Vinohrady Grape Festival

This weekend the Vinohrady district is celebrating the 650th anniversary of Charles IV coronation as Roman Emperor with their traditional wine festival (5 minutes walk from home). When N got home from school on Friday we went to watch the entertainment, which included traditional dance and jousting, under the watchful eye of Charles the IV and his consort. It was great entertainment, N even picked out her own Prince Charming.
Here he is being knocked off his horse, and minus helmet.

The wine side of the festival offered new "young wine" which on first taste is similar to apple cider, but has an obvious kick to it. It isn't clear but full of sediment, even pips. There was also other wine for sale and of course beer.

Go the Swans!

We all got up early to watch the AFL at the Sports Bar Zlata Hvezda with the CANZA group. About 100 Aussies/NZ'ers turned up for a 6am start. About half half Swans/West Coast fans. We had a big English breakfast, Matt included two beers with that! Great game, down to the wire ..... Yeah the Swans!!... thought they were going to go down last minute and loose by 1, but they held them off. Fantastic game.

Digital Cameras & Pretty Woman

Do you remember the scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts entered the clothes store looking a little scruffy & was refused service. We have a similar story............

J & M went camera shopping on the weekend. I looked pretty scruffy & unshaven. Anyway, we found a store with the camera we wanted & began adding items to our shopping list. Got to the end & said we'd like to spend an obscene amount of money. Their answer, sorry can't accept your Gold visa even when they had all the credit card stickers on the door etc. We weren't amused !

Yesterday, M popped into another camera store, saw the exact same items, slightly cheaper & bought on the spot with the same Gold visa card.

Just for fun, M walked around to the other camera store with goods in hand & bought a funky camera bag we liked originally. They didn't look happy to see M & the other camera gear in the Nikon bags. M thinks they got the message big time !

So, what did we buy........

• Digital SLR Nikon 70s (http://www.europe-nikon.com/details.aspx?countryid=20&languageid=22&prodId=1057&catId=91)
• 18-70mm & 70 - 300mm lenses
• 1Gb card (574 images on normal settings)
• Existing 35 - 70mm AF Nikon lens from our 10+ year old SLR camera fits & works aswell

Totally awesome !

M

Success: Phone The Portmans for Free - Skype

Andrew & Teresa, great to chat to you today !

If others, would like any assistance, please contact me over MSN Messenger.

M

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We're now setup for phone calls over the internet using Skype (http://www.skype.com/).

Works best for people with Broadband but dial-up connections seem to be ok.

Buy a cheap (<$10) microphone & use your existing speakers etc.

Install the Skype software, create an account & your away :-)

Please place a 'comment' if you'd like our Skype usernames & I'll email you the details.

M&J have separate accounts.

M

Jewish Cemetery

The Jewish Quarter is a very popular tourist destination in Prague. There are numerous sites - Cemetery, Synagogues, museums(like childrens art from concentration camps, Jewish lore and items for burials) - all in walking distance from one another. Because of its popularity, when you buy a ticket it is time stamped with where you have to go and what time you have to be there.

I went with Warwick and Wendy. I'm waiting on Warwick to send me an excellent picture he took in the cemetery.


This is the tombstone of Rabbi Lowe (1520-1609). He supposedly created a creature from clay which came alive with a magical stone that was placed in its mouth. Eventually the creature went on a destructive rampage resulting in the Rabbi removing the stone and hiding the creature among the rafters of the Old New Synagogue. The creature is known as the Golem.

Vysehrad's Plague column

Wendy and I visited historic Vysehrad while she was here. Every time I visit I mean to track down its plague column....we found it a short walk from the rotunda. Check out this shot and the eerie purple lighting to the right...spooky!

Plague columns can be found all over Prague and the Czech Republic. Most built in the C17th and early C18th. Most columns were built as a way of giving thanks to God for saving a city from the plague. This is not typical of the style in which most columns were built - most are covered with statues of saints.

Prague Old Town Medieval market day

This is Nikita's new dress that I made. We found the hat at the markets today, Great match!

Oh Hell & Absinth

Our guests, Vicki(ex Syd McK, now NYer) and Warwick & Wendy, have now settled right in after only two nights. After a day of walking around enjoying Prague Vicki bought an absinth spoon, and as one does insists on buying a bottle which we ALL must try! So after a game of Oh Hell(which Wendy won!!)we all relied on Vicki's new found expertise(found that afternoon after surfing the net)on how to concoct drinkable Absinth.
Unfortunately we didn't have sugar cubes so the absinth spoon was retired and replace by Ikea teaspoon to caramelise some sugar above a flame (matches or tealights), then stirred into 1/5 glass Absinth....water to taste(which turns it milky)...allow fumes to dissipate, then drink...clears the sinuses and if you have enough water (or burn the alcohol off by dropping flaming, absinth soaked, sugar into glass of Absinth - W-e-n-d-y)it starts to taste like lolly water.


Absinth is suppose to highten ones creativity and artistic abilities, so I got out some art material and the result of a joint artwork by Wendy,Vicki and myself is below.