The ABC's of Adventuring Across the Balkans! B is for: Beginning in Prague (3/7)

[Steppesister]

Here and will be reading along once you start your journey

Hey, Judy! Thanks for checking in! Just 8 weeks left and they all seem to fly by so quicky now.

 

[Steppesister]

I'm here! Can't wait to hear more about it

The time is flying by so fast now! My work weeks, although super stressful and hard, do go by quickly and 8 weeks will have passed in no time! Better get packing!

 

[Steppesister]

Wow! Sounds like you have another incredible trip planned! I envy your courage to travel alone like that. I haven't even been to Europe and when I do I'm looking at tour groups because I feel like I wouldn't know what I'm doing!

Can't wait to follow along!

Hey, Kelly!!! Super happy you're here and reading along!

It's shaping up to be such a fun trip!

TBH, I'd asked lots of people to join me, including all of my kids (well the ones who could actually go and afford it) and my aunt and uncle and a few friends, but no takers. Sad! But I don't want to miss out on seeing the world for lack of a travel partner.

Tour groups are ok, but you are always so rushed from spot to spot and I don't like to be on someone else's timeline or schedule.

 

[Steppesister]

I've been waiting to see where the next Steppes would take you, and you are taking one of my dream trips! My family is from the High Tatras (northern Slovakia) so my (hopeful) trip would include that area as well as Budapest and Vienna. Can't wait to read all about it!

Surprise!!

I'm soooo happy you're here and following along. Should be such a lovely trip and so interesting. I've heard absolutely amazing things about all the places on the agenda and can't wait to taste the food, see the landscape, and meet the people! I'll be just south of your ancestral homeland. I had wanted to include Poland, but there's just too much territory and limited time. Perhaps someday!

 

[Steppesister]

I’m here and looking forward to more of your travels! That library looks absolutely stunning!

Doesn't it look dreamy?

There is another library, equally, or even more, beautiful in Prague, but the tours won't allow you to enter it, just peek at it from the doorway and it WAY more touristy. I found this one and thought I'd splurge on the private tour.

 

[Steppesister]

Oh, yes, please! I would like a big comfy chair right in the middle to just enjoy and read a day away! I love the smell of old books. This looks amazing!

Right?! With a creamy latte and a bit of gentle rain outside.

How sweet! Just enough space with everything you need from the looks of it!

Can't wait to hear more about the plans and to follow along!

Some will be like this and others a bit more "posh". A like a bit of variety to be sure.

So happy you're here, Jackie! It's great to have my long-time friends here!

 

[Steppesister]

10 countries! Ambitious!

Not at all envious.

It'll definitely be a whirlwind trip and fast-paced.

And I'll comment more, then.

So glad to have you here in any capacity!

Well... I have heard of Kentucky Fried Chicken...

LOL!!! Quite possible the worst fried chicken on Earth. Sad, it used to be quite good when I was a kid.

Nice! Is Kari going with you?

No, but I had asked quite a few folks to join including a few friends, my kids, and some family. No was able to swing it.

I tend to try to travel... (say that fast three times)... on the shoulders too.

I like less "people-y" times.

You?!?!?

Shocking, maybe, but tbh, there are LOADS of places I haven't been yet. Still have sights on Japan, Ireland, The Amazon, The Galapagos, Morocco, Petra, etc...

I like it.
It reminds me of the trip I did with the kids and ex a few years ago. I called it a taste of Europe.

Oh? Like short bits in a few places? Where was that?

Wowza! Looks stunning.

I can't WAIT to see it in person! It looks absolutely gorgeous!

 

[summerlvr]

So excited to read all about another one of your trips!

 

[Steppesister]

So excited to read all about another one of your trips!

YAY!!! Another long-time reader along for the ride!

 

[Steppesister]

B is for: Beginning in Prague​

These PTR chapters will be brief. The goal is to just give you a foretaste of what’s to come and lay out the groundwork that’s been planned. I’ll save the particulars for the coming trip report but since I can also use these chapters as part of my giddy anticipation, let’s start in Prague!

I can “buy” an extra day of vacation if I take off right from work on a Thursday and take a red eye. I is smart.


Or dumb, depending on how you look at it.


I’ll feel pretty smart boarding Thursday night; I’ll likely feel pretty idiotic 20 hours later when I land in the Czech Republic. Travel can be exhausting and gets more so the older I get. Hopefully, the adrenaline of landing in a new-to-me place will get me to dinner without the need for toothpicks to prop the lids.

Aside from the Stravhov Monastery and the Library the 2nd day after arrival, I’ve put together and ALL-DAY walking tour of the city that should take from right after breakfast to well after dinner. Here are just a few of the highlights of what I’m looking forward to: (All photos pilfered off the internet)

Prague Castle:

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Old Bridge Tower:

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The House at the Minute (a former house of Franz Kafka- and yes, I am in the middle of listening to Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis):

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The famous Astronomical Clock:

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Charles Bridge over the Danube:

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And traditional beef goulash with dumplings and a beer:

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Speaking of beer…

I really have never developed a taste for the flavor of beer, but well, I’m headed to the beer capitol of the entire world. It’d almost be a crime to go to Czechia and not have a beer or two while there, right? So, I am on an Up-Your-Beer-Game Quest. I didn’t like coffee until I was like 40 and living overseas, so I know there is hope for acquiring a taste for something new. In the spirit of when-in-Rome, I went out to the better liquor store in town and got a 6-pack of singles of various styles of beer and I can honestly say now that I don’t hate beer. In fact, I even can confess that I enjoyed at least 2 of the lot. No, they weren’t the heavy pilsners I’ll find on tap over there, but the taste of the lagers isn’t too bad. So… progress?

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All sidetracks aside, the next morning I’ll tour the Strahov Monastery and the Loreto Church then hit the road in a rental car and wind my way through the countryside towards Budapest with a short stop in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Loreto Church:

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Bratislava, Slovakia:

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Next up: Highlights of Budapest