Prague & Vienna

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...

After a slightly delayed flight, we made it to Prague (or Praha as it is known by the locals).  Severely sleep deprived, some of our group opted for long naps to help recharge their battery before heading out for the evening.  Others took to the streets to start discovering what the city has to offer. La Casa Argentina , a Brazilian steakhouse right up from our hotel, served as our dinner spot.  They actually served beef imported from Brazil and the US with different dipping sauces and, according to some friends, different salts for the steaks.  Grilled pineapple with ice cream was a wonderful ending to the meal. We wondered to the town square, arguably once of the finest in eastern Europe, to experience a little of the street life.  An Astronomical Clock that hourly tells not only the time but the Saint of the Day, moon phase and zodiac sign, serves as a gathering spot for large crowds.  An elevator in the municipal building provides transportation to...

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...