The reality-check point

An excerpt from an almost chance conversation with our hostel staff in Berlin yesterday.

"Thanks for the dinner recommendation, it was good to eat local food on our last night here." I said to her as we entered the hostel.

"No worries. Where are you headed next?" she asked.

"Oh, actually, this is the last night of our trip, and we're headed back home tomorrow." I replied.

"Where are you from?" she asked.

"Goa, in India. Have you heard of it?"  I returned her question.

"Of course. I was there last year, and I loved it. How lucky for you - you're from Goa!"

"Yes, I guess. Although, we don't live there anymore and only return every year to visit our families." At that point, I wasn't sure if I was replying to her or silently asking a question of myself. 

"Are you happy that your trip is over?" she enquired casually.

"Hmmm, that's a good question. I have mixed feelings really. I'm quite exhausted from the constant travel over the past few months, but also happy to be home soon. The best part is that I have no regrets."

"That's wonderful. I guess you can now sit back and think what this trip really meant for you." she smiled.

A casual, offhand remark suddenly made me realize I'd been living a dream for the past few months, and reality was just around the corner. 

Once I had made the difficult decision to take time off from work, my time had simply been spent planning the trip, talking about it, shopping for it; every moment during the trip took me further into the dream, devoid of reality and the burden that it shoulders. If I ever lived for myself, this was it. 

But just like that, the bubble was going to be burst. And it begged a few questions. Will I miss being on the road? Am I ready for a routine again? Did the time off really help, or are there more questions now? Hmmm, it's a long way back home; not too bad a time to ponder over it.

The quest for weird statues in Prague

Prague in autumn is like a postcard coming to life! Besides sipping all the delicious hot drinks - there is a vast choice for the curious drinker (hot chocolate, hot mulled wine called svarak, hot honey wine called medovina and hot apple juice),  a rather thrilling thing to is to go on an eerie statue hunt. Yes, may not appeal to the usual tourists but definately much fun if you want to be off the beaten track. And Prague, is a city that is mystifying and unknown to the common traveler (a history enthusiast like me knew so little ); statue-hunting just further adds to the mysterious charm of this city.

Some of these statues we bumped into when least expected, some of them we went hunting for the very last mile. Many of them were by the controversial Czech sculptor David Černý. 

1. Kafka riding a headless man - yes, it is the same author Franz Kakfa, we heard of in school. I didn't know he was of Czech origin till now. Kafka was a troubled person and had a particularly complex relationship with his father. This statue, located in the Jewish ghetto, depicts his coming to terms with himself and being victorious over a man who seems to be his father ( it is Kafka's being that now presides over the man). The statue is strategically placed facing three different religious temples - the Roman Catholic church, the Protestant church and the Jewish synagogue in the old town.

2. Peeing men - This was just so weird. Why would we want statues peeing over a Czech map? I do not understand this but the sight is weirdly fascinating. The bottom of the men actually move in all directions so that they can pee all over. Weird again! The statues are located in the Kafka museum and are by David Cerny.

3. Gigantic faceless babies - They have the cutest bums but take a closer look at them and you know why they are unintentionally weird. They are faceless. And gigantic. Another David Cerny for you. Located near the Museum Kampa.

4. Ghost of the mountains - While visiting the famous Prague castle, we heard about a lesser known tunnel road that could take you into the palace. Down a muddy road that leads to the Jeleni Prikov or deer moat tunnel and into the beautiful area lined with trees now turned yellow and orange, is this statue that seems so out of place. This is the statue of the mountain ghost. 

5. Upside down horse - We were wandering around looking for restaurants in Wenceslas Square, inside Lucerna Pasaz on Vodickova, when this statue stood smack in front, making us forget our hunger and stare at it in what could be described as intrigue! This is Mr Wencelas hanging on an upside down horse. Again, I learn this statue is another Cerny.

6. Ghost of Don Giovanni - Outside the Mozart school of music, Don Giovanni's ghost sits. Come here at night and feel the spookiness.

 7. Hanging Freud - A statue that I'm sure most people would miss, and we would have too if not for our prior knowledge, is a man handing on one hand. Supposedly, it is Sigmund Freud pondering whether to hold on or let go, fighting his fear of death or could be Freud challenging status quo. The status is very disturbing in an otherwise quiet area of Huskova street in the old quarter. Yes, yet another David Cerny weird classic. 

8. Human-car - A car for human legs as tires located in the German embassy complex in Vlassaka. We couldn't enter the embassy, but in our quest for the statue search, we maaged to get a sneak peek from the park right behind the embassy. It is an old German car called Trabant car depicted here and is a tribute by Cerny to the East Germans.

9. Victims of communism - We stumbled upon these intriguing statues. There are seven bronze figures descending a flight of stairs. The statues appear more "decayed" the further away they are from you - losing limbs and their bodies breaking open. It symbolises how political prisoners were affected by Communism.

10. Babies crawling on an ugly tower - we were told by our guide that the Prague TV tower is the rated many times as the ugliest tower in the world. We saw it from a distance but didn't end up going up there. It has baby statues crawling over it. A picture from the web here. We missed it this time, but weird crawling babies may be a reason to revisit Prague!

They dance atop the Glockenspiel

The Big Ben in London is among the first ones that comes to mind when you're asked about bell and clock towers. Heck, if you're from Mumbai, probably the Rajabai Clock Tower tops that list. But does the Glockenspiel in Munich even ring a bell, pun intended?

It certainly didn't for us when we landed in Munich, all set for the Oktoberfest and the rivers of beer that flow their course. And it probably would have remained that way if we hadn't done our customary walking tour of the city. Beer purists may scoff at us but, as we took a day off from Oktoberfest, we reminded ourselves that we were travellers first, and beerholics later. 

After a quick round of introductions, our tour guide pointed at the building right next to our meeting point and asked us to pay attention. And then, just like that, the magic started. Right on the hour at 11 am, it chimed and the stationary figures started to move. As the crowd watched in wonder and amusement alike, a couple of stories were enacted from the 16th century. The first was a story of the marriage of the local duke, complete with a fight amongst two knights on horseback, which of course the Bavarian knight won. The second was a dance performed to symbolize the victory over the plague. After around 10 minutes, a golden bird chirped thrice and ended the spectacle to massive applause from the spellbound audience.

Theatricality aside, the spectacle was really amusing and ensured our walking tour started on a great note. Munich isn't only about the Oktoberfest; when you're there, make sure you do not miss this interesting performance.

The big list of lists

Our backpacking trip across Europe has seen us visit several monuments, parks and other attractions. In hindsight, some could have been skipped, while, given more time, others could easily have been on the list. As our trip progresses over the next two months, we'll update this list in chronological order, not one of preference though. Hopefully, the ones we miss will be reason enough to go back someday.

Museums

• Anne Frank Huis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Musee du Louvre, Paris, France
• Museo Nacional de Prado, Madrid, Spain

Places of Worship

• Begijnhof, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Le Basilique du Sacre Coeur de Montmartre, Paris, France
• Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris, Paris, France
• Le Mont St Michel, Normandy, France
• Temple de Debod, Madrid, Spain
• Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, Belem, Lisbon, Portugal
• La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

Places of Residence

• Le Chateau de Chenonceaux, Loire Valley, France
• Palacio Real de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
• Castelo de Sao Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
• Palacio Nacional da Pena, Sintra, Portugal 
• Castelo dos Mouros, Sintra, Portugal
• Real Alcazar, Seville, Spain
• Alhambra, Granada, Spain

Parks and Gardens

• Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, France
• Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris, France
• Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid, Spain
• Park Guell, Barcelona, Spain

Markets

• Mercado San Miguel, Madrid, Spain
• El Rastro, Madrid, Spain
• Mercado Central, Cadiz, Spain
• Mercat de La Bouqeria, Barcelona, Spain

Interesting Monuments

• La Tour Eiffel, Paris, France
• Torre de Belem, Sintra, Portugal

Major Avenues, Boulevards and Squares

• Dam Square, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Champs Elysees, Paris, France
• Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain
• Avenida de Liberdedad, Lisbon, Portugal
• Plaza Espana, Seville, Spain
• La Rambla, Barcelona, Spain

Flamenco at Las Tablas

A flamenco performance was high on our list the moment we stepped into Madrid and, after some quick research on travel forums, decided on Las Tablas near Plaza de Espana. We had dinner leisurely near the Opera metro before the show, and chose the €27 show plus drink option instead. Las Tablas has a small, intimate setting, and was quite perfect for our first flamenco experience. And thanks to our prior reservation, we got good seats when we arrived. 

A throaty singer kickstarted the show, and there was another solo guitar performance before the flamenco actually started. We had an inkling of what to expect, but the electric performance by Lucia de Miguel and Jesus Fernandez blew us away. Both performers had their own unique styles, and captivated the audience with energetic yet graceful moves. Throughout the performance, the performers elicited encouragement from the audience, who in turn were more than glad to oblige. The show went on for just over an hour, and was well worth the money we'd spent. 

Step up to the streets

Street performances are not an uncommon sight around the world these days. Every town, every performance has its own quirks and, more often than not, you'll find yourself clapping your hands and tapping your feet to the wonderful sounds of music. Just as we were crossing Plaza Mayor into the streets of La Latina today, we saw a group of women put on a simple yet foot-tapping performance. We were enthralled for a good half-hour and, though we didn't capture their entire performance, the smiles on their beautiful faces shows just how much they enjoyed that dance.

Chocolate con churros...a sweet sweet sin

Chocolateria San Gines, a cafe close to the Iglesia de San Gines church in central Madrid (and happily just around the corner from our hotel in Calle Arenal), has been serving chocolate con churros since 1894. If you are in Madrid even for a day, do not miss out on this amazing hot chocolate and deep friend dough combination. It has been highly recommended on almost all travel forums, and for good reason.