how much is that doggie in the window

I've been making a note of what everything that we may need costs here. For our apartment we are paying about what we paid in Portland - with bills, give or take $100 per month. Gasoline seems about twice as much as in the U.S. But more about that later once we get our new (used).... drumroll, please.... car up and running!

Groceries vary in price. For instance (keep in mind you get about 15 crowns for a dollar nowadays):

• a fresh roll: 3 koruny (crowns) = 20 cents
• a bottle of mineral or regular water: 14 crowns
• a carton of organic soy milk: 40 crowns
• bottled beer (very important for Tim, as you can imagine): 9 to 12 crowns (60 to 80 cents)
• canned beer: about 20 crowns ($1.30)
• a carton of juice: about 25 crowns
• bottle of wine: about 54 crowns (less than $4!!!)
• blueberries: 54/kilogram = $1.60/lb

Produce is mostly limited and sold according to what's in season (unless one visits a supermarket with an expanded "exotic produce section"). And no good lettuce can be found in any stores I've seen, though. Only iceberg! (Do the Czechs just stay clear of lettuce? It's not even served in most restaurants. Or has someone forgot to tell me about the latest salmonella outbreak?). Now one can find mostly bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and green onions. Standard fruit selection: apples, bananas, oranges and now plums. Onions, cabbage and potatoes are always available, I'm sure.

That reminds me: today I saw a guy walking down the street with the biggest bag of potatoes in the world!!! It was nearly the size of the man! And he was a big dumplin'-eating man, mind you.

• Eating out (we haven't done this much yet, but here is my tally so far):
• Chinese food: about 70 crowns a dish
• Typical Czech dish outside the touristy area in Prague: 60 to 85 crowns
• Pizza for one (tasty brick oven pizza is available just about on every block. Yay for me!): 100 to 150 crowns
• Lunch special (incl. soup or salad and main dish, sometimes also a drink): 75 to 90 crowns
• Beer: 20 to 40 crowns (depends where you go)
• Espresso/Coffee drinks: 40 to 60 crowns = small and EXPENSIVE! Darn.

Clothing, which I really hope to avoid buying here -- except for Jonah since he's still growing -- seems so pricy! 20 to 100% more than in the U.S.!!!

Best of all, public transportation costs us $100 each for three months! We can hop on and off the trams, buses, and subway as we please. Jonah rides free.

P.S. I did not take this photo.