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.

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.