Austria

McKenzie Harris, December 3rd, 2023

I apologize for lumping these two visits together into one post, but I have several other topics I’d like to write about in this blog in the next few weeks, so I didn’t feel like last month’s trips needed two separate posts. In addition, the Dublin and Vienna trips were during two consecutive weekends, so in my head, they’re sort of the same event. (that’s what I’m telling myself).

Dublin

When I was deciding where I wanted to travel outside of the Czech Republic, my main ideas were Budapest and Vienna (both of which I’ve now seen!). In a less realistic sense, I wanted to go somewhere a little farther away, and among those options were the Mediterranean coast and Ireland. In the end, I decided on Ireland because I have a friend studying abroad in Dublin who could show me around. I was also excited about Ireland because I have a delusion that my reddish hair, pale skin, and name somehow connect me to the country. As it turns out, McKenzie is not even an Irish name; my taxi driver told me he knew I was American because he had only ever heard that name in American tv!

I spent two full days in Dublin, and I’m really glad I went, despite the cold and my knee’s issues. It was very comforting to see a familiar friend in an unfamiliar continent. On the first day, I got a tour of downtown and Trinity College from my friend Barbara, visited an art museum, and tried my first Guinness at an authentic Irish pub.

^my “mini” Irish breakfast, accompanied by a chai latte and my current read^

^looking into the courtyard of Trinity College, Barbara’s school^

^St. Stephen’s Green^

^National Gallery of Ireland^

On the morning of day two, I went to the beach and was delighted by the number of intact shells on the shore. Later in the afternoon, I met with Barbara to see an archaeology museum, where we got to see bog bodies! For those who are unfamiliar with said bog bodies, they’re sort of mummified people who were recovered from the peat bogs of northern Europe. The peat bogs are extremely acidic, so the bodies of the dead who were put in the bogs are preserved extremely well, similar to how vegetables can be preserved by pickling. I will put a picture of one of the bog bodies below; it’s not graphic but it’s a bit unsettling, just so you know. After the museum, we watched a movie at the Irish Film Institute before saying goodbye. The movie wasn’t Irish, but we were at an Irish institution so I thought it was still a culturally relevant activity. We watched Past Lives (2023) and we both loved it, so I recommend it if anyone’s looking for new movies to watch. I flew home the next morning and prepared for my next few free days before my parents arrived in Prague.

^Bog body!!^

^Barbara and I on my last night in Dublin^

Vienna

My parents and I spent the weekend in Vienna while they were visiting me in Europe. It was a chilly few days, but definitely worth it to see a city I had looked forward to seeing for so long. On our first and only full day, we visited the Habsburg dynasty’s palace, learned about our favorite Empress Sisi, ate schnitzel at the famous Cafe Central, walked around Vienna’s old town, and saw a classical music concert complete with Mozart, ballet, and operetta songs. We also enjoyed the Christmas decorations all around the most popular streets.

^me in front of Schonbrunn palace^

^one of many statues on the palace grounds^

^christmas lights on Kärntner Straße^

On the second day, we left in the early evening, but before that, we were able to get in some sightseeing. In the morning, we went on a (somewhat disappointing) river tour on the Danube and ate strudel. We walked around a bit, and before leaving, we got to see the State Hall of the Austrian National Library, which was the most beautiful room I’ve ever seen.

Overall, I liked Vienna a lot and would like to go back when it’s warmer. It was different from how I imagined it, mostly because I expected the whole city would look just like it did in the movie Before Sunrise. Instead of being intimate and indie-like, everything seemed giant and important, which isn’t a bad thing. I expect other parts of the city are smaller and less regal. I told one of my friends that Vienna is the light academia to Prague’s dark academia, and I still stand by that characterization.