Day 20: Prague

“The streets of Prague were a fantasia scarcely touched by the twenty-first century—or the twentieth or nineteenth, for that matter. It was a city of alchemists and dreamers, its medieval cobbles once trod by golems, mystics, invading armies. Tall houses glowed goldenrod and carmine and eggshell blue, embellished with Rococo plasterwork and capped in roofs of uniform red. Baroque cupolas were the soft green of antique copper, and Gothic steeples stood ready to impale fallen angels. The wind carried the memory of magic, revolution, violins, and the cobbled lanes meandered like creeks. Thugs wore Motzart wigs and pushed chamber music on street corners, and marionettes hung in windows, making the whole city seem like a theater with unseen puppeteers crouched behind velvet.” — Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke & Bone

At the Prague Castle, overlooking the Old Town beyond the Vltava River

This weekend we hopped on a train to Prague.

That's the dream, isn't it? Exploring Europe on a whim. Waking up in one country, and falling asleep in a different one, less than 300 kms away. I have to admit, I didn't have much interest in coming to Prague before we left, but it was Dave's choice, and I was happy to follow. 

But, after spending the day exploring the curving cobblestone streets, castles, bridges and street markets, I'm absolutely smitten with everything Prague has to offer. Over dinner a of delicious Mexican food in a quiet stone basement, Dave and I joked about abandoning our plans for Australia, and making our home here instead.

If I lived here I would need to adopt a Czech name #StarbucksFail

Since the decision to go to Prague was somewhat last minute, we didn't have much planned. It's possible this added to the charm of the place, as we had a whole day to walk and explore, following our every whim and urge. The first gorgeous sight we stumbled upon (quite literally) was the famous astronomical clock to sits in the Old Town Square, a short walk from our hotel. 

The astronomical clock

This astronomical clock was made in 1410 (!!) and tells various astronomical details, including the position of the sun and moon in the sky, and the months of the year. Of course, we had no idea how to actually read the thing. But it was very pretty.

 

From there we made our way to the famous Charles Bridge which crosses the Vltava River on the west side of the city. Over 30 baroque statues line the bridge, which are stunningly beautiful and date back to the 14th century.  Unfortunately, I've since read that the Czech government recently replaced all of the statues on the bridge with replicas—the originals were moved to the National Gallery. This takes away from the magic just a little, but the beauty and scale remains the same.

Statues on the Charles Bridge

All smiles on the Charles Bridge

Love locks on the Charles Bridge

Next stop on our impromptu walking tour was the Prague Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was founded in 880. The Prague Castle towers over the west side of the Vltava River, giving way to sweeping panoramic views of the Old Town.

The Prague Castle from across the square

Dave believes this statue outside Prague Castle is holding a baseball bat. I disagreed.

Dave at the Prague Castle, overlooking the Old Town

Next, we stopped for lunch at a small Italian bistro, tucked into a corner down a narrow, winding alley. Dave had pizza (for a change) and I had a really delicious basil pesto pasta. It was fun when the bill came, totaled in Czech korunas, and Dave got to pay using a totally baller 1,000 dollar bill. Of course, with the exchange being roughly 1 euro to 27 kornuas, it was actually quite affordable.

Our delicious Italian lunch in Prague

We felt very rich with our thousands of kornuas

After lunch we walked back across the river in search of the Kafka statue, which we found quite easily. Compared to the other European cities we've been to so far, I felt most comfortable wandering the streets of Prague this afternoon, not worried about getting lost or turned around. 

The Kafka statue in Prague.

So far, I've really enjoyed our time in Prague. It's such a beautiful city, full of action and gorgeous views at every turn. We're planning to wake up early tomorrow and explore more, before heading back to Vienna for the second last leg of our European adventure. 

Until then, 
Heather

Days 17 + 18: Frequency Festival

A truly awesome homemade ice cream cake from Dave

Sorry for the delay on the blog, folks! I was without internet for two days.

On the 18th of August I celebrated my 26th birthday at Frequency Music Festival in St. Pölten, Austria. Sofie's boyfriend, Chris, and his band "The Antics"  were playing at the festival, and he was able to get us free tickets.

Dave and I woke up early on Thursday and hung around the apartment for a couple hours. Before we headed out, the gang surprised me with a round of "Happy Birthday" and this very flammable cake:

This was definitely a fire hazard

Afterwards, Sofie, Chris and I packed up the car and headed on our way. Dave opted to sit this one out, because music festivals aren't really his thing.

After leaving the apartment we met up with Chris' band at a local rendezvous point, and then convoyed the rest of the way to St. Pölten. Going with the band was a really awesome experience, because we were able to camp in the VIP camping area, away from the pandemonium of the main festival grounds which meant three things: clean washrooms, free beer, and quiet time!

Sofie and I celebrating my birthday in style

Most of the bands we saw were German bands, which was a pretty interesting experience for me since I was mostly at a loss for what they were saying.  Even so, I really enjoyed the Thursday night headliner, Bilderbuch (aka "Kid's Book") as they put on a really wild show that was so much fun to watch. The festival also featured some of my favourite English bands, including: the Lumineers, M83, Foals, Bastille and Miike Snow.

On Friday, Chris' band took over one of the stages for most of the afternoon, playing short 30 minute sets inbetween headliners performing on the main stage. It was very cool to watch our friends rock out hard, especially as the crowd got into their performance.

Chris Emray and The Antics

What a special way to celebrating my birthday! And one I won't be forgetting anytime soon. But first, it's finally time to catch up on some SLEEP!

Cheers,
Heather

Day Sixteen: Velden

Today was our last day in Velden with Sofie's grandparents.

We woke up early and enjoyed breakfast together. Sofie's grandpa made us polenta, which is boiled cornmeal fried to give it a crispy texture. For taste, they sprinkle it with sugar. Dishes like this were popular during the Second World War, when there were less rations to go around, and people had to come up with creative ways to cook meals that were filling, but also satisfying.

Fried polenta for breakfast

After breakfast Sofie and Dave went for a drive. Dave was keen to learn how to drive standard when we came to Europe, and Sofie was trusting enough to let Dave have a go with her car. He claims he only stalled twice going in and out of the small parking lot, but from where I sat perched nearby it seemed like a lot more than that.

Dave ready to give driving stick a go!

Dave very focused as he stalled the car

The driving lesson being a moderate success (I'm sure round two will happen later) we got on with the day. We drove twenty minutes away to a medieval castle that's been converted into a pseudo-animal sanctuary and research centre, where they offer guided tours for a small fee.

The view from the walk up to the castle

We waited about 30 minutes to enter the Japanese Macaque exhibit as part of a guided tour. The Japanese Macaque is a type of snow monkey native to Japan. What was cool about this exhibit is that they let the monkeys roam free, amongst the people. We were warned before we entered the fenced area not to make intense eye contact with a monkey if it approached us, as it might take that as a sign of aggression, and before you know it, we're fighting the whole clan.

It's fair to say this advice put us a bit on edge.

This macaque was just chillin'

No signs of aggression here!

At this facility, the researchers run optional experiments with the monkeys. This means, they set up equipment, games, and puzzles, to study the monkeys' intelligence, but they don't force the monkeys to undergo any testing. Instead, it's more of an "opt in if you want treats" arrangement, which is more humane.

A female completing the plenko board puzzle

They demonstrated one of these puzzles with us, by putting an apple in—what looked essentially like a plenko board—and one of the female monkeys was able to move a series of levers to move the apple through the maze and down to the ground where she retrieved it. Interestingly, the tour guide said more than half of the female monkeys had figured this out, while NONE of the male monkeys could do it. Something about not wanting to work for their food...

It was very cool to be able to interact with the monkeys up close and personal—a totally different experience from seeing them in a zoo!

After saying good bye to our new monkey friends, we enjoyed lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant where Dave ordered yet another pizza. He rated it an 8/10, so apparently it was pretty good!

Dave's 8/10 pizza

I had this yummy pasta for lunch

After lunch we went back to Sofie's grandparents to pack up our stuff. Just before dinnertime we said goodbye to Velden, and began the three hour drive to Vienna, the last stop on our tour of Austria.

Fair warning folks, there will be no blog post tomorrow as it's my birthday (yay!) and I'm disconnecting from the Internet for the day. However, I'm sure there will be lots of updates on Friday. Also, I'm encouraging Dave to do a guest blog post tomorrow to fill the void, so maybe that will happen.

Until then,
Heather

Day Fifteen: Velden

Before we left, I excitedly showed our Europe trip itinerary to my Dad. “You’re doing too much!” He insisted, “Dave is going to get tired.” I rolled me eyes and grinned inwardly. I like to be busy. But by day fifteen, after hiking, climbing, canyoning, and drinking our way through five different countries, I was ready for a relaxing day.

We slept in late (a luxury in and of itself) before enjoying a modest breakfast of toast and jam. Sofie’s grandma tends to a sprawling garden filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. Her basement pantry is stacked full of homemade jams, canned cherries, and marmalade. Eating good, home cooked food is another thing we haven’t done enough of on this trip.

After breakfast we enjoyed a ten-minute walk downhill, along curving narrow streets to the zentrum or town centre. Velden is a small tourist area made up of ski shops, restaurants, and hotels, all centred around The Velden Casino (I thought of you, Nana!). It had rained overnight, but there was no sign of the storm now, as clear blue sky stretched overhead.

The Velden harbour

Enjoying a walk by the lake

With no major plans for the day, Dave found a cozy bench by the lake where he decided to sit and read, while Sofie and I explored the nearby shops.

Such a pretty spot to swim

By early afternoon, the sun was out in full swing, so Sofie and I headed back to the house to change into our bathing suits and go for a swim. We drove ten minutes westward to a small peninsula on the lake that is surrounded by greeny-blue water. It looked like we were swimming in the Mediterranean.

The lookout tower, which we climbed up

After our swim, we met up with Dave and decided to drive to a nearby lookout tower, to take in the view of the entire region. We opted to climb the stairs (and forgo the elevator). 441 flights later we reached the top. Here are some photos of the view:

Gorgeous views

Overlooking the town of Velden

Dave at the top! The mountains in the background are the border of Slovenia

For four euros, you could take a slide down from the lookout tower, which of course we all opted to do. It took about 20 seconds to reach the bottom in the twisting tunnel slide, which was actually pretty fast! We all arrived at the bottom in a fit of dizziness and giggles.

After recovering from our dizziness, we drove back to Sofie’s grandparents, where they had a delicious dinner prepared of roasted vegetables.

Day fifteen was a relaxing day, which was much needed. We got a taste of authentic life on the Austrian countryside, ate good food, and then went to bed.

Next stop on our journey: Sofie’s hometown of Vienna.

Cheers,

Heather

Day Fourteen: Salzburg and Carinthia

Before we get going, Dave has some thoughts he wants to share, regarding wildlife in Austria:

Wildlife, as a term identifying animals in their natural habitat, is a bit of a misnomer in Austria. Whereas most of modern society goes to great lengths to keep wild animals out of areas populated by humans, Austria appears to share no such concern. Cows roam aimlessly through parking lots, mooing and with bells clanging, somehow drawing no one's interest. Horses have neither master nor domain - they are as free as any man. Sheep, agitated by incessant artillery fire, clog roadways as they travel alongside humans to the nearest McDonald's for news. I'm left wondering what an Austrian zoo would even look like.

This horses were not concerned about stopping traffic

After recovering from our canyoning adventure we woke up early on Monday morning, packed up our campsite, and drove west through the Austrian Alps to Hallstatt, a small lake-side town that gave way to gorgeous views.

Overlooking Hallstätter See in Salzburg, Austria

Dave and Sofie watch a two hang gliders over the lake

From Hallstatt we continued on to the town of Bad Aussee in the Styrian province, which is considered to be the geological midpoint of Austria. How the Austrians came to this conclusion, and which method they used to find the "geological midpoint" led to much debate within our group. We're still not totally convinced.

The main street in Bad Aussee

From there, we drove south to Turracher Höhe, an alpine ski town on the boarder of Styria and Carinthia. Sofie had brought traditional Austrian clothing with her, and we were all going to dress up and go to an Austrian festival... except, when we got there, it was raining and the festival was cancelled. Not to be perturbed, we dressed up anyway and walked around town. Dave especially enjoyed his lederhosen!

Dave and I dressed up in traditional Austrian clothing

We walked around town in our traditional clothing... and got some weird looks.

Finally, from Turracher Höhe we drove another hour south to Velden, the town where Sofie's grandparents live. Their house is just a short walk from one of the biggest lakes in Austria, Wörthersee, and has a spectacular view of the Julian Alps, which mark the border to Slovenia.

The view from Sofie's grandparents house in Velden am Wörthersee

For dinner, Sofie's grandma made us Kaiserschmarrn, which is a traditional Austrian dish. Essentially, it's a shredded pancake with cherries and icing sugar... and yes, they eat this for dinner (not dessert!) It was delicious and very filling.

Kaiserschmarrn

Sofie's grandparents have been generous enough to host us in Velden for two days. We are all enjoying some restful time in the sunny weather by the lake. But more on that tomorrow!

Cheers,
Heather

Day Thirteen: Salzburg

This morning we woke up at 6:00 am to cannon fire.

Actually, I'll let Dave tell this part of the story. This is his account:

So, we're camping. At 6:00 am (not exactly, mind you... that's important later), this cannon starts going off. Like, we can't see it, but it's for sure heavy artillery level fire. So I look over at Sofie, like, "um what crazy Austria tradition is this?" But Sofie is FREAKING OUT. Like, to the extent that I would have been if I didn't assume this was some weird Austrian thing. 

We leave the tent and notice the church bells are going off too. But as I mentioned, it's not 6:00 am exactly, so why would they be ringing? And then, we look behind us and the MOUNTAIN IS SMOKING LIKE CRAZY. It's a forested mountain, by the way. So anyway, at this point in my mind there are three options.

• Option 1: We are at war. They're firing at something over the mountain.
• Option 2: It's a forest fire and we're in the kill zone and we need to get out, asap.
• Option 3: Something else, but who knows what

We go to the nearest McDonald's. We figure people will gather there and someone can interpret this. And the McDonald's is RAMMED with people. So now, I'm sure something is up. Why would so many small town Austrians be at a McDonald's at 6:00 am? We ask around, but everyone seems to think the smoke is "just clouds." So, we order breakfast. 

Eventually we realize the McDonald's isn't in a mass panic, and clearly we aren't going to die. Finally we find someone who knows what's going on. It turns out, for weddings in Austrian small towns, they launch a cannon for 20 MINUTES STRAIGHT. We still have no idea what the smoke was (maybe really just clouds?), but we assume the church bells were related to the wedding. 

As it turns out, Austrians just love McDonald's. No occasion for the crowd.

Anyway, post our 6:00 am wake up and subsequent trip to McDonald's, we arrived back at the campsite just before 8:00 and got ready for our day. We had reserved a day trip canyoning tour with the AOS company—an Austrian outdoor adventure tour company which departed right from our campsite.  Here's a link to the tour we did.

The group on our way up the mountain to rappel into the canyon

Now, it's important to note that, for the entire tour, the instructions were in German, as our guide was not bilingual. Thankfully Dave and I had help from Sofie and another awesome couple in our group to translate for us, but it was a bit sketchy to have all this critical information coming down second hand.

Rappelling into the canyon

After putting on our wet suits and gearing up, we hiked for about 40 minutes up the mountain until we got to the designated "start" and rappelled, one by one, into the canyon. The rest of the trip is better told through photos. I want to give a big thanks to Nicolai and Xiao, the awesome couple who rounded out our group of five. They took all these awesome pictures on their GoPro, and were kind enough to share them with us after!

After rappelling, we "slide" down a series of mini waterfalls

It was just as scary as it looks!

The group looking up after descending into the first canyon

More fun sliding through canyons

Quick break for a group shot!

A narrow squeeze in between two boulders

Starting to get a little wet as we descend into waterfalls!

The scenery was stunning

We rappelled down 9 waterfalls in total

This waterfall was particularly steep and powerful

We totally got the hang of it!

The final descent

Waterfall warriors at the end!

In the end it was a really incredible day. We pushed ourselves and were rewarded with gorgeous views, action-packed adventure, and so much fun.

Next up: Salzburg part two and Carinthia

More photos from Munich

As promised, here are a couple awesome photos from Munich, Germany, taken by the wonderful Chris Emray:

Sofie looking stylish walking the streets of the Old Town

I get by with a little help from my friends... doing up my overalls!

Dave and Sofie in the English Gardens

Enjoying Munich the traditional Bavarian way!