Journey 11D1: The Three Capitals...Praha1

DATE -- JULY 24, 2016

Cap 'n Baldy here!

   I'm now thinking of the Willie Nelson song "On the Road Again"!

   We are indeed on the road again today ... from Vienna to Prague ... Praha as the Czechs call her! It'll be a long ride ... over 200 miles...

                                   The National Flag of the Czech Republic

    We pass a succession of tidy farms and fields of corn and sunflowers ...

     I start to doze off. Suddenly, we hear Jared's strong bass voice announcing that we are making good time and have arrived at the Czech border for our first pit stop. I look out the bus window ... and ... OMG!

 

    I see a large airplane painted in wild colors, sawed in half and converted into a restaurant ... one strange colorful building is connected to another strange colorful building with dragons on top ...

Jay and Cilla Temple stroll toward the duty-free shop ... what will they buy?

 

     Exuberant Czech music fills the air ... Germanic tidiness has suddenly disappeared ... herein lies an old-fashioned kids' amusement park with human-powered rides ... there is a casino ... and a large duty-free market! This is Party Central in a very charming way! Jared advises us that we now sit on sort of a no-man's-land between Austria and the Czech Republic ... WELCOME TO EXCALIBUR CITY!

                                  This place makes us feel like  kids again!

                                          Amusement parks are FUN!

Kids are as adorable here as they are everywhere!

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   The policemen at the Czech border checkpoint are not terribly interested in a busload of American tourists so we quickly pass through into the Czech Republic. The countryside is not as tidy as it was in Austria. Rain comes and goes. We have lunch at an amiable roadside restaurant where patrons may feed a flock of small goats...

 

        We arrive at our "home base" in Prague ... the NH Prague City Hotel --

    Mozartova 267/1, 15000 Prague 5, Czech Republic !

 

    Our dinner at the hotel is served by an  agreeable college-age wait staff ... we are all a bit punch-drunk from our recent travels ... paper place mats show instructions for making paper airplanes ... and as a result ... 

 

 

    A fierce paper airplane air battle ensues until Liz rips up one of the planes to abruptly terminate our obstreperous merriment ...

      Our Prague hotel consists of two main buildings ... one at the bottom of a steep hill and one at the top ... the buildings are connected by a cable tram ... this is a really cool ride a bit like a slow-moving roller coaster!

 

    This has been a big day! We have a bigger one tomorrow! Get some rest ... y'all will need it!

 

Affectionately,

 

 

 

Baldy aka Bob



 

Journey 11C3: The Three Capitals...Vienna3

Cap 'n Baldy here!

A big day in Vienna ... let's get going!

    We start each day with a great breakfast ... we need the fuel for the day!

       I am learning some interesting things in touring with Maggie ... for example ... German in Vienna is not the same as German in Germany ... it's sort of like American English as compared to British English. In fact, when an Austrian speaks on German TV, subtitles are frequently used. Another thing ... neither the Germans nor the Austrians can understand what the German-speaking Swiss are saying!
      Here is another tidbit we learned at Schoenbrunn ... most folks in Maria Theresa's time did not wish to touch water ... water carried disease! Two or three baths in a LIFETIME was the norm! I think this horrific situation is beyond the comprehension of most of us now... another thing we can be grateful for today is clean water!

     Today, we are having a real musical adventure! We are singing for Mass and a recital in St. Stephen's Cathedral ... where Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, Schubert and Beethoven have performed! This is where the Big Dogs have done their work ... musical standards are obviously high as a result! Liz had to send recordings to the cathedral for evaluation prior to our being allowed to sing here!

                                Pre-performance preparation and rehearsal ...

 

    In the Choir Loft at St. Stephen's ... our Mass performance and recital are a joy and a success ... many people listen to our recital after Mass ....Barbara is third from the far end in the second row; I am third from the far end in the top row ...

 Construction at St. Stephan's commenced in 1136 ... the church was heavily damaged by fire late in World War II ... restoration is a never-ending process since the church is built of sandstone which discolors in a few years ... above is the "clean side" ...

 

                                                 Clean and Dirty in sharp contrast...

     Restoration work is done behind screens ... local companies support the work ... one such company was an underwear manufacturer ... the church drew the line against racy advertising on the screens ...

                    St. Stephan's Square is a busy place on a summer afternoon ...

    A cool Pedi cab driver looks for customers ... as y'all can see, we need to be on constant  lookout for tripping hazards!

    Ahhh ... after our performance, a touch of HOME ... Pike Place Blend and a Chicken Ciabatta Sandwich ... the young barista speaks English like a Californian ... maybe she is one!

Coffee with the Coffees... Dennis and Joyce ... chillin' at Starbucks -- in Vienna!

 

    We spend a couple of hours at the Museum of Music ... although we are very tired, we opt for a presentation on famous musicians Beethoven, Mozart, Johann Strauss and Schubert ... the docent is excellent and the tour is well worth our effort ...

 

    An original score page by Mozart at the Museum for Music ... he did in fact write his music down without making any revisions!

 

    Dr. Carol Saunders and Sharon Smith rest a bit before our tour of the Museum of Music ... an INTERACTIVE museum ... where, if I so desire, I might conduct the digitally-represented Vienna Philharmonic and have the digitally-represented musicians yell at me if I do it wrong!

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 We climb up stairs to the fourth floor apartment of Dr. Jutta Unkart-Seifert, head of the European Cultural Initiative for the Younger Generation. Her reception of our group is worth the climb ... she hosts us to dinner and presents a welcome certificate to our leaders, Liz Virkler and Dr. Chris Cook ... we sing for our supper!

 

 

     Goldilocks and Betsy Cook collaborate on a Grand Selfie in Dr. Jutta's delightfully eclectic living space ...

                                                Modern art pieces are everywhere!

    Debbie Kurth stares down the Big Fish at Dr. Jutta's place ... the strange critter keeps charging at the aquarium glass wall!

               Becca Tierce plays with one of Dr. Jutta's five totally mellow cats! Though a pleasure for some members of our group, these beloved animals are an issue for others who suffer severely from being allergic to cats!

 

      It is now time to go to our hotel and get some rest! We travel to the Czech Republic tomorrow!

 

     Affectionately,

 

 

     Baldy aka Bob

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journey 11C2: The Three Capitals ... Vienna2

Cap 'n Baldy here ... we are in Vienna! Let's enjoy it!!

So we begin our narrative for today...

    Ah! YES! The Water Closet ... or W.C. as it is universally known  ... that Destination of Periodic Pilgrimage so vital to each and every one of us ... the true mark of our humanity! We are blessed to find W.C.'s that don't require payment for entry as is common hereabouts! Note Don Watkins taking photos of the lovely ladies in the foreground!

   We begin our tours of Vienna. Our City Tour Guide is Maggie, a tall Austrian lady with tight reddish curly hair, who speaks English beautifully ... with what sounds to me like a curiously Australian accent. She guides us into this city of 1.8 million people which is the cultural, economic and political center of this small nation of 8 million.

    Vienna used to be the capital of a much, much larger nation ... the great Austro-Hungarian Empire under the House of Habsburg ... one of the world's great powers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Emperor Franz Josef reigned over the Empire for 68 years until he died in 1916...

    The Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1914 -- With a population of 53 million, the Empire covered Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, a portion of Poland and Balkan nations to the south.
    As our guide Maggie puts it, the Empire "was good at arts and culture but not at war". World War I proved to be Armageddon for the Empire, which abruptly ceased to exist with its defeat in 1918. Austria even lost her beloved national anthem, which had been written by Franz Josef Haydn, to Germany.

   Touring around Vienna is an odd experience for me. I have read Vienna referred to as being "a head without a body". There is grandeur everywhere here from an Age and Empire which no longer exists...

 

   Schoenbrunn Palace ... majestic home of the Habsburg family ... 1,440 rooms... ONE TOILET until Emperor Franz Josef had the place modernized in the late 19th century... he even brought Thomas Edison aboard to install electric lighting!

   A prominent 18th century sovereign was Maria Theresa, who ruled as the only female Habsburg sovereign from 1740 to 1780 ...

Maria Theresa -- portrait by Martin Van Meytens, 1759

   Along with her other imperial duties, Maria Theresa produced 16 children, thirteen of which grew to adulthood. Royal children were valuable currency for the empire, used to cement alliances through suitable marriages. On our palace tour, we see a truly immense bed recently restored for $600,000! This bed was not used for sleeping or sex orgies ... it was used exclusively for public display of royal children in Maria Theresa's time. Our palace guide tells us Maria Theresa ballooned up to 250 pounds in her later years. The term "Big Mama" starts to be circulated among members of our tour group. However, I am strongly informed by Cilla Temple, our choir's resident art historian, that the correct historical term for Maria Theresa is ... " The Brood Mare of Europe"! There you have it!

                                    The Royal Garden at Schoenbrunn Palace ...

                                   Selfie Central -- The Royal Garden Fountain!



                                 Barbara's Pano Photo of the Royal Garden Fountain!

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    In the afternoon, we walk across St. Stephan's Square to prepare for our evening concert at Peterskirche ... The Church of St. Peter ...

             A carriage ride through Old Vienna at sunset looks like a cool thing to do!

Our Evening Concert in Peterskirche ... a glorious event in a gorgeous venue before an enthusiastic audience! Another peak musical and spiritual experience that any words cannot describe!

 

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   Late Dinner at Augustiner Restaurant near Peterskirche... enormous Schnitzel!

    Sacher Torte closes our Augustiner Dinner ... that's it for today ... tomorrow is another big day in Vienna!

Affectionately,


Baldy aka Bob




 

Journey 11C1 ; The Three Capitals ... Vienna1

Dates -- July 21-24, 2016

Cap 'n Baldy here!

   This is Travelin' Day! Fueled with an ample breakfast and hyper-strong coffee, we merge onto the M1 Highway and head west ... toward Austria ...

    This is Holger ... he's our bus driver ... not JUST a bus driver but a Grand Master Artist  behind the wheel of the big red-and gray Volvo bus that stays with us throughout our tour ... he is able to maneuver this great vehicle in and out of unbelievably cramped spaces without mishap or scratch ...

 

                        Flag of the Republic of Austria ... we are not there yet!

   Heading west on the M1, we pass through rolling Hungarian farmland reminiscent of Wisconsin or upper New York State...

   Traffic jam caused by an accident eastbound on the M1 ... it reminds one of Los Angeles at rush hour, doesn't it?

   Food fare at a Hungarian truck stop sure beats a 7/11 or AM/PM Store in California!

      We get to know everyone on our tour! Several times a day, our group of 51 "counts off" to make sure every one is accounted for ... Barbara is Number 33 and I am Number 34! Look for the white ball cap ... that's Barbara...

     Crossing into Austria is uneventful ... soon, we are in tidy Eisenstadt, home of the Esterhazy Palace ... two Bobs pose above (Bob Brislin and Bob Meyer) in the town's shopping street...we are all wearing our tour tee shirts! It's very warm and humid here today...

             Pat and Lynn Sheffey enjoy ice cream in Eisenstadt ...here is one couple with class!

    We tour the Esterhazy Palace, home of one of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's most influential families...Famous composer and conductor Franz Josef Haydn served here for many years ... we sing a couple of our songs in his famous Haydnsaal ... here, we are in the Private Chapel looking up at the window where the Princess Esterhazy could worship in private ...

    Having a relic in your private chapel was Big Stuff hereabouts... it took an "in" with the Pope to make that happen ... here are the bones of some early famous  Christian dude dressed up Elvis-style in gold ...

   I grieve at having to shatter your illusions about Franz Josef Haydn, my beloveds...but...Haydn was a horndog! We hear it at Haydn's house from Haydn's  wife (portrayed by a college-age Austrian girl) ... of course, the gracious lady does not use the term "horndog"... that term is uttered by our ex-Marine basso Jay Temple!

   Yes sir, Mr. Haydn had numerous "protégés and acquaintances" in his vast musical world ... there are even reports of a number of illegitimate kids floating around. Haydn is reported to have been ultra-fastidious. He was never seen without his wig ... he received his first wig when he was 6 years old!

                          Franz Josef Haydn ... A Lady's Man ... to this day!!

    Down the road a piece, we enter the Central Cemetery of Vienna where many famous musicians are buried ...

    Whoa ... these Viennese folk knew how to commemorate one's transition to the Next Life in a big way ...

    Remember this guy? The word is out that he was way too liberal for many folks hereabouts, especially those in the "upper crust",.. he entertained ideas about all folks being equal ... an unpopular idea!

  Hotel NH Danube City, Wagramer Strasse 21, 1220 Vienna, Austria

   We arrive at our Vienna home base for the next three nights ... NH Hotel Danube City ... a fine modern accommodation as was the case in Budapest ... BUT ... BEWARE OF ONE THING, my friends ... six feet in front of this fine hotel is one of Vienna's bikeways ... we must cross that bikeway to get to our bus ... the Viennese bikers do NOT slow down for crossing pedestrians... with determined expressions on their faces, they POWER ON through ... Jared has given us "a word to the wise" about this situation!

   It's time for dinner and a good night's sleep! We've got a big day tomorrow!


  Affectionately,


  Baldy aka Bob