The Fall of the Wall

Today is the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. While not the actual day of unification between East and West Germany, it was the day of liberation for those who had been trapped on the grey side of the wall on November 9th 1989. Although the wall was only erected in 1961, the division of Germany and its capital Berlin came about at the end of World War II in 1945 but it wasn't until the wall came down that the last dregs of the war were over.

 

The fall of the Wall has been used as a metaphor for freedom, including by Barack Obama when he was elected President. The Wall came down with bulldozers and hammers and used as relics and reminders, with less of the Wall in Berlin than the rest of the world. 

 Visiting the Brandenburg Gate not long after it was opened as a crossing

"Study the past if you would define the future." - Confucious

The pleasures and promises of Paris

There is a familiarity to Paris, whether you are a fist time visitor of the waiters know your name at La Rotonde. As one of the most photographed cities in the world, everyone has seen the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Musee de Louvre hundreds of times over. However, when you see them in person and take the time to absorb the atmosphere, you can feel the draw they have had on the millions of people who have stood in the very same spot throughout time. The goal then becomes how to experience them in a unique way.

With only a weekend to explore the city, it was tempting to act like all the other hot and hassled tourists. But rather than turn up with the crowds at each icon, pose for the cheesy snapshot and leave, we were rewarded for our patience. Taking in the atmosphere (and ignoring the illegal vendors) and sun during the day, then watching the sunset and the twinkling lights revealed the multiple sights within the one scene.

However, when the crowds were inescapable, following the locals to their favourite summer spots was the best way to go. Pulling up a chair and dozing in the sun at the Jardin du Luxembourg (below left), walking the gardens of Rodin's museum (below centre) and admiring the antiques at the weekend markets (below right) made for a lovely summer in Paris.

Avoiding the crowds and visiting the sites at dawn provided a quieter and lesser seen side of Paris. With only a weekend in Paris during the summer, there was no way we were going to attempt to get inside the Louvre. Watching the sunrise through the glass pyramid and from the reflection in the pools and then have a freshly baked croissant from a just opened bakery was likely a better experience than any other visitor to the Louvre had that day.

To cap off a wonderful weekend in Paris, there was one photo that I wanted to get. With my travel tripod, sitting in the middle of the Champs-Elysees, being sworn at in French, I got it.

"The French know the intrinsic value of holding on the the past, its pleasures, its promises, and its tender mercies." - Peggy Kopman-Owens

 Weekend markets along the Seine

 'The Thinker' by Rodin

 Rodin's Museum

 Sailing boats at the Jardin du Luxembourg

 Sunset at the Arc de Triomphe

 

Notre Dame

Morning light, noon and Prague by moonlight

Sometimes a second look makes all the difference.

Never have I had more polarising experiences of a city than in Prague. My first visit 10 years ago was rushed and at the end of a school trip and I came away with very mediocre thoughts about Prague. This time, perhaps with experience and maturity influencing the experience, I thoroughly loved the city of Prague.

Even within this trip to Prague I experienced contrasting moments. On our first full day in Prague we went on a guided walking tour to orientate ourselves and ward off the jetlag. The tour took us over Charles Bridge in the early afternoon and it proved to be a struggle to move and walk in a straight line due to the swarms of tourists and vendors on the bridge. Only days later after our conference (the reason for this visit to Prague), we got up before dawn and took the first metro into the Old Town and walked across Charles Bridge while there was scarcely anyone around.

Charles Bridge at 1 pm (top) and 530 am (bottom)

Taking some extra time to absorb a location gives better memories and appreciation rather than just arrive, take a picture and leave. We spent several hours relaxing in the outside courtyard of St Vitus Cathedral taking in the intricate and ornate facade, soaking in the sun and people watching. There’s a startling universality to the way parents from all over the world dress. For those who stayed after the sun went down and the lights lit up the cathedral, a choir treated us to a free concert of music that perfectly matched the location.

 

 East end of St Vitus Catherdral

Another highlight of our quick visit to Prague, was a cycle tour out of Prague and to Karlštejn where the 14^th century Karlštejn Castle was once the centre of the Holy Roman Empire. The 35 km cycle ride was along the picturesque Berounka River and gave our feet a break from the cobbled stones of Prague.

 

Karlštejn Castle looms over the town of Karlštejn

Best piece of advice for those visiting Prague, find a hole in the wall pub, in a back alley, with a 

waiter/body guard (thank you Josef) and order the local dish from the Czech menu and the beer 

on tap. Na zdraví!

“A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.” ― Robertson Davies

A few more photos:

 Sail boat on the Vlatava river about to pass under Charles Bridge

 Super moon rising behind the National Museum in Wenceslas Square

 Musicians Grál playing medieval music in Old Town Square

Over crowded Old Jewish Cemetery

 View from the Astronomical Clock of Old Town Square