This, That, and The Other Thing

My granddaughter and I are finally here, in the land of our ancestors. Our Charles Bridge Palace Hotel is in the heart of Old Town along the Vltava River. It was a short Walk to the Charles Bridge tower and a longer walk up 200 stone steps to :Lesser Town and Prague Castle and St. Vitas Cathedral.

Alfonse Mucha Museum (Czech art nouveau artist similar to Erte), Frank Gehrey’s “Dancing House”, my favorite door (my photo passion when traveling) and “Hanging Man” (some say that’s Sigmund Freud).

So many things to see – Astronomical Clock at Old Town Hall, Labrynth at Vysehrad, (Czech for upper castle) an historic fort on the east bank of the Vltava, the best cheeseburger EVER at Rio on castle grounds, Shakespeare in the Alchemy Museum (he was into it they say).

Have to talk about food. I was told by many that you don’t travel to the Czech Republic for the food. I beg to differ. Eating adventure was not our goal, but we found the food pretty good. Our first meal was a vegan dinner at Lehka Hlwa (Clean Head), delicious beverages at Super Tramp followed then many days of goulash soup, goulash with dumplings, Schnitzel, great breakfast buffets at our hotels (one even had an omelet bar). Cafe Savoy (in Petrin area above left bank of Vltava River) had hot chocolate to end all hot chocolate.

The Other Thing – The adventure has just begun. See “Part 2 – Bohemia” and “Final Stop – Vienna”. It was a trip of a lifetime, and I spent it with the love of my life!

Karlovy Vary (Czech for Carlsbad) is the sister city to Carlsbad, California. Our Hotel Romance was on the side of a hill – lots of those just getting to our hotel. Its a pretty little town. In our travels, we learned that this is a famous spa town. Inside the Mill Colonnade (see below) are several hot springs.

12th century Gothic Castle in Loket (about 22 miles from Karlovy Vary) was a real travel back in time.

On to Pilsen (Plzen) – our favorite breakfast coffee place Le Frenchie), a brewery tour and cold one. On to Stupno where we discovered where my grandparents were married 9-23-05, and my daddy was baptized in October of 1907 – the lot #90 where my grandparents probably lived, then Radnice where my grandmother was born, and then Pisek where my great grandfather was born. We didn’t know all the exact places, but it was wonderful just to be there in those towns.

Museum of Czech Folk Costumes in Ostrov was a special place for Kaitlynn to see, and it was a visual delight. The costumes were beautifully displayed, but being behind glass, it was difficult to get really good photos (at least with my phone).

Cesky Krumlov – No elevator at Hotel Grand, so they moved us to the first floor with a nice view of the town center (an example of a small Central European medieval town whose architectural heritage has remained intact). Monastery Museum of Interactive Exhibits, blacksmith shop and leather tanning worker.

In Kutna Hora was St. Barbara Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Church located beneath the Cemetary Church of All Saints – part of the former Sedlec Abbey. About an hour and a half from Prague.

The Other Thing – Part1 Prague coming up in a day of two.

PART 3 – A little disappointed in Vienna as a city in that at first glance it looks like a huge open-air mall filled with high-end shops and restaurants. But after a subway ride from our hotel (and maybe a tram as well), we discover what the “old’ town has to offer. Belvedere Castle houses Vienna’s hometown native, Gustav Klimt’s original “The Kiss”. It is huge and magnificent. Up close it seems you can almost reach out and touch the gold leaf. Is that bullet-proof glass?

Of course, the Vienna Opera House is not to be missed. Every square inch is beautiful. “Madame Butterfly” was sold out on my birthday, but we had an amazing tour.

An unexpected treat was the State Hall of the Austrian National Library. This space is something you see in the movies but never in person – because you don’t think there is such a place!

Another surprise that my travel partner (granddaughter Kaitlynn) discovered online — a greenhouse like no other.

On my birthday, Kaitlynn treated me to Vienna’s national treat – sachertote at Sacher Cafe. It’s a yummy delight that almost puts you in a chocolate coma.

The Other Thing – My faithful followers know I couldn’t end a post without showing at least one photo of food. Stay tune for Part 2 Bohemia and Part 1 Prague.

I had already moved from the Los Angeles area to Orange County when the Troubadour was in its hey day, so this was my very first time to experience this music venue icon. My granddaughter’s favorite band is Delta Rae. I took her to Memphis in December to see them, but the concert was cancelled at the last minute. So when their appearance was advertised at the Troubadour in March, we jumped at the chance to finally see them. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. First, it was dinner.

Pump is on Santa Monica Boulevard a couple of blocks from the Troubadour. It is owned by Lisa Vanderpump (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and multiple other ventures with her husband). I expected over the top, but it was really quite nice. It was like eating in the forest.

Interesting menu – Lisa’s Big Pinky for starters (Vodka, muddled lime and mint, club soda and cranberry), and shared Truffle and Parmesan Cheese Fries and Mini Sliders with Pump’s thousand island with baby arugula, caramelized onion, and white American cheese. Kaitlynn said her pan-roasted salmon with lime turmeric sauce, rosemary potatoes and roasted vegetables was quite yummy. I couldn’t resist the Lisa’s Homemade Potato Salad with turkey. bacon and scallions. It was a meal in itself.

Then off to the Troubadour for the evening’s entertainment – and quite an evening it was. We had reserved seats in the balcony over center stage. I played the age card and told management that I could not stand for 2 hours. They were more than happy to indulge me. Unfortunately, I really am too old to stand that long.

Opening act was Wyn Stark – amazing voice – and Delta Rae was a great surprise. Their voices blended so well. The group is made up of 3 siblings and 4 good friends. To my ear, their original music is a mixture of folk, soft rock, and indie. So much energy radiated from that stage. It was lots of fun, and I swear that every person down on floor knew the words to every song (as did my granddaughter).

The Other Thing –

After concert, a line up for souvenirs and a chance to see all the photos on the walls of well-known bands in their early years. It’s quite a lineup!

Chaak – Mayan for very busy, very very noisy! This restaurant has been on my “must try” list for some time. Perhaps my first time should not have been on a weekend. I heard it was upscale (maybe), ambiance (not so much), unique menu (definitely). We had a reservation, but had to wait 15 minutes. A table inside was so noisy that we literally had to yell at each other. Our server took pity on us old folks and moved us to a table outside in a patio that was probably set up during Covid. For those of us that do not want to go deaf any time soon, the patio should remain.

Cocktails were the first order of the evening, and they were quite tasty. It’s small plates here, and there are plenty of choices to share. They all had interesting names which thankfully were translated for us non-Mayans. Sikil P’Ak is pumpkin seed dip with totopos and cucumbers. Ceviche Campeche is Octopus, striped bass, grape tomato pico and leche de tigre.

Next were Empanadas with Oaxaca cheese, and epazote. Tamal Colado was Wild Mushroom Ragu, escabeche and spicy sausage, and Esquites/Grilled Com Bone Marrow, lime, cilantro, and pecorino.

No meal is complete without dessert. We chose Bombas – beignets dusted in cinnamon-sugar, with house dulce de leche and spiced chocolate sauce.

The Other Thing – The food was good but the atmosphere was not conducive to relaxation and quiet conversation. There were other interesting menu choices, but I doubt that I will return. Not sure about my dinner companions. They may be more forgiving. So many places, so little time.

Much needed time outta Dodge with my high school buddy, Jane. Her friends have a beach house in Capitola which is NOT a beach house. It is a very very nice house that happens to 3 short blocks from the beach. Three bedrooms, two full baths and furnished with everything we could possibly need to make our vacation a heaven on earth! The old-fashioned fireplace burned real wood. We wished was cold enough to use.

Shadowbrook Restaurant was one half block away. Three-levels nestled in a wooded area alive with flowers, there was a funicular that ran to all levels if you did not want to walk the steep steps. We ate two lunches and one dinner there. Food and service were excellent.

Second day – Lunch on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach and off in the afternoon to the Monterey Aquarium and Cannery Row. It has been decades since I was at this aquarium, so it was like having never been there.

For me, no vacation is complete without a visit to the local sweet shop – Gayle’s Bakery & Rosticceria in Capitola.. The cakes were so tempting, but let’s be real. There was just the 2 of us – so it was 2 chocolate croissants, 2 butter croissants, and 2 yummy biscuit-like sugar-coated muffin-like concoctions called Downtowners.

My photos from the Santa Cruz Boardwalk speak for themselves. The wooden 1907 boardwalk along the beach is still there, but it is so much more now. My first time here, so I was surprised at the magnitude of it all. The roller coaster huge – the1911 Looff Carousel beautiful!

On our last night, Jane and I walked to Capitola Village, had a margarita at Margaritaville (no connection to Jimmy Buffett). It was a beautiful walk aback to our “beach house”.

The Other Thins – Jane is a great traveling companion, and these 7 days were very relaxing. We had lots of places to go and things to do, but we always had plenty of down time to read and take naps!!

So disappointed in Beale Street. Many years of envisioning how it what it would look like, what the music would sound like – the whole blues vibe. What I saw was a shabby, sad sight. Beale’s glory days are far behind it. Maybe if I had been there in the 1980’s, my experience would have been different. The music coming out of Alfred’s was not like any blues I have ever heard. All the neon was interesting, but walking up and down the street was far from rewarding. The only line was in front of BB Kings Blues Club, and it wound around the corner. Maybe that was the place to be.

We decided to check out Beale Street during the day (This was December 5th), and maybe try BB King’s for lunch, Their music started at 11:30am. The food was good,, and so was the music. Finally, I got to hear traditional blues — and the songs I came to hear. The Blues Trio started off with a bang, singing Muddy Waters’ “Hoochie Coochie Man”. They knew all the oldies, and my 5 all-time favorites– “Cross Road Blues” by Robert Johnson, “The Thrill is Gone” by BB King, “Red Rooster” by Howlin’ Wolf, “Boogie Chillen” by John Lee Hooker, and the aforementioned “Hoochie Coochie Man”. Now I was in blues heaven!!

At the end of Beale Street is the home of W. C. Handy, often referred to as the father of the blues. It is a museum now, but was still closed due to Covid.

We were leaving for home on the morning of December 6th, so we wanted to have our final meal be special. Our free meal at Vernon’s Smoke House at Graceland was an OK buffet. We couldn’t understand why Rendezvous Ribs was so highly recommended, even though it was very crowded when we ordered to go.

Itta Bena is a semi-secret restaurant on the 3rd floor of BB King’s Blues Club. There is a canopied entry door on the side of BB King’s. You walk up an old fire escape stairway, and open an old, well-worn door, and VOILA – a lovely dinner house complete with linens and flowers on the tables. The food was very good, beautifully plated, and accompanied by excellent service. After dinner, we went downstairs to hear a little more blues. The last 2 songs before we left were “I’d Rather Go Blind” (Etta James) and “Pride and Joy” (Stevie Ray Vaughn. This was a perfect evening and ending to our little getaway trip.

The Other Thing – A couple of disappointments, lots of fun, some new adventures, and sharing everything with my granddaughter – what’s better than that???!!!

We (my granddaughter and I) picked the right time to visit Memphis. For the first time, Graceland was offering a night time tour of the building and grounds. It cost a small fortune but was well worth it, and I had been wanting to see it for 20 years! I’m a huge Elvis fan. I saw him in concert in 1956 at the Shrine in Los Angeles, and I was hooked. My granddaughter, not so much, but she was a good sport (and actually enjoyed the tour). Here are some highlights of the home tour.

So many pictures to bore you, but here are some of the grounds

On the day he passed, he played racketball and noodled a little on this piano before he went upstairs to his bedroom.

Gotta show the pink Cadillac and that entire wall of gold records. There is a huge building across the street from the house holds tons of memorabilia – all his cars, costumes, photos of his time in the service,

We stayed at The Guest House at Graceland. If you are not an Elvis fan, you shouldn’t stay here. Elvis is everywhere. The screen saver on the TV, walls in his favorite color (purple), his photos on all the walls. It was actually very nice, and the beds very comfy.

A tour of the Lisa Marie. Note gold buckles on the seat belts.

The Other Thing – The whole Graceland experience was worth the trip to Memphis for me — for Kaitlynn, well, she loves her Nana!

For Mothers Day, my daughter gave me tickets to the Immersive Van Gogh, and the day finally arrived. In a building located at Sunset and Ivar, we saw the most amazing art presentation featuring the works of Vincent Van Gogh. We entered the lobby and walked down an aisle of neon lights into the viewing room.

What happened next was really beyond description. As the colors faded in and out and images took shape, Van Gogh’s many works were slowly revealed. I was pleased with how well my photos turned out, but they do not nearly capture the essence of what we experienced.

It ended with “Starry Night” with which most people are familiar.

Catching our breath after viewing this spectacle, we decided it called for cocktails. We headed west on Sunset to Pink Taco.

We enjoyed pink margaritas while listening to some live music on this sunny Saturday afternoon. Food photos don’t really reflect the yumminess of our lunch – being that they were taken under the shade of very PINK umbrellas.

The Other Thing – Thank you Kathleen for this wonderful Mothers Day gift!