You could do worse than to spend a few days at Carlsbad. Just avoid the crowds during the film festival, which is about now. Promenade along the route of springs, munch a few oplatky (frisbee-sized sugar wafers) and marvel at the 1980s-vintage Ostbloc Hotel Thermal. Carlsbad (Karlovy Vary) is best reached from Prague by bus, as is Marienbad (Mariansky Lazny), unless you really know your trains.

As for Staropotrzebie, I'm still working my way up to the decent stuff. The first absinthe I had was Hill's. Maybe I can persuade the wineseller to get some better stuff than Neto Costa.

By Netsurfer on Saturday, March 31, 2001 - 12:23 pm: Edit

I love Becherovka - great stuff! The Czechs call it the eleventh mineral water (from the Carlsbad spa area.) It's especially great when its cold outside and you want to warm up :-). Add a glass of Pilzner Urquell (pivo velke, prosim) and you are set :-)

-
Jim

By Heiko on Saturday, March 31, 2001 - 10:23 am: Edit

"It's ok. It's about like Staroplzenecky"

This is a paradoxon - if it is like Starop. it cannot be ok ;-)

You mention Becherovka - in my opinion, if you want to drink Czech liquor, drink Becherovka, it is really good (only if you like its special taste of course). Much better than Czech absinthe in any case!

By Bjacques on Saturday, March 31, 2001 - 03:47 am: Edit

Last time I checked, absinthe was still illegal in the Netherlands. Yet there's a wineshop here in Amsterdam that carries Neto Costa (Portuguese): Quinte, on Nieuwe Leliestraat at the Prinsengracht

I checked the La Fee Verte buyer's guide before plunking down 58 of my hard-earned guilders (about US$25) on it. Sure enough, it's mediocre, doesn't louche and didn't give me weird dreams (I only had one though; my girlfriend was watching). I didn't go out of my way for it, since the shop is only 6 blocks away from my house and is open Sundays. It's ok. It's about like Staroplzenecky (currently my best basis for comparison).

Anyway, Von Bek, if you're hard up for the stuff or if anyone else is visiting Amsterdam real soon, you can get sort of ok absinthe at a sort of ok price.

Add a dash of Angosture bitters and you get somehing like Becherovka, a digestive.