Hello, everybody. Checking in here many years later, we find that the posts from the rest of our trip have mysteriously disappeared, along with the customary wrapup that we put together after we got home.

Summary of the missing posts: We all had a great time. We loved Prague. Then we moved into Bavaria for a few days, split up, and headed home to New Hampshire and Wisconsin.

To read the blog in the customary beginning to end fashion, start here and then continue by clicking 'Newer Posts' at the bottom of the page.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Prague, Czech Republic

Very nice breakfast at our hotel, and a quick read of the International Herald Tribune on its last day of publication before morphing into the International New York Times. The IHT was a key part of our connection back to the US during our times abroad, and it's sad to see the name go away. 

Then we met Jana, our tour guide for the next two mornings. She was recommended to us by friends of Aimée and Steve who had taken her tours on earlier visits to Prague. The recommendation turned out to be right on the mark. She was friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and had a great command of English. Her tours had enough structure to cover the territory, but she was always happy to diverge from the plan to pursue any topic of interest that might arise. None of our questions appeared to have stumped her.  And, she knew where all the good bathrooms were located.

We won't even begin to try to cover the full scope of what we learned from her. A quick summary, and then we'll let the pictures stand by themselves as illustrations of our time with her. 

This morning's tour dealt with the not-quite-so-old-town on the south side of the river, up on the hill where the castles seen in yesterday's pictures are located. We got to the top of the hill via streetcar, which is always a fun adventure in itself. The payment system there is the same as we have encountered in Germany: honor system, with a stiff fine if caught cheating. When you play by the rules, you buy a ticket ahead of time from a legitimate seller (like our hotel), and then you validate it with a timestamp machine on the streetcar. Then it's good for a specified period of time, with transfers allowed within that timeframe. We typically got 30 minute tickets at a price of 24 Kroner ($1.27). It's very likely that nobody will ever look at the ticket, but every now and then the authorities do pounce, and it's curtains for the violators. We took the honest approach. 

The top of the hill was occupied by some pretty marvelous buildings, including the presidential palace (primarily a ceremonial and office building, not a residence) and an impressive cathedral constructed over the centuries in a mix of many styles of architecture. Jana was very good in her understanding of the architectural periods.  Views down into the city and across the river were stunning. We worked our way down the hillside, toured a bit in the lower section of town, and then got Jana's recommendation for a good place to eat lunch. Another Ratskeller and more mushroom sauce, at least for Sue Anne. 

Then we split up for the afternoon. Sue Anne and Bruce went to the museum of the 19th century Czech artist Alphons Mucha, known as one of the masters of the Parisian Art Nouveau Style. He was very accomplished in many media and not shy about benefiting from the commercial aspects of the business, where he did very well. Best known for his amazing theatrical posters, especially those featuring Sarah Bernhardt, he also, for example, designed advertising for a manufacturer of cigarette papers. Well connected with what was going on in Paris at the time, his colleagues included Paul Gauguin, shown in one photo playing a piano-like instrument in Mucha's studio fully attired above the waist, but in his skivvies down below.  They must have had some pretty good parties there.

Then we moved on to the Museum of Communism, said to be nearby. Right next to McDonalds—ah, the irony! Not quite so easy to find, as it turned out that there were two McDonalds locations in the same block, and it was only sort of next to and kind of above the second one, and accessed through the entryway to a casino that was in a courtyard well off of the street. But we persisted and finally got there. It was worth the effort. It did a good job illustrating the descent into Communism and the horribly drab lifestyle that it produced. One amazing piece of information involved the gigantic statue of Stalin that was erected at a high point overlooking the city. It only lasted for three years, when the impact of Khrushchev's denunciation of Stalin's 'cult of personality' led to its official destruction. By dynamite. 

The exhibit gave extensive coverage to the 1968 Prague Spring and the events leading up to the Russian invasion of August 21st. At the time it happened, it was still the evening of August 20th in Massachusetts, where Bruce was holding a set of orders saying that he was released from active duty in the Army as of midnight. His immediate thoughts were, “They'll never find me in time.” They didn't. But the whole experience of three years of Cold War service in Germany has remained a special memory, and it was so rewarding to finally get to see the places that had been such a key part of that start to his adult life. 

The museum wrapped up with dramatic coverage of the 1989 Velvet Revolution, which took place within a month after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The events leading up to it were far from velvet. There were heartbreaking videos of police (both uniformed and secret plainclothes) assaulting protesters in the streets and squares where we had just been walking, till destiny finally became clear, the protesters placed flowers at the feet of the line of police, and the police ceased their assault. 

Then we had a snack of hot wine and sweet, crispy pastry. Sue Anne drew one of the many ancient towers (She committed herself to at least one drawing per day, and has so far met the commitment.), and we walked back to the hotel along the river and then through a rather confused maze till we finally got directions and a map from another hotel that led us back to our own place. Getting lost had nothing to do with drinking hot wine, probably! 

We'll ask Aimée and Steve to put together a summary of their afternoon activities and drop it in here after we all get settled at home. 

Here are the pix. 

Statues of the astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. They did much of their important work here in Prague.

View down the hill

Building decorated with the scraffito technique

Presidential Palace

Ceremonial guard at the Presidential palace, ramrod straight in the face of lots of temptation

 


Interior view of cathedral

The architects included themselves in the statuary

View from farther down the hill

This peaceful garden area was the scene of the Defenestration of Prague, a form of regime change employed during the Thirty Years War where the victors threw the losers out the window.
Some are said to have survived by landing in a pile of manure.

Lunch

More of that good mushroom sauce

Multi-tier parking 



















 We saw lots of announcements for concerts, many free of charge.  I wonder if some of these composers had any idea that some day their music would be played on guitars. 
We didn't have time to take in any of the concerts.  Next time.
That's our guide Jana standing next to the poster.

We visited the museum after lunch.  It was very well done and told quite a story.

We didn't make it to this museum.

Sue Anne drawing one of the towers.  We'll post all her drawings on her blog after we get home.

View up the river from the Charles Bridge

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Prague, Czech Republic

(Ref the previous post regarding problems getting the blog online.  I tried an alternative approach which seems to be working.  Cross your fingers, and stay tuned.)

Another great breakfast buffet at our hotel in the woods in Moritzburg. (Cheeses, meats, eggs, cereals, four kinds of fish, breads and rolls, pastries, yogurt, fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers.) Then we made a brief visit to the castle on the island. Spectacular from a distance, and spectacular close up.

There was quite a display of how they had analyzed and recreated the technique of weaving large wall hangings from feathers, and then we got to see the real thing in the king’s massive bedroom. The hangings there were indeed original but had undergone quite a bit of restoration. No photographs were allowed due to the sensitive nature of the material.

Then to another exhibit that concentrated on illustrating the major scale of operating an establishment of this magnitude. Many detailed logs of kitchen activities, compiled with German fastidiousness, had helped the historians piece together what comprised a typical state dinner, and how many people it took to successfully make it happen.

Then back in the car for the drive to Prague. Dresden, the state capital of Saxony, was directly on the route and we had hoped to stop and see a bit of it, but time just wouldn’t permit.  We did manage to drive right through the area along the river where the impressive large buildings are located—it was mobbed with tourists and with people getting out of church—and it was easy to decide that the city would have required a visit of a few days, with a good guidebook.  Next time?

We intentionally took the back roads from there and were well rewarded with absolutely gorgeous views, both in far southern Germany and after we crossed the border into the Czech Republic. We would go so far as to say that the fall foliage, now showing a lot of red, was as good as one could find anywhere in New England, and the big vistas easily rivaled those seen in Vermont. (We tend toward smaller vistas in New Hampshire.)

The moment we crossed the border we encountered a mass of commerce. Many, many roadside stands all offering the exact same line of products: baskets, birdhouses, bulk packs of large bottles of soft drinks, and hubcaps! There must be tax or other such differences that cause this to all happen on the Czech side of the line. We resisted the temptation. We learned later that these establishments are all run by Vietnamese people. It’s a small world.

The Czech Republic was another check mark on Sue Anne and Bruce’s visited countries list along with Poland, as both places were out of bounds during most of our previous European experiences.

Easy trip into Prague, just a couple of times around the block to find a free, longterm parking spot, and we were at the Hotel Julian, as recommended by Rick Steves. Aimée and Steve had stayed there before, and it certainly lived up to theirs and Rick’s recommendation.

The main part of Prague is divided into a few distinct areas. One is the Old Town, which is really old. Others are simply pretty darn old. All have charm. We were staying across the Vlatava River from the Old Town. Vlatava is AKA Moldau, the name used in the music by Bedřich Smetana which you certainly would have heard if you had ever listened to Renée Chaney on WGMS in Washington. Here’s a link to a Youtube video of Smetana’s work, performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and nicely illustrated with pictures of the city.

After getting settled in the hotel, we started our late afternoon trek with a drink and a snack at a riverside establishment. We were right along the canal that led to one of the locks on the river, and we watched a number of river cruise boats lining up to await the lock. Then it was off to the Charles Bridge, which is totally given over to artists, souvenir sellers, and other such vendors, and absolutely crammed with pedestrians. Crammed. 

We walked a bit farther into the square, studied in awe the world’s oldest working astronomical clock (pre-Columbus), and then settled in for a great dinner at a restaurant that was on a quiet side street. Then we walked along the river with great views of the illuminated castles on the hills, the churches, and the many bridges, and then back to the hotel to rest up for the adventures ahead.

Approach to the castle from the town of Moritzburg

View out the back door

The lake continues behind the island.

Autumn roadside view in southern Germany

Another view from the same location

Autumn views continue down into the Czech Republic.

View from up there must be pretty nice.

Rooftop deck at Hotel Julian in Prague

Vlatava (Moldau) River in Prague, with lock canal in foreground

Nope, it’s not somebody driving up the river.  It’s a cleverly designed pedal boat.

Bridge over the Vlatava.  There were streetcars everywhere.








 

View from the Charles Bridge, looking upriver toward the falls

Typical scene on the Charles Bridge.  Sellers and crowds.

And lots of statues

This statue is occupied

Production line!  Woman preparing cylindrical rolls of sweet crispy pastry.  We had some with our hot wine.

Approach to the square, with astronomical clock on the left

View in the square

There was a police van in the square, open to offer assistance if required.  It featured a large sign warning of the danger of dealing with illegal currency exchangers who apparently often work in the area.  (Czech Republic isn’t in the Euro, so currency exchange is still a big thing here.)

The police van also featured this sign.

These fellows were also there, ready to take you on a carriage ride.

Bruce’s dinner at a nice restaurant just off of the square.  It could be called Rouladen Cordon Bleu.

The veggies were nice and crisp.

It was dark when we left the restaurant.  Here are some of the views we encountered on the way back to the hotel.

Fireworks were an unexpected treat.  I didn’t even see them till I inspected the picture.

Having problems

Blogger, the hotel's Internet service, and perhaps both of them have been acting up badly. I've tried for two days without success to make the most recent post on our travel blog. Simple text posts like this seem to work OK, but it just can't handle the sort of things we've been posting here about our travels.  I'm close to concluding that the only thing I can now do is to keep writing offline and then post it all when we get back home early next week.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Moritzburg, Germany

After a splendid breakfast at our hotel, we walked a bit farther into the forest to view the Fasananschlosschen (Little Pheasant Castle). The area was originally used for breeding of pheasants for the royal table, but later a castle (Schloss) was built by the King's senior chamberlain as his own home.  (One often sees the word spelled Schloß, using the obsolescent but still very common Eszett symbol.  Don't fall into the trap of thinking that it's a B.)

The walk got us up and going, and the next step was a short drive to Meissen on the Elbe. It's a marvelous place, built into a hillside with winding, cobblestoned streets, beautiful architecture, all surrounded by a city wall. Sue Anne and Bruce had been there in 2000 and were happy to get back.

Our first encounter was the open air market, where we did our bit to support the local economy. Then we checked out the key to the tower at the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) and climbed the many stairs to the top. Beautiful views all around, including some tiny vineyards within the city walls. A look at the wristwatch warned us that noon was fast approaching, so we scurried to get out of the tower before the bells started their noontime show. I don't think our eardrums could have survived the experience. It wasn't just 12 bongs but a continuous celebration that went on for quite some time.

We continued our walk up the steep hill, checking out various shops along the way. We made a couple of purchases at a stained glass shop to go with others from our previous trip, and we spent a good bit of time in a store that featured cards, Advent calendars (yes, Christmas goods were for sale in October), and other printed items.

Our target for lunch was the restaurant at the very top of the hill, another great memory from our 2000 trip. It was still there, and the light but very tasty lunch of soup and salad was just what we needed.

Then we descended via the pathway along the wall at the back of the city to the famed Meissen Porcelain Factory. The visit started with some time in the sales room and its 'outlet shop'. It was definitely a hands-in-pockets and elbows-tucked-in experience as we walked amid items priced up into the thousands of Euros. About the cheapest thing we saw was a little egg cup, on sale in the outlet shop at a 25% discount for 155 Euros ($210).

We then moved through 5 or 6 narrated demonstrations of the multiple stages in creating a porcelain piece. Creating a simple plate was hard enough, but the amount of work that goes into a porcelain sculpture was astounding. Every little piece is separately molded, or created freehand as we saw in the production of rose petals, and the pieces are seamlessly attached with an application of thin clay slip. The materials, molds, and processes all trace back hundreds of years, representing a lot of research and experimentation as they perfected their processes and their quest to achieve what they knew the Chinese to already be capable of. They even mine their own clay. After they mix up the clay batches, they are aged for six months! This is not a just-in-time operation.

After the demos we walked in awe through the museum. Some of the items on display did indeed come from a few centuries ago, while others were recreated during the 20^th century from original molds and designs. The variety, scale, and intricacy of designs were amazing.

A final walk down the hill, recharge with coffee and pastry, and a quick sketch of a carousel (with the cooperation and approval of its operator). Then across the bridge to where we had parked the car. No cost, no hassle, definitely not Berlin! Light snacks in our rooms at the hotel.

Tomorrow we drive to Prague.

 

Augustus the Strong's castle in Moritzburg, on its own custom made island

The Fasanen- 
schlosschen

Statues everywhere

Meissen, seen from the south side of the Elbe

Meissen suffered a horrible flood in June of 2013.  Pictures were all over town.  It's amazing that they got it back into operation so quickly.

Very typical street view in Meissen

 

Market square

Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) at corner of market square

View of city from church tower

Looking down into market square

Walking along the city wall

City wall near the summit.

Restaurant in sight.

Soup of the day. 

Delicious!

View from restaurant terrace

It was a marvelous meal and a beautiful location.

 

Final stage in the demonstrations at the porcelain factory

Lots of amazing porcelain on display at the museum.

As with many of the pieces on display, this figure as cast in the 1900s from original molds tracing back two centuries earlier.

There was no explanation offered for this gentleman's affection for mice. Part of the Pied Piper tale?

Pugs were a common motif.  They were favored as pets by Dutch royalty.

The Grand Temple of Honor, originally created in 1748.  The original piece has disappeared, and this one was cast from the original molds in 1933.

One room featured work associated with many different countries or favored by customers from those countries.

 

Not everything at the museum was classical.  Here's part of an Artist's Statement in a room highlighting contemporary artists.

Here's a totally different form of sculpture, spaghetti ice cream.  We've seen it in a few places in Germany.  

No, this wasn't at the porcelain factory.  We stopped for coffee and pastry on our way out of town and saw this on the menu.