Easin' Down

We are either really relaxing into this travel thing or else we're getting tired. Couple of days of doing not too much. And how good it felt!

Our apartment is in the old Jewish quarter of Prague and so we spent some time yesterday exploring it. One of the most unique features is the old Jewish cemetery. For centuries, Jews were confined in a ghetto here as in many other places. They had very little space, and lots of land for a graveyard could not be justified. So they set aside what they could, and began burying people in multiples in the same space. There are some graves where folks are stacked up twelve deep! As a result, the gravestones look like they were arranged by someone deranged, and the level kept getting higher. It is no longer in use with the demise of the ghetto. We didn't go inside (had to buy a multi-ticket we didn't want), but workmen were repairing the wall outside, so we peeked in.

We walked across town to see another landmark, this one only a decade or two old. The locals call it the Dancing House, but the guide books call it the Fred and Ginger House. You can see why!

We had dinner at a newer restaurant a block away from our place called Lokal. Supposed to have fresh, authentic Czech food. They refused to have an English menu until about a year ago. Thank goodness they changed their minds. It was so good, we went back Thursday and got takeout. Breaded chicken cutlet and goulash. And the mashed potatoes with onions were fabulous!

Today we split up to cater to different interests. I went to the Mucha museum (he of the Art Noveau poster fame) while Jerry went to the Medieval Torture Museum. No comment. I also stopped in at a few places our "landlady" recommended and they were great - no tourists either. One was a beautiful glass store in an old traditionally styled building. The other was the Ex-pat center at her bank! Gorgeous building. She told me to just walk in like I owned the place and walk up to the 2nd floor, so I did. Worth it!

 How do you suppose they do this?

More Prague beauty shots.

 Wait! Another bride?! It really is the Year of the Wedding!!!

Cobblestones

Really so glad I didn't bring my Danskos! Literally every street here - and sidewalk - is cobblestones. Big ones, little ones, smooth rounded ones, sharp edged ones. My feet are sore in the evening here as they haven't been anywhere else. Or maybe I'm just reaching the stauration point.

 Menu translation can be fun!

Today we took the hill up to Prague Castle. Bit of a misnomer, since "the castle" includes several buildings, squares, gardens, museums and churches. It is easily worth a day all on it's own, but we did an abbreviated version. We did have lunch up there on the terrace of a restaurant overlooking the city and river below. Pictures didn't really show it, but it was quite lovely.

On our way back down, we stopped in a little shop and bought a print of a watercolor painting that caught our eye. Further on we saw the same one being sold in a little street-side niche. I asked the young man there if he was the artist and he said yes, pointed to the signature and said that is my name. We told him we had just bought his painting up the street. He seemed less thrilled than we thought he'd be. Jerry is skeptical.

Also at the castle was yet another bride! Everywhere we go, people are tying the knot. Yesterday, we saw a couple in a public square, but we figured it was a magazine shoot because they didn't really look too smitten with each other between photos.

We went by the John Lennon Wall, where during the Velvet Revolution, people wrote words of freedom and against the government.Every time it was painted over, they came back and wrote more on it. Today, it is mostly standard grafitti, but it has become a symbol of freedom of expression.

Everywhere you go in Prague, there is public art, mostly outdoor sculptures. And it's not all Baroque. When you least expect it, a scupture pops up, many leaving you not sure what to make of them. I was especially taken with the juxtaposition of the swan boat being peddled by some Japanese tourists and the purple finger in the middle of the river - yes, it's that finger.  Hmmmm...

And to top off the day, we found these musicians in Old Town Square. Contrast these guys with the concert from last night (4 bands, went till midnight, we found out). Prague is full of surprises.

Corrections and Additions

OK, you Pragueophiles. You may have noticed I misnamed the square pictured in yesterday's entry. Can I blame train lag? Maybe not. At any rate, it is Old Town Square we walked around yesterday, not Wenceslas. That will come soon.

Today, we learned a new subway system, pretty much like Vienna's. We took it to the main train station and bought our tickets back to Vienna for next week. We are already wishing we could just stay here. This city is indeed wonderful. After our productive morning of chores (train tickets, cash machine to get Czech crowns, groceries) we had lunch at a French cafe across the street from our apartment. It's owned by a friend of our landlady. I had pork belly for the first time - and was not all that impressed. It's just roast pork, a little on the dry side ( ! ), but so filling, I haven't been able to work up an appetite for dinner. Is that good?!

 Restocking.

We're rich! Czech crowns are about 20 to the dollar, so bills look astronomical. A simple lunch is in triple digits!

Chilled for the afternoon, and went for walk after dark to take some photos. There was some kind of rock concert going on in Old Town Square (I don't know - loud, incoherent, smoke, strobing lights...) We walked to one of the bridges and got some nice shots of the city at night. Lots of people out and about.

Ah, Prague!

Pardon me if my writing is a little bit languid tonight. I just got out of the Jacuzzi. I am so relaxed, I may have to delegate blogging. We arrived on the train without incident in Prague and were picked up by our designated driver, David. He showed us the apartment that will be our home for the next week. It is beautiful. We have truly saved the best for (almost) last. Not only is it spacious and lovely, but we went for a short walk to explore the neighborhood and ended up in Wenceslas Square, the one in all the pictures you've seen of Prague. Not too shabby.

Dinner tonight was quite continental, bread, cheese, olives, wine. We are already thrilled with the difference on prices of things between here and Vienna.

 Dinner with a view!

Tomorrow we will explore this new city which virtually everyone who's ever been here recommended as the best experience.

The door to our building.

Now this is living!

Our view.

Fulfillment of a Lifelong Dream

Ever since I was a little girl I've been horse crazy. Never did outgrow it like I was supposed to. And then there was that Disney movie The Miracle of the White Stallions. Ever since I saw it, I've wanted to see the Lipizzaner Stallions in Vienna. Well, today I did! I had reserved, but not paid for, standing tickets to see their performance. I was mentally prepared to walk up to the ticket office and have them say "Who?" But instead, they had my reservation, and in I went. I got a perfect position, right in the center and standing wasn't so bad, You could sit on the steps until the horses came in. I don't have photos of the performance, because they didn't allow photography, but we did see some horses in the courtyard.

What a thrill! There was too much talking and not enough riding in my opinion, but still... it was the Lipizzaners! At the Spanish Riding School! IN VIENNA!!!! I unexpectedly got a little teary as the last horse filed out.

Sat next to a nice couple from Washington, DC. I refrained from any sarcastic comments about the government, and told them things they must do in Vienna, basd on my vast experience of one week.

Jerry and I took a walk around a new neighborhood after that. There is so much to explore in this city. In fact, we will be coming back after we visit Prague. Our last few days of this trip were unscheduled and we decided we really couldn't do any better than right here. So when our week in Prague is up, we will be coming back to our same apartment building for our last few days. That's good, because we didn't complete our to-do list yet, and we leave tomorrow!

 Cheron, this one is for you. These necklaces are made of beads that are rolled up strips of fabric. They were beautiful.

Lou Ann, this one's for you. The world's biggest hot walker. Six stallions were in it ( I think it could have held 30) and we watched them from the coffee shop.

Museum Day

The weather looked a little iffy, so we planned indoor activities. Schonbrunn Palace is a ways from the city center, but since we are now experts at the U-Bahn, the subway, we went for it. It's like Versailles, near Paris, but not so overwhelming, and at least for us today, not so crowded. You get a little audio tour thingy and go from room to room gawking at the opulence of "Life Styles of the Rich and Famous" circa 1750. Most of the rooms are furnished, so it is more interesting to imagine their lives. Not all a bed of roses, though. Empress Maria Theresa had 16 children. Eleven daughters, most of whom were married off to various royals around Europe to cement political alliances. One was Marie Antoinnete.

We walked through the "backyard", about 435 acres, up to the top of a hill crowned with more elaborate buildings and sculptures. On the grounds are also a zoo, a maze, a huge glass conservatory called the Palm House and multiple other museums. But our feet (and backs) were worn out. On the way back on the U-bahn, we rehearsed getting to the train station, and saw where the platforms are, a skill we will need Sunday morning to go to Prague. We're confident now!

After lunch, we went back to the Clock Museum. This TIME we were successful in both locating and touring it, and it was charming. We were there at 4 p.m. when several of the clocks chimed at once.

A glimpse of the 17th century.

I love the U-Bahn!! My gosh, if we had public transportation like this at home, I would be in Seattle all the time. It is absolutely no hassle, and so easy to figure out. We bought passes, and you don't need to put them through a machine or even show them to anyone. It's all on the honor system - imagine that!! - but if you're caught without a valid ticket, the fines are enormous. We've been bopping on the train to go even a stop or two. It's really well done.


Vienna does have some quirky characters. Just walking down the street, we ran into the invisible man calmly flipping the pages of his newspaper.

Back to the Demel Coffee House again - they have the enormous cake on display today, and the decorator was working on a smaller one. So cool you can watch them! But we were suffering from Acute Pastry Deprivation, and so couldn't leave without our take away bag of pastry. Today's selection - Dobostorte and Esterhazytorte. Who needs dinner?!