Category: travel

Prague is the fifth most visited city in Europe. Millions of travelers are attracted to this remarkably beautiful city by its art, architecture, history, and, it must be said, the amazingly cheap beer. It’s good beer, too, so the price is all the more surprising to the American craft beer drinker used to a ten dollar pint. This is the only place I’ve ever been where the beer in a restaurant costs less than the tap water.

But even with the thousands of holiday revelers filling the narrow streets of Old Town it’s possible to find a quiet pocket and an uncrowded museum. The Postal Museum, for example, where we were (by the guest book) the third visitors in a month. “Yes, yes, we’ve come to see your museum,” we assured the startled security guard. He flitted upstairs and fetched equally startled but welcoming staff who unlocked the cash box and took our admission fee.

Postage stamps carry a lot of political and cultural history between their tiny perforated borders. The Czechs are rightfully proud of their authors and literature so it’s no surprise to see them represented on stamps.

We’ve come to our last day in Prague and the end of our trip. We’ve honored the pledge to buy no books more in the spirit than the letter, but, still, I can lift our suitcases. We decide to reward ourselves and ask the hotel concierge for the best bookstore in Prague. With no hesitation she directs us to Luxor bookstore on Wenceslas Square. A little map study told us it would be a longish walk but doable. A few wrong turns turned it into a very long walk. On the bright side, we saw more of the city and enjoyed a really excellent pastry and coffee just when we needed reviving. And we did reach the Square and had a very pleasurable browse through the large selection of history books. Tired legs are forgotten when you find something special!

Vienna at Christmas time is purely wonderful. All the constant pleasures of the city – the coffee houses and cafes, the museums, the arts and music performances, the shops – are magnified by the seasonal festivity. Huge displays of lights, decorations, and Christmas markets seemingly around every corner make it a delight to stroll the streets.

We did pop in to a couple of bookstores as we passed by, just to enjoy the sight and smell of books, but didn’t go looking for them. For new ones, anyway. The Tyrolia bookshop behind St. Stephan’s Cathedral is an old favorite. Not a big store but it always has something to add to my husband’s library.

Books have a way of finding me, though, or perhaps, being a bookish person, I just notice them more. I was casually viewing the Lower Belvedere’s collection of medieval art when I noticed a book in a saint’s hand. Then another, writing in a book, and another in his study with untidy bookshelves behind him!

The best and most unexpected book appearance was at the Weltmuseum (Ethnographic Museum). Was it really chance that led me down that bland hallway or were my steps guided by some magnetic force pulling me to discover Chaekgeori? And why was the exhibit extended by more than a month until I would be there? Methinks there be mysterious bookish powers at work.

Someone thought it would be a good idea to celebrate the 130th anniversary of Austrian-Korean diplomatic relations. I don’t know that I would have, but I am delighted that it prompted this terrific exhibit. Chaekgeori translates as “books and things” and refers to a tradition of painting an arrangement of books, shelves, small treasures and objects. The style moved from scholarly court paintings into Korean folk art and continues to engage contemporary artists. All completely new to me and so interesting and so much fun.

I bought the catalog, of course, but it’s small and hardly added any weight to the suitcase. Oddly, though the exhibit captions included English, the catalog is only Korean/German. Good thing I’m happy just to look at the pictures!

Strictly speaking, we weren’t looking for books on our holiday trip. “We’re packing light, right? Only carry-ons, right? So we can’t buy books this trip.” I said. “Only carry-on, keep it light!” my husband agreed, “No books. Unless we find something really special, of course. Surely one or two would fit?” Our good intentions lasted into the second day.

And to be fair, I was the one who broke first. When touring the Bratislava castle the visitor must pass through a really attractive museum shop to reach the medieval tower. One would think it safe for the non-Slovak speaker to walk past the abundant displays of books. One would be wrong. “Oh look,” I said. “The exhibit catalogs are bilingual!”