My final rail adventure of the Spring/Summer was to the Czech Republic and Dresden, Germany. When I first started planning the rail journey for June, Poland was on the itinerary. After what happened in in neighboring Ukraine, I figured the Polish people have more important things to deal with than tourists. I also didn’t want to take a bed that might be better used for someone fleeing violence. I’ve waited years to see Poland and I look forward to visiting in the near future.

After years of wanting to see Prague, I admit I was a bit disappointed. Don’t get me wrong. The city IS stunningly beautiful. However, like so many places, it has suffered from its own fame and over tourism. Every street is packed with tourists, many of them stumbling and yelling after too many cheap beers in the city’s myriad bars. Every other shop is selling the exact same crappy tourist schlock that was made in China. Nothing felt Czech and I often felt like I was at a frat party at Epcot.

Even with the crowds and rowdy tourists, there are some great parts of the city. The architecture is stunning. Prague survived WWII with little bombing (Allies did mistake Prague for Dresden a couple of times) so almost every building warrants a gaze and possibly a photograph.

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The Charles Street Bridge is the famous one you see all the pictures of. The bridge is lined with incredible statues, mostly religious, and affords wonderful views of the city. There are always people there, but luckily it wasn’t jammed the day I went. This is one of the places where it would have been great to take a tour. Learning more about these statues would have been great. Can anyone tell me what the lettering on the Christ statue says? I can’t tell if it is Hebrew or Aramaic and yes, the latter would make more sense.

The Prague Castle is the crown jewel of the city and is said to be the largest castle compound in Europe. Within the compound walls there are streets, chapels, palaces of the nobility and a very impressive cathedral. The palace you can visit (separate entry ticket from the castle) is the Lobkowicz palace ( https://www.lobkowicz.cz/en/lobkowicz-palace ), which has an amazing history: twice confiscated by governments (first the Nazi’s then the Communists) and now back in the hands of the American descendants. The entire castle compound has been restored and takes an entire day to really see. You can buy your ticket online or at the ticket office on site. See trip tips, below.

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One of my favorite things in Prague was the walk DOWN the hill from the castle. More churches and more amazing views and architecture.

After four days in Prague, I hopped a sloooow train to Cesky Krumlov, one of the prettiest cities in the Czech Republic. And, keeping in Czech form, it has a great Castle.

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The history of the town is fairly calm, by European standards. Today, it has protected status and is truly a delightful city to walk around. Definitely spend time walking around the inside of the castle and the walled paths. If you are short on time, you can bypass the gardens. They have not gotten the same attention as the grounds. Also, close your eyes when walking past the bears. It might spoil your day.

My last stop in the Czech Republic was Karlovy Vary. I have no pictures as there really wasn’t much to photograph. I was told it was a favorite destination of Russian tourists and it has clearly suffered a lot over the past few years. A lot of it reminded me of the downtown’s of cities in the US south in the 80’s; before urban renewal. You can tell it was once a nice place to go but now it’s run down and a bit creepy.

If you are wondering about Penguin. He is fine. He was on the trip but the heat was too much for him. He hung out in the hotel and enjoyed hearing about each day from the comfort of air conditioning. He had a great time in Dresden at the Saxon Switzerland Park, our next stop.

TRIP TIPS

1. Buy your tickets for the Prague castle online and in advance. Click here for Castle Ticket info. The tickets are good for two days so you can take your time.
2. Do not use trains to get around the Czech Republic. They are infrequent and PAINFULLY slow. Connections in/out of Prague are fine but outside of that, you could ride a bike faster. I was traveling on a Rail Pass, which I now know is NOT a good plan. Take the bus. FlixBus ( click here )is Europe Wide and I have heard good things about it. My friend Cathy just took it and had good things to say about it. As on the train, keep an eye on your belongings.
3. In Prague, I stayed in a great Aparthotel called Orea Place Seno. Super nice staff and lovely studio apartments. The AC worked well, too. I would definitely recommend it.
4. The Hop-on/Hop-off bus is not worth it here. The trams are easy, efficient and cheap. You can take a trap UP to the castle and then walk down.