an entry, in all actuality

Came into the Czech Republic with the nipping cold, continued thusly. Currently staying in "Pensions House," and we all ate at the pub last night, where I learned the word strapacky. (Strah-PAHTCH-kee)--cheese covered gnocchi. Praha food is heavy and rich and portions are large; beer (pivo) comes in glasses as big as my head, wine is vino and it's prosim (please) all the time. "Pivo, prosim." Cobblestones line the ground. Tourists in stilettos seem to have a difficult time of it. The facade on every building is decadent and covered in statues and gold and filigree and the beauty is so overwhelming and the Czechs are elegant in their scarves and coats, waving cigarettes around, smirking at the British men there for stag parties --strip clubs and cheap booze. The orloj , the astronomical clock in the center of Wenceslas Square, "performs" every hour, and I tried Algerian coffee and talked about global warming with a Czech professor of womens' rights--she doesn't believe in it...