Posts tagged Old Town

The Great Outdoors in Geneva

1
665 days
by in Switzerland

Leaving Domat/Ems was difficult. Perhaps not as emotional as our departure from Udine but hard all the same, with plenty a tear shed. As Jase discussed in his post about Domat/Ems we were just blown away with the amazing scenery. That’s why I think if we had to leave there for any city I’m glad it was Geneva.

After an absolutely breathtaking train ride through the alps we arrived in Geneva and made our way to our accommodation. Geneva Youth Hostel was not at all what we expected but clean and comfortable nonetheless… other than the disgustingly smelly roommate we had. The hostel also put on a reasonable breakfast that helped us get started each morning which was a bonus.

Over the next two days (we had been told two days would be plenty for Geneva) we divided our time between long walks in the parks and making use of our free public transport card, provided by the hostel, to catch the ferry across Lake Geneva. Sure Geneva had an old town, some monuments and the giant flower clock (all of which we saw) but it was the hanging out in the parks, soaking up the sunshine and watching the locals appreciate the fabulous weather in the great outdoors that we enjoyed most.

On our second full day in the city we made an earlyish start since the plan was to see all the major attractions. After an hour and a half of walking we had seen all that we wanted to see. Thankfully the last stop on our tourist map brought us to a big park that was a bit protected from the cold winds blowing across Lake Geneva. We played an hour long game on the giant chess board that resulted in a tie, which I was happy with since it was the first game of chess I have ever played. We then spent a good 2 hours jumperless, shoeless and sockless sitting in the sun and watching people enjoy their Sunday. It was wonderful!

Our stop in Geneva wasn’t a lengthy one but it was certainly an enjoyable one. While we wouldn’t go back, since there really isn’t all that much to see or do, we are glad we made the trip.

Holiday Perfection in Prague

1
709 days
by in Czech Republic

Even though our visit in Prague was only short we loved absolutely every minute of it. Prague is the perfect destination for a holiday, as proven by the thousands of tourists it has even during the off-peak time when we stayed. While the masses of Poms (and other nationalities) looking to get on the booze for the cheap do take their toll on the city, with loads of advertising for pub crawls, they can’t tarnish the beauty and magnificence that is the city of Prague.

We arrived in Prague via train from Warsaw, travelling through beautiful countryside. After catching a metro train to the station nearest our accommodation, we wandered through the quiet streets trying to avoid the frosty winds. We walked down a little backstreet to find our accommodation, Hotel Inos, glowing like a warm oasis on a cold night. After settling in at the hotel we headed out to find some dinner. We ended up getting pizza from a local bar/cafe. Upon entering the bar we were taken aback by the volume of smoke that filled the entire room – clearly no smoking laws did not apply here! Thankfully we didn’t have to wait too long for our bargain margherita pizza (93 CZK = AUD$5.40) which we took back to the hotel room to enjoy.

The next day was just perfect! After a lazy morning, we walked to a local store to buy some food for breakfast. We took our bread rolls and cheese and started walking along the river. Not even 5 minutes into walking and we were fronted by a massive stone wall which appeared to have old buildings on the ground above. We took the long stair climb to the top and discovered an impressive church, beautiful parks and an amazing view of Prague. We sat on a park bench, taking in the view while eating breakfast. It felt so good to enjoy the sunshine that we sat for about half an hour, just taking everything in.

We continued on our walk and made our way along the river and around Old Town. Since everything is so cheap we decided to shout ourselves a “fancy” 3 course lunch at a restaurant along the river. Vegetable soup, delicious chicken steak and a chocolate pancake set us back 190 CZK (AUD$11.20) each. Again, feeling the sun shining on our faces was just too good to give up, so we sat at the restaurant terrace for what felt like hours, soaking up the sun and taking in the river view and tourists wandering by.

The next day, our final day in Prague, we went on a free tour of the Old Town and Jewish Quarter. Hosted by Sandemans New Europe (the same company that ran our free tour of Berlin), we once again had a very entertaining, enthusiastic and knowledgeable host. Huw (pronounced Hugh) our Welsh tour guide certainly kept us engaged, despite the cooler weather, with his lively and dramatic storytelling of the various events that contributed to Prague’s rich history. I definitely think that people visiting cities such as Prague and Berlin, or any other city with a vast history, should go on a walking tour. The wealth of information that both guides we’ve had have presented us is very impressive and give the sites that we passed so much more meaning.

Maybe it was just the sunshine, or the cheap food, or the gorgeous old buildings for as far as the eye can see.. whatever it was, Prague has certainly made a massive impression on us as a perfect holiday destination. Added to that all the mountain bikes we saw ride past.. we definitely need to come back to further explore this amazing city

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