I’m currently sitting in the Prague airport taking advantage of their s-u-p-e-r-s-l-o-w internet connection, and I thought I write up a little summary of my trip.
But first things first:
1. I am currently sitting next to members of the 2008 USA Paraolympic team. I’m pretty sure they are the archery team who just competed in the World Championships here in Prague.
2. You don’t have to take your shoes off here when you go through airport security.
3. Getting to the airport is pretty easy. Once you get to the green line, just follow all the people with the suitcases.
4. The subway in Prague is actually called the Metro. There are only three lines: A, B, and C and they are colored green, yellow, and red. My hotel was on the red line.
5. The letter ‘c’ in Czech is pronounced ‘ts’ like the tsadik in Hebrew.
6. Skoda (of the awesome car cake commercial) is a Czech brand. But Skoda means “what a pity” in English. Not hard to see why it hasn’t caught on in America.
7. The Czechs love their Crocs.
8. The best way to tell if someone is European is to look at his shoes and socks. It seems that most Europeans wear black socks and those super-stylish sneakers that look like bowling shoes. Like those Pumas everyone wears in America.
It’s been a good trip. I can hardly believe I’ve been here a week. But at the same time, I can’t believe I’ve been here a week! Last Sunday seems like ages ago and I’ve done so much since I got here. I’ve been to Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague. I’ve eaten more hot dogs in the past week than I have in the past two years. Turns out I remember a lot more German than I thought I did. Now it’s getting even more confusing to try to speak in either Hebrew or German. I think I am unintentionally teaching myself Yiddish.
I also now understand why everyone loves Prague. It’s a great city. It has great architecture, awesome sites, and a rich history. My three days here were packed and I’m sure I could spend another week here trying to see everything the city has to offer. Also, in comparison to Austria, the Czech people are super nice.
I did not love Vienna. I only had two days there and one day I was so completely exhausted that I’m amazed I stayed upright. I think if I had more time to explore the city I might have liked it more. We did not have enough time to really see any of the museums of really see all the sights. We just scratched the surface.
There is definitely potential for me to fall in love with Salzburg. It’s smaller than Vienna and just more accessible. It’s also the setting for The Sound of Music which just gives it bonus points. I’m disappointed I did not have more time to look around. I would have liked to see more of the sights and maybe even explored the areas outside the city. It’s just beautiful.
Having traveled with a group and alone, I have to say I prefer traveling with other people. While traveling alone affords you the flexibility to see what you want, when you want, having other people around makes it more fun. I doubt I would have been able to see as much as I did in Prague if I was with someone else, but sharing a meal is much more enjoyable.
Everytime I travel abroad, the travel bug bites me again and before I’ve even left, I’m itching to figure out what my next trip may be. I really do think I’d like to try living in another country at some point and it’s one of the few regrets that I have from college – that I never studied abroad. There are so many places I want to see and so many things I want to experience. I want to become fluent in another language; I want to see a penguin in Antarctica; I want to look over the blue roofs in Greece; and I want to see a giraffe in Africa.
But for now I’m content to go home. My plane is boarding and in less than a day I’ll be back. See you all when I get home!