Blogs from Prague, Czech Republic, Europe - page 12

Don’t skimp on the basics - like hiring a taxi in a strange new land where they don’t speak your language Unfamiliar with the language and transportation system, I silently ceded and agreed to pay the more expensive shuttle ticket rather than take the risk of hopping on a local bus with a non-English speaking driver. At least the shuttle would get us to the center. Once in the Center, we would get our bearings. In the end, I admitted we should have splurged for a taxi. The weather was a good 15 F higher than had been forecast. It was muggy and hot. We waited at the stop for ½ hour, me pacing back and forth, as I watched bus after bus come and go. I was able to WhatsApp my family during the wait, ... read more

Well, despite the airline Lufthansa's strike, we made it to Prague. It was a long travel day and night, and half of the next day. Neither Steve nor I could sleep on the plane, save for a few minutes dozing here and there through the night. Once we arrived in the Prague airport, a guide from Viking (the cruise line) met us and arranged transport for a whole group of us to the Palace hotel, which is in the middle of the historic old part of town. The Palace hotel was built in 1909 in Viennese Art Nouveau Style, whatever that is, but is sure is fancy. Prague is the capital city of the Czech Republic, and has around 1.2 million people. It has a long history, back to around the forth or fifth century BC. ... read more

Geo: 50.0878, 14.4205Woke up today and made a change of plans -- nice to be spontaneous while traveling!We'd originally planned an all-day excursion (three hours on the bus each way) to Český Krumlov, an historic city in southern Bohemia, but decided to keep exploring Prague and spare ourselves a long day of travel to see a grand castle.So, out just a couple of inexpensive pre-purchased bus tickets, we caught the tram up the hill above Prague to explore the historic and sprawling Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral -- the Czech Republic's largest church -- within the castle walls, and many other interesting castle sites.Before catching the tram, we made a brief visit to the Church of St. Nicholas, a Jesuit church whose belfry we climbed last evening. We took the tram to the top of the ridge ... read more

Geo: 50.0878, 14.4205Landed in sunny Prague, Czech Republic in a sleep-deprived daze, barely noticed the countryside, villages, and cobblestone city streets whizzing by on our way from the airport to our hotel in Prague's Little Quarter, and flopped on the bed at the hotel for a quick, refreshing nap.Arose refreshed, showered, and headed out for a stroll to explore the neighborhood, Kampa Island, and the landmark Charles Bridge.Found a neat underground cafe near our hotel for a simple meal, including fall-off-the-bone roasted pig knuckle braised in dark beer. Yum!A city tour awaits tomorrow!Ahoj!... read more

Getting out of Cesky Krumlov turned out to be much easier than coming into it for sure – plenty of bus connections to Prague... Possibly because it was the capital that we were going to and not some small town so you’d think it should be well connected with the rest of the country. Not only there were plenty of connections to choose from, but also the bus turned out to be one of the best buses we have travelled on so far. We got a complimentary coffee and on top of that each seat had its own private screen and a wide range of movies to choose from as well... Not that we would be able to watch anything... We most definitely could’ve tried but were pretty much sure our little munchkin would have other ... read more