Last Christmas in pictures

I will not get much into details of how Christmas festive time is celebrated in Prague, etc. You can get the idea from the pictures below. Old Town Square is the most happening place with Christmas Market, giant Christmas tree and a stage for festive performances. I guess it is more or less similar to other European cities (I personally witnessed similar atmosphere in Berlin and Budapest). My brief post about it from a year ago is here.

Myself didn't celebrate it in a special way or something. But to keep the tradition going, I bought a carp (freshwater fish, served as a traditional dish in Christmas evening in Eastern Europe). Having no idea how to make soup from it or barely standing its smell, I packed it into my freezer. Venera came over to Prague from Berlin for couple of days, so she fried that carp nicely on the pan :). But I am still keeping its head in the freezer to make a carp soup (need to find recipe). So it was calm period for me, just chilling at home, watching some movies from my 250+ movie collection, and showing around to Venera on couple of occasions. Besides I took some time to work over the planning of my soon-to-be-launched project.



p.s. I like taking pictures of the places I go and things I do. My trips are unimaginable without my camera (nothing fancy, typical touristy Sony Cybershot camera), and I don't get fulfilled from my trips/explorations if I don't document everything interesting I've seen in pictures. And recently, I enjoy editing some of the photos I took with HDR (High Density Resolution) software, and try to convert my ordinary pictures into more colorful and expressive pictures that you see on magazines or postcards.

Moreover, if you want to share and promote your photos on flickr, then there are various methods and tools for that. Flickr itself offers photostream views, but that's not the most user-friendly way of viewing the photos. And in order to post a photo from flickr to your blog, you need to send the photo to your blog as a a new blog entry. However, flickr offers developers access to its API, and that brings to the collection of Great Flickr Tools. The slide show from my Christmas 2009 photos were created using one such tool - PictoBrowser. Another way to view the photos in the browser is via flickriver.
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Video of the Day: Christmas Market at Night (Prague)

Holiday period is over, and it's time to get back to the reality. The reality of cold winter, global financial crisis, work, etc. Yet the impressions from these holidays will always stay, and I took some videos to refresh these impressions from time to time. Christmas Market in the historical Old Town square was fabulous. No photos or words will describe, you should come to Prague and witness it yourself next time.

Below video was partly taken from the top of the tower to get a better view from above, and from the center of the market where the stage was.


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Christmas in European way

Christmas - special time in Europe. It's the way we celebrate New Year Eve in our part of the world. You notice it when you see the streets lighted up in colors and shapes providing tale like atmosphere to the city. Christmas carols being played, Christmas trees appearing from nowhere like the mushrooms after rain, big discounts at the shops, Christmas markets on the main squares, food, drinks, cheers and laughs... as it is almost in all Christian countries. (Russians celebrate Christmas on 7-January)

What to eat? What to drink? Where to go?

Central Europeans do it their own way and they cook carp soup as main Xmas dish. Thus carp sales hit the ceiling, and streets are full of booths selling carp. One morning I was astonished by 4 huge buckets full with carps right in front of our flat! I could see similar views everywhere on the streets.


The best places to try Christmas snacks and drinks are the Christmas markets. The most popular drink is hot wine, what could be better in cold weather! Yet I don't drink so never tried it, but others usually like it. Another popular drink is grog. These Christmas markets also sell lots of souvenirs, thus one of the most top tourist attractions. Anyway, you come to Central Europe in this time to feel and experience the Christmas atmosphere. I enjoyed Christmas atmosphere in Prague last year, but this year I experienced it in Berlin and Budapest, and I experienced real European Christmas in family environment with dear friend Gitti's family in Bekes (Hungary). In Berlin, sausages are the main snacks at the market (they can be as long as 1 meter!). Also, they have apple candies; I tried the one with the apple covered with chocolate coating. Fancy but not cheap - 3 euros for an apple with some chocolate! And all the other snacks that I don't even remember their names.

Christmas market in Prague

Christmas tree and market in Old Town Square in Prague

Christmas light-up in the streets of Budapest

Christmas snacks at the market in Berlin

It's all about gifts! Giving hand stands higher than taking hand.

After traditional dinner on Christmas evening, there will be gift exchange. Not like in US where you find your gift in the socks when you wake up! Here they don't try to cheat kids. All the gifts should have been already put near Christmas tree even before that. Then everyone gets their gift (names written on them) and unwrapping procedure starts. That's why you better prepare your gift long before as it approaches shops are overcrowded with people buying presents. In fact, shops offer really good prices on everything.

Gifts all ready in Gitti's house

It's all about forgiving

Forgive and be forgiven.

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Christmas time in Prague!

You really feel what is Christmas about only in Europe! And even I just had a glance of it weeks before only, atmosphere was already there. Hopefully next year, I can catch it here. Pix;

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12 days of christmas!

...
Four Hari Krishnas
Three butter chickens
Two nosy in-laws
And a totally insufficient dowry!
...

no comments!!! :))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3CSthoSDnI
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Merry christmas!

to all my Christian friends, Merry christmas!
from Taiwan with love.
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