Blogs from Prague, Czech Republic, Europe - page 208

One can tell whether he’s in an Eastern European country by riding the train. In contrast to its western counterpart, trains from Nürnberg in Germany to Prague is an older train with no air conditioner; although there was no delay or major problems, you can tell that they could replace the rails so that the ride would be a smoother, efficient, and faster one. At least this is what I think. The six hour Czech train ride turned out to be an interesting one. Immigration takes place on the train, with two sets of immigration officers screening through the train completely. The first set was two burly and intimidated German officers in their uniform that reminds me of Nazi officers, stamping out everybody’s passports with the EU-Germany exit stamp. Behind them were two Czech Immigration officers ... read more

Prague is truly impressive. I'd just do whatever possible to minimize the impact of the tourist hordes - visit in shoulder or off seasons, stay somewhere in the periphery, or visit smaller towns afterward. Otherwise, the experience can be theme park-like during high season - similar to the central tourist areas in Rome, Florence, Paris, Moscow, Barca, etc. However, every one is there for good reason.... read more

In September 2000 after completing my 6 month work placement with AIB I had saved a little money so Lisa and I went to Prague for a bit of a holiday. It was my first trip abroad, well apart from England which I don't think counts! We spent five days in Praha as it is known locally, and were truly impressed by its beauty. For a student budget it was a great place to visit. There was lots to see. We also took a trip to Terezin, previously the site of a NAZI concentration camp where trains stopped off before their final destination to Auschwitz. It was an eerie place and the town had a very deserted feel. The most moving thing we saw was pictures that had been drawn by the children who had been ... read more

CAPITALS OF CENTRAL EUROPE Prague, Bratislava, Vienna, Budapest June 5 - 13, 1998 Friday & Saturday, June 5 & 6, 1998 Brian drove us to IAH for our 9:30 a.m. Continental flight to Newark, where we boarded our Czech Air flight to Prague and the land of my paternal grandmother. The flight crew was attentive and time passed quickly, even though we only slept for about two hours. Arrival into Prague about 8 a.m. was preceded by a very scenic approach over the Czech countryside. It was a beautiful vista of many shades of green squares dotted with colorful villages. An hour later we were in our hotel, a Holiday Inn 4 star, which has an interesting history, having been recently remodeled after serving as an elegant Bolshevik hotel for visiting Russian military dignitaries. The room ... read more

Day 17 It was around ten bells when I was awoken by the clattering hoofs of the Ox-lady. Clomp. Clamp. Clomp. Clamp. Hearing the racket rumbling from those disheartening hoofs, instinctively I yanked my sleeping bag as far over my head as possible to block out the awful clamour. Then the ringing of the bell joined in with the symphony of hoof stomps. Immediately, the image of a monstrous beast clad in mud encrusted Kodiak boots and a square cow bell tied round her neck popped into my head. Realizing, none of the other passed out zombies were waking to let her in, I rose to do the deed. Yep. Upon opening the door, my weary eyes were greeted with the sight of the beast coming in to collect her pound of flesh. This scene repeated ... read more