Prague and Cesky Krumlov

Welcome to your new town, DD#1!

08/10/2023

Prague Travel Day

I can hardly believe that I have had two long-haul flights in ten days. Yuck! In case anyone is new around here, I just spent a month in Vietnam and am now with a different crew headed to Central Europe for a different reason. DD#1 is 18 and headed to college in Prague! My mom and I are accompanying her on the journey and have a few destinations planned for this almost three week adventure.

There were some hard good-byes.

Here is DD#1 with her many bags ready for her big move.

DH was kind enough to drive us two hours to the airport to catch our long flight to Frankfurt and then Prague. The flight to Frankfurt was long, cramped, but uneventful. The drama started upon arrival in Frankfurt. We had a tight connection and barely made our connecting flight. The gates were at least a mile apart plus we had to ride a bus between them and clear customs. We ran our tails off and somehow were the last ones aboard the flight. We were traveling with more baggage than usual and naturally, the baggage didn't make it to Prague. We were assured it would be delivered in the middle of the night.

We took a taxi to our very nice hotel (Green Garden Hotel is recommended!) in the New Town in Prague. Despite the jet lag and baggage drama, it felt so good to be in the big city! Our room was perfect with three twin beds.

We resisted the urge to nap and walked about 10 minutes to a cute brewery for happy hour. It was afternoon in Prague and we were determined to stay up until evening even though no one slept on the plane.

We wandered more through the pretty old and new towns enjoying the architecture and atmosphere that only happens in Europe. We settled on a pizza/pasta place that we visited last year. It was still very tasty.

We took a tram home. (Love love love the public transportation here!) Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse just across from our hotel when my mom slipped and fell on an uneven part of the sidewalk. She fell hard hitting her head, knees, and hands. She twisted her ankle. It was so scary! I finally helped her up and she hobbled back to the hotel. Luckily, things were not as bad as they could have been. I was confident she did not have a concussion and was just banged up a bit. Not a great way to end a very long day. Somehow, we all managed to sleep despite waking up at weird hours due to jet lag. I was ready to be done with this day!

First Full Day in Prague

After a fairly decent night of sleep, I was relieved to find three giant suitcases had indeed arrived in the middle of the night. DD#1 was one happy kid! My mom was still banged up but was managing. We had a delicious breakfast at our hotel. The buffet was huge with so many choices. We were all happy and full.

I hired an Uber XL to take the three massive bags to DD#1's student housing. We stored it in a basement and enjoyed spending a little time in her non-touristy neighborhood. We took a tram near her university and visited the lovely Wallenstein Garden. So pretty!

Unfortunately, my mom's foot was not feeling great. She decided it would be best to visit the emergency room to make sure nothing was broken. Our hotel had directed us to a nearby hospital where we finally found the ER after many wrong turns. The building was incredibly old with narrow hallways, stairways, and confusing signage. We got checked in somehow even with the language barrier and waited in the narrow hallway (no waiting room) for a couple of mysterious hours. People were called in and out and there was a numbering system that didn't make much sense. She was finally called back and the nice doctor spoke English. He sent her down for X-rays and things moved more quickly from this point on. Long story short, she did not break anything but had swollen and bruised tendons. Her US insurance will probably reimburse all or part of the experience. The doctor visit, X-rays, and pain medication cost $135 total. That was the full and complete cost. Wow.

To celebrate she wasn't broken, we took a tram to a really cool beer garden wedged between two old church walls. This was probably the neatest beer garden setting I have ever seen. We relaxed after a stressful day and enjoyed a traditional pilsner.

Meanwhile, DD#1 was living it up! We left her to explore the area around her university where she sang an impromptu song on Charles Bridge with a jazz trio and helped some locals haul in some restaurant supplies. You never know what she might find! She had a meeting at her school where she learned a few practical things before meeting up with us.

We did a little shopping before taking a tram up to the castle. My mom was ready for some rest after the long day so DD#1 took her back to the hotel giving me some time to check out the castle and walk around the beautiful city. The castle was closed for the night but the outdoor areas were open for wandering. It was perfect timing for pictures.

After a very long walk, DD#1 met up with me for a drink (she can drink legally in Europe. So weird.) and we grabbed delicious doner kabab for dinner.

What a first day in Prague. Off to Cesky Krumlov tomorrow.

Travel Day to Cesky Krumlov

I set my alarm so I would have time for a glorious run in the city. I was out by 7:30am without realizing it was pouring down rain. Buckets of rain! I persevered and had one of my favorite runs. Czech people must not like the rain because even the packed Charles Bridge was empty.

I ran 6.5 miles without even realizing it! It felt great and I loved seeing the city wet with rain and without the crowds. It's pretty clear I'm an Oregonian!

We enjoyed our hotel breakfast and had a little time to kill before our bus to Cesky Krumlov. We visited the very small Dvorak Museum. It was underwhelming but somewhat interesting.

The bus station was easy to navigate and we rode our comfortable Flixbus over three hours to the glorious Cesky Krumlov.

Our pension was on the top floor in the attic but so cute and rustic.

We wandered the old town and couldn't stop taking pictures.

We found a cute place for afternoon cake and drinks. The berry cheesecake was tasty.

DD#1 and I hiked up some stairs to see the castle. So gorgeous! The town is small and easy to navigate.

We even spotted a rainbow over the castle!

We found some shops and pretty viewpoints. The rainy weather had cleared and we had such a nice late afternoon exploring this charming little town.

We found a nice traditional restaurant for dinner. It was just outside of the town center so prices were good. Tasty and affordable food!

I went for one more walk after dinner to capture some sunset shots and the castle lit up with lights. Today was a good day.

A little more Cesky Krumlov and travel to Salzburg!

We all slept really well and enjoyed a delicious breakfast. I think the thick pancakes with blueberries and cream were the winner.

We walked back up to the castle where DD#1 and I climbed to the top of the colorful tower. Such great views from up there!

We wandered around the castle and the gardens taking more pictures. DD#1 met some dancers from a production in the park's theater. They offered her free tickets for when she hopefully returns this fall!