We arrived in Prague at 2 pm, then used the map in our guide book to direct ourselves across the city to our hostel. Walking across towns with our bags had gotten so much easier since we left around half of our clothes and extraneous stuff with our friend in Germany.
We found our hostel to be just up the street from the Charles Bridge and within 10 minutes of the castle. We assumed that since it was near such touristy areas that it would be small, cramped and dirty for the price we paid. What a pleasant surprise when we opened the door to the hostel and found that our "6 bed dorm" was actually an apartment with a bathroom and kitchen! Our windows overlooked the Irish Embassy, and our front door opened up onto the building's courtyard.
We left our bags, then walked out to enjoy the city and buy some groceries. Prague was remarkably warmer than Berlin, and the sunshine and heat encouraged everyone to be happy. Planning on enjoying the kitchen, we bought groceries for the whole week. When we got back to our hostel, we made dinner then went out to a bar with our roommates. Two of our roommates were Americans and one Australian, and they were all excited to speak native English to other people. Scott and I wondered at that as we had found almost all other travelers to speak good English, but the other three had not had as good of luck. The first night made it clear to us that we got extremely lucky with our hostel. If anyone wants to travel to Prague, Little Town Hostel is great.
The next days we made a lap through the castle and old town, then went out with the roommates again. They had all taken a free walking tour that morning, and all said it was highly worth it. We took their advice the next morning and met with the tour in the morning. We learned about the historic Jewish quarter, in which resides the fabled Golem, and which survived WWII because Hitler planned for it to remain intact as a museum of a dead race. It was a chilling concept to be associated with such a vibrant neighborhood. The tour also provided us with some backgroud to Prague, and after hearing about the various occupying forces that controlled Prague for the past hundreds of years, one could understand why they highly value their current independence.
After the tour we ate lunch then took the funicular up to the top of Petrin Hill to get a perfect view of Prague. Petrin Hill is a beautiful park that contains a replica of the Eiffel Tower that reaches the actual height of its Parisian sister with the help of a large hill. Sitting under down the hill from the tower we watched as the city lit up for the night. Walking back down to the hostel we passed many of the embassies, and took a picture with the American one.
The next morning we walked to the train station, Frank Gehry's Dancing House, and the Natural History Museum. After all that walking I am satisfied that we had seen all of the tourist areas in Prague, and we could focus on just wandering.
We emailed a friend we met in Prague and the three of us left Prague and explored a town called Kutna Hora the next day. Kutna Hora is known for its Bone Church and other cathedrals. We visited the Bone Church, and were by turns amazed and horrified by the designs made with human bones. The church was built next to a cemetery, and someone was given permission to use the bones to create religious and noble designs. The walls were literally covered with human bones. Very weird. After this we went to a restaurant with our friend, and lazed around until our train arrived. Prague, like Bavaria, has really good beer. I am by no means an expert, especially since I refuse to try most beers, but there really is a beer for everyone in Prague. We sampled the local brews, then took the train back into the city. We said goodbye to our friend, then went back to pack. The next morning we woke up early to watch the sunrise from the Charles Bridge, then went to the bus station.
Vienna-
From Prague we took a quick bus to Vienna. Vienna reminds me a lot of Germany. It's not just that they speak German, though that helps the confusion, it is that the cities feel similar in their cultures and planning. I mentioned this to a few Germans that we met, and they were quick to assure me of their cultural and dialectic differences. To an outsider who doesn't speak a word of German, however, they feel similar.
When we arrived in Vienna we walked to the city center to find dinner. We ate at a subterranean restaurant and pub recommended by Rick Steves. It was a self-service restaurant that serves excellent salted pork, and we very much enjoyed our hearty meal. While a little dark and dismal, the restaurant had a lot of character.
The next morning we walked to the city center toward St. Stephan's. We walked inside briefly, but the real beauty lies in the outside of the church. The walls and roofing are intricately detailed, but the interior feels somewhat standard. The bitter cold weather hurried us along our tour, and we took a quick look around the palace and museum street, then we found a place to sit and drink hot chocolate for a few hours.
Scott was set on seeing an opera in Vienna, so the next day we made plans to see Carmen at the Volksoper. In the morning we toured the city palace and learned about the Hapsburg Dynasty and Empire. We saw the treasury museum and were impressed to find many of the Holy Roman Emperor crowns, jewels, and ceremonial dresses. Next we toured the royal apartments and the Sisi museum. The Sisi museum felt somewhat like a shrine to a bratty, beautiful Empress. Apparently, during her lifetime she was thought of as a haughty, eccentric woman because she refused to spend much time in the court. After her murder, however, a cult following developed and nowadays she is remembered as a beautiful, beloved Empress. The royal apartments we beautiful, and well preserved as they had been in use up until relatively recent times. Scott and I were very impressed with them as they were the first palace apartments we toured during the trip. I especially liked seeing the toilets and baths from the turn of the century- one very easy way to observe differences between countries and times is through comparing toilets and bathrooms and I am always fascinated by them.
That night we went to the Volksoper to try to get tickets for that night's performance of Carmen. We were told to wait until 15 minutes before the performance to buy student tickets, but we were lucky enough to buy an extra pair of tickets off of another couple in line. We had great seats at a great price! I did not know anything about Carmen other than the brief Wikipedia article we had skimmed before running out to get tickets, so we are still a little shaky on the story, but the music was amazing. I was shocked at how many of the songs we recognized, and they definitely stuck with us for the next few days.
The next morning we took the metro to Schonnbrunn Palace, and toured the apartments and the gardens. There was an amazing fountain from which we could see the whole palace and the gardens surrounding it. The fountain itself had fantastical animals, sea people riding sea horses, and a giant waterfall. Scott was amazed that people didn't revolt when they saw the tax money that went into building these palaces and gardens, but I guess most people didn't see them until they were turned over to the government and made into tourist destinations.
Back in the city we took a tour of the main Opera House. While it was bombed in WWII, it was rebuilt and remains a masterpiece. It is huge- tons of seating and a stage that is twice the depth of the seating area. The Opera puts on 3-5 different shows every week, so the stage crew needs all that space to work! Scott and I are both glad that we saw Carmen at the Volksoper before we toured the Grand Opera- we would have been sorely disappointed with the smaller opera house. That being said, the smaller opera house was wonderful as well! The next morning we left for Budapest.
Budapest-
We dropped our bags off at our apartment, then walked down towards the water. We had tried a restaurant in Vienna called Vapiano, and I was craving more pasta so we found another Vapiano and enjoyed a quick dinner. From there we walked around the river, then walked to a touristy bar street and enjoyed the warm afternoon.
On Tuesday it rained, and we mistakenly wore shorts and t-shirts without jackets or umbrellas. We set out intending to go to the Terror House museum, but by the time we had trudged there in the rain we were in low spirits. As we went to purchase tickets we overheard a man complaining about the lack of exhibits in English, so we turned around and walked out. Instead, we walked past the Parliament Building and found used bookshops. The Parliament Building is located right on the river, and is a very impressive building. It is white, and it seems to just reach up to the sky. After walking around some more we ended up at happy hour for a beer, then headed home for dinner.
The next day Scott was not feeling well, so we had a lazy day inside reading and watching sports. I walked to the train station to buy our tickets to Bucharest, but then hurried home and recuperated.
Our train the next day left close to midnight, so we packed and left our bags at the front desk before walking to the castle complex. A funicular took us up the steep hill, and when we got to the top we were blown away by the fabulous view. From the castle you can see the parliament building and most of the city that lies beyond it. We watched the changing of the guard, then walked to a beautiful church down the street from the castle. I have pictures, but when describing the church to people I usually say it reminds me Rivendell from the Lord of the Rings movies.
Hungry, we walked down the hill to an awesome pizza place and ordered way too much food. We started with a pitcher of fresh lemonade, then ordered a huge caprese salad and a pizza with prociutto, mushrooms, and gorgonzola on it. I was almost embarrassed at how much food we ordered when the server walked out with a tray and a half of food and drinks, but we had not eaten all day! We were moving pretty slowly on our walk home.
Bucharest-
We had a pleasant overnight train ride from Budapest to Bucharest, and arrived around 10 am. We realized that the only train to Istanbul that day departed at 12, so instead we looked around for a bus that left later so that we could walk around the city a little bit. After finding a bus service and securing tickets, we walked to the Romanian Peasant Museum. The museum is housed in a former mansion/government building located on a boulevard leading into downtown. The exhibits were small, but they contained many Romanian artifacts and textiles. The museum actually bought and relocated 3 rural churches to the museum, and visitors can walk around the old churches. In the basement there is an exhibit about communism, and there are tons of busts of Lenin and newspaper clippings talking about the rise and fall of communism. Overall, it was a great museum and much less polished and touristy than a lot of the other museums we visited.
After the museum we walked to get some food, then headed back to the bus. We were alarmed to find out that smoking was allowed on our night bus, but we survived and the next morning we arrived in Istanbul.
That night we went to the Volksoper to try to get tickets for that night's performance of Carmen. We were told to wait until 15 minutes before the performance to buy student tickets, but we were lucky enough to buy an extra pair of tickets off of another couple in line. We had great seats at a great price! I did not know anything about Carmen other than the brief Wikipedia article we had skimmed before running out to get tickets, so we are still a little shaky on the story, but the music was amazing. I was shocked at how many of the songs we recognized, and they definitely stuck with us for the next few days.
The next morning we took the metro to Schonnbrunn Palace, and toured the apartments and the gardens. There was an amazing fountain from which we could see the whole palace and the gardens surrounding it. The fountain itself had fantastical animals, sea people riding sea horses, and a giant waterfall. Scott was amazed that people didn't revolt when they saw the tax money that went into building these palaces and gardens, but I guess most people didn't see them until they were turned over to the government and made into tourist destinations.
Back in the city we took a tour of the main Opera House. While it was bombed in WWII, it was rebuilt and remains a masterpiece. It is huge- tons of seating and a stage that is twice the depth of the seating area. The Opera puts on 3-5 different shows every week, so the stage crew needs all that space to work! Scott and I are both glad that we saw Carmen at the Volksoper before we toured the Grand Opera- we would have been sorely disappointed with the smaller opera house. That being said, the smaller opera house was wonderful as well! The next morning we left for Budapest.
Budapest-
We dropped our bags off at our apartment, then walked down towards the water. We had tried a restaurant in Vienna called Vapiano, and I was craving more pasta so we found another Vapiano and enjoyed a quick dinner. From there we walked around the river, then walked to a touristy bar street and enjoyed the warm afternoon.
On Tuesday it rained, and we mistakenly wore shorts and t-shirts without jackets or umbrellas. We set out intending to go to the Terror House museum, but by the time we had trudged there in the rain we were in low spirits. As we went to purchase tickets we overheard a man complaining about the lack of exhibits in English, so we turned around and walked out. Instead, we walked past the Parliament Building and found used bookshops. The Parliament Building is located right on the river, and is a very impressive building. It is white, and it seems to just reach up to the sky. After walking around some more we ended up at happy hour for a beer, then headed home for dinner.
The next day Scott was not feeling well, so we had a lazy day inside reading and watching sports. I walked to the train station to buy our tickets to Bucharest, but then hurried home and recuperated.
Our train the next day left close to midnight, so we packed and left our bags at the front desk before walking to the castle complex. A funicular took us up the steep hill, and when we got to the top we were blown away by the fabulous view. From the castle you can see the parliament building and most of the city that lies beyond it. We watched the changing of the guard, then walked to a beautiful church down the street from the castle. I have pictures, but when describing the church to people I usually say it reminds me Rivendell from the Lord of the Rings movies.
Hungry, we walked down the hill to an awesome pizza place and ordered way too much food. We started with a pitcher of fresh lemonade, then ordered a huge caprese salad and a pizza with prociutto, mushrooms, and gorgonzola on it. I was almost embarrassed at how much food we ordered when the server walked out with a tray and a half of food and drinks, but we had not eaten all day! We were moving pretty slowly on our walk home.
Bucharest-
We had a pleasant overnight train ride from Budapest to Bucharest, and arrived around 10 am. We realized that the only train to Istanbul that day departed at 12, so instead we looked around for a bus that left later so that we could walk around the city a little bit. After finding a bus service and securing tickets, we walked to the Romanian Peasant Museum. The museum is housed in a former mansion/government building located on a boulevard leading into downtown. The exhibits were small, but they contained many Romanian artifacts and textiles. The museum actually bought and relocated 3 rural churches to the museum, and visitors can walk around the old churches. In the basement there is an exhibit about communism, and there are tons of busts of Lenin and newspaper clippings talking about the rise and fall of communism. Overall, it was a great museum and much less polished and touristy than a lot of the other museums we visited.
After the museum we walked to get some food, then headed back to the bus. We were alarmed to find out that smoking was allowed on our night bus, but we survived and the next morning we arrived in Istanbul.
I love reading this. So glad Scott insisted on an opera. Hurry up and post some pictures!
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