European Getaway - Day 14 - Kirchdorf in Tirol to Prague

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Day 14 - Tirol Region to Prague

Packing is fairly easy today as I didn’t take much out of my bag yesterday. Breakfast is the normal stuff we’re becoming used to. We also have to make a packed lunch today for our journey to the Czech Republic. I don’t recall anything worthy of note from today’s coach journey.

Our day stop is at Mauthausen in Austria, which was a Nazi concentration camp. We arrive and Jess gives us a brief discussion of what to expect. We arrive and head to the presentation room for a video. Most of the video is watchable, despite the story being told. However at the end of the video there are a number of horrific pictures which are extremely upsetting. We leave the presentation and nobody really speaks as I feel everyone has the same thoughts.

We then have time to look around the camp, where some of the huts have been maintained plus the many tributes to those killed at the camp and those who came to free the camp (mainly Americans). I don’t take many photos here as it’s not somewhere you want to take photos, it’s a real sombre feeling. It begins to rain, and I’m really not that bothered as I thought the people who were subjected to the camp would have dealt with much worse than a bit of rain. I then head down to the execution rooms, where there are gas chambers, and rooms where people were shot. It’s appalling to think what the Jewish people and others declared as undesirable by Hitler went through in the many camps like Mauthausen.

We jump back on the bus and Jess puts on a happy film to try and relieve the sadness on the coach. It’s some chick flick about Vegas with Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher. I watch the beginning but fall asleep half way through. The novelty is that when I wake up everyone comments upon my snoring...as far as I was aware I don’t snore but apparently I do.

We enter the Czech Republic and Jess points out all the brothels, sex clubs and street hookers that line the streets close to the Austrian border....it’s quite amusing. We play a bit of prostitute spot, and someone spots one being dropped off after providing her services.

We make our first stop in the Czech Republic, so people can change money since most people didn’t realise that the Czech Republic is not in the Euro, and has its own currency, the Czech Koruna. The best thing about the stop is that it’s at Tesco’s. It truly is amazing that it is pretty much the same as my local Tesco in Sheffield. They even have clubcards, the same clothing manufacturer, and Tesco Value. I even think the slogan is ‘Every Little Helps’. I march in given I already have my Koruna (which incidentally was purchased from Tesco in Chesterfield) and buy some chocolate, crisps and a huge bottle of coke. It works out a fair bit cheaper than Tesco in the UK and I use the self service till, which speaks English and the voice is the same as the Tesco woman in England....I dunno why Tesco is making me so excited....Tesco doesn’t have the same enjoyment factor for my Aussie friends, I assume Tesco hasn’t taken over there yet.

We arrive in Prague in the late afternoon and we are stopping in a huge, hostel which has another couple of topdeck tours already there plus a contiki tour. We head inside. I’m rooming with Trent, Gerard and Brendan, We have 2 singles and a bunk bed so I take a single. The room is huge and we have a separate shower and toilet room, which is great. We head down for dinner which is a buffet of chips, potato balls, sausages and chicken. It’s a great meal as I love this sort of food. At the bar I am also treated to the cheap Czech beer. It costs 40 koruna, which is about £1.30 for a pint.

After dinner we catch the tube in to the city centre for our walking tour. On the tube there are loads of Ice Hockey fans heading o a match and they are a bit rowdy. We get to the city centre and start in Wenceslas square, and head down the street which has all the names of stores in the UK, M&S, Debenhams, KFC, Starbucks. We head through the town and I’m a bit disappointed I didn’t bring my camera, as I thought we were going out to party hard tonight. We pass through the old town square and see the Astrological Clock and head to Charles Bridge for the end of our tour. Over the river we can see the castle which looks amazing.

Afterwards we are taken to a bar where the main objective for a lot of my friends is Absinthe, which is full strength both here and in Amsterdam. I play it safe and have a beer which costs 30 koruna. My friends all do their crazy absinthe shots which involves melting sugar on a spoon then stirring it into the drink and downing it. It’s all a bit crazy.

After this bar a number of us decide to head back. I would have liked to stay out a bit longer but I was knackered and want to wake up early in the morning to watch the AFL grand final replay. On the way back myself, Tahlia and Lauren (I think) buy a hotdog with some huge Czech sausage. It’s really great and hits the spot. We then hit KFC as Nat wants chips. As I’ve been lusting for a KFC for a week or so I buy some hot and spicy strips and chips (very much like crispy strips in the UK but spicy). We then catch the tube back and have to walk through the incredibly shady streets back to our hostel. I find it amusing when someone suggests we need a bloke at the rear of our group for defence purposes. They clearly dunno that I would be the first to run if trouble kicked off. Another point to note on the Czech Republic is that there is some form of election on at the moment, and there are posters everywhere you look for various candidates and parties. This is way more exciting than UK elections where my party didn’t put any huge posters up due to the cost.

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