Berlin was so much more than I had expected, even though we only saw and touched a very small part of it. The people were incredibly kind and they made it very easy for us to visit. The city itself has an amazing history dating back hundreds of years, and it wears all of that history openly. I learned a lot while I was there, and I’m leaving yearning to learn more.
But today we head to Prague.
On the train to Prague.
On the train to Prague.
The four hour trip from Berlin to Prague via train took us through Dresdin and then along the Elbe River through the small town of Pirna. This area is now on my list of places to visit in the future – the canyon that the Elbe has carved is stunning, and hosts loads of vacationers in kayaks and rafts, along with a parallel road that seemed to only host bicyclists.
Soon afterwards the train crossed into the Czech Republic and stopped briefly at the Decin train station. Neither Jason nor I speak German or Czech, but we felt we could fumble our way around the German language. The signage in Decin let us know that our experience in the Czech Republic was going to demand a lot more work from us.
We arrived in Prague, and after a rather nasty encounter with a local who tried to rip us off as soon as we exited the train, we found our way to the taxi stand and headed for our hotel. Our driver was great, and the hotel staff were excellent. Our immediate fears were assuaged and Prague became a friendly adventure.
We unpacked quickly and headed out in search of lunch. A small restaurant near our hotel offered up some authentic Czech food.
Goulash with Bohemian dumplings for Carl.
Meat and potatoes and something else for Jason. I win.
We walked over the Charles Bridge and circled through Old Town. Though it was packed with tourists, the city is stunning – it represents everything you think an old European city should look like. I’ve included a lot more pictures at the bottom of this post.
Entering the main Old Town square.
We had dinner at a Kampa, a restaurant on the river with a stunning view. The food was excellent – one of our top two meals so far. The view across the river during sunset was incredible. Prague has light like Venice – it seems warmer and softer than other cities and brings out amazing colors. The sunset we had was unique even for Prague: our waiter and the hostess both came over with their own cameras to capture it.
These giant clouds rolled in on the east horizon just to make the sunset that much more amazing.
Though their dessert menu looked great, we headed back over to Old Town for the best gelato in town at Zmrzlina Gelato, and then next door to Il trí ruzí (sorry, not spelled correctly, I don’t have two of the characters available) for some of their original beer and motorcycle racing on TV.
Another of their original brews.
Welcome to Prague!
More pictures:
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- On the train to Prague.
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- On the train to Prague.
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- Staropramen Czech beer – delicious
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- Goulash with Bohemian dumplings for Carl.
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- Meat and potatoes and something else for Jason. I win.
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- I couldn’t convince Jason that we should let small fish eat dead skin off our feet at a Thai massage place. Opportunity lost.
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- Interesting art installation in a building courtyard.
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- Entering the main Old Town square.
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- Watching the Astronomical Clock in Old Town Tower on the hour.
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- (Really, just a suggestion.)
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- Carl on the Charles Bridge, striking the pose all the other tourists used at that spot.
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- On the Charles Bridge.
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- In Prague you can go up on a tethered balloon that holds two people. We didn’t.
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- I brought a 50mm f1.8 lens for doing stuff like this.
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- Incredible Prague light, and it’s still awhile before sunset.
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- These giant clouds rolled in on the east horizon just to make the sunset that much more amazing.
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- Pepper steak, onions, zuchini and potato at Kampa.
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- Langostino and vegetables at Kampa.
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- Dark beer made at the pub.
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- Another of their original brews.
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