Beer Spa in the Czech Republic?

Why I'm not surprised...

11:47 - 13:56 (PRG) 29 March, 2006

View from Prague. Solar Eclipse... just ended 10 minutes ago...

Bina is the star!

"There will be an event about cultural difference in Santa Maria, so they invited me and some AIESEC trainees to talk about our experiences as trainees abroad.

"...Probably you will not understand a word... So there goes a resume of what I said in the advertisiment:

"Hello, this is bina and I lived in Ostrava, Czech Republic for 8 months. There, people are not used to ask for further information, because during the communist time, people that did that, were strongly punished.... hey.. and also the beer can be 4x cheaper than water!"

Awww, our little Bina!

I've got Six More Ways to Know you've been in Prague Too Long:

1) You visit other countries, and try to pay for the free water.

2) You visit peoples homes, and try to pay for the bathroom.

3) You go to other countries and ask to buy chocolate "Students(ka)"

4) You don't hire women because you know they're just going to get pregnant and stay at home-- or worse, join an introduction agency in order to meet more "liberal-minded" Western men, and then disappear.

5) Male British tourists wearing T-shirts that say "When I want your opinion, I'll remove my dick from your mouth" and "She'll struggle less when she's dead" don't make you flinch.

6) You see crystal from other countries and yawn, "what's with the cut glass"?

(some people thought my previous entries were a bit harsh, so I made some changes...in fairness to those Czechs whom I very much admire.)

Mapy.cz now has a cool satellite view a la Google Maps.

Beer for life

Researchers in Austria and the Czech Republic -- two nations that drink more than their fair share of suds -- have just released studies that suggest that beer is an anti-inflammatory and can slow the aging process.

In a study published in the March issue of International Immunopharmacology, scientists at Austria's Innsbruck Medical University found that hops, a key ingredient in beer, affect the production of neopterin, a telltale sign of inflammation, and levels of the amino acid tryptophan (low levels are associated with more inflammation.)

"This suppression might be connected with the calming effect of beer," the researchers note, "since its normalizing effect on the tryptophan balance improves the availability of the 'happiness hormone' serotonin." And who wouldn't want happiness to be more available?

The Austrians noted, of course, that their findings should not be construed as an encouragement to drink alcohol. (Not that anyone would take it as such. No sir.)

Over in the Czech Republic, doctors have found that moderate beer consumption slows aging and reduces the likelihood of heart attacks in men.

We should note that the Czech study was paid for by a group of big Czech breweries. We should also note that Czech doctors, in an earlier, separate study, once reported that two beers a day could fight impotence. (CNN)

Ahhh, pivo for life, how exciting.

New Intern Tips: Picking a Fitness Center in Prague

Here in Prague there are two questions that I receive all the time:

1. Where are you really from? and,
   
2. Which fitness center should I join?

Today, I'm going to answer the second question. In Prague there are three kinds of gyms - gyms that are okay, gyms that are better, and gyms that are best.

Best

The best fitness center in Prague - especially if you live in Andel - is Holmes Place on the third floor of Novy Smichov shopping center. It is very posh and it is literally just across the street from the flat. Here you will find all the amenities, classes, and snootiness that you could possibly want in a fitness center. Plus, if you choose this gym you will never have the excuse that it is too far away. Of course you have to pay for the best - 24000 CZK per year (as of 2005).

Better

If the best is a little too pricey for your internship salary (it's certainly too pricey for mine!) then you might want to consider a couple of alternatives:

1. Factory Pro at Smichovske Nadrazi (Nadrazni 32, Praha 5), and
   
2. World Class at Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske Namesti 22, Praha 1)

Both of these gyms are good modern fitness facilities with a full complement of fitness equipment and classes. For most people, Factory Pro will be the better choice out of these two fitness centers as it is both closer and (for most people) cheaper. Factory Pro and World Class have very different pricing structures which make comparisons difficult. At Factory Pro you do not purchase a membership - instead you purchase points that are put on a swipe card. Everytime you go to Factory Pro you swipe your card and points are deducted. Certain services (e.g. sauna) cost extra points. By contrast, World Class offers a simple one year membership plan that cost 15000 CZK (as of 2005) - and includes extra services like the sauna. If you choose World Class, watch for the fall special in September when you can receive an extra month for free. So what does all this mean?

If you are only in Prague for only a few months: choose Factory Pro.

If you plan to go to the gym only two or three times per week: choose Factory Pro.

If, however, you will be in Prague for a full year and you plan to use the gym very frequently (5 or 6 times per week): choose World Class.

Another gym that arguably fits into the "better" category is BBC Fitness. I do not recommend this gym, however, as all of their locations are simply too far away from Andel. If you purchase a membership for this gym you simply won't use it.

Okay

Finally, there is one last category of gyms to consider - gyms that are simply okay. If you are looking for a fitness center that just has the basics (free weights, treadmills, etc.) and doesn't cost much then I recommend Delroy's Gym in Andel. At Delroy's you can purchase a 20 entry pre-paid card for 1400 CZK. You can also buy 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month passes. Delroy's is located just around the corner at Zborovská 4, Praha 5.

For more information on Prague fitness centers check out the gym section and the forums of Expats.cz.

You know you have been in the Czech Republic too long when...

Our beloved coconut Alula has been collecting some facts about when you'd know that you've been in the Czech Republic too long, so here's the current list wanting your contributions – it's slightly different from the one on Alula's blog because she made some random changes on our original version which I thought should remain unchanged. (What can you do, coconuts don't listen and mangos are stubborn. They just don't get along.)

1. You crave smazeny syr (fried cheese)
2. You need to eat meat and potatoes EVERY DAY
3. You start to think Kofola and tartarska omacka are good (Czech soda and tartar sauce)
4. "Cože? Prosím! It's futsking dobře, isn't it?" are all part of your lexicon yet the only complete sentence you can actually form in Czech is “Jedno pivo prosím” (one beer please)
5. You don't feel shocked when your boss says "Fakt yo!" because you know it doesn't mean what you thought you heard. (It means Oh, really?!)
6. You drink 4L of beer and are not drunk yet
7. You measure the beer you drink by litre instead of bottle or glass
8. You don't gag on the absinth shots
9. You know how to dance to 80's music without having to get drunk very fast first
10. (girls) You start wearing ridiculously short skirts in the winter
11. You use the "display toilets" and don't check out what's there anymore
12. You blow your nose loudly, in public. Even at the table when people are eating
13. You wear socks and sandals at work
14. You say "Jesus Maria!" when you are frustrated, or "kurva!" when something goes wrong
15. You believe Czechs when they tell you slivovice cures illnesses
16. You get used to walking out of a restaurant or a bar smelling like an ashtray and feel very suspicious of restaurants or any public place marking itself as non-smoking
17. When new arrivals ask you what are the first 5 Czech words to learn, you rank "pivo" (beer) above "dobrý den" (good day) and "děkuji" (thank you)
18. When soon leavers ask you what are the typical souvenirs to buy you say "pivo, absinth, and bohemian crystal" without one second of thought
19. (boys) One of the first questions you ask a girl you meet is how old they are (just to make sure they're not 17!)
20. You can hold lengthy discussions on the quality and characteristics of many, many kinds of Czech beer and the merits of different Czech alcohols
21. You think it's weird when people you don't know smile at you or when anyone working in a restaurant or store is nice to you
22. You immediately decide to tip when anyone working in a restaurant smiles at you

Additions, prosím. Reflect, smile and share.

Screen-phobia

Last Saturday turned out to be nearly the same as most of the Saturday nights you have in Praha, walking along Vodičkova at 3 am, enjoying a smaženy sýr burger from one of the booths in Václavské Náměstí while waiting for the night tram, oh, and even the place that you just walked out of, being Lucerna. Now, what made it just “nearly” but not completely the same as usual was that it was not after parties and drinking, ESPECIALLY not after the 80’s party at Lucerna (how lucky). The “One World” International Human Rights Documentary Festival totally filled up my time and I didn’t manage to party at all! Although I had a small movie and smaženy sýr party for myself on Saturday – I couldn’t eat a proper meal between the movies so I had smaženy sýr for both breakfast and lunch, and then after the movie marathon Erik convinced me that it should be a lovely idea to end the day with one as well – a smaženy sýr day, which is why I feel sick typing these two words now.

If you don’t know what screen-phobia feels like, try what we’ve been through for the past week:

03/02	Thursday	The Smell of Paradise
03/03	Friday	Good Night, And Good Luck Short Film Marathon: Le Femme Seule/A Woman Alone The Clown Children Moment of Fury Brother Gordon
03/04	Saturday	Brokeback Mountain Vierka Oscar Nominee Marathon: Street Fight Dimmer Mad Hot Ballroom Favela Rising
03/05	Sunday	Winter's Children - The Silent Generation The Giant Buddhas Sisters in Law
03/06	Monday	The Shutka's Book of Records Front Lines Laos Darwin's Nightmare
03/07	Tuesday	German Secret
03/08	Wednesday	Sex Slaves Girl with a Pearl Earring

Yes, if you can’t be bothered to count, I can tell you that it was 21 movies we saw over 7 days. And if you can’t be bothered to read all the stories and reviews of those movies, Michela has some good editor’s picks for you. I personally recommend Darwin’s Nightmare which was nominated for this year’s Oscar Best Documentary. I’ll try to tell more about this movie once I finish chewing over all the movies I saw. It’ll be on in some other cinemas in Praha after this festival so you’ll still have a chance to see it.

Props to Mat’a who forwarded us the link. Great movies; Great time. Now time to take a break before the International Film, TV, and Video Festival starts in Village Cinemas Anděl, on March 23.

One more green bottle...

"Oh my god, it’s totally pretending to be wine!" said Raphael, Friday night when I showed him the new packaged Staropramen bottled beer that Geri bought for me from Carrefour. According to the news, the rebranding campaign cost the Staropramen Brewery tens of millions of crowns and took more than a year. Staropramen is now packaged in a green bottle with a new logo.



Believe us the new bottle looks fine empty, but an unopened new Staropraman does seem to be trying to look like wine… Fortunately the content itself isn’t. It’s still our good ol’ Staropramen that lives a few blocks away.

Mystery on the Andel Express...

The Crime: The disappearence of several food and holiday-related items. Were they kidnapped? Sold on the black market? Or Worse, eaten!?!

The Victims: The number of victims is at this time unknown. We do know that Eric's olive oil, Michela's italian herbs, Will's "package" (contents unknown), Geri's talismans and countless empty beer bottles have disappeared from their homes without a trace. The parents of these victims are devastated and unsure how they will recover from such emotional trauma and psychological damage.

Scene of the Crime: Andel Apartments, various kitchens, living room and mail box.

Analysis: There has at this time, been no attempt to ransom said victims. Several shady characters have been noticed entering the Andel apartment complex without invitation, and making loud banging noises, including one Mr. Kozac, and twin brother, Mr. Kozac, previously indicted for empty beer bottle theft.

Is Andel no longer a safe community for our children? Will we have to lock our doors and become a gated community? Who will come to the aid of the poor, foreign, underage (acting) community of Andel, and solve THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING FOOD-RELATED AND HOLIDAY ITEMS???

(Sorry, I don't seem to be able to write anything that isn't intertextualized these days...)