Central Europe Trip Report-6/21

[RSM]

I know a few others are doing a trip report for the newly revived Central Europe ABD to the Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria, but I figure you can never have enough information and different perspectives. We were on the June 21 ABD, which was the second running of the adventure. I'll try and give a brief daily description and make it more photo intensive. I'll try not to give any spoilers away, but if you like to be surprised and don't want a view of the things you will see and do, please do not read this trip report.

Pre-Day

Our ABD began on Saturday, 6/21. We left Boston on 6/19, and arrived in the Czech Republic on Friday 6/20. We got to the Marriott about 11 am, and of course we couldn't check in. So, we took a walk to the Old Town square. Along the way we passed the Powderhouse:

We had lunch at one of the main restaurants in the Old Town square. I think it was U Minuty??. Anyways, it is in the far corner of the Old Town square. Just a hint for anyone, if you order the pizza you'll be fine. I ordered off the menu and it took almost an hour to get the meal. Pizzas seemed to come out in 5-10 minutes.

We strolled around the Old Town square for a while, then headed back to the hotel. We were able to check in about 2:30, and grabbed a nap after travelling all night. We had booked a 9:30 ghost tour with Ghost Tours Praga. These guys did a superb job of telling the story and history of the Old Town and the Jewish Quarter through the legends of the area. We found it really educational as you got a great sense of the history of the area through the telling of the legends and the people who lived there. We know it is pretty good when our 11 year old remembers details about the area through the stories. Here is Aiden listening for ghosts at the Franz Kafka bookstore. There is a very interesting story why this building is the only one that is not even with all the others in the square (it is the only building that protrudes):

You also learn about the astronomical clock, and why this was the only clock that the clock maker made.

We made our way to the Jewish Quarter where Aiden became fascinated with the legend of the Golem. It is presumably housed in a locked room in the Old-New synagogue.

Of course, it wouldn't be a good ghost tour without a cemetary. We learned some of the legends at the cemetary in the Jewish Quarter. Notice how crowded it is:

Prague has a history of being a leader in math and science. They also have a long history of studying alchemy, and there are a few alchemy museums that you can visit. Here is one where you can still buy elixirs (for memory, youth, and others) based on formulas from the 1600's:

Of course, they also pay tribute to more legitimate scientists and mathematicians. Here is one for Christian Doppler (for whom the Doppler effect is named):

Although Prague is said to be one of the most haunted cities in the world, when the sun sets, we think it is also one of the most beautiful cities we have seen:

After a long night and day of travel, we were looking forward to a good night sleep. Saturday, 6/21, was technically our first day of the ABD (check in, welcome reception, and dinner). We had a private tour of Prague scheduled from 9-3 on 6/21. I'll pick up with our private tour and the start of the ABD in the next post.

 

[disneyphx]

Awesome photos!
We climbed to the top of the Powder Tower - not too strenuous and a cool 360 degree view of the city, with little markers to say what you are seeing.

 

[sayhello]

Lovely photos! Especially the twilight one! (And you can never have too many Reports!)

I'm reading this whole report! Fortunately, I'm not going for another 14 months, and I'm old, so I'll forget all the details by then!

Sayhello

 

[distravel]

RSM,

Thanks for taking the time to do a trip report. I agree that it's great to get a few different perspectives of the trip. Your pictures are wonderful! Will be following along for the rest of your report.

Kathy

 

[west&east]

So excited for another trip report from Central Europe! We were on the July 5th trip. I know the guides were concerned that the reports gave away some of the surprises so you may want to warn folks if there are "spoilers".

 

[RSM]

Note; this post may contain spoilers. If you want to be surprised by what you will see or do, please do not read.

Day 1 of the ABD is our meet and greet day. We would end up meeting at 5:00 pm for the reception, so that gave us the entire day. After reading about what would be covered during the ABD, and given the limited time, we decided to hire a private guide for a more in-depth tour of Prague. We met with our guide in the morning and mapped out a plan. We focused on a few main areas (Prague Castle, the Lesser Town, climb St. Nicolas, Charles Bridge area, etc.). We got a pretty good sense of the Old Town and the Jewish Quarter the previous night (the Jewish Quarter was also pretty quiet given it was a Saturday). To save time, we took a taxi and started at Prague castle and worked our way back, stopping at many interesting places, exhibits, and sights along the way (note; I've combined photos of what you see in the ABD tour and what we saw in the private tour). At Prague castle, you got to hang with the guards and see the changing of the guard.

The first place we went was St. Vitus Church. As others have said, if your ABD city tour is on a Sunday, you won't go into the church. It is well worth the visit:

Throughout your tour of Prague, you will see statues of St. John, patron saint of confessors. He has the 5-star halo. He was martyred by being thrown off the Charles Bridge for holding the confession of the King's wife sacred. Many of the JA's tried to count how many statues of St. John they could find.

As you make your way through the Prague Castle area, there are many cathedrals, halls, alley ways, and exhibits to check out. In one of the cathedrals you can see a replica of the Czech crown jewels. The originals are actually in the tomb area of King Wencelas, and are only removed once every 10 years and are put on display for 10 weeks (If I remember correctly). The legend has it that anyone who puts on the crown will die within a year. This actually proved true for Heydrich during WW2.

The story of the black statue is also pretty cool and ties into some of the legends of Prague. During the ABD you can see it and the guide should be able to tell you why the sculptor did this

We made our way through Golden Lane with the small houses, shops, and a small torture museum

Now Aiden knows where we get our ideas

Upon leaving the Prague castle area, there are some great views of the city (you can see the US embassy in the background)

I will continue the Day 1 report in the next post.

 

[RSM]

As we left the Prague Castle area, we walked to St. Nicolas Church. Although not as large as St. Vitus, we thought it certainly rivaled it.

Our main reason for going to St. Nicolas was to climb the bell tower. During the communist days, the belltower at St. Nicolas was primarily an area used for spying because it overlooked embassy row.

We then made our way to the Lennon Wall. We weren't aware until we started climbing the Belltower at St. Nicolas, but our guide was afraid of heights, and climbing 300+ stairs in a spiral staircase wasn't her idea of fun. So, I think this next picture was her idea to get me back (queue the Pippi Longstockings jokes--for those of us old enough to remember):

Similar to Paris, there is also a bridge with locks signifying everlasting love. Not quite as big as the bridge over the Seine, but still pretty cool. Prague has a burgeoning movie industry and some places often double for Paris.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't have an artistic bone in my body. But, I still don't get some of the exhibits and monuments in Prague. I think Calfan showed a pic of what we called the "creepy babies"

They not only had an exhibit of these in one of the parks, but they had them mounted on what I think was a broadcast tower. So, it appeared as though they were crawling up the large tower.

Here is the monument to Franz Kafka. If anyone has read Metamorphosis (didn't get that either), maybe this makes sense

OK, so here was an exhibit I did understand. There was a pretty cool outdoor exhibit commemorating Sir Nicholas Winton. I think there was an HBO documentary and a 60 minutes segment on him. He organized the rescue of 669 mostly children from nazi occupied Czechoslavakia on the eve of WW2. He was known as the British Schindler as he found safe passage and homes for the children in Britain. It was a pretty moving exhibit.

We then made our way to the Charles River Bridge. During the day, the bridge gets pretty crowded with tourists and street vendors. We would have liked to have gotten there very early one morning, but it wasn't meant to be. Oh well, maybe next trip.

Again, St. John the Confessor on the bridge

Aiden touching the dog on one of the monuments. I forget whether this one symbolizes good luck or you'll return to Prague.

View of Prague Castle from the Old Town side of the Charles Bridge

We wrapped up our 6 hour tour back at the Marriott. It was really informative and gave us a pretty good sense of some of the highlights of Prague.

Our reception and dinner began at 5. We met our wonderful guides, Jennae and Betti at the reception (we had missed check in, but Jennae called the room and let us know the meeting time)

After a cocktail reception, we met in a conference room for introductions and a review of the itinerary. Our group was 41 in total with 18 kids ranging from 6-18. This turned out to be a really fun group and everyone began bonding pretty quickly. after the introductory meeting, we went to dinner in the restaurant at the Marriott, and got ready for Day 2, our first full day of activities.

 

[mgsquared]

Ghost tour sounds cool! I'm def. doing that next time I go to Prague!

 

[RSM]

Day 2 was our first day of activities. We had the buffet breakfast at the Marriott and boarded the coach headed for Prague Castle and our walking tour of Prague. I think others have covered the ABD portion of the city tour in alot of detail. It is a good overview tour of Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge area, and the Old Town. If you want a greater in-depth understanding of the history and culture you will need at least a pre-day or days. We spent about 8-9 hours with private (or small group) guides and felt like we just started to scratch the surface. Anyways, a couple of logistics notes on the breakfast buffet at the Marriott. That first day of touring, it was clear the Marriott wasn't ready for the crowds at breakfast. About 30% of our group was stuck in line waiting for seats and had to eat something quickly before boarding the bus. Not sure if this was because there were a number of other tour groups in the hotel or if it was a common occurrence. It was better the second day, but I think that is because many in our group got there 20-30 minutes earlier than the previous day.

Anyways, because it was a Sunday, we couldn't go into St. Vitus. However, we had pretty much exhausted Prague Castle the previous day. Overall, between the tours on pre-days and the ABD tour, we got to see/do most of what we wanted to do in Prague. We would have liked to have seen/done more in the Jewish Quarter but the timing didn't quite work out (most things are closed on Saturday in the Jewish Quarter).

A few more Prague photos:

Another interesting monument in Prague is the metronome. It stands in the place where a statue of Stalin once stood in Letna Park (which is also a pretty cool area with great views of the river and city). It serves as a constant reminder of the Czech struggle against communism.

Upon completion of the city tour, we had about 2 hours on our own before we had to meet for marionette making. During our free time, we managed to squeeze in a few things we wanted to see. We did a 30 minute tour of the alchemy museum near the old town, Aiden wanted to get a Golem figure so we ran over (literally) to the Jewish Quarter and bought one, and we took a quick peek into St. James Church to see "the hand of the thief" hanging on a chain (another interesting Prague legend). We had about 20 minutes to grab a sausage for lunch and meet up with the group.

We then went to the National Marionette Theatre to make our marionnettes.

It probably took close to 2 hours to complete. I think the first ABD group had 20 something people, with a group of 41 everything seemed to take longer and I don't think they were quite ready for such a large group. For some reason we thought we would be able to design our own marionette, but there were 5 or 6 different marionettes for you to choose from. Our task was to basically assemble them and tie off the strings (more difficult than I'm making it sound). Aiden was a little disappointed as he wanted to build a ninja marionette, but he ended up settling for a wizard. I won't show any pictures of our marionettes so as not to spoil it for others. However, I will say that the quality of the marionettes and the costumes was very good (OK, maybe the quality of assembly of mine wasn't very good, but you get the picture

After completing marionette making and getting them packed up, we headed down to the river for our riverboat cruise on the Vltava River. It was about a 60 minute relaxing cruise. We got vouchers for drinks at the bar, and it was a great opportunity for the families to get to know each other a little better while looking at the sites.

After a short walk to the bus, it was time to go to the Folklore Garden for dinner and traditional entertainment (songs and dance). In terms of the meals, this was probably my favorite. It was a laid back family style meal with lots of traditional meats, sides, wine, beer, etc. The entertainment complemented the atmosphere and wasn't too much. The Junior Adventurer's really began to bond as they all ate together then played hide and seek outside. In terms of participation in the entertainment, I think pretty much everyone participated to some extent. Here are some of our entertainers:

After dinner, we got back to the Marriott between 8:30 and 9. We took a walk into the Old Town Square and took the lift up to the top of the astronomical clock for some great views of the area.

 

[RSM]

OK, so I've gotten a couple of messages that I am giving away some surprises in the TR. Although I am wrestling with how this one is different than the dozens of others I've read over the years, perception is reality. I've tried to be cognizant of not giving too much away in either text or photos. Some of the historical legends and facts were from the on your own tours and not the ABD portion, and even then I've just alluded to them (e.g., the story of the thiefs hand at St. James' church or the story of Brigita--the statue of the decomposing woman at Prague Castle). That being said, here is what I'll do--there were 4 or 5 times that Jennae or Betti announced a surprise for the group. I won't mention what the surprise was or show photos of it (although I think they are starting to get out there).

 

[sayhello]

I *love* the Alpen glow photos of Prague in your last post! And I'm looking forward to the marionettes! Even though you don't get to "customize" them, I think it sounds cool (as long as they don't look like clowns! )

Sayhello

 

[tufbuf]

Enjoying your trip report too, RSM!! Keep it coming!

 

[hilarys]

OK, so I've gotten a couple of messages that I am giving away some surprises in the TR. Although I am wrestling with how this one is different than the dozens of others I've read over the years, perception is reality. I've tried to be cognizant of not giving too much away in either text or photos. Some of the historical legends and facts were from the on your own tours and not the ABD portion, and even then I've just alluded to them (e.g., the story of the thiefs hand at St. James' church or the story of Brigita--the statue of the decomposing woman at Prague Castle). That being said, here is what I'll do--there were 4 or 5 times that Jennae or Betti announced a surprise for the group. I won't mention what the surprise was or show photos of it (although I think they are starting to get out there).

I am enjoying your trip report so far. It is fun reading it since we were on the next departure date. I am glad I am not writing one because I would now be worried about what I was writing about. I can't think of anything you have described that was a surprise. I actually can only think of two things that were a surprise on the whole trip and they have not come up yet.

Can't wait to read more.

Hilary

 

[RSM]

Today we leave for Berchtesgaden with a stop in Cesky Krumlov. I think luggage pick up was at 6:45, and we departed at 8 am. It is about a 3 hour drive to Cesky Krumlov with a restroom stop. Upon arrival in Cesky Krumlov, there is a short walk from the coach to the entrance of the old city where you meet the local guide. The guided part of the tour is about 45 minutes to an hour, and I would say we were let loose a little before noon. We were to meet up at 2:15 pm, so we had between 2 and 2.5 hours. Cesky Krumolv is a pretty cool city from the middle ages. During the era of communism it got really run down and fell into disarray. After the velvet revolution, there was a move to restore it, and alot of money was invested to restore it's beauty (and it worked). It is now a UNESCO Heritage site. The centerpiece of the city is Krumlov castle. We had a little time to explore, but not nearly enough time to see it in depth.

We are not big lunch eaters, so we had a big breakfast and skipped lunch so that we could explore some of the city. I'd recommend doing this if you can. Some in our group ended up spending most of their free time eating lunch and were disappointed that they couldn't see more of the city.

Entering Cesky Krumlov

Many of the buildings had beautiful frescoes

We made our way through the streets to the apex of the city

Overlooking the city

After taking family and group pictures at the apex of the city, the guided portion of the tour was over. We walked through some of the city streets towards the castle and Jennae and Betti showed us our meeting point.

Hmmm, this light seems a little out of place

To be continued....

 

[RSM]

We made our way to the castle area to explore on our own

The moat around the castle is guarded by a group of bears. Check out the claws on the one bear. One swipe would definitely do some damage

Aiden in the castle area

We decided to climb the tower of the castle for some views of the surrounding city

We walked back to the bus about 2:30 or so and made our way to Berchtesgaden. It is about a 3 hour drive or so. About half way to Berchtesgaden you stop at a gourmet grocery store/convenient store for a restroom break. If you skipped lunch you can grab something to eat here.

 

[sayhello]

Cesky Krumlov looks adorable! I can see why people wanted more time to explore. I'll remember that about skipping lunch (maybe I'll grab some snacks on the bus! )

Sayhello

 

[RSM]

For the most part we lucked out with the weather. It was generally between 65-75 for the entire trip, and we only had rain for really one activity. On our first day in Berchtesgaden, it poured during our hike up to the ice cave. By the time we got to Hohenwerfen Castle it had stopped raining, but was still pretty cloudy and wet, eventually it cleared by about 5 pm. For those going on future trips, remember that you are in the alps, and the weather can change pretty quickly.

We had a great breakfast at the Intercontinental and departed for the short drive to the Ice Caves. We arrived and Jennae got the tickets and we started on our journey to get to the mouth of the cave. Basically, there is a short hike on a mostly paved walkway to a gondola which brings you to the restaurant and another path where you walk up a number of switchbacks to the mouth of the ice cave. From there your guide brings you through pointing out many of the features in the ice cave. The ice cave is about 700+ steps up and 700+ steps down.

Entering the ice cave area:

Going through a small mini-cave as we make our way along the path. Notice the fashionable Disney poncho Rich is wearing:

The gondola that you go up to the second hiking area:

Some views of the surroundings on the way up to the mouth of the cave. OK, maybe views of the clouds and rain:

As we approached the top, we saw this guy hanging out on the mountain:

Approaching the mouth of the ice cave. Note, you will now be hot from the walk up, then when you go into the cave you will cool down pretty quickly:

Inside the ice cave you carry torches. About every fourth adult has a torch:

A view of the clouds from inside the cave:

Inside the cave, no photos were allowed, but one of our guides took some quick pics. I think she had a wink-nod agreement with our cave guide.

We stopped for lunch in the restaurant about half way down, then made our way back to the bus for the drive to Hohenwerfen castle. By this point, the rain had pretty much stopped, but it was still cloudy.

Hohenwerfen continued in the next post.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Amazing photos. Cesky Krumlov looks beautiful. So, did you feel 2hrs was enough to stroll around and see the town?

 

[RSM]

Amazing photos. Cesky Krumlov looks beautiful. So, did you feel 2hrs was enough to stroll around and see the town?

We would have liked probably another 90 mins to 2 hours. I think you could probably see a decent amount in 4 hours. Also, depends on how long you wanted to spend in a couple of the museums they have there.

 

[Calfan]

Just caught up on your trip report. It's great to read how others experienced the trip and get some different viewpoints. It's also fun to see you pictures. Lots of similarities, but some fun differences in perspective, etc. I can't believe the claws on that bear! And the rain while you were hiking up to the ice cave (although it sounds like you had better weather than we did overall). Looking forward to reading the rest.