Author: Erick Griffin

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Prague, Czech Republic – City Of Towers

Our first few days in Prague introduced us to another city of towers, of which eight have some import. It is also a city severed by a river, the river Vltava, which flows into the river Elbe. This river is also a hub of tourism, having several river boat companies plying its waters.

Prague – Panorama of the city

Prague – Some Of The Sights

One can say that Prague is a very easy city to walk. It is well marked and there are plenty of street signs to indicate along the way where the most important landmarks are to see.

Of course, just ambling your way down the city streets works too, which in most cases will lead to some kind of a surprise when you round a corner. Here is a short slide show as we did one of our unguided walks.

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The Klementinum

Of some interest is the Klementinum, an old medieval Dominican Monastery that was later converted into a Jesuit college.

Prague – The Klementinum

It was here, sometime in 1775, that a Jesuit scholar started recording the first set of unbroken climate measurements in eastern Europe. It also houses an impressive Baroque libraries in the world.

The Towers

There are essentially eight towers of import within the city. They include:

    1. The Old Town Bridge Tower
    2. The Lesser Town Bridge Towers
    3. The Old Town Hall Tower
    4. Mirror Maze
    5. Powder Gate Tower
    6. Petrin Lookout Tower
    7. Saint Nicholas Bell Tower
    8. The New Mill Water Tower

The above are all marked on the city map that can be obtained from the city’s InfoPoint center. There are also numerous other lesser towers that can be found when roaming the city, some of which like the above can be ascended.

The Old Town Bridge Tower

From the Old Town in the direction of George’s Bridge one will next come upon the Old Town Bridge Tower. It was completed some time after 1385 and before then end of that century. It has seen a lot of history pass through its portal, wars and coronations alike.

Prague – Old Town Bridge Tower

The Lesser Town Bridge Towers

On the other end of George’s Bridge is the Lesser Town Bridge Towers. Each tower is unique, the one on the left, as viewed from the bridge, is in the Romanesque style and dates from the 12th century. The taller tower is Late Gothic and dates from 1464 and can be ascended.

The Mirror Maze

The Mirror Maze is not a tower, just a building that houses a fun-house for children and adults that contains mirrors. It is similar to mirror houses found at many state fairs in the United States.

Prague – The Mirror Maze

Powder Gate Tower

Prague – Powder Tower – Tickets For Two

Probably one of the first towers you will go see is the Powder Tower. You can purchase a ticket and view the city from this tower for a modest fee of about 3€.

The Powder Tower is so named since they used to store gun powder in it. It has also historically be the starting point of any coronation ceremonies held by the Bohemian Monarchs who entered the city, the ending point being the Prague Castle on the hill.

The building was first started in 1457 and finished some time later.  It  was not finished until the early seventeenth century. It stands at an impressive 195 feet, provided a excellent view of the surrounding city to anyone who ascends its claustrophobic spiral staircase.

A slide show to show our ascent and the rest of Prague from the vantage point of the viewing deck at 44 meters.

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Petrin Lookout Tower

The lookout tower is on top of Petrin Hill and can be found either by walking up the park paths and stairs, there are multiple ways of reaching it;  or by using the Ujezd to Petrin funicular. Though we did not ascend the tower, a pretty fantastic view can be enjoyed by doing so.

Prague – Petrin Lookout Tower

Saint Nicholas Town Bell Tower

Almost a pyramidal tower in look, the tower of Saint Nicholas can be found close to the Prague Castle and is part of Saint Nicholas’ church.

Prague – Saint Nicholas’s Town Bell Tower

The New Mill Water Tower

A six minute walk from our hotel and close to the Stefanik Bridge is the New Mill Water Tower. The tower was built in 1658 to supply water from the Vltava River to the lower portion of Prague.

Saint Peter’s Bell Tower

This is a lesser tower not actually listed in the sightseer’s guides. However, due to its proximity to the hotel, it was easy enough to visit and take a few photographs.

Henry’s Tower

Another lesser tower not on Prague’s official sightseeing list, but on some map, is Henry’s Tower. This tower is pretty close to the main train station in Prague and the Jindřišská tram stop, that is often jammed with trams waiting to go down the street of the same name.

Prague – Henry’s Tower

Art Deco Imperial Hotel

The Art Deco Imperial Hotel is a fine hotel situated just outside the old town, which is a mere ten minute walk away. The rooms are spacious, definitely big enough to relax in and the bathrooms, at least in the room that we were given, are all marble with all of the contemporary conveniences.

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco

It is also very nice that the Imperial Café is part of the hotel, making breakfast a very simple and convenient affair.

Restaurants

Of course, it is a bad habit, but I normally only comment on restaurants or cafés that can be recommended. Since Prague is such a tourist destination, one has to be careful choosing a restaurant here, not all of them serve a quality product. In that event, always go natural, preferring a salad over a different product like sausage, etc. In most cases you will not go wrong.

Imperial Café

On our first night in Prague we ate at the Imperial Café, which is part of the Art Deco Imperial hotel. This café is known for its amazing and beautiful tiled walls and ceilings.

A highly rated café which has obviously earned its stars. It also comes with baggage or purse stools, so that bags, pocketbooks  and other paraphernalia you are carrying, doesn’t have to touch the floor.

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco – Bag Stool provided at the Imperial Café

The service and food were excellent, so we had to try it out. We were not disappointed.

La Bottega Linka

A one minute walk from the Art Deco Imperial Hotel is the Italian Restaurant La Bottega Linka. The restaurant offers a combination of Italian, Czech and  cosmopolitan dishes, as demanded most likely by tourist. However, the food and service are more than satisfactory, though the prices do suffer a bit from tourism area up charge, but still modest.

 

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Vienna, Austria – Prague, Czech Republic – A Train Ride

In keeping with our travel recommendation about train travel, as opposed to taking a plane, we took the ÖOB Railjet train from Vienna in Austria to Prague in the Czech Republic. We just feel it is a quicker solution for short to medium destinations, when you take into account all the nonsense and preparation you must do to travel by air, which usually takes anywhere from two hours on each end. It just isn’t worth the effort to us for a one hour flight, when if you could use the time to enjoy the countryside or read a good book.

Vienna Hauptbahnhof

 

On To Prague

Our next destination was Prague, where we are to meet my daughter and son-in-law. We left our hotel and using a taxi reached the main station in Vienna in about fifteen minutes. The main train station in Vienna is a very modern facility and connected to the U1 metro and the D Line of the Tram network, so there are multiple ways to reach it.

The Bucolic Czech Countryside

Of course, the Austrian and Czech Republic countrysides in this area of Europe are very similar, being mostly agricultural, with some natural reserved areas and wooded areas.

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Here are also a few videos I shot while enjoying the ride.

Some Recommendations

Upon reaching Prague, we decided to walk with our luggage to the Imperial Hotel, which is about fifteen minutes from the station. Though it can be done, and we actually did it, I cannot say I advise doing it. The Czech streets, in this area and most walkways in the older part of the city, are paved using a special highly contoured version of Sanpietrini, which is actually very difficult to pull your luggage on. It probably also raises hell with wheels on your luggage. So, a word of caution, what you see on the walkway immediately leaving the train station will last until you reach your hotel. That would be the time to seriously contemplate going back and getting into a taxi. Happy travels!

Czech Republic – Arriving in Prague

 

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Vienna, Austria – Bewitching Belvedere

Below the cacophony of Vienna’s innere Stadt, the Resselpark, Karlskirche and the Kärtner Ring is a rather large conglomeration of museums, gardens and fountains is the Belvedere Palace.

Belvedere Palace and Gardens

Belvedere

The palace and its gardens are divided in two, known as the Oberen (Upper) and Unteren (Lower) Belvedere. Between them one can find the exceptional gardens of the palace called the Belvedere Gardens. To the right of this are also the Botanical Gardens, which we did not have time to visit.

Upper Belvedere

This museum holds the primary collection of the Belvedere, including many famous artists, Austria’s own Klimt and others like Monet, Rodin and Schiele. Words cannot describe what a slow walk and intense focus on these works feels like unless you visit these works in person. Second best is a slide show on those pieces that I found the most moving and interesting of the collection, enjoy.

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Belvedere Gardens

A marvelous September day, a breeze with some chill and a beautiful garden go hand in hand, especially when you can share it with someone; in this case, my wife.

We had a great time just slowly walking through the gardens and listening to the fountains, enjoying the landscape[1]Which is being prepared for the Belvedere’s up and coming Jubilee next year in 2023. and the stillness that you do not get in other parts of this very busy city.

Lower Belvedere

This part of the museum contains more off-beat art works. Mostly contemporary artists and works, the Joseph Rebell collection, which goes back to the early 1800s, is extremely good and important. His landscapes of Naples, Vesuvius and other parts of the Mediterranean. Again, it is best to view these works in the context of a slide show.

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That concludes our visit to Vienna. We found it a fast paced interesting place to visit that eagerly welcomes tourists. Extremely cosmopolitan where it is easier to find an Italian restaurant than a traditional Viennese one, but such is the price of progress and tourism. For that, one might have to venture further, perhaps to Graz, or even Güssing in Burgenland.

References

References
↑1 Which is being prepared for the Belvedere’s up and coming Jubilee next year in 2023.
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Vienna, Austria – Eine Gruft Und Mehr

Vienna Sights Above And Under

In Vienna, as with many older cities in Europe, there are interesting things to see not only above ground, but below as well. Today was a rainy day and we had to deal with as best we could, that could have meant museums, but everyone else had that idea. In attempt to continue to avoid crowded place, whenever possible, we decided on the offbeat.

Vienna – Vermählungsbrunnen

Schweizertor – The Swiss Gate

The swiss gate is the oldest gate or door and part of the Hofburg, dating back to the 1300s. It is part of the original square castle that included four turrets on each corner. It’s not much to see, but is a remarkable color red.

Vienna – Schweizertur – Swiss Gate

Die Ankeruhr

The Anker Clock is located on Hoher Markt, next to the Judengasse.

It chimes and performs a small show every noon time, otherwise all you will witness is an hourly chime, as follows.

Kapuzinergruft – Kaisergruft –  Habsburg Tomb

If you are at all interested in the Habsburgs, and perhaps where they might be buried, look no further than the Kapuzinergruft. Also called the Kaisergruft or Habsburg Tomb, it is located on Neuer Markt and next to the Kapuziner Kloster.

Vienna – Kapuzinergruft – Kaiser Gruft or Crypt – Tickets For Two

The gruft contains many of the families of the Habsburgs and Habsburg-Lothringen and includes a genealogy of the members who rest in this place. Some of the coffins also have amazing details, most of which have to do with wars[1]I sometime wonder when we are going to get over or need for that exercise in futility.

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Restaurants

Grand Hotel Wien – Breakfast Lounge

If you stay at the Grand Hotel Wien,  you should look into any combination package that offers breakfast. Unless you are an extremely light eater in the morning, you will not do much better outside. They have a hot and cold menu (buffet), and the portion size is well managed, so you won’t have to worry about walking around with a lot of extra weight.

Vienna – Grand Hotel Wien – Breakfast

Café Central

One of the oldest cafes in Vienna, the Café Central is located in the old Palais Ferstel building on the corner of Herren- and Strauchgasse. Famous personages like Freud and Trotsky have visited this establishment, though today the conversations today, one could say, are less political or analytical.

Vienna – Cafe Central – Building and entrance

We made reservations for lunch and commend anyone do that same. The line waiting to get in can be long and when it rains out, as it did today, you do not want to find yourself getting wet before sitting down after a twenty or so minute wait.

The food is good and traditional. I can commend a good red wine from Burgenland called Blaufränkish, which is served by the glass for around 5.50€. It is an excellent accompaniment for Wüstchens and Gulash soup. It is very busy, so service can be intermittent at times, so be patient.

References

References
↑1 I sometime wonder when we are going to get over or need for that exercise in futility
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Vienna, Austria – An Amaranthine Albertina

Viennese Museums

Anyone visiting Vienna has to have museums on the top of their list of things-to-do. This city is home to many extraordinary examples of very good museums, some even housed in former palaces. The Albertina is just such an example and a must see when visiting Vienna, their collection of fine art is, shall we say, first rate.

Vienna – The Natural History Museum – Naturhistorisches Museum Wien

Some Museums of Vienna

In fact, there are so many museums in Vienna, it is perhaps difficult to list them all. Below are a few that we visited and thoroughly enjoyed, along with a few photographs, just to remember the important works of art that are there.

The Hofburg

A complex of museums and a library, which we found out only allows users who are doing research or have special permission. Though we did not see any museums here, it does include a World Museum and a Papyrus Museum.

Maria-Theresien-Platz

Sitting across from one another, on the Maria-Theresien Platz, are the Art History and Natural History museums. This impressive public square was built  with the public in mind, where they could come and enjoy the museums and stroll the grounds afterwards. The square is joined on the one end by the Museumquartier and on the other by the Burgring (Ringstraße), across which lies the Hofburg.

Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien

Across the Burgring from the Hofburg is the Art History Museum of Vienna, or the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. It houses unique art pieces collected by the Habsburgs during their reign.

The Albertina

Formerly a palace, the Albertina was rebuilt after the Second World War and refurbished at the turn of the millennium. It contains collections of works by Monet, Picasso, Dürer and Da Vinci to name a few, my favorites are the works by Klee and Chagall. Here is a slideshow of some of those works.

Batliner Collection

A famous collection of paintings featuring Monet and Picasso, the Batliner Collection was endowed to the Albertina by Herbert Batliner’s estate. It contains many important collections by modernist artists, including Chagall, Ernst and Klee. Here is a slideshow of what this collection has to offer.

The Habsburg State Rooms

The building also has a collection of state rooms that were used by the archdukes and archduchesses of the Habsburgs. It consists of about twenty rooms of varying styles and designs.

Restaurants

La Scala Trattoria

Yes we know, Italian food in Austria? Yes and yes! It is amazing how many Italian restaurants and trattoria there are here, including chains like Vapiano’s, if you need a quick bite for lunch.

Vienna – Italian Restaurant – La Scala

This was a great pick for lunch, the hosts are very attentive and the food is speedily and well prepared. Though I would say that cuisine that is offered has an almost Rome feel to it, either due to the owners origin or as a response to tourist’s expectations. All in all, you couldn’t any better in Vienna than selecting this place to eat Italian food.

Zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer

This is an old Viennese restaurant, formerly owned by Sacher[1]The same person one who made the Sacher Torte famous, which was named after the exploits of a chimney sweep who had a torrid love affair with a young woman baker who used to work in the building. After some time of coming out each morning covered in baking flour the locals would jokingly call the place of the White Chimney Sweep.

Vienna – Restaurant Rauchfangkehrer

The food is traditional for this area and very well prepared, the pea soup was marvelous. The Wiener Schnitzel was above average with the breading being very tasty, crusty and separated from the veal, making for a delicious entree. As such, expect to pay above average prices.

Be aware, though we were seated immediately at fifteen after six in the evening, management of getting a table appeared a bit capricious to us. They seem to turn some parties away while accepting others of the same size without reservations. My wife and I were puzzled, so reservations are easy enough to make and probably a good idea.

Vienna – Altstadt – Rauchfangkehrer Viennese Restaurant

A Bit More Of Vienna

Another short slide show of other sights in Vienna we saw while walking around. Enjoy!

References

References
↑1 The same person one who made the Sacher Torte famous
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Vienna, Austria – A Danube Walk

Anyone visiting Vienna has to see the Danube, not just the minor lower canal portion of it that is pretty close to the Altstadt, but the real deal.

Vienna – Alt Stadt – Minor Part of Danube

Walking Vienna

Our primary objective on Sunday was to walk a good portion of the city and while we were doing that visit the Danube.

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Stubentor And City Wall

Along our walk we happened upon a monument for the old city wall and the Stuben Tower, which was part of it at one time.

The Danube

After a considerable two to three mile walk, and a cafe stop for coffee, we enjoyed a walk to this famous river, as well as a short walk along its banks.

The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi

Not far from the Danube and in the Stuwerviertal, close to Mexicoplatz is the church of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Saint Stephan’s Cathedral

Almost directly in the center of the old city is Saint Stephan’s Cathedral. We were fortunate enough to be at the cathedral on a Sunday to hear them play the marvelous bells.

The cathedral is impressive, both inside and out, almost reminiscent of the Kolner Dom.

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Vienna, Austria – First Impression

Our flight from Milan to Vienna was rather quick and thankfully uneventful. Though I will admit, if Vienna was within a six (6) hour train ride, I would still rather take a train.

Additionally, I would say, Austrian Airlines would not be my favorite airline to take. It is better than Spirit and RyanAir, but worse than Delta and other larger carriers. It’s meant to be cheap and it feels it. We only took it out of convenience.

Grand Hotel Wien

When choosing a hotel we were looking for something with Wiener charm and found it the Grand Hotel. The rooms are grand, comfortable and the hotel staff and service are great.

The outside is rather unassuming, but the inside and its rooms have that old age charm. It contains a cafe and three restaurants and will meet most peoples needs for their short stay in this very cosmopolitan city.

A Quick Look At Vienna

Our first day or so was spent getting a quick look at the city. Our first impressions are it is a rather clean city for its size, but not as clean as Ljubljana, Slovenian. It has an extensive and very useful commuter infrastructure, including rail, tram, cycling and pedestrian ways all clearly marked and very easy to use. The WienMobile mobile application is also very useful and easy to set up.

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Restaurants

Wiener Küche

Vienna – Alt Stadt – Wiener Küche

A small Viennese restaurant on Bräunerstraße, Wiener Küche serves traditional Austrian and Wiener cuisine. Needing our first sample of local food, we stopped here for our early afternoon meal. We both chose the Beef Gulash with Parsley Potatoes.

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Pila, Italy – Above Aosta Clouds

Taking the Pila Cable Car from Aosta one can have a marvelous day trip above the clouds. At over six thousands feet in elevation, Pila sits over Aosta and the valley like an eagle’s nest.

Pila – Pila Cable Car – Tickets For Two

For a modest round trip fee of 7€/person, you can take the 15-20 minute ride on the cable car and enjoy a ride up the mountainside and the Aosta Valley.  The cable car takes you over the small towns on the other side of the Dora Bàltea river from Aosta, where you can see the bucolic farms and vineyards from above.

Our Cable Car Ride And Day In Pila

Since there really isn’t much else to tell, a few short series of photographs is all that it takes to enjoy this wonderful day adventure, enjoy!

The Way Up

The Ski Resort

The Way Down

One Last Video

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Aosta, Italy – A Gargantuan Hike

After a long day of bus rides and cable cars, it was time for some hiking. Nothing hard for our age,  but moderate enough, just to get the legs to ache and the bones to complain a little.

Aosta – Gargantua Nature Reserve Hike – Panorama from other end

Having purchased a subscription to AllTrails, we had time before we left Turin to plan several hikes, of varying difficulty. Since the weather was so nice, we went for a scenic hike and chose Gargantua Hill.[1]Though technically any heap of rock and dirt may be called a hill, this is actually a glacial moraine,  deposited thousands of years ago when the glaciers from the last Ice Age left this valley.

Map – Our Route

The hike was rather simple, leave our hotel, use the tunnel to go under the rail station, walk across the Pont Suaz bridge and walk the neighborhoods until we reached the hill, then ascend it.

We brought plenty of water, and were happy that we did, because it was pretty warm, perhaps in the middle 80s (about 28/29C). I also wore a hat part of the way, which helped to shade the sun beating down on me, so one can say – wearing a hat is good advise.

Gargantua Nature Preserve

The hill is part of the Riserva Naturale de Gargantua, or Gargantua Nature Preserver, and is some 150m, or 450 feet, in elevation. It has several trails on either side, most of which can be used to ascend and descend it. The one we chose was from the vineyard side to the east, with an approach from where it joins with the mountain. This was slightly easier than a direct approach,  since it afforded us the use of the farming roads a third of the way up.

The hill is mostly porous dirt, rocks and stones, therefore it does not hold water very well and was severely dry due to this year’s climatic conditions in Italy. The dirt was very loose and without proper foot gear, one could easily slip in it.

Aosta – Gargantua Nature Reserve Hike – Panorama on top of hill – 150m (450ft) above valley

The summit provides impressive views of the entire Aosta Valley, with an excellent view of Aosta to the east.

Aosta – Gargantua Nature Reserve Hike – Valle d’Aosta to the east

There are also several monuments and other artifacts on the top, including a score of music, a cross and some signs (which I did not translate).

The hike down was a bit more interesting than the ascent, since it was from the end of the hill that sticks out into the valley. Therefore, it was a bit steeper and more treacherous. There were several places that we had to be careful, but luckily there were always enough rocks on which we could purchase a grip.

That does it for our day hike in Aosta. In all, it totaled about 7.5 miles and some 450ft in ascent and descent, and about three and a half hours to hike. We went straight to a restaurant, since we had been out since 9:30AM and did not want the restaurants closing while we were dropping our things off at the hotel. All in all,  a very gratifying September day of hiking in Aosta. Go Hike!

Aosta – Gargantua Nature Reserve Hike – Panorama with mountains

References

References
↑1 Though technically any heap of rock and dirt may be called a hill, this is actually a glacial moraine,  deposited thousands of years ago when the glaciers from the last Ice Age left this valley.
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Courmayeur, Italy – Way To The Sky

The Skyway and Monte Bianco

Courmayeur – The Skyway Monte Bianco – Erick at the Saussurea Alpine Botanical Garden

Some 33km from Aosta, or about one hour by bus, is the small ski hamlet of Courmayeur and the starting point of our day journey to Pont Helbronner (Helbronner Point) and Monte Bianco, or Mont Blanc.

Courmayeur – The Skyway Monte Bianco – Tickets For Two

Courmayeur

A quaint little ski hamlet that offers a traditional Italian, Swiss and French Alpine feel. The town is built to withstand the snows that most likely visit this region every winter season. Luckily,  we visited when the weather was a bit more mild and pleasant.

Or primary reason for being here was taking the Skyway Monte Bianco and visiting the mountain across from Mont Blanc, in order to get some good photographs of it and the valley of glaciers that it creates.

Helbronner and Mont Blanc

Once you board the cable car you ascend rapidly to the intermediate stop of where the Saussurea Alpine Botanical Gardens are, where you can stretch you legs and your soul.

There are many things you can do here besides enjoy the cafe or bar. There are hiking trails all over the mountain, and within a few minutes you can be totally alone, hiking a few minutes up any of the trails. If not to discover,  perchance to enjoy a different view of the mountain side, which in these parts, is steep enough to tax anyone’s endurance.

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Pont Helbronner

Courmayeur – The Skyway Monte Bianco – View From Cable Car – Mont and Glacier du Géant

A singular place to visit to enjoy the almost lunar landscape of this Alpine geography. Aside from occasional dyspepsia and dizziness that this altitude might cause, the visitor is welcomed to an almost surreal landscape once exiting the cable car and ascending the stairs to the observation deck.

Restaurants

Brasserie la Padella Pizzeria

A normal pizzeria and brasserie by any Italian standards, as a stop for lunch it fit the bill nicely. We enjoyed a quick lunch of pasta, salad, water, wine and coffee with very pleasant service as an added bonus. There is nothing to complain about here, the staff is well versed in taking orders and serving food quite promptly.