system of measurements. So I think I’ll need 440 grams of flour?