Arrival in Prague was less than exciting, startled awake by the conductor after sleeping 4 hours on the train recouping from the weekends celebratory libations. Pushing 40 requires at least a few days recovery time, this is a nonnegotiable and must be factored into your time table.
My bad habit of stress eating rears it’s carbohydrate and junked food head from traveling alone and stammering around a foreign train station and brings immediate regret, fast and furiously. Sigh. Having spent my first days here shuttled and shelter by locals the sudden isolation brings anxiety and overdrive.
After about an hour of wandering around in circles I start to get my bearings and remember how to think in a foreign country. I tell myself that I’ve traveled around the world before smartphones and gps and just use your head and your common sense. At any rate note to self. Look into prices for global phone service or switching SIM cards for next time.
It’s often when I’m overseas I realize how spoiled we Americans are, with my expectations that everyone will speak english and I’ll be able to read the menu and will ultimately be accommodated and I don’t need to speak the local language. Shameful. It makes me want to start studying immediately. But then again when will I ever come back to Prague? Shrugs.
I decided to Study all afternoon by the fireplace and rewarded myself with a nice hot mulled wine with Cointreau at Estrellas vegetarian restaurant.
An appetizer of Gorgonzola, beet, spinach and walnut salad with a balsamic vinegrette. The warm beets and the pungent cheese are delightfully dancing in my mouth. The walnuts are fresh and full of flavor. The baby spinach is a welcome respite as it’s the first of greenery I’ve ingested since my arrival.
It’s a quiet quaint space with simple and elegant decor and yet the young man across the room with the particular accent yammering loudly is a painful reminder of the past weekends regrettable mistake. We all make bad choices sometimes. We learn to live with them. Thank u universe for the reminder and also for the cafe to begin filling up with patrons and for his voice and thy memory fading away.
The ramen is warm and light. It’s a nice garlic and mushroom broth with a fair share of ginger and chocked full of bok choy. I dislike the tomatoes but the daikon and sprouts are a wonderful grounding touch. It’s a nice variety of mushrooms chanterelle and the (baby tiny ones). The lecture today was David Wolfs super food and he explicitly talks about mushrooms healing properties. Truly inspiring although I think he is a ridiculously juvenile public speaker. Alas.
The frigid temps and holiday treats require me to stay out of ketosis and I commence to enjoy the hell out of the noodles. So what, it’s a cheat day, excuse me; of course I’ll look at the desert menu.
The panacotta of coconut milk pudding, mango sorbet and decadent chocolate flakes almost brings me to tears. It’s heavenly and the rose petals are a very nice touch. Exquisite taste. The delectable combination of sweet creamy coconut and the tart mango together with the spiced chocolate work well with the flavors and textures. And as always in European cuisine, the entire meal is wrapped up and finalized with a swish of espresso and flash of the bill.
