i went up to the prague castle (where i watched the Changing of the Guard) and through the third courtyard towards St. Vitus's Cathedral, a truly stunning building.
i had decided that st. nicholas' s church would be the one place that i was going to suck it up and pay the entrance fee (luckily, most of the other places were free). so i reluctantly paid my 70 crowns (a little under $4, i think) and went in. built by the jesuits in the 18th century, the baroque church is huge and ornate. definitely worth the money.
then i visited wallenstein palace, now occupied by the czech senate. it is known for its formal garden, which claims to be one of the finest in all of europe. i enjoyed a walk all around the pond and garden, and took some time to read up on the czech involvement in the EU.
finaly, i visited the church of our lady of victory, where the wax figurine known as the "Bambino di Praga" is housed. people come from all over the world to see this small figurine... frankly, i just don't get it. its pretty small, not very impressive. its like a doll, that they dress up in different clothes and put in a glass box in a church...
ok, time for a beer, and then a visit to strelecky ostrov (an island in the middle of the vltava) and home to finish my pizza leftovers and hang out with people at the hostel!
7/16: i was planning on catching an early train to salzburg to meet up with clint, but he was going to see harry potter at night, so i opted for a later train (i don't get the whole harry potter thing...) i checked out, went to the train station to lock up my bag, and decided to take advantage of my extra day in prague (my train didn't leave until 5:15)! i hiked all the way up to the vysehrad (High Castle). when i got there, i realized that the real attraction was the church and the cemetery. i was a little bummed (another church?! and a cemetery? we have those in the states)...until i actually entered the grounds. the church was beautiful ... aren't they all? but the cemetery was unlike any i have ever seen before in my life. the czech National Cemetery is where the country's great and good (and rich!!) have been buried since the late 19th century. each grave had a statue or a monument or a work of art or a tree.... it was amazing... as odd as that sounds. i walked up and down each row multiple times. these people put a lot of thought (and money, i presume) into their tombstones! it was like being at a unique and diverse art gallery.
afterwards i strolled through the park and enjoyed some spectacular views of the city and river.
eventually i made my way back towards the old town, and found my czech mask (!!!) at a small store on the way. with another hour to kill, i decided to enjoy a liter of pilsner while people-watching in the heart of the city. at 5:15 i boarded my train (it was a 7 hour ride to salzburg)... a very old train, but not umcomfortable. there were cabins with 6 seats each. and no AC, but all the windows were open. for the first 45 minutes i stood and watched the passing countryside with my head out the window.. then i slept for a couple hours.
we had a half hour layover in some town, so i grabbed a beer and some crackers and got back on quickly (i'm extra nervous ever since missing the train in milan). when we took off i again stood with my head out the window, but now watching the most spectacular sunset. i never would have thought 7 hours on this train would be so enjoyable.
at midnight i arrived in salzburg, where clint was waiting for me. it was so good to see him! we took a taxi back to his place, Schloss Leopoldskron (you know, the castle...seriously) and he showed me around. we took a walk around the pond and caught up.
back in his apartment, we hung out and called pete via skype! it was good catching up with him as well. he is going to be working in austin, TX starting in august. i will have to make a trip out to visit him (austin city limits, perhaps??)
today clint is working, and i am using internet to book hostels and trains and basically plan the rest of my trip. i can't believe i will be home in less than a month! time is going by so fast.
No comments:
Post a Comment