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Location | Little Town Budget Hotel – Prague

So ends our trip to Europe. This morning began with breakfast with Maria then off to the stationary shop Ngoc and I visited on the 2nd day. We wanted to buy a few more gifts. We took the bus from Termini and headed over there. Unfortunately the store didn’t open until 10:30am, so we decided to go for gelato first. We walked up toward the Pantheon where we made a quick stop at the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.

Ngoc got a little outta control

We sat on the front steps for a few minutes before we decided to just go get gelato. Who cares if we’re eating gelato at 10am? So we went to Gelateria Della Palma, and needless to say, we were the first customers. In fact, they were still putting the gelato into the display case.

Ngoc really likes gelato!

I left with what I had been dreaming of – red guava and green apple. Ngoc went for chocolate and pistachio.

It totally hit the spot.

Afterwards we went to the stationary shop, got what we needed, then headed back to the bed & breakfast. We got our stuff, presented Maria with a small gift, then went off to catch the train to the airport.

Unfortunately our flight time was changed AND it was also delayed an hour.

We finally got to Prague, hopped on the bus, headed back to the same hostel from the first night in Prague. After checking in, we went to the Charles Bridge to take a peek… and there were fireworks! (YAY!). Afterward we just ate at one of those touristy restaurants near the bridge. We had Czech-style Goulash and a salad (green and red peppers w/ tomatoes and balsamic w/ olive oil).

Then it was back to the hostel where we took goofy pictures, packed our things and then got into bed.

Goodbye Beautiful Europe!

Location | Train from Prague to Budapest

You would not believe how tiny this compartment is… There’s 3 people in about 30 square feet of space. There’s 3 bunks and it’s nothing like Harry Potter. Yes, I did imagine the train to be like the big train cars in Harry Potter. Boy, did I think wrong.

We arrived early to the train station and got onto the train a little before the 9:40pm departure. Our car also has another girl, she is from London. There is no place to sit, so all we can do was lay down. How awkward. There’s no air conditioning on the trains too, so it is unbearably hot, but since the train is moving, the cold air comes into the compartment making it a lot better.

3 Bunks in Tiny Train Compartment

I ate dinner sitting up with my head in the window sill (since it was so hot). Anyway, tomorrow we arrive in Budapest at 8:30am!

Location | Little Town Budget Hotel – Prague

Just got back from a day of walking and walking and more walking. Let me tell you: don’t bring new shoes on a trip. No matter how much I try to get them fixed, they are not comfortable. I already bought a new pair of shoes, but they are proving to not be that great either. So let me laugh and say that I will be purchasing a pair of sneakers here.

Well, we crossed the Charles Bridge and went to Au Gourmande for breakfast. Ngoc ordered a salmon croissant sandwich, while I ordered a chocolate croissant and a banana chocolate crepe. I was obviously in a sweet mood.

Desserts at Au Gourmande

Afterwards we walked down to Wenceslas Square where we shopped. They have this huge store called “New Yorker” here which is kind of like a Forever 21/H&M hybrid.

We ate lunch a Au Gourmande (another location) and let me tell you, I love LOVE French bakeries.

Afterwards we walked around the Jewish Quarter. It was incredibly eerie due to the fact that there were only about a handful of people outside. Very quiet.

View of Prague Castle from the Jewish Quarter

The day was a little hot, but not bad in the shade. I’m praying Budapest and Rome have plenty of shade.

We’re off to the train to overnight it to Budapest in about 20 minutes.

Location | Little Town Budget Hotel – Prague

So concludes day 2 of my Prague adventure. It’s been really great here. There’s so much to see that I’m kind of regretting only spending 2.5 days here! After finishing up the rest of Little Quarter, Ngoc and I decided to cross the Charles Bridge into Old Town.

View of Little Quarter from Charles Bridge

So in the less than 24 hours I’ve been here, I’ve already taken over 1600 pictures… Uh oh. Luckily I have 18gb of memory with me… unfortunately… I won’t have enough space on my computer, so I’ll have to work on figuring out a way to get all the pictures (ok, not all 1600, a selection) onto Flickr and so on.

Anyway, Old Town was amazing. We walked around for awhile before we arrived at Old Town Square. There were amazing views of Kinsky Palace, the Tyn Church and we also saw the astronomical clock.

Tyn Church

We walked until my feet were completely dead. Old town is very beautiful. There are a lot of little alleyways to see and some of them are even deserted so you can sneak in a great picture.

Deserted Street in Old Town

Then we made our way back across the Charles Bridge into Little Quarter. The sun was setting, so we had some great shots of the pink sky behind Prague Castle.

Sunset over Prague

Afterwards we had dinner (which was very expensive btw). One thing I dislike about Prague is touristy-ness of the prices for food. The food isn’t anything special and should not be priced as it is… I expect NYC style meals for what I’ve been paying for grilled fish or roasted duck (which was very gamey).

I am saving my money for Rome and eating my weight in gelato. So… it’s unfortunate that I’m spending a fortune on Prague

My pictures will be up on Flickr soon – so check them out – Prague Day 1 – A Selection!

Location | Little Town Budget Hotel – Prague

Ngoc and I have just gotten our room at the hostel and… it’s HUGE! There’s 3 beds a dining table and a kitchen complete with fridge, stove and sink. I can’t believe we have this room with an awesome view of St. Nicholas’ Cathedral for only US $30/night!

The day started out slow. Ngoc arrived at the hostel a little past 9:30am and from there we set out to Prague Castle. First was breakfast. We stopped at a small café where we had toast with delicious rich and creamy butter, juice and espresso. After eating, we walked up this hill that overlooks the city then into the castle gates where throngs of tourists were trying to get pictures with the guards.

St. Vitus’s Cathedral has been the most impressive part of the castle grounds. We didn’t go inside due to the long lines, but we did a 360-degree walk-around of the cathedral. The gargoyles and flying buttresses were the most impressive part, as well as the huge stain glass window in the front. The gothic style architecture is similar to many other cathedrals in Europe. Construction began in 2344 and fully completed by the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

St. Vitus's Cathedral

Walking toward the back of the castle grounds, we ended up in a vineyard that overlooked more of the east bank of Prague. We circled back to go to Golden Lane, which turned out to be, sadly, unimpressive. I had thought there’d be much more to see, but there was only one little souvenir shop. Golden Lane is lined with colourful artisan shops that are built long the inside of the castle wall.

View of Prague from above

After Golden Lane, we ended up walking outside the castle walls in a hiking/outdoor area. We were down in a field of wildflowers taking pictures of us cartwheeling and jumping around. It was so strange to be surrounded by so much silence. I haven’t been in that kind of silence for so long so it seemed like I had entered a different world.

We then ended up back up through the castle front gates and down a street filled with shops and restaurants. We were starving so we stopped at a traditional Czech restaurant. I ordered the quarter duck w/ cabbage dumplings. The duck was a little gamey, but overall delicious! Very heavy for a “lunch” meal.

Now that I’m all cleaned up (I had to shower) we can go out and check out Little Quarter and the Charles Bridge (and river area!)

Time to head out. Pictures will be loaded tonight!

Location | Little Town Budget Hotel – Prague

I’m currently sitting in the internet lounge at the Little Town Budget Hotel. It’s crazy that I’m here already! The flight was ok, didn’t get any sleep, but it was a relatively pleasant experience. The flight took off on time and arrived in Prague earlier than expected. From the airport I was able to navigate my way through customs easily (they basically scanned and stamped) and then I just went straight through, got a bus ticket, hopped on the bus, went to the metro, got off and walked to the hostel. The hostel is really nice actually! Very clean and in an awesome location. I’m excited about seeing our room. I hope it’s as nice as the outside of the hostel.

Pictures and uploads to come soon.

I think my biggest problem in traveling to “foreign lands” is the fact that I don’t know what language to speak to anyone… do I start with English or is that presumptuous? Do I just look at the other person and see what they want to say? A guy just came in and I think he was Italian? Assuming that his “Ciao” was Italian and not any other form of “Ciao?”

Ahh, Ngoc needs to get here sooner. I’d like to play now! (Oh and eat breakfast — I want Turkish coffee!)