Successes and Failures of the Week

Success: I did indeed stake out the primo spot for the fireworks last weekend, as hoped for in the last post.

Failure: Madison's Rhythm and Booms > Krumlov's fireworks. Actually, every-firework-show-I've-ever-seen > Krumlov's fireworks. C'est la vie.

Success: I befriended some folks at one of the hostels and now can go rafting down the Vltava for FREE whenever I want.

Failure: I didn't make enough friends to drown myself in tequila on my birthday and dance on the tabletops in platform shoes. (Sorry, Kate. I know you wanted this to happen.) HOWEVER...

SUCCESS!: My birthday rocked! And here's why: I went to Laibon, and David, the owner and one of my few 'friends' here in Krumlov, pampered me to the nines! I ordered a big plate of food and a large beer, not telling him it was my birthday. As usual, David brought me another beer as soon as I was finished with my first one. The first time he did this was a few weeks ago when I was there writing in my notebook, and he declared this freebie my "writing beer." So when he brought me a second drink on Friday, I asked him, "This is my birthday beer, right David?" He lets out an excited gasp, gets a mischievous look in his eyes, and runs off into the kitchen. A bit later he returns with my "birthday dessert," a pile of sweet dumplings stuffed with blueberry compote and topped with a heap of whipped cream and drizzled in caramel. Yummmmmm. He apologized for not having any candles but I insisted none were necessary. The couple at the next table, however, clapped for me and told me "Happy Birthday." It was fantastic. After two .5L of beer, a huge dinner, AND a huge dessert, I was quite stuffed, but... David wasn't finished yet. I was happily sitting on his terrace, watching the thunderstorms roll over the Castle, feeling magnificently content, when David tells me he wants to make me a pot of tea. "I'm really OK, David. I'm quite full."

"Oh, please. I want to. Just a pot of tea."

"OK, OK, fine."

The restaurant was quite full and it took him awhile to bring out the tea, which was just fine by me as I was slowly digesting my meal. After a while he returns with not a pot of tea, but rather yet ANOTHER .5L of beer. "DAVID! I thought I was getting tea!"

"You are! This is to watch the thunderstorms with."

I couldn't exactly say no, so now I sat timidly drinking yet another beer. Not two minutes later, out came David, still without the tea, but instead with ANOTHER DESSERT! Oy! I didn't think my stomach could distend any further than it already had that night, and told David "NO MORE AFTER THIS!! I think I'm going to explode!" to which he just laughed and said everyone should explode on their birthday. Fair enough, I thought, and spent the next hour gingerly spooning delicious pudding in my mouth, washed down by even more gingerly sipped beer. Oh, and the pot of tea that arrived shortly after the dessert did. The new couple sitting next to me (mind you, I was sitting there eating for over 3 hours) eyed my pudding asked if it was any good. I assured them it was, even though I was spending more time pushing it around the bowl with my spoon than actually eating it. I explained it was my birthday and of David's intentions to cause my stomach to detonate by midnight. They, too, offered birthday wishes, and then ordered a plate of the same deliciously neglected dessert on my table. I finally waddled back home close to midnight, and quickly tumbled into bed with a food coma rival to any Thanksgiving dinner in recent memory.