Europe 2015

When I first took a photo of the building with the red and cream facade, I had no idea that it was the Basilica of St. George, which was founded in 920 by King Wenceslas's father. I later found out that the Baroque facade was added in the 17th century. Inside the Basilica ( which once housed a Benedictine Convent) the building is much plainer. The high wooden ceilings and Romanesque stone walls coupled with atmospheric lighting give the interior an old world look and feel. There is nothing grandiose about this building or it's furnishings, and the rather empty interior give it excellent acoustics for the classical music concerts that are held there. The bones of many early Bohemian Kings, Queens, and Princes are interred there, and I thought it was interesting when I noticed the skull of Prince Vratislav peeking out at me from a window in his sepulchre. The miniature houses in Golden Lane were what prompted me to buy a ticket to enter the castle buildings, and I admit that looking around them was fun and enjoyable. The street was first called Archery Lane. Houses were originally built there in the 16th century to accommodate 24 marksmen and their families ( they guarded the castle walls from a gallery that ran across the top of all the houses, and is today a museum/armoury) The first houses built were much smaller than those there today, and they had to share a single toilet and a single outdoor freshwater tap and basin. Life would not have been easy, but life was lived in that manner by just about everyone in those days. By the 17th century there was little need for marksmen and the houses were let out to Goldsmiths and the occasional alchymist ( who was attempting to create gold out of base metals). Frank Kafka's sister owned one and the writer spent two years there in the early 20th century. In the 1950's they were restored and painted in bright colours. Today they house souvenir shops and a large collection of arms and suits of armour in the long gallery that runs above the houses. Once I'd seen all I wanted to see, it was an easy walk for me down a series of steps and ramps that took me down the hill to a place where I could catch a tram back to where I am staying....

St George statue outside Basilica

Facade of St. George's Basilica

Medieval stone carving above sidedoor of Basilica

Romanesque plain interior of Basilica

plain little statue in Basilica

tomb of a Duke Vratislaus 1 of Bohemia

It's where the bones of kings and queens are kept

Sepulchre for Vratislav 11 Prince of Bohemia

skeleton looking out of Prince Vratislav Sepulchre

Houses in Golden Lane

One house has little shop selling wreaths

Doorways and ceilings are low

This one has little shop selling puppets

some are smaller than others

Writer Franz Kafka lived here for two years

Original houses were much smaller

end of Lane

Raw end wall of gold lane cottages

serious artillary

wish I had a $ for every one of these I been up

put another log on...no cancel that

one toilet shared between 24 cottages

armoury above cottages

armoury

big stabbers

little stabbers

big guy and little guy

fancy little stabbers

Fancy big stabbers

Don't know and didn't ask...needs a fig leaf

walking out of Castle

glad I'm walking down...not up

easy as for me

hard going for some

view on way down

My first morning in Prague was cloudy and a refreshing 23 degrees (lovely after the last few weeks of 35 to 42). I walked 100 mtrs down the road and caught a modern tram which took me for a half hour ride through town, over the river, and up a steep hill to the Prague Castle complex. That cost me a $2 ticket and was a good way to see some of Prague on the way. Building on the Castle and the churches inside the grounds was started in 870 by Saint Wenceslas and his father King Vratislav of Bohemia. They started work on the Church of St Vitus, and the St. George Basilica. Over the centuries various Palaces were built on the grounds and it was the seat of power for Bohemian Kings, Holy Roman Emperors, and Presidents of Czechoslovakia. In 1060 St. Vitus church was enlarged to a Basilica and in 1344 a start was made to turn that into the Gothic Cathedral that exists today. Things moved slowly and it took 600 years to complete a unified vision of the present day Cathedral. Within the Cathedral is the Saint Wenceslas Chapel ( the same Good King Wenceslas as the Christmas carol) where his body is laid to rest. Within that chapel is a room which holds the Coronation jewels and regalia that have been used to crown Kings of Bohemia in the Cathedral, since the 14th century. The door to the room has seven locks, and each of the seven keys is held by seven different high officials in the church and the Czech government. They have to be turned at the same time to open the room, and this only happens now every ten years or so when the Crown Jewels are exhibited for a limited time in the Prague Castle. I bought a ticket for entrance to the Cathedral, the Old Palace, the St George Basilica, and Gold Street (used to be full of Goldsmiths). It was good value for about $8 (for over 65s). When I looked at all my photos though I had to break the blog into two parts, starting with the St Vitus Cathedral and the Old Palace. The Cathedral was all a Gothic Cathedral should be with high vaulted ceilings, colourful stained glass windows, and a spooky feeling that made you feel you wouldn't want to be locked in there for the night. As well as King/Saint Wenceslas being buried here, and multiple Kings of Bohemia, the tomb of Saint John of Nepomuk is a huge fixture in the front of the Cathedral. Now life is stranger than fiction, and when I first saw the name Saint John of Nepomuk I thought "hold on, someone is joking". But no it's true, and it is an amazing story. The story is that King Wenceslas 1V had a beautiful wife whom he thought was cheating on him with another man. He ordered his wife's confessor ( the vicar John of the town of Nepomuk) to tell him if she had confessed to having a lover, but John refused to break the Sacred seal of confession. Even under torture he refused to tell the King anything that his wife had confessed to him. This infuriated the King and he had John thrown off the Charles Bridge tied to a cartwheel to be drowned. His body was later found and he was buried, but the next year Bohemia suffered a severe drought. The church leaders who knew what had happened told the people that the drought was the fault of the King for martyring John, and the King was pressured to build a grandiose tomb in the Cathedral of St. Vitus for the Vicar, who later became Saint John of Nepomuk (Patron Saint of The Seal of the Confessional, and of Bridges.) Next up was the Old Palace, and it felt like an old and uncomfortable empty space to live in. They did however have a crown room on an upper floor and there they showed copies of the Crown Jewels......

entry to Castle complex grounds

When they renovate- the gold paint comes out first

First courtyard of castle complex

big deep well...well covered

Now that's what you call Gothic

Saint Vitus Cathedral Inside Prague Castle grounds

The main entrance

above Cathedral doors

Long View facing Palace

showing more features of long view

golden window screen detail

Mosaic of the last judgement 1372

back view of Cathedral

view from front door to nave

another inside view

organ loft

That's what it is all about

No expense spared to stop droughts occurring

Tomb of St John of Nepomuk

They did him proud

stained glass windows

and another

and another

another interior view

and another

and another

Plain wooden plaques in Cathedral

eloquent in their plainness

entrance to Saint Wenceslas Chapel

cleaning marble inside Cathedral

Embellishing the Cathedral gates are

lovely little gate details showing daily life

like this

and this

and this

and another

and another

and another

Main hall in old palace

another view

old Palace furniture

complex lock and hinges in old Palace

King of Bohemia

Kings throne room in old Palace

coronation jewels for Kings of Bohemia

copy of coronation orb of Bohemian Kings

copy of coronation crown

copy of sceptre of Bohemian Kings

On two different days I visited the Hungarian National Museum, and the Hungarian National Gallery. I wasn't very impressed with the Museum, but thoroughly enjoyed the Gallery. The most impressive thing about the Museum I thought was the purpose built building it was housed in. The grand staircase and a couple of the display rooms were amazingly painted or decorated. They have done a lot to display the finds from caves and graves in the natural surroundings that they were found, but unfortunately there seem to be only a few things that have lasted thousands of years. Every Museum I have seen carries samples of pottery and tools and necklaces and weapons and gold items from the European stone age, bronze age, and iron age. When you have seen one, seeing more of the same becomes boring. There was a mini exhibition of 'treasures that were in pieces and were restored by the museum restorers to as new condition. In this display there were some nice looking pieces. To see the Hungarian National Gallery, first I had to find it. I was told it was in the castle/palace on the hill under the eagle. As I was crossing the Chain Bridge on foot I spotted the eagle high above and got a rough idea from that where I was headed. I found it without any trouble and spent an enjoyable three hours or more wandering around a lovely collection of Hungarian Paintings and Sculptures. I only took photos of those I liked and for the ability to take photos in the gallery I had to pay an extra 500 florints and wear a sticker on my shirt to show I had paid. I was approached twice on every floor by attendants who hadn't spotted my sticker. Woop te do, 500 florints is only $2.50. I make no excuses for my choice of subject matter. I don't always know what is good, but I know what I like.. Tomorrow morning I get a train to Prague, and so that just leaves a week in Prague and a week in Berlin. After that I am on my way back home again. I have to admit that I am keen to escape the 35 to 40 degree European summer temperatures, which have made my travelling seem quite intrepid this year....

Hungarian National Museum 1840

on the steps

Internal main staircase

with beautiful painted wall panels

and ceiling panels

like this one

room under central dome has 6 huge lamps

and a patterned interior

all stone, bronze, and iron age tribes

leave behind pottery cattle and sheep

and most museums have displays of weaponry

helmets

and gold decorative pieces

from churches or kings

this little fella was restored

this was broken too, and restored

and this

and this

and this

eagle as seen from chain bridge

later at the palace

taken from the dome of the Palace

the Victory statue

under the eagle is the Palace Courtyard

The Palace, home to Hungarian National Gallery

Thirsty hunter

a shepherd (didn't they dress funny)

The dancer

The cutest Adam and Eve ever....

worth another look

social realism

siblings

boy with bread and butter

what an expression, didn't get bread and butter?

departing

Sunday afternoons, I remember them well..

mother and son

Harvest in

The apple harvest

the handshake

husking corn

Women pulling boat on river...

Churning butter

yawning apprentice 1890

Shepherd and peasant girl

Church on Sunday

Portrait of Hungarian composer Franz Liszt

helping dad

orphans is the title

boys skipping stones 1870

two of four floors of art

title is the interrogation

part of a triptych

desolation

lovely balance of colour

the veil

father and uncle with red wine

coquette

light and colour

artist's children

cellist, one of my favourites

I'm sure it carved itself

talented sculptor

Dying Mozart conducting his Requiem

Outside of a frame, inside a frame.

I wondered where he'd got to.

There is a bylaw in the Budapest building code that prevents a building being over 96 metres high. There are only two buildings that reach that height in Budapest. One is the dome of Saint Stephens' Basilica, and the other is the dome of Parliament. When Parliament was built it was built to the same height as Saint Stephens' to show that in the country of Hungary the Church and the State hold equal power in the lives of it's citizens. The number 96 is special because it represents the year 896 when the seven Magyar Chieftains established the principality of Hungary. It also represents the year 1896 when Hungary celebrated 1000 years of statehood, and built lasting reminders that the country was at the height of its wealth and power in European affairs. The Basilica, the Houses of Parliament, Heroes's square and other beautiful but extravagant public buildings and works were completed in those 'Glory Years' before World War 1. Our walking tour guide put it succinctly when he said "We Hungarians have leaders that suck at picking winning sides in wars". The first World War in which Hungary (as part of the Habsburg Austrian Hungarian empire sided with Germany, ended in a complete military loss to Hungary. When the war was over The Treaty of Trianon punished Hungary severely by establishing new borders. New countries like Czechoslovakia and Poland were formed around the new borders and these took away 2/3 of the original land area known as Hungary. When the leaders of Hungary sided with Germany again during the second World War, they again lost and were taken over by the USSR, with further eradication of their wealth and status. I cannot put myself in the shoes of someone born here, who has read the history books, and has had to live with the consequences of those two disastrous decisions, even to the present day It must be so damaging to the psyche of the country and its people to have lost so much. I'm not sure how they cope, and I'm not sure how I would feel in the same circumstances. Europe is a very complex place. However they still have those wonderful remnants of their Glory Years, and I went to visit two of them. The Basilica of Saint Stephan is grand and lovely to see in all it's Roman Catholic splendour. It is one of a kind, unlike but just as wonderful as other major churches I have seen. Being inside it has the ability to make you feel insignificant in the grand scheme of things, tempered with the knowledge that people have created such visions of beauty, of angels, of saints, and of a better life to come. I know that a simple person could regain their faith by listening to a choir or organ playing in such surroundings. Ah, but there aren't that many simple peasants left in this complicated world we live in. Parliament too, is grand and lovely to see, but the power is much more apparent here with the uniformed and armed soldiers barring entry to all but tourist areas. The best room in the Houses of Parliament is the sixteen sided central Hall (under the central dome). Here is kept the 1000 year old Holy Crown Of Hungary together with the ceremonial Sword, Sceptre and Orb. It is forbidden to take a photo in that room and three armed guards stand around the room to remove anyone who tries to. No, they are there to protect the Crown jewels made of gold and precious stones ( they were given to America for safekeeping before the second World War, and were stored in Fort Knox until they were returned to the Government of Hungary in 1978). Parliament was built with two identical wings because in 1900 they had the house of Lords and the house of Commons, just like in Westminster. This means now that thousands of tourists a week can be taken around the unused house of Lords section, without imposing on the running of the country in the other section. My thoughts on the Houses of Parliament are that parts of the complex showed elegance and taste, although the use of gold leaf in the debating chamber was way over the top Liberace. My final words are about the Memorial in the forecourt of the Houses of Parliament. I was eight in 1956, and my life growing up in England in those years gave me no concrete indication of the evils and the misery in the world . I have read reports on the Massacre of Civilians on October the 25th 1956, which give figures of between 76 and 820 men, women, and children, who went to a public meeting in the square in front of Parliament and never returned. There are strong indications that because the new Government of Hungary was being supported by the people to take measures to leave the Communist Bloc, and the Warsaw Pact, the hardliners in the USSR took a decision to show the world that they would not stand for such rebellion. A massacre of unarmed innocent people was the result. As I said before Europe is a complicated place, and somewhere in Europe it is still going on.....

St Stephan's Basilica

some of the marble mosaics in the square

Huge pillars at entry doors (being oiled)

St Stephen above the door but below Jesus

everywhere you look is grand and opulent

in every corner

every nook and cranny

no surface is without decoration

ornately finished

in exquisite detail

the high altar

the organ loft

Statue of Saint Elizabeth

a side chapel

another chapel

the glorious painted dome

Front steps of Parliament

another view of Parliament buildings

and another

one of the corridors of power

and another

and another

gold leaf everywhere

beautiful ceilings

outside debating chamber

numbered trays used to leave MPs cigars burning

entry to debating chamber

raised seat of speaker of the house

some of the 199 seats

and the rest

ceiling of debating chamber

detail

beautiful ornate doorways

kings, queens and famous Hungarians

line main corridors

and reception rooms

like this one

reception room

red carpeted main staircase

leading from front entrance to reception rooms

red carpet looks stunning against white marble

with golden ceilings

and painted panels

memorial in front of Parliament to 1956 massacre

October 25th 1956 memorial

underground memorial with known names of killed

Words of some of the people

who were there

on that fateful day

photos of some of the many civilians killed

last words

Guerrilla warfare is a form of attack that uses hit and run tactics. Because the temperatures have been hitting 35 to 40 degrees in Budapest, I have had to develop the hit and run strategies of a Guerrilla Tourist. My plan is to attack the two or three locations where I can do the most damage with my camera, and then run for the safety of an air conditioned space. No casualties so far, although the lens cover on my automatic camera stuck in a half open position and ruined a few photos today (could be the first casualty of this crazy heat war) Me and my camera took a subway ride to Heroes' square. The subway M1 that leads there was the first underground train tunnel to be built in Europe in 1900, and the stations are quaint in a sort of Sherlocky Holmes steampunk fashion, with antique tiling, polished wooden wall panels and painted steel girders with exposed nuts and bolts supporting the ceilings. As you climb the steps out of the station there is a Wow moment when you first see the square laid out before you with amazing statues and buildings everywhere you look. It too was built around 1900 for the 1000th anniversary of the foundation of the Hungarian State by the seven Magyar Chieftains in 896. It is such an impressive place, and I loved it. The column above the statues of the Chieftains holds a statue of the Archangel Gabriel holding in one hand the Holy crown of St. Stephen ( the first King of Hungary). In the other hand is the two barred apostolic double cross awarded to St Stephen by the Pope for his efforts in converting Hungary to Christianity. Unfortunately my faulty half-opened lens cover stuffed up the photos I took of Gabriel, but I was able to save the others, and I am especially pleased with the Charioteer of War photo. The square leads to a bridge over a boating lake/ skating rink and into the City park, which is also an amazing place. It is home to a large zoo, the largest mineral baths complex (with dozens of pools and saunas) in Europe, and the fabulous Vajdahunyad Castle. It is not a real castle, but it is still a beautiful complex of buildings. It too was built around 1900 as part of the anniversary celebrations, to feature copies of several landmark buildings in Hungary (especially the Hunyad castle in Transylvania). Originally it was made like a film set in cardboard and wood, but it was such a popular attraction that it was rebuilt from stone and bricks and reopened in 1908. The castle contains elements from a variety of time periods so in it you can find a mixture of Romaneque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architectural styles. Oh I almost forgot, the gold lettering on the Portcullis gate is advertising the world famous Hungarian Agricultural Museum which is located in one of the castle buildings. I'm sure it is a fascinating place to visit, but unfortunately I ran out of time. In the castle grounds is the statue of a 1200 scribe to one of the Hungarian Kings, who's name was Anonymous . He is a spooky apparition who belongs in a Lord of the Rings Movie, but he has been sitting here since 1908. I felt a little foolish but went ahead anyway and touched the pen held by Anonymous, which I read is supposed to improve your writing skills ( I guess it takes a while). It was starting to warm up a bit, so I turned around and walked back to the station. On the way I passed a gorgeous building which was the Museum of Contemporary Art. The building was stunning, inside and out, but was between exhibitions. I also spotted the cutest little Volkswagen, and took some photos of it for Leone to check out. I'm sure that her grandkids would be happy to help her paint hers to look the same... hehehe....

Heroes' Square

The seven Chieftains of the Magyars

Led by Arpad founder of Hungarian nation

Other Chieftains Elod, Tas, and Huba

Charioteer with a snake 'symbol of war'

opposite female charioteer representing Peace

symbols of labour and wealth

Colonnade with Hungarian Kings

Colonnade with Heroes of battles

St. Stephen and St. Ladislaus

Charles 1st of Hungary and Louis 1st of Hungary

Back of gothic Vajdahunyad Castle

Bridge crossing over into City Park

side of castle

another view

Coming up to Portcullis entrance

first full view of castle

Portcullis sign has deep meaning (see text)

one of castle towers

another

many different architectural styles used

some of the detail

Gothic church used for weddings

details

Hall of Art

on the side

Contemporary art Museum

No current exhibition

but inside and outside

the building is stunning

Spooky statue of Anonymous

A 12th cent. writer of 'Deeds of the Hungarians'

Spotted in Budapest

This is to inspire

the lady who owns a yellow one

dashboard-artificial grass with plastic daisies?