Mike Kraus: touring

Showing posts with label touring. Show all posts

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Danube Reflection - Český Krumlov, Czech Republic and a Little Bit of Linz, Austria

Vítejte v České republice! Europe may no longer have border checks, but you are required to pull over to a duty free shop and take a shot of Becherovka when entering the Czech Republic. Here's our guide, Michael, passing out our obligatory drink at 9am. The liquor is commonly drank at all time of the day for digestive health, contains a variety of herbs, and is 38% alcohol.

VÍTEJTE do Českého Krumlova! Cesky Krumlov was settled by mostly Germans when building started in 1240. Various monarchs and their nobility owned the town and castle until 1945. Since the fall of the Communist government in 1989, the town has been under restoration.

View of Castle and town

Kostel Sv. Vita (Saint Vitus Church) steeple.

Náměstí Svornosti (Square) - Is that another plague column I see?

Walking down Soukenická Street

The building to the right housing Jakub restaurant was constructed in the 14th century and the exterior was painted by Josef Palouda

"Mirror, mirror tell me who is the most beautiful in the world?" Just a bit of street art.

Strolling down Široká Street

Castle Tower - While parts of the structure were started in the 13th century, it's current state was built in the 1590s to update the castle to a Renaissance style.

Another view of the tower.

Latrán Street

More Latrán Street

Arch over the street for the monarchs. It was a skyway for royalty so they didn't have to mingle with regular people.

Sv. Jošt (St Jobst) Church steeple, which is now the home to the Marionette Museum

Courtyard of the castle.

Another courtyard

There's Dick checking out the souvenir shop.

Castle Theater - We were fortunate enough to view this Baroque theater. Constructed in 1680, it's so delicate that it's only used 3 times a year and only a handful of people are allowed to view it for tours each week. Everything in here is original. They even have the special effects equipment and costumes. Only the candles have been replaced with candlelight simulated electric lights because of fire hazard. This is someone else's photo I found on the internet.

View of Cesky Krumlov on the banks of the Vltava River from the castle.

One last look at a remarkably beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site.

WILLKOMMEN IN LINZ, ÖSTERREICH! This is the Hauptplatz (Main Square) in Linz, Austria. I'm not positive, but I'm guessing that's another "thank you for letting us survive the plague" momument.

Mariä-Empfängnis-Dom (Mariendom Linz, St. Mary's Cathedral, The New Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception) - Construction lasted from 1854 to 1935

Front door of the cathedral

Strolling down Altstadt Street

View of church steeple down Hofgasse Street

Possible Plague Pillar in Hauptplatz with Alter Dom (Old Cathedral) in the background.

Video of the ARS Electronica Center changing colors. Unfortunately, the cruise took off before I could capture the other shapes and designs of the building.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Danube Reflection - Grein, Austria

WELCOME TO GREIN, AUSTRIA! A small village of about 2,900 people on the Danube River. Grein roughly translates into "shriek" or "scream" in old German. The Danube use to be very treacherous here and the city was named after shipwrecked sailors yelling and their widow's cries.

Stadttheater Grein. Notice the three dates on the building. 1468 was the year it was constructed as a granery. 1563 is when it became a rathhaus (city hall). 1791 is when it installed a theater. Emperor Josef II encouraged the construction of theaters so the proceeds could be used to fund poor houses. A cause that was really supported by citizens after a major flood.

Inside Stadttheater Grein, the oldest theater in Austria. Lots of funny and interesting facts about this theater. The first couple of rows had an early form of season ticket holders. To guarantee your seat, you were given a key. When you weren't at the show, you'd fold your seat to the back and lock it so there was no place for a person to sit.

Shows use to be very, very long. So, there's a small bathroom located stage right for the audience. The only barrier was a small curtain. This meant if an exciting, funny, or climatic scene was about to happen you could peek out the curtain and not miss a thing. "It didn't smell nice near the bathroom, so these seats were cheaper..."

This building also had a small jail that was located stage left. To keep the prisoners entertained, they gnawed a hole in the wall so they could watch from their cell. The audience was very kind to the prisoners bringing them food and drinks during the show. A somewhat selfish gesture though because this was to prevent them from yelling and disrupting the show.

I think this is my favorite theater.

Volksbank Niederösterreich Building

St. Giles Church - Saint Giles was a hermit living in the woods of Septimania and Provence. He foraged for food and drank the milk from a deer. Because of this, St. Giles is the patron saint of lactating mothers.

Looking toward the Danube from Böhmergasse

View of the Wachau Valley from the Grein cemetery.

View of the Danube from the grounds of Schloss Greinburg

View of old town with mist rising of the mountains in the background.

DANCE PARTY ON THE CRUISE!

And yes, Marianne is to the far left dancing with her tiny hands... YEAH!!!

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Danube Reflection - The Wachau Valley

WELCOME TO THE WACHAU VALLEY! A region known for its high-quality wines and delightful villages.

Dürnstein was founded in 1019 AD as "Tirnstein," which means "dry stone."

Dürnstein is a village of 800+ people living on one street between the castle and the river.

Dürnstein is famous for its wine and the place of imprisonment of King Richard I of England (Richard the Lionheart). Apparently, King Richard went to Acre in the Crusades. While there, he took down Leopold V, Duke of Austria's flag and stepped on it. Obviously, this offended Leopold. So, when Richard was returning from the Holy Lands he had to make a detour through Vienna on his way back to England. Knowing he upset Leopold, he dressed as a common soldier while in the city. But, he was recognized in a bar because he wore a fancy ring. Richard was arrested and shipped down to Dürnstein Castle for his imprisonment. Of course, he was held for a King's Ransom (about 100,000 pounds of silver).

Interesting mural in a pediment.

Stift Dürnstein (Abbey Church of Durnstein) - Constructed in 1410, this was a monastery for monks until 1788. Emperor Joseph II required monasteries to provide schools in exchange for the privilege of having these institutions. The monks refused, were kicked out, and part of it is a school today for 18 local students.