Oh, the Places She'll Go...

(continued from previous post of time with Julie)

So, while Dennis was in meetings the next day, Julie and I explored the Prague castle, which is the largest castle complex I have ever seen, dating back to 880. We had the perfect spot looking through the wrought iron fence to see the changing of the guard. Returning through Old Town to meet up with Dennis we crossed the Charles Bridge full of artists and vendors selling their crafts.

Late Sunday afternoon we drove from Brno, Czech to Vienna, Austria where Dennis and I saw St. Stephens Cathedral for the first time at night. A mass was in session and we had the rare opportunity to hear a cappella singing that beautifully filled the cathedral. I love how Julie put it on her blog: Vienna, Austria. what got me was St. Stephen’s Cathedral. walked in at night during mass. cold. dark. green. felt like I was in the redwood forest. amongst sequoias. a place I could dwell in for a long time. I felt the same way. It felt like a holy moment. What an appropriate correlation to the cathedral built in the 11th century. Sequoias live 1200 - 1800 years or more and are almost as tall as the cathedral steeples.

The summer palace was a bit dull at this time of the year. Best to go there in the summer. One of the places I hadn't been to yet, but wanted to see in Vienna, was the Judanplatz. We found the square this time with the Austrian Holocaust Memorial. I loved the nature of the memorial - created by British artist Rachel Whiteread, the memorial is a reinforced concrete cube resembling a library with its volumes turned inside out. Oh, the stories that could be told. The 41 places where Austrian Jews met their death during the Nazi rule are written in the concrete surrounding the "library." My heart always feels the grief of injustice in these places.

We left Vienna late afternoon and three hours later arrived in back home in Budapest. 

Five capital cities of Europe in one week. . . something that's easy to do with Europe's expansive land mass of 50 countries. One being Budapest, of course! And, by the way, her favorite city was Budapest. :) I agree, but every place had its own beauty. So many pictures to choose from - hopefully not boring you.

 Prague

An evening in Old Town Prague

Glockenspiel built in the 15th century

Charles Bridge - construction began in the 12th century

Jules and I had fun taking "senior pictures" at this archway upon entering the castle

"Senior" having another meaning for me :)

Peeking through the wrought iron fence to see the changing of the guard

Inside the castle complex

So much architecture inside the castle walls

Cathedral inside castle walls

Vienna

St. Stephen's Cathedral at night

Painting inside the cathedral - Peter holding the keys on the left, John with the Book of Life on the right

St. Stephan's is 1,000 years old

I can see why Julie felt like she was in the midst of Sequoia trees

Jewish Square

Austrian Holocaust Memorial "Library"

These guys are all over the city holding up the buildings... I don't know how they do it! Constant headaches I would think.

Ending on a cheerful note - love the flower shops found in most every city.

So great to share time with Julie. She is off in Instanbul now. Can't wait to hear about her adventures!