Praha + family

Coming back to Prague is always interesting, because it has changed so much since the first time I came (not that I remember much about that trip. I was four). The first memories I really have of Prague are in the 1989 - 1993 period. They have kind of all meshed together, so I can't differentiate which memory is from what year. But I do remember Prague having massively less tourists, not being so clean and polished, and things not being nearly as expensive! I suppose it would be good to have more developed ideas and statements about what is different here - maybe if I ever go back to grad school I can write a thesis on it.

Watching the crowds watch the clock in Old Town Square.

The expense is the first thing that jumps out at me every trip. Food, beer and sites! It used to be free to visit the castle, but now it is 350 crowns to see six sites in the castle. Every time we came back to my family's apartment after a day of sightseeing, we would tell them where we went and they'd ask how much it cost, and the reaction was always the same - "so expensive!" or "they charge for that?" (that was the reaction when I said it only cost 30 crowns to go see Emauzy).

The spires of Emauzy with a Prague tram stop in front.

This is the first time in several visits to Prague where I have done extensive sightseeing, mainly because Chris has never been here before. Usually on my trips I stick to a few things (free things - walking through the castle area, wandering on the streets of Prague, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, and maybe I'll pay to go see exhibitions that are on while I am here. I guess I am only a cheapskate while traveling!) so maybe they have been charging this much for several years, I just don't know. When I told my dad how much it cost, he said that we should pretend we are Czech and we'd get it for cheaper (reminiscent of when we'd go to museums with my dad here 20 or so years ago and he'd tell us not to speak English or they'd charge us more money. Not sure how that worked - maybe the costs weren't posted and they'd charge you more if you spoke English). Unfortunately, I don't think it works like that now, and Czechs get charged the same price as people from anywhere else.

Chris (far left) rock climbing. No waivers or classes for the inexperienced required. Just "here are your shoes" and go!

I like to come to Prague not just because it is a beautiful city, but also (probably primarily, actually) to see family. So in addition to seeing Prague, Chris has also now met almost my entire dad's family. Earlier in the week, my cousin Honzik took us indoor rock climbing. I watched, but Chris climbed. It is funny - we belong to a climbing gym at home, but neither Chris nor I have ever rock climbed. (obviously the gym has other great amenities, or what would be the point for us?) We've also spent a good deal of time with my 91 year old grandmother, in between sightseeing expeditions. In the evenings we see my aunt and uncle and my aunt has cook some great traditional Czech food for us. Chris got to try strawberry fruit dumplings - still one of my very favorite foods even though I don't have it often. It is fruit wrapped in dough, then sprinkled with butter, a sort of cream cheese (we don't have it in the U.S. It is called "tvaroh") and sugar. When I was little it was by far my favorite Czech meal - what kid wouldn't love that for lunch or dinner?

A participant in the baby boom - Stella (one of my cousin Zuzana's three children).

My uncle (my dad's brother) is at the head of a family with its very own baby boom. We went to see them last night (they live in the countryside outside of Prague) - it is like being at a daycare center! Six children under the age of four, and one due at the end of May. Marushka and I will have to get to work if we are going to beat them (They have an advantage because there are three girls, not just two). This means that when my sister's baby comes (in a week!!) and my cousin Marketa has her second child, my grandmother will have eight great grandchildren.

Today is our last day in Prague. Tomorrow morning we head to Paris, and at this time next week I will have already been back at work for two days. I am excited for Paris, but am always sad to leave Prague.We haven't planned much for our last day here - we are meeting my cousin Janina and her husband for dinner and hopefully I will get to see a few more cousins to say goodbye. Every time I leave Prague (at least the last few times I have visited) my grandmother always says that this will be the last time I will see her because she will be dead before I come back again. This made me a bit depressed the first time she told me, but now I am not sure I believe her anymore. Obviously we all die sometime (and someone who is 91 might be a bit closer than someone at 27, but you never know...) but I think (and hope!) that it will not be the case and that next time I am here she will be, too.

Prague (and the castle in the distance) from Vyšehrad.











Kavárna Slavia (one of my mom's favorites in Prague) at night.

The hills are alive...

A stereotypical belief as to why Americans (and other nationalities, too) visit Salzburg is that they are avid "The Sound of Music" fans. I have seen the film a few times and I like it well enough, but it was not my reason for visiting. When researching Salzburg before our trip, I noticed that a lot of the travel info talked about "Sound of Music" tours, locations, etc. But then I came across this website which is possibly a bit more accurate.

They claim that natives of Salzburg only know the movie if they work with tourists and if they do know it, they hate it because it distorts Austrian history. Whether or not this is completely true (there are NO Austrians who might possibly like the movie?) I appreciated having the information. Not that I was going to venture on a "Sound of Music" tour or anything, but it helped me see behind the mask of what people will do for tourism money (advertisements for these tours are all over! Why sell out if you hate the film?)

While at the Salzburg Fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg) and enjoying a beer and a gorgeous view of Salzburg and the surrounding mountains, Chris and I overheard two American couples who had just met extolling the wonders of the "Sound of Music" tours that each of them had gone on - I listened in with a smirk and though "silly tourists." But the more I think about it, just because the natives might think tourists are stupid for enjoying the film and think they are making an easy buck (or euro), if the visitors enjoy it, why not? Of course it isn't good if it distorts history, but I am sure that could be cleared up on the tour. So upon further reflection, I thought that maybe I am too cynical, and I whether I like it or not, I am a tourist, too!

There is a lot to do in Salzburg besides obsess about "The Sound of Music," but Chris and I only had a day to explore. We arrived around noon on Friday on a flight from London. There is an easy bus connection into the city from the airport, so we hopped on that. Once at the train station we decided to leave our suitcases in a locker, since we would only be staying one night and didn't want to haul them around. It ended up being a good decision, because, while the walk to the place where we were staying was very nice, we got a little bit turned around, and it wouldn't have been quite so nice with two big bags in tow.

Salzburg is gorgeous and we got to walk along the river and through the old town (Altstadt) to our guesthouse. We were lucky to find a very reasonably-priced place to stay in Altstadt and I would highly reccommend it to anyone travelling to Salzburg - Gasthaus Hinterbruhl.

Our room

After settling in and a fun conversation with the patroness (she knew no English and my German is extremely limited. I do know how to say "room" though!) we headed up to our room. It was very cute and welcoming. We tried to resist the lure of a nap (we got up very early to get our flight to Salzburg) but the nap won. A few hours later we set out to explore the city. We saw the Cathedral (Salzburger Dom) and wandered around the streets of old town, and then settled down to rest by the Salzach river for a bit. It was a gorgeous day and many tourists and residents alike were resting by the river.

The view from our room (ignore the cars - beyond is the Salzburger Dom).

While resting, Chris decided to walk a bit along the banks (he called the Salzach a "real river." I guess the Thames didn't impress him much. True, though, the Salzach had a really fast moving current and was very nice-looking. I could see why one would think it superior to other rivers). While sitting there and snapping away some photos, a very drunk guy (maybe 17) came over to talk to me. He started in German, but (even though I am loathe to admit I don't know something) I told him I didn't know German so he switched to English. He asked why I was taking pictures, and said Salzburg is very boring, and he reeked of alcohol. I wasn't sure what his M.O. was, but either way I was not so keen on talking to him. He finally got the pictured and ventured off to talk to another tourist, and he and his friends finally sat down nearby with a group of girls who had a hookah.

I kind of see his point, though. If you were a kid growing up in Salzburg it might not be the most eventful place in the world. It is the fourth-largest city in Austria, but still, the population is only 200,000 or so. And it isn't like it is a city with other big cities nearby, like in the Bay Area. The city has several universities and I am not sure about industry there, but it seems to rely a lot on tourism. Probably not a lot there that a teenager really wants to do. So I guess they get drunk and sit by the river and smoke and talk to tourists. They also throw their empty beer bottles into the river.

The river, and the old town in the background.

After resting for a bit and enjoying the nice weather, we went in search of dinner. I had found a good recommendation for a place to eat that was a bit off the beaten path and therefore not overpriced and overrun with tourists. We found the place eventually and enjoyed a great meal of schnitzel and potatoes (and Stiegl, of course, the local beer).

We had a very content walk back to our room after our delicious meal. We were both still a bit tired, but since it was our only night in Salzburg, we thought maybe we should stay out and explore, or get another drink at a beer garden. We decided to go back and then possibly venture out again. Well, as soon as we got back to our room it started pouring rain (with no warning!) so I was very happy with our decision.

The Salzach and Salzburg at dusk.

Miles of walking

Wednesday was a day of walking. In the end, we walked about seven miles, not counting ambling around the Tate Modern and the Tower of London. When I write it out, it doesn't seem like a lot - plenty of people run more than that for exercise in an hour, but over the course of the whole day and while wandering around, it can do quite a number on your feet.

We walked from our hotel to Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, and from there along the Victoria Embankment to the Tate Modern. We thought a walk along the river would be nice, but between the exhaust from the cars and buses on the busy road and the exhaust from the ships on the river, it wasn't the most enjoyable, at least for breathing. Very picturesque if you didn't have to inhale.

The cafe in the Tate Modern.
Once we arrived at the Tate Modern it had been a while since breakfast, so we enjoyed a mid-morning snack in the cafe. It has a nice view of the Thames and I think the decor is done well (all of the Tate Modern is amazing in my mind - it can do no wrong). After "elevenses" (which I believe we actually had at 10:30am) we explored the museum.

The Tate is free, but there are certain exhibitions that you have to pay for - we decided to skip those two but we saw every other piece of art in that museum. After several hours of meandering through the museum, we went to the bar and restaurant on the top floor and each enjoyed a beverage.

The view from the Tate Modern bar.

After the Tate, we walked across the Millennium footbridge to get to St. Paul's Cathedral, which we explored for a bit. From there, we made our way to the Tower of London and spent a lot of time there. As with the Tate Modern, we saw everything we could: the crown jewels, the special exhibit on Henry VIII, the White Tower (the original "Tower" started by William the Conqueror in 1078) and many of the other towers (Bloody, Wakefield, etc).

The view from the Tate bar reflected in my wine.

A common discussion Chris and I have when visiting different sites is how they choose to present these places for the visitors (I believe the technical name for this is "heritage interpretation" - I learned about it when volunteering at the Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site and was actually given a free copy of Freeman Tilden's Interpreting Our Heritage. Never got around to reading it, though...) I think the Tower of London is a great historic site and as a European history buff, I really enjoyed visiting, but at times it seemed like the way they set up the site was a bit cheesy. I suppose it is aimed a bit toward children who are force-marched through by their parents, but I felt like it detracted a bit from the historical significance of the place.

Thursday was our final day in London and we had a few things left that we really wanted to do. London is a tough city to see in such a short period of time, but since we have both been there before there were some sites we skipped.

Chris in Hyde Park.

We started our last day by walking a few miles through Hyde Park on our way to the British Library. Once at the British Library (great website, by the way: http://www.bl.uk/), we got to see a few things that might interest someone who has described themselves as a European history buff: a Gutenberg Bible, the Magna Carta, pages from DaVinci's notebook, the Codex Sinaiticus, a lot of Shakespeare, and so on and so forth. I knew the Magna Carta was there and that was my main reason for wanting to visit, but I was very excited to see many other very important and unique documents. I got to see Jane Austen and Sylvia Plath's handwriting (Jane Austen's draft of Persuasion was there, a book I love and have read several times - I have also seen three movie/TV versions of it! Sylvia Plath's draft of Insomniac was exhibited - she had very unique/distinct handwriting. It made me think about handwriting as personality evaluation, and her life and how she met her end).

In addition to having a great collection, the British Library is a very nice building. I didn't find the outside too spectacular, but I thought the interior was very nice. Prince Charles, however, is not a fan (or of modern architecture in general). He said the reading room looks like a secret police academy. (what does that even mean?)

Chris and his beer at lunch.

After the British Library, lunch and then a brief reprieve from sightseeing, we headed to the London Eye. Earlier the previous day, I had commented while crossing the Millennium footbridge that my mom probably wouldn't like walking across it. This has sort of become a theme in the trip, where either Chris or I will say "Mom wouldn't like this" (except she isn't Chris' mother, so to be precise he would say "your mom wouldn't like this"). Well, Mom, you REALLY wouldn't like being on the London Eye. It was quite a spectacular view and I (of course) took many photos during our "flight."

London Eye

When we got off the London Eye, we headed to meet a family friend, Sam, and his girlfriend Lucy. We had a few beers, then realized we were quite hungry, so the four of us headed in search of food. We somehow ended up at the "Loco Mexicano." Chris and I probably eat Mexican food about four times a week, so this was kind of an interesting prospect- Mexican food much further from Mexico than normal for us. And ok, I'll admit, Mexican food in Berkeley may not be 100% authentic, but it is pretty darn good. Maybe it was the several beers, but I thought the food was ok. Chris wasn't as kind, but either way, we got fed. It was a fun evening regardless of if the food was the best it could be.

Sam and Lucy at the "Loco Mexicano."

Westminster Abbey and Parliament

The plan for Tuesday was to arrive at the hotel, leave our bags, go sightseeing, and come back in the afternoon to check in. When we got to the hotel they said our room was ready since it was empty the night before. Pretty dangerous, since we were both very tired and I was afraid I might give in to the temptation to nap. But that would go against my father's mandate that the only way to get over jet lag is to stay up until a "normal" bedtime in that time zone. So Chris and I decided on 8pm. I am not sure when the last time I went to sleep at 8pm was, but I it is a normal bedtime for some, and it was going to be tough enough to make it to that time (and I'll spoil things a bit for you - we did not make it).

So after we left the room, we went to find breakfast. On top of being tired, we were both very hungry, and we had to last for 11 hours before we could sleep. I am glad we didn't have to interact much with other people, because neither of us were that much fun to be around - especially a few hours later after 4+ miles of walking. We each ate a hearty breakfast which definitely made me feel better, at least for a while. Then we walked to Buckingham Palace, which is a little less than a mile from our hotel. From Buckingham Palace we walked down the Mall and through St. James's Park to Whitehall and to see 10 Downing Street.

While at Buckingham Palace, Chris pointed out that their is not as much security as you'd think there would be to guard the Queen. I can see his point, even though I said that there is probably a lot of security that you can't see, too. He said that at the White House, or in the U.S. in general, the security is much more "in your face." I definitely agree on that point.

10 Downing, and actually all of Downing Street, is much more guarded than Buckingham Palace - I guess the Prime Minister has more enemies than the Queen! (I'd like to think that it isn't because he is more important).

Downing Street, completely locked down, with tourists peering in from Whitehall.

After Downing Street, we walked down Whitehall to Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster (Parliament). Parliament was not yet open to the public for the day (we couldn't believe it was only 10am!). We were told that they open at 1:30pm, but we'd probably be standing in line for an hour. That did not sound appealing to me at all. Luckily, Chris agreed. They told us that Parliament would be in session until 10pm that night, so if we wanted to come back in the evening, at around 8, it probably wouldn't be crowded and we could go right in. This is when the nap concept really came to the forefront. We knew we would need sleep if we wanted to visit Parliament at 8pm. So we discussed sightseeing for a few more hours and then maybe going back and napping and going back out at 8pm to see Parliament. Then reality set in, we knew that if we went to sleep we wouldn't want to get back up to venture out again. I said that I would, but Chris said he didn't think I would.

Westminster Abbey

We then walked across the street to Westminster Abbey and paid the 12 pounds to visit. Free audio tours are available. My reaction was "oh, that is nice, free!" and then realized I just paid about $18 to get in. The narrator of the audio guide was Jeremy Irons, and in general I thought it was a good thing to have while wandering about (the audio guide, not Jeremy Irons' voice).

I don't remember visiting Westminster Abbey before, at least not in my more recent trips to London. The audio guide was useful - I like to learn about the place I am visiting but am not a big fan of guided tours because I like to go at my own pace.

I kept noticing these tacky flower arrangements all over the Abbey, and was trying to figure out why they'd have decorations like that everywhere. Occasionally I saw an arrangement that wasn't so bad, but most of the time I didn't think very highly of the decorations. Eventually, I started to see people actually arranging flowers in some restricted areas of the Abbey, which seemed odd. Turns out, there is a flower arranging competition and the different competitors were setting up their areas. I wondered how they could afford to have all these fresh flowers brought in on a regular basis.

Once an hour Westminster Abbey holds a moment of prayer. After the moment of prayer (which is done via loudspeaker) it was announced that a few visitors could enter the Shrine of Edward the Confessor, which is closed to the public, but they have a once daily service in the shrine. Chris and I happened to be standing right next to the stairs leading the the Shrine, so we got to be one of perhaps eight or 10 visitors to the Abbey that got to enter the Shrine that day. We were told that it is one of the most sacred parts of the Abbey, and is the reason the Abbey as it exists today was built. We got to kneel in the original niches where pilgrims who were ill used to come through the centuries to pray for a cure.

After the Shrine, we continued on through the Abbey and saw the graves of Elizabeth I and her half-sister Mary (they are buried together, even though only a likeness of Elizabeth is present). There is also the spot where Oliver Cromwell was buried (he was dug up and "posthumously executed" when the monarchy was restored in England). Many others of importance are buried in the Abbey. While in Poet's Corner I was walking around looking at all the monuments and busts and engravings for those who are buried or memorialized there, and looked down and realized I was standing on the grave of Robert Adam, the Scottish architect I wrote a 20 page term paper on in my "18th Century Britain" history class my senior year at Penn.

We did a lot of walking/wandering through the Abbey and finally made it to the College Garden, which is only open three days a week. It was a very peaceful spot to sit and relax. It was also one of the few places in the Abbey where you could take photos.

In the College Gardens (do I look tired??)

After the Abbey and some food, we decided to head back to the hotel and nap since we were both pretty exhausted. The nap turned into a bit of a marathon nap (or maybe, just sleep - I think anything over a few hours might not be considered a nap anymore). I woke up at 7:30pm and decided to be stubborn and go to Parliament. Chris declined, and kept sleeping. Basically, my stubbornness won out over my tiredness. It was a great time for photos, too, so I got some good shots of the Palace of Westminster and the surrounding area.

The London Eye and County Hall, from the Westminster Bridge.

There was no line to get into Parliament, and I was able to see both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. I even got to see a vote in the House of Commons! The outside of the Palace is breathtaking, as is the main hall, but the House of Commons itself was nothing spectacular, and pretty small, too. The House of Lords was much more ornate but still small. It was more interesting to see the Parliament in session than the building itself, anyway. I asked one of the House of Commons Doorkeepers to tell me about the voting system, since it wasn't in any of the information I got while there. He told me that the MPs go stand in a lobby designated for whichever side they are voting and are manually counted. First they do a "voice vote" though, and I guess the speaker decides if it is close and then they have the "division" vote (what I described above). I heard several voice votes - one in which there were no "nays," therefore a division was not necessary. It was interesting to hear the voice votes, because they shout there "ayes" or "nays" which I assume stems from the fact that the presiding officer announces the result of the voice vote, and only then, if the voice vote is unclear or if there is a challenge, then a division follows. So I assume the shouting comes from trying to make it sound like either side of the vote is louder so they can win the vote without a division. I assume though, that anytime it is close they do a division, but I don't know that for certain (it seems like it would make sense, though!)

For additional photos of our trip to London so far, click here.

En route

Work was not exactly a walk in the park last week, which made me even more excited to get away. Life was made a bit more stressful by what I would call the "Passport Fiasco of 2009," but so as not to embarrass anyone, I will not go into more details. The important thing is, both Chris and I have current passports (not sure if the Fiasco of 2002 was worse or better than this one... but I am pretty sure I'd like to be done with them altogether).

My eight and a half month pregnant sister was kind enough to drive us to the airport (was it in bad form to ask Marush to drive us? It isn't like I asked her to pick us up at the airport - we arrive home the day after her due date!) I realized on the way that I was not so comfortable with the whole situation, and I would prefer if Marush stays off the freeways until the baby is born! She is a wonderful driver, but there are a lot of crazy ones out there, and I was channeling my mom by grabbing onto the passenger side door handle every time brake lights came on ahead of us.

The plane flight was uneventful, which is good. Chris and I were supposed to both have aisle seats, but instead I got a middle seat. Actually, I think my seat assignment was the aisle but I gave it to him. I am so kind. I watched three movies on the plane, and during two of which I was crying pretty profusely - some silly kid fare - "Hotel for Dogs" and another dog movie, "Marley and Me." I always wonder what it must look/sound to someone else on the plane when there is a crier like me there. I have never noticed anyone else on planes who gets quite so emotional. I am sure it happens, but I just wonder what the reaction is from others. I should just not be allowed to watch movies.

We had a pretty good tail wind in addition to going with the jet stream, so the flight only took a little over nine hours instead of 10+. We had to circle around London for a bit though, so we ended up landing not too much ahead of what our landing time was supposed to be. I think that if a plane is going to be early, the pilot shouldn't tell the passengers. I was all excited that we were going to land an hour early and was then disappointed when we got there on time. If my expectation of landing early had not been set, I'd probably have been pleased that we were on time. You never know what is going to happen, so unless you are going to be late, why not just tell everyone the plane is scheduled to land on time? Or just tell everyone you are going to be an hour late and then close to landing say you made up for the delay with your wonderful piloting and are therefore now on time. That is what I would do if I was a pilot.