I guess I mustn’t be waffling TOO much so.
Just recently I was nominated for another award, a Liebster Award by Kevan who runs two delightful blogs.
http://beyondprague.wordpress.com/
http://pickledwings.wordpress.com/
Again I am totally humbled by this honour and see it as another reason to keep posting as much as I can and spread the word about this wonderful country I’ve called home for the past six months.
The Liebster rules are as follows:
1. Post 11 random facts about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions made by the person who nominated you.
3. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you pass the award to.
4. Choose 11 bloggers to pass the award to and mention them in your post.
5. Go to their blogs and let them know that they have been nominated.
Eleven Random Things
Eleven is quite a lot so bear with me if I fizzle out towards the end.
1. Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland this is the longest I’ve ever been away from home.
2. Currently working for an English recruitment agency here in Pardubice.
3. Came over with the intention of teaching English but found work hard to come by.
4. To follow Kevan’s random food point, I went through a phase of eating battered cod combined with a Magnum White (At 4am after the pub closed)
5. Am constantly surprised by this country (In a good way)
6. Have realised that life can be so much better if you keep things simple.
7. I’ve died in every YouTube video I appear in (as an actor, dying in home movies would be a little…..terminal)
8. I’m a huge Moto GP fan and can’t wait to go the Brno race in August!!
9. Have a tendency to be frightened out of my skin by the most harmless of things, falling leaves, butterflies appearing out of nowhere etc.
10. Has yet to really try many of the Czech spirits, AND beers. Shameful I know.
11. I love longboarding as a means of commuting and relaxing.
Answering My Nominator’s 11 Questions
1. What is that one absolute “Must See” in your city, region or country that you feel no trip there is complete without?
Hmmm that’s tricky to pick just one thing but to keep it local i’d highly recommend a trip on the Arnost river cruise which slowly floats down the Elbe river. On a sunny day it’s just perfect.
2. What would you recommend if a visitor to your area asked you what was the best way to get a real feel for the local culture?
Patapuf!! Haha just kidding. I think the best way to get a feel for the culture would be to dive right in, go to the traditional bars and restaurants and try to get out beyond the city too for a better taste of the older ways. Pardubice is a very modern city so you need to explore beyond a little bit.
3. What is the most fun you’ve ever had while visiting a culture other than your own?
Just recently we had the pleasure of touring a Czech vineyard down in Moravia, that was brilliant fun.
4. What is the most unusual food you’ve ever eaten when travelling?
That would have to be the meat cake we had the other day, basically a giant sandwich with cheese curd, egg mayonnaise, tomatoes, peppers and salami. Om nom nom nom nom.
5. What cuisine from your own region or culture would your recommend to a visitor?
From here I would highly recommend the Goulash, it’s so filling and delicious. From Ireland I’d have to go with Shepherd’s Pie which the local “Irish” pub does a very fine rendition of.
6. Is there any foreign cuisine or dish that you’ve absolutely fallen in love with and would never say “No” to?
I do love špekáčky cooked over an outdoor fire.
7. Can you list one “Do” and one “Don’t” for visitors interacting with your culture?
DO interact! Get involved, explore and get to know more about the place.
If you’re coming here to live DON’T restrict yourself to just the expat community, embrace the local culture and expand your horizons.
8. Do you, either consciously or subconsciously. find yourself reflecting any stereotypes about your own culture?
Definitely, in every city/town we visit we try to find the Irish pub straight away. We Irish like to take the piss out of each other (in a friendly way) and sometimes that gets lost in translation.
9. What’s your own personal travel style?
Go with the flow, try not to plan things ahead too much and see where the wind takes you. It’s often the best way to find the hidden gems you don’t read about in the guide books.
10. What’s your most memorable “Culture shock” moment (That you’re comfortable talking about)?
Mullets
11. Do you have a “Bucket list” of travel destinations, if so, what’s the top destination?
Ooooh this always changes but at the moment I’d say top of the pile would be Iceland.
My 11 Nominated Blogs in no particular order
http://yearlongbreakup.wordpress.com/
http://praguebykaty.wordpress.com/
http://parallelevision.wordpress.com/
http://pickledwings.wordpress.com/
http://adamspanier.wordpress.com/
http://ayankeeinprague.wordpress.com/
http://natethayer.wordpress.com/
http://beyondprague.wordpress.com/
Finally, 11 questions for My Nominated Bloggers
1. If you could sit beside anyone dead or alive on a long-haul flight, who would it be?
2. What three sights NOT in any guide book would you recommend a visitor to your home town?
3. What’s the hardest thing about living away from home?
4. If you could combine all the sights of your favourite countries together into one place, what would it look like?
5. What foreign cuisine would you never try even though it’s apparently delicious?
6. Given the choice between a 5 star hotel stay in your home town for the weekend or a camping trip in some far flung land which would you choose?
7. If you could have your dream job but it was in another country, would you make the move?
8. Do you think culture is still important or are all cultures blending together too much leaving any sense of “real” tradition behind? (Oooh deep right?)
9. You’re travelling on holiday but Ryanair have gotten even tighter and decreed you can only carry 5 items with you. What would they be?
10. What one culture would you love to experience that you have yet to do so?
11. Trip around the world or a trip to the moon?
Czeching Out Tasmania 