Selcouth Chronicles Week 21
Hello family and friends! Welcome to week 21 of the Selcouth Chronicles.
Week 21: May 26 - June 1
May 29 Prague ->🚂 Regensburg 🚂 -> Frankfurt -> 🚗Bacharach
CZECH REPUBLIC AND GERMANY
Highlights: Banksy Museum, Prague Castle, Window of Defenestration, Charles Bridge, Museum of Bricks, Pinkas Synagogue, orchestra/ballet/opera concert in Prague, hiking the walls of Bacharach, the many castles of the Rhine River Valley
Sean:
As I sat down to write the summary of the week, the word that came to mind was: surprise. This for me was a week of surprises and unexpected events. Whether it was locations and food or unexpected closures, this week kept us guessing.
The week started with our first full day in Prague. As has been the custom in Europe, this meant that we did a Rick Steves audio guide! To get to the walk, we needed to go through the Old Town Square. In it, there was a giant screen being erected, whose purpose we couldn’t guess. We continued on towards the start of the tour, when we stumbled upon a Banksy museum. We had discussed this famous graffiti artist briefly with the kids in Ljubljana, as they had a Banksy exhibit at the time, so we decided we should step in. It was a really fascinating way to see all the various pieces Banksy has done over the years, with some quotes attributed to the mysterious artist spread around as well. We all found it very engaging.
After that surprise stop, we were hungry and stopped at the market to eat some hot dogs and cheeseburgers, Czech style! Once we had our fill, we finally made it to Wenceslas Square. As it turns out, Good King Wenceslas of Christmas music is a very important figure in Czech history. The “king” (later named a saint) was actually a well educated Duke who ruled in the area in the 10th century. The square has a prominent statue at the peak of the hill where locals often meet “under the tail” of his horse. A good portion of the walk was spent in and around the square, as so much history occurred there. When the Czech people finally threw out the Soviet Communists, it was in that square that victory was declared. Eventually, we came to the Powder Tower. This is a remnant of the old city wall, and is called the Powder Tower due to it being where they stored gunpowder. Next door to the Powder Tower is the City Hall. This art nouveau building was quite a sight, and it also hosts events. We purchased tickets for a Monday night opera/concert/ballet show that showed promise.
Continuing on past more interesting buildings (Prague was spared from a lot of the damage other locations suffered from WWII), we came back through the Old Town Square. As we were finishing up the Old Town square sites, it began to rain. We decided to end the walk early to avoid the rain, and went back to the Airbnb to work on the newsletter, make dinner, and relax.
The next day we decided to finish off the walk as it was the Memorial day holiday (no work for me!). This brought us back to the Old Town square just in time to watch the famous astronomical clock tower go off. I’d recommend looking up a video, as it has too many features to try and capture them here. Let’s just say, it brings a crowd. The end of the audio tour brought us to Charles Bridge, named for Charles IV who ordered its construction in the 14th century. It spans the Vltava river, which runs through the city. Here we learned about Saint John of Nepomuk, whose statue shows the point he was hurled from the bridge by the king when Saint John would not divulge the secrets of the Queen. With the end of the audio tour, we decided to finish crossing the bridge and visit the castle grounds. On our way up towards the castle, we passed a store claiming the best hot chocolate in Prague. Due to James’ fondness for the beverage, we decided to give it a try. It turns out the store literally serves melted chocolate in a cup, and James decided their claim was sound.
Finishing the climb, we made it to the Prague castle grounds. The major highlight of this area is the St. Vitus Cathedral. It is the largest church in the country and houses the tombs of Charles IV and his wives, as well as St. Wenceslas and a few other saints. It was a beautiful gothic building with an amazing stained glass window made by the famous Czech painter, Alphonse Mucha. After spending time enjoying the beautiful architecture, we continued outside, making our way through the basilica and the palace. During this trek we found an interesting window, indicated as the “Window of the Defenestration.” This tickled us and was yet another fun surprise. Then we made our way back to the Airbnb to change for the show. We had dinner at the cafe outside the town hall before making our way inside to the hall named after Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. At just over an hour, with music by a small orchestra, accompanied by both ballet dancers and opera singers, it was a truly fun experience.
Tuesday was back to work for me, but luckily we were able to squeeze some great Prague locations in. As it turns out, our Airbnb was located in the Jewish quarter of the city, and the oldest synagogue still in use in Europe was two doors down. During my lunch break, we made our way over and admired the unassuming building that has meant so much to so many people for centuries. Our ticket included admission to the Pinkas Synagogue, as well as the cemetery that we could see from our building, so we made our way around the building to the entry. The Pinkas Synagogue has put up along its walls all of the names of Jewish citizens from Prague and surrounding areas that were murdered during the Holocaust. The nearly 80,000 victims of the Shoah cover almost every square inch of the walls. It was a heart wrenching experience. Leaving the synagogue, we made our way through the cemetery, which has been used by the local Jewish community for centuries, and thus has tombstones almost piled on top of each other. It’s a beautiful and quiet walk, and it gave us time to contemplate what we’d just experienced in the synagogue.
Leaving the Jewish quarter, we made our way to the building that said it housed the Slav Epic by Mucah. These are 20 canvases painted with different scenes of the lives of the Slavs over history. Unfortunately, when we made it to the building, it was obviously closed for what looked like renovations (unpleasant surprise!). Instead, we made our way down the street to the Bricks Museum. It turns out that Czechs are serious about Legos, and this museum was a really entertaining collection of sets released by Lego, as well as builds done by individuals depicting various sites in Prague and around the world. I had to make my way back to the Airbnb after doing a quick circuit, but the rest of the family was able to hang around and do some building.
The following day we had to say goodbye to Prague and boarded the train for Germany. A fun surprise in the Prague train station was a giant Lego replica of the station on display! After taking some pictures and admiring the handiwork, we got on our train towards Regensburg. The majority of our train travel thus far has been uneventful, except for our bus detour in Ljubljana. Alas, this was another surprise. At the stop before Regensburg we were told, in German, that the Regensburg station was closed and that we’d have to wait. After about an hour, we were allowed to continue on, but now we didn’t know what was going to happen with our connection! Luckily, since the station had been closed, the connecting train was also delayed, so we were able to board and make our way to Frankfurt. Once in Frankfurt, we got our rental car and drove to Bacharach. Upon making it to our hotel, we crashed for the night.
Thursday we explored Bacharach, with the family heading out after breakfast to walk the walls around the city. The walk takes you up to the castle ruins above the town, and then back down the other side. Once I’d completed a few calls and got some work done, I stepped out to meet them along the walk. This turned out to be a bit more complicated than expected, as the walk sneaks in between buildings and isn’t marked. After finally being reunited, we got some lunch together and returned to the hotel. We all got some work done, had dinner at the hotel, and called it a day.
One of the main attractions of the Rhine valley are the numerous castles along the ridges of the valley. Friday we decided it was castle day, and jumped at the chance to take bikes that the hotel owner offered. Unfortunately, they only had full size bikes, and none of them were appropriate for Abby, so it was back to the car! We drove up the river to Rheinstein Castle. This is a castle that has been restored by a family since 1975 and was a beautiful place. Backtracking towards our hotel, we stopped at Burg Sooneck (“burg” is the German word for castle). Here was another pleasant surprise, as they had a treasure hunt for kids. James and Abby both really enjoyed the game and it was an awesome way to explore the castle grounds. After getting our fill of burgs, we returned to Bacharach. I continued to work and Caitlin and the kids did some more exploring. When my work day was done, we went out for dinner and closed out the night.
Saturday we wanted to take a Rhine cruise to St. Goar. Caitlin had done some legwork and collected the timetables for the ships, so we were ready to go! We walked down to the pier and discovered… the boats were canceled for the day. It’s unclear why, possibly bad weather, but regardless, back to the car! We drove up to St. Goar and the Burg Rheinfels. This was the largest castle in the area during its prime, but unfortunately the French destroyed most of it when they were forced to retreat in the late 1700s. Still, it was an amazing area and we really enjoyed the echoey cellar, the largest in Europe. We then explored the town briefly, had the kids try Black Forest cake, and then returned back to the hotel. Dinner was a wonderful affair at the hotel and packing to leave for the morning. I’m looking forward to new surprises next week!
Caitlin:
The way that we plan for this trip is fundamentally different from the way that we would plan for a vacation. When we left home in January we had the first few weeks booked and a rough idea of our plans after that point, but nothing set in stone. That’s partly due to the fact that planning seven months all at once is a logistical nightmare, but it’s also because we want the flexibility to change plans as we go and adapt our itinerary. We have, in fact, changed much of our original plans as we try to fit things in, or simply want more or less time in certain places. It has allowed us to be flexible and so far the results have been working for us. On the other hand, we often don’t do a whole lot of research or planning regarding the exact timing of when to be in a particular country. We visit when it works best for us and work out the details as we go along. More than a few times, this has led to us looking quizzically at each other and wondering what’s happening around us.
This week we had several little mysteries. On our first day in Prague, we noticed that the main square was filled with two huge stages with screens and massive speakers. Was there a festival going on? Some kind of concert? The next day there was a very large crowd of people in the square. One of the screens was showing commercials but the stage was empty. Later, we passed again and there was a woman on stage, but she wasn’t singing or dancing. She called out to the crowd and they cheered back to her. As we left the square, the crowd started singing together. It was fun, but confusing! Sean did some searches for events in Prague, but no luck. At one point we saw a flash of a hockey game, but the team names didn’t look like either was Czech. On our last evening, the stages were being disassembled, without us ever determining what had happened. I finally asked our driver on the way to the train station what had happened, and it turned out that Prague was hosting the ice hockey world finals (and they won!). The event was sold out at their arena, and the square was set up to host the many fans who wanted to watch together. Mystery solved!
In the Rhine Valley we had another small mystery when the kids and I set out to hike the first day and found everything closed. The information center was closed, stores were closed, and even most restaurants were closed. We were confused – it was a Thursday morning! Where was everyone? After some searching, I discovered that Germany celebrates the Feast of Corpus Christi 60 days after Easter. Actually, not all of Germany celebrates, but this area does. When I chatted with the hotel owner later, we laughed at my ignorance.
Didn’t I know that it was a public holiday weekend, he asked?
No, I did not.
Oh yes, and of course people take the long weekend to travel. And had I noticed all of the motorcyclists in the area? Did I know that one of the biggest Harley Davidson conventions in Europe was happening in a nearby town this weekend, with 10,000 attendees?
No, I did not.
Well, he smiled, you were very lucky to get a room!
That part I knew! I was, in fact, up until midnight one evening trying to find a room in Bacharach or any of the nearby towns. I had searched previously for other dates without a problem, but suddenly every site I looked at said there were zero rooms available in town. I couldn’t figure out why everything was booked! Mystery solved again.
Despite our frequent ignorance, most things have worked out well so far. We didn’t understand what was being celebrated, but it was quite fun to be in the crowded square in Prague with the city’s residents having fun and singing together. And if the stores in town are closed in Bacharach, well, that just means we’ll spend more time outside hiking the hills. To be sure, there are times when it’s hard to not know what’s happening (a recent train stopped on the tracks with explanations in German was stressful) but most of the time it has forced us to be adaptable and appreciative of what is right in front of us. It’s a lesson worth remembering.
Abby:
The Rhine Valley is known for its many, many castles. There are tons to write about, but I have chosen to write about one in particular that I really liked called Burg Rheinstein.
The Burg Rheinstein (Rhinestone Castle, in English) was first used as a customs post in the early 1300s. The customs post was a place where foreign sellers that came along the river had to pay a tax. It was used for over a hundred years before politics changed and the power shifted to a different town. The castle started to decay in 1572 when it became too expensive for the owner to pay for its maintenance. At the end of the 17th century, there was a war called the Palatinate Succession. Basically, the French were being pushed out of the region. On their way out, they blew everything up, both to keep the Germans from invading France, and well, just to be mean. Even then the French didn’t bother to blow up Burg Rheinstein because it was in such bad shape!
After more years of slow decay and the fall of the Rhine Valley to Prussia, Prince Friedrich of Prussia noticed this out-of-shape castle when visiting the Rhine. In 1823, he bought it. Prince Friedrich wanted the castle to be rebuilt as a fairy tale palace. The architects Johann Claudius von Lassaulx and his pupil Wilhelm Kuhn helped redo the castle, making it the only castle in the Rhine Valley at that time to be renovated. At first it was used as a sort of vacation house for Prince Friedrich’s family. It went through a bit more renovation during 1839-1844. The castle became the prince’s favorite home and he hosted many important people there.
In 1973, Princess Barbara of Prussia put the castle up for sale, but nobody seemed to want to buy it. Since nobody seemed interested in this castle, Barbara Irene was all set to sell the castle over to the Hare Krishna group. At the last second, Hermann Hecher, a German opera singer, saw the castle and liked it so much that he bought it instead! He moved in with his wife and children and used the castle as his home. Today, the castle is still owned and run by the Hecher family, but it is now open to tourists. The main parts of the castle are like a museum and the family lives somewhere else on the castle grounds. The family says that they can’t live in the old part of the castle because there are too many stairs! 😂
My favorite part of the castle was the garden. It had many beautiful rose bushes and a great view of the Rhine River. There is even a grape vine there that is over 500 years old. That’s much older than the United States! 😮 It’s cool to know that such an historic, magical place was used as a home for people hundreds of years ago and still is today. I hope that it will be preserved for many more years.
James:
The balance of fun and educational excursions is a very delicate one for us. If we do too much fun stuff, we won’t learn anything about where we are visiting. But if we do too much serious stuff, we’ll get overwhelmed and sometimes even a little bored. With that in mind, we need to balance it all out. This week, the balance was pretty stable, with the Museum of Bricks and medieval castles providing some fun for everyone.
The Museum of Bricks, in Prague, is part of the largest private LEGO collection in the world. It is so big that the collection is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records and is spread out over five different branches in different cities. I loved the MOB because it allowed me to be in kid mode again. I loved seeing lots of LEGO sets that I had only seen in magazines or books. There were sections for medieval themed sets, Star Wars sets, deep sea sets, architecture sets, minifigures, and more! There was a bright yellow castle set that was one of the first ever made. We also saw an AT-AT Walker in the Star Wars section that was at least two feet high! We ended at the “build room,” a room full of bricks for you to build whatever you want. I was able to just play and unfocus for the first time in a long time. It felt wonderful.
Later in the week, when we traveled to the Rhine Valley in Germany, we had a different type of fun - educational fun! There are lots of castles on the Rhine River, but my favorite was the Burg Sooneck, because they have a treasure hunt for kids. We had to solve castle-related riddles and puzzles to find eight different treasure chests and the codes to unlock them. Inside each chest is a special stamp. Once you collect all the stamps, you take your pamphlet to the shop, and you get a little medal.
While doing the treasure hunt, we got to see all of the castle and learn its history. For example, I learned that the castle was built in the 11th century, but ended up falling into disrepair before Prussian royal family members bought and restored the structure with the intention of using it as a hunting lodge. However, it was never actually used as a hunting lodge (which I think is ridiculous), and Burg Sooneck eventually became
owned by the state, which still takes care of it. The castle was an excellent mix of learning and play, just how all learning experiences should be, in my opinion.
I thought this week was an excellent balance. We had our entertainment, and at the same time we were able to learn new things. Even the smallest moments, like a nice lunch, can make each day more enjoyable. It was a pretty great week!
See you next week!
Sean, Caitlin, James, and Abby
Catching up? Read week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20.