DR's Travels

The drive through the Czech was beautiful - filled with rolling hills and lakes. We spent a couple of hours in Cesky Krumlov, which is the second most visited place in the Czech Republic. It's a small town with a huge castle, beautiful river scenes, and great food! I had a savory crepe for lunch and a sweet crepe for dessert!

We arrived in Prague and kept going to the campsite, which was quite far outside the city centre (90 minutes by public transport using a bus, a tram, and a train; 30 minutes by taxi). We managed to wedge our 24 tents into a space that should only have 12, so that was a bit cosier than what we're used to, but we managed. There was a pool and the shower facilities were the best this far!

Our first night was spent in the heart of Prague experiencing the city's nightlife - is safe to say that everyone had a great time! Those that opted for a cocktails by the bucket had a really great night, but the next day was definitely a battle. Something to keep in mind: taxi drivers are as dodgy as you can possibly imagine, Uber is the way to go! Taxis cost between 450 and 600 krowns, while those that used Uber paid 250. The taxi driver will tell you that you don't need to negotiate a price because it's on the meter, but you won't have a clue where you're going so they'll drive around just to increase the fare. Lesson learned, and worth keeping in mind for other cities too.

The next morning started with a drive around the city and a brief walking tour, including some time at Prague Castle (largest castle and grounds in the world according to Guinness). Then we took an afternoon boat cruise along the river. Some info learned from the boat MC (Misa can fact check):
- Czech Name Day is bigger than birthdays. David is December 30, the day before Sylvester (a.k.a. New Year's Eve).
- The Czech Republic is quite far behind the rest of Western Europe in many respects, due in large part to being under Communist rule until relatively recent history. Our MC was 22 and his father had to put his name on a two year waiting list to be able to purchase a car. He apparently created a fraudulent list with his name at the top to jump the cue.
- The river commonly floods; most of the city was under water due to a flood in 2002 (referred to as the 100 year waters) and the city began putting flood prevention measures in place for the future. There was also a major flood in 2014, but not nearly as devastating 2002. Much of the river incorporates locks to maintain consistent water levels in certain areas and allow more efficient boat traffic.
- Beer is cheaper than water. Czech people consume more beer per capita (150 litres annually) than any country in the world, except Muldova.
- Easter is an interesting time for the Czech people... Females decorate eggs and give them (and other gifts; e.g. alcohol) to males; while males have reed-type sticks with ribbons to tap females with (a tap means beauty and fertility for the next year).
- Pork with potato dumplings is the national dish.
- Swearing in Czech is somewhat of an art form, as there are so many versions, combinations, and new creations that take place.

We had the rest of the afternoon and evening free after the boat cruise, so a couple of us teamed up to do some exploring...
- We started with the main square, which includes two cathedrals and the famous astrological clock.
- Next we headed to the Jewish Quarter, which suffered virtually no damage during WWII because Hitler wanted to preserve the area to act as something of a museum.
- Then it was off to the Charles Bridge that was built in about 1300. It's a pedestrian bridge that has many vendors and buskers. I found a great etching by a local artist of the Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, etc. that I picked up.
- We went back to Prague Castle to explore in more depth, but we arrived at about 20 minutes before close, so we didn't bother paying entry fees and just explored the grounds.
- We came upon a beautiful garden with a large pool, sculptures, and manicured hedges... And as we walked through, we started to hear classical music. There was an orchestra set up on the steps of a building with heaps of chairs for onlookers and it must have just started. We pulled up a seat and enjoyed the rest of the show - it was fantastic!
- The city skyline looks like a rainbow because there are so many buildings of different colours... It's quite beautiful!Read more