Month: May 2019

Erica, Prague, Madrid in That Order. Day #6 “Exploring Erica’s World, Does Anyone Care?” May 6, 2019

by reissmd, posted in Madrid, Uncategorized

Today was a day that we had planned to learn about Erica’s life in Madrid but before I get to that I need to know if anyone is out there. Yesterday I wrote about my near-death experience and there were only two comments thanking Patrice for her life-saving efforts? Isn’t anyone reading this thing? Do you not care if I live or die? Do you not know how to post a comment? All of the above? That noise you hear is me crying. The following is for the two people who are following my posts.

This morning we met Erica for breakfast with two of her friends, Niko (from Chile) and Silvia (a Madrileña, i.e. born in Madrid). We had a wonderful meal talking in Spanish (for practice) and English (so I knew what was being said). I was so engaged in our conversation I forgot to take pictures of Niko and Silvia. But I know my friend Joe wants to see food pictures so I didn’t forget to photograph what I ate.

My Spanish favorite, Cafe con leche (coffee and milk but in reality it is more like milk with coffee).
Poached eggs

Then we headed over to Erica’s work. We couldn’t go empty handed so we stopped off to bring them some snacks. There was a nearby market with a variety of shops. We found a “Casqueria” which means a place that sells the innards of animals. Look at the following pictures at your own risk. My apologies to my dear niece, Leslie, who at this moment is wondering if maybe my getting hit by a car yesterday would not have been a horrible thing after all.

Cow snout.
Pig’s ear.
Sheep heart, lung and liver.

There were a variety of other items, and I was in disbelief that anyone would buy any of them. But while we were gawking at this myriad of incredible offerings a woman approached the store and ordered a multitude of items. The butcher quickly went to work cutting up the sheep combination picture above. He chopped the heart, liver and lungs. He then separated out the trachea and esophagus. He diced the trachea but threw away the esophagus. After all who would eat esophagus? The customer initially said she was buying the items for her dog but later confessed she might fight the animal over who gets to eat the stuff. I will not be accepting any dinner invitations from this woman. We decided against buying any of the innards for Erica’s co-workers and instead decided to get some more traditional items such as jamon Iberico (Iberian ham), cheese and cookies (the cookies were my suggestion of course).

Erica’s Work Family at Juventud y Cultura: From left to right Mike, Mar, Erica, Luis, and Ibon .

Erica enjoys working with this crew at Juventud y Cultura. The company sends Spanish students to study abroad and brings foreigners to study in Spain. In addition they also run a high school program and a summer camp where kids from 6 to 16 years old study in Spain for 2-3 weeks. Parents can also come to Spain with the kids. If you are interested contact them at info@juventudycultura.es

Erica, Prague, Madrid in That Order. Day #5 “Patrice the Lifesaver” May 5, 2019

by reissmd, posted in Madrid, Prague

Today is a travel day and usually not much happens on travel days.  Not much happened today except PATRICE SAVED MY LIFE!  Back to that later since I am sure you aren’t very interested in that.

Last night we had a wonderful dinner at Beseda a restaurant recommended by Patrice’s sister, Fern, and her husband, Brian.  At least I think they recommended it.  They gave us directions to the place but no name.  The food was excellent.  Beseda serves typical Czech food and after our evening with Patrik (hockey player Patrik not tour guide Patrik) we are now experienced Czech Republic cuisine experts.  I ordered the Svíčková, since that is the only thing I know how to pronounce. (Patrice the editor here: What Robert means by pronouncing is to point to it on the menu). Erica had the duck (since 3 of Patrik’s family members opted for that when we dined with them) and Patrice decided to be adventurous and had the Schnitzel (Isn’t that more German than Czech?).  All of the dishes were superb.  

The Svíčková ordered by me. The meat was maybe a little better than last night but the sauce didn’t come close.
Erica’s duck
Patrice’s schnitzel.

After dinner we did some exploring and found something of great interest. It was a massage parlor that had a specialty tank to cleanse your feet. Inside the tank were small fish that apparently feed off your dead skin cells providing you with a ” Marine exfoliation”.

Little fishies, look harmless enough, don’t they?
Can you see all the fish attacking, I mean “treating” this woman?

Apparently sometimes the fish can get a little too aggressive. Here is a photo of a woman whose treatment was more extensive than she cared for.

We did not see this client move at all. Clearly a case of over-treatment.

This morning we took a boat tour of the city along the river. It was nice but hard to get there since today was the Prague Marathon. It was great seeing all the runners and the excitement around the event. It also brought back some memories of my own running experiences.

On the way back to the hotel we had to take a circuitous route to avoid the runners. At one point we where crossing a street and Patrice screamed “ROBERT STOP!”. Being an obedient husband I did just that. When I turned my head a car was speeding directly at me without any appearance of slowing down. I quickly retreated and thus avoided being hit. After the car passed I looked back and saw Patrice was crying. I asked myself is she crying because the guy missed me? I knew better, with tears running down her face she said she was so scared she thought I was going to be killed. What a horrible event but what a wonderful outcome. I always say funerals are a waste. The one person who would love to hear all the wonderful things being said about them isn’t there to enjoy it. I got to go to my own funeral today, see my wife grieve, and happily get to tell you about it, myself.

Time to head for the airport. I will try not get myself killed today. If I do, please cry a lot because you know how much I would have enjoyed it.

Erica, Prague, and Madrid in That Order. Day #4 “More Fun in Praha” May 4, 2019

by reissmd, posted in Prague

Followers of this blog are already aware that my favorite part of trips is mingling with the locals. If they are people we already know, all the better. Last night we had a wonderful dinner with my friend Patrik (not our tour guide), his wife, Pavlina, and their sons Patrik (yes another Patrik) and Alex. First of all, in spite of the fact that in our short time here we have met 3 Patriks, I have been told it is not a common name in the Czech Republic.

I knew Patrik when he was one of the stars of the Long Beach Ice Dogs and I was one of the team doctors. If you are saying you’ve never heard of the Ice Dogs, that is the reason they no longer exist. I had not seen Patrik since about 1999 before he was married. We met the family at a local restaurant a bit off the main drag and thus devoid of tourists. We had what Patrik described as typical Czech food. In a word it was spectacular.

Left to Right: Patrik, Patrik, Alex, Patrice, Pavlina, Erica, Robert





I had Svíčková. A meat dish with bread dumplings. It was superb. My mouth is watering just thinking of the sauce.

Erica had the goulash and loved it. I thought it was a bit too spicy for me (and I like spicy)
Both Patriks and Pavlina had the duck with potato dumplings.
Patrice had “Pig Knee” that came with caramelized cabbage and pickle salad. Sounds disgusting but it was amazing.
Alex showed he was a true 14 year old and had a burger and fries.

It was a great night catching up with an old friend and meeting his family. I was aware that they did not live in the city and thought they were about 20 kilometers from town. I found out that they live about a two hour drive from the city. I was shocked learning they were coming from so far. That is like someone visiting Santa Barbara and asking if I want to meet them for dinner. They are an incredible family and it gave us one more reason to return to this lovely city.

Today we considered taking a day trip to a couple of towns that had been recommended by some friends. We were slow to get started and by the time we did it seemed like it was too late to make the trip. Instead we decided to buy tickets for one of the “Hop On, Hop Off” bus tours. I am sure you know the type. We did it in Boston on a rainy day and since today’s forecast was rain we thought it might be a good idea.

Patrice and Erica learning about the city while I stalk them.

The tour took on a little excitement when our bus was blocked by another tour bus. Honking ensued making me feel like we were visiting New York. Not to digress but Prague is a lot like most of Australia in that there is very little honking of horns (unlike New York). Back to my story, for some unknown reason the bus in front of us had stopped and was blocking our path. Our driver continued to honk with the same results (Isn’t that the definition of insanity? Continue to do the same action while expecting different results?). He started to go over the curb to get around. It made an awful sound and quite frankly scared me (I later heard from Patrice and Erica that they were also feeling a bit scared).

Our driver trying to “Hop On” the curb to get around another bus. He gave a new meaning to the name “Hop On Hop Off” tour.

After the tour we walked back to a sight that interested Erica. On the bus we passed the Church of Our Lady Victorious which Erica has heard was famous for “The Infant Jesus of Prague”. The church houses a doll of the baby Jesus and people have crafted exquisite clothes for the doll to wear. The church has a series of cases displaying previously used costumes. The church has received costumes from people all over the world.

The Baby Jesus on display in full costume,
Costume from Mexico
South Korea sent this costume for the baby Jesus.
What do you think about this outfit?
Wait a second! What is that Jewish star doing in there?

That has to be all for now, Patrice and Erica are saying they want go to dinner. We head to Spain tomorrow.

Erica, Prague, and Madrid in That Order. Day #3 “Beyond Description” May 3, 2019

by reissmd, posted in Prague

After another great breakfast we were off to explore the city of Prague (known as Praha here) once more. Patrice, Erica and I were interested in seeing the Franz Kafka Museum. Unfortunately it was a big disappointment to me. Erica and Patrice have instructed me to say they were NOT disappointed. Well in that case, they must not have been expecting much. The most interesting part to me was outside the museum and had nothing to with Kafka. Outside the museum was a statue by David Černý called “Piss”.

“Piss” by David Černý. Note Patrice and Erica seem fascinated by the work of art.

Our guide explained that the sculpture was made after the Czech people voted to join the European Union in 2004. The piece consists of two sculpted men standing in a pool shaped like the Czech Republic. By making the piece the artist was saying that the Czech people were pissing on their own country by joining the EU. I was less concerned with the artist’s message than I was with Patrice’s fascination with the piece.

I have no idea why Patrice was so interested in this art work.

From Piss (that doesn’t sound right) we headed over to see the Astronomical Clock. This structure was was constructed in 1490 by clockmaster Jan Růže (also called Hanuš). It has a variety of unique qualities. At the stoke of the hour there is a skeleton that rings a bell counting out the current time. Also twelve apostles march past. A figure with a guitar, another counting his money and a third looking into a mirror all shake their heads “saying no to death”. The current astrological sign is displayed as is the number of hours until sundown. The current phase of the moon is also part of the piece. There were other things but they escape my memory. Clearly it was a fascinating sight; we weren’t alone as many others were there to observe the clock as the hour struck.

Astronomical Clock in Prague

Apparently after completion of the clock the royalty was concerned that Jan Růže might recreate this work of beauty for another region so they rewarded him by gouging his eyes out. Lovely reward system, don’t you think?

Tonight we are having dinner with friends but we don’t have anything planned yet for tomorrow.

Erica, Prague, and Madrid in That Order. Day #2 May 2, 2019 “Best Day So Far”

by reissmd, posted in Prague

Last night we had a marathon stay at the American Airlines lounge at Heathrow Airport arriving shortly after our flight landed in London at 10 AM and not leaving for Prague until shortly before closing (the American lounge closes at 7 PM but we left at 6 PM) heading over to the the British Airways lounge which is open much later (until 10 PM).

Our flight to Prague was uneventful and very quick. We were scheduled to take off at 8 PM and arrive at 11 PM but since Prague is one hour ahead of London our trip was only 2 hours instead of the expected 3.

From the Prague airport (PRG) we were greeted outside baggage claim by our Blacklane driver, Denys (pronounced Dennis), who helped us with our luggage and drove us to the hotel. I know what you are thinking, “Patrice and Robert are a couple of spoiled rich kids taking a private car to the hotel”. Actually it is quite the contrary. I was turned on to Blacklane (a German company) by my friend Jeff. This was the second time I used them (they have a convenient phone app) and they have been very competitive in regards to price but beyond comparison in regards to service. We used them in New York at JFK. The price was a little more than a taxi but the driver met us at baggage claim, helped Patrice with her luggage, we didn’t need to wait on a long line for a taxi and he drove us in a clean car to the front door of our hotel. Considering that the tip was included in the quoted price it was very a reasonable service. Unfortunately their pricing is not always competitive. For example I looked for a quote from LAX to our home (less than 6 miles) and they wanted $117 for a ride that typically costs about $30 by taxi. For $87 I will wait on a taxi line in Los Angeles.

But of course the highlight of the night was seeing Erica at our hotel. It had been 6 months since we had seen our baby (sorry, FaceTime is good but not the same). We hung out in our room for a while and prepared for our first day in Prague.

This morning we had a great breakfast at the hotel, then waited for our tour guide to arrive for our 3 hour walking tour of the city. When he didn’t arrive at the arranged time I called the tour company and was connected directly to the guide. He apologized for being late and said he would be there soon. A few minutes later Patrik introduced himself and we were on our way. We had a great day walking to a variety of sights. The weather was perfect as was our guide. Our 3 hour tour actually lasted 4 hours and 20 minutes. Patrik had a wealth of knowledge about the sights and history of the Czech Republic. I strongly recommend Patrik from Lucy tours (Lucy is the owner and Patrik’s mom). You can contact them at lucytours.com.

My girls Erica and Patrice in front of Prague Palace. Where is Lindsay?

We found a human statue in Old Town Square. I know you have seen them in various places. We have seen them in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Barcelona and Madrid (I am sure we have seen others). This guy seemed particularly good so I put a tip in his jar before taking a picture. After dropping in the tip he grabbed me and instead of me taking pictures of him, Patrice took these pictures of us.

First just a simple picture.
Then turning around my hat and covering my eyes.
Not sure what was doing now but I could see that Patrice was enjoying it.
I made my getaway when I could.

More planned for tomorrow. I need some sleep now. My Fitbit is reading 19,293 steps. Maybe I will walk up and down the hall a few times to hit the 20K mark. Steps aside, spending my day with Erica made this the best day so far.

Erica, Prague, and Madrid in That Order. Day #1 April 30 -May 1, 2019 “Where’s My Baby?”

by reissmd, posted in Prague

I recently started reading former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright’s book entitled “Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948”. In it, she writes, “Some people pursue enlightenment by sitting quietly and probing their inner consciousness; I make plane reservations.” Madame Secretary, you must have been thinking of me when you wrote that.

Today (April 30, 2019) we left for Prague, not to research Secretary Albright’s roots but rather to visit our daughter, Erica. As you might know she lives and works in Madrid, Spain. When we discussed a visit she suggested we meet in Prague, so we are on our way.

Due to some incredible incompetence by our travel agent (that would be me) we don’t arrive into Prague until 11:00 pm. People have asked what I am most interested in seeing in Prague and without hesitation I answer, “Erica!”. This reminds me of our trip to Cuba in 2011. Erica was studying in Cuba from August 15 – December 15, 2011 so we planned a trip to go visit. In 2011 you needed an approved reason to visit Cuba. We found a “Medical Fact Finding Tour” scheduled to leave the end of October and signed up.

Unfortunately on September 17, 2011, a date I refer to as “My personal 911” I fell off my bicycle and fractured my right hip. When seen in the emergency room by the surgeon my first question was, “Will I be able to travel to Cuba by the end of October”. He said if that was what I wanted, I would be able to do so. So six weeks after suffering a life-changing right hip fracture I was off to Cuba.

Traveling to Cuba while being on crutches and instructed to be non-weight bearing on my injured hip was quite a challenge. The “tour” was of course a joke. Many of our fellow travelers were very upset because our visit was not very informative about the Cuban health care system. They wanted to protest to the travel company and came to me for my input. I told them that once I saw Erica the trip was a success. I am sure Prague has many things of interest to offer us but to be very blunt, once we see Erica, the trip will be a success.

Seeing my girl in Cuba. It was worth the trip.
A little metal wasn’t going to keep me from seeing my baby.

Right now, I am writing to you from the American Airlines lounge at Heathrow Airport in London. We have been here since 10 AM local time and don’t leave until 8:00 PM (thanks to travel agent Robert). Unfortunately I didn’t get much sleep on the flight here. I should have known we were in for a difficult time when I saw these two signs.

Rows 1-14 enter door C. I suppose 15 & 16 need to go to the next door..
Guess again. Not sure what happens to those chaps in 15 and 16.

When we made our reservations I wanted to be assured that my seat would recline flat so I could get some sleep. It did recline flat but the seats are staggered in such a way that the person in front of me had to climb over my legs to get out of her location. That passenger must have had a bladder problem because every time I was about to doze off she climbed over me and stirred me awake. It was not a fun flight and I am exhausted. By 11 PM Prague time (2 PM LA time) and a mere 23 hours after leaving LA I will be at our destination and probably it will be another hour later that I will find a bed. Don’t feel sorry for me; I will be seeing Erica soon and I will be very happy.