To celebrate a major milestone in my graduate career, my boyfriend Toren and I decided to head to Europe for a week during the summer of 2017!
We started the planning process in early 2017 and settled on my third GAdventures tour (one and two), this one called Budapest to Berlin on a Shoestring. The trip was a whirlwind, exactly as we planned, with 4 cities in 4 countries in 8 days. We went Budapest --> Krakow --> Prague --> Berlin.
Our CEO (Chief Experience Officer) was Karolina, who was, as all my G CEOs have been, wonderful, friendly, energetic, and knowledgeable. Our tour turned out to be one leg in a month-long trip called European Trail. About the half the group had been on the prior two legs, and many were staying on for the final leg after Toren and I left Berlin. Karolina was leading the entire European Trail.
I've always loved GAdventures, but I will say the dynamic between the trip participants was different than I'd experienced previously. Toren and I stayed more separate from the other group members than I had in the past. Perhaps this was because those who had been on the trip for the prior legs had already become close friends, because we were more energized to maximize our time exploring as we hadn't been on the trail for 2 weeks already, or because we were a couple, which I've heard can alienate people from the other group members on these small-group tours.
We did most of our trip planning through the G suggestions, online searches, and the Eyewitness Travel Top 10 books. I'm not usually one to use travel books when the whole wide Internet is out there, but my parents gave me the Budapest, Prague, and Berlin books for Christmas, and they ended up being absolutely invaluable. We knew GAdventures YOLO tours leave a lot of free time for travelers to explore the cities, so the books helped us choose activities, price and time them, and, perhaps most importantly, map them out in some logical fashion. It was nice to also have the short phrase book as well as some suggestions for good restaurants based on where we were in the city.
With recent politics, the visa rules might change soon, but at the time of our trip, I would like to note that we were not required to get any vaccinations or visas coming from the U.S.
Overall, we had a great, though exhausting, trip, and I would love to share it with you!
Nashville --> Budapest (Hungary)
Tuesday, May 16:
We got to our airport during afternoon rush hour. With all the bad press United Airlines has been getting in the past few months, I feel it's appropriate to mention that their check in counters were a disaster. Half of the self-check kiosks needed attending, one of the workers was complaining that she was supposed to be on break, and the other looked completely overwhelmed.
But we finally got through to scan our passports, and the security line was incredibly fast, a surprise to me considering I had flown out during rush hour before and almost missed my flight. We made a few quick phone calls to organize our apartment move a few days after we were to get back to the States, grabbed (mediocre) margaritas and dinner at La Hacienda, then boarded. So excited!
Before the trip, Toren and I decided we wanted to try to do 10,000 steps a day for the summer. Knowing the trip, and a lot of walking, was coming up, we diligently worked our way up to 10,000 steps in the weeks leading up to our Eastern European adventure. Unfortunately, our step goals fell by the wayside the week before, when we discovered the public bikes in Nashville and bought annual passes. Even so, the preparation that we did do helped a lot, and as exhausted as we were every day from walking, we would have been even more so had we not prepared a little.
So for anyone wanting to physically prep for a trip like this, I'd suggest trying to get yourself used to 10-15K steps per day (which also means you'll have to find good shoes before leaving on the trip, like we did!). We also altered our sleep habits in the couple weeks before leaving until our sleep schedule was about halfway turned around to our new timezone. It was nice having those few extra hours in the cool Nashville mornings (hence why we started riding bikes), and our transition once we got to Europe was flawless. Transitioning coming home was miserable...but that's a conversation for another day.
Budapest (Hungary)
But we finally got through to scan our passports, and the security line was incredibly fast, a surprise to me considering I had flown out during rush hour before and almost missed my flight. We made a few quick phone calls to organize our apartment move a few days after we were to get back to the States, grabbed (mediocre) margaritas and dinner at La Hacienda, then boarded. So excited!
Before the trip, Toren and I decided we wanted to try to do 10,000 steps a day for the summer. Knowing the trip, and a lot of walking, was coming up, we diligently worked our way up to 10,000 steps in the weeks leading up to our Eastern European adventure. Unfortunately, our step goals fell by the wayside the week before, when we discovered the public bikes in Nashville and bought annual passes. Even so, the preparation that we did do helped a lot, and as exhausted as we were every day from walking, we would have been even more so had we not prepared a little.
So for anyone wanting to physically prep for a trip like this, I'd suggest trying to get yourself used to 10-15K steps per day (which also means you'll have to find good shoes before leaving on the trip, like we did!). We also altered our sleep habits in the couple weeks before leaving until our sleep schedule was about halfway turned around to our new timezone. It was nice having those few extra hours in the cool Nashville mornings (hence why we started riding bikes), and our transition once we got to Europe was flawless. Transitioning coming home was miserable...but that's a conversation for another day.
Budapest (Hungary)
Wednesday, May 17:
One long (8hr15min) and two short flights later, we touched down in Europe!
We printed off instructions to get to our hostel to meet with our tour group, and it involved using public transportation. You know how every public transit system has different rules about when and how you pay for your ride? Well, we had apparently not read up on the topic well enough, which led us to getting almost immediately fined for not having the right metro tickets after buying some for the bus! Luckily the fine was only $30 each, and the officials helped us purchase the right tickets before sending us on our way.
I want to note that this situation made me even more grateful to have the travel books because I had seen the same emblem in the Budapest travel book as the officials were wearing, so I could be pretty sure they weren't scammers.
I want to note that this situation made me even more grateful to have the travel books because I had seen the same emblem in the Budapest travel book as the officials were wearing, so I could be pretty sure they weren't scammers.
I guess some Hungarians like a bad boy because a group of high school girls fangirled over Toren on the escalator a little while later, squealing and reaching out to him.
We soon met our tour group and CEO. Karolina briefed us on the trip and suggested the free app maps.me, which works very similarly to Google Maps but without requiring data. Karolina said it is really good for cities in Europe. We were so glad to have downloaded it. In each city, we got on wifi, downloaded the maps for the current city to our phones, and were good to go! It wasn't perfect, but we used it constantly, particularly to star our hostel so we could find our way home at the end of every day.
We stayed at GoodMo House. It was Toren's and my first hostel, so we didn't quite know what to expect. Some of our fellow travelers expressed their dislike of the bathrooms, though, and the front desk didn't have spare keys to give Toren one that worked for the boys' room when he found out his key card didn't work.
We all walked to dinner at a restaurant called Spinoza. They had an amazing live pianist who apparently liked to play songs from the Sound of Music. The service was slow because we were such a large group (about 15), but the food was really good. I had traditional Hungarian goulash, Toren had goose, and we both had local beer.
We stayed at GoodMo House. It was Toren's and my first hostel, so we didn't quite know what to expect. Some of our fellow travelers expressed their dislike of the bathrooms, though, and the front desk didn't have spare keys to give Toren one that worked for the boys' room when he found out his key card didn't work.
We all walked to dinner at a restaurant called Spinoza. They had an amazing live pianist who apparently liked to play songs from the Sound of Music. The service was slow because we were such a large group (about 15), but the food was really good. I had traditional Hungarian goulash, Toren had goose, and we both had local beer.
The group then headed to the 360 Bar. The views were stunning, but the night sky made it hard to get good pictures. The others stayed for drinks, but Toren and I used our vantage point to locate a few places we wanted to visit and headed back into the city on foot. We were so glad to have gotten the time to get our bearings and see a few important buildings lit up for the night.
Our step count for the day: 22,218
Before leaving Budapest, we wrote down a few things we noticed about it:
For those interested...our step count for the day: 16,285
Budapest (Hungary)
Thursday, May 18:
Close to the Danube River and Parliament, we located the Shoe Memorial. It was erected in 2005 to honor the victims who were ordered to take off their shoes then were shot by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944-45. The victims were shot at the edge of the river so their bodies fell directly into the water and could be washed away instantly. The memorial represents the shoes left on the bank of the river.
We then walked back up the bank to the Hungarian Parliament Building. I wish we had planned this part of our trip a little better because we missed the last English tour of the morning, and it was a little too expensive (~$24/person) to go on a tour in another language just to see inside. But the outside of the building was striking, and we spent a good amount of time just walking around taking it all in.
We then walked back to go to St. Stephen's Basilica. On the way, we got a few good views, including a fountain that was motion activated so you could walk inside and stay dry. The kids we saw discovering the motion activation were absolutely amazed.
At the basilica we donated a few coins to see inside. Our first basilica of the trip! We spent about 10 minutes inside then headed off to lunch. We decided the nice thing about religious buildings is that they often take only a few minutes to see everything but can be spectacular.
We walked to the cafe Muvész for lunch, located half a block from the Hungarian State Opera House. The cafe was built in 1884 in neo-reneissance architectural style. It was a famous meeting place of artists and those going to the opera house. Toren and I ate decent sandwiches and drank coffee and lemonade while enjoying the beautiful day and people-watching. I will say it was the best lemonade I've ever tasted. It inspired us to order lemonade throughout the rest of the trip just to try to find that recipe again. Unfortunately, the rest didn't live up to the lemonade at Muvész. We then took a quick trip into the lovely lobby of the opera house.
After that, we hopped onto the metro to go to Széchenyi thermal baths. Opened in 1913, these classic Hungarian baths have a variety of indoor and outdoor pools as well as a lounge (which you gain access to based on the entrance package you buy) with hammocks, fruit, and flavored water. We bought the basic package for about $50 each, and we stayed for about 4 hours. There was much less ambience than I expected. Each pool or steam/sauna room had a different temperature or mineral, but they were still regular pools, not what I think of as spa pools. I am glad we got there in the early afternoon because more and more people crowded in as it got hotter. It was wonderful to spend the afternoon swimming, steaming, and reading after a long morning of walking around.
We had a quick dinner at Bellozzo Italian restaurant because we were running late to meet our group. It was really good and fast. We rushed back to our hostel to meet everyone.
Together we took the metro to the train station and got on an overnight train. It was a bit crowded but not awful. The view was pretty, and we slept fairly well, Toren and I in a 6 person sleeper cabin with two other girls.
Thursday, May 18:
Toren and I got up early for a breakfast of sandwiches, fruit, cereal, coffee, and juices, and we planned our day. We started the long walk.
We walked across Chain Bridge to Buda Castle. We had a hard time finding the entrance but wandered long enough to see some great views of the city and the castle. We had gotten there before any of the museums inside opened and decided not to go back over the bridge instead of wait.
According to the Chain Bridge sign, the bridge was built between 1839 and 1849 on the initiative of Count István Széchenyi. The iron pieces were replaced in 1914-15. German troops blew up the bridge in 1945, but it was rebuilt by the end of the decade.
Close to the Danube River and Parliament, we located the Shoe Memorial. It was erected in 2005 to honor the victims who were ordered to take off their shoes then were shot by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944-45. The victims were shot at the edge of the river so their bodies fell directly into the water and could be washed away instantly. The memorial represents the shoes left on the bank of the river.
We then walked back up the bank to the Hungarian Parliament Building. I wish we had planned this part of our trip a little better because we missed the last English tour of the morning, and it was a little too expensive (~$24/person) to go on a tour in another language just to see inside. But the outside of the building was striking, and we spent a good amount of time just walking around taking it all in.
We then walked back to go to St. Stephen's Basilica. On the way, we got a few good views, including a fountain that was motion activated so you could walk inside and stay dry. The kids we saw discovering the motion activation were absolutely amazed.
József Hild, architect of Pest's classism, began plans for St. Stephen's in 1845, commissioned by the city of Pest (one side of Budapest). Construction began in 1851, but part of the church fell in 1868, which paused construction for many years. In 1875, they began reconstruction in the style of neo-reneissance architecture. The adornment of the inside space was then overseen by József Kauser. The dome was completed in 1889, and the first mass inside took place in 1905.
After that, we hopped onto the metro to go to Széchenyi thermal baths. Opened in 1913, these classic Hungarian baths have a variety of indoor and outdoor pools as well as a lounge (which you gain access to based on the entrance package you buy) with hammocks, fruit, and flavored water. We bought the basic package for about $50 each, and we stayed for about 4 hours. There was much less ambience than I expected. Each pool or steam/sauna room had a different temperature or mineral, but they were still regular pools, not what I think of as spa pools. I am glad we got there in the early afternoon because more and more people crowded in as it got hotter. It was wonderful to spend the afternoon swimming, steaming, and reading after a long morning of walking around.
Together we took the metro to the train station and got on an overnight train. It was a bit crowded but not awful. The view was pretty, and we slept fairly well, Toren and I in a 6 person sleeper cabin with two other girls.
Our step count for the day: 22,218
Before leaving Budapest, we wrote down a few things we noticed about it:
- A ton of people smoked. In a crowded area, I felt like I had to duck around people carefully to avoid getting burned.
- Quite a few people let their little dogs walk next to them without a leash. The dogs were well trained and seemed to generally keep up with their owners besides the occasional trip to say hello to an interested human.
- The crosswalks were sometimes difficult. One time we almost got run over because a car and bike started moving before their light changed to green.
Krakow (Poland)
Friday, May 19:
We got off at our stop about 8am.
Karolina took us to Kolanko No. 6 for breakfast. We ate from an incredible breakfast buffet and waited for our rooms at Mundo hostel to be ready.
Karolina took us to Kolanko No. 6 for breakfast. We ate from an incredible breakfast buffet and waited for our rooms at Mundo hostel to be ready.
Toren and I then walked to Schindler's Factory museum. After buying the cheap tickets and putting our bags in the free lockers, we started in. Considering how inexpensive it was, we took our time in each room because we figured it was a small museum. After about 45 minutes, though, we needed to leave, so we went to find an exit. That was when we found out the place is HUGE. You're out of luck if you need a quick exit because the hallways are tiny (making it hard to squeeze past tour groups), and there were no early exits, meaning we had to just keep going through the whole museum.
A local suggested we go to Kuchnia u Doroty for lunch, but we were running late, so we just grabbed a salad, sandwich, coffee, and lemonade from Columbus Coffee. We also tried a Kinder Egg for dessert!
The highlight of the day (and possible of the entire trip) came next. freewalkingtour.com offers tours in several cities, including Krakow. We did the Old Town tour at 2pm. It actually was free, though we were encouraged to give our guide Mario a tip. In the 2.5 hours of this tour, we hit almost everything we wanted to see in Krakow. It was amazing.
Overview of the history of Krakow/Poland, as described by Mario:
- 1400 years ago - Slavic tribes settled there
- 10th century - tribe Polandia (people of the fields), a duke married his 7th wife, who brought Christianity to the land
- 966CE - Poland established
- 11th-13th centuries - 200 year civil war, Mario compared it to the Game of Thrones
- Mongols destroyed the city
- 13th century - duke invited the Germans to rebuild the city into the perfect Medieval city, Mongols destroyed it again, so the duke decided to fortify the city
- 14th-16th centuries - Golden age, capital of Poland in Krakow
- 1572 - last Lithuanian king died without a son, decided to turn to democracy, candidates promising favors to powerful nobles
- 17th century - attacked a lot by neighboring countries
- 1795 - Poland disappeared from the map, only Turkey officially recognized Poland, split to three other countries
- City run down, Austrians tried to demolish it
- One Polish guy tried to convince the Austrians to keep some of the old fortifications by telling everyone that without the fortifications the winds would blow the skirts of the women up to show their ankles...but whatever, it worked! Meaning some of the original fortifications still stand, including the Barbican, the first picture below. The Barbican is a piece of Gothic defensive architecture, built at the end of the 15th century. It had a moat and was connected to St. Florian's gate.
- 1918 - Poland became a free country
Some highlights of the walking tour:
St. Mary's Basilica is off the main market square, the biggest square from the Middle Ages in the world. The square is busy with stands selling food and souvenirs. St. Mary's plays a melody on the hour, every hour. The last note sounds unfinished. The legend of why that is says that the trumpeter was playing when he got shot by the Mongols before he finished, so they continue to play it without finishing the song. The truth is unknown, but that legend was started when an American journalist asked a random person about the last note and the person invented that story about the trumpeter. Nowadays, the song is played from the tower every hour by a local firefighter. See the 5min video of short clips I took on the trip at the bottom of the page to hear the song play and to get an inside view (0:21).
There's another interesting legend about St. Mary's. The towers on it are uneven, and legend says that two brothers were building the basilica, competing on the height of their towers. The older brother was worried his brother would make a nicer tower, so he killed his younger brother, later felt guilty, and jumped off his tower. The truth is much less interesting. One tower always had a guard, so the other tower had to be shorter so the guard could see all around the city without a tower blocking his view.
We went inside St. Mary's later in the trip.
The Head, or its actual name of Eros Bendato, is a giant statue of a head. It was created by a Polish artist and gifted to the city, with the stipulation that it should be displayed near the main square but not next to active commerce. The officials placed it just outside the square, planning to move it to a more permanent home elsewhere, but 12 years later, it stands, or rather, lays, in the same spot.
We went to Jagiellonian University, to the oldest building of the oldest university in Poland. King Casimir III the Great was not the greatest Christian (several wives, many mistresses, about 100 kids, according to Mario, though Wikipedia seems to disagree), but he wanted to build a university and needed the pope's permission. The pope agreed because the king gave the church a lot of money. The University was thus established in 1364. Mario said there were three important people he wanted us to know about who studied at Jagiellonian University: Copernicus, Pope John Paul II, and...him, our guide! The building we went to is a museum now.
Then we walked to Wawel Castle. The castle was designed in the Renaissance style by an Italian artist under King Casimir III the Great. The castle took 27 years to build. After its completion, a new king, who was Swedish and had an interest in alchemy, accidentally created a huge fire that destroyed half the castle in the 1500s. So the king moved to Warsaw and with him, moved the capital of Poland to Warsaw.
The statue of the man on the horse at Wawel was Tadeusz Kościuszko. He was a Polish hero who lived from 1746 to 1817. He also fought for American independence, helped found West Point, and bought the liberty of many American slaves. There is a theory that George Washington asked him what the new American flag should look like, prompting Kościuszko to suggest a Polish flag that looks similar to what our flag today is.
The giant Wawel Dragon Statue was definitely a highlight of the tour for me. It was installed in 1972. 20 feet tall and made of bronze, the majestic dragon breathes real fire every few minutes for the amusement of the tourists and children that wait at its feet. We were also able to get cute and inexpensive souvenirs at the dragon statue. See the 5min video at the bottom of the page to see the dragon breathe his fire (0:40).
The statue is based on the legend of the Wawel dragon. There was a king who was plagued by a dragon terrorizing his town. The king announced that the person who killed the dragon could marry his daughter and later be king. One day, a shoemaker went to the king and asked for a single sheep. The king found it a small request and handed over the sheep. The shoemaker killed the sheep, filled it with spicy food, and put it in front of the dragon's cave. After eating the spicy sheep, the dragon ended up needing to drink so much water that he exploded. And thus, the shoemaker was made the next king of Poland. The moral of the story for future generations has been to not drink too much.
We came back to the hostel exhausted and read/rested for an hour or two before the group dinner.
All of us went to dinner at Kuchnia Staropolska u Babci Maliny, where we had traditional Polish pierogis (dumplings). Toren and I split one order of Russian (potatoes) pierogis and one of mushroom and cabbage pierogis. I promise, the pierogis tasted a whole lot better than the below picture suggests. Of course we also had to get the traditional dessert of apple pie! And the Polish beers Okocim and Kasztelan. I should note that it's tradition in Poland for women to drink their beer with a flavoring and through a straw.
Afterwards, we all went out to a vodka bar to get $1.25 shots/shooters. Toren and I stayed for a couple shots before heading back to the hostel.
Our step count for the day: 29,251
Krakow (Poland)
Saturday, May 20:
We met our group at 10am for a trip (set up by Karolina) to Auschwitz, the former concentration and extermination camp. The Exciting Krakow tour company took us on an hour drive to get there. We then did a 1hr40min English walking tour of Auschwitz. Our guide spoke to us through a microphone and headset. There were about 25 people in the group. After that tour, we took a short break then rode our bus to Auschwitz II Birkenau. We had the same guide and walked the expanse of the site. For those looking for a guideline for how much walking this entailed, I took about 7,500 steps at the two sites for a little over 3 hours. There were some impactful scenes in this tour, and I would recommend those in the area go visit for a few hours.
After getting back to Krakow, Toren and I briefly stopped by the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul.
We then headed to St. Mary's Basilica. Tickets were a little confusing, but we finally found the ticket office across the sidewalk from the basilica and got regular tickets and a photo ticket. Photo tickets were common at several of sites we visited on this trip. Usually just a few dollars, photo tickets buy you a sticker that allows you to take pictures inside the ticketed location. I'm not sure why they don't just raise the price for everyone's tickets by $1 and allow everyone to take pictures, but I do know I bought the photo tickets everywhere that sold them, just in case.
St. Mary's was beautiful. Initial construction on the basilica was completed in 1347, though additions and redesigns continued until 1891.
On our way out of the basilica, we came across an entertaining march and concert for the legalization of marijuana. Those marching at the front of the march were loud and passionate, and those at the back trailed along holding signs and talking to each other. See the 5min video at the bottom of the page to watch the march and hear the associated rap concert (0:46).
We went to dinner at a quiet little restaurant off the main market square next to The Head called Dobra Kasza Nasza, recommended to us by the freewalkingtour.com people. To drink, Toren got the Tatra Mountains Style hot tea with cherry vodka, and I got the mulled beer with honey and spices. To eat, I got the baked broccoli and corn groats (type of grain) with sauerkraut and carrot salad. It was incredible. Toren got the corned pork groats with the white cabbage salad. Amazing food, would highly recommend.
We walked around the square after dinner to listen to the street musicians (like Gretsch, pictured below) and to look around. See the 5min video at the bottom of the page to hear the band play (1:06).
At 8pm, we went back to the freewalkingtour.com people to do a macabre tour about executioners, serial killers, and ghosts. The stories were interesting, but we actually learned a lot about medieval executioners from our guide, Damian. For instance, they were considered to be unclean because of their work, so they had a hard time finding wives. Some would own brothels so they could marry one of the prostitutes, who was also considered unclean. Their son would take over for his father as an executioner, and their daughter would take over running the brothel.
The tour ended with a hooded figure at the end of a dark street so Damian could demonstrate different execution techniques and weapons. Toren and I were even able to use what he taught us to identify an executioner sword later in Prague at a Medieval weapons exhibit.
After the tour, we walked around a little more to see the square at night. This is also when we spotted Toren's favorite street performer of the trip, a man acting as a crazy mechanical Santa who played the guitar if you gave him money.
Our step count for the day: 25,349
Final thoughts on Krakow:
Final thoughts on Krakow:
We loved Krakow! Lots of churches. Market square was great. Krakow was definitely our favorite city of the trip. I think part of it had to do with the fact that we hadn't planned our time in Krakow as much as we had for the other cities and didn't know what to expect (making us pleasantly surprised). It was exactly what I imagined when thinking of an Eastern European city. Karolina, being from Krakow, was able to bring us to the perfect restaurants and tourist sites. Everything was relatively inexpensive, as well, meaning we could pick up some souvenirs. We even bought a painting that was within our price range, our first piece of original art, a lovely 9"x7" piece that overlooks the market square and St. Mary's.
Prague (Czech Republic)
Sunday, May 21:
We had an amazing breakfast at our hostel in Krakow then took a 3 hour bus and a 3 hour train to Prague.
We stopped for a quick and surprisingly amazing lunch (I had the risotto) at a vegan place called Plevel, right down the street from our hostel Czeched Inn. Get it? We Czeched Inn to our hostel :D
Anyway. After lunch, we did an orientation tour with Karolina. As we walked around, she told us about the Velvet Revolution, which split Czechoslovakia into two. Two political parties basically wanted to split, so they split the country into two without firing a single bullet. She showed us the Powder Tower, the third picture below, which used to keep gun powder. Started building in 1475, it separates the old city from the new city. This is the only one that survived out of multiple towers. It's so dark because the stone oxidized, and the officials preferred to keep the new color instead of cleaning it, as is done in many places. Many statues and such in Prague keep this dark color as well.
Standing predominantly next to the Old Town Square was the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, Gothic on the outside and Baroque on the inside.
Also in the square, mounted on the Old Town Hall, was the Prague astronomical clock. It's the third oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest that is still working. Karolina warned us that the hourly ringing and mechanical show were less impressive than one might think, but we waited for a few minutes in a large crowd of tourists for the top of the hour. The Apostles circled, the skeleton danced, and the mass of tourists recorded it all on their smartphones. I was, of course, one of those eager tourists with my phone out! See the 5min video at the bottom of the page to hear the clock play (1:24).
We continued our walk, seeing the Church of St. Nicolas, the Kafka cafe (birthplace of Kafka), the Charles Bridge, and the Jewish ghetto, among others.
Our step count for the day: 21,915
Prague (Czech Republic)
Monday, May 22:
You know how everyone's parents and grandparents walked uphill both ways to school everyday when they were kids? They definitely went to school in Prague. During lunch the day before, Toren and I immediately realized that everything in Prague was uphill. Everything. There was a block or two near our hostel that went downhill, but that was it. By this day, day 2 in Prague, we decided that if you're ever lost, just go uphill, and you'll definitely find where you want to go. Apparently Prague goes uphill on either side of a river, but I remember very few times we actually went back down any hills.
This is also the day we broke 30,000 steps, so maybe our brains were just fuzzy from exhaustion and the pain in our feet. Tons of walking. Everything uphill. Please plan your trip to Prague according to your fitness level.
First, we walked to the Charles Bridge and saw the statues. Karolina had warned us about the crowds and pickpockets on the bridge, so it was nice getting there around 9:30am before the crowds showed up in full force.
We got off the bridge for a bit to find the John Lennon Wall, almost hidden behind a row of parked cars. Over the years, the wall has been cleared and repainted with beautiful graffiti, a symbol of love and peace.
Toren and I then headed to the Loreto Prague (though we had to search "Loreta" to find it on maps.me). According to my tour book, it's a replica of the original Santa Casa in Loreto, Italy, which is where it is believed that the Virgin Mary received the Incarnation. We stood outside for a few minutes to hear the clock chime a song on the hour before going inside to get entrance and photo tickets. The quiet site was lovely though kind of far away from everything else we saw. See the 5min video at the bottom of the page to hear the clock play and to see inside the Loreto (1:44).
We then walked to the Matthias Gate, where we were able to enter security to the castle complex from the left of the gate. The line was long when we got there, but it moved quickly. To the right of the gate was a great view of the city. I want to note here that almost everything we saw in and around the castle complex sat on cobblestone, which nearly killed us, even with good tennis shoes.
We got through security and went to the ticket office. We bought tickets for Circuit B, which was all the main attractions in the castle complex.
As we exited the ticket office, a super-tourist choir group started singing right outside the St. Vitus Cathedral. It definitely set the mood for the rest of the morning. See the 5min video at the bottom of the page to hear the choir sing (2:03).
We started in the Old Royal Palace.
Then we saw the old St. George Basilica, founded about 920CE.
Third for us was the Golden Lane, a street of modest houses where castle servants and guildsmen lived. It is known by its quaint appearance and bright colors. Several of the houses were set up to display how they would have looked when they were occupied. Below, you can see a seamstress's room and a tavern. The ticket for the Golden Lane also let us into a Medieval weaponry and armor museum.
Our last ticket got us into St. Vitus Cathedral. It took almost 600 years to complete (1344 to 1929), and it is the largest temple in Prague. It was amazing. Despite some construction, the outside of the cathedral is ornate and imposing. See the 5min video at the bottom of the page to see more views of the cathedral (2:14).
The inside is sweeping, complex, and magnificent. We were again surprised with a choir. A boy's choir walked in, found an empty spot to stand, and sang beautifully. It made the whole experience surreal and so special. See the 5min video at the bottom of the page to hear the choir sing (2:22).
We tried and failed to find some restaurants from my tour book for lunch, so we ended up getting sausages and iced drinks from a street stall. We sat on a short wall overlooking the city while we ate. See the 5min video at the bottom of the page to see our view of the city (3:01).
Then we walked back through the castle complex to see the royal gardens. They were pretty but probably not worth it, especially considering how tired we were by this point. We sat near a fountain for a good long time with our shoes off, reveling in being off our feet for a bit.
Eventually, we walked back to the hostel to rest for an hour before going to Folk Night, which Karolina set up for us. For 34€ per person, we got a minivan to take us to and from our hostel, unlimited beer/wine/drinks, and a 3 course meal of potato soup, meats, coleslaw, potatoes, and an apple pie dessert. There was a traditional Czech band playing, a singer, and some dancers. They had us sing and dance with them, and they showed us some traditional Czech instruments. It was a ton of fun and primarily in English. There weren't any kids, but the adults were of all ages. Our group was definitely the loudest group in attendance... See the 5min video at the bottom of the page to experience the music and dancing with us (3:11).
Our step count for the day: 31,305
Berlin (Germany)
Tuesday, May 23:
We got up early the next day to take a metro to the train station in Prague. We got a good breakfast and some water at the station before taking a 4 hour train to Berlin.
After arriving, I quickly noticed that there was much less English around than in the other cities. In Budapest, Krakow, and Prague, many of the places we went had English translations everywhere, on most signs and announcements, but Berlin did not. The people we talked to still spoke English, and a lot of signs were interactive (like the metro ticket machine), with options to switch to English, so we were able to mostly move around comfortably without knowledge of German. Though the metro tickets were confusing, even in English, and it was hard to find officials to help us.
We checked into our hostel, Generator, and went to lunch next door. I got an amazing curry sausage.
Then Karolina took a few of us on a great walking tour. Apparently Berlin is pretty spread out in terms of things tourists would want to see, so we used public transit. Our 7€ day passes covered the metro and busses we took.
Toren and I were really grateful for Karolina's tour in Berlin because we only had this one afternoon to see it before we had to get on a plane the following morning. Thank you, Karolina!
We saw the TV tower, built in the 1960s, intended to be a symbol of communist and German power. Funnily enough, the Germans had to ask some Norwegian architects to help finish it. It's the tallest building in Berlin (368m) and can be seen from all over the city. You can go up into the tower to get a great view of the city, but we didn't have time for that.
Karolina told us that Berlin is the third most under construction city in the world, and cranes rose from every horizon. She also said that one-third of the city is covered in parks and greenery, so I guess the construction isn't messing with everything!
Another interesting Berlin construction fact (I know, I brought back all the best stories) is that Berlin is very wet, so when construction crews build, they need tubes to get the water out. There's no regulation for color, so they make them in various bright colors!
We saw the Reichstag, the German parliament opened in 1894. You can see down from the dome, purposefully done as a symbol that the government should be transparent. Angela Merkel's home and offices are situated across from the Reichstag.
Next we saw the striking Brandenburg Gate. It was built in the 18th century and has had various purposes since then. The gate between East and West Berlin, the Nazis used it as a party symbol. It is now seen as a symbol of unity.
There are several other symbols of the former divide between East and West Berlin, including rows of bricks marking where the wall was. The crosswalk signs are also different, with the East Berlin crosswalk men wearing hats where the West Berlin ones do not.
We visited the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe Murdered Under National Socialism.
Next was the Holocaust Memorial, built in 2003-04. The 2,711 concrete slabs of various heights are organized in rows on a sloping surface. The slabs are supposed to create a feeling of unease and also bring to mind coffins. Most people were respectful of the space, though there was one group of teenagers who kept almost running people over as they were chasing each other and laughing. We walked among the slabs for a while before convening again as a group. See the 5min video at the bottom of the page to view the memorial from the inside (3:59).
We then went to the Homosexual Memorial, opened in 2008. The black box on the side looks into a movie showing same-sex couples kissing.
We went to a piece of the Berlin Wall, covered in chewing gum, and added our own gum. Gum was forbidden under the Nazi regime as it was seen as too American. So people put gum on it now as a sign of rebellion against the Nazis.
We decided not to go to Checkpoint Charlie after being told that it was super touristy (and running out of time). I do want to mention, though, for people planning their own trips, to be careful about the passport stamps handed out at Checkpoint Charlie. They, obviously, are not real passport stamps, and some places, like Turkey, might give you trouble at the border if they find a Checkpoint Charlie stamp in your passport.
Our last stop was the East Side Gallery, a really cool stop. It's the biggest chunk of the Berlin Wall left, and officials invited famous artists to paint on it as of 1990. The paintings show messages of freedom, peace, fun, depression, and repression. See the 5min video at the bottom of the page to see more of the artwork (4:08).
The Berlin Wall was actually made up of two walls. The round top was to make it difficult for a person to pull themselves over by hand. There was a dead zone in the middle with dogs and soldiers ready to attack anyone trying to cross over.
After the walking tour, we headed out for a group dinner at the Hofbräu Munchen Biergarten. We got giant beers and good German food. See the 5min video at the bottom of the page for our toast before dinner (4:25)!
Our step count for the day: 18,017
Berlin (Germany) --> Nashville
While our tripmates slept, Toren and I got up early to puzzle out the metro and bus system to the airport! We got to our gate 2 hours early, hoping to do some shopping, but apparently at TXL, each security line leads to only two or three gates, and all the shops (except one small one) are before security. Two more airports, and we would be home!
I said before that adjusting to our European timezone was easy, but adjusting back the 7 hours was miserable. We tried so hard to stay up until we got back at 11pm Nashville time, but that was 6am for our European brains. Our last layover was in Toronto, and as we got closer to our boarding time, I started feeling physically ill from staying up "so late" our time. We caved and slept on the short flight from Toronto to Nashville then went to bed at 9pm or 10pm each night after that, struggling to stay awake that late for a few days until adjusting back.
Our step count for the day: 13,466
Like I said, our trip was fantastic, and I'm happy to have shared it with my best friend in person and with you digitally. I hope you enjoyed it!
If you want to see some short videos from the trip, please watch here!
Berlin (Germany) --> Nashville
Wednesday, May 24:
While our tripmates slept, Toren and I got up early to puzzle out the metro and bus system to the airport! We got to our gate 2 hours early, hoping to do some shopping, but apparently at TXL, each security line leads to only two or three gates, and all the shops (except one small one) are before security. Two more airports, and we would be home!
I said before that adjusting to our European timezone was easy, but adjusting back the 7 hours was miserable. We tried so hard to stay up until we got back at 11pm Nashville time, but that was 6am for our European brains. Our last layover was in Toronto, and as we got closer to our boarding time, I started feeling physically ill from staying up "so late" our time. We caved and slept on the short flight from Toronto to Nashville then went to bed at 9pm or 10pm each night after that, struggling to stay awake that late for a few days until adjusting back.
Our step count for the day: 13,466
Like I said, our trip was fantastic, and I'm happy to have shared it with my best friend in person and with you digitally. I hope you enjoyed it!
If you want to see some short videos from the trip, please watch here!
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