Learning Prague History

Yesterday was our last full day in Prague and we took full advantage of it. We started out the morning by walking to Charles Bridge, we tried to beat the crowds to take some pictures on the bridge but it seemed others had the same plan. Fortunately it wasn't as busy as the day before and we got an few pictures. It was so windy and I was thankful I packed a coat for the trip because on the bridge it was freezing. We found tiny restaurant for breakfast and had the best crêpes and coffee. I have finally gotten into the habit of ordering an americano instead of a coffee, which is only a shot of espresso and just too much for me. Also see found a Starbucks which Jordan said was cheating on the 'real' coffee.

After breakfast we got ready for our tour of Prague. We had downloaded an Audio tour of the city and it was such a great decision. Basically we plugged both our headphones into my tablet and listened to each of the 17 tracks as we walked. We started at the National Museum and made our way down Wenceslaw Square looking at monuments and stopping as the tour directed us. We walked through Old Town, now actually understanding the crazy history and power behind each building and statue. From there we walked through the Jewish Quarter and then across the bridge towards Prague Castle. Prague Castle is the biggest castle in the world, and has one of the biggest cathedrals within the walls of the castle! It was mind blowing, you felt so small standing with the castle on one side and the cathedral on the other. By this time we were a little windswept, so on our way down we stopped to grab a bite and to warm up. The history of Prague was so interesting! The Bohemian Era, the fight of Communism, the rich architecture and the way they expressed power and control, really gives you a broad view of history that North America does not have. For our last evening we just wandered Old Town enjoying the city. We found a cool bar with giant beers and then a great gelato place and couldn't resist getting some gelato. It was a little sad packing up because we really loved the place we stayed in but also excited for the next city.

This morning we stopped from breakfast then headed to the airport. There was not a direct flight from Prague to Athens so we are staying in Milan, Italy for one night and heading out at 7am tomorrow morning. Not the best situation, as we are staying near the airport so there isn't really anything nearby and its cloudy and raining so we do not want to walk anywhere, but on the bright side, we are only here 15hr. and we get to have great Italian pasta and coffee tonight. We have no WiFi in this hotel so I will post this in Athens tomorrow!

On Charles Bridge

Jordan on our street and Calsie on the way to the Castle

In front of the museum

On the way to the castle

The cathedral in the castle

Night in Milan enjoying coffee and pasta

Falling Fast for Prague

There is no better word to describe Prague than extravagant. The Old Town architecture and detail is indescribable, every building and street have intricate designs. Everything is engraved, doors, window frames, sculptures, even the man hole covers have castles on them. Its so hard to take in, yet alone capture the magnificence of the city. We arrived yesterday evening and walked to the apartment where we are staying. It is in the perfect location in Old Town Prague, right near Charles Bridge which separates Old Town and the Prague Castle. Once we walked outside we realized we had a dilemma, it would take us months to eat at every place we wanted. Almost every building has a restaurant, bar or shop on the first level, even our place has a bar underneath. We choose a place to eat dinner a few blocks away called Kozlovna - Apropos where we had pasta and beer. You can order A LITER of beer for the equivalent of $3.5. We couldn't resist of course, in which we discovered our favorite beer. We've ordered it three times so far, Kozel 11°. After dinner we walked around and got some gelato as we window shopped the small boutiques. We headed home to refresh for the next day. I love the home we are staying in the 3 nights we are here.

This morning we walked to a very Czech breakfast place called Cafe Louvre. I am not the biggest fan Czech breakfasts, that mostly consist of deli meat and cheese, but fortunately Jordan was able to get an omelet and I had a croissant and fruit bowl. We decided to explore the city on our own today, and got wonderfully lost in all the winding streets. We came across a market where we bought fresh fruits and a small souvenir. From there we went on a hunt for "American" coffee with lunch, because coffee here is just a straight shot of strong espresso. Fortunately we found some, which kickstarted our afternoon of walking. There are so many amazing buildings and every street had something new. One of the greatest things about Prague is how inexpensive it is to eat out, significantly less than at home.

We walked over Charles Bridge which was full of people on tours, taking pictures or being drawn by caricature artists. The other side is just as interesting as Old Town. We plan on spending time over there tomorrow to see the castle so we decided to stop and enjoy a few beers while people watching. It took us about 20 places to find the "right one" for a drink. We crossed back over the bridge to find a restaurant for dinner.

It was quite a windy evening so we stopped home to grab a scarf. Again it took us many, many restaurants to find one with a menu we liked and the right "atmosphere" according to Jordan. The brewery/restaurant we ate in was incredible, and the first meal in Europe where I enjoyed the whole thing. We stopped at another restaurant for coffee and dessert to warm us up before we wandered back out into the wind. After such an amazing day, its hard to believe we have only explored a fraction of what this city has to offer.

Exploring Prague

Church of Our Lady before Tyn

Astronomical Clock

The city

Stopping to people watch

$1.75 beer

Trains on the Track

The train from Amsterdam to Berlin was absolutely beautiful. It was such a sunny day and we got to see the incredible Netherlands and Germany countryside. It was hard to stay awake but around 6pm, I got a second wind. Probably because its usually the time I wake up at home. We just stayed the night in Berlin on our way to Prague but don't worry we are coming back later. Our hotel is right by the 5 story train station and we have the cutest room. For anyone traveling in Germany, stay at Motel One, its a great chain.

We shopped for lunch to bring on the train and got baguette sandwiches and giant pretzels(seem to be everywhere in Germany). One thing we've noticed is that everything to drink is only semi cold, we had a hard time finding water in a fridge and that food is only warmish. Very unlike North America where everything is extreme. This train station Berlin Hbf is beyond impressive. Five levels of trains, restaurants and retail. The layout and organization reminded me of New York city subway stations.

I am loving train rides, so glad we chose to go by day rather than night trains. I'm listening to Blue Rodeo - Five Days in May which seems like the perfect soundtrack to this scene. The cool thing about train rides is that you have a completely different feel for the county then you do in the tourist hubs. We both feel way better today after getting a good sleep. We woke up at 4am for an hour but fortunately were able to sleep again till 8:30. It hard to capture the beauty of the view with a pane of glass between it and the camera but I tried!

Our room in Berlin

Enjoying the view

The view

The view

The view

Up Up and Away

I can not believe that as I'm writing this we are on a plane to Amsterdam! I had hopes for sleeping on the plane to try and get on the right time schedule but it is such a gorgeous day outside that everyone has their window open. Jordan on the other hand, hasn't slept in nearly 3 days to get all his work done before the trip. I could barely keep him awake before we got on the plane and he feel asleep in 2 minutes flat. We land at 10:30am Amsterdam time, which is 1:30am our time. So I guess I'll just pull an all nighter and sleep in Berlin tomorrow night. We are flying KLM and I would totally recommend them. They are the second best airline I've traveled with (Korean Air would take the easy lead). We've had nonstop beverages and get served dinner and breakfast. They also gave us pillows and blankets, and in this day and age that's a big deal.

We are now at Amsterdam Central waiting for our train to Berlin. Have this really weird feeling because my body is all shakey and telling me to sleep but its afternoon here. Just sipping away at Starbucks. Consistent no matter where you are in the world.

Packed and Ready to Go!

Its the last night at home before we leave and we are all ready to go! We have packed the next 7 weeks into two travel backpacks and a small shoulder bag. Jordan has been working so hard the last few weeks and has almost finished his work. I am so excited to have him for the next 7 weeks all to myself. I can not wait to get our trip started tomorrow!