Loni, the elegant white-haired ringleader, answers my questions about Austria. “A true Viennese is not Austrian, but a cocktail,” she says, wiping the brown icing from her smile. “We are a mix of the old Habsburg Empire. My grandparents are Hungarian.” Gesturing to each of her friends, she adds, “And Gosha’s are Polish, Gabi’s are Romanian, and I don’t even know what hers are.” “It’s a melting pot,” I say. They respond: “Yes, like America.” For 600 years, Vienna was the head of the once-grand Habsburg Empire. In 1900, Vienna’s nearly two million inhabitants made it the world’s sixth-largest city (after London, New York, Paris, Berlin, and Chicago). Then Austria started and lost the First World War and its far-flung holdings. Today’s Vienna is a “head without a body,” an elegant capital ruling tiny Austria. The average Viennese mother has one child and the population has dropped to 1.8 million.
A weekend in Prague, Czech Republic
A weekend in Prague, Czech Republic
26th Dec 2011 9:00am | By Editor Explore historic Prague in 48 hours. And you ll have time for a drink.
Words: Rebecca Kent
Day One
9:00 The capital of the Czech Republic, Prague is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is bisected by the Vltava River with its two main districts, the Stare Mesto (Old Town) and Nove Mesto (New Town), on the right bank. However, the best way to get your bearings in a new city is by elevation, so start on the left bank, at Petrín Hill. Take the funicular to the top and spend the morning taking in historical sights such as the Hunger Wall, Strahov Monastery, the Memorial to the Victims of Communism, and Štefánik’s Observatory. Don’t leave without ascending the 299 steps to the summit of the Petrin Lookout Tower, or Petřínská rozhledn, which is Prague’s Eiffel Tower. It will reward you with sweeping views across the cit