So! Another successful trip is over and I thought one more
blog post about Prague would be in order. I enjoy traveling over the
Thanksgiving holiday and it is always exciting to see new places and chat with
folks in another country.
My overall thought on Prague is that it is a lovely old city
with some fabulous landmarks and buildings. Although it was different than my
expectations (damn those pre conceived notions!!). If you look on a map you can
see that the Czech Republic is very close to Austria. So although I acknowledge
that they are two different countries I thought there would be some
similarities. Not really.
My impression of Austria (Vienna and Salzburg) is that it is
an elegant, refined city with culture and music. Perhaps using the word
“highbrow” wouldn’t be out of order. I found Prague to be lovely but perhaps a
bit more “grittier” and more “working class”. This is in no way a negative
thing. Just a comparison. To be honest I found Prague more like Moscow than
Vienna. To my (very) untrained ear the language was similar to Russian than to
German.
With all this being said I actually found the people in
Prague to be friendlier. Although there was a slight language barrier (most
people understood some English but not everyone spoke English) it appeared that
the Czech people were more “down to earth”. As far as the city itself being “grittier” I only attribute
that to both having had most of its buildings survive WWII and also the
communist influence.
If I were to visit Prague again I think a day trip outside
the city would be a great addition to the trip. I didn’t have enough time this
vacation to do that but there is some great little towns 2-4 hour train ride
away that might provide a more rounded experience.
Last thoughts? I would definitely visit Prague/ Czech
Republic again. I perhaps might not visit in November, as it was very chilly.
Although based on the crowds that I experienced the summer months would be too
crowded. I might suggest either October or perhaps April (to avoid crowds and
also the cold weather). All in all a wonderful trip (minus the blisters)!
Remember that these are just my opinions and your mileage may vary!!!
Next up? A trip to Italy in March with some friends! Rome
and Venice here I come (and there may be a stop in Istanbul as well!!).
Happy Travels!!
