Trip Overview

This summer Bev and I and Laura and Rachel are going to accompany the IPC Choir on a trip to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria.  We leave on Saturday, June 25th, and will return to Birmingham on July 6th.  Our first five nights will be spent in Prague with days spent touring the various sites of the city -- Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, St. Nicholas Church, Charles Bridge, Old-New Synagoge, Old Jewish Cemetery, Monastery of Kladruby, and Pilsen.  On Friday, July 1st, we leave Prague for Bratislava where we will stay for 3 nights with visits to Bratislava Castle, Mikulov Castle, Lednice Castle, and Valtice Castle.  Our trip ends in Vienna where we are staying 2 nights with free time during the days to explore Vienna on our own.  Needless to say, we are excited about seeing an area of Europe we have not previously visited, except for Vienna, and look forward to a great time.  Along the way, we will be posting our activities on this blog.

June 25, 2011: Departure for Prague

This morning at 9:45 am Emily took all of us to our respective beginning points for our trip to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria.  Laura was dropped off first at the airport to check-in for her round trip flight to Vienna.  Then she dropped off the rest of us at IPC for our bus trip to Atlanta to meet our flight to Prague.  We left IPC at 11:20 am and arrived at the Atlanta Airport North Terminal at 3:00 pm to check-in with Lufthansa for our 6:05 pm flight to Frankfurt, Germany to get a connecting flight to Prague.  At 5:35 pm, we boarded our flight (a 2-4-2 seating configuration) and departed at 6:15 pm for the 9 hour flight to Frankfurt.  We were served to in-flight meals – dinner and breakfast – and had plenty of time to watch movies or just sleep, which I did for most of the flight between dinner and breakfast.

June 26, 2011: Arrival in Prague

We touched down at Frankfurt, Germany at 9:00 am local time, passed through passport control, and preceded to our gate for the 11:45 am departure to Prague.  The flight left on time and included a potato salad/meat/egg snack for the 1 hour flight, which landed on time at 12:45 pm.  All of our flights were great and on time.  Our guide, Theona, from Corporate Travel Services met us and provided general information about our tour.   We had a brief wait for our luggage and everyone gathered for our transportation to the Hotel Astoria in old town Prague. 

After checking into the hotel, we met Theona at 3:45 pm for a short orientation walking tour of the area, which took us to Old Town Square and Charles Bridge.  Old Town Square was filled with people, entertainers, and food stalls with a fun-filled festive atmosphere for a Sunday afternoon.  The gothic Týn Cathedral and baroque St. Nicholas church are located at Old Town Square as well as the Jan Hus bronze statue, the astronomical clock, and a baroque style building.  This is a very large, open square.  We then walked a short distance to the Gothic bridge tower for Charles Bridge, which is one of 20 bridges that span the Moldau in Prague.  From the bridge there are very good views of the Prague Castle and the River Moldau.   The bridge contains 16 arches with 30 baroque-style statues/statuaries of saints and patron saints that were added around 1700.  Construction of the bridge was started in 1357 by Charles IV and completed in the early 15^th century with several renovations occurring since that time.  One of the more famous statues is of St. John of Nepomuk, who as a priest to King Wenceslaus’ wife was thrown from the bridge and drown by King Wenceslas  when he refused to divulge the substance of the wife’s confessions. 

At 6:45 pm we gathered for our group dinner, which occurred on the lower level of the municipal building in the restaurant Pilsen and consisted of a traditional Czech dinner – herb mushroom soup, goulash with dumplings, and crepes with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream.  All of the food was very good and we had a super time. 

Old Town Square

Astronomical Clock

Roasting Pork

View Toward Tyn Cathedral and Old Town Square

On Charles Bridge

Moldau River

Dinner at Pilsen

June 27, 2011: Walking Tour of Prague Castle

We began the day with a rather large, excellent breakfast buffet that consisted of several types of eggs, sausages, bacon, cereals, fruit, cheeses, meats, vegetables, fruit juices, and coffee.  There was plenty to provide sufficient fuel for the day with no need for lunch.  At 8:45, we gathered to board the bus and begin our morning tour.  We had to walk out of the old town area to the bus, because the streets are not wide enough in the old town to accommodate a bus.  Our drive to the Prague Castle complex took us along the Moldau River to the castle complex.  The castle area sets on one of the nine hills on which Prague is built and its history dates back to approximately 870 CE when a walled fortress and the church of Our Lady were built.  In the 10^th century, the Basilica of Saint George and the Basilica of St. Vitus were begun.  A Romanesque palace was constructed in the 12^th century and then Charles IV rebuilt it in the Gothic style in the 14^th century.  Under Charles IV the cathedral of St. Vitus was begun as a huge Gothic church, which took over six centuries to complete.  The complex of buildings represents about every architectural style of the last thousand years.  The last major rebuilding of the castle occurred under the reign of Queen Maria Theresa in the second half of the 18^th century.  Since 1918, it has been the seat of government, first for the Czechoslovak Republic and now the Czech Republic.   

We proceeded to the main courtyard and then to the cobblestone terrace overlooking the city with great views of the many churches and Charles Bridge.  The changing of the guard occurred and we then walked toward the cathedral of St. Vitus for a tour through the massive gothic structure.  The stained glass in the newest, neo-Gothic portion of the cathedral are from the 1920’s and consisted of one art nouveau style and the others looking like mosaics, but of transparent brightly colored glass.  The oldest portion, Romanesque St. Wenceslas chapel, is incorporated into the overall structure and is the place where the kings were crowned.  Leaving St. Vitus, we walked through the Old Royal Palace and then to the very large Vladislav Hall from which there were excellent views of the city from the balcony.  From here we went to the Golden Lane where original were the soldier barracks and then these were converted into small cottages in which artisans lived and worked.  Exiting the Golden Lane we walked downhill to the bus, which took us back to the hotel area.  We had a couple of hours free time, before joining the group after their concert at St. Nicholas for a walking tour of old town.

At 3:15 pm we joined the choir members on the town square for a walking tour.  In addition to seeing the astronomical clock and Charles Bridge, we walked down to the river bank for excellent views of Charles Bridge from the upriver side.  From here you can see the log structures that protect the bridge from ice flows.  Our walk continued through old town to the house where Mozart stayed and wrote Don Giovanni and then to the Estate Theatre where he conducted the premier of this opera.  Then we walked back to our hotel; arriving around 5:30 PM.

After a short rest, we met Laura and Rachel for dinner and then more walking with them in old town to areas they had not seen.  This included the town square and Charles Bridge and great views of the city at dusk.  We were so fortunate with the weather throughout the day which provided us with mild temperatures and a cloudless sky.

Riding along the Moldau

On the Prague Castle Grounds

View of Prague from Castle Terrace

IPC Group in front of Archbishop Residence

View of Prague and Charles Bridge

St. Vitus Cathedral Facade

St. Vitus Nave

Mosaic Stained Glass Window, 1920's

Art Nouveau Stained Glass Window, 1920's

Golden Lane

Leaving Castle Area

Jan Hus Statue (Old Town Square)

Golden Well House Facade

Charls Bridge Toward Old Town Tower

On Charles Bridge

View of Charles Bridge with Ice Guards

Along the Moldau

Along the Moldau

Laura and Rachel overlooking the Moldau

June 28, 2011: Walking Tour of Jewish Area

After a large breakfast, we gathered for a morning walking tour and another day of outstanding weather.  Leaving at 9:00 AM, we walked toward Wenceslas Square, which was the sight of numerous demonstrations in the latter 60’s and 80’s that lead to the Velvet Revolution.  At the head of Wenceslas Square, which extends three blocks is the large National Museum.   Along the way, we saw a number of historic buildings with mosaics depicting scenes in the life of Prague. 

Our main tours of the day focused on the old Jewish Quarter and involved the many sites comprising the Jewish Museum in Prague.  Because no photography is permited in any of synagogues or Jewish Museums, the number of photos today is limited.

The first stop was the Maisel Synagogue, which was a family synagogue of Mordechai Maisel dating from 1590.  It serves as an exhibition space for the history of Jews in Bohemia and Moravia from the 10^th century to the end of the 18^th century.  Next we visited the Pinkas Synagogue, which now serves as a memorial to the Jews from Bohemia and Moravia who were murdered by the Nazis.  The names, personal data, and villages of Jews of Bohemia and Moravia who were murdered are inscribed on the walls.  The Communist regime removed the names in the latter 60’s, but these 80,000 names were rewritten in 1992-96.  This museum also contains over 4,000 original drawings from children housed in the Terezin concentration camp from 1942-1944.  Of the over 10,000 children imprisoned, only 242 survived.  Next we visited the Old Jewish Cemetery, which was established in the early part of the 15^th century and closed for burials in 1787.  The oldest tombstone marks the grave of Avigdor Kara a poet and scholar.  The cemetery contains approximately 12,000 tombstones, although more people than that are buried here.  There are multiple burial layers in the cemetery and tombstones from the lower layers were moved to the upper areas as the cemetery of expanded by the addition of dirt. 

Next we visited the Klausen Synagogue at the exit of the Old Jewish Cemetery.  Built in 1694 it was the largest synagogue in the ghetto and served as Prague’s Burial Society.  It now houses a permanent exhibition on Jewish Customs and Traditions.  Leaving the Klausen Synagogue, we walked past the Old-New Synagogue and the old town hall, which contains an old clock with Hebrew numbers that runs counterclockwise.  Our last site on the tour was the Spanish Synagogue built in 1868 in a Moorish style.  The interior is highly decorated and gorgeous with every square inch painted and gilded.  It also contains an organ, which is unusual for a synagogue, which was played by Frantisek Skroup who composed the Czech national anthem.  The building now houses the second half of the exhibition in the Maisel Synagogue and focuses on the Czech Jewish community from the time of the emancipation through post World War II decades. 

Wenceslas Square toward National Museum

Old Entrance with Address

At Maisel Synagogue

Mordechai Maisel's Tomb (center of photo)

Old Jewish Cemetery Tombstones

Jewish Quarter Town Hall

Old Clock with Hebrew Numbers

June 29, 2011: Trip to Kladruby Monastery and Pelzen

After breakfast, we walked to the bus and started our travel to the Pelzen region of the Czech Republic.  Our first stop was at the Benedictine monastery at Kladruby.  This monastery dates from the 1200’sand contains one of Central Europe’s largest Romanesque basilicas with Gothic highlights.  The original Romanesque church was consecrated in King Wenceslas I’s presence in 1233.  The Thirty Year’s War resulted in conquering and plundering the monastery and the nearby township by both the warring parties.  The monastery became a place of pilgrimage in 1658. By the late 17^th century and into the first half of the 18^th century witnessed the genuine heyday of Kladruby.  In 1712 the monastery commenced the far-reaching remodelling of its dome. Supervised by the distinguished Baroque master-builder, Johann Blasius Santini – Aichel, the remodelling was completed in 1726, bringing about the culmination of the Czech Baroque Gothic style, primarily represented by Santini.

One of the largest ecclesiastical structures throughout Bohemia, Our Lady’s church at Kladruby was completed and consecrated in 1726. After that, work continued by erecting the new convent and the prelate’s new residence. The design was allegedly made by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. By 1739, north and south wings had been completed, with the monks being ushered into the new convent. The construction works, as a whole, were completed before 1770. The Benedictine convent at Kladruby was eventually dissolved by Emperor Joseph II in 1785, two years after the death of Amand Streer who had no successor. The monastery’s movables were sold up by auction and the monks dispersed.  In 1825, Kladruby Monastery (along with the surrounding lands and 23 villages) was bought by Field Marshal Prince Alfred Windischgrätz.  The lords of Windischgrätz paid little attention to Kladruby. In 1864 they established a brewery inside the original convent, with Our Lady’s church left to its fate. The situation did not change until 1918, when the Windischgrätz family lost its Tachov domain due to the land reform. Moreover, the main family line died out and the estates had to be divided. The new owner, Aladar Windischgrätz moved to Kladruby along with his great library and family archives. The Windischgrätz family possessed the Kladruby domain until the 1945 confiscation executed in compliance with the presidential decree. The property was administered by the Czech Ministry of Agriculture and the National Land Office and served as the housing headquarters of a state farm.  Only recently has it been undergoing renovations. 

Out visit took us through the cathedral and some of the renovated rooms in the monastery.  The nave of the cathedral is spectacular due to placement of the windows that permit natural light to illuminate the pastel colors of the interior and the baroque decorations

After leaving Kladbury, we drove to Pelzen and had lunch at the brewery restaurant.  Before taking the tour of the Pelzen brewery, we walked into the main part of the town and visited the town square, which contained the St. Bartholomew cathedral and was surrounded by numerous Renaissance buildings.  The cathedral contained a very narrow and tall nave in Gothic style, which you could see from the main door, but not enter.

Those going on the brewery tour walked back to the brewery for our scheduled tour at 3:30 pm.  The tour was very extensive and took approximately 90 minutes to visit the bottling, brewing, and storing areas.  The brewery contains 9 km of underground cellars carved out of rock and at a temperature of about 5^oC.  At the end, one of the largest casks was tapped and we were given unfiltered lager to drink. 

Returning to Prague, we walked back to the Irish pub for a relaxing dinner on the terrace.

Kladruby Monastery

Organ in church

Nave of church

Lapidarium in the Monastery

Buildings on Pelzen Town Square

Buildin on Pelzen Town Square

Cathedral of St. Bartholomew

Nave of Cathedral

Mosaic in Narthex

Renaissance Building

Mary Column in Town Square

Renaissance Facade

June 30, 2011: Walking in Prague

Today was a free day in Prague and Beverley and Laura took the trip to Teresin, which was a holding stating for the World War II Nazi concentration camps.  I decided to spend a portion of the day walking in Prague and seeing the area across the Moldau from the old city.  This involved walking across Charles Bridge to the Lesser City, which is below the Prague Castle complex.  As I crossed the review, I continued toward St. Nicholas church, took a left and then an immediate right to begin the assent toward Strahov Monastery, which is a working and active monastery.  The climb took me through varied neighborhoods along cobble narrow stone streets and stucco covered homes.  After walking uphill for about 30 minutes, the road came to an end and a walking/biking path veered to the right with the Strahov monastery at the crest of the hill ahead.  It was gleaming white with the red clay tile roofs and patina colored spires.  At this point, I had a great view of the castle complex and Prague.  The monastery was closed for the noontime, but I could peak into the Baroque church.  The monastery grounds were very pretty.

From here, I walked toward Loreto church, which is also baroque in style.  Although closed for lunchtime, I waited about 30 minutes for it to open.  The grounds contain a “replica” of Mary’s home, which is decorated with frescos and lavishly finished in huge amounts of silver.  They also contain numerous chapels that are very ornately decorated in Baroque style and dedicated to various saints.  A reading of the inscriptions for each chapel is most interesting.  The main church is also lavishly decorated in Baroque style.  The Treasury contained articles that were extremely ornate and highly decorated in silver, gold, diamonds, pearls, and other precious stones.  As Jeff said, you can really begin to understand the Reformation.

I then walked toward the castle grounds, which were almost deserted and proceeded to walk down the numerous stairs into the Lesser City, past St. Nicholas church, across Charles Bridge and toward the hotel.  The weather was cooler today and very nice for walking, but much colder weather was on the way.  By 5 PM, the temperature dropped about 20 degrees and the skies became heavily overcast. 

View of Castle Complex

View of Prague from Monastery

Monastery Church Nave

Strahov Monastery

Loreto Church

Map of Area Covere Today

Street in Castle Area

Renaissane Building Facade

Steps from Castle Area to Lesser Town

Signage for a Pub