Lost in Lausanne: Bohemian Bliss

Spring is slow to come to Switzerland, but it’s really, really trying. The weather is erratic- wild swings from sun to snow to rain. Fooled by the sun, we’ve been out on the bikes a few times, only to return a few hours later with frozen feet and hands. But the bulbs are coming up, and the birds are waking us up before the sun rises, so we know spring is coming.

Since winter sports were out for me this year after my sledding accident, we decided to take advantage of being in Europe to visit a few other cities. We’d heard that Prague and Berlin weren’t to be missed, so we planned a weekend trip to each city and weren’t disappointed. We took Swiss Air and Lufthansa – two airlines that made it easy to get to both cities from Geneva.

Prague held up to it’s reputation as an unforgettable place – it’s gorgeous, historical, full of music, friendly people, good prices, good beer (according to Doug) and contrary to all reports, great local cuisine. We stayed at the Cloister Inn, built in the 1930’s as a dormitory for young street women of questionable character, then later an East Berlin police station - a terrific hotel located in the old town of Prague, not far from the famous Charles Bridge.

The first day we set out on foot for a walking tour of the city, and with each turn of the narrow cobblestone streets we came across a breathtaking building, church, clock, or monument. I loved the Old Town Square near the famous Astronomical Clock (Orloj) on Old Town City Hall – it was lively even in March, with street vendors selling famous Prague sausages, and a type of pastry/donut called Trdelnik that is cooked on large wooden poles over open coals. The architecture in Prague is fascinating, with examples of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance churches all within close proximity to each other.

Trdelniks in Old Town

We then crossed the river to the Prague Castle and climbed 287 steps to the top of the cathedral for a bird’s eye view of the city. After a 2-hour lunch at U Labuti, we walked across the Charles Bridge with all the other tourists, making sure to touch several of the monuments that everyone was touching (we’re still not sure why). That night we went to State Opera to see La Bohème, making sure that we brought a “grand mouchoir” (big hankie).

Guard at the Prague Castle

This photo of me is also in the photo album of a family in Japan...

Prague Castle

View from the top

St Charles Bridge statue

State Opera

The next day we walked along the Vltava River with no special goal in mind, other than to find the famous “Dancing House”. We found fun surprises along the way – a sculpture garden, a “Prague-style” organic food store, bridges, and miles of mosaic sidewalks. We finished our last day with a concert by the Parnas Ensemble (strings) in Rudolfinum Concert hall, with what we called the top 10 hits - Mozart, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Pachelbel Canon, Bach’s Air, Brahms’s Hungarian Dance - you get the idea. We were in the smaller concert hall, close to the musicians, and the music was heavenly.

One of several marionette shops

Outdoor sculptures

The Dancing House

Stoleti -restaurant near The Cloister Inn

Terrific local food

Mosaic sidewalks throughout the city

Prague at night - gorgeous!

The next weekend we went to Berlin, arriving in the city just a day after a massive snowstorm hit northern France and Germany. We stayed in old East Berlin's Mitte District, within walking distance to Museum Island and some of Berlin’s most famous museums, close to all the bus and metro lines, and the Hackescher market.

We arrived after a late flight (due to the storm) and ventured out on foot in the frigid, vertical snow in search of a restaurant. We were lured into Oranium by the warm and cozy look of the restaurant, and the fact that our hands were turning white with frostbite. Doug tried a plank of the famous sausages – with a sample of the currywurst, and of course beer, and I had a whole trout…mmmm….

The next two days we did a walking tour of Berlin (modified by tea/coffee breaks to warm up) starting from the Brandenberg gate, then to the Reichstag Parliament building (closed inside due to the snow on the dome), the Berlin Cathedral, the DDR Museum with exhibits of life in East Germany, the Pergamon Museum, and to top it all, a concert at the Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall. It was a good weekend to visit museums, but we could tell that Berlin would be a great place to return to in the summer.