The Czech Republic and Austria - October 2007 (by Adam)

Saturday, 6 October 2007

We arrived in Prague soon after 11.00am and caught a cab to our hotel, The Golden Wheel (http://www.thegoldenwheel.com/). It is a really nice little hotel on Nerudova Street, one of Prague's loveliest and most historic streets, which links Prague Castle to the Charles Bridge.

The Golden Wheel Hotel and Nerudova Street...

The view of Prague Castle from the Golden Wheel Hotel...

We dumped our bags in our room and immediately headed down Nerudova Street, across the Charles Bridge, and into the Old Town, in search of a place to watch the Australia vs England match in the Rugby World Cup.

Charles Bridge and the Vltava River...

We spotted some green and gold-clad people in the Old Town Square and followed them into a wonderful old underground beer hall, with a number of big screens. Unfortunately, it was filled with English supporters. Of course, even more unfortunately, England won. As such, we quickly exited the beer hall at the final whistle, and our Wallabies paraphernalia was discarded before we were out the door. We then spent some time exploring the Old Town, including watching the very over-hyped Astronomical Clock do its stuff at the top of the hour.

The Astronomical Clock, the Town Hall Tower, and the Old Town Square...

We then made our way back across the Charles Bridge and into the beautiful St Nicholas Cathedral. We spent an hour there, listening to a quartet performing various works by Mozart and Heyden (Mozart himself used to play the organ there), while taking in the amazing Baroque interior.

St Nicholas Cathedral...

We then had dinner at a lovely little restaurant called "The Tree Violins", on Nerudova Street, before returning to our hotel room to catch the last few minutes of the New Zealand vs France match.

Sunday, 7 October 2007

After breakfast at our hotel, we spent the morning exploring the Old Town. We made our way to Wenceslas Square, the scene of many of the more famous moments in the history of the Czech Republic and its predecessors.

Wenceslas Square and Wenceslas Statue...

After a visit to the fascinating Communism Museum (which is housed above a casino, opposite a McDonalds), we had a light lunch at the Municipal House, a very interesting Art Nouveau building.

Municipal House (including the cafe where we had lunch)...

We then took the lift to the top of the Town Hall Tower, and enjoyed the 360 degree views of Prague's spire-filled skyline.

Views from the Town Hall Tower...

We spent the afternoon in the Jewish Quarter, including visits to the fascinating Old New Synagogue and the Old Jewish Cemetery, which dates back to the 15th century.

The Old New Synagogue and the Old Jewish Cemetary...

We returned to our hotel to freshen up (while enjoying some quality MTV gameshows), and then again made our way back into the Old Town for some dinner at a little Italian place just off the Old Town Square. We then returned to the Municipal Building, specifically, the Smetana Concert Hall, for a performance of Mozart's "Requiem". It was then back across the Charles Bridge, with a stop for some dessert and a dessert wine at a restaurant overlooking the Vltava.

The Smetana Concert Hall...

Monday, 8 October 2007

After breakfast at our hotel, we walked up Nerudova Street to Prague Castle. We spent the day exploring the Castle precinct, parts of which date back to the 9th century, and which includes the St Vitus Cathedral (which Cat and I both regard as the most impressive church / cathedral that we have seen to date), St George's Basilica and the Golden Lane.

St Vitus Cathedral...

Cat inside Prague Castle...

Golden Lane...

St George's Basilica...

Lunch at Prague Castle...

Adam and Cat at Prague Castle...

We left the Castle late in the afternoon and sat for a while in the sun in Petrin Park, enjoying the view back over Prague.

Cat in Petrin Park...

We returned to our hotel and freshened up (while enjoying some more quality MTV gameshows), then went to dinner at the magnificent Palffy Palace (http://www.palffy.cz/en/left_uvod.htm), which was just around the corner from our hotel. It was without doubt one of the best meals that we have ever had, and in some of the nicest surroundings.

Tuesday, 9 October 2007

After breakfast at our hotel, we collected our hire car and I then proceeded to bunny hop us out of Prague. Suffice to say, I stuggled to cope with driving on the 'wrong' side of the car, on the 'wrong' side of the road. Within an hour or so we were somehow in Karlovy Vary, a spa city in central Bohemia, 'famous' (at least in the Czech Republic) for its healing mineral springs.

We checked into our hotel, the Grandhotel Pupp (http://www.pupp.cz/), which we later discovered was the hotel at which James Bond stays in "Casino Royale" (when he is supposedly in Montenegro for a game of poker). We had a really nice room, looking out over the Tepla River, which runs through the middle of the town.

Our room at the Grandhotel Pupp...

The view from our room at the Grandhotel Pupp...
The Grandhotel Pupp...
We spent the day exploring Karlovy Vary, then returned to our room for an afternoon nap. We had dinner at thehotel, followed by a visit to its grand old casino, and finally a glass of Becherovka (a popular [but disgusting] Czech liqueur invented in Karlovy Vary) in the hotel bar.

Karlovy Vary...

Wednesday, 10 October 2007

We got up early for a walk in the forest behind the hotel. The autumn colours were fantastic, as were the views back down over Karlovy Vary from the top of the hill.

Walking in the forest behind the Grandhotel Pupp...

After breakfast in the hotel we left Karolvy Vary and drove through the Bohemian countryside to the stunning medieval town of Loket (which again features prominently in Casino Royale!).

Loket...



We walked around the town for a while, including a visit to the Castle (and its slightly lame torture exhibition), then again hit the road, this time bound for Cesky Krumlov. The drive took longer than anticipated, and we did not arrive in Cesky Krumlov until mid-afternoon. We checked into our hotel, the Old Inn, which is a nice little hotel on the town's main square. We spent the afternoon walking the winding, cobbled streets of Cesky Krumlov, and it was immediately obvious why it is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We stopped for an afternoon beer by the river, bathed in sunshine, and read some English newspapers.

Cesky Krumlov...





Afternoon beers in Cesky Krumlov...

Dinner that night was had at a nearby traditional Czech restaurant, where a monster serving of pork ribs definitely got the better of me. Fortunately it was only a short walk home.

Thursday, 11 October 2007

After breakfast at our hotel, we spent the morning exploring the Castle which dominates the town. It really is quite spectacular, with great views back over the town. We had a late lunch in a beer garden perched high above the Vltava River, then returned to our hotel for a slightly indulgent afternoon nap. We re-emerged for dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant, which was excellent, even though we were the only customers there.

Cesky Krumlov Castle...

View from Cesky Krumlov Castle...
Lunch in Cesky Krumlov...
Friday, 12 October 2007

We left our hotel quite early and after crossing the Czech Republic-Austrian border, we were in Melk by mid-morning. We had a coffee in Melk, then headed to nearby Melk Abbey, where we met up with Brad and Jac and my mum and Warwick.

Cat in Melk...

Melk Abbey...


After a look around Melk Abbey, we drove in convoy towards Durnstein, along a spectacular road that hugs the Danube, before crossing the Danube on a ferry. While waiting for the ferry, Brad, Jac, Cat and I engaged in a vigorous rock throwing session on the edge of the Danube, which, from memory, Cat won.

Crossing the Danube...
Once across the Danube, we were soon in the beautiful little town of Durnstein and checking into our hotel, the wonderful Hotel Schloss Durnstein (http://www.relaischateaux.com/en/search-book/hotel-restaurant/durnstein/). We spent an hour or so browsing the shops along the town's one street, stopping to taste some locally produced Gruner Vetliner (Austria's own variety of white wine). We then headed up the hill behind Durnstein, to the ruins of Kuenringer Castle. Upon reaching the ruins, we surprised my mum and Warwick with a bottle of French champagne to celebrate my mum's approaching 60th birthday (Brad and I having discretely lugged the champagne bottle and 6 champagne glasses up our climb). We took in the great views over Durnstein and the Danube, made even more beautiful by the setting sun, then descended back down the hill to the hotel.

Durnstein...

Cat kicking leaves by the Danube...
Afternoon walk up to Durnstein ruins and views back down over Durnstein and the Hotel Schloss Durnstein...

We had a swim and a sauna back at the hotel and then went to dinner at a nearby restaurant, which served very traditional Austrian food. Interesting food, great wine, and some lively political discussions meant that a good night was had by all.

Saturday, 13 October 2007

After a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, and another stroll through Durnstein, our convoy headed for Vienna. We stopped for a lunch of fresh fish, cooked on the banks of the Danube, on a very basic but effective BBQ. I'm not a big fish fan, but even I had to admit that it tasted really good (despite, in my view, smelling very bad!).

On the terrace at Hotel Schloss Durnstein...
Fish by the Danube...

We were then back on the road to Vienna and were soon in Brad and Jac's wonderful penthouse apartment right in the heart of the city. We headed out for an afternoon of exploring, with the benefit of some excellent tour guides in my mum and Warwick, who had been there for the past week or so. It was then out for dinner at a nearby tavern which served up the best ribs I have ever had. After leaving a pile of ribs in our wake, we stopped in at an Australian pub on the way home, and watched England beat the French in the Rugby World Cup. Not the result we were hoping for, particularly Cat and I, who had to return to London the next day.

Vienna...




St Stephen's Cathedral...


Brad and Jac's apartment...

View from Brad and Jac's apartment...

Sunday, 14 October 2007

We went out for a great breakfast in Vienna's museum precinct, then headed out to Schonbrunn, the 1440 room summer palace of the Habsburgs. Amazing buildings and grounds, enjoyed in perfect weather.

Schonbrunn Palace...





We had lunch at a great old Viennese cafe on the way home, then it was time to pack our bags and to head for the airport, where we dropped off our hire car. I was quite glad to see the back of it and of European roads, at least for a little while. My mum and Warwick were on a flight to Paris at about the same time, so we had a last glass of Gruner Veltliner with them in one of the airport bars. Within a few hours (one of which was spent in the passports queue back at Heathrow!), we were back home, readying ourselves for work the next day. It had been a quite fantastic 9 days away.