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...

Our photography group is off to Prague and Vienna.  We're again led by  Liza Politi  and  Ira Block , two of our favorite people along with Ari Espay (our actual favorite person;)).  These two destinations have intrigued me for quite some time, so I was very excited they decided to include this in their travel line-up. My husband will be meeting us in Prague since he's been off on an adventure in Tanzania with friends.  This will be a nice change up for him, moving from the animals and savanna of Africa to the urban centers of Prague and Vienna. I read two books in preparation for the trip, both on Prague.  One, The Bloodletter's Daughter (Linda Lafferty), covers the reign of the Hapsburgs over Bohemia in the 1600.  The gene pool might have gotten a little too concentrated for their own good, resulting in a little craziness in the family.  It's a great read and I would recommend it to anyone traveling this direction. The second book, T...