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. 

Bye Bye Beautiful Apartment, Hello Europe!

As Fritz and I are quickly approaching the end of our time in Berlin, it dawned on me that I never gave you a tour of our lovely apartment on Crellestraße.  

After quite the run-around to find our fall housing in Frankfurt, we felt that we really hit the jackpot in Berlin!  The owners of our flat, Ulf and Bettina, were leaving for a 4-month holiday in South America which perfectly coincided with the period of time we were planning on being in town.  In the 7 years that they have lived here, they have never rented out their apartment to anyone else, so it is filled with charm and homey touches, unlike the made-for-rental flats that are full of the cheapest Ikea furniture and tacky (if any) decor.  

I've taken pictures so you can experience the loveliness for yourself.  

The entranceway to the building is a great place to start.  The detail on the walls and in the molding are quite decorative and intricate.  

The dining room is to the right of the door when you first enter our flat.  It has doubled as a guest bedroom for all of our visitors.  That white couch in the back pulls out into a rather comfortable bed. 

The living room was pretty awesome and the 1950s decor made us feel like we were on the set of Mad Men!

Bettina said that Ulf contributed the massive blue couch and the rest of the furnishing and decorations were her inspiration. 

The kitchen.

The cute little beach-themed bathroom. 

And our sunny bedroom.  I spent many mornings sitting in the big window, listening to the birds and gazing down into the courtyard in the back of our building. 

And this is our street.  Now that spring is fully upon us, there is a lovely canopy of green leaves that shelters the sidewalk.

I'm sharing these views of our apartment just as Fritz and I are moving out of it.  Ulf and Bettina are returning from South America, and I have only two weeks to go before leaving Europe and heading back to the Homeland.  Fritz will stay for another month after I go to finish up his research.  

Our adventures in Germany are coming to an end, but before they do, my incredible fiancé has planned a romantic, 2-week train trip.  We'll head to Prague for the first leg, then an overnight train to Paris for 6 days, then Amsterdam where we will sleep on a boat!  A final train ride will take us back Berlin where I'll have one day to pick up the last load of pottery, say a final farewell to my friends here, and board a plane headed for New York City.    

Stay tuned for an explosion of pictures from our Euro-Adventure!

The Last Visitors

Our last Berlin visitors.  Ben and Allie came all the way from the US to sneak in one last visit before Fritz and I leave this town.  This was their first time in Berlin so we took them to all the highlights...

... starting with Saniye's cafe, Bitter Süß right next to our flat.  

This pretty poodle came too, but she was a little camera shy.  

We made a final trip to Potsdam where the Palace Sanssouci is finally starting to bloom.  

I don't have too many pictures to post from this trip since it's our third time to the palace, but I will say, it has been great to see it each time.  This time around, the gardens were all in full bloom and the statues were fully uncovered.  During the colder months, every statue gets covered up by a little hut.  The huts are tasteful as far as covers go, but a bunch of tiny huts doesn't really do much to enhance the scene.  

Peering over this footbridge, we watched two pretty male ducks do their showy dances and displays of dominance for a seemingly unimpressed lady duck, making it clear that this was twitterpation* season. 

*reference from the timeless Disney classic, Bambi.

Fritz and I have taken a picture under what we've called "Lover's Arch" at each visit.  It's given us an opportunity to experiment with poses.  

It was fun to explore our own neighborhood a bit more thoroughly with Ben and Allie.  We got to do the silly little things...

... like testing out the swings!

Ben was definitely a pro swinger.  Fritz might have had some coordination difficulties and was taking notes on Ben's technique.  

We went to a sneaky beer garden for dinner that is tucked in under a bridge.  It is almost hidden beneath a canopy of spring trees.  Berlin really does a terrific job of using space efficiently.  

The beer garden isn't fancy.  The tables and chairs are as basic as you can get and you have to pick up your food from a window using a plastic try.  But the beer is good.  The food is filling.  And the trees provide a natural ambiance in the glow of dangling lights suspended from the higher branches.  

This is the view from the bridge above.  

We left the beer garden with full bellies and elevated spirits.  

Our visit with Ben and Allie was a terrific ending to our time in Berlin.  The Germany adventure is quickly coming to a close so it was a treat to share it with our friends before we start packing. 

Music in Berlin

Wow!  Fritz and I were a little late the classical music party in Berlin, but I'm sure glad we made it!  We have a few family members to thank for hooking us up with some sweet tickets.  My Aunt Ruth and Uncle Mike (who happen to be retired professional musicians) and Fritz's parents, Mike and Ellen, gave us tickets knowing that Berlin was going to be a glorious place of culture and music.  

On Easter Sunday, Fritz and I went to the Berliner Dom (or the Berlin Cathedral) to see a performance of Handel's Messiah.  The performance was breathtaking and experiencing it in this magnificent church with a full orchestra resulted in a straight-up goose-bumpy evening!  I sang the Messiah when I was a member of the Ithaca College Concert Choir but I hadn't heard the full score since then, so this was a real treat! 

Fritz and I sat towards the back so we had a view of the choir as well as the entire church.  The acoustics were excellent and the soloists were exceptional.  We knew we were in for a treat the moment the tenor opened his mouth on the very first note of "Comfort ye my people"!

I'm not sure which is grander - the outside of the church or the inside?  

"You have to see the Berlin Philharmonic," was basically the first thing Aunt Ruth and Uncle Mike said when they heard we were moving to this city.  

As professional musicians in renowned ensembles, I totally trust them when they say that the Berlin Philharmonic is the best orchestra in the world.  Fritz and I took only two suitcases with us to Germany, but we both made sure to pack one "fancy outfit" for a very special evening at the Philharmonie, where the orchestra performs.  

The Philharmonie is a very interesting edifice, built between 1960 and 1963 to replace the previous concert hall which was bombed during WWII.  You really aren't supposed to take pictures inside, but when I asked one of the attendants about it, she gave me a confirming wink while saying something like, "It's our policy to ask visitors not to take pictures in the hall."  I didn't want to violate the policy too much, but I did really like the wall of colored lights in the picture above.  The architecture of the building is very artistic and looking down from one of the higher floors kind of reminded me of M.C. Escher's Relativity painting. 

We arrived at our seats at the very top of the hall just before the orchestra assumed their seats, the men dressed in full tails.  An announcement to "please hold your coughs and sneezes until the periods between movements" was made.  Such an announcement has to be the surest way to induce a sudden need to clear one's throat.  And, without fail, the entire audience released one final "eh-hemmm!" and then settled into quiet anticipation as we waited for the conductor to make his appearance.  

Guest conductor, Andris Nelsons, was greeted with loud applause, took a bow, opened his score and assumed a ready position, his baton hovering above the music stand as if it were a natural extension of his right arm.  

The first shimmering notes of the Prelude to Richard Wagner's Parsifal were so fragile yet so complete as they filled the concert hall, and damp tear trails glistened down my cheeks within the first minute of the piece.  It was perfect.

The concert continued with Anton Bruckner's Symphony Nr. 3, and Conductor Nelsons moved like a poem as he entreated the orchestra with his baton, the orchestra graciously responding to each subtle flick of his stick.  

There are few things in life that can truly take the breath away, but the music of Wagner and Bruckner performed by the Berlin Philharmonic did the job on this night.  It was a performance to be remembered.

Thank you Mike, Ellen, Aunt Ruth and Uncle Mike for the gift of music in Berlin!