tcreath

I do agree about the jetlag. My husband and I both have pretty good luck with Ambien so we sleep on the plane and arrive in Europe refreshed and ready to go. We had no trouble with jetlag in Europe on either of our short trips.

Tracy

Nutella

Thanks everyone for all the great input! I'm going to give this a lot of thought over the next couple of days... and then I'll probably just throw caution to the wind and book my flight LOL.

In light of all there suggestions, here's what I'm thinking - I'm definitely going to see if I can stretch this to 4 nights!... Seems jet lag hits me worse going back home, but it is still a valid consideration that I won't get 100% out of that first 1/2 day in the city... Due to where I live, I can't go nonstop, there has to be a connection. But as an alternative to flying to JFK, I'm going to look into flying from home to another EUR city, and then a short flight to PRG if it doesn't get me in too much later... I'm planning to go in winter, so my daylight will really be limited, hmmm, something to think about... the more I think about it, the more I want to go to Prague!!!...

p.s. About the bagels, I totally agree that they have gone downhill over the years. I mean, what infidel decided that a bagel can be flavored Banana Maple Nut??? As far as I'm concerned, bagels come in 5 flavors - plain, poppy, sesame, salt and bialy. If Prague has bialies, then I'm sold

Josh

I've done last-minute 3 night trips (from Detroit) to Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Avignon, and Hong Kong. My wife does it monthly (for work). A bit of jet lag after returning home is a small price to pay. I recommend you book the flights and have a great trip.

ira

Hi noe847
>Ira, where do you buy your bagels in Prague?

Sorry, I don't remember.

We were staying at www.abaka.com/Czech/Dientzenhofer/

I got up early, walked to the Charles Bridge to take some morning pics.

Crossed into town and wander a little. It was a little shop, with a bagel sign, that was not yet open.

Daughter was at window and I asked to buy a bagel. Mother said "We are not open yet"(in Czech) daughter let me have a bagel any way.

I gave her about $1. She said that was too much and she didn't have change. I said that was all right.

She insisted that I take 3 bagels.

Look around Karlova, Lilova and Seminarska streets near the Bridge.

Patti

HI Nutella,

Have you ever been to Iceland? It's a relatively short flight from the east coast--just 4 1/2 hours from Boston (where would you be flying from?) Of course, it wouldn't be a very "city" trip--although Reykjavik does have some interesting museums, it's really the natural wonders that make the country special, in my opinion. If you didn't want to rent a car to venture out to see the geysers and hot springs and waterfalls, there are a lot of day tours from Reykjavik.

Patti

Neopolitan

I once had a crazy friend who always said that when they took short trips they would go to places they didn't think they'd like. That way they wouldn't mind leaving after only a couple days there.

tcreath

Neopolitan, this may sound terrible but that was why we chose to go to Paris for a short 3 night stay. We both heard enough "my (insert name here) went to Paris and hated it because (insert reason)" stories from friends and family members (for some reason Paris can be a controversial subject!) so we were a little hesitant to go. We found a great deal and decided to go for a short visit with the thoughts that if we didn't like it we wouldn't be stuck there for a long visit. Luckily we fell in love with the city and can't wait to return.

Tracy

rkkwan

Short trips can be fun and very productive. I found that on a 3-4 day trip, I can get into sleep and energy deficit, and wait until getting home to recuperate. On my last 5-day trip to Belgium and France. I didn't sleep until 1-2am, utilizing as much time as possible doing things. Sure I was exhausted when I left, but haven't had a better time traveling.

Can't do this for long however. Either have to go at a more leisurely rate, or set a day or two for rest.

noe847

Nutella, your days really will be short in Prague in the winter. We've been there twice in late December. The sunrise is 8:00am and the sunset is 4:00pm. The city is beautifully lit at night - lights on the bridge, the castle, the spires, etc.

suze

"It doesn't seem very economical"... that's because it isn't -LOL!

I would never spend all the money and torture of the plane ride for just for 3 days. It sounds just awful to me.

Nutella

Just to follow up...

I'm going to Prague!!!

p.s. I did agree 3 nights was a little quick, so I'm going for 4

john127

Have a great trip!

Prague was on my short list of destinations I need to get to, but after Ira's bagel post (I'm from Brooklyn too) it was bumped up a bit in the order.

ira

Have a great visit, N.

suze

Have fun!!!! Are you in New York (since you mentioned Brooklyn).

That makes the idea a little more reasonable imo (I'm west coast/Seattle re my reply above).

callalilli

John127 - you took the words right out of my mouth.. Prague just moved up on my short list also.. for a good bagel. I thought it was my imagination that the bagels in NY aren't as good as they used to be. (i grew up in the Bronx) I'm in search..... hopefully this year!

callalilli

oh and... Nutella - I'm excited for you.. have a blast! I'm all for the quickie vacations. Let us know how it goes.

Nutella

Thanks everyone!

Suze, not in NY anymore. But still a New Yorker

And about the bagels, I did some googling and discovered that bialys are originally from Poland. So you'd think they'd be available in Prague. But I downloaded the menu from Bohemia Bagel and no bialys. And to add insult to injury, they serve cinnamon raisin!

suze

i was just thinking that the 3 day trip would be easier if you were coming from east coast US, rather than west coast. enjoy!

Nutella

The verdict is in... it was definitely worth it! Well, not three nights, I was able to stretch it to four. Prague was fantastic, thanks so much to everyone for the encouragement!

More to come once the jet lag subsides, but for now, what might be my favorite photo from the trip:

http://tinyurl.com/ympzkz

p.s. Ira was right, Bohemia Bagel makes a great bagel

noe847

I can't wait to read your report, Nutella. The picture you shared is quite nice - made me pull up my Prague pictures (on the Charles Bridge in the snow) and set one as my desktop background.

Bohemian Bagel was one of our favorite places to warm up and catch a snack and some hot chocolate.