Blind Tasting

After a minor detour, I found myself with a free afternoon in Salzburg, Austria. Though I hadn't planned on even setting foot in the country, I found it reminded me a bit of Aspen. From the top of the Hohensalzburg Castle overlooking the area, I sipped a local beer and took in the stunning view of abrupt mountain peaks of the Alps and distant lakes.

Salzburg, which literally means "Salt Fortress" has several cemeteries and churches. I began photographing cemeteries in Oakland with my first camera when I was thirteen. There was something I loved about the still marble statues in stark black and white. As I travel, I cannot help wandering through the old and crumbling tombstones of Europe. The most interesting in Salzburg was just next to the Cemetery of St. Peter, where there are catacombs carved into the rock of the Festungsberg. Believed to have been cut into the stone in 1139, it seems nearly impossible without modern tools.

The "Old Town" with its world famous baroque architecture, is one of the best-preserved city centers in the German-speaking world. I loved the spired towers dotting each corner of this neighborhood, and as you will see later on, I can't resist a good reflection shot.

An Austere Vintage

A term used to describe a wine that is unforthcoming - often they are young, tannic wines. They give little pleasure at the time, but it is likely that they will improve with age.

I pride myself on my ability to learn languages, and my love of learning new words. I forgot however, that in Prague, I needed also to learn a new alphabet. I felt like the typical young American backpacker, ignorant of the local customs and dialects. So still groggy with jet lag, I snagged a pamphlet with phrases and began to sound my way through the strange letters. My favorite phrase was "Nemluvím česky" or "I don't understand Czech." But I found, as I explored the streets of Prague, that it was a little like Disney Land. Aside from the looming castles and quaint costumes, signs were posted in a variety of languages, including English. And try as I might to test out my new phrases, like "Dám si jedno pivo prosím" (I'll have a beer please), everyone preempted me with an English or French menu. So giving in to being the naive tourist, I explored the neighborhoods with my camera in hand before saying, Na shledanou, good bye to Prague.

In Aspen we have an annual inundation of Music Students, whom we call "notes." I discovered we are not the only city with musicians at every corner, plying their trade for tips. Now I just need the Czech translation for "note."

The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj, built in 1410, is often considered to be a primitive planetarium, displaying the current state of the universe. The astronomical dial has a background that represents the standing Earth and sky, and surrounding it operate four main moving components: the zodiacal ring, an outer rotating ring, an icon representing the Sun, and an icon representing the Moon.

The Old Jewish cemetery in Josefov, the former Jewish ghetto, is the oldest existing Jewish cemetery in Europe. There are more than 100,000 Jews buried in this small plot, with the graves being layered 12 deep in some places.

The Pinkas Synagogue is dedicated to the 80,000 Jewish victims of the Holocaust from Bohemia and Moravia, the names are inscribed as a long epitaph commemorating those for whom a tombstone could not be erected.

Called the city of 500 spires, there a sea of red roofs spreading across the seven hills of Prague.

Decanted and Ready to Go

As the effects of too many hours on the airplane wear off, I head off at dusk to explore Praha. Old town, the Charles Bridge, Vyšehrad and St. Vitus Cathedral are all doused in golden afternoon light as the sun sinks the edge of the hills. There are some tourists around, but I guess most of them are worn out or at dinner, and I seem to have the streets to myself. Camera in hand, I am over zealous, snapping shots of everything. Almost frantic I catch the end of the sunset, before dragging myself back to the hostel to catch up on sleep, wondering what time it is in Aspen.










Pedestrians criss cross the cobble stone streets of Old Town.

Spires of one of the many churches pierce the evening sky of Praha.

A statue on the Charles Bridge bridges arches toward a rising moon.

A pair of fisherman float the Vltava.

Stunning Gothic arches, spires and gargoyles loom above St. Vitus Cathedral, which took 600 years to complete.

Bottle Shock

"Bottle Shock is a temporary condition where wine will need time to get over the shock of being transferred. The wine must rest and recover, working inside the bottle to reach a new equilibrium." This pretty much sums up how I feel after nearly two days of travel. I think I beat the jet lag, but I have those dulled senses of one stuffed in a tin can hurtling across oceans, as I begin to take in my new surroundings- Prague. I manage to navigate the airport, change money and find my hostel via the metro, dazzled by the foreign letters and signs. I am dazed as I tramp up six flights of stairs to my attic dorm room, immediately regretting every thing I stuffed into my backpack. At the same moment I am thrilled, hardly believing I am here, my two feet planted half a world away from home. Home...it is going to be a long journey of many homes (and beds, roads, foods and languages) over the next couple months.