May 9th, 2009
This is a very long overdue follow-up on my personal goals for last year. So how did I do? I accomplished 9.5 out of 15 goals. Not bad.
Goals for 2008
- Travel to a new country Done. Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru
- Run 1/2 Marathon Done. San Francisco Half Marathon.
- Finish Olympic Triathlon Done. Wildflower Triathlon and Sentinel Triathlon.
- Weigh 215 lbs or less and maintain that weight through the end of the year Done.
- Max out my 401k ($15,500) Done. Had to max out early before switching jobs. Unfortunately, startups don’t offer 401k’s.
- Max out my ROTH-IRA ($5,000) Done.
- Make 10k in outside income (outside of my main job) Unfortunately, this did not happen.
- Learn Spanish (conversational level) Got some practice in Argentina and Peru but still need more work.
- Post to blog regularly (1+ post per week) Half credit. I wrote 31 blog posts in 2008, which I think counts as “regular” but not up to my stated goal of 1 per week.
- Read at least 2 books per month Done. Read 31 books in 2008. Full list on Librarything.
- Take one photo everyday (project365) Never started.
- Build and launch a website Designed and launched nrgrunning.com for Nina.
- Start a company On hold since I decided to join a startup.
- Leave on an extended trip Did not happen. Although, I did move to Switzerland in early 2009…
- Learn Yoga Went to a couple yoga classes to try it out.
May 4th, 2009
I was only there for two weeks so this is very incomplete, but these are the places I would recommend to anyone visiting Prague:
Prague Restaurants
- Ambiente Restaurants – I am obsessed with the Ambiente restaurant chain. I ate at 4 of their restaurants a total of 7 times. They have good service, reasonable prices, great food, and usually some sort of all-you-can-eat option. Highly recommended!
- Restaurante Brasiliero – I know churrascarias and this one is very, very good. Lots of varieties of meats and seafood with good side dishes (including garlic bread and fries), and all for about US$20.
- Ristorante Pasta Fresca – Good pastas and steaks here. Right by the main square in old town.
- The Living Restaurant – All-you-can-eat ribs and wings. I found the service to be less friendly here than at the other Ambiente restaurants, but that may have just been a fluke.
- Pizza Nuova – Very good pizza. They also have an all-you-can-eat pizza and pasta option (US$15) that is kind of churrascaria-style with waiters walking around with different types of pizza and pasta and you can take whatever you want.
- Rembrandt Donuts – Amazing pastries. I discovered this place after Emily left and had it for breakfast every day after that. I still have dreams about the freshly-baked, still-warm-from-the-oven rasberry and vanilla turnover (US$1.25). I’m sure there are other good pastry shops in Prague but this one happened to be near my hotel by the Florenc metro stop.
- Cantina – Best Mexican restaurant in Prague. I also ate at Amigos and Banditos but Cantina blows them away. If you are craving some Mexican food, definitely go to Cantina.
- Bohemia Bagel – Popular hangout for expats and American college students studying in Prague. Good bagels and burgers.
- Jama – Pub with some of the best burgers in Prague.
- U Fleku – Beer hall with decent Czech food and a festive atmosphere. Brass bands entertain you while waiters constantly walk around with trays of beer. Don’t get bullied into the expensive, disgusting liquor shot they try to push on you though.
Prague Parks
- Letná Park (Letenské sady)- Huge park at the top of the hill across the river from the city. Great views – this is where those post card images of the bridges are taken. Expect to see rollerbladers, skateboarders, runners, bikers, and people walking and lounging with beer in hand. Definitely don’t miss the beer garden at the East end of the park.
- Wallenstein Garden (Valdstejnska zahrada) – In these beautiful gardens next to the Czech Senate you can find owls, peacocks, statues, and an interesting fake cavern-like wall.
- Vojanovy Sady – aka Emily’s “secret garden”. A tranquil park with an unmarked entrance where you can relax and watch the peacocks.
- Kampa Island Park – Nice park just south of the Charles Bridge.
- Riegrovy Sady – Nice park with a couple of outdoor pubs.
- Royal Gardens (Královská zahrada) – Pretty and well manicured gardens. Nice to look at but don’t expect to stay long since you have to stay off the grass.
What To Do in Prague
- Drink a beer in the Letná Park beer garden
- Walk across the Charles Bridge
- Go for a run (or walk) along the river
- Admire the architecture and statues around the city
Things I didn’t do but wanted to try:
- Go for a boat cruise on the river
- Try Absinthe
- Daytrip to Plzeň or Český Krumlov
Prague Maps
May 3rd, 2009
I’m an uncle! Ok, that is old news but now I have finally met my baby nephew.
I spent the last five days in Seattle (well, Sammamish technically) with my brother and his wife and their baby boy. Lochlan Kemsley Church was born on February 6, 2009, which means he just turned twelve weeks old on Friday. He is a happy and healthy baby who really likes his Uncle Tim.
Welcome to the family, Loch!
May 3rd, 2009
I’m falling behind on the blog posts. I’ve been meaning to write about my trip to Prague for awhile now. A lot has already happened since I got back from Prague including moving into our new apartment in Zürich and flying to San Francisco, Seattle, and back to San Francisco again. More on those later, for now, here is my overdue writeup on Prague:
I love Prague. In a rather unexpected, last-minute trip, I spent two weeks in Prague, Czech Republic over the Easter holiday weekend and had a great time. Emily was with me for the first week, and I was on my own for the second week. Emily had been to Prague last year with work so she was already familiar with the city which made it a little easier to get around. Although it was surprisingly easy to get around anyway because it is so touristy and everyone speaks English (better English than they do in Zürich). Prague was much more touristy and westernized than I had expected. There is a very well defined tourist trail that runs through the city from the cathedral at the top of the hill down into the center of Old Town. But the good news is if you go just a block or two away from the main tourist strip, it is easy to find cheaper, less touristy places.
Even though Prague was quite touristy, I didn’t really feel like I was a tourist when I was there. In fact, we tried to avoid the crowds of tourists as much as possible. We didn’t go on any tours or feel a need to visit all of the “sites” of the city. Rather, we just relaxed and enjoyed being outside in the nice weather. It was a nice way to travel and a better way to see a city, in my opinion.
Two of the main reasons I enjoyed Prague so much were the perfect weather and the plethora of great parks. It was sunny and in the high 60s the whole time, and we found a new, beautiful park to explore almost every day. My favorite parks were Letna Park (on the hill across the river), the Senate gardens, the “secret garden” that Emily found with the peacocks, the Royal Gardens, and the parks just south of the Charles Bridge. My favorite spot in all of Prague was the beer garden overlooking the city in Letna Park; there is nothing like drinking good, cheap beer outdoors with a beautiful view. Highly recommended.
One other reason I liked Prague was because it was little more like being back at home in the USA: the stores were open late and on Sundays (even Easter Sunday!); prices were cheaper; English was more common; more international restaurants including good Mexican, bagels, and a Brazilian churrascaria. Those were some of the little things that we had been missing the last few months, so it was nice to get that little taste of home (although it did take some of the excitement away from our current trip back to the US).
We took a ton of pictures but haven’t gotten around to sorting through them and putting them online yet. Will update when they have been posted. Update: Pictures are on Flickr
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