Czech Republic 2012
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June 17th 2012
Time to head back to Berlin! We headed back in the afternoon, which allowed us to see the countryside while driving.
The drive back had two interesting moments. Firstly, there was a section of road construction which was 8 kilometres long. Every 2 kilometres there was a sign marking the remaining kilometres with a smiling face on it. The face got happier the closer we got until the end.
The autobahn is known for its high speeds. Unfortunately about an hour outside of Berlin, traffic came to a standstill. Who knew the autobahns would have traffic jams too!
I hope that you enjoy the photos from the drive and the city!
The drive back had two interesting moments. Firstly, there was a section of road construction which was 8 kilometres long. Every 2 kilometres there was a sign marking the remaining kilometres with a smiling face on it. The face got happier the closer we got until the end.
The autobahn is known for its high speeds. Unfortunately about an hour outside of Berlin, traffic came to a standstill. Who knew the autobahns would have traffic jams too!
I hope that you enjoy the photos from the drive and the city!
June 16th 2012
Prague is just as impressive in the daylight!
Although the daytime hours also bring with them hordes of tourists, the city of Prague has a completely different, although equally interesting, vibe during the day. We started the day with a tour with Urban Adventures. The tour commenced at the famed astrological clock, which puts in an impressive show every hour. The clock derives from a time when time wasn't measured in hours since midnight, but rather since sunset and sunrise. Sadly, the clock was not accurate for us, as daylight savings time cannot be factored in. It was still really interesting to see all of the hands and dials in the tower.
Prague's downtown is made up of 4 districts that were once individual towns. We toured through each of these sections, learning about the history, architecture, and politics of each region.
For lunch, we visited one of the top rated restaurants in the city. W all started with an onion soup, which was nothing like the French variety. It was creamy, and very delicious. Everyone had a different main course, varying from fried cheese to duck to beef. We started the food around, which was great, because everything was really good!
After lunch we took a boat tour on the Vltava. Although we were stuffed from lunch, no one was able to turn down the free beer, lemonade, and ice cream on the boat. The weather was really warm, so it was nice to be able to relax on a covered boat, while hearing more about the city's history.
The last stop on the Urban Adventure's tour was a trio to the cathedral. I will let the photos do the talking, as the church was too stunning for words. I had a great time on this tour; it is a great way to cover a large part of the city in a day.
After spending the morning in the sun it was time to find shade; underground! Prague Special Tours hosts an underground tour, which I was lucky enough to be a part of. The tour is only an hour long, which makes it a great addition to any packed schedule. The tour follows the underground paths under the city center (the public ones, many of them are private and are used as wine cellars or restaurants). Our guide was great- he told many funny stories, which really helped to bring the tour to life! The rooms we visited had many different purposes, such as kitchen, stables, and torture chambers. I really enjoyed experiencing a more hidden part of Prague.
While on my tour, I got a text message from Chelsey saying that our car had a ticket. Although we had another tour scheduled almost right away, I decided that the car was a pressing matter. It turned out that I was correct, as the car had a boot in it. There was no getting out of this one. When the police came, no amount of tears or apologies worked, they gave me a massive fine that I had to pay right away, to they wouldn't move the boot. We parked in a private parking area, which was marked only using blue lines (in the place of where the yellow ones tend to be in Canadian parking lots). After a quick google search, to seems that I was charged about ten times more then what is appropriate. Let's just say, it is all my spending money for the next two months.
When it comes down to it, the fine isn't a huge deal. After all, we still got to have a great weekend in Prague! And... I learned not to park in blue spots while in Czech!
Although the daytime hours also bring with them hordes of tourists, the city of Prague has a completely different, although equally interesting, vibe during the day. We started the day with a tour with Urban Adventures. The tour commenced at the famed astrological clock, which puts in an impressive show every hour. The clock derives from a time when time wasn't measured in hours since midnight, but rather since sunset and sunrise. Sadly, the clock was not accurate for us, as daylight savings time cannot be factored in. It was still really interesting to see all of the hands and dials in the tower.
Prague's downtown is made up of 4 districts that were once individual towns. We toured through each of these sections, learning about the history, architecture, and politics of each region.
For lunch, we visited one of the top rated restaurants in the city. W all started with an onion soup, which was nothing like the French variety. It was creamy, and very delicious. Everyone had a different main course, varying from fried cheese to duck to beef. We started the food around, which was great, because everything was really good!
After lunch we took a boat tour on the Vltava. Although we were stuffed from lunch, no one was able to turn down the free beer, lemonade, and ice cream on the boat. The weather was really warm, so it was nice to be able to relax on a covered boat, while hearing more about the city's history.
The last stop on the Urban Adventure's tour was a trio to the cathedral. I will let the photos do the talking, as the church was too stunning for words. I had a great time on this tour; it is a great way to cover a large part of the city in a day.
After spending the morning in the sun it was time to find shade; underground! Prague Special Tours hosts an underground tour, which I was lucky enough to be a part of. The tour is only an hour long, which makes it a great addition to any packed schedule. The tour follows the underground paths under the city center (the public ones, many of them are private and are used as wine cellars or restaurants). Our guide was great- he told many funny stories, which really helped to bring the tour to life! The rooms we visited had many different purposes, such as kitchen, stables, and torture chambers. I really enjoyed experiencing a more hidden part of Prague.
While on my tour, I got a text message from Chelsey saying that our car had a ticket. Although we had another tour scheduled almost right away, I decided that the car was a pressing matter. It turned out that I was correct, as the car had a boot in it. There was no getting out of this one. When the police came, no amount of tears or apologies worked, they gave me a massive fine that I had to pay right away, to they wouldn't move the boot. We parked in a private parking area, which was marked only using blue lines (in the place of where the yellow ones tend to be in Canadian parking lots). After a quick google search, to seems that I was charged about ten times more then what is appropriate. Let's just say, it is all my spending money for the next two months.
When it comes down to it, the fine isn't a huge deal. After all, we still got to have a great weekend in Prague! And... I learned not to park in blue spots while in Czech!
June 15th 2012
We're going on a road trip!
After checking the prices for buses, trains, and planes, it quickly became clear that it would be cheaper for the 5 of us to rent a car, then to purchase separate tickets.
Renting the car was a real hassle. They gave us a 4 seated car at first, and when we got one with a fifth seat, it was very small. We all piled in only to realize that the gps didn't extend into Czech. Back inside the rental shop.
When we finally got on the road we were treated to our first experience of the German autobahn (check that off my bucket list!). We took the no speed limit sign to heart and i drove at a leisurely 180km/h. That was, until we realize that we had used half a tank of gas in less then 100 kms. Back down to 140 km/h we went...
The journey to Prague was rather uneventful, that was until our gps (a male voice with an English accent who we dubbed as James Bond) decided to send us on a mission. Our smooth sailing on the highway was interrupted by 'exit right in 200 meters'. Well, James Bind knows best, so off we went. Our trust started to wane as James had us drive deeper and deeper into the dark, uninhabited Czech countryside. I was extremely happy that I was comfortable with everyone in the car, because this seemed like the moment that the serial killer appears in the horror movies. All of a sudden we saw another car in front of us; phew, a sign of life! I sped up, so we could follow them closely enough to benefit from their headlights as well as own own. They clearly had been watching the same horror movie as us, because it didn't take long before the car suddenly pulled off the road to let us pass. As we did, all the passengers in their car were staring out the window, eyes wide as they check us out. The best part? In the darkness their GPS was glowing- they were also driving with James Bond. Once James was satisfied that we completed out mission he directed us back to them same highway that we were in before. Mission accomplished!
Even though we arrived to Prague late, we wanted to see the most of the city. After a very quick prepping session, we headed out into the city. Prague looks like a fairy tale. There are castles, churches, and monuments galore all lit up. The city is old, but very well maintained, which is a big contrast to Berlin. Every corner we found ourselves gasping over a new sight. We settled into a few bars, but didn't find anything that overly interested us. Sarah was feeling a bit ill, so we did not stay out all night. To complete the fairy tale image, there were hordes of women dressed in fancy party dresses with skyscraper height heels. This very feminine fashion statement is another big difference between Prague and Berlin.
I cannot wait to see what this fairy tale city looks like in the light!
After checking the prices for buses, trains, and planes, it quickly became clear that it would be cheaper for the 5 of us to rent a car, then to purchase separate tickets.
Renting the car was a real hassle. They gave us a 4 seated car at first, and when we got one with a fifth seat, it was very small. We all piled in only to realize that the gps didn't extend into Czech. Back inside the rental shop.
When we finally got on the road we were treated to our first experience of the German autobahn (check that off my bucket list!). We took the no speed limit sign to heart and i drove at a leisurely 180km/h. That was, until we realize that we had used half a tank of gas in less then 100 kms. Back down to 140 km/h we went...
The journey to Prague was rather uneventful, that was until our gps (a male voice with an English accent who we dubbed as James Bond) decided to send us on a mission. Our smooth sailing on the highway was interrupted by 'exit right in 200 meters'. Well, James Bind knows best, so off we went. Our trust started to wane as James had us drive deeper and deeper into the dark, uninhabited Czech countryside. I was extremely happy that I was comfortable with everyone in the car, because this seemed like the moment that the serial killer appears in the horror movies. All of a sudden we saw another car in front of us; phew, a sign of life! I sped up, so we could follow them closely enough to benefit from their headlights as well as own own. They clearly had been watching the same horror movie as us, because it didn't take long before the car suddenly pulled off the road to let us pass. As we did, all the passengers in their car were staring out the window, eyes wide as they check us out. The best part? In the darkness their GPS was glowing- they were also driving with James Bond. Once James was satisfied that we completed out mission he directed us back to them same highway that we were in before. Mission accomplished!
Even though we arrived to Prague late, we wanted to see the most of the city. After a very quick prepping session, we headed out into the city. Prague looks like a fairy tale. There are castles, churches, and monuments galore all lit up. The city is old, but very well maintained, which is a big contrast to Berlin. Every corner we found ourselves gasping over a new sight. We settled into a few bars, but didn't find anything that overly interested us. Sarah was feeling a bit ill, so we did not stay out all night. To complete the fairy tale image, there were hordes of women dressed in fancy party dresses with skyscraper height heels. This very feminine fashion statement is another big difference between Prague and Berlin.
I cannot wait to see what this fairy tale city looks like in the light!
