Optics and Exposure

This statue, at the Hofburg Palace, is an engineering feat. The horse is supported on only two points of contact (instead of the three typically required)

The train ride from Prague to Vienna was an easy, although 5-hour long, trek. We arrived in the late afternoon and were greeted at the train station by my uncle Andrew. He took us, via U-bahn (subway) back to his apartment. Upon arrival at the apartment we noticed a booming baritone coming from one of the rooms. His wife, Uta, was in the midst of a lesson with one of her students. This provided a pleasant background to our conversation, and a fitting entrance to Vienna. Our first evening was quiet. We ate a candlelit dinner, caught up with Andy and Uta, and planned out the rest of our week. They took us on a quick orientation walk, so that we could find our way around when we left the apartment, and then we went to bed.
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Old Town Square Panorama

I’m afraid there isn’t much to tell about today.  I’ll start off this post with a photo from yesterday that didn’t make it up.  This panoramic shot is of Old Town Square.  At the left edge, just right of the garden, is the famous baroque St. Nicholas Church.  For a very boring account of my day (which ended at a brewery), read on…

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Hotel da Vinci

So, it seems my photo blog has become just a travel photo blog. But, no matter, that’s the only time I’ve got something interesting to say. Today I arrived in Prague for the start of my first European trip, two weeks split between here and Vienna. Boy, am I excited. I may be in Prague to attend the 2011 ICASSP conference, but that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy my spare time while I’m here. Best part of the trip, though, is that Lauren is making her way out here towards the end of the conference, and we’re heading up to Vienna to spend a week with my uncle Andy and his wife, Uta.

But, enough about what’s coming up, back to today.    After flying to Sydney twice and Taiwan once in the past three years, my first trans-atlantic flight was a walk in the park (despite the additional 3 hours laid over in Paris). I landed in Prague at 1pm local time and quickly showered. I got a room in a boutique hotel about 4 blocks south of Wenceslas Square. The reviews were pretty positive for this hotel, but I’m more impressed than I expected. It’s not a 5-star hotel, but it’s really good for the 55 euros a night I’m paying. Continue reading