Prague Rock

October 15-16

Is anyone else getting whiplash from the number of cities we have visited in the past week? It has been amazing to see so much but I am looking forward to a bit slower going after this--we have several pet sits back to back in Belgium and France, which will allow us to stay in one place for a little longer at a time. For now, where did I leave off...the night train!

We decided to take a night train from Kraków to Prague, partially because there was no way around how long the train journey would be, and partially because it allowed us to get transportation and lodging for one price. Still, we were nervous. The last time we took a night train, back in 2016 on our first European adventure, we went from Vienna to Zurich, but went for the uber-budget option and just had regular seats. Even at 21 my body could barely handle that night's "sleep," so this time we new we had to spring for an actual sleeper car. It was insanely cheap--about $160 for both of us, including the trip, the bed, and breakfast in the morning--and I kept worrying that I had accidentally bought a fake ticket from a fake website and now not only would we not have tickets but I also would have had my credit card information stolen.

Click here to watch my video about the night train!

Fortunately, like most things in my life, there was no need to worry. Our train pulled up to Kraków Central Station around 11 pm, and when we boarded our car and showed our ticket to the conductor we were immediately directed to our own room, featuring bunk beds, a small sink, and slippers for each of us. The conductor came by a few minutes later to take our breakfast order and let us know that he would wake us and bring us our food about an hour before the train would arrive in Prague. Giddy with excitement, Cal and I quickly changed into our pajamas and climbed into bed. I would be lying if I said either of us slept very well--it was a 9 hour journey total, so there was really only an opportunity for about 7 hours of sleep, and that was difficult with the constant movement and sounds of the train. Still, it was an insanely cool experience, and we arrived in Prague the next morning fed and ready to go.

We walked from the train station to our hostel, where we were able to drop our bags and then set out for another Rick Steves Audio Tour. These have been such a great introduction to the cities as we've explored, and it is great because we can go at our own pace and stop along the way as we like. We saw the National Museum of Prague, the columns of which feature clear patches where patriotic workers refused to fully cover the evidence of Soviet bullets during the 1968 invasion of the city. We walked down through Soviet-era malls and art deco facades, through the Old Town and across Charles Bridge. We stopped for the chiming of the astrological clock, which Cal had been waiting to see since his childhood friend regaled him with tales of its awesomeness. "The most anticlimactic thing I've ever seen," is Cal's review.

At this point, we hit a wall. We had completely hit the ground running when we arrived in Prague, and unfortunately the poor sleep of the night train caught up with us around 1 pm. We stopped in for a couple of Czech beers, pickled cheese, and sausages at a local joint before heading back to the hostel to check in and grab a nap. That evening, still not good for much, we found a local Czech restaurant for dinner, then called it an early night.

The next morning, after a full night of restorative sleep, we set back out with renewed energy. We explored a nearby cathedral, then walked across the Vltava to recross Charles Bridge from the opposite side. Along the way, we stopped to see the haunting Memorial to the Victims of Communism, which lists the numbers of known victims along the steps leading up to the statues.

We walked a LOT in Prague, but did not stop to see many places. Unfortunately, several people also thought this was a nice time to visit Prague, because the Old Town was completely drowning in tourists. The last time I was in Prague in 2016, this didn't strike me as much. I'm not sure if it was coming from the wonderful time we had in Kraków, or just being an older and more experienced traveler now, but the whole of the Old Town felt like a big tourist trap, which just wasn't appealing to us. The city is beautiful, the people are lovely, and the food and beer is incredible. However, our overall impression of Prague was generally undistinguished. If we had longer to explore, we surely would have found more to love--we really stuck to the touristy areas, hence our finding ourselves surrounded by tourists. I hope we can return someday with more time and inspiration. For now, we had a pleasant time but were not at all sorry to be moving on to our next stop: Berlin.