Bruce Calvert and John Prokop's Trips

Photos and Text by Bruce Calvert, ©2007

Hungary, Czech Republic and Austria, with a tad of Germany
In 2006, John and I undertook one of our best trips. We flew into Budapest and stayed several days, then took a train to Prague for several more days, then another train to Vienna to visit there. After that, we picked up a car and drove west in Austria to Salzburg, then to Hitler's Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden, Germany. From there we drove to the Salzkammergut, the lake district of Austria, which is just south and east of Salzburg. I had wanted to see the Alps for some time, and was not disappointed. The area was glorious. Our final stop was in Cesky Krumlov, a World Heritage Site in the Czech Republic.
Budapest, Hungary
This is the cliché shot of the Parliament in Budapest, but it serves the purpose of an orientation shot, as well. The shot was taken from the west bank of the river (Buda), looking to the east bank (Pest).
A less clichéd shot of Parliament from the "land" side. The neo-Gothic building was built 1884-1902, and is based on the Houses of Parliament in London.
The castle complex (left) is across the river from Parliament, in the old town of Buda, as is the church (right photo and lower right in left photo), now shown in sunlight, which makes the roof tiles really pop.
A storm was gathering as we visited the inside of the castle complex -- a rather fanciful place.
Flowers around the palace and its dramatic statue brighten the day.
St. Stephen's Basilica in Pest near the Parliament (left) and St. Anne's Church in Buda, north of the castle (right).

Prague, The Czech Republic
Prague, looking from high in the Mala Strana area across the Charles Bridge (right) to the old town.
John delighted in finding variations of his last name on this trip. It appears all over Europe, both east and west, but his family is a combination of Czech and Russian. When we walked into the hotel in Prague, the man at the desk greeted him by saying, "Here is the man with the famous name!"
Interior of a church near Prague Castle (west bank of the river).
St. Nicholas' Church (early 17th c.) near the castle -- minus the nasty cable car wires. Thank you, Photoshop! On the other hand, Prague's public transportation system is terrific.
How do you like the fire hose on the bicycle? This was in the museum to Jara Cimrman, inventor extraordinaire.
The image on the left shows Jara's abacus for first formers. The image on the right shows "Jara Cimrman in times, when his parents dissumulated from him the fact that he was a boy. However, the probability is only 15 - 17%." If you are by now thinking there is something a bit odd here, you are right. The entire (small) museum is a hoax, and, we were told, classic Czech humor. We laughed all through our visit, as did the English couple we met there.
Two strikingly different churches, just two examples of the variety of architectural styles in Prague. Prague is known for having perhaps the greatest variety of styles of any city in Europe, since it was never bombed or burned.
I love the simplicity of the architecture and decoration of this church.
Kostal sv. Michal (Church of St. Michael), one of our favorite shots. This Ukrainian Church was transplanted here. It is made entirely of wood, and, unfortunately, does not seem to have any regular care.
Musicians on the Charles Bridge.
Rooflines and architectural styles on the east side of the river, in the Old Town area.
The best of the baroque church interiors that we saw.
A distinctly European-style "fountain."
Prague's Old Town Square
I love the black and white house on the Old Town Square, where the alchemical symbols date from 1611. Franz Kafka lived there as a child. The astronomical clock (on the Old Town Hall) is famous. Crowds gather to wait for it to strike the hour, when bells ring, cocks crow and the saintly figures above appear.
The two pictures above show the east side of the Old Town Square. The Gothic church at the right in the lower photo (Church of Our Lady Before Tyn) began serving residents in the 14th century. That's the Golz-Kinsky Palace to the left of the church and in the photo at top left.
The photo on the left shows the south side of Old Town Square. The shot on the right, detail from one of the buildings. We have seen those interesting "bump-outs" for windows several times in Central and Eastern Europe.
Prague's Karluv most (Charles Bridge)
The Charles Bridge from the west bank looking southeast.
Two final shots from the Charles Bridge at the "golden hour." This is the east bank of the river, just south of the bridge.
Vienna, Austria
The Spanish Riding School, "home" to the Lipizzaner horses -- my favorite stop in this city. I had seen the horses perform near our house, but there is something very special about seeing them here in the Riding School.
These shots will give you an idea of the inside of the building -- very grand for horse training and exhibition with 48 Corinthian columns supporting the gallery. We were not supposed to be taking pictures at all, so could not use a flash for fear of exposing myself to the camera cops. Ergo, the settings on my camera did not stop all motion. Was very disappointed until I looked in good photo mags and discovered that blur for motion seems to be the thing these days. And so ....
I never knew that the Lipizzaners are born black or dark, and gradually change to white over 4 to 10 years. Two of the above are real youngsters.
The white horse shows his maturity not only through his color, but also his better-developed body and the way he carries his neck and head. The Lipizzaners are brought to the Riding School when they are about four, and train for eight years until they are ready to perform.
Beauty in motion.
This handsome fella (the horse) was a pleasure to watch, and his rider is obviously pleased with him. This was the big menoeuver of the morning excercise.
Two buildings in Vienna's "Innere Stadt" (that's the old part of town) that attracted my attention.
A dome and entrance to the Hofburg Palace, which today houses the offices of the Austrian president, an international convention center, various official and private apartments, several museums, and the Spanish Riding School.
The "Neues Rathaus" (town hall), which is Neo-Gothic in style, and the contrast with the circus we found in its front yard.
The garden right next to the town hall.
Angels and cherubs are among the figures decorating buildings in Vienna, a city (speaking of the old part) of mostly classical architechture, with a dash of Gothic here and there.
Karlskirche (Karl's church) was built between 1715 and 1737 to honor Karl Borromeo, the patron saint of the fight against the plague, in which more than 8,000 died. On our visit, the church was host to "United Buddy Bears 2006," an effort for world peace through better knowledge of each other's cultures. Nearly every country in the world was represented by a bear.
A man looks at one of the long rows of bear figures.
The United States bear and that of the United Kingdom are easily recognizable.
Lovely architectural detail on a university building.
Victor Adler (1852-1918) founded the socialist movement in Austria, fought for universal suffrage, and served in the provincial parliament. I thought he had an interesting face.
The parliament building is a study in statuary. Closer shots of some of the pieces appear below.
The various poses of the statues are interesting -- and very lifelike.
This chariot and horse study reminds me of the many such rooftop statues that we saw in St. Petersburg.
That's John walking towards a building in the museum complex.
The museum gardens were inviting to sit in in the late afternoon sun.
John found his name again...
this time associated with a lottery!
 
Schöenbrunn, the former summer home of the Habsburgs, from the back on a sunny day. It is said to have been modeled somewhat on Versailles, as was the Peterhof in St. Petersburg, which we like the best of the three.
Looking over the Schöenbrunn gardens to the Gloriette, once used as a dining hall.
The Schöenbrunn garden feature called the Roman Ruins.
Detail of the Roman Ruins.
Farther afield in Austria
The abbey at Melk, from the river side.
Salzburg, Austria
View of the old part of Salzburg looking north from the castle.
I loved this street performer. His expressions were just terrific. Wish I could have caught more of them.
Learned from the driver that these horses are Friesians, developed in a province (Friesland) of the Netherlands. According to Wikipedia, they were used all over Europe as war horses in the Middle Ages, being built like light draft horses. Today Friesians are used in harness and for riding. They are apparently almost always black, though I could swear that I have seen a pair of white ones. Perhaps they were cross-bred.
Inside details of doorways in the castle, and a colorful stove.
The northern ranges of the Alps from the castle in Salzburg.
The Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg.
Pegasus and a charming gnome in the Mirabell Gardens.
Berchtesgaden, Germany -- Hitler's Eagles Nest
Looking south from Hitler's Eagles Nest toward the Konigssee.
Looking west from the Eagles Nest. Great day for parasailors; we saw quite a few.
Around the Konigssee.
Facing the other way at the Konigssee.
Looking south along the Konigssee. Because of the high mountains surrounding the lake, there are few approaches by road, and those are around the northern end.

The Salzkammergut, the lake district of Austria
Bavarian architecture and design: a cottage, a hotel (in St. Wolfgang), and a shop.
We had lunch near this hotel in a little village on the lake one day.
I think this hotel is also in St. Wolfgang.
People are swimming! Learned that the water may reach a "warm" 76 degrees F in the summer.
Colorful boats on the Wolfgangsee.
We found this lovely stove and excellent food in this Italian restaurant in St. Wolfgang. The owners/cooks are two women from Croatia.
"Watch out for the video camera!" The "verboten" drawing amused us.
A pretty spot on the Attersee.
The Seeschloss (Lake Castle) sits in the mist on the Traunsee in Gmunden. The schloss was built in the 14th century on an artificial island.
This shot and the one below were taken on the Hallstatter See.
 
On the outskirts of Bad Aussee.
Just across the street from the home above (if you climb a hill). Note the glacier in the background and below.
The clouds hung low over the blue ice of the Dachstein Glacier.
The Gosausee (the lake) with the same Dachstein Glacier barely visible (because of clouds) in the background. Fabulous payoff for trying a back road. This place is simply beautiful.
A black lab frolicked in the water of the Gosausee while watched by his red-coated mistress. The shot of the other side of the lake makes me think of Heidi, even though it's the wrong country.
Cesky Krumlov, the Czech Republic
John found another version of his name. Eva Prokopcová is a Czech artist.
And then there is this version (Saint Procopus), which is painted up under the eaves of an old building. Can't be any connection there!
The town square in the late afternoon. Cesky Krumlov is a World Heritage Site.
The salmon building sits on the square, just to the left of those in the picture above it. The side street on the right opens into the square.
Clothes and manequins -- some things are much the same everywhere.
And then some things are different and eye-catching, like this friendly gent.
The exterior of the castle at Cesky Krumlov.
A view of the town from the castle.
An inner courtyard of the castle. All the stones and portraits are actually painted on -- a common and impressive form of decoration in this part of the world.
The lovely entry courtyard of the castle with more decoration painted on the walls. One of my favorite pictures from this trip.