Month: November 2014

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Vienna

Laura at intermision of the Marriage of Figaro at the Vienna Staatsoper
Laura at intermision of the Marriage of Figaro at the Vienna Staatsoper

It was a comfortable 5 hour train trip from Prague to Vienna.  We easily found our way on public transportation to our AirBnB on Plenergassestrasse. It is less than a mile from the flat of our Austrian sailing friends from “Risho Maru”.  We then walked to Risho Maru’s flat and got a wonderful warm greeting and a lovely dinner.

The next morning we all went for a walk to Turkenschantz park for the first day of the holiday Christmas Market (Weihnachtsmarkt). We had spiked punch, roasted chestuts and a delicious gingerbread cake. Later that day, on the way to the see the Marriage of Figaro at the Staatsoper, Mark and I stopped at a really big Christmas market at Rathausplatz.

We had terrific seats at the opera –first row box seats in the first balcony, but not together.  The opera was just wonderful and we both enjoyed every minute. After the opera, we had dinner at Cafe Landtmann (one of Freud’s old favorites).  The next morning we flew to Istanbul, where we are now.

L.

 

Christmas Market at Rathausplatz, Vienna
Christmas Market at Rathausplatz, Vienna
Christmas Market at Rathausplatz, Vienna
Christmas Market at Rathausplatz, Vienna
Chocolate fondue at Christmas Market
Chocolate fondue at Christmas Market
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Prague

 

View of Prague
View of Prague

We traveled by train to Prague from Berlin on November 11 (Tuesday).  We stayed in a cute flat in a classic building in the Vinohrady district, one block from the tram and the metro.  We had tickets for the Czech State Opera a couple of hours after we arrived from Berlin, and we barely got organized in time to get there. We ended up walking to the theatre which really was not too far… maybe a 20 minute fast walk from the apartment. We had great seats (10th row center) for a very good price, and enjoyed a very well done Barber of Seville.

We spent the next couple of days just walking around the town, taking trams and the metro and enjoying the beautiful architecture. The restaurants in our neighborhood were all cute, trendy and reasonably priced. The best find of all was a restaurant called Parlament, closer to the center of town, that served real Czech food.

On Friday night we went to another opera, Rigoletto. This time we were in the third row center and enjoyed it even more.  Saturday morning we left for Vienna.

L.

Mark at the Parlament Restaurant
Mark at the Parlament Restaurant
On the famous bridge over the Charles River
Hebrew words on crucifix on the famous bridge over the Charles River
Old Jewish Cemetary. Oldest tombstone dates to 1439.
Old Jewish Cemetery. Oldest tombstone dates to 1439.
Old Jewish Cemetery. Oldest tombstone dates to 1439.
Old Jewish Cemetery. Oldest tombstone dates to 1439.
Food van on the street in Jewish Quarter
Food van on the street in Jewish Quarter
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Berlin

We spent three days in Berlin with our sailing friends Michael and Britta of “Vera.” The most special part of our short stay was participating in the celebrations commemorating the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. We also shared great meals, toured around, and then Laura and I saw a great concert by the Vienna Philharmonic on the last evening. We then took the train to Prague. More on that later.

M.

Brandenburg Gate illuminated during the 25th anniversary celebrations. The lit white balloons represent the actual location and height of the Berlin Wall.

Balloons representing the Wall near Potsdamer Platz.
Balloons along the river.
Posing with Michael.
Touring the Kaiser’s palaces at Potsdam.

 

Sculpture in Berlin.
Chocolate feast at Fassbinder & Rausch.
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Last days of the season

View of Kasterlorizo from the cliff trail
View of Kasterlorizo from the cliff trail

We cancelled a planned sail north when the weather turned cold and rainy and returned to KaÅŸ to get the boat ready to be hauled and stored on the hard.  There has still been plenty of time to socialize.  We attended Republic Day celebrations on the town square with our Turkish friends Eren and Bensu and our Canadian friends Michael and Gloria from “Paikea Mist” with delicious food by Ratatouille.  The period of rain has passed and we now have clear skies and pleasantly cool temperatures.

M.

David and Melinda ("Sassoon"), Michael ("Pakia Mist"), Laura, and Gloria ("Pakia Mist") sharing sundowners at the top of the ancient Lycian Coliseum, KaÅŸ
David and Melinda (“Sassoon”), Michael (“Paikea Mist”), Laura, and Gloria (“Paikea Mist”) sharing sundowners at the top of the ancient Lycian Coliseum, KaÅŸ
Eren and Bensu visit Sabbatical III for coffee
Eren and Bensu visit Sabbatical III for coffee

 

Fresh pomegranate and orange juice at the KaÅŸ town square
Fresh pomegranate and orange juice at the KaÅŸ town square