ttrealtravels (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} ttrealtravels) wrote,@ 2005-11-22 02:36:00 |
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Our Last Day in Central Europe
Hello Fellow Travel Citizens!
Well, sadly today is our last day in Europe, as tomorrow we pack it all up and head for home. For a final, and epic post, regarding our adventure,
Our last full day yesterday was great. We saw the interior of the great castle. It has a grand main hall befitting only of royalty....large enough to fit a small church inside if they'd wanted, I think...and definitely sized for a huge feast. It was even large enough to hold jousting tournaments, which we confirmed they did by the evidence of the expanse of long, low, wide steps made so that horses could enter the hall. Indoor jousting...yowza!
The rest of the rooms within the main building were less impressive, but neat nonetheless. Spiral stone staircases, the odd room here and there, you know, the usual medieval-Renaissance decor one might expect. And the views of the city that were offered from time to time were pretty spectacular. Fortunately, the weather gods smiled on us for the majority of the day and we were spared rain. But still, it was bitterly cold! I think the temperature in Praha (Prague to you and me) must have hovered around...oh, I dunno, maybe 40 degrees or so all day long. I know the lows hit -2 and -3 (C.) or about 25 or 30 degrees most nights and yikes, we felt it. OK, I know our friends who live in much colder weather than we do are probably chuckling themselves up an ice sickle right about now...."oh the *poor* Californians with this cold weather....' boo-hoo, right? :-) Still, I suppose it's all about what one is accustomed to, and needless to say, we're not used to such cold, bitter weather day in a day out! Maybe it's a sign we're getting older, too....
Anyhow, enough about such meteorlogical topics. The next thing we did was to stroll down the "Golden Lane" - a punctuated, if not accurate look at what a truly medieval style street, more like a large alley with some shops, must have looked like. Funny, but we weren't impressed. Neither were we all that jazzed about the so-called dungeon tower. I still think the U.K. has the market on castles, still, for reproduction accuracy and authenticity. I feel they're far more genuine.
Having marveled at the wonderful Charles bridge, which, by the way, changes dramatically from night (golden, lamp-lit, some people, mostly romantic couples out for a stroll) to day (street vendors, throngs of tourists). I think it's the most romantic spot in all of Prague, offering the best views of the best parts of the city, so there's no wonder every wants to hang out there. That is where the famous brass plaque-statue of St. John Nepomuk, the patron saint of the Czechs, resides. Legend has it that if you touch it, you will one day return to Prague. Do you think we touched it? We did...and we had a picture taken of both of us (the only one in Prague, one of the few on the whole trip) in front of it too.
Beyond the bridge, we ate lunch at the Old Town Market Square area, and then ventured further beyond, past the area around St. Wencelas square annd on to the Alphons Mucha museum. Mucha was the famous Czech artist who practically invented modern pop-art with his pastel posters announcing famous theater works (most notably, those starring the actress Sarah Bernhardt) and other famous brands of the time, e.g. cigarette papers. He was a contemporary of Paul Gaugin...pretty interesting stuff. Can't say I knew anything about him, either, until now. Though I nearly fell asleep during the video presentation on him, it was a nice museum.
Nothing wakes one up like a brisk walk in freezing temps, so off we were again. This time, a brief stop in a cafe for our afternoon lattes, then back out again, when the rain finally decided it had to resume. But it was time for our 2nd and final concert on this trip, so we found the small church where it was held ("heated in church" on a concert flier, by the way, is a euphamism for "only slightly warmer than outdoors"). I think I forgot altogether what excellent musicians were like, for *this* string quartet was simply amazing! The principal violin player and cellist - who, for brief reference, reminded me of (sorry, not in New Zealand, yet another Lord of the Rings reference) Legolas and Gimli, respectively. The 2nd violin and viola were accomplished, no doubt, but the show belonged to the former. This violinst's fingers were moving at lightning speeds....he played every note on the violin, I think, including some extremely high-register notes that sounded just as accurate as any. Vivaldi, Mozart, a modern composer Pizzarzo (sp?)...it didn't matter, he handled it all with the utmost of ease. The cellist, on the other hand, played his cello with a passion and flair with the likes that I have never, and might never again, see. He swazed it back and forth a lot on the sustained notes, and leaned in close with a sudden "hushed" expression on the softer or shorter notes....he had a million ways of expressing the phrases and dynamics that again, I have never seen. It was truly his own style, and it was fantastic to watch. The man knew every note he was playing and his body movement mimicked it exactly. I thought at first it might be distracting, or too wild, or out of place, but no, it worked perfectly. And he "played off of" the other members, too, catching their eyes at particularly important phrases. The fact that he, with his bushy-bearded, bold face sat (as most quartets do) exactly opposite the long, blond pony-tailed 1st violinist and cast his gaze upon him made their exceptional talent pairing that much more unique. I'm tellin' ya....Legolas and Gimli!
Oh yeah...during about half of the concert's pieces an organist accompanied them (his playing could scarcely be heard, even by my discerning ears) and there was a very accomplished solo bassist who sang as well. But believe me, the real show belonged to the quartet.
After the concert, and all the while expounding upon the talents of the two particular string players, we decided it was time to pay a tribute to Communism. So we found (above a casino, no less, now there's irony) the Museum of Communism and lo and behold, were able to film the whole thing! It was intriguing and naturally, somewhat horrifying, all at the same time. Oh the propaganda of the time! The bullying, the fear....one bit about Chemical Warfare, and how it induced a sense of paranoia about what the enemy (meaning free Western governments e.g. the U.S.) might do in an attack was far too much of a parallel of what we see *in* the U.S. now. Of course, I'm sure a fair amount of anti-Communism propaganda surfaced in America during the beginning of the Cold War, but it was "lead by fear of what the enemy might do to you" that had Trystan and I shaking our heads, thinking of the Bush administration and its policies. Hrm....
The most chilling aspect were, naturally, the brutal crackdowns on protests that took place during the last days of the Communist regime in then-Czechoslovakia during the late '80s. In 1989, citizens of Prague joined in 'the Velvet Revolution' I believe it was named. They called for an end to Communism and the brutality, the plain-clothes police, everything...of course we know they got their wish in the end, but not without a great deal of sadness and bloodshed. A final reminder of the parallels drawn between the Communist m.o. of "rule by fear" and the current U.S. policy were on sale in the form of postcards at the gift shop featurning humous slogans. We picked up a few, if nothing else, to make ourselves feel better. (sorry, this isn't meant to be a political rant).
What with Communism finally over - and dead - our visit to the museum complete, we grabbed dinner, and walked all the way back through the old city to our Small Palace of a hotel. Our room was much more akin to a small apartment, really. It had a very large main room that we really could have held a small party in. No point in describing it all, you'll just have to see it on the DVD, as we definitely took the time to film it. Wow did we luck out!
Today was spent on the train getting ourselves back to Berlin, where again, I am now writing from. In retrospect, things I will and won't miss about this part of the world, and/or about this trip specifically....
Will Miss...
--Gorgeous, fairly-tale architecture...fantastic medieval, old-world buildings and some interesting modern ones, too.
--Rich, steeped history, some of which was painful, but all of it important to understand another part of the world
--Great food, much of it local cuisine
--Great German and Czech beer! (pretty decent chocolate, too!)
--The occasional gregarious Pole or Czech who were extra friendly or willing to help us out even without us asking
Won't Miss...
--Enough second-hand cigarette smoke to last a few years
--Trains, trains, and oh did I mention...trains??
--Woodframe beds and one-piece sheet/comforter linens
--Getting charged for things we often don't in the U.S., e.g. using a toilet, bread and butter at the table, coat checks, etc.
--Getting overcharged for things like taxi rides, or a particular Internet cafe in Prague where we knew they added extra time to the bill yet even after we paid in full, got yelled at and called "cheaters" for protesting....
--Bitter, unfriendly people...most notably in Vienna and Prague.
And with that, I leave all with one final thought. We didn't enjoy ouselves every minute of this trip - we sometimes growled miserably at some aspects of it. But we did have a lot of fun overall. I can't say we'd come back to all the spots, either. For instance, neither of us really envisions returning to Poland, having experienced what we wanted to of it in life. But we could certainly see returning to Vienna, and *especially* Prague, where we really enjoyed our visit in spite of the worst weather of the whole trip, and we'd like to see more of Germany's countryside, or the 'Romantic Road.' I even learned parts of 3 new languages, the most in German, perhaps for obvious reasons (not so obvious? Ok, it's a lot easier than Polish or Czech, let's leave it at that) and got us by... linguistically speaking. Get it?? Heh...eh, ok.
I learned (very quickly!) how to get the most out of our new video camera and with the aid of a tripod, furthered my filmmaking skills. I think that when we produce any DVDs related to this trip, the whole look and feel will be significantly improved over our earlier productions. I feel like I fulfilled part of my life's goals by experiencing both the worst of humanity at Auschwitz, and delighted in some of the most enjoyable musical performances of my life.
All in all, it was a very...."rich" trip.
And with that, as always,
Happy Travels.
--Thomas
Hello Fellow Travel Citizens!
Well, sadly today is our last day in Europe, as tomorrow we pack it all up and head for home. For a final, and epic post, regarding our adventure,
Our last full day yesterday was great. We saw the interior of the great castle. It has a grand main hall befitting only of royalty....large enough to fit a small church inside if they'd wanted, I think...and definitely sized for a huge feast. It was even large enough to hold jousting tournaments, which we confirmed they did by the evidence of the expanse of long, low, wide steps made so that horses could enter the hall. Indoor jousting...yowza!
The rest of the rooms within the main building were less impressive, but neat nonetheless. Spiral stone staircases, the odd room here and there, you know, the usual medieval-Renaissance decor one might expect. And the views of the city that were offered from time to time were pretty spectacular. Fortunately, the weather gods smiled on us for the majority of the day and we were spared rain. But still, it was bitterly cold! I think the temperature in Praha (Prague to you and me) must have hovered around...oh, I dunno, maybe 40 degrees or so all day long. I know the lows hit -2 and -3 (C.) or about 25 or 30 degrees most nights and yikes, we felt it. OK, I know our friends who live in much colder weather than we do are probably chuckling themselves up an ice sickle right about now...."oh the *poor* Californians with this cold weather....' boo-hoo, right? :-) Still, I suppose it's all about what one is accustomed to, and needless to say, we're not used to such cold, bitter weather day in a day out! Maybe it's a sign we're getting older, too....
Anyhow, enough about such meteorlogical topics. The next thing we did was to stroll down the "Golden Lane" - a punctuated, if not accurate look at what a truly medieval style street, more like a large alley with some shops, must have looked like. Funny, but we weren't impressed. Neither were we all that jazzed about the so-called dungeon tower. I still think the U.K. has the market on castles, still, for reproduction accuracy and authenticity. I feel they're far more genuine.
Having marveled at the wonderful Charles bridge, which, by the way, changes dramatically from night (golden, lamp-lit, some people, mostly romantic couples out for a stroll) to day (street vendors, throngs of tourists). I think it's the most romantic spot in all of Prague, offering the best views of the best parts of the city, so there's no wonder every wants to hang out there. That is where the famous brass plaque-statue of St. John Nepomuk, the patron saint of the Czechs, resides. Legend has it that if you touch it, you will one day return to Prague. Do you think we touched it? We did...and we had a picture taken of both of us (the only one in Prague, one of the few on the whole trip) in front of it too.
Beyond the bridge, we ate lunch at the Old Town Market Square area, and then ventured further beyond, past the area around St. Wencelas square annd on to the Alphons Mucha museum. Mucha was the famous Czech artist who practically invented modern pop-art with his pastel posters announcing famous theater works (most notably, those starring the actress Sarah Bernhardt) and other famous brands of the time, e.g. cigarette papers. He was a contemporary of Paul Gaugin...pretty interesting stuff. Can't say I knew anything about him, either, until now. Though I nearly fell asleep during the video presentation on him, it was a nice museum.
Nothing wakes one up like a brisk walk in freezing temps, so off we were again. This time, a brief stop in a cafe for our afternoon lattes, then back out again, when the rain finally decided it had to resume. But it was time for our 2nd and final concert on this trip, so we found the small church where it was held ("heated in church" on a concert flier, by the way, is a euphamism for "only slightly warmer than outdoors"). I think I forgot altogether what excellent musicians were like, for *this* string quartet was simply amazing! The principal violin player and cellist - who, for brief reference, reminded me of (sorry, not in New Zealand, yet another Lord of the Rings reference) Legolas and Gimli, respectively. The 2nd violin and viola were accomplished, no doubt, but the show belonged to the former. This violinst's fingers were moving at lightning speeds....he played every note on the violin, I think, including some extremely high-register notes that sounded just as accurate as any. Vivaldi, Mozart, a modern composer Pizzarzo (sp?)...it didn't matter, he handled it all with the utmost of ease. The cellist, on the other hand, played his cello with a passion and flair with the likes that I have never, and might never again, see. He swazed it back and forth a lot on the sustained notes, and leaned in close with a sudden "hushed" expression on the softer or shorter notes....he had a million ways of expressing the phrases and dynamics that again, I have never seen. It was truly his own style, and it was fantastic to watch. The man knew every note he was playing and his body movement mimicked it exactly. I thought at first it might be distracting, or too wild, or out of place, but no, it worked perfectly. And he "played off of" the other members, too, catching their eyes at particularly important phrases. The fact that he, with his bushy-bearded, bold face sat (as most quartets do) exactly opposite the long, blond pony-tailed 1st violinist and cast his gaze upon him made their exceptional talent pairing that much more unique. I'm tellin' ya....Legolas and Gimli!
Oh yeah...during about half of the concert's pieces an organist accompanied them (his playing could scarcely be heard, even by my discerning ears) and there was a very accomplished solo bassist who sang as well. But believe me, the real show belonged to the quartet.
After the concert, and all the while expounding upon the talents of the two particular string players, we decided it was time to pay a tribute to Communism. So we found (above a casino, no less, now there's irony) the Museum of Communism and lo and behold, were able to film the whole thing! It was intriguing and naturally, somewhat horrifying, all at the same time. Oh the propaganda of the time! The bullying, the fear....one bit about Chemical Warfare, and how it induced a sense of paranoia about what the enemy (meaning free Western governments e.g. the U.S.) might do in an attack was far too much of a parallel of what we see *in* the U.S. now. Of course, I'm sure a fair amount of anti-Communism propaganda surfaced in America during the beginning of the Cold War, but it was "lead by fear of what the enemy might do to you" that had Trystan and I shaking our heads, thinking of the Bush administration and its policies. Hrm....
The most chilling aspect were, naturally, the brutal crackdowns on protests that took place during the last days of the Communist regime in then-Czechoslovakia during the late '80s. In 1989, citizens of Prague joined in 'the Velvet Revolution' I believe it was named. They called for an end to Communism and the brutality, the plain-clothes police, everything...of course we know they got their wish in the end, but not without a great deal of sadness and bloodshed. A final reminder of the parallels drawn between the Communist m.o. of "rule by fear" and the current U.S. policy were on sale in the form of postcards at the gift shop featurning humous slogans. We picked up a few, if nothing else, to make ourselves feel better. (sorry, this isn't meant to be a political rant).
What with Communism finally over - and dead - our visit to the museum complete, we grabbed dinner, and walked all the way back through the old city to our Small Palace of a hotel. Our room was much more akin to a small apartment, really. It had a very large main room that we really could have held a small party in. No point in describing it all, you'll just have to see it on the DVD, as we definitely took the time to film it. Wow did we luck out!
Today was spent on the train getting ourselves back to Berlin, where again, I am now writing from. In retrospect, things I will and won't miss about this part of the world, and/or about this trip specifically....
Will Miss...
--Gorgeous, fairly-tale architecture...fantastic medieval, old-world buildings and some interesting modern ones, too.
--Rich, steeped history, some of which was painful, but all of it important to understand another part of the world
--Great food, much of it local cuisine
--Great German and Czech beer! (pretty decent chocolate, too!)
--The occasional gregarious Pole or Czech who were extra friendly or willing to help us out even without us asking
Won't Miss...
--Enough second-hand cigarette smoke to last a few years
--Trains, trains, and oh did I mention...trains??
--Woodframe beds and one-piece sheet/comforter linens
--Getting charged for things we often don't in the U.S., e.g. using a toilet, bread and butter at the table, coat checks, etc.
--Getting overcharged for things like taxi rides, or a particular Internet cafe in Prague where we knew they added extra time to the bill yet even after we paid in full, got yelled at and called "cheaters" for protesting....
--Bitter, unfriendly people...most notably in Vienna and Prague.
And with that, I leave all with one final thought. We didn't enjoy ouselves every minute of this trip - we sometimes growled miserably at some aspects of it. But we did have a lot of fun overall. I can't say we'd come back to all the spots, either. For instance, neither of us really envisions returning to Poland, having experienced what we wanted to of it in life. But we could certainly see returning to Vienna, and *especially* Prague, where we really enjoyed our visit in spite of the worst weather of the whole trip, and we'd like to see more of Germany's countryside, or the 'Romantic Road.' I even learned parts of 3 new languages, the most in German, perhaps for obvious reasons (not so obvious? Ok, it's a lot easier than Polish or Czech, let's leave it at that) and got us by... linguistically speaking. Get it?? Heh...eh, ok.
I learned (very quickly!) how to get the most out of our new video camera and with the aid of a tripod, furthered my filmmaking skills. I think that when we produce any DVDs related to this trip, the whole look and feel will be significantly improved over our earlier productions. I feel like I fulfilled part of my life's goals by experiencing both the worst of humanity at Auschwitz, and delighted in some of the most enjoyable musical performances of my life.
All in all, it was a very...."rich" trip.
And with that, as always,
Happy Travels.
--Thomas
