Even more from Prague and Vienna

 

First day in Prague was a low of 5 degrees F.

 I absolutely loved these houses on the water, especially the ones is pastel blues, yellows, and some pinks.

Like Mom said, the Czech Republic's capital was like fairytale land. To me, Prague looks like the setting for the animated movie Anastasia (probably my favorite Disney film) although it is supposed to take place in Russia. I think it's partly the snow, partly the gorgeous old buildings, and maybe partly all the faux fur we saw.

 The anatomical clock was incredible- we were in the square at 10 am, and got to see the figures on the clock move. Plus, there was someone playing the trumpet at the top of the clock tower!

 Cool swing in a park near Prague Castle. Unfortunately, I fell flat on my face in the snow shortly afterwards,  and then became even more snow-covered after Franny's hands warmed up enough to allow her to make snowballs. 

 One of fifteen or so old-fashioned tram pictures that Dad took.

 Outside Vienna's Stephansdom before Dad, Franny, and I climbed up it. 

 The view from halfway up, the furthest you can go. Cannot imagine what Vienna looks like from the top.

There were horse and carriages all over the city, just to make it that much more picturesque.

Half-Term Break Part Two

After spending the first half of the week in Prague, we took the train to Vienna- what a ride! We had our own compartment on the train and spent most of the time looking out the window at the ever-changing landscape. We went through some beautiful cities, some snow covered forests, miles of wasteland, and lots of Czech and Austrian farmlands. The buildings were as different as the landscape, and it was so cool to ride past it all. We got snacks from the dining car (total rip off), and had tea while staring out the window. It was about a five hour journey and we arrived in the center of Vienna in early afternoon. We took the subway to our flat and were equally impressed by this one. It was located in a gorgeous building overlooking a historic square, just a few blocks from the center of Old Town. It, too, was nicely furnished and very comfortable, so we definitely lucked out on accommodations.

Ah Vienna...of course, we had lots of coffee and hot chocolate (every day), and we made sure to see the major landmarks. Our flat was right around the corner from Stephansdom Cathedral, so we walked around there quite a bit and did tour the inside. Steven and the girls also walked up the tower to look out at the city, while I took advantage of the time to enjoy a melange (similar to a latte) at Kleines Cafe, a well known little hole in the wall that had caught my eye when we passed it earlier. We tried different cafes every day and were amazed to see that many of them were actually in our guidebook as famous hangouts of bygone artists, writers, and intellectuals. My favorite was definitely Cafe Central, which we stumbled in to on our first night in Vienna, after walking around for a few hours and all being tired, cold, and hungry. It was like stepping back in time as we walked through the doors, with its red velvet booths, live piano player, elegant pastry cases, and palace-like setting (it is located in the historic Palais Ferstel). This was a real treat, and we all had a lovely evening, as well as our first taste of sachertorte (a special chocolate cake) and apfelstrudel (you guessed it). I realize that we take great stock in sampling the local food and drinks when we travel, which does nothing for our figures but sure makes for some fun meals while on holiday. Eating out, and in fact doing anything, in Vienna was much more expensive than in Prague. And some places don't have menus, so you order what sounds good and can be in for a shock when the bill arrives; this happened to us at Cafe Hawelka, which was definitely a cool hang-out, but extremely expensive for coffee and cake.

We didn't just eat the whole time, we also spent half a day at The Belvedere, a gorgeous museum that houses the largest collection of Gustav Klimt paintings, including The Kiss (how many Art Docent projects did we do around this amazing painting?!? It was so cool to see the original up close). We also sampled a local market's stalls, saw the famous Secession Building, rode a couple of old trams, walked along the canal, and went ice skating at Rathaus Park. Vienna is definitely a beautiful city, but I wasn't quite as taken with it as I was with Prague. It seems like it knows it's a regal place, whereas Prague doesn't seem so full of itself. Of course, it was only a week's stay, but these were my impressions. We wanted a winter wonderland Half-Term Break, and that is exactly what we got.

Half-Term Break Part One

Well, I hinted that we were heading somewhere cold and we certainly did. We spent last week in Prague and Vienna, and it was a winter wonderland. First stop was Prague, and I must admit that I fell in love with this un-assuming city. Walking down the narrow streets that meander in all directions, with the cathedral spires in view on the skyline and the colorful building facades opening up before us, it was fairy-tale charm at its finest. The girls thought that Prague must have been where Walt Disney got his ideas for happily-ever-after castles. But the city isn't glitzy or glossy in any way, it just looks full of history and with a real focus on architecture.

Some of the highlights were hiking up to Prague Castle, walking along the river, crossing the Charles Bridge, wandering around Old Town, going to the Jewish Ghetto to see the ancient cemetery and synagogue, touring the old Cathedral in the Castle, snapping some of the famous Czech cubist buildings that we had seen in books, trying different yummy foods, and sampling many different kinds of Czech beer for pennies. In fact, much of the food and drink was very affordable in Prague, and the cinema was also a bargain, so we took advantage by heading out to see "Hugo" one night. We found that if you stick with traditional Czech foods and beer (the kids tried the cider, soda, and ice drink), eating out was much cheaper than in London. We stumbled upon some great restaurants and fun pubs and coffeehouses, and really didn't have a single disappointing meal.

The people were friendly and helpful, even when they didn't speak any English. And our apartment was amazing! If anyone is planning a visit to Prague, I would definitely recommend the First Choice Apartment where we stayed. It was huge, very nicely furnished, and in a fantastic central location. We could walk to everything, and did get some things at the local market to have snacks in the apartment, including breakfasts and coffee in the mornings. We walked for miles every day, and then would pop into a cafe for a little break. It was an amazing Bohemian adventure.