The magic of Prague

Sorry I'm super behind on these posts. I keep traveling (oh bummer). But now I'm back in Berlin for the next two weeks with lots of papers to write as well as a few friends coming to visit. Now, finally, the promised Prague post!

I think I sometimes get the Czech Republic confused with Romania, because half the time I kept thinking about vampires. It might also have something to do with the general darkness of the woods we traveled past, but I also think it is true that many people confuse the tiny countries in eastern Europe, because they are so little known, and all of them were hidden behind the Iron Curtain for many years. Not to mention that the country names and boarders have changed again and again over the past 100 years. The Czech Republic and Slovakia alone were condensed into Czechoslovakia after World War I, and in 1993 was dissolved back into two separate states. After traveling through the German countryside it was a bit of a shock to suddenly cross over the boarder into the Czech Republic. In the rural areas particularly, I felt as if I had been transported back thirty years into the past, but along with that feeling came a sense of magic that can only be associated with eastern Europe.

We had a bit of an adventure getting to Prague from Nuremberg, which is only about a three hour drive by car. We set off at 8:30 in the morning by train from Nuremberg. An hour on one train, then a switch while we were still in Germany. 40 minutes on another train, and then, because the tracks were broken, we had to take a bus for two hours instead. Another switch, another train for 40 minutes, and finally, three trains, a bus, and eight hours later we arrived, exhausted and disheveled, at Hlavní Nádraží, the main train station of Prague. 

Czech Crowns - this is about $100 US

Exhausted from our lengthy transit, my friends and I settled into our hotel room (with a real live TV and our own bathroom!). The next morning dawned bright and beautiful, turning the already astounding beauty of Prague into something magical. There is a reason Prague is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Old Powder Tower

Mozart directed the world premiers of many of his pieces in this theater.

The sun reflecting off these houses made them appear to be made out of gold.

Clock tower with oldest astronomical clock in the world.

Lunch of Czech goulash in a bread bowl and Czech beer

The Prague castle is considered the largest castle in Europe, boasting a huge cathedral, a palace, numerous churches dating back to the 1200s, and many other buildings.

Gorgeous cathedral built on a hill. It towers over the entire city.

Palace

King Wenceslas (yes he was a real person) chapel

The window above was where the infamous Prague Defenestration took place. In 1618, a mob of Protestants chucked three Catholic Lords out this window, starting the 30 years war, the greatest conflict in Europe until WWI.

Room in Palace dating back to the 1200s

Me with the Czech flag overlooking Prague

 Wednesday evening, we attended the opera Rusalka by Antonin Dvorak in the most stunning opera house I have ever set foot in. It was like something directly out of the Phantom of the Opera.

Trdelník - Czech pastry baked on a spit over a fire

Easter Market in the main square

Karlov Most (Charles Bridge) on my right with the Prague Castle on the hill in the background

Statue on the Karlov Most

My last full day in Prague I spent the morning exploring Vyšehrad, a historical fort built in the 10th century. It has high walls surrounding it which visitors can amble along and experience a beautiful view of Prague. This was my favorite place in Prague, and I just happened to point to it on the map because I needed something to do.

Path along the old fort walls

11th century tower

Old church inside the fort walls

There was a gorgeous graveyard behind the church!

Garden paths in the old fort grounds

View of the Vltava River

Our last evening in Prague was spent going down the Vltava river on a jazz boat. It was beautiful and completely relaxing, the perfect way to end our lovely stay in this magical city.

Of all the places I have been in Europe thus far, Prague was the only city I had to keep continually pinching myself to let myself know that it was real, that I was actually in the Czech Republic. I think this is partly because if it had not been for my program trip, I probably would not have come to this city on my own. There is something about the small eastern European countries that are filled with mystery. I knew nothing about the Czech Republic or Prague before going there, but I am absolutely glad I did.

Posts to come on Riesa and Dresden, as well as my Easter with German relatives in Cologne!

Nuremberg: Out of the Shadow

When I told my mom that I thought Nuremberg was beautiful, she was genuinely surprised. "I think because the Nuremberg Trials took place there I automatically assumed it was an ugly city," she said. While it is true that Nuremberg was home to Hitler's infamous yearly Nazi Party Rallies as well as the later trials of Nazi war criminals, Nuremberg is so much more than the shadow the Nazi years have cast over it. It was one of the best preserved Medieval cities of Germany until World War II when the entire city was destroyed in the bombing, but now, you cannot tell that the buildings aren't original because such a good job was done in rebuilding the city. 

On Friday, March 15, close to 50 students from my program piled onto a train and zipped five hours through the beautiful German countryside into the heart of Bavaria (home of lederhosen and all things stereo-typically German). We were situated in a hotel just outside the old city walls where the iconic half-timbered houses beckoned us in.

The first morning we had a guided tour of the city with a tour guide who knew what he was talking about. Also, we were blessed with a gorgeous blue sky and warm-ish temperatures.

St. Lorenz kirche

The building on the left is one of the oldest hospitals in Europe.

Above is pictured the Hauptmarkt. Those are the stalls from the Easter market, selling trinkets, lebkuchen, and bratwurst. On such a beautiful day, it was a nice place to be, so when our tour guide started talking about the history of the market, everyone was shocked.

The hauptmarkt used to be the old Jewish ghetto of Nuremberg because no one wanted to live in the area. In 1349, the city council decided it wanted to build a new market square, and so 600 of Nuremberg's Jews were murdered to create room for the market place. A church was built on the place where the old Synogogue used to stand. In the 1930s, the square was renamed Adolph-Hiter-Platz, as was the custom to rename the main square of a town after the Führer. In the 30s, Hiter's SS would preform drills and parades in this square. 

As our guide continued speaking, I was more and more chilled as I stared around at the unassuming square with its innocent looking booths. That is the one thing about Germany and Europe that I will never get used to: the sheer amount of history and horror beneath my feet.

Fountain in the hauptmarkt square

Turning the iron ring in the gate is supposed to bring the turner good luck.

The house in the center was the house of Albrecht Dürer, the famous German painter.

Beautiful view of Nuremberg.

Nuremberg's castle

Nuremberg's castle from below

Nuremberg is known for its bratwurst.

While Nuremberg is very beautiful, there is still a dark, inescapable shadow cast by its role during the reign of the Nazis, and, as a student in Germany, it is something I find myself faced with everywhere in this beautiful country.

In 1945, the four allied powers decided to try the most prominent members of the Nazi regime for war crimes. The trial, which lasted almost a year, condemned 12 men to death (including Hermann Göring), sentenced others to life imprisonment, and others to shorter terms (including Albert Speer). It was here that the full extent of the crimes of the Nazi regime began to be realized, with footage of concentration camp victims shown to large audiences for the first time. It was chilling to see the court room, which is still in use today, and realize what had happened in that room.

Nuremberg Court entrance

Benches where the defendants once sat.

The courtroom today 

The courtroom in 1945. This is the left wall the present day courtroom picture.

 One of the reasons Nuremberg was chosen as the place for the trials was because it had been the place of the Nazi party rallies since 1927. The grounds today are falling apart, but still stand as a testament to Hitler's extreme megalomania.

This building dwarfs the Colosseum in Rome. It was never completed, but, as the largest stadium in the world, Hitler only intended to use it once a year to give a speech.

Above is pictured the most famous part of the rally grounds. Before this building, hundreds of thousands of spectators would gather to witness the might of the Third Reich. Below is a picture of how it looked in the 1930s.

This is where Hitler used to stand and give speeches. I stood on that spot.

This picture makes my experience at the rally grounds 1000 times more terrifying.

Nuremberg will struggle for many years to emerge from the shadow of Nazism, just as the rest of the country is still struggling to emerge from beneath that stain. My visit to the charming town, however, taught me that Nuremberg is a city that is so much more than the dark past for which it is known. I guess I will leave you with a few more pictures of this unique city as a reminder of what Nuremberg truly is.

Spaghettieis (ice cream that looks like spaghetti)!

St. Johannes Kirche

A beautiful park my friends and I found.

Posts about my adventures in Prague, Riesa, and Dresden coming soon!