LoriLoo

A Day at Prague Castle

October 28, 2011

Travel

One highlights of the day included exploring St Vitus Cathedral and marveling at the scale and the intricacy of everything. From the outside, the building is intimidating – huge blocks of carved stone, eerily dark. Once inside, however, there’s an abundance of light. In the stained glass windows, in the vaulted ceilings, in the light reflecting off of the gilded surfaces.

After the cathedral, I wandered around, getting lost in alleys and reading my map incorrectly. I figured it didn’t matter, though, as I was inside a walled area so I couldn’t get too lost, right? I love the cobblestone patterns, as well as the manhole covers. Works of art!

As I was looking to find my way out of the castle compound, I stumbled upon this poster. Robots? Why yes, please. Along with teddy bears, dollhouses, Christmas ornaments, wind-up toys, and a 50th anniversary tribute to Barbie.

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287 Steps Later

October 28, 2011

Travel

I love the cobblestone streets and sidewalks here. I look at them from one angle then another, seeing different patterns from various perspectives. The designs are so intricate; I’m amazed such care was invested to create something people walk or drive on every day. Cobblestones aren’t easy to walk on, so they force me to slow down and see more of what’s around me.

I followed the cobblestone path up to the Prague Castle this afternoon. I was greeted by multitudes of enormous buildings and palatial courtyards. I ducked into St Vitus’ Cathedral and admired stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings. I eavesdropped on English-speaking tour guides explaining the history of the church. I saw a sign boasting excellent views from atop the South Tower, along with a warning sign there were 287 steps to climb. 287 steps? Not a problem.

Not a problem unless they are 287 steps in a circular stairway about two-feet wide, with people ascending and descending at the same time. Much to my surprise, I learned that I get dizzy very easily. It was impossible to see more than a couple of feet in front (or behind) as I climbed, so meeting others was a surprise, causing each of us to squoosh to the inside or outside of the narrow staircase.

I arrived at the top, breathing heavily, to which another tourist told me, “Only one more flight to go,” then laughed at the expression on my face. I was at the top and it was stupendous. I looked down at the courtyard in which I was recently standing, tourists scurrying around like tiny ants. I saw the river and multiple bridges. I saw waves of endless red rooftops. I saw spires of cathedrals. Well worth the climb.

Looking up at the South Tower

287 steps higher, looking down at the courtyard

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Images of Budapest

October 27, 2011

Travel

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Baths of Joy

October 24, 2011

Travel

What would a trip to Hungary be without experiencing the baths?

After negotiating the awkward “Oh, men and women are in the same area to change into their swimsuits” with my work colleagues (in separate small “cabins”, but still a surprise since we entered through separate entrances) we made our way through the maze of baths. We wended our way through small baths, medium baths, mineral baths, warm baths, cold baths, exercise baths. And then. Oh, my. And then we stepped outside into the chilly air. Where we were met by three palatial pools, misty steam rising from the surface.

As my toes broke the surface of the water, I let out a long “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.” And slipped down further into the hot steamy water. I enjoyed delightful conversations with my co-workers as I floated, stood, and sat in the pool. Another group told us about the pool on the far side of the courtyard, exclaiming excitedly about currents. Hesitantly, we arose from the hot water, walked for a few minutes, then re-entered the other pool. The highlight was a circular area in the center of the pool, where bathers seemed to be frolicking in a water-based conga line. I joined, and was told to stay close to the edge. There the jets were more powerful and propelled us around and around, somewhat forcibly. It was virtually impossible not to laugh as we were tumbled about, bumping into others and laughing, “Sorry!” in multiple languages. It was impossible not to feel happiness, not to exude joy as you were pushed around. Eventually, the jets turned off, and we returned to the soothing hotness of the original pool. Another great day in Budapest.

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Market

October 19, 2011

Travel

Fresh fruits and vegetables. And peppers.

Relaxing at the cafe

So many signs

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Budapest by Day

October 19, 2011

Travel

I love walking, especially when exploring new cities. Today we meandered throughout the city:

My favorite tile pattern in the square in front of the Basilica

Basilica

Nick and Sheri admiring art outside of the giant plastic bubble cafe

Walking with Ronald Reagan, “A Country Boy Against the Evil Empire” as the dedication plaque read

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Budapest by Night

October 18, 2011

Travel

When I landed, I wanted more than anything else to do the one thing you shouldn’t do when trying to ward off jet lag: sleep. Just a short nap. It wouldn’t do me any harm, right? As much as I wanted to sleep, I knew that if I did, I would be paying for it dearly for the next week. So I walked. I walked down one of the main streets, across the bridge, and back along the waterway. Budapest is beautiful by night.

Castle view from the bridge

The banks of Buda from the bridge

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Grounded

October 10, 2011

Tales of San Francisco
- Wake up at 5:30 am. Check.
- Sign waiver and safety form. Check.
- Drive to launch site. Check.
- Watch balloons get blown up with flames and super strong fans. Check.
- Prepare to climb into basket. Check.
This is where we deviate from the pre-flight checklist. As we were preparing to climb into the basket, walkie talkies were brought to mouths, words were exchanged, and announcements were made. There would be no flying today. The weather patterns had shifted and conditions were no longer favorable.

I looked at my friend. Really? This wasn’t what we planned. I had won an evening at a Napa Valley spa and hotel coupled with a hot air balloon ride for two at a charity auction last year. We had been looking forward to our day in the sky. Instead, we were grounded.
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Preparing to Fly

October 10, 2011

Uncategorized

Blowing up the balloons.

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Indian Dinner in Two Parts

October 9, 2011

Tales of San Francisco

Part One
1994. I was newly married and my husband was a consultant at a Big Four consulting firm. One evening, he came home and told me he had invited his team over for dinner at our house the following Monday. Knowing they were all from out-of-town, I was excited to cook them a homemade meal. Until. Until my husband said, “I told them you’d make them a homemade Indian dinner.” I had my back to him when he said that. I slowly turned around. “You told them what?” “I told them you’d make them a homemade Indian dinner.” “Why on earth would you ever say such a thing? I’ve never cooked Indian food in my life.” “But you’re such a good cook, and I bought you that spice set with the cookbook. I’m sure you’ll pull it together.”

I fretted. I don’t take entertaining lightly. I have my own version of America’s test kitchen. He assured me that he’d help me grocery shop, prep, etc., and we’d be fine. I reluctantly agreed. The weekend came and we had multiple social events. Several times I mentioned we needed to get to the grocery store and he assured me we still had time. Up until we arrived home on Sunday evening at 11 pm. He was confident I could whip something up, no problem. I appreciated his confidence in me, but…

He left for work on Monday as I was still getting ready. I knew what I had to do. I flipped through the yellow pages, found the best ad for an Indian restaurant, and jotted down the phone number. On my lunch hour I called and placed a massive order. I picked up two boxes of food on my way home from work and emptied the contents into pots on the stove. I threw away all the take out containers and set the table. He arrived home. “I knew you’d pull something together, honey.” His team said they had never had Indian food before, never realized how delicious it was, and wondered if I would teach their wives how to cook. Why, of course I would.

Part Two
2011. A colleague from Room to Read invited me and three other women to her house to cook a homemade Indian meal, since we had all traveled/lived in India. She encouraged us to bring our favorite Indian cookbooks. The plan was to grocery shop then cook an amazing meal together. When I received the invitation, I was excited, mainly for the social aspect of the evening. Hanging out, cooking a meal with four women I admire. Before leaving the house, I scanned the cookbooks on my bookshelf. To my surprise, I had a small, paperback, picture-less Indian cookbook. I wondered where it came from and remembered my ex-husband giving it to me years ago, and me never using it. How had it survived six moves in the past 17 years and not been purged?

I threw it in my bag and headed to my friend’s house. We retired to the backyard, glasses of Chardonnay in hand, surveying cookbooks and deciding what to make. Surprisingly, my small picture-less cookbook had some great recipes. We chose several and started the process. A couple of hours later, we sat down to an amazing dinner. I finally had made my delicious, homemade Indian dinner.

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