Vienna, Austria

Noor posing with flowers at Karlsplatz station.

There exists a certain combination of beliefs, issues, and experiences of a place that is unique to that specific time.  The Europe I am seeing today is different from the Europe of a decade ago, and presumably different from the Europe in another ten years.  There is a great word for this in German, so great that we stole it and use it in English as well: zeitgeist.  As in, the zeitgeist of the United States during the Syrian civil war has been largely one of ultra-nationalism, fear, and xenophobia.  It's not necessarily a negative thing - I could just as easily talk about the zeitgeist of New York City during the 1960's being one of drugs, free love, and partying.  However, much more often it becomes a handy shorthand to talk about all of the other stuff from your vacation you may or may not have gone there to experience.

Our trip to Vienna has been a perfect encapsulation of the modern European zeitgeist.

A pretty picture of a Votivkirche Cathedral in Vienna, to distract from the depressing stage-setting.

Noor did not spend any time on Dr. Freud's couch.

Before I get to that, I should probably talk about the good, because there's a lot of it.  The city is absolutely beautiful.  There is more of a mixture of old and new than Prague, likely since Austria has seen more conflict than the Czech Republic (you might have heard a little about it).  But the scope of the history is much larger.  From huge, sprawling castles (Noor and I naively once tried to walk to a restaurant "on the other side of the castle" - the walk was well over a mile), to spectacular art collections (especially of Gustav Klimt), to science (Freud), Vienna has it all.  It reminds me of Rome in that I could spend weeks here and barely scratch the surface.

Inside the Schloss Schonnbrunn, Vienna.

But obviously, all of this beauty doesn't exist in a vacuum, and that's what I was getting at when I was talking about zeitgeist.  Europe is going through a relatively challenging time.  It had enjoyed half a century of relative peace and stability after World War II.  It seemed as though the lessons about the dangers of ultra-nationalism and racism were well-learned following the fall of Nazism, and its people understood that a unified European continent was in the best interest of all nations involved.  Standards of life for nearly all member countries were at historic highs, even though the global prominence of European nations gradually declined.

This guy seriously doesn't like CETA.

Now, a combination of factors are disrupting the European peace.  Militarily, Russia, previously nursing its wounds after the Cold War, invaded Crimea in an effort destabilize NATO.  The United States has threatened to not protect NATO countries for failing to adequately spend on their defense.  Economically, they have been outcompeted for years by cheap east Asian labor, and are currently threatened by new trade agreements like TTIP and CETA.  Internally, they are dealing with the challenge of an unprecedented number of Middle Eastern and Asian refugees while combating a hidden violent ideology.  This combination of factors has led some member nations to question the strength and necessity of the European Union.






So this was the background, the zeitgeist of our European vacation.  For us, it was a well-earned break from our new fast-paced lives.  But this was every day life for its inhabitants, and it is not business as usual.  There is no break for most of the people who are living here.  Vienna is an old city with a magnificent history, and it was filled to the brim with timeless art and architecture.  But if you open your eyes, it's impossible to ignore all of the other factors at play in this city.

In addition to its brilliant architecture and art, Vienna also has stunning skies.  View from the entrance of the Belvedere museum.

So now that I've shown you the beautiful touristy side (and hopefully did it justice), I can discuss the rest.  Some would call this the real part.  Immediately upon arriving at Vienna's central station, we happened upon a huge protest.  Greenpeace representatives, socialists, communists, anarchists, and trade unions all surrounded city hall in defiance of the proposed trade agreement that puts European environmentalism and trade in jeopardy.  Rather than tell the story, I'll just share a few pictures.

Completely by coincidence, we also stayed in the immigrant part of town.  This proved a huge plus in the food department, where kebabs were everywhere, delicious, and cheap.  But it provided a whole different perspective on the city.  When one pictures the refugee crisis, they tend to envision predominantly Syrians.  And to the untrained eye (like my own), it would seem that way.  But aided by Noor's accent identification and hijab recognition skills, we saw a far more multicultural scene.  The majority were Turks and Yugoslavians, but we also encountered Egyptians, Tunisians, Palestinians, and Saudis.  All of them were friendly, but nearly every one had a tired fear in their eyes.  It seemed as though they bore the weight of a people who left one war and are fighting another.  It was the same look I wrote about earlier when I wrote about the Syrian refugee crisis in America.

And another photo to break the seriousness.  This is me at the Belvedere museum.

So to bring things full circle, I suppose that this feels like such a unique time to be here because it feels like things can't last the way they are.  A people living in fear like the predominantly Arab population here cannot thrive.  And if they are kept in such fearful conditions and not welcomed into society at large, hateful ideologies will find willing ears.  But we saw plenty of signs that it could just as easily go the other, more hopeful way.  We saw it in the "Migrants Welcome" signs at the political protest.  We saw it with every double-take and welcoming smile at our little white-Arab interracial relationship.  And best of all, we saw it in the children.  In groups where white kids hung out with Asian, Desi, and Arab peers.  These kids will grow up to have less fear than their parents' generation, and with less fear comes less xenophobia, less nationalism.

Enjoying a performance of Mozart here for our one-year
anniversary.  I may have set the bar too high.

It's hokey, I know, and perhaps overly optimistic.  But you have to be optimistic about a place like this.  It's too beautiful to go back to the way things were, right?

Prague, Czech Republic

When I was a young man, I dreamt of European travels like so many others.  Of Paris, Rome, and London.  With each city I visited, though, there was a cadre of other travelers who kept telling me about a well-known secret: Prague.  I barely knew of the place when I started out, but after dozens of travelers have sung its praises I have put it high on the travel priority list.  So when the chance came to come to Prague for an epilepsy conference, the decision was already made.

View of Prague Castle from the waterfront at night.

It's easy to see why so many people fall in love with this city.  It has all of the best parts of Europe in one city that is cheaper, safer, and less overwhelming.  Prague has a history that spans over a millennium, and its architecture has escaped tw
o World Wars practically unscathed.  It has medieval style castles next to baroque cathedrals near some more abstract modern architecture.  Wandering through the streets at times feels like a Renaissance playground, only without the Black Death.  There are kitschy activities and there are museums with spectacular exhibits.  There are places of ill repute next to churches more spectacular than anything you'd find in the United States.  It's a perfect place to make poor decisions while feeling deeply connected to human history.

"The Dancing Building," a random office building among older architecture.

The streets are mostly cobblestone and typically are alive with people from all walks of life.  It's just the right amount of activity to feel like you're in a bustling city, but not so big so as to feel overwhelming.  The people are surprisingly friendly - both the pedestrians on the street and the drivers who have to deal with them. Traffic flow is helped by the presence of numerous bridges over the Vltava River, which is teeming with tourists on paddleboards, party boats, floating beach volleyball courts, running in giant clear plastic balls, or sitting around a floating barbecue.  Oh, and there's a Captain Morgan ship anchored along the waterfront.  The whole thing feels more like a much classier Acapulco.

Party boats, paddleboarders, and swans on the Vltava River, with Prague Castle in the background.

And there are a lot of things begging to claim your money.

The most famous of said bridges is the Charles Bridge, a wide cobblestone bridge built in the 1300's that now serves as the primary tourist hub.  On one side, there is Old City, with high Gothic style buildings reminiscent of the late Medieval period.  On the other side is the New City, with numerous modern upscale restaurants surrounded by baroque architecture.  In between you will find innumerable tourists, Catholicism-inspired statues, and a lot of beggars.

The cemetery at the Basilica of St. Peter & Paul

A trip to Prague would also not be complete without a trip to Vysehrad, an unpronounceable hill fortress that is about a 20 minute walk south from the center of the city.  It houses the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul, as well as some of the most beautiful views of Prague.  It also is the home to a surprising number of American college students, in all of their typical American eloquence.  The abundance of Americans extends even to the beggars, who all too often have an unmistakable American accent.

The view of Prague from Vysehrad.

Having never visited Eastern Europe before, the food is unique. First of all, water is never included with meals, as the locals drink far more beer than water.  It may be the only place in the world where beer is cheaper than water.  As for the food, most dishes are spiced simply with salt and pepper and make heavy use of potato, cabbage, beets, pork, and duck.  Our favorite is one of the most simple dishes: goulash.  People take their goulash seriously here, and the result is the most tender, flavorful beef stew with a sauce thick enough to stand up on your plate.  It typically is paired with a potato dumpling that resembles a chewier, paler version of white bread with a surprisingly rich flavor.  Speaking of potato, gnocchi is offered at nearly every restaurant and is always the perfect consistency - almost like a giant noodle.  Entrees are typically paired with beets and/or cabbage.  I imagine this would be a downside for most people, but Noor and I found it to be a huge plus.

This post will hopefully be updated once we visit the Clementinum, a spectacular library in the old part of town.  But we had too many pictures that we felt the urgent need to share.  Next up on this journey is Bratislava and Vienna.  Until then!