Next on the European Tour- Prague

My friend Rupali came to visit me a few weeks ago on her way back from India. She was my last visitor for 2008! So, per my tradition here she is at my front door.

Instead of staying in London for the weekend we decided it would be fun to go somewhere in Europe neither one of us had ever been to. Prague was on the list for both of us, so off we went. I wasn't sure what to expect from Prague except that it would be freezing! It was a nice short flight to Prague from London- only 1 1/2 hours. Mind you or flight was at 7 am in the morning, so it felt much longer!!!! Our first experience in Prague was the crazy cab driver who drove us from the airport to the hotel. I think he thought we were on the autobahn. I couldn't understand where the fire was.. this guy was driving like a maniac, cutting people off , driving in the wrong lane. I thought we were going to die!

After checking into our hotel which was really cute and in a great part of the city we signed up for a walking tour of prague. So far, in all the trip I've been on I've never done a guided tour. In hindsight I wish I had done them for my other trips. This tour was great. It took us to all the best spots in Prague and it came with very funny tour guide. I can't remember his name now, but I do remember he was quite entertaining. He spoke what he called Chienglish. A phrase he had coined which was a mixture of Czech and English. It was pretty classic!

The sights in Prague were spectacular! The architecure was amazing, every time we turned the corner it felt like we were on a movie set. The buildings were so picturesque and each one was different from the other. Now, I can't say the same for the food. Prague is all about the meat- specifically beef or pork! People were eating these giant hot dogs at 10:30 in the morning or kebabs. Our first meal was corn on the cob and a chicken panini. Not really Czech fare but that was fine by us! However, we were huge fans of this dessert that we found. We ate one everyday we were there. They were called Trindlek. Don't know exactly how to describe them but they were bread covered in sugar, honey, toffee and nuts. They were freshly baked and were delicious!! The other thing Prague is famous for is beer. When you see a girl being put into a cab at 10:30 in the morning because she's so wasted you gotta think the beer is good! Unfortunately I cant drink beer so wasn't able to partake in that bit of culture. I did have hot wine though, they were serving that all day to people to keep them toasty. I guess it's their version of hot chocolate. Not bad, I guess I'll drink wine if its cold, hot, red or white!!!

The best thing about Prague was how cheap everything was. The exchange rate was awesome. But it was weird because we felt like we were dropping tons of money because their currency, called crowns, was only available in high denominations. So, we would buy a souvenir and it would be 200 crowns. It was so strange giving them these big bills but once you translated it back to Sterling, in my case, it was only like 3 dollars.

Prague is the best place I've been to so far. I absolutely loved it. There was something enchanting and magical about it. Hard to describe if you haven't been there. I would definitely go back!

Now the question is where to next... I have a few ideas in mind but thought it would be fun if you guys helped me choose. I have put a poll on the blog, so put in your vote!! I'm planning my next trip for January.

A little photo collage of our trip.. enjoy!

Roma!!

No that's not a spelling error that is actually what Rome is called here in Europe. That was one of the many things I learned while in Rome. The city is so full of history, every time I turned the corner their was ruins or a magnificent sight like the Colleseum. I just couldn't get over how magical the city was. My mom and I arrived Friday night and stayed till Sunday evening. We were sightseeing maniacs on Saturday by taking a hop on hop off bus tour. Then we walked around most of the city till the evening. Instead of taking you through our entire iteniary thought it would better to list the things i loved about rome and things i could have done with out.

Loved..

- The Food: i've never eaten so much pizza and pasta in a 48 hour period before. no matter what restaurant we went to the food was always so good. turned out the hole in the wall places were better than the fancy ones.

- Gelato: i don't count this as food, cause it's heaven. i ate it everyday, almost after every meal of the day. couldn't get enough of this stuff, and since it's on every street corner it makes it quite accessible.

- Colleseum: by far my favorite momentum in all of the city. i couldn't get over the magnittude of the place, how old it was, how it stood the test of time and was filled with so much history. I was in awe when I stepped inside. I felt transported back to another era.

- The Men: my god, ive never seen so many good looking men in my life. it was like seeing models walking around the streets.

Didn't Love....

- Smokers: I thought London was bad, not even close. No matter where we were or what time of day it was people were smoking like chimneys all over the city. In Rome you can smoke in restaurants, in taxis, and the stench was everywhere. I felt like I had been in Vegas when I opened my suitcase at the end of our trip and my clothes reaked.

- Shopping: I was expecting to be blown away by the fashion in Rome but that was not the case. Yes, the clothes were cute but it seemed to be the same stuff I could find in London. Maybe my expectations were too high. They did had lots of cute leather boots and bags, but again nothing that made me feel like I had to buy something.

As you can see there was a lot more I loved than didn't. I'm so grateful that I got to share this adventure with my Mom. It will be one of those trips I always remember.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip.