Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Day 26: Salzburg, Austria

While today started off a little rough around the edges (see prior post), it shaped up quite nicely! We toured one of the Mozart family's houses and saw more beautiful churches, including the one where Mozart was baptised.

Our main stop was Festung Hohensalzburg, the largest fully preserved fortress in Central Europe. The tour was mediocre at best given the abundant history there, but the views from the fortress were second to none. As if to apologise for the lacking exhibits and information, Austria's first brewery is halfway down the hill. Lisa was pleased, and again, the view was idyllic.

Much to my delight, we also inadvertently continued our "Sound of Music" tour! St. Peter's cemetery provided inspiration for the movie's catacombs/escape scene, and we happened across the nunnery where the real Maria was a novice and where she married Captain Von Trapp.

While we saw several other things, a large portion of our afternoon was spent sitting on a bench in the square, listening to a talented violinist, eating a cream-filled chocolate pretzel, and watching a giant-sized game of chess. A year ago, we would've just walked by, but thanks to two very handsome (and patient) gentlemen, we were able to watch and understand. :)







Day 26 (sort of): What We Learned in the Last 12 Hours

In the immortal words of Danny Glover, "I'm getting too old for this sh*t."

Up until last night, we've been backpacking in style. Yes, we have one backpack with everything we need for the month; yes, we do laundry every few days (most days if you're obsessive compulsive like myself), but we stay in hotels. Names you'd recognize, hair dryers, minibar, towels, chocolate on your pillow.

We packed shampoo, sandals, towels, etc., because we knew we'd be at a hostel for two nights. ...make that one night. One night bunking it up with six girls who were getting jazzed up to go out when we were getting ready for bed (at 11:30 mind you, not that early!) was enough. We may look 21 (fine, 18), but after years of travel and work, we don't need to sacrifice a decent night's sleep for a few bucks.

So here we are, at a nice hotel down the street. Squeaky clean, relaxed, and ready for a new day!



Monday, April 29, 2013

Day 25: Salzburg, Austria

Today started with a three hour train ride to Salzburg, Austria - the home of "The Sound of Music," which Chris has been most eager about. So, first thing, she had us onboard a four hour "Sound of Music" tour. Despite the embarrassing tour bus, I turned out to be pleasantly surprised (serving beer on the bus never hurts either).

To the narration of our hilarious tour guide, we saw the highlights of one of the classic movies that we used to watch on weekends with our Granddad and Grandma. And this was a sing-a-long tour - no arguments about that. Of course, we did know all the words... as did the man behind us who sang both male and female parts and whose wife "dragged him on the tour."

The tour took us in and out of Salzburg, as the movie was filmed in multiple spots throughout the country. The front and back of the house are actually miles apart. I fell in love with the countryside and wanted to climb everything I saw (our guide climbs too!) and Chris, well, she just loved it all. We will definitely return here someday. Say, in two years for the 50th anniversary celebration of the movie.







Sunday, April 28, 2013

Day 24: Vienna, Austria

We learned today that it is possible to be on your feet for seven hours straight before sitting - and to carry on a few more hours after that! Here's a rundown of our busy day; we are so glad we extended our stay.

- Stood outside the Hofburg Chapel to listen to the Vienna Boys Choir sing at mass.
- Toured Hofburg, the main palace of the Imperial Habsburg family. This included a special exhibit on the famous "Sissy," a forlorn narcissistic empress with hair down to her ankles, which was washed in egg yokes and cognac. She even had gymnastic rings in her private chamber.
- Walked through the Habsburg
Imperial Burial Vault.
- Saw Augustinerkirche, the Habsburg's family church. Fun fact: while their bodies are in the Imperial Burial vault, their hearts are all in silver urns in the basement of this church.
- Toured the Kunsthistorisches (say that five times fast) Museum, which contains the collections of the Habsburg family, including a vast art collection that made me incandescently happy. Vermeer, Rembrandt, Velasquez, Bruegel, Raphael... Amazing. The antique music exhibition allowed you to listen to classic pieces played by the (sometimes odd looking) instruments you were gazing upon.
- Visited St. Michael's Church, where Mozart's unfinished "Requiem" premiered.
- Stumbled across a hidden gem for lunch: a delightfully healthy cafe where Lisa enjoyed local, organic beer.
- Returned to St. Stephan's Cathedral to hike up 343 steps (Lisa's count came up six shy of their advertisement) to see a stunning view of the city. After our climb down, we peaked inside the cathedral again to see the place where Mozart's wedding and funeral were held.
- Had more ice cream.
- Confirmed our plan to read a biography on the Habsburgs upon our return; they are fascinating!
- Phew! Night all!







Saturday, April 27, 2013

Day 23: Vienna, Austria

Today, we took a deeper dive into all that Vienna has to offer. We started by seeing how the Imperial family, the Habsburgs, lived in the summer months (tough life, having multiple palaces). When Lisa and I turned the corner and saw the grandeur of Schonbrunn Palace, our first thought was, "It looks fake." Nothing that beautiful and crisp could be real. The inside rooms, gardens, fountains, marble statues, labrynth, and Gloriette all proved us wrong. Walking the grounds was well worth all the pebbles in our sandals.

After a delicious lunch and a complimentary third glass of Austrian white wine for each of us (thank you, nice server), we headed off to Belvedere Palace and its gardens. While nothing to sneeze at, it paled in comparison to the mighty Habsburg's - though it was still very beautiful.

We closed our day by walking through St. Stephan's cathedral. Its multi-colored stain glass panels reflect all their colors off of the Gothic architecture, making the inside of the cathedral resemble a Kaleidoscope. And, of course, we enjoyed an ice cream cone - pistachio and tiramisu :).






Friday, April 26, 2013

Day 22 v 2.0: Vienna, Austria

Vienna... Wow, what a land of beauty. Everywhere you turn, you see another stunning architectural feat. You could walk around lost (hypothetically, of course) and still run into half the sites you wanted to see for the day. On an unrelated note, bless Chicago's grid system.

Vienna... Holy smoking Hades, it was HOT today. Not to complain, mind you, but to compound the situation, yours truly only had long sleeves and pants (this error has since been rectified). Needless to say, we were roasting. Also, we decided to swing by a butterfly sanctuary, or as we like to call it, the butterfly steam room, which only added to our "natural glow." Positively, there's no better reason to grab a beer than to beat the heat, and I had my first Austrian beer on draft this afternoon. We also enjoyed refreshing mimosas and the original Sachet torte (chocolate cake) in true tourist fashion this afternoon.

There are way too many beauties to narrow down, so we have a few collages below. A few sites include: Museum Quartier, Parliament, Votive Church, Mozart Memorial, Opera House, Rathaus... We can't wait to dive deeper tomorrow!







Day 22: What We Learned in Czech Republic

- Stand right, walk left on the escalator is a must. If you are standing on the left, you are a tourist.
- Flavored sparkling water is more tolerable than plain.
- All the movies that couldn't cut the mustard in the US are now playing on the two English movie TV channels.
- Fashions from the 70's are coming back with gusto.
- If we ever take up hunting, we're shooting pheasants. They are not elusive, and they do not blend.
- This country has a creepy traffic sign with not one, but two, grim reapers on it.
- Always reserve seats (like we did) on the country-to-country trains, or you could be sitting on a fold-out chair in the aisle.
- If the GPS (as we fondly call her, "Gladys") can't pronounce a street name, she will spell it out.
- Christina really is terrible (and gets flustered) when she has to pay with coins.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Day 21: Prague to Vienna, Austria

Today, we exhausted almost every option of public transportation - a bus, the metro, a five-hour train ride from Prague to Vienna, and then the old stand-by: our feet. Oh, our poor feet. We sincerely underestimated an hour and a half walk with our backpacks on. I won't say that we cried tears of joy when we spotted our hotel, but that's probably because the streams of sweat were at the forefront of our minds. And that's what we did today, folks!

As we cross another new country off the list, we also enter into the last country in our European tour. Excited to meet you, Austria!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Day 20: Karlstejn and Prague, Czech Republic

Ahh, nothing like the smell of yeast in the morning. Cesky Krumlov is the home of the Eggenberg brewery; one of my favorite beers in CZ thus far. It also happens to be where we parked the car, which we collected today before leaving the lovely town of Krumlov.

On our way back to Prague, we squeezed in a few more sites, including Karlstejn castle. This is the second most visited place in Czech Republic.

I also had the opportunity to let a little older woman talk my ear off in Czech despite my indicating a complete lack of comprehension. I did let her continue, because I don't think her neighbors could spare the time anymore.

We end our day in a Prague airport hotel, where we enjoy the last evening with our parents. Tomorrow will be bittersweet; it is the third week anniversary of our flight to Europe, we will cross off another new country, and yet, we venture onwards only as two. We are convinced the warm weather with leave with our parents, but hopefully we are mistaken (we even got a bit sunburned today!). Either way, it's been a great 10 days with them here!



Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Day 19: Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

It's official. We're in love. The town of Cesky Krumlov is our new favorite. Sorry, Bremen, you've been bumped to the two spot.

Maybe it's the orange roofs that make this town seem timeless, the variety of meals you can get alongside the stream (including vegetarian, which makes Lisa incredibly giddy), the ice cream cones that accompany your strolls on cobblestone, the amazing castle that makes you feel like you're on set for a fairy tale. Maybe the fact that the town square doesn't have a single chain in it AND it rejected McDonalds not one, but three times, adds to the town's character... Maybe all of the above!

Either way, today was great. We toured the castle and its grounds, then walked along the streets. We love being able to share this with our parents, who haven't been to Europe since late 2002. Tomorrow, we all return to Prague, then on the 25th we part ways - Mom and Dad to the US, us to Austria.



Monday, April 22, 2013

Day 18 v 2.0: Telc and Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

As we enter back into Czech Republic, our first stop was to the town of Telc. A cute little town so full of color and quaint houses, you almost expect the townsfolk to break into song. They don't, but that doesn't stop Lisa and me from doing so :). Our dad has also earned the title of "duck whisperer," as he made some new friends today.

Next stop was Czesky Krumlov. We've said it before (Bremen), but this may be our favorite city thus far. The castle picture is the view from our hotel room. The town is full of fun artsy stores and cafes. Not to mention the picturesque stream. Plus, it certainly doesn't hurt that it is 62 degrees and sunny!

We spent the night "European style," just sitting at a restaurant overlooking the stream, while eating, drinking, and conversing :).









Day 18: What We Learned in Poland

- The little lookout towers in the middle of nowhere are for deer hunting.
- Mom's 100 zloty bill from 1978 is now just a souvenir, as the currency changed after the Communist regime.
- Traffic signs are more creative, including drawings of cars hitting cars, cars hitting people, and a little girl with a lollipop.
- Pretzels are tastier than the ones in Germany, and much cheaper! About 50 cents compared to 4 dollars.
- You can't escape construction.
- We can keep ourselves (easily) amused by dictating the thoughts and conversations of pigeons.
- It is impossible for our dad to get a black cup of coffee.
- Cars don't stop for pedestrians like they do in Germany.
- Our mom, and wonderful tour guide, is phenomenal at applying the air brakes in the car.
- The letter W is pronounced like a V, making Wawel Castle sound much better.
- Kabobs are very popular; at least three stands on each block.
- Christina wants to watch "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," because of all the armour we've seen.
- Instead of commercials to sponsor dogs and cats, you can sponsor donkeys, the working animals.
- Lisa can't seem to send a postcard from the proper country.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Day 17: Oświęcim, Poland (Auschwitz)

Today we visited Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration and extermination camp where over 1.5 million lost their lives.

Our guide, Sebastian, has worked there since 1998. He was able to meet survivors and hear their experiences firsthand, which he passed onto us. It was a somber account of humanity (and insanity) at its worst. You walk through the tour dazed as you continue to be confronted with horrific images - either mentally or right in front of your eyes. We saw rooms filled to the brim with suitcases, shoes, personal belongings, children's clothes, and over two tons of human hair that was taken from women who had just been murdered to be recycled or sold.

We learned that twins were kept alive merely for research and experimentation. The Nazis wanted to find a way for Germans to give birth to multiples to expand their "pure" race. Only 46 pairs of twins were part of the liberated 7,500 survivors. The twins that didn't survive were euthanized together, and their bodies opened for more research.

The tour also led us to Birkenau, the main station where the initial "selection process" took place. Here, the four main gas chambers were ready for most women, children under 14, and anybody else deemed unfit for work.

To walk in the footsteps of this tragic piece of history was an experience not to be forgotten.










Saturday, April 20, 2013

Day 16: Krakow, Poland

Poland, land of potato pancakes, pierogies and... well let's be honest... food reigns king in the Bowers' hearts. Speaking of kings! We visited Wawel Castle today - state rooms, ancient treasures, DaVinci's "Lady with an Ermine," royal tombs of nearly all of Poland's rulers, and (of course) a stunning cathedral. Almost five hours of walk, stand, repeat. We're on what you might call the "walking and pierogi" plan.

For lunch, we searched out a restaurant that serves a more avant-garde fare of pierogi. Having tried multiple pierogi thus far, I believe we have all agreed that my cousin Katherine's homemade ones are still our favorite. Plus, hers are fried and they boil them here. All the Americans together now - bring on the butter!

The evening was spent wandering the Old Town square. We visited St. Mary's Basilica and heard the St. Mary's bugler. He plays every hour on the hour, cutting short his last note in honor of the bugler who was (supposedly) killed right through the jugular while warning the city of siege.







Friday, April 19, 2013

Day 15: Czestochowa and Krakow, Poland

Today started with fists up. Four Bowers versus 100 Asian tourists in the Battle for Breakfast. I had to throw elbows to secure yogurt for the family, and members of the wait staff got swallowed up whole as they carried out food trays.

After we survived breakfast, we hit the road to Czestochowa to see the Black Madonna. It was magnificent to behold, though we were surprised to see Mary and Jesus decked out in jewels. We later learned that the Black Madonna has different outfits that are placed over the painting. In order to see it up close, we had to pass it on our incredibly surprised (and now very sore) knees.

Next, we visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a two-hour walking tour through a mere one percent of the extensive mine. Miners not only carved out the rock salt, but took the time to carve statues and even chapels. Amazing!

While we started the day with fists up, we ended the night "bottoms up." All four of us toasted, "Na zdrowie" and took a shot of Polish vodka. Even Lisa strayed from her typical beer.







Thursday, April 18, 2013

Day 14: Czech Republic to Poland

Planes, Trains, and now, Automobiles.

Today marked day 1 with the car. Not to half-ass anything, we started with a 5.5 hour drive from Prague to Krakow. Bless my dad for driving with three Polish women in the 'backseat.'

Before leaving CZ, we visited two main attractions in Kutna Hora:
St. Barbara Cathedral and Kostnice Sedlec (Bone Church). While it takes a while to get used to human bones as art, it was a sight to see. The art is a symbol that all are equal in front of the throne of God; your skull isn't any better than the one next to yours.

During the drive, we heard American music sung in Czech (awesome), and we listened to more modern-day music than any of us ever do at home before switching to the trusted stand-by: CD's - pretty sure that happened when the first Bieber song started to play.

During singing breaks, we learned more of the history of the Brzozowski and Gromala families, our mom's grandparents. We also heard of the trip she took to the motherland with most of her family in 1978.

Included in today's pictures are funky trees that I found fascinating. They don't depict the beautiful rolling hills, but they are quite fun. After a long day's drive, we finished with a light dinner and, for my dad and me, a local beer (Okocim).