Prague & Vienna

This post has seemed overwhelming to me - so I have been putting it off. What can you say about a glorious trip to Prague and Vienna that will do it justice? How can I convey how blessed I feel to have had the opportunity and the means to travel? I will just do the best that I can.

In answer to some who think it strange that I would take a trip like this by myself - let me explain. Cory would have loved to have gone. With the current economic climate being as precarious as it is - his employer has had to make cutbacks on vacation time and holiday time. They have taken vacation time away from employees and lots of the extra holiday time too. Unfortunately, Cory's vacation days are all spoken for and he didn't have this time to spare. Cameron (who has NO interest in traveling abroad) was going to be at EFY all week and it seemed like a great time to go. My friend Liz was going to go - but then we realized that Continental has also raised the price for the buddy pass to $500 to go international. Flying standby for $500 is not a good deal. It was also a poor time for her to leave town - we were both disappointed. But, with all of this said - should I not travel just because I have to go alone? I might not be in a position to travel like this always and I just don't want to waste the opportunity. So, it isn't my first choice (although I don't mind it at all) to go alone - but I won't let it stop me.

Cam drove me to the airport on Friday the 26th of June in the afternoon. My flight left around 3pm and I was happily seated in first class (which when flying oversees is the best way to go as the seats recline fully). I had a connection in Amsterdam the next morning and that took me into Prague. I stayed at the Archibald City Hotel right near Wenceslas Square and the National Museum that you can see at the top of this picture. I passed this building anytime I went anywhere.

For the next four days I went non-stop touring mode! These are some of the amazing places that I visited. Powder Tower - which you can climb the stairs on the inside and walk out onto the tower for an amazing view of the city from the top! (Yes, the dates are wrong on my pictures because I got a new camera and haven't tried to figure out how to fix that yet!)

Onto the Astronomical Clock at the Old Town Hall. This is one of the most amazing things. We think we are so smart in this modern day and yet there are things such as this that we don't comprehend. This was probably my favorite sight in Prague.

The other side of the church where the Astronomical Clock is.

This is a postcard of Old Town Bridge Tower - and yes, I climbed to the top of this one too and walked around on top!

This is St. Vitus's Cathedral up at the center of Prague Castle's many buildings.

This is St. Nicholas Church - in the second photo I am up walking around the tower taking a picture of Prague Castle from there.


These are views of Prague Castle from the banks of the Vlata River which runs right through the middle of Prague. The next is taken from the Charles Bridge and the next is taken from Petrin's Hill. I wish I had a better picture or postcard of Prague Castle - it (the many buildings) takes up one whole side of this hill and barely fits into one shot. It was overwhelming to tour - after about 6 buildings I gave up on it.



Incredibly enough I have forgotten which church this photo was taken in (duh!), but it was amazing nontheless! Would you have even known if I had named some church?

After four wonderful days in Prague - I took the train to Vienna. I have to admit - by this time I was slowing down a little. I made myself stay awake through the slow, comforting rolls and pitches of the train, because I knew I might never see scenery like that again. It was incredible! I arrived in Vienna and made my way to the Alpha Hotel right near the town hall pictured here.

The afternoon that I arrived I made my way to St. Stephan's Cathedral - it is really the heart of Vienna. It was bursting with activity and people. This is a postcard (obviously), which is better than any photo I could take.

My first full day in Vienna I did the hop on - hop off bus. I like to do those because it really orients you to the city. Prague was manageable on foot - Vienna, not so much. The bus left from in front of the Opera House which is pictured here.

Here is the famous statue of Mozart - everything in Vienna has something to do with Mozart or some other famous composer/musician. They claim they are the music capital of the world. I tried to wait for people to get out of my picture but I stood there for a long time and it never happened.

This is St. Charles Church - probably my favorite sight in Vienna. They have a stairway set up so that you can climb to the top of the tower on the inside and see all of the beautiful murals there on the cieling of the highest tower. I stood in that very top little section.



This is a shot of another of the archways - the view that the worshippers would have from the pews at St. Charles Church.

This is Prater - a huge ferris wheel that is famous in Vienna. 20+ people fit into one of those car things and the ferris wheel takes about 40 minutes to complete - not something that sounded fun to me.

There were a number of castles in Vienna - this one is the Schoenbrunn Castle. There was also the Belvedere Castle and the Hofburg Castle. As well as MANY museums. All phenomenal, I know this even though I didn't make it to all of them.

I left Vienna early in the morning and went through London. I did manage to get first class on the way home too - which is such a blessing cause I was so tired!

All in all, and in every way it was an awesome trip. It didn't escape my notice though, that I arrived back home on the 4th of July. It was wonderful to be able to read signs in my own language and hear people talk in my own language and then I went through customs to enter back into my own country again. It is a freeing feeling to belong. I love to travel but I also LOVE to come back home!