This region of southern Bohemia used to be studded with wetlands and boggy places. Starting in the middle ages, people began draining the ground and damming the streams to create fishponds. Here, they raise carp, the makings of a traditional Czech Christmas dinner.
Now, I've always thought that bottom feeders taste pretty nasty, and your average carp is much better known for its pretty colors (koi anyone?) than its amazing flavor, but don't say that to a Czech! They get very defensive and point out that they export them in droves to the French (not the greatest defense in my mind. the French eat anything as long as it's cooked with enough butter and cream. Not to knock french food, I do love it, but still!).
I tried it for lunch today. It was like any other fish, covered in sauce that dominated the flavors. Super soft, but that may have just been the way it was cooked. hmmmmm.....Regardless, there are fishponds all over the region. The funny thing is that Czech only has 3 natural lakes I've been told, and they are all tiny. You would never know it by the scenery here.
Daša's friend Honza with the little man
Some of the ponds are so old that they have a semblance of a natural ecology. I did find it interesting (and a little disturbing) that the sediment from these ponds (occasionally drained and dredged to keep the wetlands from reforming) is treated as toxic waste. It is that nasty. hmmmmm
These pictures are from the Tisý fishponds, a nature reserve for breeding birds.
Poor Daša got quite a bit of driving experience today: dodging marathon runners and bikers, big city traffic, dirt roads with gigantic potholes. Then, we got stuck in the mud after our walk. Her poor car shows the evidence.
On the way home, The sun was setting over some more fishponds near her house. It was seriously beautiful
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