Dec 16 - 28, 2013 -- Sorry, life has been a bit busy and travel has taken a back seat to busy season. Here's a little recap of our visit back home.Having only left the US 5 months ago, Jon and I felt like we were cheating on Europe by coming home so soon. While we missed our family and friends back home, we hadn't been gone long enough to be really homesick. Our non-stop flight from Amsterdam to Portland (really, non-stop is the way to go) was quite nice; free in-flight drinks, tons of free movies to choose from and an adorable baby in front of us seemed to make the time pass quickly. Once we landed and passed through customs, we were whisked us off to Jon’s parent’s house.
Jon and I had a lengthy discussion, prior to our trip, about
how we would avoid jet lag. In fact, we had a plan in motion. First things
first we stayed up late the days leading up to our flight and slept in later,
too (this didn't actually happen, as we fell asleep earlier than normal) and
slept most of the way on the plane (again, didn't actually work out that way).
So, once we arrived in Portland, all we'd need would be a quick shower and we'd be ready to see and do everything Portland. Well, by the time we got home
we were exhausted, almost immediately we were napping for the better part of
the day. The following day or two were a bit of a blur, as we were awake at 3 am
and on and off the rest of the days.
Dec 5 - 8, 2013 -- Well, this might be the most memorable blog post we've written! Jon and I both fell in love with Paris when we visited in September; so much so, that as we mentioned in our previous Paris post, we booked this return trip the day after returning from our first visit! Fast forward to the last few weeks...
Dec 14, 2013 -- Sarah and I found ourselves with an open Saturday and a rental car, two days before flying home to the States for the holidays. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity to explore a new city in our home country. Delft is only a 45 minute drive from Amsterdam, situated in the South of Holland near Rotterdam. The city is fairly small (around 100,000 residents) so we were both intrigued by the relevance of the city. I've been reading a book about Amsterdam's history and Delft has played a very important role in Holland's rise over the past few centuries. The city's unique history quickly captured our interests and made for a great opportunity to spend the afternoon exploring.
Jon warned me ahead of time that we would need to find other things to do besides Christmas stuff, because he would likely get burned out from all-things-Christmas… that’s a harder task than you would think. We had planned on only visiting a few of the seven markets, but quickly learned that Christmas IS Cologne’s major attraction (well, shopping in general). And the city definitely lived up to its holiday season legacy.
We were greeted at the train station with twinkling lights, bows of holly and decorated wreaths. Christmas had arrived! I spent the first hour squealing with excitement! The first night we decided to walk around the city and actually stumbled upon three of the markets. They were all quite similar in concept; freshly cooked food (potato pancakes, kielbasa, chestnuts and glühwein), hand-made gifts and Christmas decorations aplenty. The glühwein was Jon's favorite part of the experience. Similar to the mulled wine we enjoy in the States, but served from decorated ceramic mugs from nearly every corner in the city! Each market carried a different theme in an effort to distinguish from the others. For those that ever find themselves in Cologne around the holidays, our favorite market was one of the big ones situated on the Heumarkt. It had an ice skating rink, several fun little stores, some sort of bowling/curling ice game and a chalet that served glühwein and Austrian beer. We returned several times over the weekend trying to soak up as much holiday spirit as possible! Another market was just off the steps of the Cathedral, complete with a giant Christmas tree and beautiful “roof” of lights above. Here's a fun panoramic picture we took from inside a ski chalet (where we enjoyed more than a few Christmas drinks!).
Nov 1 - 4, 2013 -- October was not our favorite month here in Amsterdam, but November started us out on a better foot. With the weather turning cold and rainy, as well as our attitudes, it was nice to have a warm(er) weather trip on the books. Madrid was our first trip on a plane since we arrived back in August, which seems weird with all the travel we've done.We got to the airport much earlier than we really needed to [European travel is not nearly the hassle that US travel is] and sadly we missed my Uncle, who had a layover on his way to Poland, just a couple gates away.
When we got into Madrid we followed the [much easier to read] Spanish signs toward the Metro and hopped on a train to our hotel. When we finally arrived at our stop and made it up to street level [our train was 5 escalator below ground], we were blown away! The city was so happy and bright, full of social people and sunshine. We tried our usual tactic: check in at the hotel and then quickly escape to see the all the city. We'd just not really factored in the Siesta, the Spaniards do take it seriously.
Fall 2013 -- They say bad luck
typically comes in threes, but looking back at this past month I would say
we've far surpassed our quota. Sarah and I were finally starting to feel
settled and we were figuring out all the little nuances of Dutch life when the past
month seemed like a huge setback. As we look back at our fun experiences we can’t
decide whether to chalk it up to bad luck, bad karma or bad decision making.
In reality it’s probably just a bad lens for viewing everything because, in
reality, we are living a pretty cool life here in Europe.
It also took me a
while to finally start writing about this. I kept telling myself that one day I would
be able to look back and laugh about some of these events, so I wanted to find
that moment before eternalizing it in writing. I think we've reached that spot,
for the most part, although we still have the bruises and battle scars to
remind us of the misery!
1. Broken
bones 5, 6 and 7: For arguments sake I will count these as a single tally
in my string of threes (although I would challenge anyone telling me I was
deserving of two more surprises after this!). It all started about four weeks
ago as Sarah and I were riding bicycles through Amsterdam, much like any other
day, and much like any normal Dutch person. The bikes belonged to a coworker,
and the irony stems from the purpose of our journey. Sarah and I were borrowing
the bikes to “demo” them before buying. We quickly learned the bikes were not
worth their weight in anything (broken gears, worn brakes, rusty chains,
missing kickstands, faulty lights, loose baskets, and probably the most important factor:
deteriorating fenders. The irony is that we had already done the math and
decided it would be easier (and cheaper) to just buy new bikes so we
were actually on our way to return the bikes to their owner.
 |
| Sarah took this picture in the ER as I was getting casts on my arms. I was still processing the nurse's comment that my arms would be immobilized for 2-3 months. |
As we rode
along a normal bike path, at a normal speed and much like a normal Amsterdam resident, my mud fender (which
had been repaired and likely re-repaired by duct tape) jammed in the
spoke of my front wheel. The rest was more of a blur than a memory, but the
wheel immediately locked and Sarah tells me I flew over my handlebars like
superman. I remember thinking to myself I had two options: land on my face or
brace my fall. It was a difficult choice given my broken bones 1-4 all stem
from bracing previous falls, but I still stand by the decision that left me
with a fractured Radial Head in each arm and a fractured Scaphoid in my left
hand. One day I should write a book on recovering from broken bones, but first
I should probably read a book on how to fall more gracefully.
I suppose it
could have been worse. My quick reaction spared my head from hitting the
pavement and I'm hoping to be fully healed by Thanksgiving. But as we sat in
the emergency room and watched the nurse applied plaster casts spanning from my
wrists to my shoulders, I had an extremely hard time seeing the bright side of
my situation. Fortunately, the full length casts were more precautionary than
anything, and a week later I was back to work with a simple plaster cast
stabilizing my left hand (this was much to our surprise because the nurse told
us I would likely be immobilized for 2-3 months). The best part of this experience was having an
AMAZING girlfriend. Sarah was great through the entire experience, from
distracting me when my spirits were low to hand feeding me as I recovered in
bed. I really don't know what would have happened if I didn't have her. It was also great having a physical therapist for a sister! Jennifer helped make sense of my predicament and shared some tips to help expedite my recovery. It seems like I've turned into a recurring patient lately.
Oct 12 - 13, 2013 -- We booked a last minute trip to Brugge, Belgium (Bruges), and what
an amazing little city! We had a KNVB soccer game on Friday evening, but no
other plans for the weekend. Tickets were the right price and Jon found an early (as in we were
out of the house by 6 am) Saturday morning train, so we were off to spend the weekend in
a charming little city we'd heard so much about. When we arrived, we dropped our
bags at the hotel, made sure the camera battery had a charge, and then we were
off for the day. We lucked out with amazing sunshine on Saturday; it was a little
chilly, but a perfect day for sweaters, boots and scarves. We took in the
little city's amazing charm (seriously the most photogenic place we've ever
seen!) as well as some beer, mussels and of course, a little chocolate!
Fall 2013 -- Fall is in the air! This city is definitely making it easy for us to embrace fall. The end of summer and beginning of colder weather usually makes for a difficult transition, but this year the changing leaves and crisp mornings let us walk along the canals with an entirely different vantage point. I'll also admit it was nice to bring warm sweaters and boots out of storage.
Sept 13-15, 2013 -- Where do we even begin? The city greeted us with a cold mist and poured buckets of rain on us the following day, yet we fell in love with it. Maybe it was the ambiance, the architecture, the food or the site seeing, but it all seemed to perfectly combine into a beautiful city. By the time we arrived in Paris we had already visited a number of other European cities. The likes of Prague, Krakow and Budapest raised a pretty high bar for Paris to meet, and it completely surpassed our expectations. And before we left Paris we were already planning our return trips!
Aug 22, 2013 -- Sarah and I had been in Amsterdam for less than two weeks before booking an impromptu trip to Antwerp, Belgium. Day trips are some of the many luxuries of living in centrally-located Amsterdam, and I still find it hard to fully appreciate how many cities (and countries for that matter) are reachable by a 4-5 hour drive. Taking advantage of summer train fares and the short two hour ride to Antwerp seemed like a no-brainer! |
| We found our home! |
This marked my first week of work, so it seemed fitting to ease back into employment with a short work week. Sarah and I spent the day riding our bikes to Zaanse Schans in Noord-Holland. It’s more of a neighborhood than a town, and a picturesque neighborhood at that. Situated on the Zaan river, the streets are lined with beautifully-restored houses. The river itself has eight windmills guarding its riverbanks -- each dating back to the 17th or 18th century. Windmills are a quintessential part of Dutch culture and I’m fascinated by them, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to immerse ourselves in our new home.
 |
| Dutch houses on the Zaan River. These houses have a great view of the windmills on the opposing river bank. |
 |
| With two thirds of the country below sea-level, much of Holland's farmlands sit on reclaimed land segmented by a series of canals to help redirect the water. |
 |
| Sarah got a chance to pet one of the lambs... |
 |
| ... and feed a baby goat. |
 |
| Albert Heijn is a popular grocery chain in the Netherlands. It all started from this store in 1887. |
 |
| Coffee beans being weighed in a scale. The Dutch love their "koffie" |
 |
| We found a cheese factory! |
 |
| Wheels of cheese aging in a climate-controlled room |
 |
| Holland is full of engineering marvels. It's interesting to see all the different bridges in action. |
August 2013 -- We left Portland about a month ago, and have been back in Amsterdam for two full weeks. It's crazy how fast time has flown! We've accomplished quite a bit in the last couple of weeks and are quickly closing in on the last of our vacation. In our short time here Jon and I have said farewell to my parents, had a great time playing host to our first visitor (Stephanie), and adventure around the city. We still have another post coming about our time in Prague and maybe our trip to Antwerp, but I figured I'd share a little about the rest of our goings on.
The four of us were exhausted by the time we returned to Amsterdam. After driving 1,600 miles through seven countries, we were all looking forward to a relaxing evening in our air-conditioned hotel. Running low on energy and wanting to take a break from the rental car, we feasted on a lovely dinner and drinks in the hotel lobby, filled with loads of complimentary goodies from the chef!
We all seized the opportunity to sleep in the following morning, then returned the rental car {which needed a bath but didn't have a scratch on her, amazingly!} and wander into the city center one last time. We were greeted by, what we now know to be, true Netherlands weather: drizzle, wind and clouds. We actually welcomed this weather having just survived a heat wave, albeit ill-equipped as we all six of our 49.5lb pieces of luggage FULL of warm weather gear were still in storage. It was nothing a quick trip to H&M couldn't fix.
We walked by the Heineken brewery and skeptically bought tickets to the brewery tour (dubbed the Heineken Experience), thinking the worst-case scenario still included free beer. We were all pleasantly surprised, the tour was well worth the price and Jon and I showed up the whole tour group by knowing how to say 'cheers' in Dutch (I'll admit 'proost' was one of the few words we made sure to learn before flying over here). After our tour we were off to our new temporary home. Not wanting to stay in a small hotel room for the next 2 weeks, Jon and I happened upon Airbnb.com {locals of any given city that offer up anything from a single room to their entire home} and a flat in the area of town we would eventually like to live. Along with my parents, we went and met the landlord to get the keys and we headed back to their hotel to relax for a bit before Stephanie's flight got in. We packed our things into a taxi, said our emotional goodbye's to my parents and headed into the city.
It was so great to have Steph join us in Amsterdam. She managed to find three days out of her busy travels through France to join us in Holland and we were excited to explore the city together. We left our hotel in search of a little food and some good Dutch bier. Stopping at one of the plazas surrounded by restaurants we ordered our Heinekens and nachos. The bier was delicious, the nachos... weren't, they left a lot to be desired. We found a little pub that was serving local bier so we stopped in for a bit more - and were treated to some "way-back play-back" 90's tunes, perfection!
The next morning my parents flew back to the States, so it was up to Jonny and I to play tour guide to Steph. Having only been in the city for little more than day, we really didn't have a clue where to go or what to do... so we, along with Steph, decided to canvas the Amsterdam. We took in the Van Gough Museum, Torture Museum {where we had an impromptu tour guide, an all too enthusiastic patron who had sweat through his shirt and had an unpleasantly upbeat fascination with some of the devices}, Vondelpark and of course, an obligatory wander through the red light district. The next day brought plenty of adventure as well. Steph would be leaving us that evening, heading back to Paris and eventually the states, so we woke up early and rented scooters! The city traffic was still quite intimidating, especially with all the tourists who didn't care to follow the basic road rules, so we headed north. We took a quick ferry ride across the IJ {pronounced "Eye"} and were off to see the northern country to feast on some local cheese. This hit a bit of a speed bump when we felt a couple raindrops. We headed into a coffee shop in the bottom of a building and with a quick glance {and inhaling the air} we realized we were in some sort of assisted living home for the elderly with special needs. The music was loud and circus-like in nature, and the same song seemed to be on repeat. We only know this because while sipping on our coffee, waiting for the light shower to pass, it began to pour. Like Hollywood rain, and it didn't stop. We realized that going farther North was not in the cards so we headed across the street to a local store in hopes of finding a poncho. We were in luck, sadly. We all put the cheap, clear plastic ponchos on and climbed back onto our scooters, wind and rain pelting our faces, and headed back towards the ferry. We dropped off the scooters and grabbed a little lunch, headed back to the flat to grab Step's luggage and headed to the Central Station to see her off.
It's just us. It was kind of surreal coming back to an empty flat with no breakfast plans with my parents or trips planned with friends. Just us... In an apartment that we cannot cook anything in because, did I mention, the fridge had electrical problems and did not refrigerate. The 2 times we opened the door in an effort to put groceries in it we were smacked in the face {the whole apartment, really} with the powerful smell of death! So it was a lot of fresh foods or eating out for the next few days. We decided not to extend our time in her flat and moved on to the corporate apartments that Jon's office provides, but not before a horrifying evening of laying in bed listening to mosquitos dive bomb our heads and what we can only assume was a mouse {sounded like a raccoon} pillaging through the kitchen pantry that she kept in her bedroom closet. I swear, I have only heard good things about the site we found her place on, so I know that we just happened on an unlucky adventure. That being said, I did not sleep. At all.
We were more than thrilled to arrive in a bright and well kept long term hotel, which features free laundry service, a jetted pool, Turkish steam bath, sauna and most importantly, a working fridge! We met with a realtor to take a look at some flats in the city, some better than others... especially where price was concerned, and we also met with someone from Jon's office who took us around, getting us set up with residents cards and a Dutch bank account. This will come in very handy seeing as most businesses here don't accept our traditional credit/debit cards, their cards all have a chip in it. We finally got all of our luggage out of storage and have more than 4 shirts and 2 pairs of pants to choose from.
And that's it, we have had a lot of fun trying to settle in to Amsterdam, but they haven't been perfect. We still have our moments of missing our Portland "normal," dealing with all the strange customs and language does present challenges, but we seem to be handling them well. We are also quite fortunate to be well connected to our loved ones back home, so we haven't been terribly homesick. So for now, we relax. We have this final week before Jon starts working and before I focus on finding a job. We hope to get a couple of day trips in beforehand {Antwerp was so fun} and taking in a little more of the city. We have both really enjoyed our relaxing times and cannot wait to see what fun the next couple of years has in store for us.
By the way - here is a panoramic photo of one of the main canals in Amsterdam. It is a bit difficult to see, but we are adjacent to the flower market.
We really love hearing from everyone, so please keep up emails/comments!
Until next time,
Jon & Sarah
The four of us were exhausted by the time we returned to Amsterdam. After driving 1,600 miles through seven countries, we were all looking forward to a relaxing evening in our air-conditioned hotel. Running low on energy and wanting to take a break from the rental car, we feasted on a lovely dinner and drinks in the hotel lobby, filled with loads of complimentary goodies from the chef!
We all seized the opportunity to sleep in the following morning, then returned the rental car {which needed a bath but didn't have a scratch on her, amazingly!} and wander into the city center one last time. We were greeted by, what we now know to be, true Netherlands weather: drizzle, wind and clouds. We actually welcomed this weather having just survived a heat wave, albeit ill-equipped as we all six of our 49.5lb pieces of luggage FULL of warm weather gear were still in storage. It was nothing a quick trip to H&M couldn't fix.
We walked by the Heineken brewery and skeptically bought tickets to the brewery tour (dubbed the Heineken Experience), thinking the worst-case scenario still included free beer. We were all pleasantly surprised, the tour was well worth the price and Jon and I showed up the whole tour group by knowing how to say 'cheers' in Dutch (I'll admit 'proost' was one of the few words we made sure to learn before flying over here). After our tour we were off to our new temporary home. Not wanting to stay in a small hotel room for the next 2 weeks, Jon and I happened upon Airbnb.com {locals of any given city that offer up anything from a single room to their entire home} and a flat in the area of town we would eventually like to live. Along with my parents, we went and met the landlord to get the keys and we headed back to their hotel to relax for a bit before Stephanie's flight got in. We packed our things into a taxi, said our emotional goodbye's to my parents and headed into the city.
 |
| One of the walls in the Heineken brewery |
It was so great to have Steph join us in Amsterdam. She managed to find three days out of her busy travels through France to join us in Holland and we were excited to explore the city together. We left our hotel in search of a little food and some good Dutch bier. Stopping at one of the plazas surrounded by restaurants we ordered our Heinekens and nachos. The bier was delicious, the nachos... weren't, they left a lot to be desired. We found a little pub that was serving local bier so we stopped in for a bit more - and were treated to some "way-back play-back" 90's tunes, perfection!
The next morning my parents flew back to the States, so it was up to Jonny and I to play tour guide to Steph. Having only been in the city for little more than day, we really didn't have a clue where to go or what to do... so we, along with Steph, decided to canvas the Amsterdam. We took in the Van Gough Museum, Torture Museum {where we had an impromptu tour guide, an all too enthusiastic patron who had sweat through his shirt and had an unpleasantly upbeat fascination with some of the devices}, Vondelpark and of course, an obligatory wander through the red light district. The next day brought plenty of adventure as well. Steph would be leaving us that evening, heading back to Paris and eventually the states, so we woke up early and rented scooters! The city traffic was still quite intimidating, especially with all the tourists who didn't care to follow the basic road rules, so we headed north. We took a quick ferry ride across the IJ {pronounced "Eye"} and were off to see the northern country to feast on some local cheese. This hit a bit of a speed bump when we felt a couple raindrops. We headed into a coffee shop in the bottom of a building and with a quick glance {and inhaling the air} we realized we were in some sort of assisted living home for the elderly with special needs. The music was loud and circus-like in nature, and the same song seemed to be on repeat. We only know this because while sipping on our coffee, waiting for the light shower to pass, it began to pour. Like Hollywood rain, and it didn't stop. We realized that going farther North was not in the cards so we headed across the street to a local store in hopes of finding a poncho. We were in luck, sadly. We all put the cheap, clear plastic ponchos on and climbed back onto our scooters, wind and rain pelting our faces, and headed back towards the ferry. We dropped off the scooters and grabbed a little lunch, headed back to the flat to grab Step's luggage and headed to the Central Station to see her off.
 |
| Torture Museum - one of the contraptions |
 |
| Relaxing in Vondelpark |
We were more than thrilled to arrive in a bright and well kept long term hotel, which features free laundry service, a jetted pool, Turkish steam bath, sauna and most importantly, a working fridge! We met with a realtor to take a look at some flats in the city, some better than others... especially where price was concerned, and we also met with someone from Jon's office who took us around, getting us set up with residents cards and a Dutch bank account. This will come in very handy seeing as most businesses here don't accept our traditional credit/debit cards, their cards all have a chip in it. We finally got all of our luggage out of storage and have more than 4 shirts and 2 pairs of pants to choose from.
And that's it, we have had a lot of fun trying to settle in to Amsterdam, but they haven't been perfect. We still have our moments of missing our Portland "normal," dealing with all the strange customs and language does present challenges, but we seem to be handling them well. We are also quite fortunate to be well connected to our loved ones back home, so we haven't been terribly homesick. So for now, we relax. We have this final week before Jon starts working and before I focus on finding a job. We hope to get a couple of day trips in beforehand {Antwerp was so fun} and taking in a little more of the city. We have both really enjoyed our relaxing times and cannot wait to see what fun the next couple of years has in store for us.
By the way - here is a panoramic photo of one of the main canals in Amsterdam. It is a bit difficult to see, but we are adjacent to the flower market.
We really love hearing from everyone, so please keep up emails/comments!
Until next time,
Jon & Sarah
Aug 10-12, 2013 -- We arrived in Prague with a ton of anticipation. Unlike Vienna, everyone listed Prague among their favorite destinations in Europe. Even professional travelers like Rick Steves seemed to devote a few extra sentences in their travel books to describe the city's romantic streets and ancient beauty. With this being the final stop on our trip we decided to enjoy the beauty and take a more laid-back approach to our site seeing (most people that know me are probably laughing when they read this because I don't do anything "laid-back").
With a great hotel just south of the city center's commotion, we ventured into the city on-foot , and it seemed like a pretty easy city to explore on foot (most landmarks are outside, free of charge, and very accessible by public transportation).
In the spirit of taking a "laid-back" approach, we wandered into the city without an agenda. Crowds seemed to build as we approached Wenceslas Square so we followed the crowds in search of Romantic Prague. The square was adorned with colorful flowerbeds and shiny storefronts, and all of this was backgropped by the powerful National Museum in the far end of the square. Perhaps we were starting to see the city's beauty?
Moments later Sarah's father commented on all the police sirens and belligerent men. At least four or five police cars had passed us with sirens blaring, all responding to what seemed like separate incidents. As we continued toward the Museum, we walked past a man with a bloodied face (clearly the losing end of a street fight) sitting handcuffed in the back of a police car... accompanied by his 4 year old son, no less. To top it off, the large crowds were predominantly well-hydrated bachelor parties making their rounds through the nearby strip clubs.
We eventually made it through the square and a nearby park seemed like a nice reprieve. Perhaps we've been living in Portland's Pearl District for too long, but the park was horrible! The pavement was full of pot-holes, the facilities were vandalized, and transients were sleeping on all the benches. Even grass didn't want to grow in this park. I decided to call an audible and use my iPhone to navigate us [past a girl shooting heroin in a telephone booth] toward some real tourist spots... fast! Rick Steves surely must have missed this part of town when he visited.
Jon and Sarah.
With a great hotel just south of the city center's commotion, we ventured into the city on-foot , and it seemed like a pretty easy city to explore on foot (most landmarks are outside, free of charge, and very accessible by public transportation).
 |
| A view of the Legii Bridge and St Vitus Cathedral in the distance as we walked down Prague's waterfront toward the city center. |
Moments later Sarah's father commented on all the police sirens and belligerent men. At least four or five police cars had passed us with sirens blaring, all responding to what seemed like separate incidents. As we continued toward the Museum, we walked past a man with a bloodied face (clearly the losing end of a street fight) sitting handcuffed in the back of a police car... accompanied by his 4 year old son, no less. To top it off, the large crowds were predominantly well-hydrated bachelor parties making their rounds through the nearby strip clubs.
We eventually made it through the square and a nearby park seemed like a nice reprieve. Perhaps we've been living in Portland's Pearl District for too long, but the park was horrible! The pavement was full of pot-holes, the facilities were vandalized, and transients were sleeping on all the benches. Even grass didn't want to grow in this park. I decided to call an audible and use my iPhone to navigate us [past a girl shooting heroin in a telephone booth] toward some real tourist spots... fast! Rick Steves surely must have missed this part of town when he visited.
Fortunately this turned out to be the low-point of our visit and we quickly found the "romantic" side of the city everyone had promised. I think the best part of this entire experience was realizing later that night that I forgot to replace the memory card in my camera. Even the higher powers wanted us to forget this experience!
Ultimately we had a great time in Prague and the city lived up to its reputation. Sarah and I are looking forward to returning soon - perhaps skipping Wenceslas Square. We have so many memories over the past few weeks that seem to blur together when we look back at the trip. When we returned to Amsterdam I tried ranking the cities we visited but all of the cities seemed deserving of the top mark. Each city offered a unique experience and we can see ourselves returning to all of them. If this trip is a prelude to the travel opportunities we're going to have over the next two years, I'm certainly excited for the months ahead!
Ultimately we had a great time in Prague and the city lived up to its reputation. Sarah and I are looking forward to returning soon - perhaps skipping Wenceslas Square. We have so many memories over the past few weeks that seem to blur together when we look back at the trip. When we returned to Amsterdam I tried ranking the cities we visited but all of the cities seemed deserving of the top mark. Each city offered a unique experience and we can see ourselves returning to all of them. If this trip is a prelude to the travel opportunities we're going to have over the next two years, I'm certainly excited for the months ahead!
 |
| After replacing my memory card, we walked through Stare Mesto (Old Town) in search of dinner. So many tourists! |
 | ||
We found a great little restaurant in Old Town Square. My first mission: Czech Beer!
|
 |
| St. Nicholas Church as seen from Old Town Square. The church was built in the 18th century and is a great example of Baroque architecture (so I've been told). |
 |
| Sarah and I parted ways with her parents after dinner. With only one map between the four of us, we had to get resourceful in case they got lost. Who needs a smartphone when you can take a 12 megapixel photo of a smartphone? |
 |
 |
| All the Prague guidebooks listed this Astronomical Clock as a must-see attraction. I'll admit I was impressed that the clock is more than 600 years old and the world's oldest still in operation. We stayed to watch the "Walk of the Apostles," the clock's hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures. What a disappointment!! Sarah's comment summarized it perfectly: "McKayla is not impressed" (click here or here for pop culture reference). |
 |
| A close-up view of the Astronomical Clock. The door on the left is one of several that open to show the animated Apostles every hour. |
 |
| One of my favorite pictures capturing the great sunset |
 |
| I went on a run later that evening to burn off some energy. These stairs looked enticing, and turned out to have a great view of the city from the top. |
 |
| I dragged Sarah up the stairs the next morning to share the view. |
 |
| St Peter & Paul Cathedral |
 |
| The entrance to the Charles Bridge |
 |
| Charles Bridge |
 |
| Starbucks did a great job in every city blending their coffee shops into the existing architecture. This was a good example of a store built into an old building in the castle / palace district. |
 |
| Finally! The beautiful city everyone talks about. |
 |
| Enjoying the incredible views from a nearby vineyard |
 |
| Enjoying a glass of wine after a busy day of site-seeing |
     
 | ||||||
| The Great Strahov Stadium. When we heard the stadium seats 220,000 people (the largest in the world) we decided it was worth a visit. |
 |
| The interior really wasn't that impressive. The field was easily the size of 6 full-sized soccer fields, so the encompassing grand stands don't need to rise very high to reach 220k seats. |
Jon and Sarah.