After our gig in Šumperk, we had lunch just outside of town at a place called Pod Tramky.

We’d heard about cesnecka (garlic soup) being the number one hangover cure and were curious since we both love garlic. This particular version came with bits of ham in the broth. We asked them to leave out the ham and dove into a comforting, deceivingly hearty, garlic wonderland. It’s quite a simple soup that offers many variations on the theme. We created our own version, using margarine instead of butter and vegetable stock instead of meat stock.

• 2 tablespoons soy margarine


• 6 cloves minced garlic


• 6 cups hot vegetable stock or water


• 2 large peeled and cubed potatoes


• 1 teaspoon of red paprika


• 1 teaspoon crushed caraway seeds


• 1 teaspoon marjoram


• Salt and pepper to taste


• Croutons

Preparation:

Mash together the garlic and salt, either with a mortar and pestle, or use a garlic press to crush the garlic and then mix in the salt. Place the garlic and salt in a large pot and add the water or broth. Slowly bring the water to a boil, reduce heat and keep on a simmer. Add the caraway seeds, marjoram, red paprika, butter, and potatoes. Simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add freshly ground black pepper. For a stronger garlic taste, add 3 cloves crushed garlic (not minced). Serve immediately with croutons.

The Czech Republic is divided into two regions, Bohemia and Moravia. On my birthday, we had a gig in Šumperk, a ski resort village in Moravia. It was the first birthday, in over 10 years, that I didn’t perform as part of the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. I hoped we would have a good experience in Šumperk for my birthday and as it turned out, it was one of my favorite shows of the tour. We arrived at our pension, a modest room with two twin beds, a kitchenette, and bath with shower, where we were able to contact our promoter for the evening. He met us and let us in so I could take a short nap. It was comfortable, clean, and quiet.

The venue, H-club, was huge compared to some of the places we had already played. It featured a cool art gallery and lounge on the first floor called Elektric.

Elektric Cafe & Gallery

The venue itself had a great sound system and was beautifully lit. We shared the bill with Czech bands, The Finally and Blackerfeed. We were greeted warmly, ate delicious pasta, enjoyed Czech wine, and had great conversations with members from both bands. The line-up was the best of the tour with all three bands having a similar melodic, hypnotic thread of psychedelia.

The Finally

Blackerfeed

Carlos, my husband/bandmate

We met our promoter, Jirka,  the next morning for a small tour of the village and lunch. Since it was off season for skiing and the weekend was upon us, things were pretty quiet and most of the shops were closed. Luckily, his Mom had a jewelry shop where all of the items were handmade and very unique. He got the key and let us in to shop! I purchased my mother a necklace, Carlos bought me earrings for my birthday, and Jirka gifted me with a necklace for my birthday. He was also kind enough to allow us to leave our equipment at the venue after the performance, so we stopped by to pick it up after lunch. I loved being able to go back to the venue for a view during daylight.

H-club

Jirka made me an espresso before we hit the road again.

I purchased an art book from the gallery and we gave Jirka a copy of our new LP.

I honestly can’t wait to return to Šumperk. The drive was beautiful through the hills of Moravia and getting to know Jirka was such a treat. We made a friend we will keep in touch with and hopefully tour with in the future. It was also the first time I’ve seen a ghost. I’m serious. But that’s a topic for another post!

Upon exiting the plane in Prague, Czech Republic, I could feel I was in for something special. The first thing I noticed was their recycling system, which seemed more progressive and logical than any airport I’ve been through in the United States.

Luckily, we had several days to explore the city and recover from jet lag before we had to pick up our music equipment and rental car. Having used VRBO for seven years, I rented us (my husband/bandmate and I) a flat in the Malá Strana neighborhood. I chose it based on the location and it seemed to have everything we needed – kitchen, washing machine, bathroom, bed. For the first time in my experience with VRBO, I rented a place in which the owner opted out of reviews. Big mistake. The apartment seemed fine when we arrived, bleary eyed from the transcontinental flight, but unfortunately the bed was one of the worst I’ve ever slept on.

VRBO recently merged with Home Away and added additional insurance, available for purchase. With so many positive VRBO experiences under our belts, we did not purchase the additional insurance and we paid for the balance of our rental in cash when we arrived. I only lasted a few nights on that bed, with very little sleep, before looking for an alternative. Financially, this was frustrating, but Prague was so lovely, we just felt lucky to be there and did our best to find a solution. We found an amazing boutique hotel that felt like a 1960s art gallery. They were kind enough to let us test out the bed. I was sore and we had weeks of gigs coming up, so I threw down the credit card.

The Czech Republic is quite affordable when compared to Western Europe and in the states, this hotel would have cost three times as much. It was a great treat. I finally slept well and we had a fantastic room to entertain our French friends in after our Prague performance, since they had driven all the way from Paris to see us play.

We had one of the larger rooms in the hotel since that was all they had left. There was a nice sitting area, mini bar, and desk with laptop provided. The shower and toilet were in two different spaces, separated by a hallway with a small balcony. Each bathroom featured Mickey Mouse pop art on the walls.

We took breakfast on the rooftop patio one morning and enjoyed a great view of Petrin Hill featuring Lookout Tower, Prague’s Eiffel Tower.

Design Hotel Sax features a great collection of vintage toys by designer Libuše Niklová, two Picasso drawings, incredible furniture from the 1950s-1970s, and a plethora of Cécka.

This is a window treatment using Cécka.

The C’s ended up in dumps until discovered by children. Young people then began collecting Cécka and wore them as necklaces or bracelets and even played games with them. Some children used them as currency to trade for the more desirable, or more rare C’s. Cécka played an important role in the lives of many children who were the last generation to experience the communist regime. In 2008, musician Michal David released an homage to the plastic phenomenon in the form of an electronic pop song.