Favourite 2013 travel photos. Philadelphia, PA. November 2013.
Broad Street at night
Author: Greg
A castle with a view
On the must visit list for Prague was the sprawling Prague Castle. I was going to say the “must see” list, but the castle complex is something you can see from just about everywhere around the heart of Prague. Its position on a hill in Mala Strana and its sheer size has it towering over the Vltava River and demanding your gaze. No matter how picturesque the castle is from viewpoints along the river, it takes a trip through the complex to fully appreciate it.
The first stop for us inside Prague Castle is St. Vitus Cathedral. There are a lot of beautiful churches in Prague, but this one is the most spectacular:
The outside Gothic architecture is especially striking in the early morning light and it’s a great prelude to what’s inside. Interestingly, this is the third religious building on this site. The precursor buildings were originally built in 925 and 1060 respectively, with this cathedral starting to take shape in the mid 1300s.
A sombre day in Terezin
Shortly after booking our trip to the Czech Republic, we knew we’d be setting aside a day for a trip to Terezin. Located about an hour’s drive north of Prague, we decided to do this trip on our own. With a bit of digging around, it wasn’t too difficult to figure out the logistics via public transit. We arrived in Terezin under cloudy skies and light drizzle which set an appropriate tone for the day.
We knew this would be a sombre visit. Terezin, originally built as a walled garrison town in the late 1700s, was adapted by the Germans during WWII as a concentration camp. The first stop on our trip was for a tour of the Small Fortress, about a ten minute walk from the town square. Just outside the entrance gate is the National Cemetery holding over 2,300 individually marked graves along with the remains of more than 10,000 who died in the Small Fortress, the Terezin Ghetto, in forced labour camps in Litomerice and in the post WWII death marches and transports.
Wiener Riesenrad
Favourite 2013 travel photos. Vienna, Austria. September 2013.
Lest we forget
I have been fortunate over the years through my travels to experience a number of poignant moments that have been burned deep in my memory. Some are by chance, some are by design. In that latter category, on a trip to France a little more than four years ago, my love and I made a trip to Normandy to visit Juno Beach, the interpretive centre commemorating the Canadian forces that landed on the beach on June 6, 1944, and to visit the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in Reviers. The grey of the morning with the wind and rain in our faces as we stood on the beach set a tone for our time in Normandy. For me, the most emotional experience I have ever had while traveling happened a few hours later. The clouds had given way to a beautiful late summer afternoon as we arrived at the cemetery. With nary a breeze, the only sounds were the hushed exchanges of the handful of visitors and the singing of birds in the trees. The sight of more than two thousand grave markers laid out across the immaculately manicured lawn was overwhelming. I was filled with sadness and pride, awe and thankfulness. I felt somehow more Canadian in this foreign land in that moment, more humble, more aware. Then there was the first of an uncountable number of grave markers with the names and birth dates of mere teenagers who made the greatest of sacrifices. With tears in my eyes, I walked away from my love not wanting her to see me cry. She took this picture which hangs on a wall of our house, capturing the essence of the visit and the impact on both of us. Lest we forget.
Reconnecting with Philadelphia
I am back from a six day mixed work/vacation trip to a city that has its tentacles pretty deep into me. It’s no secret my love for Philadelphia. Years of traveling down there for work have me and the city more than casually acquainted, though it was far from love at first sight. Philadelphia and I are familiar, so to speak. The kind of familiar where we can finish each others’ sentences, but not so familiar that the spark of spontaneity is missing when we see each other.
This trip was a mix of some old favourites and great new experiences. Some of the old? A cheesesteak at Jim’s (in my highly researched opinion, the best in Philly), a couple of pints at Tria and a Flyers game. The new? The revelation that was a sandwich at Paesano’s while touring south Philly, a remarkable meal at Zahav, and experiencing part of an Eagles game sitting among fast friends at a neighbourhood bar.
Speaking of my beloved Eagles, a highlight of this trip was a last day surprise. At the conference I was attending, I got to meet and chat with Jason Avant, one of my favourite Eagles. He was nice enough to sign a picture for me, chat about the game from the night before and even spend some time swapping stories about our respective experiences in Quebec City and Montreal. Me being thrilled at this chance encounter is a massive understatement:
Philadelphia… we’ve know each other a while, but you keep managing to surprise me in the greatest ways.
Beer experiences in Prague
Drinking beer in Prague is a true pleasure. Great beer is everywhere; you don’t have to seek it out. Over the course of two weeks I didn’t have a single bad beer or ever spend more than $2 Canadian for a beer in a bar. These are a few of my favourite beer-related experiences in Prague – the bars, the delicious traditional Czech snacks, and of course, the beers themselves.
First beer in Prague: After getting settled into our apartment on the first day, we made our way for a much needed meal at Svejk Restaurant U Karla. We picked this location for the ease of gluten-free eating for my wife for the first night. A few minutes after sitting down, I got acquainted with my first Pilsner Urquell:
What went well with my second beer in Prague? My first pork knee. Czechs know how to eat:
Back to Philadelphia
Philadelphia is the place I’ve traveled to more than anywhere else aside from Toronto. The combination of previously working for a company based just outside Philly, my irrational love of the Eagles and a strange confluence of conferences in Philadelphia has me traveling there again at the end of this month. I never get tired of going back. In fact, I love it so much, I’m adding the better part of two days onto the start of the work part of the trip for some vacation.
Philadelphia a truly great city. It’s a bit blue collar. It has an underdog complex. It is as far from pretentious as a city could be. It’s honest, a bit gritty and doesn’t take itself too seriously. If Philadelphia was a person, it would be that neighbour who helps you build a deck, loans you a few bucks to get you out of trouble without asking any questions, and calls you on it when you’re being an idiot. Anthony Bourdain might have best summed it up about Philly when he said that it’s a “city with a low tolerance for bulls**t and plenty of heart.”
What do I have planned for this trip? A Flyers game, a foodie visit to South Philly, touring and photographing some public art, at least one cheesesteak (who’s kidding who – it’ll be more than that), a long overdue trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and/or the Mutter Museum, watching my Eagles in a sports bar (shame they’re playing on the road that week), a stop at my favourite Philly beer store to stock up on some Yuengling to bring home, and as much more fun as I can squeeze around the work parts of the visit. I know that by the time I get home, I’ll have eaten well, enjoyed some great laughs and have debated the Eagles offensive approach with whoever ends up sitting on bar stools next to me over the six days. Such is Philadelphia. Simple. Honest. Fun. And with an endearing chip on its shoulder. No wonder I love the city so much.
30 hours in Vienna: Monday
After a great first 12 waking hours in Vienna, we were ready for a mere 10 more hours in this stunning city. Nowhere near enough time to see everything, but more than enough time to put a dent in it and have some fun in the process.
08:30 We started the day with some traditional Viennese pastries for breakfast. We chose Kurkonditorei Oberlaa as our destination as they have something rather unique in Vienna – gluten free pastries. My wife was in heaven as she didn’t expect to be able to try any of these delectables. The gluten free pastries (left and top right in the pictures below) were really good. In particular, the one on the left below was very similar to a Québécois mille-feuille. I got one non gluten-free pastry as I had to try an apfelstrudel (bottom right below). That and a great espresso put me in a wonderful mood to start the day.
Gluten free pastry
Gluten free cake
Apple strudel
30 hours in Vienna: Sunday
Nothing focuses your energy quite like having only a bit more than one day in a city you’ve always wanted to see. When we booked our trip to the Czech Republic, we decided to stay in place in Prague and do a few day trips rather than being repeatedly on the move like our last few big trips. When we took a closer look at a map and saw Vienna a mere four hours away, we knew we had to do a quick trip into Austria to spend one night in the city of music. So what did 30 hours in Vienna look like? Here’s how we spent the first 12 hours after arriving just before lunch on the first Sunday in September.
12:30 Before going anywhere, we were in desperate need of a caffeine jolt. Across from our hotel was a coffee shop whose double espresso and lovely pastry got me ready to start exploring. With caffeine hitting our respective blood streams, we took a streetcar ride around half of the Ringstraße (ring road). If you envision the Ringstraße as a clock, we took a trip from 12 to 6 to get near the Vienna State Opera.
13:30 On my list of things to try in Vienna was the famous Sachertorte. Looking up from the map when we got off the streetcar, Hotel Sacher was right in front of us meaning it was time for the rich chocolate cake (with brandy!) and another double espresso.
The Sachertorte
Sachertorte & me
I loved this cake. The chocolate icing was almost fudge-like. I could have had a second piece, but I was well into a deep caffeine and sugar buzz. Plus, my understanding wife who can’t eat gluten may not have been so eager to sit and watch me wolf down a second slice.
Bluenose Traveler 