Joy and Les’ Europe 2024-25 Trip = Bog Entry No 02

Joy and Les’ Europe 2024-25 Trip = Bog Entry No 02

 Tuesday 17^th December 2024                      Dresden Rest Day

Had a rest day today as we have been on the go for some time. Did washing, diary, etc

Wednesday 18^th December 2024               Dresden

Headed into Dresden to start exploring the Christmas Markets. Caught the tram into town after getting lost looking for the tram stop. Finally found the right place and made it to the centre of Dresden on the south side of the river. Walked through a few of the markets on the south side of Dresden. These are well protected by large concrete blocks with plastic covers. Other markets we have seen have truck/cars parked across the entry points for security (writing this on the 23^rd and had heard about the possible terrorist attack where a car was driven into markets at Magdeburg, Germany). After this we looked at some old buildings, views across the river including a rail/foot bridge that collapsed in Sept 2024.

 

Procession of Princes

Augustus Bridge, Dresden

A Foot/Tram bridge that collapsed in Sept 2024

Crossed the river and walked through part of the markets which line the long straight road, whilst looking for a place for lunch. Found a nice café where Joy had vegetarian sandwich (eggplant, rocket, cottage cheese) and Les had London Breakfast (bacon, sausage, eggs, baked beans and toast). Next was to go back and start the markets again as we didn’t really look at them when we were looking for lunch. By now it was light rain but that did not stop us. 

Wondered what these were but found out most homes in Germany have oil or water heater and these are to clean the dust from between the fins in these heaters.

We then continued walking through the streets on the north side of the river. This area is an alternate area with bars, clubs, artists, etc and looks completely different to the south side of the river. It has a name for street art, but to us it just looks like graffiti. Many of the cafés, etc do not open until 4:00 pm and stay open until 1:00 am next morning.

Found the tram stop to take us towards the Christmas Lights (Dresden Christmas Garden, it’s called) and jumped on the tram only to find we were heading west and not east. The tram goes back and forth and we got on the correct tram but just going the wrong way. So we jumped off and waited and caught a tram heading in the correct direction. As the tram was late we missed the connecting bus so had a 20 min wait for the next bus. Arrived at our stop and found a chocolate shop/café where we had a warm drink before heading into the lights. The lights are a bit like Vivid but on a smaller scale. Was very good and you walked a set route to see all the lights rather than wandering aimlessly. The lights were popular so there were large crowds but bearable.

After this we caught the bus and tram back to Dresden and explored the main markets for 15 minutes until we were both over the crowds which were very large. Had to push your way through everywhere. This market (Dresden Striezelmarkt) claims to be the best in Europe, which is a big call! Maybe that is why it’s so busy?

So to the tram stop, tram to the stop near the supermarket, quick bit of shopping and home for late tea.

 

Thursday 19^th December 2024                    Dresden and Weesenstein

After a late-ish start we headed back into the city to visit the Christmas Markets when they were not so busy. They were still busy but not like the previous night. Didn’t find anything we liked so took the tram back to the main station after missing our stop as the tram did not stop at the main station, so again did the get off and get the next tram back the way we came. We were worried that we would miss our train but we had 5 minutes to spare. Caught a train to Heidenau and had to change trains. We got to the new platform and tried to get on the train but it was shut. The driver in the train on the opposite side of the platform yelled at us that he was the train we wanted as there had been a platform change. Rode the train to Weesenstein and got up to get off and the other passengers explained in German that we had to press the button to let the driver know we wanted to get off. There had been an announcement telling us this apparently, but with our limited German, we had no idea! Luckily the other passengers pushed the button for us and the train stopped at the station. We were the only passengers getting off the train, so if not for those kind passengers, we might have ended up in a bit of bother as this train isn’t a main one and doesn’t stop much. The station is very small and a bit eerie being so deserted. 

Weesenstein Station

It was only a short walk to the local café where we stopped for lunch. Les had contacted them and found out they would be open and the sort of food they served – Weesenstein is very small and we didn’t want to risk nothing being open during winter. Joy had a meat thing in a ramekin with cheese topping (she’d seen someone have it at the café in Dresden and thought it looked interesting) and Les had soup and bread. The lady serving us was very cheerful and happy.

After lunch we did a walk around the town which did not take long as it is only a small town. We had time to kill as the Schloss (Castle) did not open until 2:00 pm. We found out that in 2002 they had a massive flood that wiped out some of the town and several people were killed. We headed up to the castle and did the tour which was good however we did not know that there was an audio tour so did not get all the information about the castle. Still the castle is impressive and some great views.

Not all the walls in the castle are straight!!

Truly built on rock!

The Castle's own chapel...

...and the chapel ceiling!!

Two pictures of the same painting taken from different angles.
Somehow don't think they were done back in the 1800's or whenever she was around.

                                                    

A photo of a photo showing the damage down by the flood.
From memory 14 buildings destroyed and 2 people killed.

After the tour we headed back towards the station and because the café was on the way we had to stop there for afternoon tea!! They do a pretty good hot chocolate and streusel cake! 

Arrived at the station with 15/20 minutes to spare and waited to catch the train back to Heidenau and then another train to Dresden and tram to our accommodation.

Friday 20^th December 2024          Dresden to Prague

Well, we are on our 2^nd ‘transfer day’ where we move from one town to another. This time we are also moving countries. We are moving from Dresden, Germany to Prague, The Czech Republic (or Czechia as it is now called). Walked to the station by the main road as the footpath is much smoother this way compared to the cobblestones of the shortcut backroad! We could catch a tram but it would only be 1 stop and we would have to struggle to get the suitcases on, so walking it is.

The train left Dresden at 11:10 and due to arrive in Prague at 1:30 so we decided to buy some lunch from the bakery at the station and naturally we needed to buy something sweet so we also got a jam donut (without the hole in the centre!) Enjoyable trip however there is no proper place to store large suitcases so they had to stay in the aisle. Also our booked seats were on the right hand side and nearly all the way the river (and view) was on the left hand side! When you reserve seats (and only sometimes do you get to choose seats) you do not know which direction the carriage will be.

The Kids enjoy the train rides and the new towns and countries...

..but they can get hungry with all that watching the scenery!!

Not a clear shot but these are all a[artment blocks built on the ridge.

Arrived in Prague on time and made our way to the subway station to take a subway train 1 stop to Museum Station and then change onto another subway train to get to close to our accommodation. Escalators went most of the way to street level but had to carry the suitcases up 1 flight of stairs. A kind person offered help, but we were almost at the top of the stairs by then so we managed by ourselves. (Joy looked it up later and there is supposed to be a lift but we could not find it, subsequently found out there is no lift.). Collected keys from the coffee shop near the accommodation. Les had put into Google translate to show what we wanted but they did speak English.

Into the apartment which is very nice. To get to apartment either down 3 steps, use elevator and up 4 steps or up 1.25 flights of stairs then the 4 steps. Also the elevator can only hold 1 person and a suitcase. Next job was to do some grocery shopping. A new country, new language, etc this could be fun. The nearest supermarket is about 0.75 km away and we probably walked 1.5 km to find it. Lots of streets, lanes, etc but we did find a nice coffee shop along the way for afternoon tea. When we arrived where the supermarket should be we could not find it. Took a while but it was in a shopping centre and down 2 levels well underground!! Shopping done and wandered back to our accommodation after getting lost along the way but found markets!!

Home to put our feet up and relax for a while.

Saturday 21^st December 2024     Prague

After a bit of a lie in we got ourselves organised to go on a Prague Town Tour with a guide. We wandered through the old town and markets to the meeting place outside Madam Tussauds. There looked like a tour group there but not ours. Waited and started to worry if we had got the place wrong when our guide arrived. We were 2 of only 4 people on the tour. We were taken for a walk through the old town and parts of the new town and past many of the tourist places however did not go into any of them as the tour was to give us a general overall view of the town. The guide was good and after 2 hours the tour was over and we headed home to have some lunch as it was nearly 1 o’clock. Spend the afternoon relaxing and doing diary, etc

There is a scheme in place in Europe to record where Jewish people who died during the Holocaust.
It records there name along with when they died.

Powder Tower, Prague

"Old" cars that tourists can be chauferred around Prague

Astronomical Clock, Prague

Some of the many (and some weird) museums in Prague

Cannabis Shop, Prague

The Dancing House, Prague

 

Sunday 22^nd December 2024       Day trip to Cesky Krumlov

A long day was ahead so set the alarm for 6:30 (sun does not come up until 8:00 am). We were due to be picked up at 7:55 am from our accommodation so we were read by 7:45 and wandered downstairs to wait. The driver was about 5 minutes late. Again, it was a people mover and not a coach. There were already 2 other passengers and we also collected 2 fellows who were also Australians, living in Brisbane. We had about 1.5 hour drive to a service station on the motorway where we had a rest stop and also waited for the 2^nd car to arrive (not sure where it came from, but think it was also from Prague based on conversation at lunch).

From here it was about 45 mins to Cesky Krumlov. We had imagined it was a little town/village in the middle of the countryside but it is actually a little town/village in the middle of a big town with a population of about 13,000 people. It is also a big tourist destination. When we arrived the two groups joined together and the guide gave us a rundown on the ‘historical’ Cesky Krumlov. We then had about 2 hour tour including climbing up into the higher parts of the buildings (most of the buildings are actually closed). We then followed paths etc down into the town and the river. By now it was lunchtime and we had the choice of doing our own thing or going to an authentic medieval restaurant. There has recently been an influx of commercial businesses which is taking away from the historicalness of the town.

The wall is painted and not carved!

Joy had the Chicken Medieval Bohemian Banquet (for 1 person) and Les had Baked Millett Casserole and also pickled camembert cheese and bread. The meals were huge, and quite good but the cheese was a bit spicy. The building is a very old building and has narrow uneven staircases. You sit at benches on long stools. Very interesting. 

Staircase in building where we had lunch ...

Thought it would be a cash only place as the orders were written on scraps of paper but when we came to pay it was tell the waiter what you had and they put it in the small electronic device they had and so we paid with card as it was easier. After lunch we wandered around the town a bit more. It does have many beautiful old buildings however it has lots of commercialised stuff and tourist ‘junk’.  It's a pity but it has become a commercialised place because of its popularity and this did take away from the whole atmosphere and image of the place but glad we did the trip.

Then a straight drive home with no stops but as the sun sets at 4:00 pm we got home in the dark. Needed to get some milk so went to the local corner store type place. Milk in supermarket about 35 koruna, milk at corner store 99 koruna or about $7 AUD!!!!

... Staircase in our apartment building.

Monday 23^rd December 2024                      Prague Markets and Prague Castle

Originally was planning on doing the castle in the morning but we could book tickets and have a 15 min overview at 2:00 pm so we swapped and did the markets in the morning. Also finally tried a chimney cake (trdelnik) which is a pastry where they make dough like donut dough but a bit thicker. They then roll it into thin strips of dough and wrap it around a thing that looks like a rolling pin and bake over a fire as they rotate. They then cover in sugar and cinnamon. There are optional extras like pecan nuts. Also they do ones shaped like cones and fill with ice cream, flavouring, etc. We had a ‘Classic Chimney’ and it was straight off the fire and still warm. Very yummy.

Chimney Cake

Chimney Cake

Prague Christmas Markets

Ceramic T-Shirts!! Not sure that would work to well.

Spitfire Butterflies. Made from Spitfire planes.
They even flap their wings and light up. They even have pilots in the cockpits. 

                                               

Back to the apartment for lunch, after some grocery shopping. Walked across the bridge and caught the tram to the Prague Castle. We actually got off 1 stop to early but the tram was so crowded and Les was having trouble holding on with his sore arm. Was only a 5 min walk up gentle hill to the castle. Found our guide and organised the tickets, etc. The castle is heaving with people. We did the Cathedral, Basilica and Gold Lane and all were very busy. The queues to get into the buildings were very long but moving quite quickly. Once inside the Cathedral, it is a one-way walk around numbered stops, but you are pretty much herded through at a consistent pace. Once you get almost to the end, you can stop and try to take it all in. The building is HUGE, and the stained glass is very impressive.

Prague Castle.
The Armed Soldier would not let us walk through the main archway.
We had to go through a door on the left.

St Vitus Cathedral

St Vitus Cathedral

St Vitus Cathedral

We didn’t go into the Old Palace (currently used by the Czech government, but there are sections the public can look at) as the queue again was very long, and we were both very much over queues. So we continued down to the Basilica. There was a very short queue to get in so felt we could cope with that. This building is much simpler than the cathedral, but still impressive in its own way. Again we were herded through in a specific direction so no real stopping to look.

St George's Basilica. Prague Castle

After the basilica, we went straight to the Gold Lane. This is where the commercial buildings of the old castle are – it’s called Gold Lane because that is what was both sold there, and also where the alchemists were trying to work out how to make gold out of other things. The lane itself is narrow and winds around a bit, and the buildings themselves are tiny. You can go into them to look at how they would have been set up back in the day. With all the people in such small spaces, it was challenging getting around.

Golden Lane, Prague Castle

We are amazed how popular Prague is at Christmas time.

Walked down the path from the castle and walked all the way home which was not too bad since it was downhill. On the way down the hill there are a couple of spots where there are good views across Prague. One spot had a raised section and there was a crowd of people all trying to take photos – even had a bit of photo rage, with some people not “doing the right thing” and trying to push in. Got a bit ugly.

Prague from Prague Castle.
Our accommodation is just down the road between
the buildings on the left side of the photo.

View of Photo Rage

Had a rest and some afternoon tea.

At about 5:00 we headed out for photos and views of Prague after dark (remember sunset is 4:00 pm). Took many photos of the Castle and the King Charles Bridge which are the main tourist things in Prague. Then wandered down and walked over the King Charles Bridge which was not too bad. During the day it is a mass of bodies! Then about 6:30 we headed back to the apartment for tea.

King Charles Bridge, Prague

King Charles Bridge, South Tower.

Prague Tram

Prague Castle at night

They do Christmas very well in Prague.

Tuesday 24^th December 2024                      Prague and Boat Cruise

Had a rest day today but still did some things. Walked to supermarket for last minute stuff in case we had to do tea with Kelly & James. From our research, there might be problems finding somewhere to eat, as restaurants are either closed or fully booked (Dec 24 is the day for celebrating Christmas in Czechia and things close down so people can celebrate with family), and we don’t know if the Christmas markets will be open for the same reason. Had a look at the Kafka rotating head sculpture but discovered it only works for 15 mins on the hour and we could not be bothered waiting for it to rotate! Walked to the river and back along the river to accommodation for lunch.

Novel way to collect waste cups.
They use takeaway cups for many of the mulled wine, etc

The gift for the couple that have everything. A photo of your irises.
Can be printed on canvas or be you mobile wallpaper, etc.
Not sure if there is an issue when doing iris scanning for security purposes. 

Busy Christmas Markets, Prague.

Joy went out to the markets again, after lunch, and came back saying it was busy even though the Youtube video we saw said it would be very quiet, if not completely abandoned. Found out Joy had gone out to buy Les a Christmas present even though we agreed not to buy presents.

At about 4:30 we headed to the wharf for our river cruise. Sat upstairs with Kelly and James and spent most of the time talking and only glancing at the views. We completely missed the narration. After the cruise we met up with 2 of Kelly and James’s friends and managed to find a restaurant that was open and not booked out and could seat 6 people. Just needed to go 1 street back of the main streets. As you walked in, the floor was glass and underneath the glass was a table with chairs – a bit weird, but maybe that was a look down into the old cellar of the building. We both had gnocchi meals. When in Czech Republic eat like Italians!! Then back to accommodation for the dessert we had in the fridge.