Author: chrisbryantavery

Parents!

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My parents came to visit me this past week! They both took time off work to meet me in Vienna, and from there we traveled back to Prague for a few days. Not only did we get to explore a new city together, but I also got to show them where I’ve been living for the past two months.

Our hotel was right in the heart of Vienna, just outside St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Unsurprisingly, this was the busiest area in the city—day and night, it was filled with horse-drawn carriages, food vendors, and pedestrians. This constant activity was exciting but also encouraged us to venture beyond the main square to explore quieter streets and neighborhoods. We saw a performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, ate at an amazing Lebanese restaurant, and played a funny game involving some mustard on the ground. But the best part of the trip was simply being with my parents. I’ve loved gaining independence while living on my own, but it also means I miss my family more, and I try to cherish the times I get to see them. I would have loved for both of my siblings to be there, too—there’s nothing like having the whole family together. Even four out of five doesn’t quite feel the same, but this past week was something special.

After we’d explored Vienna, my parents took a train, and I hopped on a bus to meet them back in Prague. I’ll admit, I still hadn’t done a lot of the typical tourist activities in Prague. I’d been to Charles Bridge once but hadn’t walked across because it was so crowded. The same went for the Old Jewish Cemetery, the Astronomical Clock, and Prague Castle. So we took the time to do it all—we walked the Charles Bridge twice, visited the other main sights, and enjoyed some delicious meals. They got to see some of the places where I go skating, meet my roommates, and experience the city’s atmosphere, from a foggy day downtown to the best view of the city: on top of Letná Hill, looking across the spires and bridges through an illuminated Czech haze. They’re flying back today and might even read this post when it’s up.

If you’re reading this, thank you both so much for coming out. I love you both tons! See you in a month!

Amsterdam and Hemmingway.

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Two weekends ago, I traveled to Amsterdam to meet up with some old friends from DU. All of my roommates here in Prague came along, which made for an exciting “crossover episode” in my eyes. We stayed in a hostel near the city center and ended up sharing it with two wildland firefighters my buddy had met at the airport. They’d been on their way to Barcelona but were redirected to Amsterdam, with no connection until after the weekend. So, they joined us, and we all spent the weekend together.

Amsterdam had a compact, structured feel—very different from the grand facades and winding streets of Prague. In hindsight, I wish I’d done more of the museums and tourist attractions that Amsterdam has to offer, but with midterms just behind us, I think we were all ready to ditch scheduling and simply relax. We rented bikes, fed an army of birds and waterfowl in a park, took a sunset boat tour of the canals, and spent hours walking or biking from café to café.

While this was all great fun, the late nights and endless cafés started to feel like scenes from Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, a novel I found to be a rather bleak account of “high-class European travel” that amounted to little more than day drinking and disillusionment. I get that Hemingway intended to depict the mindset (or lack of it) of people who’d lived through World War I, and my negative feelings have more to do with the characters and the way the narrator presents them than with Hemingway’s writing. Still, the comparison stuck with me. The characters had prosperity and opportunity but sought meaning at the bottom of crystal glasses and in endless bottles of champagne.

Looking back, I had a fantastic weekend with friends, full of laughter and relaxation, and I don’t see it as time wasted. But I do wish I’d balanced things out a bit more. To make up for it, I decided to walk nine miles from the hostel to the airport in the middle of the night on my last day there, just to see more of the city. That walk turned out to be lovely—I passed through a forest preserve, along a beach, through some industrial areas, and finally along the highway until I arrived and could wait for my early-morning flight.

Part of me feels like I’m over here to experience as much as possible and be “productive” in a way. I have the chance to travel more than ever, and I want to make sure I’m making the most of it, but I also don’t want that pressure to stop me from letting loose and simply enjoying time with close friends, even if it means skipping some of the museums and sights. I think I’ve done a solid job of finding that balance on my other trips, so I can look back on Amsterdam as a blast and a well-spent weekend. I have a few more trips planned, and I want to keep this sense of balance in mind for each one.

After Amsterdam, my parents came to visit, which was much needed. I’ll touch on that in my next post.