Austria: September 5, 2009

The rain cleared and the morning was clear and sunny, albeit colder and a bit windy. We walked to the Stadtpark (City Park) and caught the tour bus to the Stadtopernhaus (State Opera House). From there we took three bus tours of the city, (i) the “Ring” – around the old city , (i) the “Danube” – going into the new city and across the Danube, and (iii) the “Schonbrunn” - which took us out to the Palace . This gave a good grounding of the sights of the city. We ended up a Schonbrunn Palace, which we had visited in 2006. There had been many renovations inside, probably due to its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We took the audio tour of the Palace rooms which was much more efficient that going with a tour group.

We also went back to the Apple Strudel making demonstration. We then had lunch. I had Bratwurst and sauerkraut (when in Rome………eat what the tourists eat). Marisa has the apple strudel. We also took a tour of the park by train. This took us up to the Gloriette, which provides an excellent view of the Palace and of Vienna in the background.

Then it was a short ride on the underground to pick up our tickets for the evening concert and back to the hotel for a short while. We took a taxi to the Musikverein, Goldener Saal. Built by Kaiser Franz Joseph I in 1870, it contains the Golden Hall and it the permanent home of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. This evening we saw a performance of mostly Mozart music, from popular symphonies and arias and some other pieces by notable Austrians, such as Haydn and Strauss, by the Wiener Mozart Orchester. Their signature is that they play in period costume from the time of Mozart. It was a very good concert, probably better than the previous one we saw here in 2006. It ended with the popular (and traditional) Radetsky March.

Czech Republic - Austria: September 4, 2009

Friday was a continuation of Thursday night’s rain and wind. We left the hotel at about 10:15 and headed out to pick up some supplies for our drive to Vienna. From there we drove to Uhersky Brod to pick up Carol from her dialysis and then set off for Durnstein. The weather had eased quite a bit and the beginning of the drive was quite good. However, just north of Vienna, the weather was bad again and driving became more difficult. We made it safely to Durnstein, parked and walked up the street into the town in the rain. It was still as quaint as I remembered and we walked up the main street. Being wet, the tourists were non-existent, so we were able to walk freely. We made our way to the Abbey and entered the church. It was not disappointing inside, and the photographs did not portray the atmosphere. One of the unique features was the glass coffins containing the remains (read: clothed skeleton) of two of the Abbotts, which was a bit eerie.

From there we walked to a small tavern and ate lunch. Sticking with the local theme, I had beef goulash with dumplings. It was very good. We then tasted some local Wachau wines at one of the local merchants and investigated one or two of the souvenir shops, before sloshing our way back to the car. It was raining much harder and the drive to Vienna was not enjoyable. Thanks to the wonders of GPS, we found our hotel, The Imperial Riding School, quite easily. Marisa and I walked up the street and managed to acquire some pizza at the Underground station before settling in for the night.

Czech Republic: September 3, 2009

We had breakfast with friends that we’ve made at the hotel. They’re driving back to Germany tomorrow so I hope we’ll get to eat with them one last time tomorrow. I then headed out for an aromatherapy massage. This time it was more like the massages that I’m used to. It was on a massage bed, not on the floor. I was able to examine their homemade massage oils before deciding which one to use. I went for lavender because it smelled like the actual plant and not like perfume. The session was very relaxing but I did receive the Thai version of the massage on my neck, shoulders and back – I guess aromatherapy does nothing for knots. I then met Aidan and my mom at the market. The produce looked amazing.  We got fresh strawberries and blueberries and my mom got nectarines and grapes. After walking around the town center we headed out to Luhacovice.

Aidan updated the GPS with the European maps last night so we now have access to complete maps for the Czech Republic. The ride to Luhacovice was about 30 minutes. We parked outside of the town center and walked in via the spa hotels this time. As before, the architecture was beautiful. We returned to the same restaurant for lunch and enjoyed the meal for two – this time sharing it with a third person (she also had lamb). We still couldn’t finish it. Afterwards we walked off lunch be heading into the town center and looking in the shops. A leisurely stroll took us back to the car and the GPS then led us back to Zlin via small villages and picturesque countryside.

Another quiet evening with a bit of work thrown in. We’re off to Durnstein and then Vienna for the weekend!

Czech Republic: September 2, 2009

Another slow and relaxing day – the type everyone should have when on vacation. We did venture out to the Tesco Hypermarket and thankful for Aidan’s indulgence, we had lunch at McDonalds.  We managed to get  a person serving us who has a pretty good grasp of English so it wasn’t as comical as me trying to order apple pie in Czech a few days earlier. This was followed by a visit to Tescos. They were putting out fall merchandise so some clothing was up to 70% off. I had no luck with shoes but I did manage to score a belt.

We decided to have dinner out at the Sunflower. This time I was craving pasta and they did an excellent job. It  was excellent. My mom also had pasta and Aidan had the chicken breast. As with our previous visit, the portions were sizable and the price very reasonable. Sadly, we had no room for dessert…

Czech Republic: September 1, 2009

As Jo Cook reminded me, it was the 70th Anniversary of the invasion of Poland, the event that triggered World War II. We left quite early to go to the Punkva Caves. At one point we had a bit of a false start with the GPS and we ended up in the middle of a field, however, with some reprogramming, we were soon back on track.

We arrived at the ticket office and I went to find out what the deal was. There appeared to be a path leading down, for 2km, to the place where I wanted to be, so I tried it. It was quite a hike, the short distance I did, so I returned to the car. In the meantime, the others had acquired lunch. After this we went into the ticket booth to investigate. The person behind the counter spoke enough English that we were able to decipher that you could catch a cable car to the bottom of the valley. Therefore, we bought tickets for both.

I am not a big fan of cablecars, but we arrived safely at the bottom. There was a short walk to the cave entrance. The sign said that the temperature underground was between 8-10 deg C, so we put on our jackets (we came prepared). We followed the guide underground through a series of passageways and large underground caverns. It was quite amazing. Then we jumped into a small boat for the remainder of the tour down the underground river. The narrow passageways, twists, and turns, I don’t think the driver hit the sides once, and there wasn’t a lot of clearance. The river ranged from about 1m to 40m deep. We also had to duck a few times.

From there we headed back to the IKEA mall outside of Ostrava and had an ice cream and a hot dog. Then we headed back to the hotel and threw a makeshift dinner together using some leftovers.

Czech Republic: August 31, 2009

Monday was a bit of a slow day. Marisa went to get a Thai back massage this time. Apparently, this little Thai woman sort of bends you into a pretzel and then knees you in the back or something like that. Seriously, Marisa said she started at her feet and worked her way up to her head during the hour. She didn’t sat that is was as painful as the first visit but the Thai lady did use tiger balm on her to loosen the knots in her shoulders and neck. She’s going back on Thursday for aromatherapy massage.

Afterwards we went to the Golden Apple Mall and had Chinese for lunch. Neither did we do much in the afternoon or evening. After a hectic weekend, I was more than happy to not have to drive. We caught up on some work items and ordered pizza and salad for dinner. The salad came with corn and peppers, shredded cabbage etc., so Carol and I heated ours in the microwave.

Czech Republic: August 30, 2009

We woke up early and went to breakfast just after 0730. The restaurant was basically an old fashioned family kitchen. It was a nice warm way to start our day.

Another walking day around Praha (Prague). We headed out and around Stare Mesto (Old Town) into Nove Mesto ( New Town). Sunday mornings are a very quiet time in cities, where you can actually get out and see the main attractions without the hubbub. We had a better look at the Astronomical clock and walked to St Wenceslaus square to see the statue (did you know Vaclav means Wenceslaus?) and the façade of the National Museum. Carol went back to the hotel to read while Marisa and I looked around some of the shops. We then checked out of the hotel and headed across the river to go to visit Hradcany (Castle Quarter).
It was quite a strenuous hike up to the castle, especially the steps. Carol especially found it hard going. At the top, we were just in time to see the ceremonial Changing of the Guard at the Presidential Palace, which was quite interesting. We then had lunch at the Café in the Garden and then entered the Prazsky Hrad (the Castle).

We visited the Old Royal Palace, walked around St Vitus’ Cathedral, into St George’s Basilica and walked along the Golden Lane, an exclusive shopping district for the elite of the day. I then walked down the hill to the hotel and picked up the car and our stored luggage and drove back up the hill to pick up Marisa and Carol. Then we drove back to Zlin, with a quick stop at Tescos to pick up some supplies.