Prague Blogue

All aboooooard!  After packing up our Berlin apartment, Fritz and I climbed into a train headed for the Czech Republic.  For my last two weeks in Europe, Fritz has planned a most spectacular adventure in which we will travel by train to Prague, Paris, and Amsterdam before he puts me on a plane headed back to the homeland.  

Let's begin with the colorful winding cobbled streets of Prague that lead from our AirBnB on the Vltava River into the center of Old Town.  

It's only about a five-minute walk from our place to Old Town Square which is surrounded by charming buildings, full of tourists wielding selfie sticks, and overrun by a small army of Segways. 

The Prague Astronomical Clock is an impressive bit of history on display in the square mounted on the wall of Old Town Hall.  It was installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still operating.  It features dials indicating the location of the sun and the moon, a calendar dial showing the month of the year, and figures of the Apostles and a skeleton depicting Death that tourists gather to watch as they move at the top of each hour. 

A few more views of the square.  The beautiful old buildings almost made me feel like I had been transported into the set of Disney's Cinderella. 

For our first meal in Prague, we stumbled on a quiet courtyard with a restaurant serving the local cuisine. 

We learned the "Bohemian Dumplings" are really just thick slices of white bread nestled into an ocean of gravy.  The meal was good and filling.  My pork and sourkrout were full of flavor (and fat), though we decided the only part of the meal that we would have to repeat was the Czech beer.  Fritz was a big fan of the local brew.  

This was the other Czech culinary delight that we sampled a few times... Trdelník, or in English - chimneys!  They consist of dough strips wrapped around a cylinder.  

Cinnamon and sugar are then generously applied to the outside of the dough and they are placed on a spit over high heat until they are golden brown.  

Yummy fillers can then be stuffed into them... Fritz and I chose ice cream.  Very delicious!

Then again, Fritz will tell you I'm not very discerning when it comes to sweets so it's not a big surprise that I was a fan of the chimneys.  I'm just a sugar-loving lady! 

The historic Charles Bridge is a landmark in Prague and a fun way to get from Old Town to the area surrounding Prague Castle.  Construction on the bridge began in 1357 and helped to make Prague very important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. 

The bridge is reserved for foot traffic only, which is probably a good idea considering it's over 650 years old!  Spanning the length of the bridge are various artists and musicians, all trying to appeal to the crossing tourists as they parade from Old Town to Prague Castle. 

This excentric-looking fellow played familiar tunes on crystal glasses.

We didn't want to have our caricatures drawn by one of the dozens of artists lining the bridge so we just paused for a quick Charles Bridge photo. 

A ballet of boats wove in and out of the bridge's supports as they made their way down the river. 

Once on the West bank of the river, Fritz and I worked our way passed pretty canals and more charming buildings as we made our way up toward the Prague Castle situated at the top of the hill. 

Selfie!

The rooftops were equal parts interesting and beautiful with a combination of towers and statues piercing the blue sky. 

The Prague streets were just lovely!

We must have looked funny walking around with our heads pointed to the sky all the time, but we didn't want to miss any of these beautiful buildings. 

The Prague Castle is at the very top of a hill which can be reached by climbing a monster staircase.  It was a nice excuse to stop for a picture every now and again to disguise the fact that we kind of needed to catch our breath.  

The view from the top was well worth the climb.  But when we tried to get into the castle grounds, the line to enter was monstrous!  Due to an event taking place in St. Vitus Cathedral, the church inside the castle walls, there was extra security and restricted access.  Anxious to skip the line, Fritz found us an alternative route. 

He noticed that there seemed to be a backway into the castle and found a pathway leading through a quiet garden. 

The garden turned out to be the castle's moat, called Deer Moat.  This fortification is actually formed by a deep natural gulch that surrounds Prague Castle.  It was given the name "Deer Moat" because during the reign of Rudolf II, it was fenced off and filled with deer so he could hunt. 

One section of the moat had a tunnel that we cut through. 

The route around the back of the castle was a bit of a hike, but we were rewarded with a much shorter line to get into Prague Castle, not to mention the experience of a stroll through the quiet and beautiful park.  

St. Vitus Cathedral is in the center of Prague Castle.  The first version of the church was built in the year 930 by Wenceslaus I, the Duke of Bohemia. 

The church is so large, I couldn't fit the whole thing into one picture. 

There just wanted enough courtyard to get it all in.  To take this picture, I had to squish myself against the back corner of the courtyard wall that surrounds the church.

Outside the castle, there was a little market of sorts, and artists pounded out iron bells while the scents of smoked pork and roasted potatoes drifted through the air.   

Or you could always just go to Starbucks.  I was happy to see that they at least tried to blend into the scene and traded the signature green awning for a more picturesque balcony. 

Fritz is looking out over a hillside of budding grapevines with the Strahov Monastery in the background. 

We saw several wedding parties prancing around with their entourage of makeup artists and cameramen.  

What the photo doesn't show is that this poor bride had goosebumps all over her body.  It was a chilly day, but sacrifices had to be made.

The Lennon Wall used to be a regular old wall, but since the 1980s, it has been covered with colorful John Lennon-inspired graffiti.  During the communist regime, Czech students would write grievances on the wall and their movement eventually lead to a violent clash with the police in 1988.  The authorities described the students as alcoholics, mentally deranged, sociopathic, and agents of Western capitalism.  This all happened shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism in Eastern Europe. 

"You are beauty of the blossom, how can I express that you are awesome"

Fritz brought me to beautiful, tiered garden on a sunny afternoon.  It was quaint and a little difficult to find, which meant that we could escape the hustle and bustle of tourists for a while, and steal a few romantic moments among the greenery and stone sculptures. 

The garden was built into a hillside so our climb up led to another incredible panoramic view of the red-tiled rooftops. 

Koblenz

Settled between two rivers, the Rhine and the Moselle, rests a little German town called Koblenz.  A train headed northwest out of Frankfurt's main station will take you here in less than an hour.  Fritz and I spent last week in Koblenz as it is home to the Bundesarchiv (Federal archive), an important spot for Fritz's research.  

The town was established way back in 8 BC when it was used as a military post.  Koblenz still has a few historical landmarks, but more than anything, I'd say it's an awesome shopping town.  It's basically a big outdoor mall with cobbled pedestrian streets interspersed with an occasional church.  

It was full of little squares that have the traditional Christmas Market huts set up to sell sausage, Glühwein, and holiday knick-knacks. 

One of my favorite Christmas Market set-ups is the hovering sausage grill.  A grate is suspended from the ceiling with a bed of hot coals below it.  The grate can then be spun and swung over the coals until the sausages are nicely roasted. 

The first two days were pretty cold and rainy, so while Fritz was at work, I sought out a bit of coziness to read and write for a while.  

I found a cafe in the middle of town that ended up being my home-base for the week.  I ate that bright pink beet soup 3 out of the 4 days we were in Koblenz.  I'm not usually one to get stuck in a rut when there is so much culinary potential to explore, but it was just so good!!!  I couldn't help myself!  

On the third day, the sun came out so I put on my sneakers and hit the road.  I walked through the main shopping area, but due to limited suitcase real-estate, I wasn't in a place to acquire extra things on this trip.  Window shopping is entertaining for a finite period.  Fritz and I will be heading back to the US soon and we need to be able to carry all of our belongings without hiring a donkey to take a bonus load.  I hear donkeys don't do well on airplanes anyway.  

I left the shops and headed to the river.  

At the northern tip of town, there is a giant monument where the Rhine River meets the Moselle.  

The original monument to Emperor William I of Germany was built in 1897.  It was destroyed in World War II, but was rebuilt in 1953 and re-dedicated to German unity.  

You can climb to the top of the monument and enjoy a lovely view of the two rivers at their point of convergence.  

Of course, it is always fun to take double exposures. 

The Basilica of St. Castor is the oldest church in the German state of Rhineland Palatinate.  It was built between 817 and 836.  The church was named a basilica minor by Pope John Paul II in 1991.  A rich history has unfolded around the church since it was built.  Through the years, it served as an important meeting place for emperors and kings and their descendants and was a place where disputes between these powerful people were negotiated and settled.  

The church had a pretty door knob. 

I was surprised to find it completely empty, although I suppose not many people go to church on a Wednesday afternoon.  

Koblenz had several very beautiful churches spread throughout the town.  This is another rather pretty one set right on the main road leading to the shopping area.  

Thursday provided more sun and good weather.  After a lunch of beet soup, I thought it would be nice to get a glimpse of Fritz's world at the Bundesarchiv (again, that is Federal archive).  I knew the archive was kind of on the outskirts of town and that Fritz usually takes a bus to get there, but since it was a nice day I figured a walk would be better.  

I had to hike up a substantial hill that divides the town.  At the top of the hill sat an antiquated fort that looked ripe for exploring- a nice detour on my way to the archive.

 

Fort Grand Duke Constantine was part of the Prussian fortress that belonged to Feste Kaiser Alexander in the 1820s.  Upon reaching the main gates at the top of the hill, I found the Fort to be closed for the season.  I snapped a few photos of the outside and continued my walk to the Bundesarchiv.  

I learned that the walk to the archive is almost entirely uphill.  Now I understand why Fritz takes the bus every day.  

To give myself a breather every now and again, I stopped to take pictures of dead flowers and winter berries. 

Along with a self-portrait or two... because why not?  

I finally made it to the massive structure that is the Bundesarchiv.  Looking at the map, the archive takes up several blocks.  It isn't really very pretty.  It's probably good they kept it out of the middle of town.  It's a bit of an eye-sore for tourists I imagine. 

Fritz came out to say hello.  It was a nice reward to see his handsome face after my long up-hill hike.  I wasn't allowed to go in the archive since I'm not a researcher or a student so I basically said "hi" and "bye", turned around and started my walk back down the hill.  

Back in town, I wandered the street for a bit, then bought some yarn from a lady who knits faster than my Aunt Carol (which is really saying something- Aunt Carol is a machine!), and then I watched this guy perform his one-man show.  He had an elaborate percussion section rigged up to his back.  His puppet friends were dangling from the neck of his guitar by fishing line.  When he bounced up and down they danced, and he blew into the wooden pipes around his neck to provide some lovely treble overtones.  I can only assume the llama was actually quite vicious and was therefore standing guard of his money collection.