take off to a different place

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

• Walking through the historic center of Prague–from the Old Town Square across Charles Bridge to Prague Castle–at dusk evokes the kind of fairy tale magic you used to believe in as a kid. Maybe it has something to do with the way the baroque statues cast shadows that stretch across the blue dark; they must be home to old souls looking over wandering tourists after the sun sets and the streetlamps illuminate sidewalks.
• Our Airbnb hosts Paul and Walter were amazing. They arranged a ride from the airport for when we got in at 1am, sat down to give suggestions for places to see and things to eat, restocked the tea candles in our room, and chatted with us by the staircase about US politics, living abroad, and how they ended up in Prague. As much as traveling is about the places themselves, it's also about the people who share bits of their life with you–however briefly–as well.
• We celebrated Yvana's birthday in Prague, starting and ending the 7th with half a dozen cocktails at Hemingway Bar. When the bartenders found out it was her birthday, they crafted a drink just for her and it was delicious.
• During the day, we ordered so much food at Cafe Savoy for a late lunch that they had to pull up a second table to fit everything. That didn't stop us from going to Cafe Louvre a few hours later for some obligatory cake.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

• On the seven hour train ride from Prague to Budapest, we watched the sun set over fields in Slovakia, slowly bathing the inside of the car with gold then rose then blue light. We struck up conversation with the three German girls who sat across the aisle from us toward the end of the night, and they played George Ezra's "Budapest" on their speakers when we pulled into the station of our final destination. 
• Even though we only had one full day here, Budapest was my favorite city from this trip.
• We spent the morning soaking in various pools at Gellért Baths, one of the city's famed thermal bath complexes outfitted in Art Nouveau architecture. Pro tip: bring/wear your own swimsuit instead of renting one.
• In the afternoon, we did a free walking tour of Buda and Pest, starting near St. Stephen's Basilica and ending at the Fisherman's Bastion. We got caught in a summer downpour in the middle of crossing the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, but the views of Parliament after the rain were worth getting drenched for.
• Eat goulash! Eat paprika chicken! They're both delicious!
• Ruinpubs or ruin bars–bars built in abandoned warehouses and buildings in the historic Jewish quarter–began opening up in the early 2000s. Check out Szimpla Kert, the original and my personal favorite, and wander through rooms filled with incongruous furniture and light fixtures, feel the loud bass pulse through your veins, and look for history written on the edges of the walls. 
• Go to the Great Market Hall for every kind of paprika imaginable, unicum, lavender satchets, and Hungarian secret boxes. 

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

• Another day, another city; we had a late start to our only full day in Vienna, but spending three hours for a many-course lunch at Cafe Central was worth every minute. 
• After our very long lunch, we wandered around Innere Stadt (Vienna's old town) to see St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Hofburg Palace, and the Opera House before meeting up with Johanna, our Airbnb host, and her friend for schnitzel and elderberry tea at dinner. 
• The ballet is out of town during the summer months; we went to a Mozart concert since we were there in mid-July, and I would definitely recommend doing one or the other if you find yourself in Vienna too. 
• We went for post-concert drinks at Lutz, a beautiful cocktail bar with hundreds of exposed light bulbs suspended from the ceiling. Toward the end of the night we struck up conversation with James, a British bartender at the Travel Shack, another bar about a mile away, on his night off. He convinced us to go back to his bar with him, and we stayed up until sunrise and helped them close even though they kicked the other patrons out at 3am (or was it 4am?) The locals came by around closing, and we told them how beautiful they were and how much we loved their city. When the blue dawn finally broke it seemed like it was finally time to go home for some well-deserved sleep.
• Before catching our train to Salzburg the following afternoon, we caved and got pho for lunch–our first taste of Asian food in over three weeks. It hit the spot even if it wasn't actually that good.

SALZBURG, AUSTRIA

• We stayed at a hostel-style Airbnb across the street from Mozart Wohnhaus and made pesto pasta in Jasmine's kitchen for dinner because it was pouring rain again. Another guest, Jacob, was there too and told us about some ice caves he heard about from two other girls who were at the Airbnb the night before and invited us along. 
• At 6am the next morning, we left our cozy Airbnb for a train to Werfen and made our way up the mountain dressed in our warmest clothes (which admittedly were not very warm). The tours are given in English and German, and it was obvious the German-speaking tourists were more prepared to walk through an ice cave in the middle of summer than the English-speaking crowd. 
• The Eisriesenwelt is largest ice cave in the world, and we walked thousands of steps with kerosene lamps in our hands to see lit up by strips of magnesium set on fire to illuminate the ice structures. We weren't allowed to take photos so you'll have to see this for yourself (or take my word for it).
• With only the afternoon in Salzburg left, we made the most of it by wandering the historic center and eating Mozartkugel ("Mozart balls") and apricot tart at Café Konditorei Fürst. 
• That was my last day in Europe with Yvana; we took one last train to Munich before parted ways the next morning. She was headed home the day after and I was off to start my solo days in Dublin–Ireland post to come. 

xoxo, vivian

Photos shot on Kodak Portra 400, Fujifilm Superia 400, Fujifilm Instax, and iPhone 5s