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Eastern Europe: September 2006

Day 1: Arrival in Prague

Back in September, I signed up for a package holiday tour of Eastern Europe. Over the course of eight days, we traveled to Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna.

This was the first time I had done one of these tours. I always liked the idea of having everything planned for me, and the price was pretty good. Everyone else on the tour was a bit older than myself, but they were all really friendly. The tour guide had a cool attitude about travel, and pointed us towards authentic local food wherever we went. He also made a point of showing us how to use the various public transport systems, which was a big help when we were given free time.

So, off we go... The first day consisted of a 2 hour flight from Leeds to Prague. The airport in Prague looked pretty much like any other airport in the world, although I was surprised at how many of the signs were in English. This was a good thing, since I had a lot of trouble learning anything more than the absolute basics of Czech. Part of the problem was that while much of the alphabet is the same, you don't pronounce the words like you would if they were in English or a romance language. Plus, I was using a phrase book that I picked up in England, so all of the pronunciation guides assumed you were speaking with a British accent!

At the airport, we were met by the coach that would become very familiar over the coming week, and we were taken to the Hotel Duo, which is the outskirts of the city. It was supposed to be a four star hotel, but I think that is only in comparison to the other hotels in the outskirts of Prague ;) It was clean, but pretty run down and flimsy, and it would be very hot in the summer (no AC). It did have an internet cafe in the lobby though...

So, after unpacking, our tour guide took us into the city via the bus and metro system. We walked the length of Wenceslas Square, which is actually a long street, towards the old town. After going through some twisty old alleys, we arrived at the famous astronomical clock in the old town square. I didn't really take any pictures, apart from the toilet sculpture below, since it was getting dark by the time we got downtown. Our guide pointed me toward a nice Bavarian restaurant, since I wanted something authentic. It was well made, but the food of this region is too meat-and-potatoes for my taste. Nice and cheap though, especially compared to UK prices.

Below are a few pictures from the bus ride to the hotel, and the lovely toilet sculpture in Wenceslas Square.

Day 2: More Prague

After a vaguely gross buffet breakfast at the hotel, the tour group got back on our bus, and set off on a tour of the city. In each city we visited, we hired a local tour guide to give us the local color. They were all pretty good, but a bit scammy, since we always seemed to end up next to someone selling touristy crap (who then paid off the tour guide).

So, first impressions.... The three Eastern European cities I visited all had a similar feel to them. They were all a bit more run down than their Western European counterparts, and had unbelievable amounts of graffiti everywhere. The architecture was a bit different than the west, as you can see below. They made more use of paintings and murals on the outer walls of buildings, and all of the statues seem to be holding gold spears and swords and stuff.

The people in Prague were pretty friendly, and the staff in shops and restaurants were willing to speak English, although they seemed to prefer German.

The tour started with Prague Castle. Since we were in a group and on a timetable, we didn't really have any time to go inside anywhere and look around. This was probably a good thing, since it was incredibly crowded in the one building we actually went into.

So, here is exterior and some courtyards of the castle...

There was a very cool cathedral in the castle, with some incredible mosaics on the outside. Apparently, everyone in Prague wanted to see the cathedral at the same time, since it was a wee bit crowded inside (see the video on page 3) .

Don't forget to look at pages 2 and 3...

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