Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich

THE All American Sandwich.

Peanut Butter is a staple in most American households. ...and it becomes the favorite food of toddlers all the way through... well life.

Found an Apartment.....

I found an apartment in the village of Fairport and will close the deal today; it has 2 bedrooms ( so now I can have guests from Prague) ;-) with large closets; a large kitchen with a new range(4 cookers)/oven ( thank you, thank you ), Living room, Dining room, Small balcon, Air conditioning, carpeting. coin operated washer and dryer in the basement and on-site storage in the basement as well.

It is in a building which only has 6 flats ( and 6 people reside in the building ) and I get a designated parking space with my name on it. Whoop-de-do.

I won't be able to move in until May 1st, but that gives me time to get movers scheduled to move my belongings, which are currently in storage, into this apartment.

I will put down the security deposit this afternoon and sign the papers after I take another look at it.

So as of today, I have been back home for exactly TWO weeks and have completed three important items on my list: mobile, car and an apartment.

Now... onto the most important thing I need to find.

Breakfast v Ameriky

I was always surprised by the variety of Czech Breakfasts while living in Prague. A Czech Breakfast ranges from: a Greasy Klobasi with mustard; or some kind of chlebicky, as pictured below in an earlier post, with sliced meat; or a plate of Cheeses with ham and other sliced cold meats along with perhaps with a hard boiled egg; or just a rolik(long round bread roll, like a hot dog roll).

It took me a while to get used to the typical Czech Breakfast, although I still mostly ate a bowl a cereal with cold milk and a slice of bread with Jam(since I did not have a toaster) ;-)

...and that is what American Breakfasts(Top Photo) usually include: a bowl of cereal with cold milk, a slice of toast (toasted white bread) with butter spread on it, and perhaps some jam spread on it, a small glass of Orange juice, and perhaps some fresh banana cut up in slices on the cereal.

A favorite weekend breakfast(2nd Photo) in the US is: scrambled eggs, with crisp American bacon(lean with just a small amount of fat and fried crisp), and fried potatoes, called Home Fries. Home fries are not fried(boiled in oil) and are not the typical 'French Fries' or 'American' Fries one sees in Prague; Home fries are sliced (or cut into large cubes) potatoes which are cooked/sauteed in a fry pan with butter until brown and crispy on the edges.

American style Pancakes are also a breakfast alternative, especially on a mid Sunday morning. We serve Pancakes with a large Pat of butter on the top and then pour a large quantity of warm or cold Maple Syrup over the top. Quite good actually..

but again, I will compare American vs Czech "pancakes" in a later post.

Chlebicky & Open-faced sandwiches

Chlebicky are small sandwiches made from a piece of sliced bread, topped with curled pieces of cold sliced meat, and cheese, usually with a small pickle and/or piece of Pepper and parsley across the top.

Perhaps the closest thing here in America might be, what is called the 'Open-faced' sandwich,(Yes, that is a correct name) which ONLY means that it is a sandwich without the top slice of bread on it.

But, there is where the difference ends. Chlebicky are marvelous, light and a fast solution to lunch. Instead of spreading Mayo on the bread, a chlebicky usually has a thin layer of Potato salad spread on the bread, then the rolled/curled meat and cheese are added on top of that. The small pickle usually laying across the top, adds additional flavor and moisture to this unique "sandwich".

Yes, I like the normal American sandwich, but Chlebicky is a taste delight I will never forget and will long for at lunch time for years to come.

First Big Decision - a Car

I thought it would be much easier to select a Car upon my return to the states. However I found it less fun and more challenging than I had imagined.

But After much looking on-line through various resources, then going to look at and test drive various vehicles, I finally decided to buy this one: a used 2003 Toyota Camry LE. I picked it up Saturday afternoon.

I have owned several Camry's in the past and know they are reliable with relatively little repair costs and that is what I need at this time; something reliable with hopefully very little extra infusion of cash over the next months.

This car looks to be in great shape and drives nicely. It was a bit more than I initially wanted to spend, but I am looking at it as an "investment"(ha ha): something a bit newer and a bit more money, but will likely yield a little less monthly maintenance expense and a quicker resale a year down the road.

so...to my friends in CZ... here is a picture of what I bought, in case you might be interested.

The cost to insure this car for collision and liability per year: $852 USD

NOTE: But !! I AM missing the trams, metros, buses of Prague AND walking!!!, that allowed me such pleasure in Praha. But, One MUST have a car in the US however.

M&Ms vs Lentilky

Seems I am on a Chocolate focus....

M&M candies are classically American I guess, even though there is the Czech equivalent: Lentilky. M&Ms are manufactured by Mars Candy Company; same as the M&M's which are sold in Prague as well(the small darker packet at the top right of the photo that I found in Tesco). M&M's are bright multicolored candies, with a thin crisp crunchy outer candy 'shell' covering an interior of milk chocolate.

Lentilky's. the Czech equivalent, are similar but I found them to be ever so slightly larger than an M&M, multicolored as well, but more subdued; not as brightly colored as M&Ms and both the chocolate inside and the crisp candy coating outside seem to be slightly harder, with the candy coating crunchier ( Yes, I think so, even though a student friend told me I was incorrect )... I also note that the candy coating on Lentilky have a very faint fruity flavor. no?

M&M's are sold mostly in small and large bags but can be found in "novelty" plastic toys as well.

Lentilky's standard packaging are long and short tubes and small rectangular boxes plus they can be found in hollow chocolate shaped novelty candies during holiday times; such as pictured above and in egg shapes at both Christmas and Easter.

Chocolate - Mnam

In America basically there are two major Brands of Chocolate that people buy in the Grocery Store: Nestles and Hersheys. Other Specialty brands are also available as well as the increasingly popular boutique stores which make their own chocolate.

From what I could tell from shopping in Albert, Bila and Tesco, in Prague, there seems to be two or three main brands of Chocolate sold in the Czech Republic as well. The three major brands being: Orion, Nestle and Milka. There is also the Belgian Chocolate(Praline) store in many locations throughout Prague as well and a few other specialty chocolate shops.

As Americans we grew up on Hersheys Chocolate Bars, it seems to be the quintessential American Chocolate, although I know Nestles would disagree. One very Famous Hershey chocolate icon are their Chocolate 'Kisses', which are usually wrapped in Silver aluminum foil, but which also come in red, green and silver foil at Christmas time, and in Purple(like sugar plums) in their dark chocolate variety.

This week... a mobile

...earlier this week, I finally secured a Mobile, or as we say in the US, a Cell phone.

US: Cell or cell phone; Messaging =: texting
CZ: Mobile; Messaging =: sms

I had a Nokia which I carried throughout my stay in Prague. I Decided to stay with the same Model, just Newer, (it really fit my pocket perfectly) then selected a monthly ATT unlimited mobile to mobile and texting plan which includes 450 minutes per month for calling "land lines" from my mobile. We will see if that is enough.

The cost: $60/mo USD. It was much much cheaper in Prague! I think I put 1000 czk or about $50 on my phone every 3 months! But, then again, I only used my mobile in Prague for sms'ing

Just Plane Wine

...those of you who have been following my days in Prague, know I love wine and enjoy a good wine. I rarely found a glass I did not enjoy, unless it was a strange Frankovka now and then. ( But my Cafe had really great Frankovka! ).

So imagine my chagrin, flying back to New York a week ago and asking for a glass of white wine...and seeing it poured from a box/carton...then upon my first sip....

...I thought I was sitting on a bench outside Hlavni nadrazi ! with a 10 day old growth of beard!

Alas...

..from the kitchen window

A beautiful Red Cardinal from the kitchen window, as the snow fell yesterday afternoon.

The Weatherman was right... Lots of Snow

...so, the weather was right(correct) and we got lots of snow yesterday, easily 15cm, if not more and it looked like a winter wonderland here this morning as the sun came up...

Snow in Rochester....

Spring came on the calendar yesterday, but today it is snowing in Rochester. The roads are wet and the ground is just white, but not much has fallen as yet.

The weatherman said we should expect about 15cm here in Rochester. They like to grab people's attention by predicting the worst( The Chicken Little, Sky is falling scenario), but they are most often incorrect. The only profession in the world where they can be consistently wrong and still keep their job! They pretend they are actors on a stage, saying in their loudest voice that calamity is coming, when in fact it rarely does. Yes... the sky is falling, the sky is falling.

American Weathermen. !! I liked the Czech weather reporting. Low key. I could gauge the weather by the picture on the map of a SUN or CLOUDs or little snowflakes. Of course the amount I could never understand, so it was always a surprise to see how the day turned out.

And the American News, well I will save that topic for another day...

Muffins

Muffins are very common here in coffee shops and bakeries. One can see them once in awhile ( from time to time ;-) in Prague, but usually in places that are more frequented by expats, like Bageterie Boulevard shops, and the American chains such as McDonalds, atd, The Pekarstvni's (Bakeries) I would frequent in Prague would never have this type of Pastry.

But here in the states, they are ubiquitous; everywhere. and what about the siZe? Yes, Huge. as seen above.

Muffins are classic Morning or mid-morning pastries here in American and come in all sorts of types/flavors: Blueberry, cranberry, corn-meal, wheat, apple-cinnamon, bran, Cinnamon, and usually are big, big, big.

My First Beer in the US

I know, I know, big deal...first beer in the states, but I had forgotten how bad it was....

tak, Upon my arrival at JFK, last Wednesday afternoon(the 16th), I was thirsty after being in the plane for almost 9 hours and felt like having a beer. I grabbed a Budweiser Light (in honor of Budvar) at the "food court" in the Jet Blue terminal and sat down at a table, just Krtek(background of photo) and I.

I couldn't drink it. Honestly. I had about 3 gulps and replaced the cap(2nd pic) with a thud and tossed it in the trash. The picture below represents what it tasted like to me after the living in the land of "Pivo" for so long....

..sorry..but it IS true. I know there is much better US beer; I will report back later.

Coffee: in a Mug vs. a Cup

I never once saw a Mug of Coffee in the Czech Republic.

In the US, A Mug of coffee is a regular sight. There is something unsettling about getting a Cappuccino in a Mug! like pictured here. Don't you agree?

But I am too used to Europe I guess.

Mugs are usual for a morning coffee here, especially in diners and as I found out this morning, here in this Coffee Shop I have once again begun to frequent.

However, One can get coffee in a cup here most certainly, ( or should I say a small bowl ) usually a cup much larger than one might see as they enjoy a cup of cappuccino in a Prague cafe. But, that is too be expected. ..and more about Coffee comparisons in the near future.

Wow, was asked to show my Photos....

I had coffee this morning at the Coffee Shop in Pittsford. I used to go there every Sunday to have my Czech lessons with my Friend Nina. It is a place I have frequented for a long time.

Back in the summer of 2009 when I was selling my house, the shop asked if I would show several of my Photos( of Prague ) on the walls of their cafe. I got many nice comments of my work and even sold three framed prints.

so, this morning, much to my surprise, when they found out that I was back in the US, I was asked once again to have a showing of my Czech Republic Photography. Wow. This was a very pleasant surprise.

Tak, for the whole month of June, I will have about 10 of my "best" Photos, framed and hanging in this Cafe. Very cool.

Now... to pick the 10 I wish to show, which represent what I wish to portray related to:
My Love Affair with Prague

Coffee Shop Cookie...

I hesitate to call the Café I use to frequent in my home town, a Café, after enjoying "real" Cafés in Prague for so long. But, I have returned here...

Therefore, for the moment, I will call this "café" in my home town a: Coffee Shop.
Since it is very very different from the Cafés of Prague. But more about Cafe comparison in a later post.

BUT, this post is about SIZE. This is the typical cookie size when one wishes to purchase a Cookie to go along with their afternoon ( or morning ) coffee.

And Note the SIZE as compared to the Coffee Cup AND the 50 czk coin.

And Guess the calories. Huge. American's love their calories. Otherwise they do not think they are getting a bargain.

by the way, this Cookie cost $1.75 or about 40 krowns.

Eggs. 12 here vs. 10 in CZ....and White!

and here they are White!

While living in the Czech Republic and shopping at Albert and Tesco for my food needs, I never saw the typical US egg, which is seen above. WHITE. Czech eggs are always BROWN unless you buy the tiny quail eggs which are multi-colored. ;-))

and of oourse, here in the US, eggs are mostly are sold by the Dozen, or 12 per carton.

The typical number of Eggs in cartons in the Czech Republic is 10.

However, one can also buy eggs is huge numbers in a flat of eggs; but I never looked to see how many where in the huge "flats" that many people seem to pick up.

Everything is BIGGER in the US...

This is the US version of the Snickers candy bar. Take out one of your 50 koruny cena
and place it next to the Czech version of a Snickers bar, as found in tesco...

See! Shocking isn't it. ;-)

of course, more BIG and BIGGER comparisons to come.

Ruzyne vs JFK

Prague's Ruzyne Airport handles around 250 flights a day and is used by approximately fifty carriers who operate direct connections, scheduled and charter, to 103 destinations around the world, making this airport immense.

Its longest runway is 12,100 feet in length. (3688 meters)

Up to 1.2 million people a month use the airport - around the same number of people who live in Prague itself. Based on the number of passengers passing through the terminals (around 11-12 million passengers every year), Ruzyne is now among the top 30 airports in Europe. Its popularity has been boosted by the number of budget airlines now benefiting from Prague's location in central Europe. These companies now link Prague with 13 cities in Europe. For instance, 16 flights a day leave for London alone.

The Prague Airport has three(3) terminals:

- Terminal 1 - Inter-Continental flights including flights to the United Kingdom, Ireland, North America (USA, Canada), Middle-East, Africa and Asia
- Terminal 2 - Flights within the EU Schengen Agreement member countries and other European destinations.
- Terminal 3 - Charter, cargo and private flights. Official State visits or significant occasions.

JFK on the other hand...

JFK covers 4,930 acres, including 880 acres in the Central Terminal Area. The airport has more than 30 miles of roadway.

Its longest runway is 14,572-feet (4442 meters)

JFK has seven operating airline terminals, surrounded by a dual ring of peripheral taxiways. More than 125 aircraft gates serve the terminals. Roughly 35,000 people are employed at the airport.

I like Ruzyne much much better. No que for take-off. Seemingly easy Security Process. Friendly people.

The sunshine continues....

After about 23 days of straight sunshine in Prague, and also hearing from home over the past two weeks of daily snow showers and cold...

today... well, 60 F (16 C) and full sunshine. It is a bit different from what Rochester has been experiencing of late.

and no snow on the ground. I was worried....

Cau

Photo: at the front walk of my parents home; Flying the Flag.

So great to see my kids...

Arrived last evening 30 minutes early into the Rochester Airport; 1:30am Prague time
After being up for close to 20 straight hours.
Carrying my heavy backpack off the Plane...
There were my two children. Fabulous.

So great to see them!

Merde !

..so ok... and now onward and upward.