Hi to all my blog readers. I’m back in Prague after a wonderful weekend in the lovely city of Nuremberg.
I was honoured to be invited to a translators’ event there as an Ehren-Nürnberger (honorary Nuremberger). After a long break due to the pandemic, the Stammtisch, or informal meeting for translators in Franconia, was back on the itinerary. Those of us travelling from further afield were affected by various delays, be it bus, train or plane, but we all managed to get there in the end.
One of the organizers, Rob, promptly rearranged the restaurant booking so most of us could still make it to dinner on Friday evening. We ate well at Five Diner near the main square and then went on for drinks at the Taproom just up the hill. Since it was still very warm even late in the evening, I opted for a Sommerbier, which proved to be a wise choice.
On Saturday morning, there was a much-needed downpour after the heatwave so I decided to stay in my hotel a bit longer until it stopped and take advantage of the fitness centre there. I was happy with the service, price and overall quality of the Best Western, conveniently situated just behind the train station.
In the early afternoon, I met my friend and colleague Pavel at the Biomarkt where we listened to some great live music by a duo called 2 im Sinn (see the video below). We were also joined by Liz, another Ehren-Nürnberger based in Prague. In-between doing a bit of shopping, we went for Kaffee und Kuchen with our other friends (also visiting translators) Klaus and Lisa at a nice little Italian place called Café Franco.
It was soon time to meet for pre-dinner drinks at Café Wanderer & Bieramt. I was interested in trying the Thirsty Ale and asked if it was like a Sommerbier. The bartender replied that it was summer so it could be a summer ale and that, in any case, it tasted great. I tried it and I agreed.
After this pit stop, we had a nice wander along the river to the venue for the main event: the Stammtisch at Restauration Kopernikus. We had a big table in the beer garden, already almost full when we arrived at the time of our reservation. This is a sign of a popular venue and I couldn’t fault anything: fabulous food (I had Russian-style pierogi), good beer (Spalter) and excellent service.
Here we met up with some more of the local translators and were also joined by Herbert, a colleague from Bamberg. Whilst enjoying good food and drink, we discussed topics ranging from tips for freelance translators just starting out, academic editing, use of T/V pronouns in various languages, and official interest rates to charge late payers. I love how everyone helps each other out and points people in the right direction at these informal translators’ events. And it was great to hang out with old friends and meet new ones.
After the Stammtisch, a few of us went for a nightcap at a superb pub called Bierwerk on Unschlittplatz. The bartender freed up a big table by the window for us. I thought we were getting VIP treatment because the organizers knew him but it was just great service. This time I went for a light beer called Blondi: highly recommended.
All in all, it was a fabulous trip. A big thank you to Sabine Lodge and Rob Prior for organizing a wonderful weekend. Many thanks to my friends and colleagues, old and new, for the great company. For those of you who missed it, I hope to see you there next time.
I really enjoyed both the networking and walking around this beautiful city. And even though my standards are very high given that I live in Prague, the beer in Nuremberg did not disappoint. My journey back was extremely smooth with no delays so I made it home in time to go to a great gig in Prague on Sunday night, Lady and the Devil feat. Carlo Rodriguez at A Maze in Tchaiovna, to round off the weekend perfectly.
Blog post edited by Robin Finesilver.