Pastries in Praha and other Central European adventures

Hallo!  Ahoj!  ("Hello" in German and Czech!)

I am a bit behind on my blog posts - es tut mir leid ("I'm sorry" in German!)  This week has been particularly busy, as I have been in three countries in the past five days!  I just returned from an amazing week in Prague, Czech Republic with my friend Elizabeth (a Dartmouth '10 and former manager of the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra), which was amazing.  I will write about this more later in the post, but I must first update about several other experiences I encountered earlier this week!


Last Friday, I was able to get together with my friend Christine (a fellow former Cleveland Orchestra intern) for lunch - it was really good to see her talk about both Vienna and Cleveland (and of course try a new bakery in Vienna)!  Last Saturday, after Matt cooked a wonderful dinner for our entire FSP, he and I attended a performance of the Brahms Clarinet Quintet at the Vienna Konzerthaus.  The soloist, Daniel Ottensamer - the principal clarinetist of the Vienna Philharmonic - performed the most beautiful version of the piece I had ever heard. Matt and I were also lucky enough to sneak into front row seats about five feet from Ottensamer, so we spent the whole time drooling over his incredible technique and tone.  This piece really inspired me to develop more delicacy and grace in my playing; Ottensamer used so much air, yet his playing was not loud or forceful (sorry for all the non-clarinet nerds reading this!)

I made Matt pose for a picture as he was finishing making his delicious tiramisu!

Last Sunday, Matt, Shivani, and I ventured out on our first tourist-y excursion in Vienna.  We visited the Habsburg Treasury in the Hofburg Museum complex, where we saw many of the Habsburg crowned jewels and other treasures.  I was particularly thrilled to see the sabre of Charlemagne and the Achatschale, a bowl that was once believed to be the Holy Grail, as it contains inscriptions that are believed to refer to Jesus Christ.  This museum certainly brought back many AP Euro memories from high school (hi Katie Miller!) and enriched my understanding of the history of Vienna.  

Charlemagne's sabre in the Hofburg Treasury

Another highlight of this week was our class trip to Bratislava, Slovakia on Thursday.  We took a ferry down the Danube River from Vienna to Bratislava.  We then took a walking tour of the city.  Although the rainy, windy, frigid weather put a slight damper on the experience, I enjoyed seeing the sights of Bratislava, including St. Martin's Church, where the Habsburg rulers were coronated.  We then welcomed the opportunity to relax in a restaurant called the Slavic Pub, where I had kapustinica (cabbage soup with sausage) and bryndzové halušky, a gnocchi-like pasta with sheep cheese.  The food was tasty, but a bit too heavy for me!  After lunch, we visited the house of composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel, who was born in Bratislava, and the quirky but cool Clock Museum.  At the end of the day, we hiked up to the Bratislava Castle and stopped on the way down for pancakes filled with orange marmalade.  I hope to return to Bratislava someday and explore the city more (hopefully in nicer weather!)

The list of Habsburg rulers coronated at St. Martin's Church in Bratislava

Me and Matt by a modern art statue in Bratislava

Bratislava Castle

Some of the girls in back of Bratislava Castle overlooking the city

The most memorable part of this week was, of course, visiting Elizabeth in Prague ("Praha" in Czech)!  Matt and I boarded the bus from Vienna on Friday morning to embark on our whirlwind 36-hour visit (we returned to Vienna around 5:30 this morning).  After we excitedly met her at the bus station, Elizabeth took us to one of her favorite cake shops, where we shared lots of delicious desserts - this marked the first of our MANY food adventures this weekend!  That evening, we went to a traditional Czech restaurant tucked away in a non-touristy part of the city.  Elizabeth and I ordered a dish with several kinds of meat (a pork, a smoked ham, and sausage) and Knedlíky, a traditional Czech food that is either wheat or potato based and cut into slices.  Matt ordered svíčková na smetaně, a beef sirloin dish served with dumplings and served with sour cream and cranberries.  Everything was delicious, and it was awesome to hear Elizabeth speak Czech!  The next morning, we watched Elizabeth rehearse with her Czech folk music group.  The musicians (who played violins, violas, a bass, and a cimbál - a dulcimer-like instrument that sounds when a small hammer hits strings) accompanied a group of dancers performing a traditional Czech piece.  It was really cool to watch Elizabeth partake in this cultural experience!  After the rehearsal, we of course ate more pastries!  We went to a farmer's market and purchased three apples and several pastries.  It was a beautiful day, so we perched on a grassy spot (a bit reminiscent of the Dartmouth Green) and devoured our baked goods.  Elizabeth then took us to her favorite spot in Prague, called Vyšehrad - a site on top of a hill overlooking the Vltava ("Moldau") River. We found a grassy spot and indulged in Větrník, a.k.a the best pastry I have ever eaten!  These pastries consist of two glazed donut-like cakes with two different kinds of cream in between!  (I hope no one is too appalled by the amount of baked goods we consumed this weekend - I was very grateful to have two partners-in-dessert-crime in Elizabeth and Matt)! We then visited the grave sites of our beloved composers Dvořák and Smetana and enjoyed the beautiful views of Prague.  Craving a healthy meal, we then shared a meal at a vegetarian restaurant.  After chatting, reminiscing about Dartmouth, and eating one more baked good (three pizza-style desserts each covered with a different topping - apricot, pear, or poppyseed), we had to reluctantly travel to the bus stop and say goodbye.  I loved the city of Prague - it was a bit more relaxed than Vienna - but most of all, it was great to spend time with Elizabeth!  I miss her already!     

Elizabeth and me at the cake shop on the first day

An Easter Market in Prague

Knedlíky with cabbage and meat

Větrníky (with a chocolate/marshmallow dessert in the background)

Best dessert ever!

Sadness in front of Dvořák's grave

...Passersby were certainly staring at us.  

Smetana's grave - more sadness

The Vltava (or "Moldau" river) that inspired Smetana's famous composition!

Beautiful Praha!

Time to go! :(

Such a wonderful visit! ("Já vypadám jako odpadky!" hahaha Elizabeth)

This post has become quite long...and next week's will probably be even longer, as we have a recital this Wednesday and Easter Break at the end of the week (Matt and I are traveling to London to visit our friend Rachel!!)  I am really excited for Week Four!

Thanks for reading!