Would love some recommendations on what to see. I already have some ideas, but anyone's in out from folks who have visited or lived there is welcome.
When are you traveling?
I was in Prague in May and it's a pretty amazing city. My favourite bar was on Narodni, called 'My' I think, a maze of small corridors connecting underground bars one which had excellent live music.
Get in touch with Psellus. Make sure to not agree to meet in the middle of a communist protest in Istanbul and he will be a great guide :D
More importantly: visit London instead. Way more fun than either of those.
Prague - August 7-11th, Vienna 11th-15th, Prague 15-16 (flying out the morning of the 17th).
Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 16, 2016, 05:39:09 AM
Prague - August 7-11th, Vienna 11th-15th, Prague 15-16 (flying out the morning of the 17th).
Ah. I'll be in Prague just the month before.
I went to Prague like 10 years ago. Prague castle is worth visiting. Maybe I didn't know where to look, but the Czech food that I tried wasn't impressive. Some of the soups were so salty that they were basically not consumable (a problem that we also encountered in some parts of rural Germany).
No clue about Vienna.
Quote from: Monoriu on June 16, 2016, 05:41:13 AM
I went to Prague like 10 years ago. Prague castle is worth visiting. Maybe I didn't know where to look, but the Czech food that I tried wasn't impressive. Some of the soups were so salty that they were basically not consumable (a problem that we also encountered in some parts of rural Germany).
No clue about Vienna.
They make excellent garlic soup. And it's salty because then you drink more Urquell.
In Vienna you must obviously try to meet Syt. :cheers:
Prague is a relatively small city, very doable in a couple of days (It's all about the castle district & the old town, basically) You can ask celedhring about details for the city, he lived there a while ago. You might want to do a day trip. If you decide to do so, I'd recommend Cesky Krumlov
What's the best way to get from one city to the other? Train?
Do I need to buy tickets ahead of time?
Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 16, 2016, 06:47:18 AM
What's the best way to get from one city to the other? Train?
Do I need to buy tickets ahead of time?
http://www.pragueviennagreenways.org/index.html
Quote from: Liep on June 16, 2016, 06:49:12 AM
http://www.pragueviennagreenways.org/index.html
Nice :cool:
You still owe us an AAR, Liep.
http://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Prague.htm#.V2KgvIorJhE
Just looking at the site gave me a pang of nostalgia, haven't been getting out and about enough lately :(
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on June 16, 2016, 07:52:57 AM
http://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Prague.htm#.V2KgvIorJhE
Just looking at the site gave me a pang of nostalgia, haven't been getting out and about enough lately :(
Thanks Hakluyt, very good site. :thumbsup:
Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 16, 2016, 06:47:18 AM
What's the best way to get from one city to the other? Train?
Do I need to buy tickets ahead of time?
Yes, definitely buy the tickets early.
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on June 16, 2016, 07:52:57 AM
http://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Prague.htm#.V2KgvIorJhE
Just looking at the site gave me a pang of nostalgia, haven't been getting out and about enough lately :(
That must be the site. Been looking at it as of late.
Tickets bought.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 16, 2016, 07:59:38 AM
Thanks Hakluyt, very good site. :thumbsup:
Seat61 is awesome. :yes:
Prague is nice for the mix of wacky architecture from different time periods, and the way they aren't shy to decorate their buildings. Go and see art nouveau apartment buildings in Vinohrady (lots of expats and bars there), or some cubist architecture.
If you go to Letna park just north of the old town, there's a beer garden with good views over the city. If you have time, you could also walk up Vitkov hill, where the hussites defeated imperial crusaders. There's a big mounted statue of Jan Zizka there looking over the city, and nearby is the 70s TV tower with babies crawling up it. The 22 tram route is scenic, from Vinohrady, through Mala Strana, up the hill past the castle to Strahov. You can walk back through Petrin park.
Czech soups are good, if sometimes salty; have soup with every lunch. There are two classes of beer, 10 degree for regular drinking, and stronger 12 degree. The boiled-meet-and-dumplings side of Czech food gets old fast, but otherwise it's okay. Game is generally good. Tips can be a compromise between rounding up and 10 crowns.
As far as I know, "My" on Narodni is a Tesco department store. I don't know if this is still going, but on summer evenings there used to be open air music and bars along the embankment on the east side of the Vltava, running north from Vysehrad. There's a Korean community in Prague, with a church in Kobylisy.
There are good trains to Vienna. I think it's cheaper if you buy a few days in advance and get a booking on a particular train. Otherwise tickets are more expensive but you can take any train. Seat reservations are sold separately from tickets.
Quote from: The Larch on June 16, 2016, 06:07:54 AM
In Vienna you must obviously try to meet Syt. :cheers:
Yeah. He might not want to be posting right now but I bet if he knew he'd do it. Meeting him was a cool experience.
Syt is an intrinsic part of the Vienna Experience :cool:
You should get in touch with him Tim.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on June 17, 2016, 10:21:23 AM
Quote from: The Larch on June 16, 2016, 06:07:54 AM
In Vienna you must obviously try to meet Syt. :cheers:
Yeah. He might not want to be posting right now but I bet if he knew he'd do it. Meeting him was a cool experience.
they are friends on Facebook so shouldn't be too hard to do.
Can I exchange won at the Prague airport?
Or do I have to get Euros in Incheon and exchange them when I get to Prague?
Why would any of us know that? :lol:
Good luck in any case, and if you see Syt, tell him me and my wife said hi.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 05, 2016, 09:53:22 PM
Can I exchange won at the Prague airport?
Or do I have to get Euros in Incheon and exchange them when I get to Prague?
I was very tempted to just answer yes, and if it turned out you couldn't, that would be a small measure of payback for all the crap you have inflicted on us and your students.
Also, why exchange currency? You get better rates from an ATM.
Maybe not at an airport ATM, factoring in the service fee. Timmy, get 200 Euros while you're in Korea.
Quote from: alfred russel on August 06, 2016, 12:11:37 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 05, 2016, 09:53:22 PM
Can I exchange won at the Prague airport?
Or do I have to get Euros in Incheon and exchange them when I get to Prague?
I was very tempted to just answer yes, and if it turned out you couldn't, that would be a small measure of payback for all the crap you have inflicted on us and your students.
Also, why exchange currency? You get better rates from an ATM.
Korean banks are complete dicks about foreigners using their cards overseas.
Anyways, I was able to exchange in Seoul.
Why would we know that, Tim?
Prague is great but it's been years since I was there.
Heard mixed things about Vienna.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on August 06, 2016, 12:31:04 AM
Maybe not at an airport ATM, factoring in the service fee. Timmy, get 200 Euros while you're in Korea.
Almost every airport has an ATM that doesn't have service fees.
Prague was lovely and cheap when I went there 3 weeks ago. Did end up with left over funny money.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 06, 2016, 01:38:09 AM
Korean banks are complete dicks about foreigners using their cards overseas.
I can see how that would be a major problem for you, since you can't call to put a travel notification on your card since you don't speak the language.
Quote from: alfred russel on August 06, 2016, 07:28:52 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 06, 2016, 01:38:09 AM
Korean banks are complete dicks about foreigners using their cards overseas.
I can see how that would be a major problem for you, since you can't call to put a travel notification on your card since you don't speak the language.
The language is not a problem since bankers speak English. They just won't let you.
Didn't much yesterday due to jetlag. Made up for it today. Went to the castle and saw nine museums/exhibits there. Just awesome. On the downside, I walked 19km today. :bleeding:
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 08, 2016, 10:59:31 AM
Didn't much yesterday due to jetlag. Made up for it today. Went to the castle and saw nine museums/exhibits there. Just awesome. On the downside, I walked 19km today. :bleeding:
:cool:
Post some photos when you've time.
Tim, did you remember to get your currency from the chap loitering outside the airport, you know the same guy who has the brother-in-law taxi driver who could offer you a good rate on a special tour?
Seeing 9 museums in one day seems a bit...excessive.
Quote from: garbon on August 08, 2016, 05:23:34 PM
Seeing 9 museums in one day seems a bit...excessive.
Yeah, unless some of those exhibitions were really small that's definitely overkill.
Quote from: The Larch on August 09, 2016, 03:45:47 AM
Quote from: garbon on August 08, 2016, 05:23:34 PM
Seeing 9 museums in one day seems a bit...excessive.
Yeah, unless some of those exhibitions were really small that's definitely overkill.
The castle had at least 11 different exhibits. I got there around nine, left at four. I'd say they averaged between 30 minutes and an hour to thoroughly examine them.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 09, 2016, 08:41:35 AM
Quote from: The Larch on August 09, 2016, 03:45:47 AM
Quote from: garbon on August 08, 2016, 05:23:34 PM
Seeing 9 museums in one day seems a bit...excessive.
Yeah, unless some of those exhibitions were really small that's definitely overkill.
The castle had at least 11 different exhibits. I got there around nine, left at four. I'd say they averaged between 30 minutes and an hour to thoroughly examine them.
Oh I was wondering if you were counting those each individually (as opposed to the 3-4 art museums that are also up there). That's totally respectable then as many of those at the castle, though interesting, were not overwhelming with content inside each.
I did visit the Labowicz (spelling?) art collection. Pretty awesome. Would have been better if the power didn't cut out while I was there.
Can you guys recomnend me any good books on the history of Bohemia? 800s-1648 would be most appreciated, but if you know a good book set later or earlier, let me know.
The Bard wrote about the coast.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 10, 2016, 08:26:07 AM
Can you guys recomnend me any good books on the history of Bohemia? 800s-1648 would be most appreciated, but if you know a good book set later or earlier, let me know.
Man things like that are surprisingly hard to find. I wish you better luck than I had finding good books about Poland.
Quote from: Valmy on August 10, 2016, 09:45:38 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 10, 2016, 08:26:07 AM
Can you guys recomnend me any good books on the history of Bohemia? 800s-1648 would be most appreciated, but if you know a good book set later or earlier, let me know.
Man things like that are surprisingly hard to find. I wish you better luck than I had finding good books about Poland.
Seems like there quite a few good books on the subject, they're just not avaliable on kindle. That's not a problem for you, so if you're interested, take a look.
Been in Vienna a few hours. So far, score one for stereotypes. They seem a blunt, brusque and angry people.
Syt seems nice so far, though I've only texted him so far. Perhaps he will show his true colors on the 13th! :ph34r:
I want to jump through this thread and beat you. Syt will not. He's a gentile giant. :P
Do you know many Jewish giants?
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 11, 2016, 12:22:05 PM
Been in Vienna a few hours. So far, score one for stereotypes. They seem a blunt, brusque and angry people.
The land of Maria Poppins?
History museum is incredible! I got there at around 11 and had to rush to finish just the 1st floor before it closed at 6! :o
Kunsthistorisches?
You could spend days there.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on August 12, 2016, 05:54:14 PM
Kunsthistorisches?
You could spend days there.
Yeah, that's the one.
I hung out with Syt all day yesterday. He was great!
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 14, 2016, 01:06:39 AM
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on August 12, 2016, 05:54:14 PM
Kunsthistorisches?
You could spend days there.
Yeah, that's the one.
I hung out with Syt all day yesterday. He was great!
:cool:
Why are Germans such big fans of carbonated water? :bleeding:
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 15, 2016, 03:21:18 AM
Why are Germans such big fans of carbonated water? :bleeding:
It is very easy to get non-carbonated water.
Carbonated water's great :w00t:
Quote from: Sheilbh on August 15, 2016, 06:25:51 AM
Carbonated water's great :w00t:
I am amazed that the genius of humanity found a way to make water dehydrating. Is there anything we cannot do?
Quote from: Valmy on August 15, 2016, 07:23:47 AM
Quote from: Sheilbh on August 15, 2016, 06:25:51 AM
Carbonated water's great :w00t:
I am amazed that the genius of humanity found a way to make water dehydrating. Is there anything we cannot do?
Get Tim laid.
Quote from: Ed Anger on August 15, 2016, 08:45:08 AM
Quote from: Valmy on August 15, 2016, 07:23:47 AM
Quote from: Sheilbh on August 15, 2016, 06:25:51 AM
Carbonated water's great :w00t:
I am amazed that the genius of humanity found a way to make water dehydrating. Is there anything we cannot do?
Get Tim laid.
I am dating a lovely young lady.
Quote from: Valmy on August 15, 2016, 07:23:47 AM
Quote from: Sheilbh on August 15, 2016, 06:25:51 AM
Carbonated water's great :w00t:
I am amazed that the genius of humanity found a way to make water dehydrating. Is there anything we cannot do?
Carbonated water is still hydrating. :)
In my dotage I have acquired an appreciation for carbonated water.
Quote from: Sheilbh on August 15, 2016, 06:25:51 AM
Carbonated water's great :w00t:
Especially when it's Coke flavored.
:x
Hate soft drinks - exceptions for Irn Bru and ginger beer.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 15, 2016, 01:16:13 PM
Quote from: Ed Anger on August 15, 2016, 08:45:08 AM
Quote from: Valmy on August 15, 2016, 07:23:47 AM
Quote from: Sheilbh on August 15, 2016, 06:25:51 AM
Carbonated water's great :w00t:
I am amazed that the genius of humanity found a way to make water dehydrating. Is there anything we cannot do?
Get Tim laid.
I am dating a lovely young lady.
You must elaborate on this more in Languish's safe space.