Well, so much for continuing to post while I am on the move. At least I do not have the entire trip to account for as I already covered Amsterdam and Berlin. After Berlin I continued for another 2 weeks completing a circular movement across the Germanic countries and to the south of France. The rest of my route moved on to Prague, Czech Republic, west to Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, then Geneva, Switzerland and finally Marseille, France. This post will be more reflective on this latter group of destinations as I have had a full 3 days of rest and relaxation back in my Oxford apartment.
Prague.
I cannot recall the city's official slogan, but I would personally choose to call it the city of dreaming spires. It seems as if almost every building, both old and new, has an ornamental Gothic spire reaching toward heaven. The observers' eye is constantly drawn upward. It was a fascinating city to explore, rich both in history and culture. There was also a lack of finesse in the culture which was not an inhibition to a tourist's curiosity, but rather a characteristic very telling of the culture's recent history behind the iron curtain.
Apart from Prague's slow development, the city takes great pride in it's influence as a historical center of music. It was fortuitous that my first night in Prague was the last performance of 'Don Giovanni' at the Estates Theater. At the ticket price for a center balcony seat, I enjoyed the most perfect evening's entertainment I could ever imagine for a European adventure. A fashionably dressed night at the opera has always been my ideal evening activity. The performance was spectacular and exhibited incredible artistic talent. The glamorous decor of the theater further added to the dramatic feeling of a night at the opera, and a massive crystal chandelier accentuated the vibrant hues of blue and golds that covered all the way up five balcony tiers. The opera was furthermore a special occasion because it was a celebratory production that ran in concordance with the anniversary of the world premier of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" in the 17th century. A performance in which Mozart himself accompanied on the harpsichord in the very same theater. It was absolutely perfect, and could only have been better if I had the ones I love in my company enjoying the same perfect evening with me.
The rest of Prague was fascinating to explore. I enjoyed taking it at a relaxed pace, absorbing every moment and every experience. The Czech Pilsner is nothing special to write home about. The Prague Castle was a wonderful place to explore, and I was surprised to find that it was a Medieval establishment, most castles in Europe attractive to tourists are flamboyant homes from the Baroque or Neo-classical eras. Though the opera was my favorite experience, the Old Town Center was my favorite place to visit in Prague. It echoed the feel of a close-knit Medieval community that once experienced a period of abounding commerce and profit. The square is highlighted by the ancient astrological clock on the town hall tower, and surrounded by dark stone buildings and cathedrals with rising spires to add more to the impression of power.
Moving on, I next visited Vienna, Austria.
Vienna was absolutely beautiful! It is definitely a growing Metropolis, but within the old city center it is absolutely reminiscent of what one would imagine Vienna looked like at the height of the Hapsburg Empire. The feel was further enhanced by numberless amounts of horse-drawn carriages waiting for hire all over the old city. The main attraction of Vienna is the Hofburg Imperial Palace. There, I first visited the Spanish Riding School and arrived at 9:30 AM to watch the morning practice routines for the world famous Lippizaners. These horses are trained to exhibit only the best of performances. What I saw at the morning routines was not a choreographed exhibition, but a collection of 6 to 9 riders at a time, each practicing various steps or jumps of some sort. One of the most impressive and difficult looking jumps I watched was only done once the whole morning as it must have been a really demanding command to expect repeatedly. First the horse is brought into a prancing trot, where the walking instructor taps the horse's heels to keep it in step. The horse is then brought to a rear, the back legs are tapped again, and it's trained reaction causes it to kick out it's back legs. The final effect is a jump in place with all four legs in the air, and looks very majestic and disciplined. The rest of the Hofburg presented a scintillating display of the Royal family's silver collection. They also had a intriguing museum exhibit on their most celebrated Empress Elizabeth "Sisi" who is quite a rather captivating yet unknown character. I should like to learn more about her sometime. Finally, I saw the Imperial State rooms which exhibited the Victorian style beautifully.
I regret to say that I wish I made more time in Vienna, and was not able to finish much more beyond the Hofburg. I was disappointed to find the Staatsoper closed, as the music lover in me had a strong desire to see such a significant theater in the history of opera. The rest of my stay in Vienna was more or less, walking and admiring the unique beauty of the city, visiting several churches and of course shopping. Before I knew it I was boarding the train for Salzburg, Austria.
Salzburg was above and beyond my favorite city of all I visited. Not only was the train ride peaceful, but the beauty of the Austrian forests and alps was absolutely incredible. One of the most naturally imposing beauties I have ever seen in my life. Salzburg was the perfect size of city to explore, and not too over-run with tourists. I greatly admired the balance in beauty between the natural grandeur of the mountains surrounding the aged, refined splendor of 17th century architecture. The Germanic culture also had a refined quality about it that embraced it's heritage but also established a modern day finesse. For example, in the historic shopping lanes, the McDonald's sign was not a plastic bubble screaming the red and golden arches. Instead it was a black scrolled metalwork that suspended a plaque that was painted a aged looking Merlot with golden arches the color of Grey Poupon mustard. The little pedestrian shopping alleyways were not only filled with souvenir shops but also boasted names such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Zara and other high end names.
I personally considered Salzburg as more of a mountainous resort town, and enjoyed the atmosphere more than anything. The morning market around the Old City cathedral was bustling with locals doing their daily shopping. Across the river was Mozart's residence, which was reconstructed exactly as it was after destruction in WWII. Part of the house was also converted into a Museum. I greatly enjoyed visiting Mozart's house, and learned a significant amount from such a little establishment. The audio guide explained the significance of Mozart's musical contribution to the society of his time as well as playing select pieces as one followed his life time line. On display were Mozart's personal piano forte, harpsichord, and organ as well as countless manuscripts, letters and original notated sheet music. It was a truly enjoyable exhibit, and learning more about Mozart helped me understand more so, why Austria is extremely proud of it's 17th century composer.
A good four hours of my time was taken up on a bus tour of Salzburg and the outlying villages. Admittedly, this tour was one of the best decisions I made while in Salzburg. One reason why I selected Salzburg as a destination was because I longed to see the peaceful little towns that beheld a panoramic view of lakes and forests, sheltered by the sweeping expanse of the alps. The bus tour took me to just that, and I beheld just what I envisioned and more. Since the first moment I arrived in Salzburg I was taken by it's natural beauty, and decided I would return again not once but even more than that! I would absolutely love to spend Christmas there sometime with all the snow, skiing, shopping, warm mittens, and an overall perfect atmosphere. Again, I was disappointed with myself to have only scheduled two nights, but I repeatedly tell myself in such instances, that there is more reason therefore to return & explore more!
Geneva, unfortunately was not quite what I had imagined it from all the literature about it's beauty on Lake Geneva, etc. Instead, I found Geneva to be a bustling international Metropolis, something I should have concluded myself based upon it's service as a neutral place for peaceful negotiations in modern & recent history. On the whole though, if one were to look at a visit to Geneva, like a visit to Chicago or New York, there was quite alot to do as in any other large city. I had a beautiful view of the city surrounding Lake Geneva from the tower of Cathedrale St. Pierre. The tall Jet d'Eau was also a unique focal point, and gave a very refreshing mist the closer I walked along the lake marina.
After a couple days in Geneva, I moved to Marseille, France, my second most favorite destination. I had never been to the Mediterranean before; I was immediately taken by it's undenible beauty and vibrant color. I could not stop taking pictures of the gorgeous shades of turquois colored waves along the shoals, to the deep dark azure of the open sea. The city itself was not as daunting as I was warned against and I found the place to be dirty, but nevertheless, welcoming and the people genuinely friendly. (Though I never backed down from being watchful of the pick pockets I heard a great deal about) I found it absolutely charming and felt like I could completely relax and be myself...like the cheesy Rastafarian quip, "Don't worry, be happy".
I took a harbour cruise out to Isle d'If, where the infamous Chateau d'If is located. The island is quite barren and grows only shrub and chaparral on it's rocky & dry tundra. The Chateau is also quite sparse looking but then again, it only served the purpose of a bastion for the port city and then as a prison island. There was quite alot of history presented in the Chateau's little museum, however an insufficient knowledge of French prevented me from learning very much. Alexandre Dumas' book "Count of Monte Cristo" was very celebrated on Isle d'If, especially because it served to popularize the dramatic role of the Chateau d'If as a feared prison establishment.
Once again, I regret I did not make any more time in Marseille, but I think I shall wait a while before returning again. The city was under a significant amount of reconstruction which will continue for a great while. Backed by the French government, Marseille is undergoing a complete transformation in cleanliness and quality, and building new facilities fit to modern standards, though not changing the historic port buildings and atmosphere of the place. Marseille was recently declared the #1 Mediterranean Port Capital city, and the major transformation will serve to solidify it's qualification in such a privileged title.
So even though I had only just become more curious and interested in Marseille, I was ready to stop wandering the world and settle back into my familiar surroundings in Oxford. It was quite amusing actually, the excitement I felt as the bus finally pulled into the city center and I glimpsed all the towers and spires that had become so familiar to me 3 weeks ago. I actually felt like I was returning home again, though perhaps my parents might not like to hear that. I will probably feel 20 times the amount of excitement when I return back to Hillsdale after 6 months of absence. So at this time, I am content putting my mind on standby, indulging in novels, accomplishing menial tasks around the apartment, browsing the internet, and sleeping all hours of the day. I do, however, greatly look forward to the challenges that await me when I begin my tutorials again in October. After this summer... I'm ready to take on anything.