Prague Journal

Wednesday, December 22, 2004.

A slight skiff of snow ushered in the first official day of winter, so it was a bit warmer today than yesterday. Today is the last day of classes at VŠE, so the university is bustling with students and faculty. Eva and I met after her classes, partly for our weekly progress-report exchange and partly to plan our research interview schedule for January. I returned home with a box of cookies from Eva’s students, and was greeted with an even bigger box of homemade cookies from Jitka that Rick received during his visit with Ales. So, it’s cookie and chocolate time at our flat.
At the Christmas markets, hot wine and trdlo (a hot pastry "muff" cooked on a metal cylinder which is turned over an open flame) seem to be the best sellers. The lines for carp, candles and Christmas trees are also long. Some stores have piped-in Christmas music, but most of the sounds at Staromĕstská are from choral groups on the stage and horses’ hooves on the cobblestone streets. Our neighborhood is quiet, as usual. I have only seen a few windows with advent candles or Christmas trees. Carp sales near the Julius Meinl grocery store, the Hradčanská bus stop, and at Vitĕzne námĕstí (Victory Square, near Dejvicka) are brisk.

posted by JWinn @ 9:20 PM