Sushi, Wine night, and Crazy Czech Carnivals

" Big roasting, cheap beer, country songs in Czech, and home made liquor... this is endin up to be a pretty amazing afternoon."

So, when I left college I was a bit concerned with the idea that I would never again hear country music, drink cheap beer, enjoy the BBQ-ing of animals (deer, pigs, etc), and was really worried about the lack of proper moonshine! Well, then I moved to the Czech Republic and realized everything that I was worried about was in fact a farse.. Europe, especially the small towns of the Czech Republic, are scarely similar to the small towns of the south... which means... they ARE AWESOME!

This week was the end of the Masopust festival (a.k.a. the end of carnival and the end of meat eating for Fridays... but not Saturday)! I found this little gem searching websites and told Dave to pack his best smile and best czech skills as we were going about 20 minutes outside of Prague for a small adventure. Really, I just told him there would be a pig and he was pretty much a done-deal. The town itself is pretty small and it was definitely a sight to see. Drunk old people everywhere! I was a little nervous that if any of these older folks fell over (from the amount of moonshine they were drinking) that it would be the end for them... you know, hip injuries can be fatal!

Roasted pig! We had the klobasa and two beers for the equivalent of like 50cents. It was amazing!

Ok... so here is the picture of my lovely self drinking the moonshine and Slivo (plum liquor... it sounds good but tastes like vinegar... terrible!) We literally would walk about 100-200meters, stop, have a drink of this weird alcohol (for free i might add), and then walk another 100-200 meters and do the same thing again. I have never been to a parade where everyone was giving out free alcohol! It would be the same as being at a Bama game and having everyone walk by and give you a shot of Jim Beam... CRAZY Czech people!

Slivo and Bozkov(i think).

So, when we aren't classing it up in the outskirts of Prague we are going to wine bars. And what wine bar would be better than a one named Sideways; yes, like the movie! It was date night for Dave and I and I thought I would take him to a winebar that I went to with my friend Iveta for her birthday. They actually have some amazing Czech wine (the Czech's aren't really known for their wine) at a reasonable price! We had our own little corner table in the back so we spent the entire night laughing and having a really great time!

Date night is fun!

About 3 weeks ago my dearest friend Iveta decided she was going to try and make sushi. Now, I am a girl that LOVES raw fish, so when she told me about this little offering of course I wasn't going to turn it down! Iveta, her boyfriend Petr, and their adorable puppy Ebbie, live in a town named Brandys nad Labem, about 20 minutes outside of Prague. The day that I went it was wretched cold... like -12C... I HATE cold! I assisted with stirring sticky rice and helping Ebbie with lots of puppy kisses! It was a lot of fun and definitely a great experience. I was very impressed with Iveta's sushi skills... she has no formal training but is a WHIZZ in the kitchen! Literally, the women can make anything and everything, regardless of whether or not she has ever seen it before... she's like a kitchen god.

Ebbie girl waiting for her sushi turn!




Our amazing spread made by the amazing Iveta Horackova!

Snow days are here to stay

Don't let anyone fool you; snow, when having to go to work in it, is not fun!

So, about a week ago the Czech Republic, well Prague actually, received about 2 1/2 feet of snow in one weekend. This is more than Prague has received in more than 20 years!!! Needless to say getting to work on Monday was nothing short of a National Disaster! Public transportation was running late, or in my case, not at all. Roads were shut, snow was falling off roofs and onto people. This, I must admit is really funny as long as it doesn't happen to you or anywhere near you. The poor Czech woman that this happened to was covered in snow and had to dump the entire contents of her purse out just to get the snow out. I snickered but i was a good 10 feet away so i think i got away with it.

Below are some pictures from that weekend when the snow refused to stop. The first picture is a person enjoying a little cross country ski action, since you know, we live in the middle of the city and the snow was so deep this was the old mode of transportation that was actually working. Typical.

WEEEEEE... Skiing is fun!

The next two pictures is just to prove how much freaking snow was actually on the balcony. We built, Dave and I, a snow man, but we had to prop him up against the door because he was too powdery to mold into anything snow man like.

Stylish and Cold. Snow!

Kisses for the snow man!

We still have about a foot on the ground. Luckily, Prague has finally got the snow situation under control and has put more salt on the roads than is probably necessary, but it's keeping it from sticking for periods longer than evening. But on some positive news; I was told today that we have had sunshine for 20 consecutive days, which is also more than Prague has had in over 5 years... so... that's at least an improvement over the snow! Sunshine!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's warmer here than in Prague... and sunny.

"Where are all the trash bins in the city? I thought they were green."-H

So, what happens when you put three old friends, who love fashion in a city devoted to all things in fashion and creative for more than 4 days? Well, we didn't kill each other... but we did stimulate the UK economy quite a bit thanks to the US Dollar.

Christina and Vicki flew over from New York and I from Prague. We met at Earl's Court, the location of our hotel, before setting off for a day of shopping. Our new fave street Carnaby street (with Liberty of London... my NEW FAVORITE DEPARTMENT STORE) where we shopped and ate a yummy meal of fish and chips and good ole' english beer.

Me, Vicki Binke, and Christina- Dinner day 1

Day 2 we decided to hit up Porotbello road for what of course, but more shopping?! I bought two cute shirts that were on super special at a store called Jigsaw. Portobello road itself is touristy and fun, our lunch was yummy, but i think our favorite thing about the entire day was the ferrari smart car! Yes, i am not making this up... this thing rivals the Star Wars smart car that Tara and I saw in Budapest... but this one is a tad bit cooler.

My dream car.. complete with custom interior. SWEET.

Later on that evening, after shopping our little hearts out, we went back to the hotel for a night of relaxation, food, and some cocktails. We had dinner in the hotel and pulled up a bunch of chairs next to the fire to relax. After a few Kir Royals I can pleasantly say we were all quite happy to be there with our feet finally resting for what seemed like days!

2 Kir Royals and a Red

On my last day we did a bit of sight seeing since I think we all needed a break from the massive amount of shopping and stores we had visited in the last 36 hours. Being the good Americans that we are, I took a picture of our hotel so that I could show everyone back home where I stayed and what it looked like.

K+K George- Our hotel in Earl's Court. It was so nice!

I always thought that i should be invited into this house... i wonder why I still haven't received a formal invitation? I mean, I look so good next to the gate... please... open the doors! I will behave i promise!

Red, Pink, Bronze, and gold... those are beautiful colors.. please let me in Queeny!

After my powers of persuasion failed to get us inside Buckingham palace we walked down a really long avenue, whose name has escaped me at the moment and walked toward Big Ben. On our way, we all agreed that a bathroom break would be a good idea and so i challenged us all to use the public bathroom in the center of London next to that big park! Well, in every normal city this is like taking your life into your own hands, in London... it was like peeing at the Ritz! Cleaniest toilet ever!

Thumbs up for the cleaniest bathroom in the entire world!



Bathroom accomplished we took some touristy pictures at a phone booth, of Big Ben and of the London Eye... lots of fun was had and below are the pictures!

Classic Phone booth picture

Big Ben at noon... I thought it was cool

Me in front of the London Eye, Radiant and Stunning like always

Best picture i took the entire trip!

Oliver Cromwell, menace To Irish people everywhere!

Funny back story... does everyone see that cup of coffee...? Well, I finished that cup about 20 minutes before taking this picture. Now, we are in front of Parliament. Parliament does not have trash bins ANYWHERE near it. I realized this and asked the nice security man where there would be one.. and here is what happened:

Me- "Excuse me sir, where is/are the trash bins. I would like to throw my cup away."

Brit- "There are not trash bins in this area miss." (looking at me with suspicion)

Me- "ummmmm.... ok (very valley girl here). Well, can you take my coffee cup and throw it away? I don't want to carry it anymore."

Brit- 'No.'

I then look at Christina who is laughing at me because i basically just did what every stupid American probably would do in that situation. I got all pissed off not realizing that I was in front of Parliament, which is like Congress, which would be a possible place to plant a bomb... ahhh... sometimes i like being so naive. Well, the hilarity continued b/c the metro doesn't have trash bins either... I carried that damn cup with me for over an hour and 15 minutes. It had it's own tourist adventure through the tube.

Finally rid of that damn coffee cup

I had so much fun with Vicki and Christina and can not wait to meet up with them again on another girl adventure!!! I laughed so hard and it was so much fun to go shopping with people who take even more time than I do to poke around and look at stuff with a high probablity of not actually buying anything.

New Years Eve in Prague = Ghetto LA

"Oh my god... where are we?"-H

"I feel like I am on an army base."-D

I have never been a big fan of New Year's. I think most people who know me know this little diddy about me. I am not a big fan of paying a lot of money to get into a club, never get to the bar, spend money on the taxi, limo, or some dude we flagged down on the street who had a car; yes, that one did happen and we gave him $10 for his troubles. So, it was a pleasant surprise when Dave and I both agreeded we wanted to do something nice, but not pricey or with a lot of people (drunk and crazy). We decided we were going to make dinner at home... well, that Dave was going to prepare a beautiful feast! So... starter: champagne and brie soup! (super) main: roasted duck with a marmade orange glaze sauce, veggies, and potatoes (i couldn't stop myself from eating) followed by dessert and some champagne! Around 11pm we decided that it would be nice to go to the bridge and watch fireworks... oh magical Prague what did you have instore for us?

Magical Prague is not so magical on December 31st. For starters, EVERYONE on the tram was drunk, except Dave and I. We had at least 4 bottle rockets hit our tram on the way to the bridge, and countless other experiences that made me wish we would have stayed at home. Ah... but finally we reached our stop and then the mayhem started! Do you ever want to know what it must feel like to be in a war zone or war zone like setting? Head to the city center of Prague... or any "central" part of Prague on the 31st and you will have that answered in a second! Fireworkds going off everywhere, people shooting fireworks at each other and other people, small children having no regard for other civilians or social behaviors as their parents sit and laugh. It was all out chaos! Dave and I had a nice little spot on the bridge where we could see Prague castle, Letna Park, The Rudofinum, and Charles Bridge, all great places where the city of Prague could show us their display (little did we know that Prague does their fireworks on January 1st.. ass****). We waited and waited as more and more people came around us... most drunk getting ready to vomit over the side of the bridge. Finally at 12 we kissed and fireworks started... not professional fireworks, but ones being set off by some dude named Jan or Petr or Tomas, who saw a guy do it once, and thought it must be easy. After about 10 minutes of seeing some good fireworks but mostly lame ones we made for the trams to take us the hell out of there!

Fireworks over Prague.... pretty but the atmosphere made it too scary for us to stay longer than 10 minutes!

Bridge picture before it got too scary and we had to leave

Tram ride home. Somewhere around 12:20am. Happy 2010. I especially like the guy yawning in the back. He had a lot of fun that night too!

Christmas Vacation and Then Some...

December 12th was Mom's one year anniversary. Dave and I went to Osteria da Clara, which is my favorite restaurant in all of Prague. It's the one place that I would have wanted to take mom, if she would have been able to come to Prague. But, since she couldn't we had dinner in her honor anyway!

Dave and I at dinner- Osteria da Clara

Before heading back to the US Dave and I went to Christmas markets in the center or Prague. They have hot wine, hot honey liquor, and more arts and crafts items than you can shake a stick at!

Christmas market in the center of Prague

Every year the city of Prague goes to the Krokonose mountains (giant mountains) to pick out that years Christmas tree! It's amazing the amount of lights they put on the tree... it's beautiful! Dave and I were walking back through the city after a really great evening at dinner when i took this picture; and i don't think that it does it justice!

Christmas Tree at night

Back in the US daddy and I went to dinner at a really nice restaurant. We had lamb and mushroom risotto, which is probably some of the best food that I had had in a REALLY long time! We washed it down with some really yummy Belgian beers and enjoyed the night together just talking the way daddys and daughters do.

Daddy and I at Terranera Resort on the hill. My red jacket was a Christmas present from Santa that came a little early. I love that jacket... and this picture!

Katie was in charge of Christmas Eve dinner this year, which she did an amazing job of preparing! We had the traditional Grzywa Borscht! For those of you who are not familiar with such a tasty treat it includes the following items: sausage (kielbasa), potatoes, eggs, and a white broth made from vinegar, flour, water, milk, salt and pepper. It's something that we traditionally have at easter, but this year we decided to move it up. It turned out so well... we have to give Katie full credit for that one!

Christmas Eve dinner- Family picture!

Later on that evening we all sat down to being the giant celebration that is Christmas (opening gifts on Christmas eve!). During this time I decided to take some pictures of the Christmas tree that daddy and I picked out and decorated. We had a lot of fun listening to Christmas music and putting up decorations. I think next year we will have to buy some new lights... we had to get very creative with the couple strands that we had! It turned out nice and with Dad and Champs help we had a beautiful Christmas tree!

The O'Brien's Merry Christmas Tree

Our family tradition is to always have a yummy Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve followed by opening presents from friends and family. 2009 was no exception and we carried on rather happily with this tradition... we all like opening gifts and are big fans of instant gratification! Below are a couple of pictures from the 24th!!

Katie bought daddy a shirt!

Lizard sand for Jake! Apparently, it is very expensive!

Roll Tide! SEC Championship shirt!!!

Best present of the entire night. Jake's shirt that was just a little too big for him!

LAter on that evening me, Jake, Katie, and Jake's girlfriend went to Katie's friends house to celebrate her birthday! Jessica, Katie's friend, was already doing a really good job of celebrating and with Jake and I being DD's we decided to keep out beverage consumption to a minimum. So, while everyone else was drinking we took some pictures instead!!! And yes, that is a bright red bow from a Christmas present in my hair! What? It's festive!

Jake and I at Jessica's Birthday party

One of my last nights in town i met my dear friend Lisa Kay at a resort near the two of us for a little drinking and catching up. It was a really beautiful day! We sat outside and had some wine, and then once the sun went down, and it got a little cool, we went inside to continue our party. There we moved onto the "hard stuff"... we both agreed we needed a little vodka. We talked about old times, new times, and times to come. I miss her so much and it was so great just to be girls and catch up. We both agreed that in 2010 we should get together at a tropical location (another friend included who couldn't make wine night by the beach)!

Me and Lisa

Being home for Christmas was so much fun and i really had a great time being with my family and seeing my dear friends. I am definitely lucky to have such amazing friends and family in my life.... Happy 2009 and hello 2010!

Being a little kid is fun- Halloween in Prague

Halloween... a fun ole' American tradition of carving pumpkins, eating candy, dressing up as something either "slutty" like in the movie, Mean Girls, or something more tame.. like say... a ghost. It's fun that a child or children at any age can have!

This year we went to my friend Jen's house to carve pumpkins. Dave is out of town this year again for Halloween, but at least last year he was here for us to carve pumpkins together... not this time.. c'est la vie. For the festivities i made a yummy little treat for all my fellow "young at heart" friends.

Chocolate covered pretzels with sprinkles and the Czech version of M&M's, it was really good!

Keeping the old school tradition of Pumpkin carving alive, I went to Tesco about a week in advance to size up the perfect pumpkin for carving. I found them all in a little corral-like area in my Tesco and after sizing each of them up for 10 minutes, I finally came across this little beauty who would be my muse.

Burt, season 2, my muse for the evening of pumpkin carving

After some tough love we finally cut through Burt and started removing all of his guts and pumpkin seeds; we ate them later so the pumpkin was "recycled" for all of my California friends out there. I'm what you might call a traditional carver... i like to stick with the triangle motif.. it happens to be my favorite. We had some people who were pumpkin virgins that definitely got into the carving spirtit and got very creative with their pumpkins, but, like i said, I like to stick to tradition on things like pumpkin carving and my alabama football.

Burt's finished face... i liked his toothy grin!

Once we had all finished, some 2 hours later, we took all of the pumpkins, I believe about 1o or so in total to the roof of Jen's apartment building for a little photoshoot. We liked the idea of blending American culture in such a foreign city such as Prague, so the roof top photo seemed a perfect place to finalize that idea.

Some of our pumpkins (USA, Ukraine, Portugal, The Netherlands, Jersey, England, Czech Republic, Spain) we are a United Nations Pumpkin Patch

This is my favorite photo of the entire evening. I love the back drop of the city lights coming up from behind the bell tower, it's very old meets new. I wish i would have been able to get the castle in the back ground, but it was such a hazzy night that my camera didn't want to focus in on that... just the pumkins.

Pumpkins: (Jennifer, Iona, Me, CJ, and Leo)

Not sure what we will all do for Halloween day. I am just kind of hoping that I won't have this miserable cough so that I can leave my apartment for longer than 10 minutes at a time. I had a blast though making the dessert, carving my pumpkin, and finally toasting pumpkin seeds.

Mom's Birthday and my new do

October 15th would have been my Mommy's 57th birthday. My orginial plan was to do something sombre and a little depressing and then the day actually came and I decided that was no where close to what i wanted to do. Instead I thought about something that I would want to do with her and here is what we did.

Chicken wings in Zizkov! Basically my favorite wings place in all of Prague. It's a run down P.O.S. bar but it offers some amazing food and the beer is cheap... and watery... just like my mommy likes it!

Beer on tap (Gambrinus) and some yummy chicken wings.. perfect celebration for Ellen O'Brien

After our delicous meal we headed home via the #26 tram and decided it was time to consume the cake I had bought mom earlier in the day. This being a Thursday and all we decided to go "light" on the wine drinking as we both didn't want to be hung over for the work day ahead.

Happy Birthday Mommy! Wine and Cake for everyone!

I tried to eat all of mom's cake. I didn't really want to share it with Dave... it's just too good to share!

Mom's birthday ended up being a really nice day. The weather was horrible, but just being able to talk to friends and family really made a ton of difference. And also, being able to celebrate her birthday, the way that I wanted to with my mom also made a huge difference in my demeanor as well. I wanted something a little more light hearted and fun... i figured i owed at least that much to myself and to mommy! Happy 57th Birthday Mommy... i hope you had a wonderful birthday! I love you so much!

After Mom's birthday on Thursday I FINALLY went o the hair salon and treated myself to a hair cut. I haven't had my hair cut since Lisa's wedding in the beginning of June so to say that my hair desperately needed a new do is an understatement! I canceled the appointment twice because i never had enough money... finally, on pay day, i went to Salon Jet Set for my new do. Andrea was very helpful and insightful and for whatever reason i let her do what ever the hell she wanted to. This, is not something i do very often... especially with my hair. And, here are the results!

Lovely lady locks! I was so chipper after this hair cut that Dave thought I was a different person.

And a tilted view of my beautiful hair.. god i look good! (wink)

"Hair style is the final tip-off whether or not a woman really knows herself. "

~Hubert de Givenchy, Vogue, July 1985