Amy & Adam's European Highlights

Rose flew into Prague by way of Amsterdam, so I took the scenic 2.5-hour train along the Elbe River from Dresden to meet her. We stayed with my host family for three nights, twenty minutes outside of the city center by tram. Rose is a vegetarian; a bit of a stress for Lenka and Zdenek, my host parents. Familiar with the idea that vegetarians exist but not having to cook for them often, Lenka ruminated over what Czech dishes to make. Ultimately, she and Rose decided upon my favorite Czech dish, apricot dumplings, shown below. We spent the rest of our time eating Italian and Thai/Indian food in the city. One appetizer we particularly enjoyed, and have since re-created, was baked goat cheese with honey, freshly ground pepper and rosemary. I’m getting hungry just thinking of it…

Lenka with her tasty apricot dumplings:

We had constantly changing weather, which gave us dramatic skies and increased the photographic appeal of the city. Yes, Prague is a wonderful city to photograph—a place where it is quite difficult to take a bad picture. I still love Prague, and one of my favorite things to do is walk the city by foot from Prague Castle through the Charles Bridge to Old Town Square, exploring side streets along the way. But the city has changed so much since I studied here in 1999, and at this point, Prague is a thoroughly discovered city. It is packed with tourists all the time and is extremely English-language friendly. Unlike some places in Germany, where you can’t assume vendors you interact with will speak English, English is a given for anyone working within the tourist industry in the city. And let me assure you, everyone in the city center is in the tourist industry! The city center is in a constant state of beautification. One of the things that looks strange to me as part of this cleaning up are the bright white sandstone statues they are in the process of replacing or have replaced along the Charles Bridge and on tower gates throughout the city. While these replica efforts reveal more details of the art work, I personally think more about Disney World than ‘original’ old world charm. This is silly, of course, because even the city I was so familiar with nine years ago was far from original. In any event, the gritty, Eastern European urban qualities I marveled at years ago—so different than in the U.S.—are much diminished. I think I need to travel much farther East now to receive the thrill of experiencing vastly different cultures and living conditions. All this being said, I feel so fortunate to have a family in Prague and will always love visiting. It is particularly wonderful to be there with new visitors as the city still holds tremendous charm and wonderment.

In Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. I'm so happy that the photo of Alphons Mucha's window came out well:

A response to our Government's placement of a missile-defense radar system south of Prague:

We walked up beyond the castle to Petrin Hill to get a great view of the castle and city:

Rose is a much better model than Adam! (She enjoys having her photo taken and hams it up appropriately):

--DRESDEN--
Rose spent the other half of her week with me in Dresden. As Adam and I had only been here for a week or so prior to her visit, it was great for me to have a capable buddy with which to explore. In addition to going to some of Dresden’s fabulous museums, we went to the local Ikea in search of a more comfortable mattress pad for Rose to sleep. Long gone are the days we had an extra bedroom with comfortable conditions for guests!

This was Rose’s first visit to Europe and it was successful in igniting her travel bug. I was delighted to learn that she’s already planning her next trip.

In the Zwinger castle complex. We went a couple of times so these photos reflect Dresden's ever-changing weather. The sandstone cherubs are really something.

Yes, these are two different cherubs with supple, round behinds:

View from the Zwinger in the direction toward Dresden's International School:

These photos all help to give a feel of our neighborhood. Please note the impressive German Democratic Republic (GDR) mural and the photo of the list of things you are not allowed to do in this beer garden. The final photo is our our street: