Dresden and Brussels

After Prague, the last two cities we visited before our Christmas reunion in London seemed a bit dull.  But they were full of interesting nooks and crannies, delightful spaces and new experiences.  We arrived in Dresden Sunday afternoon but it was getting dark already by 3pm.  We walked around enjoying the Christmas lights and tried to orientate ourselves in the dark.  The next day was Monday and all the museums were closed.  We were intrigued by the Museum of Hygiene but sadly couldn’t explore it further.  So we spent the day walking around the Elbe River side and taking in the sights.

Dresden was totally destroyed in the fire-bombing of WWII but a few of the great buildings were restored.

The Opera House

Government building across the Elbe River

History of Saxony on the side of the building

Christmas markets

Restored Town Square

We got up early on Tuesday morning to catch an all day train to Brussels.  Train travel in Europe is fantastic.  The train stations are like airport terminals; huge complexes with up-market shops.  The trains themselves are incredible.  They zoom along smooth as silk at 200-300 km/hr.  It is a wonderful way to travel.

We arrived at Brussels after dark and our first impressions were of a rather unsettling mix of glass, steel and concrete buildings of no particular aesthetic.  We dropped off our bags at our hotel which was tucked into a cobblestone side street and went in search of a place for dinner.  The prices were quite high so we opted for Vietnamese – not particularly Belgian but the whole area around our hotel was filled with Vietnamese restaurants.  Anyway Pho was perfect for a cold night.

We then wandered over towards the nearby Bourse (Stock Exchange) and the Christmas markets.  This was so different from the markets in Eastern Europe.  This Brussels market was more like tin can alley.  The wares were not particularly Christmasy and the food and drink stalls were mainly filled with young people over imbibing and being a bit roudy.

The Bourse in daytime

The next day we needed to do some more Christmas shopping and discovered some lovely shopping arcades and of course Belgian chocolates.

Shopping Arcade

We continued walking around the city enjoying the Flemish influenced architecture.

Lover the facades of Flemish buildings

We happened upon an interesting art deco building and discovered it housed the Museum of Musical Instruments.  As it was starting to rain so we thought why not and entered into one of the nicest museums.  The multi-story building was filled with all manner of musical instruments.  We were provided with an audio guide that played beautiful musical pieces using the various instruments.  There were folk instruments from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia, including a complete Gamelong orchestra with wayang puppets.

Gamelong Orchestra

The second floor contained historical renaissance and classical instruments from the Western tradition.  I was particularly intrigued by the Geigenwerk.  This instrument from 1625 looked like a harpsichord but was able to produce long sustained notes.  Instead of plucking or hitting the strings with a hammer, the Geigenwerk produced its sound by bowing the strings with parchment covered wheels.  So one person would one person would need to be at the front of the instrument turning a wheel like an organ grinder while the musician played the tune at the keyboard.  The Geigenwerk on display was the last remaining instrument of this kind in the world.

Geigenwerk

There was also every manner of horn in all shapes and sizes.  I didn’t realise that Aldophe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone, was a Belgian and produced what seemed like hundreds of different types of horns.  The serpent horn was another fascinating instrument.  There was even a chandelier made out of them.

Snake horn

That night the Grand Place was beautiful with Christmas lights.

Grand Place Christmas lights

From the other side of the square

Brussels turned out much better than our initial impressions and we could have spent some more time there exploring.

I Love Prague

I think Prague has become my new favourite city.  It has a vitality, beauty, intelligence and funkiness that just captured me.  Prague is one of the few cities that was not badly damaged in WWII or subsequent revolutions (The Velvet Revolution).  As a consequence, Prague is brimming with Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance buildings.  Just walking the cobblestone streets is a delight.

The Czechs have a sense of humour

Some of the beautiful architecture

View from on high

As in all the cities we visited so far, the Christmas lights were brilliant.

Christmas Lights

Around the corner from our hotel was the Pink Floyd Pub.  The walls were lined with memorabilia from the band. We stopped there one evening for a relaxing drink and it could have easily become our local.

Our local

We climbed the 300 steps to the top of the bell tower of St Vitus Cathedral.  It is a magnificent Gothic building.  It was 12 noon and the bell ringers started as we were walking down the narrow spiral staircase – Magic.

 

 

 

A Skiffle band was playing on the famous Charles Bridge.  They played our request of ‘Stranger on the Shore’ and I got quite emotional.  Afterwards they insisted I have a photo with them.  I suppose they don’t often get an audience tearing up in front of them.

 

We attended a fantastic concert at St Nicholas’s Church.  The orchestra and choir performed Handel’s Messiah and Xeras, Franck and Czech composers and Christmas carols.  The venue was brilliant with frescos, crystal chandeliers and gold trim.  Wonderful!

Concert venue

We came across some very unusual museums.  Prague seems to have something for everyone - Torture, beer, kinky sex and film special effects.

Unusual museums - liked the idea of a beer museum

The streets were lined with lovely patisseries, pubs, cafes and restaurants.  The prices were good, the quality better.  The young people were full of joie de vie. There is culture and intelligence. The whole city is eye candy.  I love Prague.

Vienna

We enjoyed Vienna but in our short visit really couldn’t give it the time it deserved.  Vienna has its share of stunning buildings, perhaps not as ubiquitous as Budapest but still fantastic.

 

We arrived just as it was getting dark so had a quick look around.  The metro system was very easy and efficient.  It got us anywhere we wanted to go within minutes.  We bought a 48 hour pass and validated it in a ticket machine the first time we used it, as instructed, but from then on never had to show the pass.  There were no barriers at any of the stations so one could just hop on any subway or tram and we never saw anyone checking for tickets.  Apparently Vienna has an honour system and people do buy tickets and pay for their fare.  I suspect if such an honour system was used in Australia, no one would pay.

The next day was sunny – the first time we saw the sun in a week.  We decided to take the metro out to Schönbrunn Palace (Schloss).  The outside of the palace was huge but seemed fairly understated.  This was made up by the ornate interior.  Sadly we were not allowed to take any pictures of the inside rooms.  The grounds were lovely and it was a perfect winter’s day to walk around.

Schönbrunn Palace

 

Neptune Fountain

 

 We then went across town to the big Ferris wheel (Riesenrad) featured in The Third Man.  The Prater area was first set aside as a park for the people by Emperor Joseph II in 1766 and since has become a large amusement park.  We took a ride on the Ferris wheel and the views of the city were fantastic.  However the wooden cars on the Riesenrad were in sore need of a lick of paint and some repair work. 

Riesenrad

We went back across the river to the Old Town and the Am Hof area, did a bit of shopping in a Harrod’s Food court type of market and came across the Anchor Clock.  This Art Nouveau design clock was built between 1911 and 1917.  Every hour different historical figures move across the face.

Anchor Clock

It was 4pm so already dark and the Christmas lights were all aglow.  We came upon the beautiful Town Hall with the Christmas park in front of it.  The deciduous trees were decorated with different motif light themes – violins, snowmen, cupcakes – quite delightful.  Inside the Town Hall were stalls for children’s activities – one for making cutout Christmas cookies, another for painting candle holders, another for etching wooden boxes.  It was a wonderful community activity for the children.

 

 

 

 

Bye Vienna – a short but delightful visit.

Budapest – Just WOW

We had a fantastic visit to Budapest courtesy of our (Australian, English, Hungarian, Marmaris) friends Jenny and Peter.  Budapest is a city made for rubbernecking.  It is an architect’s heaven.  Walking down the street, glancing up and one is stopped in ones tracks gobsmacked at another amazing neo-Renaissance building of such ornate detail.  The whole city was an open air museum exhibit.

A bit OTT but stunning

Facade of an old church

 

 

The roof of this church was lovely

The interior of the public buildings were even more spectacular than the exteriors.  The Széchenyi public baths and the Opera House were just a few of my favourites.

The ceiling of the baths

Exquisite

Looking up at the Opera House

Doorway of the Opera House

The stalls

Budapest is full of big brass and stone statues and monuments.  Bob wondered what ever happened to the artisans because in the 1800’s there must have been thousands employed. 

These were big - WWI exhibit

Even the mustaches are big in Hungary

 

The Hungarian cuisine is a cardiologist’s nightmare but oh so tasty.  There are cake shops everywhere and although I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, the apple strudel and cinnamon chimney cakes were divine.  There were sausages of every shape and size – some arranged rather rudely.  We won’t go there.....I also wasn’t going near the Rooster Testicle Soup.  Yes, they do sell this ingredient in the market.  Huge piles looking like a mountain of pink cocktail sausages.  Langos was another delicacy that we didn’t try but looked very decadent.

Chimney cakes cooking

Langos

Sausages

The weather was grey, cold and wintry – a Northern Hemisphere winter I have not experienced in 30 years.  I found the weather evoked memories of my childhood.  At the ice skating rink I was taken back to the winter afternoons skating on the creek and Jave’s pond.  Looking out the train window reminded me of the New Jersey countryside in winter.  However I am very glad experiencing the gray skies and near freezing temperatures is only a transient event nowadays.

 

 

The gray winter skies turned totally dark by 4 in the afternoon but the Christmas lights made everything sparkle.  The cold and dark didn’t matter when you walked down the festive streets.

 

 

 We had a wonderful visit Peter and Jenny.  Thank you.  Budapest is just.... WOW!