Wednesday- Austria; Salzburg
We only had one night in Austria however we somehow managed to pack in a huge amount of tourist activities. We began with a walking tour lead by our tour leader around the sights. We then were free to explore the tiny town of Salzburg were we climbed the many many stairs to the castle. We saw the view and an exhibition which included a full body armour exhibition and some medieval torture devices (including a real chastity belt!!!)
After then walked around and around trying to find the boys schnitzels, which we did find eventually… after the Mozart exhibition had closed… thankfully we did still go and see his birth house and where he lived before walking slowly back to the hostel for our basic dinner, some card games with the group and then bed.
Thursday- Czech Prague
Today we left for the Czech Republic but first we stopped at --- an Austrian concentration camp. There is no words I can use to describe the intense emotions we all felt being in such a place so I won’t even try.
We arrived at Prague and went on a night walking tour of the city. The quirky bohemian style amongst the gothic architecture had an awesome feeling about it and I quickly decided that Prague was rivalling my second favourite city behind Venice (obviously Paris is my favourite). We walked past my future house (some kind of castle) then through the Jewish quarter where they have one of the oldest and most packed graveyards. The last person to be buried there was in the 18th century and in some spots people are buried 10 deep! They say the area and the synagogue next to it is haunted by ghosts and a ‘Gollum’ creature. I wanted to return at midnight… but Alex was too scared!
After the walking tour we had dinner in a very “sausage and a beer” stype if restaurant. I had potatoes with cheese… no it was more like cheese with potatoes… but there was wine so I was happy. We also god a show with dinner, however the show was given by the Eastern European buck’s party sitting at the table opposite us.
Feeling enchanted in the old city of Prague we decided to continue our cultural experience with a club or two. The first was a deserted communist themed bar where we had cheap cocktails followed by an underground bar where I made the unfortunate decision to shot absinthe. It was hard to resist the spectacle of the bar tender melting the sugar cube on a spoon over the shot with a naked flame… but I think once will be enough. From there we progressed to the 5 storey nightclub and I found heaven on the fourth floor in the form of a retro/ rock and roll dance room equipped with multi-coloured, light up tiled floor. We danced at the club until 5 am before deciding that perhaps bed was a good idea… After hotdogs for the boys of course!
The next morning (or a few hours later) I was keen to get into the city so I pulled myself out of bed and into the shower. I swaying slightly I whispered to the occupants of the room “ quick get up we have to go and see Prague!” Michelle stirred and said “Margaux, don’t you think it is a little early?” I looked at my watch, realised it was 6am (I had only been asleep for an hour), agreed that, yes it probably was a little too early, and went back to bed.
The day started again at 10 am for a quick breakfast and then a dash into the city with Alex, Ian and Michelle. We visited the castle and saw the changing of the guards and climbed the bell tower which was much more steep and claustrophobic than we anticipated. We did get a spectacular view of the city and some beautiful photos of the gothic architecture on the surrounding buildings. (After my visit to Notre Dame I seem to have developed a fascination with gargoyles.) We stopped for a quick lunch and managed to just creep in to the old Jewish cemetery before it closed at dusk. We found a restaurant tucked away in one of the streets and, delighted by the atmosphere, we ate ourselves a 4000 Kronor bill!! Definitely worth it!
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