The 4 of us at Heuriger

Our last day in Vienna was a nice one.  Lauren and I started the morning with a marathon museum session, Lauren and I hit the three museums we wanted to visit from the start: the Schatzkammer (State Treasury) at the Hofburg Palace, the Kunsthistoriche Museum (the Museum of Fine Art), and the Haus der Muzik (Music House), an interactive museum of musical history and interactive exhibits.  After a restful afternoon recovering from the museums, Lauren and I went to a Heuriger (something like a traditional Austrian vineyard-restaurant) with Andy and Uta.  All in all, a wonderful end to our Austrian vacation.

The Schatzkammer was very interesting, and thankfully short.  We spent an hour looking at the massive array of coronation and ceremonial robes for the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (seated in Vienna), and for various knights and officials in his court.  The jewels were quite amazing as well.  In the gallery below is the crown of the emperor.  It was made following the death of Charlemagne (who established the Holy Roman Empire) and is full of imagery intended to validate the legitimacy of that empire.  The 8-sides of the crown represent the 8 gates of the celestial Jerusalem.  The cross (obviously) is a reference to the Christian church, which the Holy Roman Emperor claimed to lead in a celestial sense.  There are 12 stones on the face on the crown, which allude to the 12 tribes of Israel, as well as the 12 apostles.  The plume across the top is a a reference to the Roman empire, it is meant to look like the plume on a Centurions helmet.

After our brief trip to the Schatzkammer, we walked across the street to the Kunsthistoriches, the fine art museum.  Although we did not have the time or stamina to see the entire museum, we did manage to make it through two wings before we succumbed to art overload.  We stopped at the 1516 Brewing Company for lunch (I was really hankering for their black & tan), and then headed to the Haus der Muzik for a quick tour.  The house was pretty interesting, and contained a lot of interactive exhibits (including some really weird ones) on the theories of sound and music, as well as a lot of historical information on the great composers of Vienna…Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn.  It was pretty cool.

After our whirlwind museum day, Lauren and I needed a quiet afternoon to rest and start packing our bags.  After Andy and Uta finished work, we all went to a Heuriger for dinner.  On the face of it, heurigers are much like restaurants, although they arise from the practice of vineyard’s opening their doors for the public to purchase glasses of the most recent vintage.  Eventually, people began packing picnics to enjoy while they sampled the wine.  Heurigers started staffing a buffet to provide food for the customers who didn’t bring their own, and eventually people stopped packing lunches.  It’s a charming idea, and seems something like eating dinner at a brewery tap room, although the gardens are a much more picturesque environment than a tap room.

This was how we ended our trip, and I’d call that a great cap.  It was a shame we had to leave, but life must go on.

~

Copy of the Order of Benedict

On Thursday, Andy and Uta had the day off for a public holiday in Austria, so they took us on an expedition to Stift Melk, a Benedictine monastery in the town of Melk, a one-hour train ride west of Vienna. The monastery was founded in 1089, and rebuilt in 1702 under a “Stift” which recently translates to “bequeath.” Emperors would donate the money to build a stift when they felt guilty about something they’ve done.

The baroque monastery was quite a sight, very old and grande, with a quaint town that sprung up at its base. I think my favorite find was a copy of the Rule of St. Benedict. The monastery belongs to the Benedictine Order, and at least one copy of the Rule of St. Benedict (the guideline for how the community was to live) has survived from its inception in 1076. There’s a photo in the gallery below. We stuck around for lunch at one of the cafe’s, and then boarded our train back to Vienna for a quiet evening at the apartment.

Make sure to stop and smell the roses.

This morning we took the train out to Schloss Schonbrunn (Schonbrunn Palace), where the Emperor spent his summers. It was originally built as a hunting grounds before becoming a complete summer palace. We spent pretty much the entire morning and early afternoon touring the inner halls and rooms, and walking the gardens. We were quite impressed with the well trimmed trees lining all of the paths. These trees were three stories tall, but the edges facing the paths were trimmed to a perfect vertical. We were lucky enough to see the ancient trimming rig still in use (a wooden structure that follows a string along the ground, and uses a plum bob to guide the workers).

Panoramic shot of the Schonbrunn Palace

After we’d had our fill of Schonbrunn, we took the U-bahn back towards town to the Naschmarkt, an outdoor market built on top of a section of a canal. We stopped for some coffee at a nearby cafe while waiting for Andy to join us. Andy was our capable guide to the Naschmarkt. He helped us pick out the ingredients we needed for the dinner that Lauren and I had planned (a thank you to our hosts). A hidden gem along the Naschmarkt is a woman named Helena.

Lauren and I with the amazing Helena, owner of a storefront near the Naschmarkt.

Upon learning that some impending repairs would force her to close her booth for a few years, Helena decided to buy a storefront nearby to sell her produce. This woman is quite a wonder. Despite running her farm, she manages to drive an hour (each way) into Vienna to open her store at 9:00 every day. She’s done so well at that location that many of her colleagues have asked her to feature their products (wines, fruit brandys, dried pasta, everything you can imagine). With all this, I’d expect the woman to be exhausted at the market, but she was quite the opposite. Buzzing from corner to corner, she was giving us samples of some of their wines while rushing to help other customers in between sips. Lauren and I were so impressed, that we had to get a photo with her.

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.

Our first full day was a long one. We left the apartment early and took the U-bahn to the Hofburg Palace. We walked the grounds for quite a while, exploring the Augustinian Church (which contains a rather moving plaster memorial commemorating the death of Maria Christina). From there, we walked around the area of Vienna near the palace until we found the crypt where the former emperors were laid in state. Then, we continued towards St. Stephan’s Cathedral, the seat of the diocese of Vienna. The magnificent cathedral was built in several stages, and had to be repaired after a fire during World War II burned the roof and blew out all of the stained glass. While the roof was fully repaired, the stained glass was replaced with single-color windows (a few red, a few orange, a few blue, etc). This replacement gives the church an oddly iridescent feel, and reminds one of an aquarium.

We continued to tour the downtown area for several hours, and managed to find a beer garden, before making our way to the Opera House to check out the schedule of events (we plan to see a show on Friday). We then walked across the ring road and headed towards the sprawling Belvedere Palace, given by the Empress Maria Theresa to Prince Eugene of Savoy, after he defeated the Turkish Army in 1697. By the time we finished touring the gardens, we were thoroughly exhausted. So we headed to a micro-brewery called 1516 Brewing Company for dinner, and then took the U-bahn back to Andy’s apartment. We arrived exhausted and ready for another day in Vienna.

~

I did not even know albino peacocks existed.

It was tough to leave Prague, but we have a wonderful city (and some family) waiting in Vienna.

~
]]> http://blog.odonoughue.org/2011/05/last-day-in-prague.html/feed 1 http://blog.odonoughue.org/2011/05/walking-and-walking.html http://blog.odonoughue.org/2011/05/walking-and-walking.html#comments Sun, 29 May 2011 06:40:03 +0000 Nicholas O'Donoughue http://blog.odonoughue.org/?p=2369

We started the morning right, with some cafe'

On our way through the gardens, we crossed the former Stalin Monument (now a giant metronome to remind us that for every world power, there is an end) before getting to the main attraction: the beer garden. It was still early, so there wasn’t a crowd, but it was nice to enjoy some pivo (Czeck for beer) while looking out over the city of Prague from up high on the ridge. After a round, we walked east to one of Josephine’s favorite memories: Bohemia Bagel. It is an American style restaurant and pub serving up bagels, burgers, and other delicious food throughout the day. While not the best American food I’ve had, it was a fun treat.

Following Bohemia Bagel, we walked back to the Vltava River, and strolled along its southern bank back to the Charles Bridge. We sat there for about an hour to soak in the river and the view of St. Vitus Cathedral before walking back towards the hotels. By the time we got back, we were exhausted and hungry, the perfect recipe for a late dinner at a Mexican restaurant: Banditos. We ordered a round of pivo, followed by a large salad for Josephine. Lauren tried to order absinthe, but the bar was all out. So we took a second round of beer, and then headed back to the hotels to get some much needed rest. Lauren and I have another day in Prague, but Josephine leaves for Amsterdam first thing in the morning.

~
]]> http://blog.odonoughue.org/2011/05/walking-and-walking.html/feed 0 http://blog.odonoughue.org/2011/05/lauren-and-josephine.html http://blog.odonoughue.org/2011/05/lauren-and-josephine.html#comments Sat, 28 May 2011 06:40:38 +0000 Nicholas O'Donoughue http://blog.odonoughue.org/?p=2361

Smiling after dinner

I met up with the girls at the Municipal Building in the early afternoon. From there we walked to the Charles Bridge and across it, and then found a restaurant and pub in Mala Strana for dinner. Right after we sat down, the skies opened and it began pouring….so we stayed at the restaurant for a few hours until things cleared up.

The walk home was pleasant, and tomorrow is another big day of touristy stuff.

~

]]> http://blog.odonoughue.org/2011/05/lauren-and-josephine.html/feed 0 http://blog.odonoughue.org/2011/05/sts-cyril-and-methodius.html http://blog.odonoughue.org/2011/05/sts-cyril-and-methodius.html#comments Thu, 26 May 2011 08:11:30 +0000 Nicholas O'Donoughue http://blog.odonoughue.org/?p=2345

The seven Czech paratroopers barricaded themselves in the crypt, and began to dig an escape tunnel but were unable to complete it.

I had a short amount of free time this afternoon, while I waited for this year’s social event (titled “a Czech Evening”) to begin. My destination for this short break was the Greek Orthodox church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. Originally dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo, it is a baroque church that was eventually given to the Greek Orthodox community and rededicated.  Sts. Cyril and Methodius gained international attention when it was used as a last refuge for seven Czech resistance fighters following their successful assassination of the local Nazi governor.

After I spent some time looking around the crypt at Sts. Cyril and Methodius, and reading the history of the assassination plot (and the betrayal by one of the paratroopers that allowed the Nazis to find the rest), I decided to take a quick stroll through Nove Mesto before heading back to the hotel.  On the way home, I stopped for a pint at a pub with a quiet beer garden out back.  There’s something quite relaxing about having a quiet drink in a courtyard, under the shade of a few trees.

I then went back to the hotel and showered for the conference’s social event later that evening.  We rented out a former palace, the Zefin Palace, which is located on its own small island.  The evening opened with a cocktail reception, and then we were herded upstairs into a large ballroom, where a 15-piece orchestra provided roughly an hour of entertainment.  Following the entertainment, there was a buffet dinner downstairs.  I stayed until around 10pm, and then left on a mission: I needed to get a good night shot of the Charles Bridge.  While I took several tries, and managed to get a few passable shots, I did not bring a tripod with me, so my success was limited.  A tripod is nice to have, but quite a burden when trying to pack light.  Oh well.

Charles Bridge at night

Lauren was scheduled to get on a plane and meet me out here tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon, but her flight out of Pittsburgh was canceled, so she won’t arrive until 10am on Friday.  C’est la vie.

~

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…

Na zdraví (cheers)

Today was all about the conference, and I suppose that should happen, since my advisor is paying for the hotel and travel.  My poster was in the first session this morning, and I stuck around at the conference until the end of  the day’s events, at 6pm.  At that point, a group of us met up to head to a nearby brewery.  Staropramen, one of the local Czech beers, is brewed in Prague, just across the river from the conference center where ICASSP is being held.  We hopped on the tram with empty stomachs and high hopes.

The restaurant inside the brewery did not disappoint.  At first it looked like we’d have to split up, but we found a way to cram 10 people into one table.  We started off with a round of beer (mostly the two staples Staropramen Ceber (dark/dunkel) and Svetly (light/pilsner).  By the time the food arrived, a few of us were ready for our second round.  I decided to try the slightly stronger Staropramen 11.  When the food arrived, I was delighted at my goulash, a traditional Czech dish.

The food was good, and the beer was good.  I haven’t looked at the conference schedule for tomorrow yet, but I know that dinner will be a fancy affair, the conference’s banquet is tomorrow night.  I’ll be sure to post photos.

~

One of the bridges across the Vatslav River.

I planned my arrival in Prague for Sunday, May 22nd, thinking that the conference started on Monday, May 23rd (my advisor did the same thing).  It turns out that no sessions were scheduled today, though, just a bunch of tutorials (that cost extra).  So…..I tried to cram in absolutely everything there is to Prague in one day.My original plan was to start at sun rise with photos of the Charles Bridge before all the other tourists got there.  That did not happen.  Instead, I woke up at 7:30 (sunrise here is 5:30) and continued with the rest of my plan.  Following a surprisingly decent complimentary breakfast at the hotel, I walked to Wenceslas Square.  It’s Prague’s premiere shopping district, and the southern tip is only about 2 blocks from my hotel (Lauren will enjoy that when she gets here).  I didn’t stop at any stores, but it was fun to walk through.  After I passed through Wenceslas, I got to Old Town Square.  The feature item here is the astronomical clock.  I sat on a bench here to enjoy the crisp morning and mentally plan out the rest of my day.

St. Michael, inside St. Vitus Cathedral. Who says violence began with video games?

After I left Old Town square, I headed north-west through Stare Mesto (new town) until I got to the water, just north of the Charles Bridge.  I headed east along the southern shore until I was opposite the Letna gardens.  I spent about an hour wandering the gardens before I walked north to the neighboring Stromovka park, and then west to the Royal Gardens outside of the Prague Castle.  Of course, I stopped along the way for another 40-minute nap.  It’s difficult to walk across a town so full of parks without stopping to enjoy them!  I got to the castle around noon and spent two hours exploring its courtyards and churches (there are lots of buildings, but I was only interested in St. Vitus Cathedral and the Basilica of St. George).

After I finished at the Castle (around 2pm), I walked down the castle steps into the region known as Mala Strana.  After a quick walk through the main part of that town I decided that I was all tuckered out and wanted to head back to the hotel.  I decided to take the quickest route — across the Charles Bride.  I got some photos of the statues along the bridge, but my mission (a good sunrise/dusk shot of the bridge from nearby) remains unfulfilled.  I shall have to make another attempt to get up early later this week.

I got back to my hotel at 3pm, took a shower, and relaxed until about 5:30.  At the point, I headed down to the conference center to check-in and attend the welcome reception at 6:00.  I met up with all the other CMU students attending (that I knew of) and even met a few new Lincoln Lab colleagues.  After the reception, we all walked to the nearby Karlachov garden to visit what we thought was another of Prague’s beer gardens.  It turned out to be a woman selling beer (and other food items) out of a window, with 4 picnic tables nearby.  Nevertheless, the weather was just right, the surrounding park was serene, and we were thirsty.  We stuck around for about 45 minutes before hitting the road.

Tomorrow will be much less interesting.

~