A Czech Republic Christmas

Living in continental Europe has its perks (and drawbacks – weather, expense, administrational interference in even the most mundane everyday tasks), and besides the gravitas and scenic window dressing authentic historical surroundings provide, chief among these is the proximity of other major cities and countries. With Prague just three hours from home, what better place to visit for a Christmas holiday?

 

                                                 

We randomly crossed the border a few weeks earlier on a University retreat in the Sachsen Switzerland. Walking through the town of Sebnitz, we came upon a sign welcoming us to the Czech Republic. EU open border policy means border crossing is as simple as crossing the street. The Czech Republic we entered this day was run down – think stores in people's garages, buildings crumbling, graffiti. But what we found in Prague last week was a whole other world. We also visited the Seddlac Ossuary, otherwise known as the 'bone church', in Kutna Hora, a small town some 70 miles outside the city. Once again, quite a different experience from Prague, like time traveling back to mid 20^th century communist era rather than the 13^th century. Well, except for the bone church which is festooned with the bones of plague victims from the 14^th century. I find that global cities never offer a great representation of their home country. They exist in their own bubble offering cultural hints of where you are but never really more than a superficial glimpse. Whether this caters to tourists in search of a sanitized experience or owes to the fact that populations are such a mishmash I'm not sure. But in the case of Prague, while the population is a mix of Baltics, Russians, Ukranians, Romanians the preserved history is spectacular.

 

Anyway, so I finally made it to Prague. It was everything I expected it to be, except much larger and more expensive. Somehow I had pictured a smallish city easily walkable. This it most definitely is not. Actually, what I liked -and which is a touchy subject with the locals who are adamant Czech Republic is central Europe – is that you really feel as though you have entered the cultural east. There are many Russians, Romanians, Ukranians, and these languages are spoken more often than English. We tried to learn a few basic phrases, but Czech is a tough language and nothing beyond 'good day' stuck in my head.

The food was hearty and pretty good, assuming you like dumplings and lots of meat. This is no place for vegetarians or vegetable lovers – unless pickled red cabbage is your thing. While dumplings aren't necessarily my favourite, I really enjoyed the meals – and the desserts were to die for. We discovered amazing delis in the Jewish quarter, no big surprise there, with the most incredible desserts . What I found confusing was the currency – the Kronun is not broken down into cents, so the smallest denomination is one, and up from there it counts. This is confusing when you are trying to establish how much money you actually have. The locals were much friendlier than expected. In Leipzig I have grown so used to generally unpleasant – actually flat out rude and sour people, but the Czechs are much nicer and so much more sophisticated. And the men are distracting: tall, really good looking and so well dressed. I also want to know what the women's secret is because they all have this long, lusterous, shampoo commercial worthy hair. In fact, being here made me sad that I cut my hair short this year and I am now determined to grow it back. The secret might possibly be this special shampoo made from beer that we kept finding in stores around town. Needless to say, I now own a bottle.

 

Prague is so jam packed with history that the only city I could think to compare it with is Istanbul, where around every street corner lurks some ancient hidden gem. I was amused that a lot of the popular local anecdotes were actually pretty gruesome in nature. Defenestrations for instance occurred regularly throughout Prague's history. What is a defenestration? Throwing people out of windows. Dislike followers of a certain religion? Then round them up and push them over the edge. The Sedlac Ossuary was also kind of gruesome. I'm not sure how many skeletons line the chapel, but the fact that some priest found them stacked and decided to make furnishings rather than burying them is...interesting. Personally, I would be offended to be used for anything less than the grand chandelier. In one of the main churches (there are so many, good luck keeping them straight), hangs a 500 year old mummified forearm and hand over the entrance. It belonged to some unfortunate thief who got caught back in the day and serves as a reminder not to steal from the church. It looks like leathery KFC, which I will never eat again.

The old town is so full of winding passages and narrow streets that are very difficult to navigate, meaning much time was spent wandering lost. Also, really, the whole city looks like an 'old town' so this makes it quite difficult to tell where you are. And I swear there are seven towers that look the same as the famous 'Powder Tower'. In the main square was a twinkling Weinachtsmarkt, though as with everywhere in these parts full of stalls hawking Christmas kitsch. The main square is surrounded by beautifully preserved buildings, and also features the famous astronomical clock with its glockenspiel, rated Europe's second most disappointing tourist attraction. It definitely lived up to this distinction, providing an exceptionally boring show. In the newer part of town was Wencelas square – actually a boulevard, and named for the Good King Wencelas of Christmas carol fame. Around here one finds the main shopping area populated with horrible sales people. I don't think we looked like shoplifters, but they follow you everywhere leaving you with maybe one foot of personal space in which to browse.

The Charles Bridge divides Prague 1 and the old town from Mala Strana on the other side of the river, dominated by the Castle district – which holds the distinction of being the largest castle in central Europe. It's a mishmash of historical architectural styles since it was transformed over the centuries by various occupants, most recently the notoriously chinless Hapsburgs. It's a steep hike up narrow cobblestone streets to reach the castle, but the view from the top is breathtaking and well worth it. Also at the peak sits Saint Vitas Cathedral, a tremendous example of Gothic architecture. Also on top sits the Strahov monastary where the monks are known for brewed beer (we sampled – it was tasty) and the philosophical library, one of the world's most famous. I had seen it before in one of those annoying facebook posts about the top ten this or that – in this case must see libraries, so I was curious and very impressed, though found it in dire need of an open window.

 

The rickety trams that bomb around the city looked like relics from the 60s, but actually contribute to the charm of the cityscape. I was also impressed with the local handicrafts, and found the hand painted Russian dolls and Bohemian crystal ware so beautiful. I'm not clear where the Czech fondness for marionettes comes from, but many stores carried large selections of elaborately carved, lifelike puppets, some terrifying like witches and demons, others bearing the likeness of dead celebrities. There was even a theatre showing operas enacted with marionettes, Mozart's Don Giovani was on rotation during our stay.

The one thing I found a little terrifying about Prague was the sheer number of tourists (I know, I am one). It's just really overwhelming and I can only imagine must drive the locals crazy. But when I complained to one of our tour guides, she said that this is the quiet season and that in summer there are easily triple the number. Oh...god. But I really liked what I have seen of the Czech Republic so far, and hope to see a little more. I was so impressed with the people, the history – it felt somehow exotic for me. But Poland and Hungary are calling, and from Vienna next year much of the east will be even closer

Salzburg, Austria: You are now Entering Mozart Territory...

Resembling nothing so much as a jewel twinkling in the Austrian Alps, Salzburg is a quaint, if sterile, little city. Classy, cultured, charming, tourist ridden in the extreme– it was everything one would expect. I initially considered the university for my Masters because the thought of spending two years in the Alps was pretty appealing, at least until I looked at its world ranking and realized I needed to aim higher. However, I will say that the faculties, spread throughout the city, benefit from their amazing location and there are certainly worse places in the world to study.

Best known as the birthplace of Mozart almost 300 years ago, Salzburg's prodigal son continues to dominate the city's culturescape. Not that this is a bad thing – living in one of the European capitals for classical music, I am very much learning to appreciate it, and would actually take it over Beyoncé any day. In fact, he is difficult to avoid, with life sized cutouts hawking the eponymous Mozart Kugeln in every second store. Mozart Kugeln, for the uninitiated, are ultra high calorie marzipan balls coated in chocolate – and yes, they taste awfully good. You can also visit his birth house and other locations where he lived and carried on in his daily life.

Salzburg is divided by a river; on one side lies the old town, topped by a fortress that sits high above the city, on the other, the newer district which is still old by most any standards. The old town is a maze of narrow cobble stone streets lined with boutiques and fast food outlets. It's actually kind of funny – there must be a legal requirement for signage to resemble the remaining historic signs, because I would find myself admiring a cute sign and then realize it read 'McDonalds' or 'Zara'. There is, as is always the case in Europe, cute fountains, a market square, beautiful churches, and some interesting modern street art. Climbing a steep staircase cut from the mountainside takes you to the fortress level, where you get a birds eye view of the Alps and the city below. For the lazy there is also a cable car that delivers you right to the top. Some people are lucky enough to live up top in little Bavarian style houses surrounding the fortress, and there's also a small forest with walking trails.

On the newer side is the Mirabell Palace and gardens and the old cemetery – where you will find a number of Mozart's relatives, including his father and widow Konstanze. While cemeteries aren't usually my interest, this one has some really elaborate and actually fascinating tombs and gravestones. In all, it is a great little city to wander on foot, getting lost in the hidden passage ways. If you are in the mood to acquire overpriced Tirolean togs or large chunks of pink salt- or Mozart Kugeln, all the better as these are widely available and you will be even happier.

The air here feels so alpine fresh, which definitely helped my severely hangover (travel tip: Absynthe shots at 4 am are never a good idea...come to think of it, neither were the 2 bottles of red wine before hand) and in fact Salzburg is clean to the point of sterility. This disappointed me as it felt more like being in a historic theme park than a living, breathing city. I found it quaint of course -you would have to be blind not to. But the sheer number of tourists was overwhelming (was anyone actually local – I mean, besides Mozart??). I lie, actually the few locals I encountered were really warm and lovely, which is a relief since I'm moving to Austria in August. But I guess I have been spoiled traveling in less 'popular' areas of the world and had forgotten how totally crazy the tourist situation is in Europe. For this reason alone I am in no hurry to return to this agreeable little place, although I had better get used to the hordes before I move to Vienna because something tells me there it will much, much worse.