Saturday, December 31, 2011

Monday, December 19, 2011

Václav Havel R.I.P.


Václav Havel (5 October 1936 – 18 December 2011) was a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last president of Czechoslovakia (1989–92) and the first President of the Czech Republic (1993–2003). He wrote over 20 plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally. Havel received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Philadelphia Liberty Medal, the Order of Canada, the freedom medal of the Four Freddoms Award, and the Ambassador of Conscience Award and several other distinctions. He was also voted 4th in Prospect magazine's 2005 global poll of the world's top 100 intellectuals. He was a founding signatory of the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism. At the time of his death he was Chairman of the New York-based Human Rights Foundation. Equally, he was the founder of VIZE 97 Foundation, and the FORUM 2000 annual global conference.




Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Last seats available for Christmas menu in Sarah Bernhardt!




Christmas menu Sarah Bernhardt
5-course menu including listed drinks


Piere Moncuit Blanc de Blanc, Champagne 10cl

Couvert ( butter & selected breads)

Game terrine, plum and Créme Cassis chutney
with toasted brioche

Prawns cream with butternut squash and lemon mousse

Goat cheese quishe with caramelised figs and in red wine confited shallots

Traditional roasted turkey with sage & apricot stuffing, honey glased Brusel sprouts and root vegetables, roasted potatoes and cranberry gravy

or

Zander filles deepfried in bread crumbs,
served with warm potato salad with green peas

Hot christmas pudding with candied fruit and almond,
vanilla custard with orange ligueur

Coffee or tee & petit fours

Port wine or Cognac 4cl

1.800 CZK / 75 € / person

Christmas menu will be served on 24th and 25th of December 2011
in Sarah Bernhardt Restaurant from 6pm till 11pm.




Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Saint Nicholas Day (Mikuláš)




How did you enjoy yesterday - The charming tradition of St. Nicholas falls on the eve of St. Nicholas Day, December 5th. If you find yourself walking the streets on that evening, you may run into a group of strange characters: St. Nicholas (Mikuláš), the Angel (anděl) who represents the Good, and the Devil (čert) representing the Evil. All wear costumes. Mikuláš looks a bit like Santa Claus whose origin was supposedly inspired by St. Nicholas.
All three characters walk the streets, stopping children and asking them if they were good in the past year. Most kids say yes and sing a song or recite a short poem. They are then rewarded with sweets, candy or other treats, which are handed out by the Angel. Bad kids would be put in the Devil's sack and taken to hell, or would only get a sack of potatoes or coal instead of candy - of course it does not really happen! The eve of St. Nicholas is especially fun in Prague. Parents bring their children to the Old Town Square where you can see the tradition in full swing roughly between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. In small towns and villages, the three characters visit people's homes. The evening of December 5 is therefore an exciting (and scary) time for children!
Children also receive St. Nicholas presents from their parents and relatives. The gift, e.g. sweets and chocolates, can be put into a stocking and hidden somewhere in the child's room.
The St. Nicholas tradition is supposedly based on a 4th century Greek bishop named Nicholas who is said to have left a gift of money on the windowsill of three poor girls to enable them to get married.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Christmas time in Prague

Just a 23 days and Christmas day is here. No snow in Prague at this moment. Forecast saying every morning about 0°C.

This is a best time to visit Hotel Paris and enjoy hot drinks in Café de Paris.