Wanderlust: Eastern Europe

This summer I took the trip I've always wanted to take, through Central and Eastern Europe. Naturally, there were things I loved (beer and dumplings), things I didn't (a certain snooty city which shall remain nameless), and things with which I am now obsessed (Poland).

In case you want a little taste...


And away we go. Follow that orange backpack!


My tour buddies and I hit Vienna, Austria.

I can always be tempted by a market.









Bratislava, Slovakia.

Behold, the best beer of all I tasted in five countries. Sorry, Czechs, the winner is the Slovakian national lager Zlaty Bazant --delicious! Somebody please import this stateside asap! I am salivating just looking at this photograph!

The Slovak Pub served the most memorable meal of the trip. Tiny delicate flour dumplings (someone had clearly rolled them out by hand) in white sheep's milk cheese sauce with chunky bacon and chives. I will dream of this lunch for a long time.

We ate in the room of poets. Supposedly at this pub students can get free soup if they get an A on exams.

On to the Czech Republic. Driving through the countryside to the medieval town of Czesky Krumlov.

Interesting spending time in a part of the world that sees barely any English speaking tourists and no Americans. Represent!

So charming!

Krusovice and Budvar were the first of many Czech beers...

We went rafting down this river one lazy afternoon. Every boat that passed us had a beaming Czech family, who gave a jolly greeting, with the family dog. Everyone has a dog here and everyone seems happy to be alive. The Czech people are charming and the countryside is all beautiful rolling fields of wheat and tiny villages with red tile roofs.

I mean look at this. No, really, there's a place on earth that looks like this.


Then on to Prague, where the buildings and the beer were much darker. Then again, it was nasty pouring rain when we arrived. I don't remember the name of this porter, only that it was sweet and frothy.

But then, a sunny day, just in time for exploring.

Coffee break at Bakeshop. Yum!

Prague was the halfway point on my trip, and it was lovely, but by the time I got there I was feeling a bit, well, antsy for something familiar. We stayed in apartments in the city, with a full kitchen. I decided that instead of touring the castle and Charles Bridge what I really wanted to do was something I would do at home--cook dinner. I knew it would not only relax and refresh me but it would give me a chance to experience something that local Czechs would. Luckily, my trip mates and tour guide Ance were cool with the idea!

PRAGUE DINNER PARTY CHALLENGE 2010

Can I throw a dinner for 7 when the oven is in Celsius and when signs and labels look like this?

Yes! I accept! Let's do this!

Guide Ance told me to start here, at the local farmer's market.

Oh, yeah, this feels like home.

I know, right? It was paradise. I did a lap around and then plotted out the menu:
Cole slaw with blue cheese and chives
Sliced fresh melon
Farfalle pasta with sauteed spring onion, leek, and peppers (they call these paprika here)
Roasted whole chicken
Cherry plum tart for dessert

The vendors, including this guy with suspenders and mustache, were jovial and kind, even when it was clear I did not speak Czech. For instance, all of them said the price in Czech and then turned the calculator screen around so I could see it. They talked in Czech, I talked in English, and somehow we both understood the language of food. Mustache, here, has the best cherries at that market. I tasted all of them before buying.

Homesickness fading... I was excited and energized for the first time in days.




Then to the supermarket to find the rest. Fun fact: Czech supermarkets have five aisles of meat, an entire one devoted to sliced ham...

...but it took me 45 minutes to find vinegar. This is a nation who does not eat salad.

Dudes, this goat is totally drinking a beer! Why do I find that so hilarious?

By the way, I am fully aware that most of my favorite places and stories involve food and most of my photos are of beer and not of local architecture or sights. I stand by my priorities.

Speaking of food, my Prague dinner party was a huge success! All that food for only 50 Czech Crowns apiece (that's about $2.50). The others brought beer and wine, and everyone ended up helping with the dinner. It was so good in fact that I intended to take pictures of the set table and never did because I was too busy eating, drinking, laughing. It turned out to be a delicious reminder of what I know best. I hope that when my trip mates think of Americans now they will remember bites of cherry plum tart and not what they see on the evening news.

Next stop at the Czech national park of Teplice nad Metjui, for a hike. It really was beautiful.

...and then we drove into Poland.

Can we talk about Poland for a second? This country and its people blew me away. We're talking about a nation that has been invaded and screwed over by everyone and yet the people are the most warm, generous, welcoming souls I've ever met. Seriously, some of the greatest people I've ever encountered in my travels. Period.

And if they find out you're Polish? Forget about it. You're a long lost cousin come home again. People everywhere have that round Polish face, the face of my mother, grandfather, great grandparents, the face that stares back at me from black and white photos. And there it was. In bakeries, on street corners, in toll booths, in the musty underground bars of Krakow.

I fell in love at once. Madly, madly, head over heels in love.

The evening light in the square,

the cobblestone alleys,

the park that hugs the city,

the huge mugs of frothy beer and heaping platters of food. Food to warm you on a winter night and cheer you on a summer afternoon. Hot borscht with meat dumplings? Fresh soft pillowy pirogi filled with cheese? White sausage with warm simple sliced potatoes in mustard dressing? Oh, Poland, I love you so.

Or how about a little honey vodka to complete a perfect day? That's right, I said honey vodka.
(My new Aussie friend Laila and I strike a pose)

I did not want to leave Poland. I could have spent another month. We went next back to Slovakia, for a hike in the Tatra mountains. The entire time, all I thought of was Poland. I was only mildly appeased at the thought of having one more Slovakian beer.

From there onto Budapest, Hungary.

I only had a half a day there and wished I had more time. I will definitely be back to Hungary--the people and city seemed very interesting. I did have time for a relaxing dip at the famous public baths and a piece of walnut cake at Lukacs.

Mmm...ritzy.

Over one last beer at Szimple Bar, I realized that despite everything I had seen, done, and tasted, I was quite eager to go home. Sign of a perfect vacation, maybe? At any rate, I will most certainly be back one day for more. Anyone want to join me?