In September of 2012 when we were living in Bristol, some good friends from Ft Worth came to visit us. We had the absolute best time together. We got to show them around, we laughed constantly, we ate way too much, and we tried a few new experiences together.
Unbeknownst to us at the time, they had been talking about also doing a two year international tour. The way he tells the story, prior to coming to visit us he was pro move and she was unsure then on the flight home she said, ‘I had the best time. Let’s move.’ And about a year and a half later, they moved to Switzerland. They, however, forgot the “two year tour” part of it and have stayed in Europe ever since.
Though we’ve missed them dearly for the time we’ve lived in Texas, we are glad that they’re only about an hour away from us now so get togethers can be a little more frequent.
The day we’d chosen was 50/50 on the weather forecast. It was either going to be gorgeous or it was going to pour. Even the morning we were meeting, no weather person could decide. So we decided to go to the park with lake access near their house so if the downpour did start we’d have a quick plan b to swap to.
We got there & apparently all the natives heeded the 50/50 warnings as we were the only ones in the park. Which just meant we could take over the lake access.
After dipping our feet in the water (or whole bodies if you’re under 8), we had a great picnic and caught up on the last 11 years or so like we’d never been apart (or gained 4 children since we’d spent any significant time together).
We played a Swiss lawn bowling type game that the Young’s had brought.
Thankfully the weather 120% cooperated with our plans and it turned out to be a gorgeous day in the sun.
Have you ever been uncertain about a destination you've chosen to visit for vacation? I mean the type of uncertainty when you think about traveling there it's easier to come up with a list of things in your mind that could potentially go really wrong than it is to come up with things you are excited to see. This is where my mind was as we were planning our trip to Prague. Eastern Europe is unknown to us and with most of the continent facing some level of domestic and international turmoil over the last year there are perhaps more questions than ever around ability to cover basic needs when traveling. But our stay in Liechtenstein is limited and travel we must!
According to the Google Maps machine, the travel time between our home and Prague is just over 6 hours. So we planned for an 8 AM departure so that we could be a couple hours north of Munich by lunch time and only have a few hours left before arriving in Prague early afternoon. Interestingly though, for the first hour and a half of our drive the time to destination didn't change by more than a few minutes, despite encountering zero traffic and traveling a scant few mph over the speed limit to avoid the pesky speed camera's. I don't know if this is some sort of glitch in the Matrix, a cruel trick Google likes to play on European travels or even a Machiavellian plot by local governments to get people out of their cars and onto the rail lines but by the time we reached Munich a little before noon, I was thoroughly frustrated by our lack of progress. Thankfully, the girls had behaved really well for the morning drive and a roadside McDonalds stop was in order.
After a relatively quick stop for lunch it was back in the car with hopes of getting to the city before encountering whatever their version of rush hour looks like. Travel through the rest of Germany was fast, the highways are excellent in this part of the world and the traffic was very light all the way to the border.
But it was at the border where we encountered our first real "delay." In most countries of Europe there is a national toll system to pay for the roads and the Czech Republic is no different. However, we were not clear the procedure for acquiring a vignette and so we stopped at the border to get our official vignette.
As you can see, the line for people doing the same as us was well out of the building and there were only a couple of people on duty anyway, and they were only accepting cash for the vignettes. This, however, was not clearly posted until you walk through the doors so invariably every second or third person would walk in and after 2 minutes quickly rush back out in search of their vehicle or an ATM and the required amount of cash. This was both confusing to watch from the back of the line and also very time consuming! After 45 minutes, I got my turn to go through the mysterious doors that eject people frantically back into the world and was tersely informed that my plastic wouldn't work and I need to pay in cash. As I don't carry cash I also quickly exited the building in search of some. By the time I get to the car we had been at the border for nearly an hour and the girls were not at all pleased by our lack of progress. So rather than getting back in line to wait another 45 minutes for my second crack at the vignette station Amanda did some crack investigative work and discovered a website selling digital versions of the vignette for roughly 60% of the amount I was about to pay in cash. Not at all certain of the validity of these digital road passes I was willing to take it on faith that they would work and if not conceded that I'd rather take the risk of getting fleeced by some enterprising scam artist and paying a fine for not having a valid vignette then stand in that line again while the Amanda and the girls would be stuck in the car.
So on we drove, now certain to arrive at the outskirts of Prague at the end of a workday and little hope of avoiding city traffic. And as certainty became reality we pushed through the strain and frustration of having been in the car for 10 hours with another hour to go and in desperate need of dinner.
We finally arrived at our rental a little after 7PM and the owner of the flat we were staying in had graciously arranged to meet us and assist in getting us in the building. The flat was lovely and Amanda gets top marks for this find as it was just outside the heart of the city, and was the perfect amount of room for our weekend stay.
It was also very close to a playground which the girls and I investigated while Amanda got girls belongs situated.
Uh...Dad...My feet aren't on the ground...
The next morning we went in search of landmarks. Prague's Old Town district is remarkably beautiful with cobble stone streets, open squares that easily accommodate restaurants, cafe's, tourists and local's and an endless façade of medieval architecture that can leave you breathless at every turn. As we meandered the streets we encountered old towns Gothic Medieval Gate, the Tower of the Town Hall, and a Kolache shop offering Czech and Texas delicacies!
Yum! Breakfast!
Strolling through the old town square we paused to watch the oldest Astronomical Clock in the world chime the hour.
Having clocked off another medieval analog from our list (Salisbury, Wells, Strasbourg, Rostock, Tallinn, Bern, Venice) it was time to move on down the road.
and through the gates to the Charles Bridge
The Charles Bridge is one of the best known points of interest in Prague and for good reason. It is a strikingly beautiful bridge to look at from up or downstream and the multitude of sculptures that adorn it lend a unique touch of character to what is otherwise a flat cobblestone walkway. But it's the views from the bridge that were my favorite, particularly those of our next destination, Prague Castle
Prague Castle
But first a quick detour to play!
You’ll be glad to know that in the thousands of years of history that somehow escaped all the totalitarian rule in this city, our favorite activity was the playground...sigh
At least it was a playground with a beautiful view of the river...
Prague Castle, recognized as the largest ancient castle in the world, is actually a castle complex that covers some 750,000 square feet and boasts a royal history as the home to the ancient kings of Bohemia, the seat of the Holy Roman Empire for a time and more recently the presidential palace for the Czech Republic. It's also home to the Bohemian Crown Jewels, including the crown of Saint Wenceslos.
To get to the castle from the bridge requires a bit of a hike but once at the top of the hills there are expansive views of the city below.
Having arrived at the castle gate
it was time to make our way in and we were immediately greeted by the Cathedral of St. Vitus
The current cathedral is the third church consecrated to the same Saint on the same site and construction began in 1344 on the orders of Charles IV. However, due to various conflicts over the centuries and a lack of direction from subsequent rulers the church remained unfinished for hundreds of years and it wasn't until the closing of the 19th century that work resumed in earnest and the Cathedral was finally consecrated in 1929.
St Wenceslas Chapel
Next on our list was the Old Royal Palace. Expanded by Charles IV in the 14th century the Royal Palace has also been through numerous renovations and additional expansions during the last 6 centuries. Inside is the large Vladislov Hall, used for state functions from the 16th century. Within the palace there is also the royal crown, orb and scepter on display, throne, a room devoted to Land Rolls and a very intricate lock!
Next we stepped into St George's Basilica for a quick peak at the timber ceilings and rustic interior.
We finished our time at the castle with a walk down the "Golden Lane". The collection of small apartments were constructed to house the castle defenders, servants and craftsmen required to support the complex. In later years the apartments were rented out and No 22 was actually occupied by Franz Kafka from 1916 to 1917
The rest of our day was consumed by a slow walk back to the Apartment and search for dinner.
Our next day found us back across the river and up another hill but this time it was to play in the park surrounding Petrin Tower.
Built in 1891 as part of the Jubilee Exhibition, The Petrin Tower was intended to be a loose copy of the Eiffel Tower and even though it's 1:5 the scale it is claimed to be at the same altitude as the Eiffel Tower. Besides the tower there is also a playground (of course) a few restaurants (the girls can sniff out a Pizza Margherita or Chicken Nuggets like Bloodhounds on a trail), a mirror maze, a large collection of the stations of the cross, walking/jogging paths and a funicular to get you up and down.
She has her Mother's eating pace.
On the way back we discovered what can probably best be described as an ice cream filled deep-fried cinnamon roll that we all fully enjoyed!
On our last day was filled with a walking tour of the Old City to ensure we caught all the high points and we finished our stay in Prague with another lovely meal where Amanda even managed to find the Czech version of a Germknodel.
Good King Wenceslos looking down
Still not sure about this one
I think I have a design idea for Mr Musk!
Even the manhole covers are ornate
need a duck?
Frank Kafka
In all our stay in Prague far exceeded our expectations. The city is absolutely gorgeous, the people are friendly & helpful, the food was amazing and there were more than enough things to do for a long weekend visit. In fact it has perhaps moved to the top of our list of places we've visited!
But alas, we eventually we had to leave and even though the drive back was similar to the drive there (another 10 hours in the car when it maps said it should have been 6 to 7) everyone had a great time, and some got a long rest.
