Some progress has been made. We FINALLY have internet (after 3 months of waiting). So I have no more excuses on lagging on my posts.
But first- I have a confession to make. Living in Germany has its perks and not so perky things. Perk of being in Europe is having all of Europe to explore all within the span of a 1-2 hour flight or a 5-6 hour drive. One moment you’re in Germany and the next, you’re in a different country without having to fast forward your clock 12 hours ahead woohoo! I have not been in Germany for more than 2-3 weekends consecutively since moving here and with that, I have not had time to naturally and fully transition to life in Deutschland. Of course, that won’t let me slow down my goal of taking advantage of all the travel opportunities here.
Did you know that you can drive to Czech Republic from Frankfurt (which is centrally located in Germany) within a total of ~5 hours?! I didn’t until recently! So naturally, our first European weekend getaway was Prague.
A fairy tale-esque city full of winding cobblestone lined streets filled with Rennaisance and Gothic infused architecture, it’s hard to not feel like one has been transported to another world.
A car was not so necessary once we got into the city to view the landmarks so we left our poop colored Hyundai Tucson in public parking. I love cities that are public transport and pedestrian friendly since these conditions ultimately allow one to immerse into the city and discover things one normally would not chance upon if in a vehicle.
Not only are the scenery and landmarks breathtaking, the food is equally delicious and drool worthy (way more than German food- no offense to my Deutschie friends).
All the landmarks are relatively centrally located so you can scratch off the Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral and Old Town Square on the same day. I recommend buying tickets to enter the Prague Castle and depending on how much you want to nerd it out there, you can buy the tickets according to the rooms/portions of castle that you are interested in. We bought the second tier and it was sufficient enough to keep us busy for 3-4 hours. I particularly enjoyed looking at the knights and armour gallery. Oh and the torture chamber too. Creepy, but interesting. So thankful I wasn’t alive during those times!
On the drive back to Frankfurt, we stopped by the Lidice Memorial, which used to house a village of some 350 men, women and children. As a form of vengeance of a wrongful act committed against Adolf Hitler, all the village men were shot dead upon capture, women separated from their children and were sent to concentration camps to be killed in gas chambers and a select few children that were deemed physically and mentally suitable for German re-education were plucked from the lot. The entire village which once was a beautiful green, rolling hills of serenity was set on fire, roads and water inlets were re-routed, entire terrain plowed down and leveled off so that the village would be annihlated and no longer recognizable forever. Despite the history associated with this village, the memorial was sombering, but beautiful at the same time. A memorial of sculptured bronze statues was erected in memory of all the Lidice children who died. I highly recommend this discrete, yet humbling experience for everyone who visits Prague (just a 40 minute drive from the city). A place to pay our respects to unecessary, innocent lives lost and to reflect on something else, but ourselves for a moment. Humbling indeed.
I highly recommend Prague for a sweet, enjoyable getaway. 3-4 days would be best and I encourage everyone to stop by for a layover if you’re ever in Europe!