Central Europe- live!

[SingingMom]

We arrived! Smooth flight to Frankfurt & quick flight on to Prague. Everything went perfectly. Luggage was coming out as soon as we got to the area, our ABD rep waiting with a big smile. He called the driver & walked us to his car and sent us on our way to the Marriott.

Ride to airport was about 30 minutes. Driver was SILENT. Lol My first impressions was one of graffiti. I don't know why, but this surprised me. Once we entered the city, we could see the beautiful architecture.

The Marriott is in a good location. Very comfortable. We are on the executive level because we are gold elite members. Since we are here two nights early, this is a nice bonus. Breakfast buffet is included in our room rate, but we have the option of the executive lounge, too. It's one of the better lounges we've seen in our Marriott stays.

We forced ourselves to stay awake until 10 pm. We ventured a walk through the city - confusing streets & maps, but that might be the jet lag effect! Lol. Graffiti on some beautiful buildings. Made me sad. Lovely cobblestone, lots of people. Lots of American music being played by street performers. We were tickled by some of the selections. Took a sweet horse & carriage ride - silent again - lol. We enjoyed seeing the pretty streets. Stopped at an outdoor cafe for a cocktail. Stopped back at hotel for an hour nap, then Went to mass at St Josef's Church, since we will be unable to get to mass this weekend due to the tour.

Czech language is difficult to understand - I was able to figure things out a little in Germany, but here it is impossible for me! Luckily, English is widely spoken. Czech crowns are confusing. Seems like everything is expensive until you realize the exchange! Lol. We finished our very long day with dinner at the hotel with a 20% off voucher given to us by the front desk. American steakhouse. Very typical Marriott.

Today we are heading to Mala Strana area. I am particularly looking forward to seeing the Infant of Prague statue.

I will check in as time permits (and if there is an interest! Lol

 

[sayhello]

Glad to see you made it there OK, and are enjoying yourselves! What airline did you fly? I'll be doing this next year for the Danube cruise, so it's never to early to start looking!

We had the same thing with the graffiti in Athens. Our driver told us it was "Hooligan" graffiti (soccer) and not gang graffiti. It was still sad, but not as scary as gang-related!

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

Sayhello

 

[SingingMom]

Glad to see you made it there OK, and are enjoying yourselves! What airline did you fly? I'll be doing this next year for the Danube cruise, so it's never to early to start looking!

We had the same thing with the graffiti in Athens. Our driver told us it was "Hooligan" graffiti (soccer) and not gang graffiti. It was still sad, but not as scary as gang-related!

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

Sayhello

Flew Lufthansa. Very professional flight staff. We flew them home from Germany ABD too. But, only Delta flies nonstop to Prague, so we had to have a layover in Frankfurt. We fly home from Vienna nonstop with United.

 

[kristilew]

So happy for your trip to begin! Prague is such a great city to wander - enjoy! Can't wait to follow along!

 

[SingingMom]

*****Day 2 - pre ABD in Prague******

Forcing ourselves to stay awake yesterday was a good move. We got a good nights sleep and headed down for breakfast, which is included in our room. Typical hotel buffet. Funny thing is the "free" breakfast in the Executive lounge is almost up to par. We stopped in there for a cup of tea & coffee while waiting for DD to get ready. After breakfast we noticed our guides working in the Lobby so we stopped to introduce ourselves. Dean & Andy are very nice!

We walked our feet off today! . Got our bearings much better and actually read the maps correctly. Lol

We strolled across the Charles Bridge , which was breathtaking. The statues are beautiful. The river & views are beautiful. We stopped first at Our Lady Victorious Church - Panna Maria Vitenza - to see the Infant of Prague statue. As a practicing Catholic, this was a very moving experience for me to see it in person. There was a little museum attached to the church, displaying the different robes for the statue that were given as gifts from countries all over the world. There was also a little display of nativity crèches from all over the world.

Next we rode the funicular up to the top of Petrin Hill. We hiked around the rose gardens and looked at the replica of the Eiffel Tower, but did not pay to climb to the top. We climbed the real thing with ABD in Paris. Lol. The views from the trails were lovely. The weather kept switching from drizzle to warm, we kept taking jackets on and off.

After the ride down, we looked in a few shops and bought a garnet pendant for me and a garnet ring for DD. Garnets are mined in the mountains of Prague, so DH wanted us to have something to remember the trip. Prices are very reasonable. After crossing the Charles Bridge again, we had dinner at the White Horse Tavern, outside in the Old Town Square. Such fun to people watch. We walked a bit mire, then back to the Marriott and had a cup of tea in the executive lounge. Later we stopped in the lobby bar and had a nightcap. Very relaxed pleasant hotel.

Tomorrow we are going to visit the Jewish Quarter after breakfast. ABD Welcome dinner starts at 5pm!

 

[Calfan]

Looking forward to following along too. It will bring back great memories of our trip last summer. We loved loved loved Prague.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Prague is such an awesome city - one of my new favorites. I remember that graffiti well. Enjoy! I'll enjoy following along as well!

 

[carpenta]

Glad to hear your flights went well. We loved Prague also and thanks in advance for your timely reports. Great city to walk. When we were in Prague we asked our hotel staff where we could get some "local food". The person said "why???" LOL Local foods we found simple but we LOVED the beer. Looking forward to your reports.

 

[Cousin Orville]

I loved the local food. It was definitely hearty and filling. I was surprised there weren't more beers offered though in country so know for beer. It seems like most places we ate at had Pilsner Urquell and maybe 1 or 2 others. It was good though. If anyone is looking for restaurants, we ate at a couple of great places for Czech food - U Dvou Sester and Mlejnice.

 

[walnut611]

I'm following the report too BTW, what is the "local food"?

 

[SingingMom]

I'm following the report too BTW, what is the "local food"?

"local food" here seems to be similar to Germany. Sausage, schnitzel, pork, beef. We've passed by a number of Italian restaurants, also. Pizza seems to be aplenty!

 

[SingingMom]

***Day 3 Prague - first day of ABD tour***

As we made our way down to breakfast, we were greeted by Dean & Andy, who were already starting their concierge hours! They asked our plans for the day and Andy mapped out the best place to purchase our tickets for our visit to the Jewish Quarter - which includes various synagogues, the cemetery, and museum displays. It was a very moving experience. Especially heartbreaking is the display of children's drawings and the names of the thousands who perished from the area. The Prague Jewish Ghetto was not destroyed during the war like other Jewish Ghettos in Europe because it was explained that Hitler wanted to keep in intact as a "museum" to show how an entire race that was eliminated had lived in the past. So horrific. We said a prayer in the cemetery for all those innocent lives lost.

Afterwards, we headed back to Old Town Square and had lunch on the rooftop of Hotel U Prince. You need reservations at least a week in advance for dinner, but lunch is a better chance as a walk in. The restaurant also has outdoor cafe seating in the square and inside first floor seating. But, the rooftop was a beautiful treat. The view was terrific. DD & I both had grilled lobster which came with French fries and a small salad. It was delicious!! DH had a chicken Caesar salad that he enjoyed. Our guides recommended it to us and I would definitely recommend it, too!

At 5pm, we gathered in the lobby and went upstairs for champagne, soda, & juice, and met our fellow travelers. Many are repeat customers. Once you get the ABD bug, it's hard to travel another way! Lol. After introductions, we walked over to Municipal Hall and had dinner in the restaurant downstairs. We sat with a family of 4 and a couple. Very nice dinner companions. We really enjoyed the conversation! Food was a choice of chicken, beef, or pasta.

After dinner & dessert, we took a walk to Charles Bridge to see it at night, but it was still too light out. Lol. We have an 8 am start tomorrow, so we decided we couldn't stay out that much later. ;-)

Busy first full day of the tour tomorrow with walking city tour, visit to Prague Castle, St Vitus Church, a boat ride, and dinner!

 

[Cousin Orville]

I remember those children's drawings. Very moving.

I had Dean (I'm guessing it's the same Dean) on my solo DIS Backstage Magic ABD this past December. What a great guide.

 

[SingingMom]

****Day 2 ABD - Prague****

What a jam-packed day!!! We met our group at 8 am and headed out to the motor coach for a quick ride to Prague Castle & St. Vitus Cathedral. Our local guide, Hannah, was very knowledgable and very interesting. Apparently this day of the ABD very often falls on a Sunday, so St Vitus is closed for mass. I can't imagine missing the chance to see this beautiful cathedral!! I liked it better than Notre Dame in Paris! The stain glass windows were exquisite! We really didn't see much of the inside of the actual castle, unlike when you visit Windsor Castle or Kensington Palace. The grounds were very impressive & the views were great. There is an area called the Golden Lane, which are little cottages built into the side of the mote walls. Very cute. We had about 15 minutes to peek into the little shops that were along the lane.

Next we took a walk down the hill and crossed the Charles Bridge. Again, thank goodness we came two days early so we could leisurely stroll along the bridge and stop at each statue. We continued to the center of Old Town and watched the hour of the Astronomical Clock. We then had "on your own time" for 2 hours for lunch. A few in the group went back to the hotel for jackets, etc. we had a mixture of cold, rain, and sun the entire day. We went to lunch at Cafe Mozart, which was very pretty. Sandwiches, salads, paninis, and full meals were on the menu. The desserts were beautiful! A piano player provided entertainment as we ate. It was very enjoyable.

We all met up at 2pm for our marionette making project. As a craft impaired person I was happy the workers didn't mind helping us! Lol. They came out very nicely! We then went for a stroll through the Jewish Quarter, then on to a pleasant river cruise. The weather turned very sunny, so some of us went to the upper deck to see the sites. We then caught a coach to Folklore Gardens for a private dinner and entertainment. We had a lot of fun learning some dances and songs. The food was served family style - traditional chicken, ham,& pot roast with potatoes. Apple strudel was for dessert.

We returned to the hotel and packed up to be ready for a 7am luggage pick up. We meet in the lobby at 8am to start our trip to Germany!

 

[SingingMom]

I remember those children's drawings. Very moving.

I had Dean (I'm guessing it's the same Dean) on my solo DIS Backstage Magic ABD this past December. What a great guide.

Yes - that's the same Dean! He's terrific. We are enjoying getting to know him & our other guide Andy.

 

[SingingMom]

So sorry I didn't keep up with the live reports! We were extremely busy the whole trip! Just got home last evening and slept in this morning. Tomorrow will be tons of laundry and Jeremy Jordan's concert at 54 Below in NYC! Then I will recap the rest of the trip. It was truly magical!!!!

 

[Smuggs]

So sorry I didn't keep up with the live reports! We were extremely busy the whole trip! Just got home last evening and slept in this morning. Tomorrow will be tons of laundry and Jeremy Jordan's concert at 54 Below in NYC! Then I will recap the rest of the trip. It was truly magical!!!!

Waiting patiently!

 

[SingingMom]

Waiting patiently!

So sorry for my delay! Three adults and eleven days of all types of weather make for a LOT of laundry!!! Lol. Of course, we also made a trip into NYC to see Jeremy Jordan's latest concert at 54 Below! ;-)

I will gather my thoughts and finish my recap this weekend!!!

 

[wdwtheplacetobe]

Waiting Patiently for the rest of your Trip Report! Pics, I hope, too! What treasures did you bring home? What did you wish you could have brought home???

 

[SingingMom]

Waiting Patiently for the rest of your Trip Report! Pics, I hope, too! What treasures did you bring home? What did you wish you could have brought home???

Soon, I promise! Lol

Not nearly enough time for shopping, so very few "treasures" purchased on this AbD. :-(
DD & I did get garnets, which are mined in Czech Republic and very reasonable priced. We bought her a ring and I got a pendant.

I bought some souvenirs at the gift shop of Our Lady Victorious Church where the Infant of Prague is located. Also a few little trinkets at St Michael's Basillica, where the wedding scene from Sound of Music was filmed. And, of course, DH & DD got their Hard Rock Cafe-Prague shirts. Lol.