Kids in Germany get a two week fall break. We decided to wear ourselves out with this itinerary: Prauge, Bratislava, Budapest, Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen.
This post is in four parts because just writing about our trip was exhausting.
We began our trip with the train to Prague. Hazel was impressed and captured the scenery in evocative pencil sketches.
This is Prague. Hazel felt the need to dance in front a what appears to be a castle. It's actually the Church of Our Lady before Týn, a gothic church built in the 14th century, but we didn't tell her that. Also, we took the obligatory photo of the Prague Astronomical Clock (c. 1410). Wikipedia tells us that it is the third oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest still in operation. Fun facts!
We didn't have great luck with meals in Prague (well except for a nut roll Jen got from the market), but you can never go wrong with sausage with fresh horseradish and mustard. Hazel continued to document the trip, including most meals, in her sketchbook.
After our short stint in Prauge, we were off to Bratislava. More good times on the train. More sketches including folk dancer apparitions, this one with a mug of hot cocoa and a bouquet of wild flowers.
Bratislava is a charming little city. As expected there is a town square, with lovely fountains, museums, and historical buildings. Many of the side streets and sides of buildings are crumbling or being reconstructed, but it adds to its eccentric character.
The internet tells us that after the fall of communism, statues were erected all over the city center to "create some life." We, like many others tourists visiting Bratislava, took photos with those statues on our romp through the city.
Funki Punki Creperie was one our best meals. Crepes were filled with amazing things like poppy seed and honey, plum jam and cocoa. We also enjoyed traditional Slovakian flavors in savory form. Chicken paprikash is not pictured because Jen ate it too fast.
There are lots of quirky small shops and businesses. This was our only stop where we did not see a McDonalds, 7Eleven, or Pizza Hut. Weird restaurants flourish, even the Spaghetti Leviathan and 'Wine Not!?'.
While we don't know if we'd recommend you go out of your way to visit Bratislava, there are worse places you could spend the day. The city is both charming and crumbling. And they don't like fascists!
