Austria and Prague 2019 - Final Thoughts

Neither I nor my husband had visited these three cities before. It was unexplored territory for both of us.

Vienna awed us with it's architecture, confused us with it's maze of streets and plazas and delighted us with it's pastries. Yet, for all this, it is a big city and like many big cities it feels somewhat gritty, it's people pleasant but with an undertone of coldness and reserve.

Salzburg is lovely and charming, almost perky. It is touristy because it deserves to be. It reminded me of one of those rare people, beautiful and gracious, seemingly unaware of their attractiveness. It seemed to say "Oh, I guess I'm pretty, I don't think about it much" before asking you to stay for dinner. The wonderful people we met there seem to know that they reside in a very special place, appreciate it and enjoy sharing it with others.

Prague is, in a word, awesome. The locals we talked to were generally wonderful and welcoming. Many of the men possess what I began to call the Prague swagger. They walk down the street, arms and legs held slightly out, shoulders moving up and down as they make their way through the city. It was accentuated by the tight tee shirts and jeans worn by most on account of the warm weather of the early fall. The city is vast, with over one million residents. I know there is more to it then the small morsel we saw, but that morsel was enough to leave us with pleasant memories that will be with us as long as memory holds.

Although it is always wonderful to be home, it is after all home, my anchor, my personal space in the world, I love seeking out and experiencing other places, cultures, histories and people. Occasionally I get melancholy about the state of our country. I see the windmills and solar panels which abound in Europe and compare this to the U.S. practice of fracking, with all the environmental degradation that goes with it. Going to almost absurd lengths to extract a non renewable fuel that is quickly becoming obsolete in much of the rest of the world. I see, despite the personal difficulty we experienced, an efficient and affordable rail system, as well as urban public transit that would put U.S. cities to shame. Happily, Chicago is an exception to this. I see health care and educational opportunities available to everyone regardless of income level, class or birthright. I hope one day the U.S. will once again become a welcome neighbor to the world, willing to face it's faults, embrace that which is beautiful about us and show compassion for the world and each other. Occasionally I meet 4 young people from Washington state and I have hope.

Austria and Prague 2019 - Paying to Pee

I have been abroad several times now and there is still one, seemingly venerated tradition, I will never get used to, paying to use a public restroom. We learned to time our bathroom visits with restaurant visits so we could avoid this, to us, peculiar cultural rite. I did find myself thinking, as I watched an attendant make change for desperate looking people, what does he say when a new acquaintance asks, "So what do you do/" 

Austria and Prague 2019 - 4 Charming Young People and a Palace

The day, like all the others on this trip, was sunny and warm. We were going to trek uphill to the palace district, the highest point of land in the city. We, like dozens of others that day, began our ascent from the ancient, steeply graded streets at the base of the hill. A tall, massively muscled man, wearing tight jean shorts, rolled to just above the knee, a style we saw several times, passed up everyone moving upwards looking not unlike a Clydesdale.

As we got to the palace we saw a group of 4 young college aged kids. Upon hearing them speak English my husband, always the outgoing one, asked them where they were from. They were students at Washington State. We swapped a few travel tales, including the location of Happy Mart, they were really nice kids, and went on our way. We watched the changing of the guard, a quick and efficient affair, and, after going through a security checkpoint at the gates to the palace grounds, once again ran into our newfound young friends from Washington. As we talked one, on her phone, looked up my husband's Facebook profile. A friend request was received that evening. Since then we have become Facebook friends with all 4 of these charming young people following their adventures as they continued to travel through Europe, one was student teaching in Germany. They are the type, well mannered, curious and gracious, that give me hope for my country's future.

The palace grounds are dominated by the imposing St. Vitus cathedral. Construction on the present structure was begun in 1344 but due to fires, wars and other mishaps, was not completed and consecrated until 1929. Some sort of religious building has been located on the site since the early 10th century. As we stood in front of the cathedral the Washington 4 once again approached us asking us if we would take a photo of them. Later, in a  Facebook post, was the photo of them, young and smiling, holding their University flag in front of them, enjoying their visit to Prague on that beautiful afternoon. The flag showed up time and again in the photos they shared as they traveled through Europe.

Although entry to the buildings of the palace compound requires a ticket wandering the grounds is free. Costumed employees engage in mock sword fights, 2 comely young men, dressed as stablemen in leather tunics, chatted off to one side. It almost appeared like a flirtation at a medieval gay bar. As we headed for lunch on the grounds we saw another, in the garb of a more noble servant, pacing back and forth talking on his cell phone. Bells pealed the hour as we strolled across a plaza in the palace complex.

After lunch we left the grounds and began our final walk through the city streets. We stopped and purchased cashmere scarfs, at least they said they were cashmere, for the modest price we paid I have my doubts, and a cat toy. It has since been named the Prague Frog. Several of her toys have names, don't judge us.

Our flight required us to rise at an absurdly early hour the next morning so, after a brief discussion, we changed into pajamas and splurged on room service. We moved the silver domed dishes and desert plates to the table on the balcony of our room and enjoyed our final evening gazing out over the beautiful skyline of the old town of the enchanting city of Prague.

Austria and Prague 2019 - The John Lennon Wall and Boys On Bikes

Okay, marriage is about compromise. The John Lennon Wall was on my husband's must see list. In fact it was mentioned so often prior to the trip that I began to think that if I heard the words John Lennon Wall, or any combination thereof, one more time, I would scream so loud that I would burst a blood vessel in my head.

On a wall on a side street is a large, graffiti style portrait of John Lennon. The graffiti has spread to encompass the entire wall. Visits by some people are noted by names and dates scrawled out with markers over the wall and another wall across the street. A young man with a guitar sang Beatles songs, his guitar case open in front of him, hoping to receive some recompense for his addition to the atmosphere. Tourists, ourselves included, snapped pictures with their phones of the wall and themselves in front of it.

Winding our way back towards our hotel through streets that were, by now, becoming familiar, we decided to walk through a park. There was some sort of festival going on. Ahead I saw 4 young men, almost boys really, on bikes and a 5th with a razor, standing on a platform next to a large U ramp. We hustled over and were treated to a 25 minute show of the bikers and razor rider doing stunts. Music blared as the young men flew off the far side of the ramp, turned their bikes around in mid air and landed, riding to the other side of the ramp to perform a similar reckless move. One, 20 feet off the ground, let go of his handlebars, holding his arms outstretched, grasping them again and flipping his bike around landing on the ramp with perfect precision. We screamed approval watching them perform acts that would only be attempted by the young and foolhardy. We appreciated their skill and camaraderie as they fist bumped and congratulated one another after a particularly good ride.

After the bike show we had lucked into we continued our walk back to the hotel. We stopped in a small convenience store to replenish our supplies of water. The store, along with bottled drinks and snacks, also vended a wide array of marijuana products, i.e. pot infused brownies and gummy bears, as well as the devil's weed itself. We purchased our water, yes, just water, however, my husband did, with the proprietors permission, take a photo of the stores wares, the marijuana buds displayed, by category, in glass containers lined up in a row on the counter by the register. The name of the small store was "Happy Mart".

Austria and Prague 2019 - These Boots Were Made For Walking

In Prague, as in the other 2 cities, in fact all the cities we visit, we walked, and walked and walked. My husband remarked that he was thankful we didn't have fitbits as they wouldn't be able to count that high and would probably have given up and conceded defeat on the 2nd or 3rd day.

Prague is a place of constant surprise and discovery. Architectural marvels appear around every corner. The sense of history is physically felt. The old town square began as a marketplace in the 10th century, the construction of the Charles bridge began in the 14th. Occasionally, very occasionally, a more modern building, most of them faceless, sits next to a venerable neighbor, which made me wonder what had originally occupied the space they now inhabit.

With a multitude of  others we awaited the striking of the hour of the towns clock. Constructed in 1410 it is the 3rd oldest astronomical clock in the world. The spectacle is both grisly and lame. A skeleton on one side of the clock begins to pull a cord causing the bells to chime, 2 small doors high up on the wall open and wooden figures of the Apostles set on, what I assume are rotating wheels, appear one by one in each of the doors. It is underwhelming, a sort of a medieval Disneyland's  "It's a Small World."  It is touted in many guide books as "not to be missed". Take it from me, you can miss it. As the crowds dispersed we appreciated the beauty of the town square filled on that sunny weekend afternoon with street performers and both tourist and locals alike.

We walked up a hill discovering the embassy district. The grand buildings with their country's flags fluttering reminded me of a similar area in Copenhagen. I noticed a more pronounced police presence in this area.

We stopped into one of the scores of small jewelry stores, their windows glittering with garnets, a stone this region is renown for. We purchased an amber ring, a stone also in abundance in the shops. We returned to the tiny antique shop we had visited the day before. My husband was hell bent on bringing home a piece of Czech glass. What we were seeing for sale was prohibitively expensive and only sold in large sets. In this small shop, in a glass case filled with vintage treasures, was a lovely art deco shot glass. As we have shot glasses from many of our travels we decided it would be a perfect compliment to our collection. Mother of pearl cuff links from the 1950's were added to the purchase.

My husband asked directions to the John Lennon Wall, a peculiar tourist attraction in the city. The younger, by several decades, of the two men manning the shop, marked it with an x on the map we had with us and gave us directions on how to get there. It was only a short distance away. We thanked them and headed out to continue our adventure. 

Austria and Prague 2019 - First Morning in Prague

I sit on the balcony of our room in Prague, a fleece jacket over my p.j. shirt provides a little extra warmth. It is mid September. The morning air is cool. The sky is the light gray of early morning. Increasing blue holds the promise of sun later in the day. I look out over the city. The spare, stark lines of the tower at the rivers edge below me contrasts sharply with the richly ornamented buildings across the street from it. Spires rise from the skyline across the river. Blocks of Baroque facades line streets that stretch out from the park below me. The castle stands on a hill high above the city, the home of a king placed where he could survey his realm like a mother hen overlooking her brood. The sight represents hundreds of years of history, thousands upon thousands of lives and their untold stories. Clouds of gray, their edges white streak across the lightening sky. Joggers cross the bridge over the river before following the curve of the sidewalk and continue down it's opposite bank. I deeply breath in the cool morning air, begin to stretch muscles and become awake and aware after a deep restorative sleep. Flocks of birds cross the brightening sky. They are too high and far away to tell if they are large or small, they appear as flickering black spots moving towards unknown destinations.

Austria and Prague 2019 - A Tale of Two Restaurants

Although we ate in a few different places in Prague we returned to 2 more than once.

One, Gangster Burgers, was a mere 2 blocks from our hotel. Set slightly below street level, there were steps leading to it, it served excellent light fare. Plus, being from Chicago, we enjoyed it's 1930's gangster themed decor. Returning back to the hotel after dinner there one evening  we paused on the corner and watched a group of bats, silhouetted by a street lamp, gorging themselves on the insects attracted by the light.

The second was the cafe where we procured our sherbet on that first day. We enjoyed breakfast there the following 2 days as well as a double sherbet scoop on our second afternoon. On our way there for Saturday breakfast we passed three young men drinking from a half empty bottle of wine. It was 9:30 in the morning.