Archive for the ‘life in Prague’ Category

Mosaic House: May Play and Stay Giveaway

May 10th, 2010

Want to come see me?!?! Want to visit Europe? Want to see the City of a Thousand Spires? Want to wander through beautiful Prague? Well, this might be your chance…

Become a fan of the new hotel, Mosaic House, on face book and you could win some great prizes (including a trip to Prague). Here are the details:

May is here…and you know what that means? It’s May (stay & play) giveaway time! Spread the word about us to all of your friends, and IF (and only if) WE REACH 2000+ FANS (or, people that ‘like’ us) BY THE END OF THE MONTH, we’ll award:

1) One Grand prize winner w/ an ‘all-expenses paid’* trip to Prague for the grand opening party (29 October) + Very Important Person (VIP) treatment!

2) One NEARLY Grand prize winner will be awarded ‘beer for a year’ (365 beers at our in-house Belushi’s Bar & restaurant, to be shared with friends over World Cup action, live music or a Belushi’s burger).

3) Three add’l fans will be awarded a free weekend stay** for two in one of our double ensuites.

4) Last but not least, the first 2000 fans of Mosaic House will be awarded a free small beer, redeemable at Belushi’s during World Cup action. All you need to do is show up between June 1st and July 12th, thirsty and with valid identification.

Stay at Mosaic House, Play at Belushi’s. Spread the word.

Terms and Conditions
*Airfare included, up to 800 USD plus meals at Belushi’s and free stay in premium double ensuite. Invitation to grand opening party in October included.
**Free weekend stays subject to availability and do not apply to holidays.

I’m so excited to tell you about this fun contest, not just because you could win a trip to Prague, but also because Mosaic House is a project that is close to my heart.

We’ve been on the sidelines watching this project as it’s grown up and developed. We’ve heard about the visions, dreams and passions for this place for about three years now. We’ve watched as plans have changed and difficult decisions have been made. You see, we live with some of the owners of Mosaic House and many of the managers for this new hotel are also friends of ours. We are so excited for them that this project is finally coming to fruition.

I’m sure I’ll be talking more about Mosaic House soon cause Bryan and I are going to go stay there sometime in the next few weeks (we’ll bring Thaddeus too and see what he thinks of this new Prague hotel). I can’t wait to see what it’ll be like for myself. Enter the contest and you could see what it’ll be like for yourself too.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Eating “Weeds”: My first Urban Foraging Experience

April 30th, 2010

IMG_4995Yesterday I had my first urban foraging experience. It wasn’t really intentional. I didn’t set off to pick food for myself from the wild. I simply went on a walk with a friend.

It was a beautiful, remarkably warm day, so Carrie and I took Thaddeus and the dog out for a walk. As we walked through the park I noticed there were beautiful fresh dandelions EVERYWHERE. And I was tempted.

Like most Americans I had always grown up thinking of dandelions as pesky weeds and would have never considered eating them. Then when I was pregnant last year I read about how nutritious dandelion greens are and how great they can be for pregnant women. So, I started eating them. But, I still never considered picking them – instead we bought them from Whole Foods regularly during the 5 months we were in the states. So, I had come around to the leaves, but was still clueless about using any of the rest of the plant and definitely didn’t consider anything but the store bought variety.

Recently, though, I read this blog talking about making dandelion fritters from the bright yellow flower and I was intrigued, but still ambivalent. But, then I saw all of the fresh dandelions in the park. They looked like the epitome of summer. They beckoned to me… calling out to me. “Eat me. Eat me.” So, I did.

I picked a few, came home, and made dandelion fritters.

It was really super easy and tasty. Here’s what you do.

  1. Pick some dandelions – just the heads of the flowers, no stems.
  2. Wash them well.
  3. Make the batter – Mix 1 cup flour (I used whole wheat flour), 1 egg, and 1 cup milk (I used organic sour milk because that was what I had on hand). Then you have a choice you can make them savory by adding salt and pepper or any other savory spice you desire, or you can make them sweet by adding a little maple syrup to the batter or, of course, you could just leave them as is. The choice is yours. I made mine with just a little unrefined sea salt and pepper.
  4. Heat some oil in a frying pan.
  5. Dip the flowers in the batter – just hold them by the base and swirl them around in the batter until they are well covered.
  6. Place the batter-covered-dandelions in the frying pan and cook until golden on one side then flip over and cook till golden on the other side.
  7. Eat and Enjoy!

The great thing about this herb is that not only are these little plants readily available everywhere, each part of the plant is eatable and packed with nutrients. You can make dandelion coffee from the roots, or put the roots in soup. You can make salads from the leaves, or juice them to add to a green smoothie. The flowers can be used for fritters, tea, dandelion wine, or you can just add them to a salad for a fun touch of color.

As I read more about this underappreciated herb I couldn’t help but think it sounded a little bit like a wonder drug with all of the health benefits it has traditionally been said to possess. When you look at all the nutrients packed in this little plant you can’t help but be amazed and wonder why we all aren’t eating these herbs far more often.

According to the USDA Bulletin #8, “Composition of Foods” (Haytowitz and Matthews 1984), dandelions rank in the top 4 green vegetables in overall nutritional value. Minnich, in “Gardening for Better Nutrition” ranks them, out of all vegetables, including grains, seeds and greens, as tied for 9th best. According to these data, dandelions are nature’s richest green vegetable source of beta-carotene, from which Vitamin A is created, and the third richest source of Vitamin A of all foods, after cod-liver oil and beef liver! They also are particularly rich in fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and the B vitamins, thiamine and riboflavin, and are a good source of protein… Studies in Russia and Eastern Europe by Gerasimova, Racz, Vogel, and Marei (Hobbs 1985) indicate that dandelion is also rich in micronutrients such as copper, cobalt, zinc, boron, and molybdenum, as well as Vitamin D.

They can successfully be used to cleanse the blood and promote better circulation, cleanse and purify the liver, help balance blood sugar, treat anemia, and reduce serum cholesterol. They also are said to have diuretic properties and be useful for aiding in digestion. That’s just to name a few!

This is one little plant that I plan on taking advantage of more often – especially since it’s FREE!

Anybody else been foraging lately? What did you pick?

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

foodrenegadefist_150This post has been entered in the Fight Back Fridays April 30th blog carnival at Food Renegade. Check out the link for other posts from fellow food renegades.

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Our Volcano Adventure

April 26th, 2010

The past week we had our own crazy adventure due to the volcano in Iceland. Because of this volcano many have had their plans changed and the stories that will come out of the past week will be worth sharing. Our story is perhaps not as dramatic as many of the others that will be told, but it’s still our own and I feel it is still fun to share a little bit of it.

On Friday of last week my parents were stranded in Munich needing to get to London for business meetings. So, they called us and asked if we could rent a car and come pick them up in Munich and drive them to London. After 3 hours of running around the house like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to pack and get everything ready, we were on the road to Munich. We stayed there a night and then drove to Nancy in France the next day. The following day we drove to Orleans just south of Paris and stayed there for two nights and then back on the road to London. We stayed one full day in London and then we left my parents and drove back to Prague. It took us two days of driving all day to get back to Prague. In the end we had spent about 44 hours in the car (with an almost 7 month old) in 7 days. It was crazy.

The saddest part of our trip was that my sister and her husband, who were suppose to be flying out to London for the meetings as well, were never able to make it because their airports didn’t open up in time. When we left Prague we really thought that they would still be able to make it to London and we were so excited that we were going to get to see them and surprise them in London. The fact that we were going to see them was the thing that really made us decide that taking the road trip and spending so much time in the car with a baby was worth it. We were all really disappointed that they never made it. I was especially sad that I didn’t get to spend time with my beautiful sister and wasn’t able to share London with her.

I was glad though to get to see my parents and have some time with them. And there were a few highlights of the trip (some things that made the hours squeezed in a car with a fussy baby sort of worth it):

-          My mom getting to see Thaddeus’ army crawl in person

-          Seeing my parents playing with and holding my baby boy

-          Having foie gras in France

-          Trying sweetbreads (which were actually really tasty)

-          A good talk with my parents

-          Meeting some new people

-          Staying at The Montague in London which is one of our favorite hotels

Here’s a little movie showing some of our trip (NOTE: if you are reading this in facebook you have to actually visit the blog to see the video. Click here to visit my blog).  The first is all the little videos we took on the trip and the second is a condensed version. Enjoy!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany

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Things Are Happening In Prague

April 10th, 2010

Today I went to Berlin without ever leaving Prague… Or at least it felt a little bit like that.

This morning my dear friend, Carrie, and I went to a FARMERS MARKET!! I wrote Farmers Market all in caps because that’s how excited I am about it – the words should be read with the excitement and surprise due to all capital letters. Hehe.

The experience was not at all disappointing. Ok, it’s no Berlin Farmers Market, but it was really great. There were lots of stands with a variety of goods. I bought fresh yogurt (and regretted the fact that I didn’t also buy the fresh whey they were also selling at the same stand). I bought some Czech made honey, and ostrich meat too. Yes, ostrich meat! Carrie and I shared an organic crepe made from buckwheat and drizzled with honey.

All the stands were clearly labeled with the location where the farm was located. The people were friendly and nice and there was a general feeling of excitement in the air all around. They had TONS of beautiful flowers, plenty of fresh bread from local bakeries, fresh dairy products, honey, dried fish, veggies, handmade baskets and some fruit. I’m hoping that as we move into warmer weather there will be even more variety at the fruit and vegetable stands.

The market was located near Devicka circle and from what I hear it will be happening every other week throughout the summer. Personally I think that they should make it an every week market since the place was PACKED! There were so many people there that you had to wait in line at every stand. From what I hear the first one they did (which happened just a few weeks ago) was so crowded that by late morning the stands were all picked over. Today Carrie and I got there at around 8:45 and stayed for about an hour. There was plenty of food and other goods and it seemed they were very prepared for the crowds.

Carrie filled me in a little bit on the history of Farmers Markets in Prague and I thought it was interesting. Basically, before communism there used to be farmers markets in Prague really regularly, but the communists were, of course, against capitalism and private enterprises so they stopped the farmers markets. As far as we know this is the first farmers market to be organized in Prague since the communists stopped them (although, I could definitely be wrong).

Anyway, it felt really great to be a part of this farmers market.

Latter in the day Mathias called and said that he had seen this flea market type event going on in a warehouse just down the street and that we should check it out so Carrie and Thad and I walked down to explore. It turns out it was a big fashion market with tons of designers and lots of trendy unique stuff. It’s called Code Mode and it was really cool and totally had a Berlin like feel to it.

It took place in this massive old unfinished warehouse. There were stands everywhere with cloths, jewelry, purses, knickknacks, paintings and all kinds of other goods. There was chill funky music playing in the background. There was a big stage set up on one end where they did a fashion show last night and where there will be a concert tonight. There were tons of people mingling and shopping and, of course since it’s Europe, smoking. I could have done without the smoking, but other than that the place had a very cool vibe.

Things are happening in Prague. To me these things speak of the beauty, creativity, and individuality that is still very much alive in Prague. Some days I don’t see it. Honestly, some days Prague feels dead. But, today I was reminded that Prague is very much alive. The spring is here in Prague and there is so much more to come.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany

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Prague: The Good and The Bad

February 9th, 2010

Yesterday I found myself thinking about what I like and don’t like about Prague and my life in Prague. As I thought I realized that many of the little things that I like and don’t like are opposite sides of the same coin.

I like that there are four distinct seasons in Prague. I like that the city feels like a completely different place with each season. In the summer the atmosphere is crowded and animated as the city comes alive with festivals as well as tourists. In the fall the leaves change colors, there’s a crispness in the air, and the city seems itself to speak of bygone days and ancient stories. In the winter the snow on the rooftops, the charm of the Christmas markets and the lights that shine through the dreaded darkness give the city a magical ambiance. And in the spring everything aches with new life and the new birth that even the very buildings seem to have longed for throughout the cold winter.
…But, having four distinct seasons means there is a bitter cold winter that lasts far longer than I would like. I really hate being cold and I often feel like I’m always cold here.

I like living in an expat community. I like that when I meet other Americans we have an instant connection, and a whole set of shared experiences right from the start. There is something instantly bonding just because we are from the same country and culture. And there is something bonding about the fact that we have both experienced what it is like to move overseas and live in foreign Prague. I like that most (if not all) of the expats I’ve met seem to be always on the lookout for friends and “family” here in Prague. Expats usually aren’t in closed circles, they aren’t ingrained in the same circles of friends that they’ve had for years upon years. Instead they are constantly looking for friends and open to meeting people. We have all uprooted from our friends and family and we know that the only way to survive here is to establish strong bonds and friendships. I like that. I like that people are really open to one another and looking for friends. It all makes getting to know people a lot easier in a way.
…But, I also really dislike living in an expat community because it means that you live in a constantly transient community. Most expats don’t stay long in Prague. They come for all different reasons – to teach, to preach, to work. Some come just for the experience and the adventure of it. But, no matter what their reason is most don’t stay longer than a few years. Bryan and I are still fairly new to Prague (we’ve only been here for 3 years) but we have been here long enough to say good bye to good friends and those who could have been good friends. It’s hard to live and build community when you never know how long someone will be around, or even how long you will be around.

I love not having a car. I love that I don’t have to pay for gas or car insurance or deal with fixing it when it brakes. I love that I get more exercise without even trying here just from all the walking. I love that my transportation doesn’t use up as many resources and I’m not having as negative of an effect on the world around me.
…But, I don’t really like actually using public transportation. I don’t like that it takes me twice as long to get across the city as it would with a car. I don’t like that if I miss the tram I have to stand out in the cold sometimes for 10 or 15 minutes. I don’t like squeezing onto a crowded tram or metro, worrying about pick-pockets, or the smell. And I don’t like that my husband doesn’t like to talk on public transportation so we rarely are able to have conversations on the way to and from places.

I love the friends we have here and I love living life with them. We do know some really amazing people here. We have friends here who really care about us as individuals and as a couple and who already really love Thaddeus. We have friends here who by their very lives and generosity have poured out blessing after blessing upon us and we are so grateful to know them and be in community with them.
…But, living life with these friends means not living daily life with other friends and family in the states, who also care about us deeply. I don’t like that.

Well, Thaddeus just woke up from his nap so… that’s all for now, folks!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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