Prague (Praha) and Salzburg

Prague, where some taxi drivers refuse to put the metre on and charge whatever they like based on the stupidity and vague looks of tourists departing from train stations is what greeted us when arriving. Luckily we were not fooled and managed to save $3 by walking another 200 metres with heavy bags.

I would imagine the city has changed somewhat since their communist days; I was in a department store that rivalled Chatswood’s Westfield’s. Day 1 we went on a walking tour of Prague with a local girl, Jana. In fact we went on 2 walking tours, one in the morning covering the old town Praha (3 hrs) and the afternoon tour of similar duration to cross Charles Bridge, and the palace. One of Brads highlights was seeing where the author Franz Kafka lived. Jana certainly knew Praha so we did cover a lot of ground, history and folk lore even her strong Czech accent added to the ambience.

What distinguishes Praha from previous towns we have visited is the architecture is consistent throughout the whole area, whereas in other towns you have a charming, touristic section then a psychedelic trip back to the 70’s with concrete blocks, small windows and orange, brown and yellow furniture. Praha carries her majestic appearance wherever you go. Yes it is a little shabby and dirty, probably due to the tourists and the once a year flood but when the sun is shining and you squint with one eye, it is a very pretty place with a wonderful rich history. Scotland played Czech Rep in Prague on Friday night; I have never seen so many kilts in my entire life, seriously though some of these guys should not be wearing a skirt and what’s with t-shirts in 8c weather. Prague is also the 2nd home of Hollywood, Tom is in town with his shirt off, doing yet another mission impossible, the locals are all in a tizz.

I am writing this blog sitting in a quite railway shack in Veseli in the Czech Republic (try and find it on a map). Why am I sitting here well that would be due to a slight miss communication and Brads inability to speak Czech. This was highlighted by today’s trip from Praha to Salzburg where we needed to get off our 1st class carriage train and find a bus to take us to the 2nd part of the leg to catch another 2 trains to our destination. Everything was going swimmingly until... (Will let Brad tell you rest)

Conversation in deserted railway station, somewhere in the south of the Czech Republic -
Me: (speaking to random guy on platform) Excuse me, sir. Do you speak any English?
Random Guy: I have no idea what you are saying.
Me: Ah, excellent! Can you tell me if this train goes to Budojovice?
Random Guy: I still don't know what you are saying, but if you're asking where the train is going, then it's going to Valencia.
Me: (nodding) Budojovice, brilliant! Thank you, helpful Czech person!
Random Guy: (also nodding) I still don't know what you are saying.
Me: Yes, and good travelling to you too!

Consequently we sat on a random train for 10 minutes staring at the blinking sign announcing the destination which was basically in the opposite direction to where we wanted to go. As realisation hit both of us the clearly marked bus that we should have taken pulled away from the station obviously having given up on us ever turning up. So here we are stranded in Veseli we have no local money, have not eaten since breakfast and have to wait 2 hours to hopefully continue our journey to České Budějovice. If we ever arrive in Salzburg we will attend a Mozart concert in the Mirabel Palace our budget allowed this extravagance thanks to priority club membership and many nights away from home on country trips I had just enough points for 2 free nights at the Crown Plaza. Hopefully we will have time to scrape off the jeans and dust off the good cloths.

Salzburg

We made it to Salzburg be it 2 hours later than scheduled, quickly changed and headed to Mirabel Palace. We went inside and walked up the grand marble stairway, with white marble sculptures and other artwork framed with gold, the marble hall where the concert was did not disappoint, the rectangular hall extends over two storeys and is decorated with immense golden stucco works, baroque at its finest. We were blown away by the venue and the artists, Christine-Maria Holler (Violin) and Irma Kliauzaite (Piano) both students at the University Mozarteum, (20+) Christine was a child prodigy accepted at the uni by age 10. They played music composed by Mozart, Dvorak, Brahms and Rossini just amazing.

Brad downloaded an app for the i-pad on tours of Salzburg and the next day we headed into what I have always considered the most beautiful town in Europe, we went back to the Mirabell Palace gardens, a magnificent garden adorned with Roman gods, a statue of Pegasus, of course Hercules and fountains, we abstained running down the hedge arcade singing sound of music grabs – sorry, that’s tomorrows gig.

We walked the steep ascent (102m gradient) up to the fortress Hohensalzburg, we walked around the bastions, towers and museums with a clear view of the beautiful town below. Just imagine 16 Archbishops from 1050 to 1515 each adding to the construction of the fortress.

The Salzburger Dom (city’s cathedral) was also another highlight, after the 8 previous cathedrals burnt down the new cathedral 1628 is incredible, unfortunately it was also severely damaged on two occasions fire in 1859 and WWII US bomb. (Seriously unlucky) the dome is 71 metres high with frescos displaying scenes from the Old Testament and organ pipes everywhere you look. It would have to be one of the most ornate cathedrals in the world.

After strolling through Salzburg and being overwhelmed by its architectural heritage we decided to end our Brad guided walking tour and head to Augustinian Monastery and brewery (1890) for a litre of beer in a classic Austrian stein mug. Beer made by monks definitely blessed by god.

On our last sad day in Salzburg we hummed the Sound of Music tunes as we walked around the fortress towards the lake and house where the Von Trap family lived in the film, we took photos overlooking the lake where the kids fell in and walked to the nunnery where Maria grew up. I tried to get Brad to sing along with me but he claimed he didn’t know the words, didn’t seem to stop him whistling though. Not sure which hill they filmed the opening scene “the hills are alive” but from everywhere you look in this wonderful town great mountain peaks surround you.

Off to Munchen we go and a harsh reality check back to 2-3 star accomodation.