Prague & Vienna

As always happens this time of the workshop, we were startled that a week had passed and we only had one day left with all of our friends.  This morning our group split up with some going to a local market while the rest of us returned to the cathedral and shopping area for some last minute photos. Being a little overcast and rainy, the streets were not as full as they were yesterday.  Along the way, we stopped and talked to uniformed military officers showing off their tanks, helicopters and military vehicles.  Being quite friendly, they happily posed for photos for us. We decided to take the lift to the shorter tower in Stephansdom Cathedral to see what view we might have over the city and church.  The taller tower, one of the tallest church towers in Europe, is accessible only by stairs, 343 of them to be exact, which we decided to bypass due to the overcast skies (and frankly, I'm just a little lazy).  The roof tiles are very interesting on the chu...

We availed ourselves of the wonderful Vienna Metro to take us to the Schloss Schonbrunn Palace this morning.  This opulent palace served as the summer home some of the Hapsburgs Dynasty.  It easily matches some of the great residences in Europe with large gardens both front and back and gold leaf decorated rooms in the interior.  According to the audio guide, one of the rulers wanted a simple life, which obviously meant something different back then! We had a quick break for lunch before our class and I had found an 'authentic' Mexican restaurant very close to our hotel,  Taqueria Lox Mexikas .  It was actually very authentic and very good.  It also gave us a little taste from home which we've been missing.  After class today, we ventured off to  Prater Amusement Park , another quick ride on the metro.  Charging no admission, the park supports itself through ride tickets and food vendors.  Since Friday was a national holiday, ...

Our bus journey to Austria started mid-morning after packing and breakfast. I had really enjoyed the visit to Prague but was ready to start a new venture in a new city. Rolling hills awaited us in the country along with the occasional pine forest. Obviously an agricultural area, crops had been harvested with new sprouts coming up in their place. The small towns included red tiled roofed houses and of course a large church. Our mid-day stop was in Telc, a UNESCO World Heritage site. At one point, wooden structures made up the town center but fire ravaged the buildings. Undaunted, new facades resembling the old structures went up to keep the feel of the historic buildings. It did give a certain feel of an old west ghost town with saloon store fronts just waiting for the gunfight at high noon. Our restaurant stop was custom ordered for Americans with a variety of Mexican, hamburgers and pizzas to choose from. While not a threat to restaurants back home, it was more than sufficient to s...

Starting class a little later, we had an opportunity to catch-up on some much needed rest. However, the overachievers of our group ventured out into the pouring rain to take advantage of the glistening cobblestones and umbrella covered natives making their way to work. We had fallen into the habit of walking a few doors down to  Food Lab for lunch and today was no exception. They make a cauliflower soup that is to die for with crisp little chickpeas on the bottom and small pieces of pickled cauliflower floating in a creamy broth. I think it was mandatory that everyone on the trip try it at least once. This afternoon’s mission was hiking around the castle complex. Since we had already visited here on Saturday, we visited the cathedral which had been closed. It was really gorgeous with brightly colored stained glass windows soaring over the pews. It was much larger than I anticipated and I’m glad we had a chance to return. We decided to bypass the rest and head straight ...

Josefov, the former Jewish ghetto, served as home to many Jews prior to WWII and occupation by the Nazis. While some still reside here, many were killed in concentration camps during the war. Many of the synagogues now serve has exhibition space and museums. We started at the Pinkus Synagogue that now serves as a Holocaust memorial  and has inscribed names of all those lost during the war on the walls. The names are read during the day. Exiting this, we wondered through the Jewish cemetery. Normally it would be forbidden to bury bodies on top of one another, but with the allotment of a small space, exceptions were made. Tombstones crowd each other for space, many toppled in place onto neighboring stones. Sobering, we made our way along the winding path, photographing along the way. Upon exiting, we walked to the Spanish Synagogue which may be the most beautiful in the area. Ornately decorated, we admired the workmanship used in the construction. Manuscripts were also on dis...

Because of the forecast of rain and clouds for the rest of our time in Prague, we rose early to catch the sunrise on the Charles Bridge. We did beat the clouds and rain but couldn’t avoid the bone chilling cold. We arrived predawn and waited for action. It has become quite normal to find brides, most often Asian, that come donned in wedding attire for photographs at famous landmarks around the world and this is apparently one of the destinations. We caught the sunrise and promptly headed back to the warmth of our hotel. After a warm breakfast and hot shower, I could finally feel all my limbs again. We gathered for our classroom session for our first critique. Liza asked each of us to bring 5 images that shows what we have been up to since our last workshop. We each have different photography styles and subjects which we gravitate to which becomes apparent.  It's also what makes these trips interesting.  Ira talked a little about the week and also one of his latest p...

Tonight we would join all of our fellow photographers for a welcome dinner, but we still had today free to explore.  There's a pretty well known picture which shows 4 bridges on the Vltava River and we set out to find it. On top of a hill, not too far from our hotel and across the river, stands a giant metronome (currently not working) in a lovely hilltop park.  This affords a wonderful vantage point overlooking the city and most importantly the four bridges.  Even though the overcast skies made for a little less spectacular photo, we had found our first photo stop of the day. Next,  we wondered back to the Old Square to take a look from the top of the tower during daylight.  Along the way, we sampled a Czech street food, Trdelnik,  which is made by wrapping pastry around a big metal tube that is then roasted over fire.  It's finished by rolling it in various coatings such as sugar.  They also are big into their spit roasted meats, espec...

Our friends had arranged a tour of the Strahov Monastery and Prague Castle for us this morning.  We started at the Strahov Monastery mainly to view the beautiful library.  While the Czech Republic is 80% atheist, there is still a Catholic presence.  Founded in 1143, this monastery has contained different Catholic orders, most recently the Premonstratensian Order, which oversaw the restoration after the Velvet Revolution which ousted the Communist in 1989.  The Library, while not containing overly important historic books, is still quite a sight to behold with its painted ceiling and collection of globes.  Also in this complex is a room of curiosities collected from around the world.  Trees are the focus of one collection with a display box made of wood from each tree which contains seeds, bark and leaves from the tree varietal. The Prague Castle complex dates from the 8th century and consists of several connected buildings making it perhaps the larg...