I usually limit myself to one photo. However, yesterday we went to Melk Abbey, situated on a hill over the Danube in Austria and I was pretty impressed. I can't begin to explain its history and architecture here, so if you want to learn about this Baroque blockbuster, I suggest you go here: https://www.stiftmelk.at/en/ .
My Catholic elementary school made us learn Roman numerals. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the year over the gate is 1718. Corrections welcome.
Vienna today.
In America, a river ox bow is an area where a river forms almost a complete loop, not quite cutting off the neck to form an island. There are lots on the lower Mississippi, which are quite striking to view from the air. There is one on the Danube, passing through beautiful scenery of low hills, forest and farmland.
After devouring our sausages in Regensburg Sunday afternoon, we went out to the street to find a large and loud group of young women and their supporters marching through town. The themes were feminism, consent and, to use an American expression, enough of mansplaining. I doubt that Google Translate got all the subtleties, but the orange and green sign means something like "unsolicited advice from strange men," and the black on orange "protection is not a privilege, but a right."
Around the back of the cathedral, there was a smaller group who were apparently supporting the old Iranian monarchy. I think that is the pre-Islamic Revolution flag, and I heard the name Pahlavi mentioned. I wonder what they hoped to accomplish.
Long bus ride yesterday from Prague into Germany, where we stopped at the charming small city of Regensburg. One thing everybody does there is go to this tiny place known in English as The Sausage Kitchen. This is all they got. You get a plate with a few of these things on sauerkraut, sweet mustard on the side and rye rolls. Everyone was warned in advance: there are no options here for vegetarians or gluten-free people. Just old school.
I'm bloody exhausted so maybe I'll add to this on the bus to Germany tomorrow. We passed by the hall where the Prague Symphony plays. Leonard Slatkin, who was music director of the St. Louis Symphony for many years and is now conductor laureate, was conducting the orchestra for two nights immediately before we arrived. The koruna, or crown, is the unit of Czech currency. Plans to join the eurozone are in progress.
We're here, and floored by jet lag. For now, a phone shot just outside our gorgeous art deco hotel. More to come when the brain is functioning.
Mrs. C and I had a terrific anniversary dinner Tuesday night (52, thank you) at the locally renowned restaurant Little Fox in the Fox Park neighborhood. Wow. Looking around, it seemed like the open kitchen's reflection in the front window was a television screen with a cooking show, layered with customers and customers' reflections.
Down to Dallas-Ft. Worth mid-day today, London overnight and Prague tomorrow afternoon. Now I'm worried about whether there is going to be jet fuel in Europe in 12 days to get us home. I guess it would be relatively cheap to be stuck in Budapest but what would we do with ourselves? Couldn't be many more expensive places to be stuck than London but it would be fun.
