Czech Republic
After eight months it was our first time seeing family. My parents and uncle met us in Prague for one full week. We had a spectacular apartment right in the heart of the old city. In general we hadn't planned much, but we knew there would be card games and beer involved.
Prague was smaller and more dense than I expected so we ended up walking almost everywhere. We visited the Czech Palace, museums, Jewish historical neighborhoods and pubs. Days were spent wandering around the city and stopping to have a beverage any chance we could get. Prague is known to have the largest beer consumption per capita in Europe, and although people seemed to drink a lot of it, the only two real options you had were light or dark. But seeing as it was always hot and the pubs were on every corner we weren't picky and had plenty. A few of the evenings we had planned nice dinners out, but ended up bringing the party home with a pizza from down the street and chocolate Haagen-daz from the local corner store as a preferred meal.
For an adventure out of the city we decided to explore a bit more of the countryside on a 20km bike tour along a scenic river, through some villages and to a castle. Our tour guide Martin picked us up at our apartment at 9 am and said he had just finished a climbing trip in the Austrian alps the day prior and had driven all night to come pick us up and take us out for the day. He kept asking us if we wanted coffee or a pastry, and after a while we could tell that he just needed a little pick-me-up to keep himself moving. We stopped at a pastry shop about 5km into the trip and managed to try about 10 items in 10 minutes. We all had a fantastic time riding along the path seeing more of the quiet life of the locals. After several hours of riding and sore bums we arrived at the castle for lunch and refreshments. Cold beers never tasted so good!
For an evening out we decided that a boat tour was a must. We had a fantastic 2 1/2 hour boat ride along the Vltava River. A fantastic local jazz band performed for the guests and really made the evening special.
Sadly, our time with the family came to an end and we parted ways. They flew to Amsterdam and we headed to a small town in the forested hills of western Czech Republic named Karlovy Vary. The town was very quaint and quiet. Each building is a different color with the river running down the middle. On each side were small hills with lush green trees. We enjoyed small hikes and a few cozy meals in the local pubs.
Each day we had the treat of walking up and down the coble street from our apartment. For the most part the town was quiet, but I managed to completly biff it walking down the street right in front of another couple. Cheers for Libby!
We then rented a car to head north to Bohemian Switzerland National Park in Czech Republic. Hiking was our main priority as we have our Tour Du Blanc multi day hiking trip coming up at the beginning of August. The rolling hills were a bit smaller than what we expect to see in the Alps, but still nice to be out of the city. On the trails we were very impressed to see people of all ages and sizes hiking. Everyone from toddlers to the most 'seasoned' were keeping up with us, perhaps an indication that we may need to get into better shape quick! It was good to be with only locals for a week and to have the freedom to drive where ever we wanted with the rental car .
Prague was smaller and more dense than I expected so we ended up walking almost everywhere. We visited the Czech Palace, museums, Jewish historical neighborhoods and pubs. Days were spent wandering around the city and stopping to have a beverage any chance we could get. Prague is known to have the largest beer consumption per capita in Europe, and although people seemed to drink a lot of it, the only two real options you had were light or dark. But seeing as it was always hot and the pubs were on every corner we weren't picky and had plenty. A few of the evenings we had planned nice dinners out, but ended up bringing the party home with a pizza from down the street and chocolate Haagen-daz from the local corner store as a preferred meal.
For an adventure out of the city we decided to explore a bit more of the countryside on a 20km bike tour along a scenic river, through some villages and to a castle. Our tour guide Martin picked us up at our apartment at 9 am and said he had just finished a climbing trip in the Austrian alps the day prior and had driven all night to come pick us up and take us out for the day. He kept asking us if we wanted coffee or a pastry, and after a while we could tell that he just needed a little pick-me-up to keep himself moving. We stopped at a pastry shop about 5km into the trip and managed to try about 10 items in 10 minutes. We all had a fantastic time riding along the path seeing more of the quiet life of the locals. After several hours of riding and sore bums we arrived at the castle for lunch and refreshments. Cold beers never tasted so good!
For an evening out we decided that a boat tour was a must. We had a fantastic 2 1/2 hour boat ride along the Vltava River. A fantastic local jazz band performed for the guests and really made the evening special.
Sadly, our time with the family came to an end and we parted ways. They flew to Amsterdam and we headed to a small town in the forested hills of western Czech Republic named Karlovy Vary. The town was very quaint and quiet. Each building is a different color with the river running down the middle. On each side were small hills with lush green trees. We enjoyed small hikes and a few cozy meals in the local pubs.
Each day we had the treat of walking up and down the coble street from our apartment. For the most part the town was quiet, but I managed to completly biff it walking down the street right in front of another couple. Cheers for Libby!
We then rented a car to head north to Bohemian Switzerland National Park in Czech Republic. Hiking was our main priority as we have our Tour Du Blanc multi day hiking trip coming up at the beginning of August. The rolling hills were a bit smaller than what we expect to see in the Alps, but still nice to be out of the city. On the trails we were very impressed to see people of all ages and sizes hiking. Everyone from toddlers to the most 'seasoned' were keeping up with us, perhaps an indication that we may need to get into better shape quick! It was good to be with only locals for a week and to have the freedom to drive where ever we wanted with the rental car .
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