Vienna to Prague
With mom and dad on the train
The fields are all green, it’s just another holiday Epiphany here in Slovakia; Finkston in Wien (Vienna). Thursday was also a holiday- Himmelfährt. Our taxi driver from Luises apartment to the Südbahnhof even got us a luggage cart. Very Viennese, wearing a suit and tie, driving a black BMW, very professional, class.
At the train station last minute souvenirs, spending our last 23 Austrian Shillings on a Käse Bröt (cheese bread for 1.75), postcards, and three apples for 22 Shillings. Also the service- very professional.
Ride on train from Wien – Berlin is going through border guards. Even before we got on the train in Breclav on Saturday they looked at, stamped passports, and then came through the cabins to ask if we had anything to declare- wine, cigarettes… Just as long as we didn’t have any 25 KG of meat 🥩 in our rucksacks.
This time they came through thoroughly checking and stamping. Zug schlag.
Having heard how beautiful Prague is, and still reading all the way about it for our five hour trip.
Workers in the fields hoeing and working shirtless, beer in one hand, shovel in the other- evidence of priorities in the country. Anotherlaying down with a beer in the sun. We pass a run down stone walled house, where a Gipsy family cooks lunch among brightly colored wash hung out to drying.
The green landscape, trees, fields dotted by poppies, purple and white elderberry bushes, yellow fields of blooming safflower… Greenhouses and private gardens, rows of vines, (300 at Vladimir’s – which he produces 1,000 liters of wine a season.
Small villages dot the countryside, each with a steeple church and a graveyard. Centuries of farm life and prayer – aside from 40 years of Communism.
Smokestacks, water tanks, Tesco in Brno, and Art Nouveau Coka Cola mural on a building side.
Met an East German going to Berlin, disappointed about (the train) reservation she made,and ended up in a lounge type car with row seats.
Our arrival at Prague train station was heralded by many people boarding the train for Berlin. We first were assaulted by many room hawkers speaking English (asking) if we needed a room. Mom was also approached by a woman showing her a card for money or hotel ?
Next we went to buy tickets for (our return) trip to Munich. We got to the window and she (the clerk) spoke English/German. So after calculating the cost and printing tickets she told us as we whipped out the credit card, that they don’t accept cards. We had to go to the window next door and change dollars and Slovak Krowns to Czech Krowns.
As we reapproached the window the six Americans from Wien were there, and thinking they were getting ripped off by 4,000 Crowns for the tickets which they thought cost $1,500 US dollars. I told them that 4,000 Czech Crowns equals $400.00 US.
Next we tried buying tickets for the Metro, and had unreasonable difficulty as the machine was not holding the coins. Finally dad figured it out. Once we got the tickets stamped and dad carried them for us, we went through the turnstile and were accosted almost immediately around the first corner, in the midst of throngs of people, by a “guard” flashing his mini yellow/red badge to me and mom. He wanted to see our tickets, but wasn’t asking for anybody else’s. They all passed by in throngs, but he only detained us, so I thought it was a prank. Mom did too, and we tried to go past him, but he ran us into the wall, yelling at us and pushing.
Finally I pointed to dad, who produced the necessary documents, and our accoster turned into Mr. Nice Guy and let us go free. Now we were more than a tad stressed and nervous. However we got finally onto the right Metro, after shooing aside a few more room peddlers. We had directions from Cloister Inn website and successfully changed trams onto the right line.
Upon arriving (in the train station) however, we thought we’d easily “go right” outside of the station, as the direction stated. It was not so easy though. Right was an all exits, so mom and I deposited ourselves in a waiting stance, while dad ventured on to check street signs.
Lo and behold, we were right on a passage in front of Tesco and next to a wine shop; where there stood vats of bill (white) or cherveny (red) wine. By the time dad came back, I had already ordered a red wine full to the brim, for 12 Crowns, just to destress, and make friendly conversation with the shop keeper.
Well, we actually made it okay dragging our bags over cobblestone streets; they passed the test. It made mom a bit paranoid and I was also more than a tad uncomfortable, feeling lower back stress.
The Pension Unitas, Cloister Inn was not so bad at all for a former monastery / pension place. Vaclav Havel “Disturbing the Peace” was incarcerated here, across from the police station, formerly Secret Police.
After unpacking and laughing at the hand carry steel safe, we got a map, regrouped, and went on to explore the Old Town.
Prague has magnitudinally been over-overrun by tourists to an unbelievable extreme. It is not what it was nine years ago, except for the cobblestone streets and the cultural monuments. It is like “Disneyland live” – where is Wally World. Beautiful, but not quite as I remember it. Rather no comparison at all.
Nine years ago our driver had to drive us all around all day, to find (and visit) four different crystal shops and an art gallery. Where we bought up lots of crystal ware and several art pieces- which I still have. We (me, Sylvia, Tex-Mex, and one other student traveling with us) were rushing into one last store, to try and spend our last Czech Crowns before it closed at 18:00. There were only local people, so we felt out of place – like the Japanese people who (used to) come (to America) and buy up everything. And our full day of private van taxi cost $20 U.S.
At the time, in 1989, we stayed in Hotel Solidaritat outside of town, as tourists were not allowed to stay in certain areas. There were Russians in the lobby approaching us, to sell us caviar; and we exchanged money on the black market – especially in the taxi cabs. A five-course meal for four of us was only $5 US and the waiters were fully formally dressed; we dined in class style. (I can double check the prices in my journal.)
Now there is KFC, Pizza 🍕 Hut, and a ton of pizza places, and oodles of restaurants, hotels, pensions… Even in Breclav (there) were now (signs for) pensions, Zimmer Frei, and crystal shops. In Lednice too, by the beautiful palace (we saw the same).
There are crystal shops everywhere, all brightly lit in fluorescent lights, even open until 23:00 or midnight. They sell all kinds of junk everywhere; now it is a completely different place… Out of control post-consumer manic Prague now. The only place which is nice is the Marionette Shop – it was really unique, with cool displays.
We walked into the Magical Cavern, where a weird mystic guy sold his exhibition in three languages; walked over the Charles Bridge (which was much less crowded at 21:00 – 22:00) and made a wish, as tradition explains.
Also we left a few restaurants and cafes, where the server was so rude. One place by the river for example, would only seat us at tables on the end without a tablecloth if we were there for cafe. The next place, I said “three” and he handed me three cushions. On the row next to us was a table of Japanese, then Americans, then Germans.
I have not seen so many Americans since leaving San Diego in February. Next is Germans, then Japanese. It’s like Disneyland and Amsterdam combined. The “young intellectuals” Prague boasts are not quite what you’d want your country to be, I observed. As I asked mom, “If these are the new intellectuals, dare I ask where the country is heading?” Mom said, “That’s a sure sign you’re maturing, when you start asking questions like that.”
Dad said, “They’re probably not the ones who are going to be making the decisions anyway.”
Monday 24 May, 999
