The Hills Are Alive

We’re just wrapping up the biking portion of our trip and I can’t recommend it enough. Our six days of riding kicked off in the Czech Republic, meandered through Germany along the Danube and wrapped up in the Austrian countryside. Since the terrain for the most part is fairly flat, rides have been pleasant. Most have been within constant view of a river and castle of some kind.  People who are attracted to a trip like this are easygoing, active and low maintenance- all good things in travel partners.

A few things have been constant throughout our adventure:

·     Bavaria is clean. We saw a total of two pieces of trash along our 100 miles of riding.  I’m not sure if they just choose to be green and not litter or are meticulous in cleaning. I’d bet on the former based on the solar panels we saw on most homes and farms.

·         They sure do know how to grow some flowers.  Window boxes in the quaint villages we visited were overflowing with colorful vines and flowers. We’ve stayed in a series of family-run inns- each one more charming than the next!

·         They sure like castles and cathedrals. No matter how small the town, they’ll surely have a town square or two dominating the village. The small village of Passau, Germany has the second largest organ in the world.  In the Czech village of Cesky Krumlov, the grand Rosemberg chateau was a huge presence guarding over the city. The Benedictine Abbey in lovely Melk, Austria held more gold than Fort Knox! 

·         They can brew some beer! From Czech to Austria, most meals included a local brew or two- often in a tiny Bavarian tavern.They also make a mean wine here in Austria with vineyards lining our bike paths.  

 After tonight’s goodbye dinner, we’ll bid adieu to our fellow cyclers and head off for Vienna (in search of the boys choir & sausages. Get it?) I’m hoping this will be the first of many bike trips in our future.

Terezin: Never Again

Sometimes when you travel it is important that you do things you don’t necessarily want to do.  Terezin is one of those things.  You see, Terezin is a concentration camp.

Terezin Crematorium

Originally built in the 1700's as a fortress to keep out the Prussians, the compound was later repurposed by the Nazis to keep the Jews in.Terezin is both a town and a camp. The Nazis moved out the original 7,000 town residents and replaced them with 60,000 Jews into what they termed a “resettlement area.” To keep the settlers content, when they took neighbors away to the fortress to be transported to extermination camps, the overseers told them they were going off to visit other family members and shared “stories” of other friends that were waiting for them. This town was an important tool for the Nazis in early days, serving as their model Jewish town and was used for propaganda purposes.  They even produced a video, The Fuhrer Gives a City to the Jews, laden with happy settlers enjoying soccer, sewing and concerts. 

How the viewers could miss the haunting stares of the residents is beyond me. Similarly, the nearby camp was prepared for an imminent Red Cross inspection with a carefully planned tour, new paint, and improved bathroom facilities (the sinks, installed just for show, didn’t even have working plumbing.) Camp residents were forced to build railroad tracks ostensibly for supplies, but really used to move prisoners on to Auschwitz without attracting the attention of the townsfolk. Sadly, the site passed the brief Red Cross inspection.

Although over 300 Jews were hanged or shot at the camp, the dire conditions in both the overcrowded town and camp were the real enemy. Disease was rampant, sanitation lacking, and medical care unavailable. Of the 155,000 that passed through the facilities, over 35,000 succumbed from the conditions. Fewer than 100 of the 15,000 children in the camp survived. Others were shipped east to the extermination camps for the Fuhrer’s final solution.

For me, a particularly difficult sight to see was the crematorium and cemetery. In the earliest days, at one end of the cemetery, the dead were buried side-by-side with small gravestones. As time progressed, each site held 20 or more remains with a small stone marker. Finally, one end of the field remains bare as they gave up marking remains buried en masse in huge pits. The crematorium still holds the scent of the oil used to run the ovens. Sadly they had turned the process into quite a production line and ran around the clock to meet the burgeoning needs of the camp.

Throughout our visit I couldn’t help but think of the quote by Martin Niemoeller featured at the Holocaust Museum in Washington:

“First they came for the Communists but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists but I was not one of them, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews but I was not Jewish so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”

Grand- And She Knows It!

I was actually a bit afraid to meet Prague.  Everyone raved about it. “It’s one of my favorite cities,” I’d frequently been told. It was as if it was my duty to fall for this historic Czech capital. What could be so special about this place that made so many folks wax poetic?  What if it didn’t measure up?

Honestly, for the first day, I didn’t know what to think about Prague.  I needed time to let it sink into me.  So many things about it reminded me of Paris- the numerous bridges that cross the river linking the city neighborhoods, its quaint restaurants with colorful window boxes, and its many urban parks serving as quiet oases in the midst of everyday life.  In other ways, it reminded me of Barcelona with its odd mixture of architecture.  Its looming castle and many cathedrals made me think of Romania.  Its youthful vigor brought to mind our recent trip to Croatia.

Finally, after a second evening walking home along the riverfront it washed over me that Prague was just Prague.  It isn’t Paris or Barcelona and frankly, it doesn’t try to be.  It reminds me of a society matron putting on her best finery and jewels to get ready for a ball. There may be a few cracks in her makeup, her corset may be a bit too tight, but she will demand and receive attention from the moment she enters the room. Prague is a proud city with a rich and powerful heritage that for the grace of God was never flattened by the war and upheaval that surrounded it.  Its grandeur is resplendent from the huge castle looking down on the city from a nearby hill (the largest in the Czech Republic) to the Charles Bridge serving as a hub for its many admiring visitors. Her residents take time to enjoy the finer things life offers- a lingering coffee and croissant, an evening organ concert or just strolling the cobblestone streets. Every meal we enjoyed was al fresco- most along the riverside.  A classical guitar concert provided a wonderful evening interlude- especially after a mug of local beer. A favorite moment was a lovely lunch up at Belle Vista, a tiny hillside café overlooking the castle, vineyards and the city down below- again, with a local beer in hand.  Now I “get” Prague.

Gem of the Adriatic

Imagine all that you love about Italy- the food, the olive oil, the wine, the countryside.  Now throw in azure waters and a younger hip vibe. That’s the Croatian coastline. 

The country boasts of 1000 islands and we are headed off on our chartered yacht, the Vito, to make our mark on just a few of these atolls.  Our gang gathered on the dock in Split for transfer to the Vito in Trogir.  After meeting the crew and enjoying a glass of champagne, we checked out our staterooms, pumped up the ipod, then headed into the small but sophisticated town for a meal of fresh seafood.

It’s a tough schedule aboard ship. It’s not for the faint of heart.  After a hearty breakfast, many decisions must be made- where will we anchor for swimming, what time will lunch start, and the big question for the day- white or red wine.  Croatian wines are excellent.  They are selfish and keep them for themselves so you won’t see it on your grocery shelves.  After lunch and several bottles of cold, fresh white wine, followed by an afternoon swim, the grind begins again as we head into port in the skiff for the evening’s feast.

Each town has its own flavor, whether natural beauty of Brac, Vis, and the Mjlet National Park or the hopping seaside bar scene in Hvar or Korcula, each night was special. Our personal favorite was Korcula due to its rich history, fortified city, and bevy of sea-side restaurants.

But the trip was capped off with the gem of the Adriatic- Dubrovnik.  Until the conflict with Serbia, this beautiful city had remained untouched through centuries of Roman, Ottoman and Venetian conquerors. You can see its battle scars- pock marks from bullets and newly-tiled roofs replacing those ruined by mortar, but these small imperfections don’t mar the beauty of this charming city- only serving to make her appear a bit more “worldly.” 

This walled city is best explored at the edges of the day- early morning walks on the city walls before the cruise ships descend on the town and late afternoon at Bar Buza.  You’ll have to hunt for a small opening in the city walls to find this tiny bar.  Tucked neatly into the cliffs overhanging the sea, most evenings started here as we watched kayaks and fishing boats make their way home for the evening and ended with a promenade down the Stradum with a gelato.  A special dinner on the cliffs above the city was a great way to end the day and a highly recommended spot is D’Vino wine bar (a girl needs to learn about the local brew, doesn’t she?)

While chartering a boat and crew is a special treat, Croatia has a great ferry system that will get quickly get you from island to island and you can round up a cozy apartment for a short stay before heading off to your next island adventure.  Now, you don’t have much of an excuse not to visit, do you? 

Now This is Retirement, Diocletian!

With over 3,600 miles of seafront and more than 1,000 islands, Croatia feels more like the Riviera than Eastern Europe.  Much of its ambiance comes from its history- I’ve lost count of how many countries and empires ruled- or attempted to rule- this small gem of a country. It’s northern Istria peninsula, tucked in just east of Venice and Slovenia, feels more like Italy.  As you head south along the Dalmatian coast, the influence of Germany and others is felt in architecture and cuisine. But wherever you go, Croatians are a friendly sort, eager to share their rich history while enjoying life along the Adriatic sea.

Our initial stop before boarding our yacht was Split with its impressive Roman ruins. The centerpiece of the old town is the palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian (245 – 313).  His retirement home of sorts, the palace was both a fortified city and a luxurious villa. No grid system is at work in here- it is an amazing labyrinth of alleys and lanes now featuring boutiques and galleries side-by-side with Roman ruins.  The palace was eventually abandoned so the locals, fleeing Slavic invaders, moved in and the town sprouted up among the ruins.  When the Venetians took power in the 15^th century, they added new fortification and architectural flourish. 

Like much of Europe, the favorite local pastime is strolling the seaside pedestrian boulevard, the Riva (the Croatian equivalent of Barcelona’s Ramblas!) We stayed in a local Sobe, a small equivalent of our own B&Bs.)  We could literally open a window and reach out and touch the ruins of Jupiter’s Temple. A Croatian choral group practiced nightly for an upcoming festival- their voices bouncing among the ruins.

Next stop, meeting the Vito and its crew for our sailing adventure.