The Vinohrady Theatre (Divadlo na Vinohradech), which is located in a magnificent Art Nouveau building on Náměstí Míru, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. You can find more information on the theatre’s website (mostly in Czech), which includes a page on its history (in English).
We went to Petřín on Sunday and as we were walking down the steps toward the Castle, we passed by a sign informing visitors that the Large Garden Tunnel (one of the underground passages beneath Petřín) was having a special open day. I thought the English translation on the sign was priceless!
I think it is safe to say that mushroom picking is a Czech national leisure activity. The mushroom season usually lasts from June/July through October. Last year’s harvests were especially generous thanks to the rains and cool temperatures. On our weekend trips from Prague, we would see people returning from forests with baskets full of gorgeous suchohřiby, křemenáče, bedly and other mouthwatering varieties. As we sat in our train compartment, we went by people’s yards and caught glimpses of piles of fresh mushrooms being cleaned in preparation for dinner or to be sliced up and dried. From the bus windows, we watched rows of colorful holubinky line the road.
We haven’t been taking very many trips this summer but I hear that this is another good year for mushrooming. Even rare kinds of mushrooms, ones that can be seen just a few times in a lifetime, can supposedly be found in the Vysočina (Bohemian-Moravian Highlands) region where the weather has been just right.
When we were in Italy last fall, we marvelled at the abundance of fresh forest mushrooms that were sold at outdoor produce markets. I was jealous and wondered why forest mushrooms aren’t sold anywhere in the Czech Republic, a country that is so devoted to mushrooming. Is it because people are expected to pick their own mushrooms?
There’s a good article on mushrooming on the Radio Praha website.
Spa wafers (lázeňské oplatky) were first mentioned in the 18th century and started as a homemade treat. Around the second half of the 19th century, mass production began in Mariánské Lázně and Karlovy Vary. Nowadays, spa wafers can be found in stores all over the Czech Republic, where it is typical to find three types - Vanilla with hazelnuts, Cocoa, and Chocolate (mmmm - my favorite). It was not until a visit to Karlovy Vary that I discovered that there are many more flavors of oplatky. I also saw Apple, Coconut, Capuccino, Rum, Nugat, Lemon, Almond, and Cinnamon. There are stands where you can buy most of the oplatky warmed up.
Dana and I have found that spa wafers make a good gift. So, if you are returning from a trip to the Czech Republic or visiting friends/family outside the Czech Republic, bring some oplatky along.
Today is the 650th anniversary of Charles Bridge. The foundation stone was laid at 5:31am on July 9, 1357 with the help of king Charles IV. He consulted his astrologers and the date and time were chosen so that the odd numbers that ascend and descend on the scale of 1 - 9 would form the palindrome 135797531.
You can read more about Charles Bridge on our page on My Czech Republic.
Radio Praha has a Charles Bridge 650th Anniversary page.
Charles Bridge, July 8, 2007
