Halloween Whores

Whoa...hey...is that Scotty wearing....eye liner!!?? Yessirree....he sure is!


So Halloween is a relatively new holiday to the Czech Republic. They don't have the tradition of it, but due to exposure through film and television from further west, it's been seeping in and gaining popularity. Halloween fell on a Tuesday this year, but on the 30th, a Monday, a day when I have to get up at 5:40am for work (and just in case you weren't sure before, waking up at 5:40am = so not fun!! ) I heard word of a Halloween party... Having no intentions of going out for Halloween this year (where to go? I'm too tired... I don't have a costume... I have laundry to do...blah blah blah I was full of excuses.) But then Carolyn invited me to the Halloween party her school was throwing for the students.

I resisted at first, but Alasdair and Jo begged and pleaded and when their cries simply became too much, I folded. I didn't have a costume, but then it was suggested that I dress up as Brandon Flowers (lead singer of The Killers.) I think this was all just an excuse for Jo to have her dream come true of seeing me in eye liner, but I went along with it, and despite being quite squirmish during the makeup's application, kinda agreed that I did look rather hot afterwards. Hmmm...maybe there *is* a future for me as a rock star? ;-)

The party ended up being quite lame, but that didn't stop us from having a good time. We were all quite silly, and as a result the following pictures occurred. Take a peek, and have a good laugh as we whore oursleves up! Cause if Halloween isn't a perfectly good excuse to look and act like total hoes, then I don't what else is! Bring On The Debauchery!




Jo The Tawdry Bohemian Maiden, and Vampy Vampire Alasdair!

JoJo showing off her naturally abundant bussom!

Make Love To The Camera! Oooohhhh yeah that's it baby!

Al & I plan on posting this photo on our flat's front door to ward off potential salesman and invasive bible-boppers!

This shot makes me laugh every single time I look at it! We're all SO TRASHY! Loves it! (P.S. Notice where my left hand is...Oh My!)



Scandalous!

I'm supposed to be admiring Jo's best assets in this photo, but she claims that it looks like I'm about to head-butt her tits! What do you think?

Scotty molests Carolyn and Erika at the party. Hmmm...Scotty molesting innocent girls...looks like some things never change! ;-)

River Views

All Smiles! Handsome Jarek welcomes all to Prague with a friendly face. :-)


Okay you're probably sick of me going on and on and on about how effing gorgeous Prague is, right? Well guess what...here's a few more pics for you to drool over. And notice that it's not just the landscapes that are beautiful in Prague! ;-) Here on this cool fall day Jarek and I took a walk in Letna - a large park that sits atop the Vltava's steep banks, offering some fab views of the city and its many bridges. Hummmmm....Scotty loves Prague... *happy sigh*

Jarek in the park.

The midieval Charles Bridge behind one of Prague's more modern crossings.

With goodlooking locals like this, who wouldn't want to take up residence in the Czech capital?

Medieval Magic

The CK Gang! L-R: Laurie, Christine, Jo, Greg, and Sonja



Late October had come, all my Prague buddies and I were well settled into our new teaching careers, and I thought it was time to spice up our weekends. And so, I decided to introduce to the Czech Republic a time-honoured tradition that had been crafted by Michael and I in Korea so very well - The Weekend Getaway! Back in the Korean Day Mikey and I absolutely lived for our weekends out of town. Many of my best memories of Korea are of our little weekend trips we used to take, often with Eric, Addie, Pauline, or the rest of the gang in tow as well. Camping trips, river rafting, hiking, KTXing to Busan, road trips to random towns with strange and unusual landmarks....anything and everything was worth a go. There was even a stretch in Summer 2004 where Michael and I had seven consecutive weekend trips, all back-to-back. Such good times!

So, now I'm here in the CR and my god are there plenty of places to choose from! Where to go first? Well we all decided on one of Czech's most popular destinations - Cesky Krumlov. Cesky Krumlov is a gem of a little town, and quickly becoming a legend in Europe. Located in South Bohemia not too far from the Austrian border, Cesky Krumlov (CK) is a tiny midieval town that has been spared the ravages of not only two world wars, but somehow miraculously has also survived Nazi and Soviet occupation, and also modern development. To visit CK is to take a trip back in time. Upon entering this little riverside village you can instantly feel the centuries melt away, and you're suddenly immersed in a landscape of cobblestones and castles, stone bridges and town squares, churches and city gates. CK has changed very little since midieval times and now, despite the annual tsunamis of tourists that flood this little place, somehow remains peaceful and relaxed. Cesky Krumlov is so precious, in fact, that the entire town has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in a tight bend of the Vltava River, CK is bordered in by the water and a wall of rock, with the country's second largest chateaux guarding atop the riverside cliffs. It is completely gorgeous a simply magical little place if there ever was one. Instantly, we were all in love with the little town.

After a 2.5 hour bus ride (that turned into 3.5 after our bus rear-ended a car in a small town on the way down) we arrived in CK and sought out our accommodation. The six of us (Scotty, Jo, Sonja, Greg, Laurie, and her pal Christine visiting from Berlin) checked into our hostel and were pleased to be given our very own room - 6 beds and a little kitchen just for us. Perfect! We spent the rest of the first day just wandering around the labrynth of winding lanes, visited the beautiful and enormous church that lies right in the town centre, and just took in the relaxed atmosphere. We also visited Chateaux Cesky Krumlov - a huge castle quite different from Prague's. CK's castle is a sprawling complex much like Prague Castle, but instead of a cathedral in the middle, has a tall, round-shaped tower at one end, painted in a brilliant array of Easter-egg colours. We climbed the winding steps up the tower and were rewarded with a magnificent view of the little town below. Wow! We also took some time to explore the castle ground's sprawling gardens. It was the tail end of autumn's foilage and the gardens were a beautiful place to wander and explore at our leisure.

That night, we had dinner at a delicious vegetarian restaurant and then went on a 90-minute historical walking tour of the whole maze that is Cesky Krumlov. After our tour we had some drinks in the pub of our hostel, but after a long day, were feeling pretty beat so we decided to hit the hay. Bedtime was relatively early, but of course not before Scotty told some truly chilling 'True Stories Of Real Horror'. For those of you who have heard me recount such real-life tales of terror, all I have to say is the word "logging road" and you know *exactly* which story I'm referring to... *shudder*

Sunday was a nice chill-out day as well. We began with a loooooong brunch in the hostel, which I believe is always the best way to begin a Sunday morning. Laurie and Christine had to head back to town early, so the remaining 4 of us went into "12-year old Mode" and had a fun, silly, childish day. We ran around wandering and jumping through creek beds and off-limit fields, scampered up and down rocks and old staircases, meandered along the riverbanks and explored the ruins of an abandoned house, and later had some more play time in a park. The park was full of huge piles of leaves, and this was simply too good to resist. Massive leaf fights quickly ensued, as did squeals of delight and giggles all around. Greg found a soccer ball so we had a short game of 'boys vs. the girls' and resulted in a tied game. Such good ol' fashioned innocent fun! It was like being a young, care-free teenager again, such unabashed silliness and youthful recreation!

By this point it was already later afternoon and time to get ready to head back to the city. We gathered up our belongings and made our way to the train station. We decided to opt for rails instead of the road, and even though it was a longer ride, it was much more comfortable and enjoyable. The 4 of us took up residence in the train's dining car and spent the whole time sipping tea and hot chocolate, chatting, and playing some silly games. We arrived back in Prague around 9:30pm and it was time to head home.

Our weekend away in Cesky Krumlov was truly a breath of fresh air and a much needed escape from city life. CK deserives all the honours, praise, accolades, and attention that it gets. It is truly one of the most magical places that I have ever visited - completely romantic and serene - and is just how you would imagine a 'long lost midieval town' to be. Well worth a trip to anyone who's in this corner of the globe!

Cesky Krumlov's magnificen church.

A typically quaint and colourful street in CK.

Cesky Krumlov's town square. The column on the left is a memorial for everyone who dies in The Plague.

The Easter-Egg-like tower of Chateaux Cesky Krumlov.

Most of CK's steets are like this - stepped, narrow, winding. How romantic!

Atop the tower, The Sonj rules over all of CK below.



Looking down on picturesque Cesky Krumlov.

This is the bulk of the town - notice the church in the background.

From here you can see that the Chateaux is quite massive, and consists of several additions all connected together. One of the castle's many inner courtyards can be seen on the right.

I love this picture! The Vltava (yes, the same river that flows through Prague) wraps its way around CK like a snake.

Scotty & Jo: madly in love atop the tower! ;-)

A gap in the castle's walls makes for a perfect picture frame.

Cesky Krumlov as seen from the castle's gardens.

The Belles of Cesky Krumlov!

The impenetrable castle all lit up at night.

Jo, giddy with childish autumn glee, opens her arms and sets flight to an armful of leaves.

Sonja, in an autumnal trance-like state, becomes *one with the leaves* before setting them free to the world again.

Oh no! Not The Leaves again! Greg grimaces in fear as the leaves attack him a la Hitchcock's 'The Birds.'

The swarming contiues as Greg and Scotty fight for their lives from the attacking leaves!

Send Me Snailmail Love, Please!

Yo! Wassup, peeps!

A few of my friends have been inquiring about my address so they can send me mail. YAH! I thought then I should share my address with everyone. So....if you ever feel the urge to send me fanmail, love letters, care packages, requests for autographs, pictures (nudie?), birthday or Christmas or Easter or St. Patrick's Day or hell even Victoria Day presents, then now you can! At long last! Hold back no more! Self-restraint is, like, sooo yesterday! Let the tsunami of snailmail for Scotty pour in! Woohoo! ;-)

Scott Erdman
c/o Caledonian School
Vltavska 24
150 00 Prague 5
Czech Republic

Kiss Your Doubts Goodbye!

Just in case there was any doubt in your sweet little head that Prague is the most gorgeous city in the world, the following photos are *guaranteed* to shatter those uncertainties into a million little pieces!! :-)

At the end of October one Sunday we were blessed with yet another warm and sunny day - this time with skies of the clearest blue. Too gorgeous to pass up, I met up with my good friend Ivana to soak up the sun. We decided to spend the afternoon climbing up Petrin Hill - the largest of the hills that grace the city's landscape. Petrin is home to rich colouful forests with really nice hiking trails, and an observation tower on top. Does it look familiar? It should - Petrin Tower was designed as a mini version of Paris' Eiffel, and while only a fraction of the size of the real thing, it's hilltop perch allows for what must be, undoubtedly, the most gorgeous view of Prague that one could ever dream up. The view from the top was completely awe-inspiring and left me without words. (Amazing, considering what a chatterbox Scotty normally is!) Check out my photos below and I'm sure you'll feel the same way!

I'm not in Paris! It's Petrin Tower in Prague!

WOW! WOW! WOW! From here you can see Charles Bridge and Old Town.

The Vltava winds its way through the city while Prague Castle reigns high over it all.

No elevators here! Scotty makes the climb down in the tower's narrow stairwell.

If that isn't the most f-ing spectacular view of Prague, then I don't know what is! ;-)

Scotty & Ivana at the top.



Everybody's favourite Canadian expat! :-)



***So...have you bought your ticket to Prague yet? ;-) ***

The Tour Guide & The Tourists

The haunting Jan Hus Monument in the middle of Old Town Square.



It's funny... I lived in Korea for a year and a half and only ever had one foreign visitor come and see me. (Yah Henry!) I've been in Prague not even two months and I've already Played Host twice - and both times in the same month! LOL

Christening my role as Scotty: The Czech Tour Guide were my good buddies Brad and Andrea. For those h-core bloggie fans, you'll remember Brad and Andrea as being two of my best buds back in my early days in Korea. They also got married in Vancouver in August and I was lucky enough to be co-emcee at their wedding. Well here they are again - this time in the Czech Republic on their honeymoon.

It was wonderful to see BnA again, even if I had just seen them 6 weeks before in Canada. I consider them two of my closest friends - and easily hands down as two of the coolest people I've ever met. They were only here for a week but got to see and do a lot. And, like me - and everyone else who comes to Prague - fell head over heels in love with the city. Prague just may be the easiest city in the world in which to play Tour Guide.

And me saying this - and putting it into writing no less - is a really big deal, as this is a title which I had previously reserved exclusively for Vancouver. Well Vancouver, shuffle over a bit cause you're gonna have to share the crown now with Praha. I've said it before, I'll say it right now, and no doubt I'll say it again and again in the future: Prague is really fucking gorgeous. If we were in Zoolander right now, Ben Stiller would describe Prague as "really really REALLY ridiculously good-looking."

And he'd be absolutely right. In a recent official government survey, it was discovered that the average time it takes for a human being to fall madly crazy ridiculously dangerously in love with Prague is about 14 seconds. Well okay I'm exaggerating here... Officially, statistically, it takes a maximum of about 24 hours, but I think 14 seconds, from a personal point of view, is much more accurate. Where else in the world can you find a city consisting of mind-blowingly gorgeous architecture, centuries upon centuries of spell-binding history, a twisting maze of cobblestone streets, enormous midivel squares thrown here and there, a bevvy of museums and art galleries to fill a year's cultural schedule, a relaxed pace of life that encourages - no demands - you to meander rather than race, lush green foilage blanketing gentle rolling hills, a calm meandering river wrapping it's way through the city core, an ancient enchanting statue-lined bridge that is guaranteed to take away your breath each and every time you cross it, friendly (and attractive!) locals, delicious and inexpensive local cuisine, the best beer you'll find anywhere on the planet, and a 1500-year old castle - the world's largest as well - looming high on a hill to reign over it all?

Try to beat that combination! No, really, go ahead and try. I freaking dare you! (You really can't, can you?) Shut up and admit defeat now...it's so much easier - and feels really damn good - to just give in completely right now and hand your heart over to Prague on a silver platter.) So pretty much my job as a tour guide - and really it's a role that I can barely mask as I'm still fully a tourist myself - consists of just making sure that we don't get lost as we wander from one gorgeous landmark/bridge/square/church/vantagepoint to another. It's a pretty darn amazing job if you ask me!!

Round 2 of tourists came only a week later in the form of Jenn and Lisa. Jenn is a childhood friend as she's been my sister's best friend since we were little, and Lisa is a friend of Jenn's who I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time when she arrived. And, like Brad and Andrea, the girls were swept up in the magic that is the Czech capital. I think I heard the phrases "Oh my god oh my god oh my god", "Wow it's just so beautiful!" and "I can't believe you get to live here!!" about a million times in their short 3-day stay. Yes girls, it's true, Scotty is one lucky bastard indeed! :-)

Besides doing the usual Prague Circuit Highlights, which are centred around Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, and Prague Castle, the girls and I managed to take a day trip to hit up Karlstejn. Karlstejn is an ancient castle just outside of Prague hidden away in some quiet lush hills. Karlstejn was built by Charles IV about 7 or 800 years ago to house the crown jewels and keep the bad men at bay, and with it's sheer enormity, thick inpenetrable walls, and perilous hilltop perch it did a good job at that.

Karlstejn is also an extremely beautiful place. It's the kind of castle that you fathom about when you're a child. It's something so perfectly magical that even Disney couldn't dream up something this gorgeous. For castle-lovers like myself it's completely awe-inspiring and romantic. And for the locals it's a tourist cash cow like there never was before. Hordes upon hordes of tourists descend upon the poor castle for half the year, but luckily the girls and I arrived at the very end of the season, just before Karlstejn closes up for the winter, and there was nary a crowd in sight. And, once again, Mother Nature rewarded us with truly gorgeous weather. Man, ol' Momma N must've gotten some lately or something cause she's been in *such* a good mood lately and has been so very very kind and generous to the Czech Republic. Sweet!!!

So, not that I needed a reminder, but running around the city playing tourist with good friends was a really solid affirmation that I live in what just may be the most beautiful city I've ever laid eyes upon (sorry Vancouver...once again this is a title - and a place in my heart - that you now have to share from now on...) I wish that I could import each and every one of you - all my friends and family members back home - so that they could come and see it and experience it and feel it for yourselves.

If my stories aren't enough, then the pictures below will surely be more than enough to convince you to run immediately to your local travel agent and buy a (one-way?) ticket to Prague. And you know that Scotty loves visitors, so don't ever feel shy about coming to stay with me. I'd love to have you. Prague's here waiting for you, and you won't ever be the same once you've met her. Even Kafka admitted that "this little mother has claws." And you can't argue with good ol' Franz, can you? ;-)

Prague's Old Town is a labrinth of winding lanes and graceful historical buildings. And all roads lead to Old Town Square it seems...

Wow! So beautiful! Prague is an architect's dream - and a historian's!

Massive old buildings line the borders of the Square, while quaint (and over-priced) cafes and terraces bring life to the cobblestone streets.

The massive St.Vitus Cathedral soars high into the sky right out of the middle of Prague Castle.

"A million little red roofs, glistening in the morning dew..." :-)

Brad and Andrea - the handsome couple above it all!



Charles Bridge - crowded with tourists as always - connects Mala Strana with Prague's Old Town.



How adorable! BnA cuddle up along the banks of the Vltava River.




This is one of Prague's most famous (and youngest!) landmarks. Known as The Dancing House (and also nicknamed the Fred & Ginger Building) this unique structure - which looks like a female leaning in to her male dancing conterpart - was designed by Prague architect Vlado Milunic and internationally-renowned Frank O. Gehry. Quite a striking addition to Prague's cityscape and one up for constant debate as to it's visual appeal.

How cute! Lisa & Jenn pose - with cameras in hand, as always - on the Charles Bridge. Enormous Prague Castle looms high on the hill behind them.

One of the many statues of saints that line the ancient bridge.

Charles Bridge - Prague's most precious landmark - and perpetually drowning in vendors' stalls and uber-excited tourists.

The Prague skyline as seen from the Castle.

St. Vitus Cathedral is a combination of both Gothic and Baroque architectural styles.

Jenn & Lisa - absolutely thrilled to be in the Czech capital!

Prague Castle and Charles Bridge - sparkling jewels in the city's crown lit up at night.

Wow! The Czech countryside near Karlstejn is Gorgeous with a capital 'G!'

The tranquil Vltava River drifts under the bridge ever so peacefully.



Magical Karlstejn Castle rules the village from high above on the hill. Take that, Disney! ;-)



Scotty smiles for the camera, excited for the journey up to Karlstejn.



Jenn & Lisa making the big descent up the hill to the castle. Phew! What a climb it was!



Scott & Jenn inside the grounds of the enchanting Karlstejn Castle.