During our 2008 tour of Central Europe, once we left Budapest, we headed directly to Vienna and arrived by lunch. We ate at a lovely place at the foot of Rotenturmstrasse near Schwedenplatz. They not only had good food, but marvelous gelato in a large variety of flavors. Mom wasn’t feeling 100%, so she went on to the hotel with Wence, Esther and Franco while I went on a walking tour of Vienna which began at Hofburg Palace (the Hapsburg’s Former Winter Palace).
The palace was built in the 13th century and has been expanded several times since. It is currently the residence and office of the President of Austria. The Royal Music Chapel is where the Vienna Boys Choir sings mass every Sunday. The palace is enormous and also includes a riding school for the Lipizzan horses, called the Spanish Riding School. They sometimes put on shows for the public, for which they sell tickets.
From there it was all uphill – literally. At the top of the hill is Saint Stephen’s Cathedral (Rotenturmstrasse takes you down the other side of the hill to where we had had lunch and where the bus was waiting at Schwedenplatz). With its multi-colored tile roof, it is as gorgeous outside as inside. The cathedral was built in the 14th century over the remains of two earlier churches, which were, in turn, built over a Roman cemetery. The Giant’s Door is named because of the hip bone of a mastodon that was found during excavations when expanding the cathedral in the 15th century. For quite a while, that hip bone was on display above the door.
I have been to a lot of cathedrals in my travels and Saint Stephen’s remains one of my favorites. It is said that Beethoven realized just how deaf he had become when he saw the birds flying out of the belfry at Saint Stephen’s, but couldn’t hear the bells. Mozart had been named as a music director at Saint Stephen’s shortly before his death. His funeral was held there in one of the side chapels (which isn’t open to the public). There is a catacomb beneath the cathedral with the remains of over 11,000 people which can be toured.
One story that I find amusing was when Emperor Leopold I took an icon of the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus from a church in a village and moved it to Saint Stephen’s. This was because the figure of Mary on the icon would cry and miracles were said to be performed. The Emperor said he was taking the icon for safe keeping from the Ottomans who were running around in the area of the village at that time (late 1600s), but he didn’t give it back when the village asked for it. Instead, he sent them a copy. Interestingly, the original hasn’t cried since it has been in its new home, but the copy now in the village cries every once in a while. Hmmm.
That evening, we went to a show at the Kursalon where the Strauss brothers used to give Promenade concerts. The music consisted of Strauss waltzes and Mozart. They also had a couple of dancers. Mom had perked up by that time. Just needed some rest that afternoon.
The next morning, we took a tour at Schonbrunn Palace, which was built by the Hapsburgs in the 17th century. Most of what you can see was decorated by Maria Theresa in the 18th century with a small section of rooms redone by Franz Joseph in the 19th century. The personal belongings of both Franz Joseph and his wife, Elizabeth (called Sisi), are still there as if they are still living there. I really liked this palace because of the personal touches.
After lunch back in Vienna, we departed for Prague in the Czech Republic. The hotel was brand new and we got a little bit lost trying to find it according to the directions we had been given. But, eventually we got there. The hotel was connected to a large shopping mall with several restaurants. Not everything was completed as of yet. There was an underground stop at the shopping mall, which ended up being quite handy the following day.
We started our day at the Svatopluk Cech Bridge, where we were dropped off to explore the Old Town of Prague. Although some cars are allowed on some of the streets in the Old Town, the majority of the thoroughfares are pedestrian only and no big tour buses are allowed period. We were taken on a walking tour of the old Jewish Quarter and over to the 14th century Charles Bridge.
The Jewish Quarter (Josefov) saw its first occupants in the 10th century. By the 18th century, much of the population had moved out, leaving mainly the Orthodox and the poor. In the early 20th century, some of the oldest parts of the area, with the most narrow, cramped streets, were destroyed.
Construction began on the Charles (Karlov) Bridge in 1357, replacing a 200-year-old bridge that had been severely damaged by floods. It is now a pedestrian only bridge and is lined with copies of the original 17th century statues, which have been moved indoors to the National Museum for safe keeping.
At the Charles Bridge, some of the group (including Mom) departed for the hotel. They walked down to a nearby square from which they could catch the underground to the hotel. There were about seven of them, including our “guide in training” Esther. Both she and Wence could speak the language. Wence got everyone on the right train and then left them in Esther’s capable hands. One of the men on the trip took Mom by the arm and was her escort. I gave her plenty of money for the train and for some lunch.
The rest of the group was staying in the Old Town for lunch and then would meet Wence back at the first bridge where we had been dropped off to take an afternoon optional excursion to the Prague Castle compound. We walked over to the astronomical clock in the Old Town Square to watch it do its thing.
This very complicated piece of machinery was built in the 15th century. Legend has it that the clockmaker was blinded after he completed it to make it impossible for him to duplicate it anywhere else. Having great talent back in those days wasn’t necessarily a good thing. There are several animated pieces and figures that are set in motion when the clock strikes the hours. We made sure we were there and able to see it when the time came. A skeleton rings a hand bell while the Twelve Apostles parade by the windows. Then the hour is rung by a larger bell and it’s all over.
Thus contented, we went off to find someplace to eat a light, but satisfying lunch. I found a place with some hearty soup and a half sandwich. I found a shop where I bought a few souvenirs, including a Pilsner Urquell glass for one of my brothers (Pilsner Urquell was the first pale lager, or pilsner, created and is a very tasty Czech beer), then I explored around in more of the Old Town before walking back to the meeting point.
Once we entered the castle precinct, we headed straight for St Vitus Cathedral. The castle is the largest ancient castle in the world. It dates back to the 9th century and is currently used as the President’s residence as well as for various government offices. Very little of the actual castle is open to the public. We did visit a small part of the castle with some extremely old cellars after the Cathedral.
St Vitus Cathedral began in 930AD under Saint Wenceslaus and was greatly enlarged in the 12th century. Many of the kings of Bohemia (the area that includes Prague) and Holy Roman Emperors are buried here, as is Wenceslaus himself. He is the subject of the song “Good King Wenceslaus” although he was actually a Duke. His chapel isn’t open to the public, but it can be viewed through the doorway. The cathedral was named after Saint Vitus because Wenceslaus owned a relic of him – his arm. Vitus was himself Italian.
Another saint who has a really cool tomb within the cathedral is Saint John of Napumuk. John had been tortured and thrown from the Charles Bridge back in 1393. The spot where his statue now stands on that bridge is supposedly the spot from which he was thrown. Apparently they fished his body out of the river and then buried it in a tomb of solid silver. He was pretty much venerated as a saint immediately upon his death although there is a controversy as to why he was killed. I prefer the story of him refusing to tell the king what his wife had confessed to him. It has a much more heroic air to it than that he backed a man for abbot that the king didn’t like.
After visiting the old cellars in the castle itself, we toured the Basilica of Saint George. This is the dragon slayer who is considered to be the patron saint of England. He is also quite venerated throughout Eastern Europe and even parts of the Middle East. The church was built in 920 and enlarged in 973 to include an abbey. The baroque façade was added in the 17th century.
From the church, we walked down the Golden Lane, which is a small, narrow street within the castle walls where, in the 15th and 16th centuries, goldsmiths lived and worked. In later days, Franz Kafka stayed at No. 22 for a while. From Golden Lane, we left the castle walls and walked down a long, steep cobbled walkway to where the bus was waiting for us.
Back at the hotel, Mom had snacked on the food we had in the room for lunch and so we had loads of money left for our last night in Prague. We went to one of the fancier restaurants in the shopping mall and splurged. After dinner, we met up with the rest of the group again for a visit to the Strahov Monastery (founded in the 12th century) to see the view of Prague from there and to sample some of the beer that they brew there.
Our last Bohemian adventure was to visit the Krizikova Fountain, where they put on a show with the lights and water coordinated to music by the Czech composer, Anton Dvorak. The next day, we returned to Germany.
