FUN-photos: Prague to Trieste – September, 2013

November 11, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-photos: Prague to Trieste – September, 2013 

Our trip started on September 16th. We flew to Prague from London on the 17th. Then we trained to Munich for opening day of Oktoberfest. From there we rented a car and drove to Dachau and on to Füssen to see the Neuschwanstein Castle. (#17 on the list vying for the New 7 Wonders of the World) Next we headed to Salzburg and Vienna where we dropped the car. Then we headed to Budapest and on to Trieste by train. We spent the night in Villach, Austria to eliminate the overnight train.

If you click on the first picture it will allow you to create a slide show. And it turns out they are in ascending order (in other words, the first is actually the last) So if you click the back arrow you will see them in order. Enjoy!

FUN-travel: Prague, Czech Republic to Munich, Germany

September 22, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Prague, Czech Republic to Munich, Germany 

Day 5 – Friday, September 20 – Prague, Czech Republic to Munich, Germany – cloudy, overcast, 50’s

What I LIKE

Munich Octoberfest 2013 14

Oktoberfest Opening Day

  • 7:15 – hot cappuccino

    Munich Octoberfest 2013 22

    Oktoberfest Opening Day

  • 8:30 taxi to station
  • only takes 5 minutes
  • *nice railroad worker wants to help us
  • taking the train & not flying
  • 9:05 – board
  • 9:15 – depart on time
  • 1st class Eurail pass
  • 3:45 – arrive Munich
  • taxi easy to Munich City Hotel
  • only 5 minutes away
  • *Daniel @ front desk gets us a bigger room – 5 ft longer (50 sq ft makes a difference)
  • 5:00 – Happy Hour @ Hacker-Pschorr – litre of Oktoberfest beer & Nürenburg sausages w/sauerkraut – just so-so – $22
  • 7:00 – dinner adventure begins – 1st stop Italian – only has 1 kind of red wine & turns out to be owned by  Hacker-Pschorr
  • 7:05 – head back to hotel for recommendation – told to head north down the street for Italian restaurants
  • 7:30 – stop @ Best Western to ask for more directions
  • 7:45 – stumble upon Pipasa – great server & food – pizza diavolo w/spicy sausage, jalapenos & red onion & Mediterranean salad w/olives, peppers, tomatoes, onions & feta – Collefriso Zero Montepulciano d’Abruzzi – VG! Only 47 Euros

What I DON’T LIKE

Munich Octoberfest 2013 11

Oktoberfest Opening Day

  • 3:30 am wakeup – not staying asleep
  • *it’s a shakedown – wants 8 Euros (that won’t happen again)
  • train is full of tourists going to Munich for Oktoberfest
  • we have no seat reservation & 1st class is full (luckily we got 2 seats)
  • train is 40 minutes late arriving
  • 5 minute taxi ride costs $14 Euro
  • *room is teeny, tiny – no room for luggage (seriously, this is smaller than a cruise ship cabin)
  • head back downstairs to front desk to inquire about another room
  • this is the most expensive hotel room we’ve ever had (I know it’s Oktoberfest, but 3 X’s mark up?)

FUN-fact – The TV Tower is 70 stories high and has a richly furnished “6 star” hotel room offering breathtaking views of Prague for only 1000 Euros a night which includes a limousine and driver.

Munich Octoberfest 2013 47

Oktoberfest Opening Day

 

FUN-travel: Prague, Czech Republic – Day 2

September 21, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Prague, Czech Republic – Day 2 

Prague, Czech Republic 38

Prague Castle

Day 4 – Thursday, September 19 – Prague, Czech Republic – Day 3 – clouds, mixed w/some blue sky peaking through, sporadic rain – high 50’s

What I LIKE

Prague, Czech Republic 32

Castle Guard

  • 7:30 wake up
  • 9:15 walk to Hop On, Hop Off bus
  • only 20 Euros each
  • 9:30 – get on green line
  • 1st stop – Lesser Town Square – St Nicholas church
  • 2nd stop – Nerudova – walk up to Prague castle
  • sights include St Vitus cathedral, St George’s basilica, royal palaces & gardens
  • 3rd stop – Old Town Square – historic Prague w/shops, church, horse drawn carriages, restaurants
  • 4th stop – boat ride included w/bus
  • 5th stop – downtown – short walk includes – Municipal House & shops
  • 6th stop – change to red line – 1 hr drive – highlights include old walled city & TV Tower – world’s 2nd ugliest building
  • 4:00 – last stop supermarket for wine & water
  • 5:00 – happy hour turns into dinner @ Pivovarsky dum brewery restaurant for typical Czech meal – roast & smoked pork, sauerkraut, bohemian dumplings, sausage & beer – VG & only $16
  • relaxing in room before packing up

What I DON’T LIKE

Prague, Czech Republic 62

Old Town Square

  • didn’t bring rain coat
  • missed river boat tour – next one 90 minutes
  • horrible graffiti all over!
  • not sleeping very well

FF (FUN-fact) – Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world. The complex is 45 hectares (roughly 112 acres) and includes churches, gardens, alleyways and royal residences.
More FF – The historic city center of Prague became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992.

Prague, Czech Republic 61

Old Town Square

FUN-travel: Prague, Czech Republic – Day 1

September 20, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Prague, Czech Republic – Day 1 

Day 3 – Wednesday, September 18 – Prague, Czech Republic – Day 2 – thick, dark, ominous clouds – steady light rain – high 50’s

What I LIKE

Prague, Czech Republic 34

St Vitus Cathedral

  • wake up 9 am – acceptable machine cappuccino
  • hotel has umbrellas
  • 11:30 – set out for nice long walk to Staropramen Brewery – 2nd biggest brewery in Czech Republic
  • 12:30 arrive – tour starts 1:00
  • do beer tasting first
  • (not as good as Guinness in Dublin, Ireland)
  • Save 30% w/hop on bus and didn’t even buy tickets yet!
  • 1:30 – walk to Railroad Kingdom – 2nd largest model train set in Europe
  • 2:30 – lunch @ Corleone – pizza w/mushrooms, garlic, ham – just so so w/house wine & water only $16.00
  • walk back to Boutique Hotel 7 Days for nice nap
  • 8:45 – dinner @ hotel – Greek salad & asparagus risotto (actually rice)
  • have first ever Czech merlot Vinohrad $23 – not bad
  • *wanting to explore & learn new things
  • *the element of surprise
  • 10:30 pm – after much playing around Chris refigures iPad settings and gets email to work!
Prague, Czech Republic 17

Staropramen Brewery

What I DON’T LIKE

  • teeny, tiny shower
  • *not knowing (I know, it’s conflicting!)
  • Apple store set up my email incorrectly

FUN-fact – Boutique Hotel 7 Days was built in 1888.

Prague, Czech Republic 22

St Nicholas Church

FUN-travel: London to Prague, Czech Republic – Trip Day 2

September 19, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: London to Prague, Czech Republic – Trip Day 2 

Day 2 – Tuesday, September 17 – London to Prague, Czech Republic – clouds & rain turns to clear sky – 60’s

What I LIKE

Prague, Czech Republic 60

Prague Old Town Sneak Peak

  • arrive London 3:15 pm
  • wake up feeling mildly refreshed & mildly giggly
  • able to get on local time zone relatively quicklyhttps://fun-damentals.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=6964&action=edit&message=10
  • BA lounge is nicer than any American airline carriers’ lounge
  • *think I’m so clever – email hotel arrival info (so we have our room) & airport pickup
  • 7:20 pm flight to Prague
  • very nice flight attendant gives us wine to take with us! she gets ++++
  • arrive 10:45 pm
  • NO IMMIGRTION LINE!
  • NO FORMS TO FILL OUT!
  • TOTALLY HASSLE FREE!
  • BAGS MADE IT! (Prague airport rating +++++)
  • easy taxi outside of airport
  • full moon in Prague!
  • took another sleeping pill

What I DON’T LIKE

  • GOING THROUGH FULL SECURITY AGAIN @ HEATHROW FOR A CONNECTING FLIGHT
  • being pat down after going through the “body scanner” – GO FIGURE! (they totally missed my Magic Crystal Ball which is a huge Red Flag in every airport)
  • Prague flight delayed
  • going through more “Hurry Up & Wait” @ airports
Prague, Czech Republic 46

More Old Town

  • *my iPad doesn’t send the emails to hotel
  • having to take a bus to airplane
  • schlepping my bag up jet way stairs (but very nice man insists on carrying my bag up for me!)
  • do I look that old that I need help with my bags?
  • only have Euros & US $ – taxi change rate outrageous
  • feeling “ripped off”
Prague, Czech Republic 41

Prague Castle Sneak Peak

Taxi Lesson Learned: Either get money from an ATM, book a pickup from your hotel or pre-pay by credit card at the airport.

FUN-question to Ponder – Is it better to keep flying to your reach your destination or stop in transit and break it up?

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