Since one of our subliminal goals for 2011 is evidently the acquisition of frostbite, we opted not for the sunny Riviera, but instead for the frigidly freezing climates of Vienna, Prague, Berlin, and Amsterdam. Actually, only the first two were really fingernail-splitting cold, but none were warm. Warmth was not on the agenda here.
Coldness aside, being able to see so many different places in such a short time was amazing, and a tangible reminder that it really does seem as though we have the world at our fingertips just by living in Paris.
We just may no longer have our fingertips since circulation to the extremities seems to be the first to go in the cold. Toes? Who needs toes?
So...about the cities--two of which I have actually visited before (Prague and Amsterdam, but both were about twelve years ago), and two of which were entirely new to me (Vienna and Berlin). Vienna was serene, pristine, and fairy-tale lovely. It reminded me of Paris, only cleaner and smaller, with more castles. The people were friendly and warm. They were also, on the whole, very Catholic. In fact while we were there, one day virtually every shop was closed due to the celebration of a Catholic holiday. I remembered this oft-closing down due to Catholic holidays this (lapsed) Catholic never heard of from the time I spent in Salzburg a couple of years ago. The bummer in Vienna is that no one wore lederhosen and dirndls in celebration of these (alleged) Catholic holidays the way they did in Salzburg. That seemed a shame to me; traditional dress is quite underdone, in my opinion. But the city was resplendent really; civilized and tidy and structured and beautiful.
Prague, while different, was also really friendly and welcoming. Of course maybe it seemed so since everyone spoke English. It was a bit absurd how much English was going around; it was even the only language we heard over the loud speaker in the train station. I am fairly sure less people in Miami speak English than they do in Prague.
Whatever the language of choice, there is no doubt that this city is a special place. It is an artsy amalgam of architecture, people, style, and food. It too is gorgeous, although it has a slightly less veneered quality to it than does Vienna. Whereas in Vienna you almost expect to encounter Prince Charming on his way to awaken Sleeping Beauty, in Prague, you get the feeling that real people really live there. Like all types of people, and there is a general sense of "whatever you do is great, as long as you are happy and not bothering TOO many others while you are at it." There is less of a sense that there are "right" and "wrong" ways to do things (as it seemed to me was the case in Vienna and definitely is often the case in Paris). But Prague was more free-spirited. It reminded me of Florence--only smaller and without the omnipresence of overly chatty men and religiously-inspired art.
Now Berlin was an entirely different animal. It was, on the whole, rather unbecoming. It was gritty and industrial and lacked the aesthetics of other European Cities. This news likely shocks no one, but what is more surprising (or was to me anyway) was that it was not an unlikable place. It has this palpable urban vibe that makes it seem like there is a terribly active pulse of energy and renewal thriving beneath the layers of despair and history. Still, if pressed for comparison, I would say that it reminded me of Detroit.
An absurd commparison since Berlin is (obviously) in possession of an uncontestably lengthier and more significant history (though the General Motors scandal of 2008 was huge). Also, I have never actually visited Detroit, so my comparison lacks credibility. Though I have listened to several Kid Rock songs, so I think I have the gist. But Berlin had what I imagine Detroit has--a rather complex and devoted group of inhabitants who know that the city is more than just its reputation, who might be slightly wary of the opinions of others, and who are happy with their city--nevermind what anyone else has to say.
I might be making all that up. Just sharing impressions here, not looking to incense people with these loosely formed opinions based on a couple days visitation to each of these locales; I am hardly an expert.
So that brings us to Amsterdam. You must be wondering what that city reminds me of--since it is evident that everywhere reminds me of somewhere else. Well, Amsterdam reminds me of that place Alice tumbled into when she followed the rabbit down the hole. It was all sort of vibrant and crazy, with the canals reflecting all those narrow buildings back in a fun-house mirror kind of way.
Although that could have been the drugs.
Just kidding.
Actually, we liked Amsterdam best of all. It is so gorgeous and walkable. Everyone has bikes (though no one wears helmets which I think is a tad reckless) but the city is so compact that you can walk everywhere--which we did. We visited the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh museum, the Red Light District. Two of the aforementioned made me cry in frustration and general vexation at human nature in general.
Who knew that a sunflower still-life could ellicit such a reaction :)
Anyway, that is the gist of our vacation. Since I still miraculously have my fingers, I'll write more on what we did and what we ate...
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