Vienna, my Affair with Mozart. Part 2

"The hills are alive with the sound of music

With songs they have sung for a thousand years

The hills fill my heart with the sound of music
My heart wants to sing every song it hears"

My favourite musical, with Julie Andrews was based in Austria. Little did I know that Vienna, the only Austrian city I was visiting, had nothing to do with the film, The Sound of Music, but everything to do with the sound of music...

Our adventure to find St Marx Cemetery.
The streets were empty. Vienna was beyond quiet

Many great composers lived, breathed and performed their immortalised masterpieces, such as Mozart, Beethoven and Johann Strauss among others, but I found that I somehow connected with only one of these magnificent men. His name was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

My affair with Mozart

I have an affinity for cemeteries and cathedrals. I think it's the silence within them that I find absolute peace. So when I found a tourist map that showed the cemetery of where Mozart was buried, I jumped at the opportunity to find it.

Mozart's grave stands alone in the middle of the park

It's quite far from the city centre but Amanda and I found it with a hop, skip and a jump on a tram; we were not disappointed. St Marx Cemetery was used from 1784 to 1874. Mozart lies within an unmarked grave but years later a gravestone was erected to where he is thought to be buried. The grounds are old and show signs of decay but it was an amazing experience walking through it and looking at some of the beautiful grave sites.

You can see how old this place is

I wonder what the cemetery looks like in spring

My next encounter with Mozart was at the Vienna State Opera. A beautiful building with a long history. I didn't go inside but its architectural structure was obviously impressive, even from the outside.

I like the statue at the top of the opera house

My last affair with him was by pure chance. Our tour guide mentioned that there is a bit of local secret: Vienna boasts of having the last cafe Mozart played in. After our tour, Amanda, Mike and I hunted for the said secret. The Frauenhuber is a beautiful cafe that has kept the interior cosy and quaint from when it first opened. We enjoyed a delicious cup of hot chocolate.

Best cup of hot chocolate ever!

That sums up my whole liaison with a dead guy :) And it was by all means fun and memorable.

Here is Part 1 of my Vienna post

Prague: City of Statues

Prague was our second stop on our mini eurotrip in January/February this year. We arrived in the evening and I must admit, first impressions were not that great. The train station was dirty, the language was alien and the lady that helped us scared me with her wonky eye and debilitating body odour.

Taken from the Charles Bridge

We had to navigate our way through the city at night while it poured with rain and I was the only idiot who didn't bring an umbrella. To make matters worse, the rain stopped as we reached the hostel. Just my luck.

The next morning though, we woke up to a beautiful winter's morning and the city blew us away. The city has been preserved throughout history and takes you back into the world of ancient Bohemia.

On the Charles Bridge 

There are a few prize tourist attractions that bring people to Prague, come rain or shine. The famous Charles Bridge, for example, was the most prominent connection across the river from the Prague Castle to the city's Old Town. It was an integral trade route between Eastern and Western Europe.  More importantly, it's about 600m long and I ran that one winter's night at 3 am in my drunken state from a pub crawl I had with the girls. Along the bridge, there are 30 statues that line the bridge wall, mostly of saints.

Saint John of Nepomuk

One famous statue is of  Saint John of Nepomuk. Legend has it that he was the court priest who was tortured and then ordered to be drowned at the behest of the king because he refused to tell of his queen's confession and whether or not she was having an affair. He was thrown from the bridge and 5 angels saved him, hence the 5 stars around his head. It is meant to be good luck to touch the statue.

Prague is, in my humble opinion, most famous for its fully functioning, medieval astronomical clock. It was made in 1410 and still works today! Impressive by any standards. It is made up of 3 parts; the astronomical dial, the calendar dial and the 'Walk of the Apostles' that appear at each hourly strike. Dozens of tourists wait on the hour to watch the mini spectacle.  Legend says that the clock maker was a brilliant man beyond his time in engineering. The councillors of Prague did not want him sharing the mechanics with other cities so they lured him with a 'celebratory' feast where, instead, they blinded him. In his revenge, the clock maker committed suicide by throwing himself into the gears thus breaking the clock, leaving it damaged for the next hundred years. 

Death tolls the bell of time

Above the clock is a tower that you can go to the top of and see the whole city as far as the eye can see. We went at night. The city is as breath taking in the evening as it is by day.

Old Town Sqaure

A beautiful example of Gothic architecture is the Roman Catholic cathedral, St Vitus, within the Prague Castle. A monster of a church, it is the resting place of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors. 

The other side of the cathedral.

The main face of the St Vitus

To those that don't know, and neither did I don't worry, Hitler had intended Prague to be the capital of his new empire and so ordered that the city not be destroyed. He also wanted to save one Jewish synagogue as a testament to the 'exterminated race'. 

The view of Prague from the Castle

All in all, Prague is a beautiful city that is definitely worth your while to stop and visit. Transport is easy, the exchange rate is fair, the beer is amazing and the people are friendly. Although it's my second time visiting this city, I would definitely go again. 

Kicking it in Krakow

I decided to head to Krakow on one of my last weekends in Poland. This city is the heart of the country. Ask any local which is their favorite Polish city and it's nearly always Krakow. This is a world class traveling spot with so many sights to see that if you decide to eurotrip, this city is definitely worth stopping in.

The tower in the main square

Once the capital of Poland, Krakow is not a huge city but is jam packed with culture, night life and history. It lies along the Vistula river. English is heard as much Polish so there are no communicaton problems for any tourist. It is Poland's number 1 tourist destination.

A smaller square in the old town

I found a little treasure

It is separated into 3 main attractions; the old town, the castle and the Jewish quarter.

The old town is based around a big main square that is outlined with cafes and restaurants. It is then framed by a park that circles the city. Interesting fact: the park actually symbolizes the city wall that once protected the city. All that remains now though is the Barbican.

On the right is the market block where cloth was sold in medieval times

Within the square (rynek in Polish) is St Mary's Cathedral, the tower and the market block.



The castle is situated on Wawel Hill. Legend has it that a dragon once lived under the hill and terrorised the country side, eating all the fair maidens in the land. A young man named Krak destroyed the dragon, married the princess and eventually became king. This is apparently why the city is named Krakow.

The cathedral that is situated next to the castle on top of Wawl Hill

The Jewish Quarter is quite picturesque with cafes and restaurants, bookshops, bars and souvenir shops.

One of the restaurants in the Jewish district

The free walking tours are really worth doing as the guides give a lot of interesting information about the history and culture of the city.

This city is definitely worth visiting. I might have left a piece of my heart there.

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