The look of love?

Or give me your food 🙂 Miss this little guy, he is a great travel companion. He’d be allowed to come with me on the train and into cafes, bars and shops here but he would also have to wear a muzzle…..which would be as popular as a visit to the V.E.T. Good thing he’s well looked after at home.

Oh Vienna

It takes a lot to get me in a bad mood, but today I struck more rude and unhelpful people than I have ever encountered, one after another; including some who refused to serve me (or look at me) when my German failed me and I spoke in English. Consequently, my visit to Vienna starts off on the wrong foot. Luckily this is a city known for its delicious cake (a well-known bad mood remedy), and after two pieces I am less grumpy and my expectations are adjusted. Travel can test your patience and understanding, and one bad morning out of 56 days is not so bad.

Vienna is where the Habsburgs ruled their empire for hundreds of years. It’s also the birthplace of the artist Gustav Klimt (see the movie Woman in Gold with Helen Mirren, they’re a bit touchy about it here), and Friedrich Hundertwasser (who moved to NZ and built the fancy loos in Kawakawa); Sigmund Freud; musicians Brahms, Schubert, Mahler, Strauss (Mozart and Beethoven lived here too); and at one stage Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky and Freud all lived within a few blocks of each other. The Baroque buildings are so ornate they look like fancy wedding cakes covered in royal icing, with a bronze statue put on top for decoration.

I’m staying a little bit out of the city centre in Leopoldstat, in a vintage apartment tucked behind a Hasidic synagogue. It is nice to be away from the designer stores and tourists (and the rude people), and to experience a slice of life as a local. There is a bar just across the street where a cluster of older men sit each night to share a beer and a laugh; the cake shop to the right has the best torte; and I have Ultravox on the stereo playing Oh Vienna 🙂

  • The hotdogs are huge here
  • Sacher torte from Sacher hotel – chocolate cake with apricot jam inside
  • Gustav Klimt art
  • Women hold up a lot of buildings here
  • There’s a Spanish dancing horse stable in the city centre
  • This pic is from Google, I was curious about my neighbours and their outfits
  • The Wien canal runs through Vienna and joins the Danube

Good King Wenceslas

The sun was out again today, so I put on my walking shoes and headed across the river to Prague castle. From a distance it looks like a huge fortress on the hill, and up close that’s exactly what it is; with the castle, cathedral and a small medieval village inside. Highly recommend a visit if you are here. The cathedral is beautiful AND (it was another good day for learning), the Habsburgs and Good King Wenceslas are buried inside. You know, the dude from the Christmas carol, who was actually a 9th century duke of Bohemia, which this country was once a part of long long ago, ruled by the Habsburgs. Now I’ve got that song trotting around in my head. Sigh.

  • Just a small cathedral :0
  • The Habsburgs are in there
  • Good King Wenceslas is up there in statue and buried in the cathedral
  • 328 steps to the top of the tower, amazing views
  • I want I want I want
  • I want I want I want
  • Not in the castle, but came across it 🙂
  • Amen. And mulled wine 🙂

Si senor

I have to confess that I have a couple of odd habits when I travel. The first is that when I arrive somewhere I like to do my washing. Not so strange you may be thinking, but it’s not usually the very first thing you do when you reach a new destination. I went to New Caledonia with my friend Ani a couple of years ago and when we got to our resort she found me in the bathroom moments after we checked in, wrapped in a towel, hand-washing the clothes I had just been wearing. To this day she mocks me mercilessly about it. When I messaged Ani that I had arrived in Singapore the first thing she said was “I guess you’ve got a load of washing on then” (and I had 🙂 ). In the UK when I stayed with my friends Claire & Sean, I not only did my laundry every day, but theirs as well (to Claire’s horror). I’m traveling pretty light on this trip but definitely have no need wash so often. I just can’t help myself. It’s not something I feel compelled to do when I’m at home. Go figure. The second thing is that when I am asked something in a language I don’t understand, I respond in Spanish. I don’t know why this is, it isn’t my native language, I could just speak English, but I open my mouth and Spanish comes out. I can speak basic Spanish from previous travels in Spain and South America, but I’m not fluent. ‘No gracias’ just seems to slide off the tongue so much more smoothly than ‘no thank you’. And (more embarrassingly) if I can’t find the right Spanish word I mix a bit of French and Italian in as well. Perhaps I should learn how to say ‘can I please wash your clothes’ 🙂

    Darkness and light

    I love learning, but it has to be relevant and experiential, otherwise my attention span is equal to that of a goldfish. I don’t recall much from the history classes I took in college, there were too many facts and dates to remember and it all seemed pretty boring. However, today I learned that Czechoslovakia emerged from WW1 a democratic state after the Austro-Hungarian empire collapsed. I have a vague memory of writing a (terrible) essay about this empire at school that the teacher covered with giant red question marks. Today he would just write WTF. I also learned that Czechoslovakia then lost some of its territory to Germany because its leader didn’t go to the meeting where it was discussed (those of you working in a corporate will shake your head because this still happens just not with countries). Germany then rudely occupied it in WW2 and introduced their programme; it was finally liberated by the Soviet Union who then established the communist party and made life really really shit for everyone for 45 years; until 1993 when after several years of uprising, democracy was reestablished and the country split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Boom that’s got to be at least a B for me 🙂 Unless I have my facts wrong in which case just send me a private message 🙂 🙂

    The source of my learning today was the Museum of Communism in Prague. It’s a fantastic museum that sets out a frank and open account of Czech history prior to German occupation, through the entire period of communist rule, and the impact this had on peoples lives. The museum slogan is ‘Communism – the dream, the reality, the nightmare’, and it was so interesting. And sometimes terrifying. And very very humbling. Especially the real life accounts from people who lived through this time. I cannot imagine enduring it. From the photos that are on display I can see many parts of the city look the same now as they did in the 1930s. Except in the museum photos there are German army cars lining the streets, or Hitler is standing on the tower platform I was on yesterday, or the square I walk through on my way home is overflowing with people asking for their freedom, or it is filled with communist troops forcefully establishing their rule. I am very grateful that it is 2019, and to call NZ my home.

    There is also a wonderful irreverence in many of the displays, which spills into other parts of the city. If only college had been more interactive and interesting I might have paid more attention 🙂

    • Museum of Communism
    • Propaganda posters
    • Source of the Berlin wall art
    • Stalin looking grand…..
    • …..but positioned by the toilets
    • Memorial to the staggering number of victims of communist control
    • Sculpture of 2 men peeing on the Czech map (hips swivel for extra effect)
    • John Lennon’s death became a symbol for free speech and anti-Soviet ideas, it is now being preserved
    • Democracy was hard-fought and regained in 1993
    • This famous square has seen a lot and still looks pretty much the same

    Prague

    It has been a stunning Saturday in Prague and I am a happy girl. I have walked, I’ve climbed up towers to escape the tourist crowds and get the best views across the city, and my belly is full of roast pork and apple strudel. I have a few days here and looked at travel blogs to see what the ‘must not miss’ attractions are. If you are planning a visit I recommend The Invisible Tourist blog for Prague, it’s full of awesome information and suggestions for things to see that are off the beaten track. An absolute highlight of today was a tour of the Klementinum in the old town which houses some of Gallileo’s original scientific intruments, and a beautiful Baroque library built in 1772 that is full of priceless books and globes (you can’t take photos inside, and can only step into it for 5 mins in small groups, it wasn’t touched during the war or during Communist rule, it’s still in use ! and it is amazing). It also has a tower which has the best views of the city.

    As my close friends will know, I am highly open to suggestion. Say the word cheesecake and I will want a piece. So, after several hours of walking past pigs on a spit and restaurants touting their pork as the best there is, I didn’t stand a chance and made a beeline for a cosy table where I ordered myself roast pork for lunch. With gluhwein (mulled wine but somehow more delicious!). It was so good. And only $20NZ.

    Google will tell you that cash is king here but that’s not quite true. Cards are accepted most places, or euros. Unless you’re shopping from a market in which case you’ll need some Czech koruna. What Google won’t tell you is just how many people will also be visiting this beautiful city. The crowds were so chocka at times that I couldn’t turn around. And this isn’t even the peak time to visit :0 Luckily there are a lot of towers to climb, and quieter hidden gems tucked away to escape to.

    • Pig is big here
    • Town Hall, home of the astronomical clock (see next pic)
    • Chimney cakes
    • Love the gluhwein
    • Soup in bread
    • Roast pork, bread dumplings and white cabbage 🙂
    • I can relate
    • Apple strudel 🙂
    • Charles Bridge and a billion tourists
    • Gallileo
    • Meridian line
    • Incredible tour of Klementinum library
    • I love globes and these are incredible
    • Bloody hell
    • SO many people
    • Anything for a photo
    • Vltava River
    • I have a hotel 🙂
    • Every hour masses of people crowd around the astronomical clock to watch it chime, and the figures of the apostles dance

    Do- A deer, a female deer

    Re- A drop of golden sun
    Mi- A name I call myself
    Fa- A long, long way to run
    So- A needle pulling thread
    La- A note to follow so
    Te- A drink with jam and bread
    That will bring us back to Do, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

    I really REALLY don’t do musicals. It just is not natural how everyone bursts into song and jumps around. Having said that, if there’s anywhere on the planet that would inspire you to sing along it would be pastel-pretty Saltzburg, and I have been humming this song ALL day. Good luck getting it out of your head 🙂

    Salzburg is the capital city of the State of Salzburg (in Austria), just across the border from Germany, and only one hour 40 minutes by train from Munich. It is the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for the Sound of Music. It has a gorgeous 7th century old town which escaped a lot of damage from the wars, and your jaw will hit the floor when you visit (which you must). It takes less than 15 mins to walk from one end of the old town to the other if you’re not stopping, but that is a hard thing to achieve because every 2 steps there’s something new and beautiful to see. Then there is the sacher torte, the Mozart chocolate balls, and venison/cheese sausages in bread, and the smell of Christmas in the air….and happy people humming songs from the Sound of Music.

    • Sacher hotel, try the sacher torte here
    • Mozart
    • Xmas wreaths made with real spices, smells amazing

    Castles

    What could be more perfect on a beautiful autumn day than visiting fairytale castles in the Bavarian countryside? Not much as it turns out. Today I joined a tour to Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles (say that quickly 10 times). Both castles are walking distance apart and can be reached by train from Munich. Our guide today was Patrick from Wellington (small world), and it was amazing. The castles are cool, the autumn foliage is breathtaking, the story of eccentric King Ludwig who built Neuschwanstein and other nearby castles during his reign is captivating. And I met new friends to share a beer with at the end of the evening. Katy, Victoria and Danielle you’re awesome, safe travels.

    Perfect day 🙂

    • Hohenschwangau
    • Neuschwanstein
    • Meat is on the menu
    • Prost

    Munich

    My beloved handbag was just about ready to fall apart by the time I arrived in Munich, so even before I bought essential food supplies I went in search of a replacement. I have had this handbag since September 2016 when I was in Barcelona and I have an unexplainable love for it. It’s faded now and definitely worse for wear, but sometimes you just get attached to things. I bought it from a Desigual store in Barcelona and I wanted to replace it with a new bag from the same brand because I love their designs. I got to their store in Munich about 35 mins before they were due to close, and looked at every bag before choosing one that was a similar size and shape, paid for it, emptied my old bag into it, carried the old one outside, checked the pockets and lining for anything important, folded it, gave it a kiss and placed it into a bin. A man who watched me do this asked what I was throwing away and I said my old handbag, it’s been awesome but now its job is done. He said ahh, I understand, I have done the same with my wife. Ha. Not quite the same but the sentiment was there, and he winked and walked on.

    Munich has a dark past to rival Berlin – this is the site of Hitler’s rise to power, he formed the Nazi party here and gave his first speeches of anti-Semitism (in the now famous Hofbrauhaus beer hall), and tours of Third Reich hotspots, the nearby Dachau concentration camp and Hitler’s Eagles Nest tours are apparently very popular. It is enough to know this while I am here but you would be forgiven for not knowing that these dark reminders are all under your nose. Munich is a vibrant city and unlike Berlin, it has a well preserved (70% reconstructed) old town which is really very beautiful. I walk to the Marienplatz to see the incredible gothic town hall building, and for only 4 euros you can take a short elevator ride to the top of the tower to get uninterrupted views to the Alps (on a good day like today), and right across the city. If you’re there at 11am, 12pm or 5pm you’ll see the glockenspiel in the tower and hear the carillon bells too. Amazing. Round the corner is the Viktualienmarkt where you can buy your fruit, wine, meat, cheese or grab a hotdog/schnitzel/burger/roast pork bun and a litre of beer and plop yourself in the shaded beer garden. I’m not a big beer drinker but it is the drink of choice here – I have just missed Oktoberfest (it ran 19 Sept – 4 Oct this year) which sees visitors drinking 7 million litres of beer. I called into the famous Hofbrauhaus beer hall which was packed with people drinking litre glasses of beer (for 5-10 euro), eating knuckles of pork (13 euro) and suckling pig (17 euro) while listening to oompapa music…..a bit more than I could stomach. Instead I head to the English gardens which is a massive 910 acre park, and as it’s another gorgeous sunny 23 degree day seems the perfect place to be. It is packed with people enjoying the sun, including several people who felt so good in the sun they took their clothes off! There is even a part of the river where the water is so strong there are people surfing on it. I was so distracted by the unexpected naked people that I wandered off the path, accidentally slipped in some mud and got covered in dirt, so headed back to my apartment to shower and change and put on a load of washing before heading back out again for dinner. It’s surprising how dignified you can pretend to be when your backside is covered in mud 🙂

    • Required uniform for Oktoberfest
    • OMG
    • The town hall, you can ride up the tower for amazing city views
    • Glockenspiel
    • Beer garden
    • Beer garden is the place to be!
    • Rooftop beer garden
    • Famous beer hall
    • Naked person (right)
    • Surfers!
    • If I’m not drinking beer I have to eat sausage