Reader

As stated for about the fifth blog post now, Cesky Krumlov is a town taken straight from a fairytale. After touring the castle on Thursday and then lunch at the Eggenberg brewery, several of us ventured to the Shakespeare bookstore. I felt just as Belle from Beauty and the Beast as I perused the bookshelves of this local Czech bookshop.

Then, my eyes passed over the section of Peguin Popular Classics...specifically Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. Though the shop only carried an abridged version, I felt like I needed to fully commit to my Beauty and the Beast vision. I purchased the book and then began to wander around Cesky Krumlov. The characters of Monsieur le Maire and Fantine and Eponine seemed right at home here in the Czech Republic as in the city of Paris.

Thus, a cheap weekend activities for you misers out there--just pick up a book. Become a reader. There truly is a mysterious appeal to sitting in a strange place, a coffeeshop or creperie or brewery or cafe set on the river, and then dive into a novel. Especially a classic. To invite the characters, who you meet for the first time, to experience this new place with you.

Les Mis has also been an excellent precursor to my weekend trip here in Paris. I am taking a break from the Hugo's pages just to finish this blog post. We will return to Prague this evening, and I am constantly impressed with these beautiful places and the opportunity to visit them all. Also the ability to slow down and be a photographer, a historian, a reader, and a traveler all at once.

Escape to Vienna

Why not swing by Vienna for the weekend? A mere four to five hours by bus or train, and that'll only cost you about 700 crowns or forty American dollars. If you take Student Agency buses, expect old episodes of Friends or relatively new Blockbuster releases like Harry Potter or Dark Knight Rises. Also, a bus attendant will provide you with yellow 90's headphones and a steaming beverage. But the best part--the view of the Czech countryside passing by just outside your window. Sit comfortably in your large, reclining black leather seat and watch as you cross an untainted section of Europe.

When you arrive in Vienna or Wien as the Austrians call it, you will get dropped off in Praterstern just beside Prater Park and an old amusement park. The Vienna transportation system is more straight forward than that in Prague, and once you arrive in the city, you can immediately jump over to popular Viennese tourist destinations like St. Stephen's Cathedral, the grand Opera House, the Albertina art museum, and famous summer palaces and gardens like Belvedere and Schönbrunn Palace.

For my 36 hours in Vienna, I trekked southward from Praternstern to West Banhof, from Volks Theater to Karlsplatz and then up to Schwedensplatz and biked along the Danube Canal. The beauty of Prague lies in the extraordinary Baroque buildings that line all the streets, but there are several key distinctions beween the city and Prague like Vienna's abundance of art museums, larger tourist population, increased modernity, and the use of the Euro.

I despise the Euro. I am very spoiled by the cheap eats and wines of Prague. But in Vienna, you can still get by without spending much by utilizing your student ID, visiting the multiple parks, and eatings lots of gelato.

So head to Vienna for a cultural experience and do not fall prey to the "Mozarts" lining the sidewalks attempting to sell you Opera or symphony tickets. Instead, visit Schönbrunn Palace (pictured above), promenade throughout the parks and past the Gloriette, and pretend you are royalty. Or spend 8 Euros at the Albertina and get lost in the works of Rembrandt, Reuben, Van Eyck, several Monet and Picasso works, and finally a large, provoking exhibit of the works of Helnwein.

Danger Zone

Should you happen to follow international news, specifically news of Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, and if you are my parents, then current events within the Czech Republic, you would be aware of the immense amount of rainfall that has occurred here in Prague over the past forty-eight hours. True, since I have arrived, the city has been grey and rainy. There has probably only been three hours of sunlight during my duration here. But Sunday, the rain grew to be more than a light drizzle. The weather sparked the following warnings sent via e-mail:

"As you know, it has been raining quite a bit. Parts of the city are flooding, but where you live should be ok. If you happen to hear an air-raid alarm, please call me immediately. Many of the metros are closed. Please stay away from the river. Stay in and watch movies!" - Kim, Sunday, June 2nd at 7:08 PM

"Stay at home tonight or at least around your area, and don't go down near the river." - Dennis, Sunday, June 2nd at 9:46 PM

Flooding! Storms! Water! Caitlin and I grew excited. We both admitted our mutual, impractical love for hurricanes and tornadoes, and then we both knew we would be going out to chase the storm. Sorry Dennis, sorry Kim. We needed photos for the blog and we needed to fully embrace Czech current events. Trekking throughout the city to catch glimpses of rising water would be the second best thing to the canceled Gypsy Parade.

Well the venture was ultimately bust. We trammed to Namesti Republiky and hoped to reach Florenc, a low level section of Prague susceptible to flooding. So we hopped on the metro and then watched as we slowly eased by the Florenc stop, then Krízíkova, Invalidovna, and Palmovka. And then we were lost in Eastern Prague (see photo above). Two hours later, and several re-routed trams, we navigated our way back to the apartments at Praha 7.

Monday morning, to further reiterate the severity of the flood situation, and to reinforce our horrible venture from Sunday night, we received e-mails featuring the following quotes:

"The trams are not working in your 'hood, so class is cancelled. Please stay in and don't venture near the river...." - Kim, Monday, June 3rd at 9:19 AM

"Go out and embrace the bad weather and turn it around and make it work for you. One last note that I want to stress. Please do not go into the downtown area or anywhere near the river or fast flowing water. Use your head and be safe. We are not an emergency situation unless you want to be part of the emergency." - Dennis, Monday, June 3rd at 12:18 PM

Caitlin and I decided to embrace the bad weather yet again--despite wet socks and soaking boots from the night before, a map frayed from water damage, and general sleep depravity. This time we would not take chance with the trams or metro system. We set off on foot and braved the elements until we arrived at the bridge. Rushing water! Definitely a sight to behold.

We were not alone; many curious tourists and locals lined the bridge to similarly snap photographs. By evening, as we stepped out after dinner, we noticed that the rainfall had stopped. Inspired by dry clothes and shedding our rain jackets, we joined crowds in Old Town square, danced with street performers, and joined a throng of people to watch the clock strike seven.