Travel

Today we drove to Kromeríž, a neighboring town, for lunch and to visit the Kromeríž Castle, listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization among the World Heritage Sites. Kromeríž is a beautiful city and was founded in 1260 by Bishop Bruno ze Schauenburku. The “castle” is actually the Archbishop’s palace and was once the principal residence of the bishops and (since 1777) archbishops of Olomouc, a city on the Moravia River. The palace is a fine example of the European Baroque style and features a large tower containing a central clock. From the top of the clock tower one has a tremendous view of the city and of the courtyard below (pictured). Certain interior areas of the palace were used as stand-ins for Vienna’s Hofburg Imperial Palace during the filming of the movie Amadeus.

We lunched at the Capital Restaurant near the castle, right off the city square. The restaurant was pretty quiet and I enjoyed a beef goulash with dumplings and a Pilsner Urquell; Cindy a braised chicken dish. After lunch we walked around the square and window shopped before heading back to Zlín. As we drove out of town, I inadvertently turned the wrong way down a one-way street. Although there was no traffic and I immediately turned around, I didn’t escape the watchful eye of the local police department. We were pulled over and after a brief discussion of my error, I was given a 500kc (about $30) ticket. The police officers were courteous and apologized for their poor English (when it should actually be me who apologizes for my inability to speak their language). An interesting experience and my only regret is that I didn’t get a picture with the police officers…

We spent our last evening in the Czech Republic dining at our favorite restaurant, the Sunflower in Zlín. Tomorrow we check out of the Penzion and head to Austria. We’ll spend the night in Vienna and will fly out on Friday morning.

This evening we joined three other North American couples for dinner at the Potrefená Husa or simply “Husa” Restaurant in downtown Zlín. I say “North American” because one of the couples was from Newfoundland, Canada. Potrefená Husa translates as “Crazy Goose” which explains the goose footprints that run up the wall and across the ceiling. This is a great place for English-speaking couples to dine because they provide copies of their menus translated completely into English and the food is amazing! I had pork cutlets and potatoes and Cindy had a delicious garlic soup and marinated chicken; the beer was Staropramen, an excellent Pilsner; and desert was tiramisu and espresso. The conversation was great, we must have been there for more than two hours just eating, drinking and talking. The conversation continued at the hotel after dinner.

Yesterday, we spent a quiet afternoon strolling through the city of Zlín. It was Sunday and most of the shops were closed, so we walked through the parks and visited a small carnival. In one of the parks was a WWII memorial. The statue of the Czech soldier was situated between two marble rectangular slabs with what appeared to be the names of the fallen. The soldier faced the city of Zlín, which could could be seen through an opening in the trees. The rest of the park was very peaceful and we spent quite a few minutes on one of the benches just admiring the foliage, just beginning their Spring bloom.

We lunched in the restaurant of a local hotel, the Baltachi. Cindy had pasta and I had a pork dish with smoked edam cheese and potato pancakes, along with a glass of the local Pilsner. The evening we spent in the lobby of the Uno talking with some other American guests of the hotel. We’ve made plans to get together for dinner later this week.

So, we woke up about 8:30 am after a very restful night’s sleep. We had arranged for Hanna to make breakfast for us at 9 and, once again, were not disappointed: scrambled eggs, sausage, waffles, yogurt, fresh bread with butter, jam and honey and fresh orange juice and coffee. After breakfast we took a nap (jet lag).

In the afternoon we drove to Tesco for some shopping. Actually, Cindy shopped and I sat in the café. After shopping, Cindy joined me for coffee (and we still had a few dollars left in the bank, if you can believe that! ;-). Before we left we picked up some more fresh bread and cheese to snack on later.

Dinner this evening was at the Sunflower Restaurant (pictured), we had Chateaubriand with fresh vegetables and parsley potatoes. Delicious! We also enjoyed a couple of Pilsner Urquells on tap. We were too full for desert, which is regrettable because the deserts here are amazing!

This evening there was a wedding reception in the Bar Uno on the bottom floor of the hotel. Hannah invited us down for drinks, but we didn’t feel right about crashing the reception. The noise was tolerable and the party was over by 11:00 pm. The last time we stayed here there was a party that lasted until almost 3 in the morning and our room was right above the bar! We complained to Hannah who was very apologetic and quite accommodating (I believe she genuinely felt bad–she didn’t charge us for the night and gave us a nice bottle of Czech wine when we left). In fact, she remembered us from our last visit and gave us a key for a room on the top floor so we can sleep if the noise from the wedding reception got to be too much.

Cindy and I have returned to the Czech Republic and once again are staying at the Penzion Uno in Zlí­n. The trip was uneventful after we finally got off the ground in Atlanta (our plane was delayed an hour while maintenance workers changed some “valves” in the engine). This time we flew into Vienna and rented a car, a little Opel compact with plenty of room. The drive from Vienna to Zlí­n was easy (thanks to GPS) and took about 2-1/2 hours. It was mostly highway driving, although approaching Zlí­n we were traveling down little country roads. During the short drive we crossed three boarders, Austria into Slovakia into Czech Republic. We arrived at the Penzion about 4:00 pm.

After unpacking and a short nap, we ventured into town to get some dinner (about 7:30 pm). It seems we waited too long because all the restaurants were “full” (of course, we only visited three restaurants, but it appears Friday night is the “big night out” for the locals and we didn’t have a reservation anywhere). We ended up just picking up some bread and cheese (and beer!) at Kaufland’s and had a quiet dinner in the room. We spent the rest of the evening reading and watching a movie on the laptop (”My Cousin Vinny” is always a riot!).

Senator Barack Obama, campaigning for President in Levittown, PA, claims his foreign policy credentials stem from “real-life” experiences abroad. Apparently growing up in Indonesia, spending three weeks in Pakistan with a side trip to India and having ties to relatives in Kenya gives one the requisite foreign policy experience to be President of the United States. It’s laughable!

Senator Obama and I are roughly the same age. In the last twenty years or so, I’ve visited or lived in Portugal (and the Azores), Australia, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Turkey, Japan, Korea, Guam and Mexico; I’ve also lived in Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, Colorado and New Mexico; and I’ve visited most of the remaining United States. Therefore based on my broad foreign policy (and domestic!) “real-life” experience, I am hereby announcing my candidacy for President of the United States of America!

Unlike Senator Obama, I tout my experience tongue-in-cheek and recognize it for what it is and more importantly what it is not: qualifying experience to be President. Furthermore, unlike Obama, I will not even attempt to equate my experiences with those of Senator John McCain. As Mark Salter, a McCain senior adviser points out:

“When John McCain travels on official business, he meets with presidents, prime ministers, foreign and defense ministers, members of parliament, human rights leaders, N.G.O.’s, business leaders and journalists so that he acquires a full understanding of the country he visits and the issues at stake in our relations” … “Oh, and as Senator Obama may know, he has actually spent some time living abroad as well.”

Senator Obama: You do not have the first-hand foreign-policy experience of Senator McCain; stop pushing your childhood and backpacking college days as an equivalent. A mark of good leadership is to recognize one’s limitations and legitimately work to overcome them. Spinning your limited credentials in this area into something more than they are demonstrates that you recognize those shortcomings; stop making excuses and trying to veil those shortcomings in rhetoric–if you want to be President, try being honest with the American people!

MORE:

Pejman Yousefzadeh at RedState is also announcing his candidacy based on “extensive” travels abroad.

The Confederate Yankee responds to a Huffington Post article that essentially claims Obama is a foreign policy expert. Great read!

Yesterday we left Zlí­n and returned to Prague. We stayed in the Courtyard Marriott right across the street from the Praha (Prague) Airport. The hotel was very nice, and quite comfortable. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant, we both had filet of beef and I had a couple of beers, while Cindy drank water. We watched the movie “Fracture” on the laptop before going to bed.

This morning we awoke early and had a light breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The coffee was good and we always enjoy the fresh bread and cheeses in Europe. After breakfast, we called for a porter to collect our bags and to our surprise, he carried them all the way to the airport for us (earning a very nice tip!).

We’re now sitting in the first-class cabin waiting to taxi. Cindy snapped a picture of the airport terminal using my iPhone camera. Now we’re settling in for the 10-hour ride to Atlanta.

We’ve had a wonderful time visiting the Czech Republic, but are looking forward to returning home and sleeping once again in our own bed.

We spent the day shopping at the Tesco Mall. Tesco is one of the largest retailers in the world and operates more than 2,300 supermarkets and convenience stores and employing 326,000 people. Their core business is in the U.K., but they operate throughout Europe and Asia. You’ll find Tesco stores in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Ireland, Slovakia, Turkey, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. They’re the world’s “Wal-Mart”.

We browsed the stores in this Tesco Mall and we (or rather, “I”) marveled at the tremendous selection of beer they had. Bottles, cans, kegs, cases and singles in countless quantities and of sufficient variety that one could easily drink a different beer every day and have something different each day for a good three months. Ah, to have the time to do that…

We had a light snack at a small café in the center of the mall. Well, Cindy had a snack, a small sandwich and a Fanta, and I had fermented hops and barley.

This evening we had dinner with friends and are now enjoying the cool night air and clear sky.

Yesterday Cindy and I visited the Christmas Market in Vienna. We awoke early, had breakfast (fresh bread and cheese, pastries and coffee) and caught a cab to the train station. Our tickets from Zlí­n to Wein (Vienna) cost Kc945 (about $55). We changed trains in Otrokovice (just outside Zlí­n) and again in Breclav (just north of the Austrian border). Although a little confusing, we made the changes without incident. Our passports were stamped, going and coming, by the customs officials from both the Czech Republic and Austria.

Once in Vienna, I visited the ATM for some euros, while Cindy got the scoop on the Christmas Market from the lady at the information desk. Cindy was told the best Christmas Market is at the Rathaus, so we climbed aboard Tram “D” for the ride through Vienna.

The “Christkindlmarkt” on the square in front of the City Hall is Vienna’s classic Christmas Market. We had a blast strolling among the elaborately decorated trees in the park, the brisk air and snow falling added to the wonderful Christmas atmosphere. We enjoyed Gluhwein (heated sweetened wine) and Jaegertee (black tea laced with rum), which also helped to keep us warm. The wooden huts were bigger than those we encountered in Prague and the offerings of the vendors were amazing. We found the most wonderful Christmas ornaments and bought several for ourselves and gifts. The Vienna Town Hall building (the Rathaus) made an amazing backdrop to the Christmas Market.

The Rathaus serves as the seat of both the mayor and city council of the city of Vienna which also serve, in personal union, as Governor and Assembly (Landtag) of the State of Vienna. The Rathaus was designed by Friedrich von Schimdt in the Gothic style, and built between 1872 and 1883. On the top of the tower is the Rathausmann, one of the symbols of Vienna. The park facing the Rathaus is is called the Rathauspark, and every year hosts the Christkindlmarkt. We spent about four hours at the park before catching the tram back into the city.

On the way back to the train station we visited the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera). It’s the first opera house constructed in Vienna and until 1920 was called the Vienna Court Opera. This is one of the most important opera companies in Europe and throughout the world. I was a little disappointed because la Traviata is playing this evening and would have loved to have had the opportunity to see it! (sigh) Still, just visiting the opera house was satisfying in and of itself. We walked around the opera house and just admired the intricate detail; I was snapping pictures left and right. My favorite is a photo of one of the two representations of riders over the main façade of the loggia that were erected in 1876. They were created by Ernst Julius Handel and represent two flying horses, illustrating Harmony and the muse of poetry (Erato). The snow was falling and the lights from the street below made the snowflakes glow and sparkle.

After visiting the opera house we did some shopping. Cindy loves Swarovski crystal and has quite a collection. In the store we found prices cheaper than those for identical items in the U.S. (despite the sagging dollar). We purchased a crystal Christmas tree to commemorate or visit to the Christmas Market and Vienna. We also picked up some Pashminas for Cindy, a beer stein for me and a few other odds-and-ends. Then boarded the tram back to the train station. Famished, we had a nice dinner and a beer in the restaurant before we headed back to Zlí­n.

The view from our balcony at the Penzion Uno…

Zlí­n is a quaint little town and is ideal for a “quiet getaway” vacation. The town is located in the East-central region of the Czech Republic, in Moravia, on the D?evnice River. From 1949 to 1993 it was called Gottwaldov in honor of Klement Gottwald, Czechoslovakia’s first Communist president. It was founded by Thomas Bata, a shoe-maker, in 1913 and is now one of the world’s largest shoe-manufacturing cities. In fact, it’s the center of the Czech shoe industry. Under the Bata family, the city grew into an almost self-sufficient factory community.

This evening we’re walking down to a little pizza place to have dinner with some American friends we’ve met at the Penzion. Tomorrow, we’re heading to Vienna, Austria, and the Christmas Market!

Yesterday we came to Zlín, a small town near the Austrian border. We’re staying in a little bed-and-breakfast called the Penzion Uno. The hotel owner is a very nice Czech lady named Hana and she makes the most wonderful breakfast. This morning we had fresh bread with cheese and butter, granola and milk, and scrambled eggs. We also were served what Hana referred to as a “pancake,” but was really more like a crepe, with butter and jam. We had orange juice and coffee to drink. Incidentally, Hana makes each cup of coffee individually. Delicious!

We’re staying in what Hana refers to as the “Romantic Room.” This room is right off the main floor and has a balcony overlooking the rolling hills of Zlín. The air is clean and brisk. There’s a small grocery store at the bottom of the hill, with a bakery and a food stand. The pastries smell great. We picked up some essentials, like water, bread, cheese…and beer! I love the beer in this country! Every restaurant or pub is serviced by a single distributor, so you simply go in and order “a beer”. I’m also collecting the different beer coasters from each restaurant. Tonight we had dinner in the “Sunflower” Restaurant (I’m not sure if that’s actually the name of the restaurant, but it does have sunflowers in the window). We each had schnitzel, potatoes and, of course, beer…Pilsner Urquell (my favorite!).

We’re going to be in Zlín for most of our stay. We’re planning a side-trip to Vienna for a couple of days and maybe take in an opera at the Wiener Staatsoper.

This morning we slept in and didn’t venture out until after 10 a.m.; it was raining (a drizzle) and chilly. We had breakfast and coffee at Café Boulevard, right on the corner of Wenceslas Square. After breakfast we moved north through the city and discovered a little Holiday Market consisting of little wooden buildings decorated with garland and lights. There were also many food vendors, too many, because we ate…and ate. For the most part we “window” shopped, remembering what we’d seen and where, so we could come back and buy it later. The next stop was the Old Town Square.

In the Old Town Square we found another Holiday Market. It had the same vendors, but was much bigger than the the one we’d just left. Right in the middle of the square is the famous Town Hall Astrological Clock. The clock was built in 1490 by a master clockmaker named Jan Z. Ruže. As legend has it, after he completed his work to ensure the clock wouldn’t be reproduced elsewhere, the city council blinded the clockmaker. The next item on our list was Charles Bridge.

We knew that if we headed east, we’d eventually hit the Vltava (the river that runs through the city) and the Prague bridges. As it turns out, it didn’t take that long. We exited the city in front of the Rudolfinium (also known as Dvorák Hall), which is the home of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. The structure was built in 1884 and in addition to a concert hall is also an art museum. In front of the museum is a statue of the famous Czech composer Antonin Dvorák (we have tickets to one of his operas tomorrow night). I was a little disappointed to see the statue in disrepair and missing some letters. From this location, we could see Charles Bridge in the distance and instead of walking down the street to the entrance to the bridge, we decided to take the long way through the city (across the Ivánes?v bridge standing right before us).

As we crossed the bridge, we admired the Prague Castle stretched across the hillside. It was an impressive sight. We were going to detour from our trek to the Charles Bridge to visit the castle, but got sidetracked along the way and never got up there. On the other side of the bridge there was a wall with playbills from various performances, including one from the Met: Anna Netrebko in Gounod’s Roméo et Juillete. Incidentally, this particular opera will be broadcast in HD to theaters around the world on December 15. Anyway, our next discovery on the way to Charles Bridge was the Church of St. Nicholas. WOW!

This church was absolutely beautiful. The church was built in 1703, with some final touches put on the frescoed nave in 1761. It was designed by father and son architects and is the premier example of the European Baroque period. The dome fresco features in immaculate detail, the Celebration of the Holy Trinity, and towers 230 feet high. We spent a considerable amount of time in the church, simply in awe of the artistry. Cindy lit a candle and sat in the pews and prayed. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the church. Next, we finally cross Charles Bridge.

Charles Bridge is Prague’s most familiar monument and connects the Old Town with the Little Quarter. Although today the bridge is designed for pedestrian crossing, at one time it could take four carriages across. The bridge is lined with statues of various saints, on statue of the Madonna, St Dominic and St Thomas, shows the Madonna with the dominican emblem, a dog. Many people rub the bronze images on the status and they absolutely sparkle. The bridge was filled with street vendors, displaying original artwork and crafts. There were also a couple of performers, including a puppeteer and a “bridge band.” Exiting the bridge, we passed under the Old Town Bridge Tower. This is a magnificent tower built in the late 14th century. It was originally an integral part of the town’s fortifications and contains several sculptures, including St. Vitus, the bridges patron saint.

By this time it’s getting dark and we needed to get back to the Old Town Square to buy tickets for a Carol Concert in one of the churches. First, we stopped in a local pub for a beer and to take the chill off. After the rest, we walked back to the Old Town Square and purchased tickets for the concert. We had about an hour to kill before the show, so we walked around the Christmas Market, which by this time was all lit up. There was also a beautiful tree in the corner near a stage where children were singing carols in Czech. The Church of Our Lady before Týn made a wonderful backdrop. We window shopped and snacked on foods from the vendors in the market until it was time for the concert.

The “Advent’s Gala Organ Concert” at the Salvátor Church was very nice. It was good to get out of the cold. The pews in the church were wooden and were designed to make one sit straight. Still, it wasn’t too uncomfortable. The concert featured the music of Schubert, Gounod, Mozart, Mascagni, Bach, Vivaldi, Dvorák (of course) and Händel. The music was played on the organ, harp and violin, and a local soprano sang the carols. We really enjoyed the performances. After the concert we had a late supper in St. Wenceslas Square and returned to the hotel, tired and happy.

Cindy and I arrived in Prague, Czech Republic, earlier today. We flew first class out of Atlanta on a direct flight. The trip was took about nine hours, including almost an hour on the tarmac waiting in line to take off. The roomy seats and other accommodations in the first class cabin made the trip a very pleasant experience. The air was a bit choppy here and there, but overall the flight was smooth and (reasonably) quiet. We landed about 9 a.m.

On the ground in Prague, our trek through the airport was quick and easy. Customs was a piece of cake and consisted of simply getting our passports stamped, no other paperwork, no declarations, nothing. We exited the airport and hailed a cab. The cabby spoke English and knew exactly where our hotel was located; the drive took about 30-minutes. We’re staying in a very comfortable room at the Radisson, complete with a king-size bed (though a little hard), mini bar and free Wi-Fi in the room. The porter carried our bags to the room and explained the workings of the various switches and dials. He also picked up a couple tourist maps on the way upstairs and gave us a quick lowdown of the places we’d probably like to visit. After unpacking, Cindy and I took a jetlag induced nap.

We woke up from a longer-than-expected nap and headed outside to see some of the city. We’re about 500 feet from Wenceslas Square According to my Eyewitness Travel book on Prague,

“The square has witnessed many key events in recent Czech history. It was here that student Jan Palach burnt himself to death in 1969, and in November 1989 a protest rally in the square against police brutality led to the Velvet Revolution and the overthrow of Communism.”

At the top of the square and overlooking it, is a huge bronze statue of St. Wenceslas atop a horse. Behind him is the National Museum. The square is lined with stores–some pretty fine shopping at that–Marks & Spencer, C&A and Sephora to name a few. There’re a lot of restaurants as well and each one featuring a specific kind of beer–Pilsner Urquell, Budweiser, etc.) We didn’t do much more than window shop because all the smells emanating from the restaurants that lined the square reminded us how hungry we were.

We found an authentic Czech restaurant just down the street from our hotel. This particular restaurant served Pilsner Urquell and it was wonderful to taste this beer fresh from the tap. We shared a shot of Becherovka, a bitter-sweet herbal drink that tastes a lot like Jaegermeister. For dinner, I ordered Schweinbraten and Cindy ordered Beef Goulash. Our dinners were prepared to order and delicious. The bread dumplings were great and the meat was very tender. After dinner, we had some coffee and returned to the hotel. The bill came to less than Kc500 (about $33). We enjoyed a couple drinks in the hotel bar before retiring.