Trip Report: Family4travels to Munich, Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Salzburg, Fussen: Bavaria, Bohemia & Bretzen!!
Jul 7th, 2008, 02:34 PM
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Trip Report: Family4travels to Munich, Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Salzburg, Fussen: Bavaria, Bohemia & Bretzen!!
Just returned from our trip last week. We spent 4 nights in Munich, 4 nights in Prague, 1 night in Cesky Krumlov, 4 nights in Salzburg, 1 night in Fussen and 1 last night in Munich before flying home. DH and I traveled with our two kids (DD age 16, DS age 12) and my parents (late 60’s/early 70’s). This was the first time that we had traveled to these places (other than layovers in Munich on other trips).
MUNICH
We flew coach on NWA/KLM from Portland to Amsterdam and then on to Munich. The plane flight was fine, but we found the flight attendants not to be particularly cheery. We arrived in Munich about 1:30pm. Since we have become such “experienced” travelers we decided to take public transportation the whole way from the airport to our hotel. This required taking the U-bahn and then switching to a bus at the main train station. We always do only carryons so everyone is in charge of their own bags and off we went.
Usually before a trip I listen to the 10-set Pimsleur tapes to learn the basics of the language, but DD just finished German III, so I told her she was going to be the interpreter. She helped us read the directions to buy our U-bahn tickets and we take the U-bahn to the Hautbahnhopf. All was well as we arrived at the main train station where we needed to get off. We all started moving our luggage and getting off the train. I got off and turned around and saw the doors closing as DS is still on the train!! Oh no!! and we forgot to go over the rules of what to do if you miss the stop!!! We were all banging on the door and trying to get it open to no avail. So many thoughts start running through my head - will he know to just get off at the next stop and wait for one of us to arrive? Will he get nervous? I start to run to the front, luckily a man sees what is happening and runs to the front of the train and tells the conductor to please open the doors - disaster averted and DS came safely off the train!!
Next, we picked up the bus which droped us off at a stop just 1/2 block from our hotel, Hotel Uhland. Before I say a few words about the hotel, I just want to say that I have never agonized so much about which hotel to stay in more than I did with this choice of where to stay in Munch. Usually, between reading fodors and TA there always seems to be a clear winner, but with Munich it just seemed more difficult. When staying in larger cities we generally prefer to stay close to the city center, but so many of the centrally located places in Munich were close to the train station or if in a better location than just really expensive. I had originally booked rooms at Hotel-la-maison in Schwabing. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend, but was recommended by a friend and looked quite nice, and I thought, while Schwabing isnít in the city center, it appeared there would be more things around it. Well, about 2 months before we were going to leave, I suddenly realized that it didn”t have air conditioning. I wasn”t sure if we would really need it or not (turns out we didn”t), but I just got really annoyed that paying so much I wouldn”t be in the city center NOR have a/c, so I hit the boards again, and decided to go with the highly rated but not located in the city center nor having a/c but VERY inexpensive Hotel Uhland. I am happy to report that we were all very pleased with the decision!!
The rooms are fairly sparse and our bathroom is pretty small (turns out our bathroom was the smallest of the 3 rooms we had), but the people at the front desk and breakfast room were very nice and the breakfast was quite good (most of the family voted it best on the trip -my #1 was in Cesky Krumlov because they made eggs to order!!). DS did dub the pillows “crackers” because they were large, thin and square -best way to use them was to fold them in half. Hotel Uhland is located right near the Oktoberfest grounds, which would be convenient for Oktoberfest, but for us, meant we were in a very nice quiet neighborhood at this time of year. A quick walk to the nearest metro station -very convenient. My only disappointment was that we had 2 double rooms and 1 room with two twin beds and each room was on a different floor. The kids are old enough so wasn’t a big problem, but would have preferred us being closer. Probably happened because I made the reservations so late. Overall, we enjoyed our stay there and I would probably stay there again on a return trip.
Our first night in Munich we had dinner at Augustiner am Dom (Frauenplatz 8) located near the Fraukenkirche. To be honest, we were a bit worried about food in Germany (DH really wanted to head back to Italy), but this first meal was a good sign that we were really going to enjoy the food. We like everything, particularly the homemade potato salad, the spaetzle and those incredible pretzels (called Bretzen in Germany). The potato salad in Germany, was consistently the best potato salad ever - if anyone has a recipe for this please share!! Practically melts in your mouth with that great vinegar tang. And the bretzen - how do they get the nice slightly crunch outside and soft and chewy on the inside!!??
Munich was celebrating it’s 850th birthday tht weekend so there were lots of food vendors and craft booths set up. We have some yummy crepes and enjoy perusing the craft booths and just beginning to explore the city. Despite what some say, right away we found Munich to be a great city and very charming. Our last trip was to Thailand and Cambodia, and as much as we truly enjoyed the adventure we were glad to be back in Europe!!
We were starting to fade so headed back to the hotel. As we get ready for bed DH starts plugging things in with the adapters, but then suddenly he blew a circuit and our electricity went out - then the kids called our room and said their electricity just went out!! Now DH was frustrated, but I was in hysterics, because I had just seen the movie “Just Married” with Ashton Kuecher and Brittany Muphy on the plane, and couldn’t help laughing because all I could think about was the scene in the movie where they just arrived in France, and Ashton tries to plug in the “appliance” without an adapter and blows the electricity in the whole place. Apparently DH did not blow the electricity in the entire hotel (although we could never figure out why the kids blew out as well, since they were on a different floor and different wing), but we called the front desk, and after a bit of trial and error things were back on.
MUNICH DAY ONE
Normally, on our first day in a city we would not do a daytrip, but since it was Sunday, and most things in Munich would be closed, we decided it would be a good day to go to Dachau. We took the S2 train to Dachau and the 726 bus to the memorial site. It was easy to do with public transportation. There was an English language film starting in about 10 minutes, so we headed over there first, then entered the museum exhibition. It is very informative, very well done and quite extensive and therefore quite long. We got through maybe half of it, before the kids started to peter out, so we decided to skip the rest of the exhibits and head to the barracks and the bunkers and spend some time in the yard. From here you can walk across the property to the three religious monuments (Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant). They are all interesting and unique. Next, right outside the gates is the crematorium and gas chambers. Haunting to say the least, despite the fact that this particular gas chamber was never used. Just to the right is a gravestone marking where the ashes were buried of those cremated. Also, markers to show where the firing squad would stand and the blood would drain. All amazing to think of, and realize how close this all was to the town of Dachau. An interesting thing I read which I did not know previously, was that the American soldiers made the people of the town of Dachau come to the camp to make sure they saw what was going on “right under their noses.” Being Jewish, this was a particularly memorable thing for me, and a place I just felt I had needed to go to for a long time.
If I had to do it over again, I would probably do the barracks, bunkers, crematorium, etc. first and then do the exhibition. As I mentioned the exhibition was very lengthy and we were a bit tired by the time we got to the other things, which were actually of great interest.
We took the bus back to the train station, but it was almost 3:00pm and we were starving so we stopped at a small gelateria for some gelato. We took the train back to Munich. For dinner we ate at Andechser am Dom – Weinstrasse 7a, and had another great meal of salads, potato leek soup, ghoulash, beef tartar, schnitzel, fish and of course yummy bretzen!! One note: at this restaurant, when the waiter was putting together the bill he kept trying to ask us how many bretzen we ate (they charged .50 euro each). At first we didn’t know what he was asking – in fact we thought he wanted to know if we wanted to take the extra bretzen home!!LOL! Finally he asked a patron nearby to translate for us. Of course, we really hadn’t paid attention, as we didn’t know we would need to keep track.
Oh, one interesting thing to note about the U-bahn. Unlike other cities’ transportation systems where you need a card to get in and out of the turnstiles, we never once had to use or show our card to anyone. Obviously, there is a hefty fine if they come through to see your ticket and you don’t have one, so of course we always did. But definitely more convenient than always having to swipe your card.
More coming up!
MUNICH
We flew coach on NWA/KLM from Portland to Amsterdam and then on to Munich. The plane flight was fine, but we found the flight attendants not to be particularly cheery. We arrived in Munich about 1:30pm. Since we have become such “experienced” travelers we decided to take public transportation the whole way from the airport to our hotel. This required taking the U-bahn and then switching to a bus at the main train station. We always do only carryons so everyone is in charge of their own bags and off we went.
Usually before a trip I listen to the 10-set Pimsleur tapes to learn the basics of the language, but DD just finished German III, so I told her she was going to be the interpreter. She helped us read the directions to buy our U-bahn tickets and we take the U-bahn to the Hautbahnhopf. All was well as we arrived at the main train station where we needed to get off. We all started moving our luggage and getting off the train. I got off and turned around and saw the doors closing as DS is still on the train!! Oh no!! and we forgot to go over the rules of what to do if you miss the stop!!! We were all banging on the door and trying to get it open to no avail. So many thoughts start running through my head - will he know to just get off at the next stop and wait for one of us to arrive? Will he get nervous? I start to run to the front, luckily a man sees what is happening and runs to the front of the train and tells the conductor to please open the doors - disaster averted and DS came safely off the train!!
Next, we picked up the bus which droped us off at a stop just 1/2 block from our hotel, Hotel Uhland. Before I say a few words about the hotel, I just want to say that I have never agonized so much about which hotel to stay in more than I did with this choice of where to stay in Munch. Usually, between reading fodors and TA there always seems to be a clear winner, but with Munich it just seemed more difficult. When staying in larger cities we generally prefer to stay close to the city center, but so many of the centrally located places in Munich were close to the train station or if in a better location than just really expensive. I had originally booked rooms at Hotel-la-maison in Schwabing. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend, but was recommended by a friend and looked quite nice, and I thought, while Schwabing isnít in the city center, it appeared there would be more things around it. Well, about 2 months before we were going to leave, I suddenly realized that it didn”t have air conditioning. I wasn”t sure if we would really need it or not (turns out we didn”t), but I just got really annoyed that paying so much I wouldn”t be in the city center NOR have a/c, so I hit the boards again, and decided to go with the highly rated but not located in the city center nor having a/c but VERY inexpensive Hotel Uhland. I am happy to report that we were all very pleased with the decision!!
The rooms are fairly sparse and our bathroom is pretty small (turns out our bathroom was the smallest of the 3 rooms we had), but the people at the front desk and breakfast room were very nice and the breakfast was quite good (most of the family voted it best on the trip -my #1 was in Cesky Krumlov because they made eggs to order!!). DS did dub the pillows “crackers” because they were large, thin and square -best way to use them was to fold them in half. Hotel Uhland is located right near the Oktoberfest grounds, which would be convenient for Oktoberfest, but for us, meant we were in a very nice quiet neighborhood at this time of year. A quick walk to the nearest metro station -very convenient. My only disappointment was that we had 2 double rooms and 1 room with two twin beds and each room was on a different floor. The kids are old enough so wasn’t a big problem, but would have preferred us being closer. Probably happened because I made the reservations so late. Overall, we enjoyed our stay there and I would probably stay there again on a return trip.
Our first night in Munich we had dinner at Augustiner am Dom (Frauenplatz 8) located near the Fraukenkirche. To be honest, we were a bit worried about food in Germany (DH really wanted to head back to Italy), but this first meal was a good sign that we were really going to enjoy the food. We like everything, particularly the homemade potato salad, the spaetzle and those incredible pretzels (called Bretzen in Germany). The potato salad in Germany, was consistently the best potato salad ever - if anyone has a recipe for this please share!! Practically melts in your mouth with that great vinegar tang. And the bretzen - how do they get the nice slightly crunch outside and soft and chewy on the inside!!??
Munich was celebrating it’s 850th birthday tht weekend so there were lots of food vendors and craft booths set up. We have some yummy crepes and enjoy perusing the craft booths and just beginning to explore the city. Despite what some say, right away we found Munich to be a great city and very charming. Our last trip was to Thailand and Cambodia, and as much as we truly enjoyed the adventure we were glad to be back in Europe!!
We were starting to fade so headed back to the hotel. As we get ready for bed DH starts plugging things in with the adapters, but then suddenly he blew a circuit and our electricity went out - then the kids called our room and said their electricity just went out!! Now DH was frustrated, but I was in hysterics, because I had just seen the movie “Just Married” with Ashton Kuecher and Brittany Muphy on the plane, and couldn’t help laughing because all I could think about was the scene in the movie where they just arrived in France, and Ashton tries to plug in the “appliance” without an adapter and blows the electricity in the whole place. Apparently DH did not blow the electricity in the entire hotel (although we could never figure out why the kids blew out as well, since they were on a different floor and different wing), but we called the front desk, and after a bit of trial and error things were back on.
MUNICH DAY ONE
Normally, on our first day in a city we would not do a daytrip, but since it was Sunday, and most things in Munich would be closed, we decided it would be a good day to go to Dachau. We took the S2 train to Dachau and the 726 bus to the memorial site. It was easy to do with public transportation. There was an English language film starting in about 10 minutes, so we headed over there first, then entered the museum exhibition. It is very informative, very well done and quite extensive and therefore quite long. We got through maybe half of it, before the kids started to peter out, so we decided to skip the rest of the exhibits and head to the barracks and the bunkers and spend some time in the yard. From here you can walk across the property to the three religious monuments (Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant). They are all interesting and unique. Next, right outside the gates is the crematorium and gas chambers. Haunting to say the least, despite the fact that this particular gas chamber was never used. Just to the right is a gravestone marking where the ashes were buried of those cremated. Also, markers to show where the firing squad would stand and the blood would drain. All amazing to think of, and realize how close this all was to the town of Dachau. An interesting thing I read which I did not know previously, was that the American soldiers made the people of the town of Dachau come to the camp to make sure they saw what was going on “right under their noses.” Being Jewish, this was a particularly memorable thing for me, and a place I just felt I had needed to go to for a long time.
If I had to do it over again, I would probably do the barracks, bunkers, crematorium, etc. first and then do the exhibition. As I mentioned the exhibition was very lengthy and we were a bit tired by the time we got to the other things, which were actually of great interest.
We took the bus back to the train station, but it was almost 3:00pm and we were starving so we stopped at a small gelateria for some gelato. We took the train back to Munich. For dinner we ate at Andechser am Dom – Weinstrasse 7a, and had another great meal of salads, potato leek soup, ghoulash, beef tartar, schnitzel, fish and of course yummy bretzen!! One note: at this restaurant, when the waiter was putting together the bill he kept trying to ask us how many bretzen we ate (they charged .50 euro each). At first we didn’t know what he was asking – in fact we thought he wanted to know if we wanted to take the extra bretzen home!!LOL! Finally he asked a patron nearby to translate for us. Of course, we really hadn’t paid attention, as we didn’t know we would need to keep track.
Oh, one interesting thing to note about the U-bahn. Unlike other cities’ transportation systems where you need a card to get in and out of the turnstiles, we never once had to use or show our card to anyone. Obviously, there is a hefty fine if they come through to see your ticket and you don’t have one, so of course we always did. But definitely more convenient than always having to swipe your card.
More coming up!
Jul 7th, 2008, 03:02 PM
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>how do they get the nice slightly crunch outside and soft and chewy on the inside!!??
sodium hydroxide. Make a 3% solution and put the pretzels into it before baking. Don't forget to wear rubber gloves ;-)
sodium hydroxide. Make a 3% solution and put the pretzels into it before baking. Don't forget to wear rubber gloves ;-)
Jul 7th, 2008, 06:11 PM
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Thanks for sharing your recent travels... I cannot wait to read the next installment!
Potato Salad: Having a German family member fresh from Germany in town, I do know this, put diced ham in your potato salad (the ham that comes in a big can - gross I know, but it makes a huge difference). At every party, this salad is the big winner.
My heart sank when I read about the arrival day and the mishap on the train with your son... Yikes! I would have started crying and hyperventilating! That is one of my biggest fears!
Keep going! We can't wait to hear the rest!
Potato Salad: Having a German family member fresh from Germany in town, I do know this, put diced ham in your potato salad (the ham that comes in a big can - gross I know, but it makes a huge difference). At every party, this salad is the big winner.
My heart sank when I read about the arrival day and the mishap on the train with your son... Yikes! I would have started crying and hyperventilating! That is one of my biggest fears!
Keep going! We can't wait to hear the rest!
Jul 7th, 2008, 07:16 PM
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Can't wait to hear the rest! (Loved your Morocco TR) We went in December for the Christmas Markets. I am looking forward to reading your thoughts. We loved the trains, but when we were getting close to Salzburg the conductor came by asking us for something. We had no idea what he was saying, I finally gave him the receipt for the tickets. He got a bit upset with me, but when I dug out the "real tickets" he realized that we were tourists (and had all of our tickets) he was quite nice. We had a scare in Munich too...My younger son wanted to walk back to the hotel "his way" and took off! Thank God he remembered our talk about getting separated from the group...plus I called him on his cell phone and we reunited within just a few minutes...felt like forever with all of the crowds in the market!!
Jul 9th, 2008, 08:05 AM
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MUNICH DAY 2
Today we started out at the Residenz, the former residence of Bavarian Kings. We used the audioguides which we thought were well done and informative. Next we did the Treasury which is quite interesting, particularly the Crown Jewels. In retrospect, I would have done the Treasury first. The Residenz is quite a bit longer and we were already a bit tired and hungry when we headed to the Treasury, which I actually enjoyed more, but had to go through a bit faster than I would have liked.
For lunch we ate at Blauer Bock (Sebastianplatz 9) a very upscale modern/hip restaurant. It was a bit expensive for lunch but the food was excellent and the service was impeccable. We enjoyed stroganoff, fish and veal, It is attached to the Blaur Bock hotel, but they are actually very different. The hotel has a much more traditional Bavarian décor rather than the modern décor of the restaurant.
We explored and shopped around the Marienplatz after lunch before heading back to the hotel for a rest. Much of the shopping around the Marienplatz is typical European shopping – H&M, Zara, etc. Not a lot of small locally run shops. We don’t mind since we live in a small town where retail is minimal (closest Nordstrom is a 4 hr. drive away), so we always enjoy shopping on our trips. However, with the euro at 1.55 it did put a damper on this favorite pastime of ours….
For dinner we ate at La Fiorentina (Goethestrasse 41), a small Italian trattoria located close to our hotel. We were delighted to be greeted by a friendly “Buena sera” and had a wonderful Italian meal. Our waiter only spoke Italian and German which made it fun to communicate. There is a regular menu in English, but a very long list of wonderful specials is hand written on a long sheet of paper in what appeared to be an interesting combo. of italian and german. We really enjoyed our meal here and appreciated the close proximity to our hotel.
MUNICH DAY 3
We started out at the Rathaus and took the elevator up to the towers. There is a very nice view from up there, and we had no wait to go up. We visited the Fraukenkirche and then it was 11:00, just in time for the glockenspiel to go off.
From here DH & DS headed off to the BMW Welt while the rest of us decided to go to the Schwabing area. What I had read in my guidebook was that there might be some more interesting shopping in that area. We ended up going to two different areas in Schwabing and never really found anything that was any different than the Marienplatz area. We enjoyed a nice Bavarian lunch at Unter Simple on Turkenstrasse, where we were finally able to order the elusive weisswurste (every other time I tried to order it they were already out) which were creamy and delicious. DD had a yummy beef consommé with semolina dumplings – which would continue as a favorite throughout the trip – sometimes it was served with sliced thin pancakes instead of the dumplings.
Not enthralled with the Schwabing area we headed back to the city center and explored the Viktualmarkt. We had originally planned to spend some time in the Englischergarten, but while we were in Munich the weather was cooler and drizzly most of the time, so we decided not to head over there – something for our next trip.
On the other side of town the boys thoroughly enjoyed the BMW Welt. Hubby loved to look at the new cars and there are apparently tons of interactive exhibits which kept DS enthralled. The BMW museum wouldn’t be opening until we were in Prague, but we would have a chance to go there on our return to Munich before flying home. Guys also enjoyed a great lunch at the restaurant in the Welt.
For dinner we ate at Zum Alten Markt just behin the Viktualmarket (Dreifaltigkeitsplatz 3). This was our best meal in Munich and one of the top 3 of the trip. Several of us ordered their prix fixe meal which included an excellent veal carpaccio, delicious lobster bisque soup, a wonderful roast duck breast and a plate with a small assortment of desserts. One word of warning, the street is not listed on most maps. I had the front desk at the hotel help us find it on a map and we probably looked at 3-4 different maps before she took me to this VERY large map they had hanging on the wall – then we finally found it. It is located in a very charming square right behind the Viktualmarket – when you see the Subway (sandwich store) you are headed to the right plaza – a good landmark, but really incongruous in this otherwise charming location. Make a reservation – it was packed when we were there.
Oh, before I go on I wanted to mention that before we left on the trip, DH had purchased a Flip Video. It is a new video camera that isn’t any bigger than a cell phone. It takes very basic videos (i.e. no zoom, etc.) but at about $150-$180 he figured it might be something that would keep DS occupied and he would enjoy. It turned out to be a big hit!! So small he could keep it in his pocket, and he really enjoyed taking quick videos of a lot of fun things – and kept him occupied on some of the car trips as he would video us and himself and then he would watch them. I figure it will also be helpful for those school projects when you have to make a quick video. It hooks straight into your computer and you just download it directly. When we saw something cool, we would tell him to “Flip it!!”
Next up drive to Prague.
Today we started out at the Residenz, the former residence of Bavarian Kings. We used the audioguides which we thought were well done and informative. Next we did the Treasury which is quite interesting, particularly the Crown Jewels. In retrospect, I would have done the Treasury first. The Residenz is quite a bit longer and we were already a bit tired and hungry when we headed to the Treasury, which I actually enjoyed more, but had to go through a bit faster than I would have liked.
For lunch we ate at Blauer Bock (Sebastianplatz 9) a very upscale modern/hip restaurant. It was a bit expensive for lunch but the food was excellent and the service was impeccable. We enjoyed stroganoff, fish and veal, It is attached to the Blaur Bock hotel, but they are actually very different. The hotel has a much more traditional Bavarian décor rather than the modern décor of the restaurant.
We explored and shopped around the Marienplatz after lunch before heading back to the hotel for a rest. Much of the shopping around the Marienplatz is typical European shopping – H&M, Zara, etc. Not a lot of small locally run shops. We don’t mind since we live in a small town where retail is minimal (closest Nordstrom is a 4 hr. drive away), so we always enjoy shopping on our trips. However, with the euro at 1.55 it did put a damper on this favorite pastime of ours….
For dinner we ate at La Fiorentina (Goethestrasse 41), a small Italian trattoria located close to our hotel. We were delighted to be greeted by a friendly “Buena sera” and had a wonderful Italian meal. Our waiter only spoke Italian and German which made it fun to communicate. There is a regular menu in English, but a very long list of wonderful specials is hand written on a long sheet of paper in what appeared to be an interesting combo. of italian and german. We really enjoyed our meal here and appreciated the close proximity to our hotel.
MUNICH DAY 3
We started out at the Rathaus and took the elevator up to the towers. There is a very nice view from up there, and we had no wait to go up. We visited the Fraukenkirche and then it was 11:00, just in time for the glockenspiel to go off.
From here DH & DS headed off to the BMW Welt while the rest of us decided to go to the Schwabing area. What I had read in my guidebook was that there might be some more interesting shopping in that area. We ended up going to two different areas in Schwabing and never really found anything that was any different than the Marienplatz area. We enjoyed a nice Bavarian lunch at Unter Simple on Turkenstrasse, where we were finally able to order the elusive weisswurste (every other time I tried to order it they were already out) which were creamy and delicious. DD had a yummy beef consommé with semolina dumplings – which would continue as a favorite throughout the trip – sometimes it was served with sliced thin pancakes instead of the dumplings.
Not enthralled with the Schwabing area we headed back to the city center and explored the Viktualmarkt. We had originally planned to spend some time in the Englischergarten, but while we were in Munich the weather was cooler and drizzly most of the time, so we decided not to head over there – something for our next trip.
On the other side of town the boys thoroughly enjoyed the BMW Welt. Hubby loved to look at the new cars and there are apparently tons of interactive exhibits which kept DS enthralled. The BMW museum wouldn’t be opening until we were in Prague, but we would have a chance to go there on our return to Munich before flying home. Guys also enjoyed a great lunch at the restaurant in the Welt.
For dinner we ate at Zum Alten Markt just behin the Viktualmarket (Dreifaltigkeitsplatz 3). This was our best meal in Munich and one of the top 3 of the trip. Several of us ordered their prix fixe meal which included an excellent veal carpaccio, delicious lobster bisque soup, a wonderful roast duck breast and a plate with a small assortment of desserts. One word of warning, the street is not listed on most maps. I had the front desk at the hotel help us find it on a map and we probably looked at 3-4 different maps before she took me to this VERY large map they had hanging on the wall – then we finally found it. It is located in a very charming square right behind the Viktualmarket – when you see the Subway (sandwich store) you are headed to the right plaza – a good landmark, but really incongruous in this otherwise charming location. Make a reservation – it was packed when we were there.
Oh, before I go on I wanted to mention that before we left on the trip, DH had purchased a Flip Video. It is a new video camera that isn’t any bigger than a cell phone. It takes very basic videos (i.e. no zoom, etc.) but at about $150-$180 he figured it might be something that would keep DS occupied and he would enjoy. It turned out to be a big hit!! So small he could keep it in his pocket, and he really enjoyed taking quick videos of a lot of fun things – and kept him occupied on some of the car trips as he would video us and himself and then he would watch them. I figure it will also be helpful for those school projects when you have to make a quick video. It hooks straight into your computer and you just download it directly. When we saw something cool, we would tell him to “Flip it!!”
Next up drive to Prague.
Jul 10th, 2008, 05:03 AM
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Hi jgg! Welcome back and great start to your report. I am especially glad the hotel thing worked out after all that angst.
I am bookmarking this to follow along, but feel guilty and vow not to fully enjoy it until I get my own trip report from Greece started. We returned 2 weeks ago, but I have been so swamped that I still working on the photos and just finished my trip notes.
Greece was awesome and a great place for a family. I promise to get my report started soon.
I am bookmarking this to follow along, but feel guilty and vow not to fully enjoy it until I get my own trip report from Greece started. We returned 2 weeks ago, but I have been so swamped that I still working on the photos and just finished my trip notes.
Greece was awesome and a great place for a family. I promise to get my report started soon.
Jul 10th, 2008, 05:47 AM
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Hello jgg
This is great! Not only is your report easy to read, but your details are terrific! We'll be traveling throughout southern Germany beginning next week, so your tips are much appreciated!
<i>"We were all banging on the door and trying to get it open to no avail."</i>
When we traveled with our children, we too always tried to have rules of where to meet if we got lost. I'm so glad your story had a good ending.
Now, I'm going to try to find the Zum Alten Markt on my map. Sounds too delicious to pass up!
I'll be right here, waiting for your next installment.
Happy travels!
This is great! Not only is your report easy to read, but your details are terrific! We'll be traveling throughout southern Germany beginning next week, so your tips are much appreciated!
<i>"We were all banging on the door and trying to get it open to no avail."</i>
When we traveled with our children, we too always tried to have rules of where to meet if we got lost. I'm so glad your story had a good ending.
Now, I'm going to try to find the Zum Alten Markt on my map. Sounds too delicious to pass up!
I'll be right here, waiting for your next installment.
Happy travels!
Jul 12th, 2008, 10:10 AM
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Glad you are all enjoying it. Sorry for the long breaks - but life gets in the way!! Fun4all4 - don't feel guilty - if you noticed I'm not incl. pictures at the end of each post (maybe at the end of the report!!)
DRIVE TO PRAGUE
Since there were 6 of us plus our luggage we had to rent a van big enough to hold all of us and our luggage. There were some 7 passenger vans but when we looked at the dimensions, we were really worried we would have a problem with the luggage, so we decided to rent a 9 passenger van instead. I was really worried that it would just be HUGE but it really was fairly compact. There were three rows that would seat 3 people each (incl. the front row with driver). So we had tons of room as we sat 2 in each row. We rented with Andrew Bestor at www.gemut.com who was extremely helpful. DH and my Dad picked up the car from Europecar near the train station. We had told them we were driving in the Czech Republic and I had been told you couldn’t take Mercedes or Audis into the Czech Republic but they gave us a Mercedes van.
We found all the driving we did very easy and enjoyable. We did have a TomTom which we found very helpful. We also had a large map and I had printed out maps from Yahoo Maps, so we were pretty covered for all eventualities. However, TomTom never let us down. It took us about 4 hours driving time from Munich to Prague. Shortly after we crossed the border into the Czech Republic we stopped for gas and food and to buy our vignette sticker for the car. I took DS to the McDonald’s there which was the nicest McD’s I’ve ever been in. It was very hip and modern inside, and aside from the area where you order you would never know it was a McD’s.
We arrived at Hotel Savic in Prague. This is a great hotel in an excellent location. Again, my only issue was we had three rooms and they were scattered all over the hotel (and this res. was made months before). However, the rooms are very large with beautiful bathrooms, great beds, nice storage armoire, air conditioning etc. It is well located within walking distance to everything, really just 2-3 blocks from the main square, but we were pleasantly surprised that we didn’t hear too much street noise. The people at the front desk were very helpful and pleasant. The breakfast was very good, and had some wonderful fruit – particularly the watermelon. There were also some buffet hot selections – eggs, sausage, potatoes, small pancakes and grilled vegetables.
DH and my Dad headed over to the covered, monitored parking garage to park the car and the rest of us hit the streets. Wow! I was really enjoying Prague. Charming narrow cobblestoned streets with beautiful buildings and quaint stores. We do a bit of shopping – we really enjoy the smaller local shops and then head to Old Town Square just in time to see the astronomical clock go off. The square is just amazing. The Tyne Church is spectacular.
Today was actually DD’s 16th birthday so I had made a dinner reservation at Kampa Park on the other side of the Charles Bridge. We walked leisurely there across the bridge taking in the incredible views of the castle and the city. We have a wonderful dinner as we sit outside with a view of the river and the Charles Bridge. Our food was very good and service was good, although a bit slower towards the end of the meal. This was a wonderful place to have a special occasion meal, but a bit expensive for just a regular dinner.
As we walked back across the bridge and turned around to look at the castle as the sun is setting I am overwhelmed by the stunning view.
DRIVE TO PRAGUE
Since there were 6 of us plus our luggage we had to rent a van big enough to hold all of us and our luggage. There were some 7 passenger vans but when we looked at the dimensions, we were really worried we would have a problem with the luggage, so we decided to rent a 9 passenger van instead. I was really worried that it would just be HUGE but it really was fairly compact. There were three rows that would seat 3 people each (incl. the front row with driver). So we had tons of room as we sat 2 in each row. We rented with Andrew Bestor at www.gemut.com who was extremely helpful. DH and my Dad picked up the car from Europecar near the train station. We had told them we were driving in the Czech Republic and I had been told you couldn’t take Mercedes or Audis into the Czech Republic but they gave us a Mercedes van.
We found all the driving we did very easy and enjoyable. We did have a TomTom which we found very helpful. We also had a large map and I had printed out maps from Yahoo Maps, so we were pretty covered for all eventualities. However, TomTom never let us down. It took us about 4 hours driving time from Munich to Prague. Shortly after we crossed the border into the Czech Republic we stopped for gas and food and to buy our vignette sticker for the car. I took DS to the McDonald’s there which was the nicest McD’s I’ve ever been in. It was very hip and modern inside, and aside from the area where you order you would never know it was a McD’s.
We arrived at Hotel Savic in Prague. This is a great hotel in an excellent location. Again, my only issue was we had three rooms and they were scattered all over the hotel (and this res. was made months before). However, the rooms are very large with beautiful bathrooms, great beds, nice storage armoire, air conditioning etc. It is well located within walking distance to everything, really just 2-3 blocks from the main square, but we were pleasantly surprised that we didn’t hear too much street noise. The people at the front desk were very helpful and pleasant. The breakfast was very good, and had some wonderful fruit – particularly the watermelon. There were also some buffet hot selections – eggs, sausage, potatoes, small pancakes and grilled vegetables.
DH and my Dad headed over to the covered, monitored parking garage to park the car and the rest of us hit the streets. Wow! I was really enjoying Prague. Charming narrow cobblestoned streets with beautiful buildings and quaint stores. We do a bit of shopping – we really enjoy the smaller local shops and then head to Old Town Square just in time to see the astronomical clock go off. The square is just amazing. The Tyne Church is spectacular.
Today was actually DD’s 16th birthday so I had made a dinner reservation at Kampa Park on the other side of the Charles Bridge. We walked leisurely there across the bridge taking in the incredible views of the castle and the city. We have a wonderful dinner as we sit outside with a view of the river and the Charles Bridge. Our food was very good and service was good, although a bit slower towards the end of the meal. This was a wonderful place to have a special occasion meal, but a bit expensive for just a regular dinner.
As we walked back across the bridge and turned around to look at the castle as the sun is setting I am overwhelmed by the stunning view.
Jul 12th, 2008, 02:16 PM
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PRAGUE DAY 1
We booked a guide through www.prague-guide.info/ as Sarka is highly recommended here and on TripAdvisor. She was unavailable but we had her father, Milan, who was wonderful. He took us for a tour of the Jewish Quarter. He was a great guide very interesting and informative. My only complaint was that he seemed so concerned about us having to pay money to go inside the cemetery or inside certain synagogues, that he kept trying to get us to sort of “sneak” in or just look at the cemetery through the gates. I finally told him that I didn’t mind spending the money, I came all the way here and really did want to go inside, particularly the Cemetery and the Old Synagogue. We enjoyed them both, especially the cemetery and Milan had several more interesting stories to tell as we wandered through it. The Pinska synagogue is particularly interesting as it has engraved on its walls all the names of the Czech Jews who disappeared during the holocaust.
For lunch we ate at KolKovna (V Kolkovně 8) located not far from the Jewish Quarter and Old Town Square. This looks like a big pub so I wasn’t expecting much, but the food was actually really good (in fact we went back for lunch on our last day in Prague). We did a bit more shopping and then headed to the Torture Museum, which is just to your left before you go over the Charles Bridge. We had been to the torture museum in San Gimignano and as we were leaving there someone said, if you ever get to Prague you should see the one there. Well, of course DS remembered that so had to go there now that we were in Prague. In all honesty, I thought it was pretty much the same, but DS really enjoyed it so that was nice.
For dinner we ate at Chez Marcel (Hastalska 12) a few blocks in back of Tyne church. It is a sort of French pub/bistro. We enjoyed another great meal, particularly the pate (yum!) and had a delightful meal visiting with a couple from Chicago and enjoying the excitement as Germany was scoring in their Euro Cup Quarter Final game.
PRAGUE DAY 2
We had booked Milan again to take us to Terezin. He arrived at 9am with a van and driver. It was about a 1 hour drive out there. There are certain places that you can wander on your own, the cemetery, a small museum in the fortress, and the women’s barracks but the main part of the camp you must go through with one of their own guides. We met up with our Tour guide at 11:00am. It was a very interesting tour as we went through barracks, cells, showers, and passages. One of the most disturbing things was to realize that where the guards family’s lived (wives, children, etc.) was just behind the concrete wall where they would line people up to shoot them…..
Next, we drove about 5 minutes over to the Terezin ghetto, where people still got to live in apts. and generally live as a family, but they all knew when the trains came they were headed to places like Auschwitz. Terezin ghetto was basically just a weigh station to keep them until they were ready to be sent to a death camp. Milan took us to a secret synagogue that had been created in a small room in the basement of one of the apt. buildings. It was beautiful with much of the original wall and ceiling paintings intact. The ghetto feels pretty much like a ghost town now, although there are some people living there. They are giving rooms away as low-income housing, but apparently not too may takers.
We got back to our hotel about 2:30pm and decided to go to Au Gourmand (Dlouha 10) for lunch. This is a little patisserie which had good sandwiches and great quiche but awful service. If you wanted to sit at a table you had to wait for them to serve you there, which was fine, but they kept helping the people with “to go” orders first, which became extremely annoying.
For dinner we ate at Tri Stoleti (Misenska 4, Mala Strana). The notes I had said it was an Italian restaurant, but it really was Czech. We had a very nice dinner, not too expensive and our waitress was the friendliest we had since our arrival in Prague.
PRAGUE DAY 3
Today our plan was to go to the Prague Castle. We decided to take the tram up there. Note: the machine we got our tickets from only took coins, and you must validate your ticket after you buy it, which you can do when you enter the bus/tram. But note, that public transportation appeared to be on the honor system like Munich’s was.
Once up on the castle grounds we bought family tickets for the short tour and the audio guides. You can wander around the castle grounds for free but can’t go in any buildings nor the Golden Lane without a ticket, however, you can go inside St. Vitus’ Cathedral without a ticket. Our ticket incl. the Royal Palace, St. George’s Basilica, The Golden Lane and the Tower. I have to agree with those who say the Palace isn’t all that interesting. The audioguide was fairly interesting, but several of the rooms were closed for renovation when we were there.
As I mentioned, for St. Vitus’ Cathedral you can enter without paying, but if you have an audioguide you can go through another entrance. This turned out to be a very lucky thing for us. There was a morning mass going on when we first arrived which they said would be done at 12:00. We arrived at the cathedral about 12:30pm and mass was still going on and there was an INCREDIBLY long line all the way around the church for people waiting to go in. The line for those with audioguides was MUCH shorter. We still had to wait about another 30 minutes for the mass to end and the church to clear out. However, it was quite interesting to see the many parishoners, nuns, monks and even the Archbishop (with his red hat) leave the church.
We walked back down the hill and really had the sense that the crowds were much bigger today, maybe because it was Saturday and the weekend. We decided to have lunch at Kolkovna again, which was a good choice as Josefov (Jewish Qtr.) was pretty empty since it was Sabbath.
For dinner we had a 8pm dinner reservation at Restaurant David(21 Triezeste, Mala Strana) to celebrate our 22nd anniversary. It is located right near the American Embassy which DS likes, as he loves to stand in “America” when we are out of the country. We have another lovely meal of salmon, ghoulash, sea bass and veal. They served us complimentary champagne for our anniv. in the biggest glasses we have ever seen!!
Next up Cesky Krumlov.
Jul 13th, 2008, 07:50 PM
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Your arrival in Munich was quite similar to ours in February. We also took the S-bahn into town, and judging by the length of stops along the way, we figured the stop at the H-bahnhof would be significant. Fortunately, we exited with our 2 & 4 year old daughters and our suitcases, but when I turned around to retrieve the double-stroller, the train doors closed. I pushed in vain on the circular button and pounded on the windows. A woman who had been sitting across from us tried to open the doors, but to no avail, and the train departed. As it left, she pointed in the direction that the train was headed. So, I secured the family upstairs, whereupon our 2 year old furrowed her brows, stifled tears and determinedly said "Daddy, let's get our stroller back!" With this directive, I purchased a ticket and took the train to the next station. However, I did not see the woman or our stroller. So, I purchased another ticket and returned to the h-bhf, but still no sign of her. So, I left DS with the luggage, while I took the kids and searched for the lost and found to put in a claim in case the stroller showed up. Eventually, we found the lost and found office, and told the attendant that we had lost a stroller. She asked how long ago, and I said about 15 minutes. She said wait a minute, disappeared, opened the door, and dragged out our stroller. The nice woman on the train had returned to the h-bhf with our stroller and lugged it to lost and found! Although, our kids were pleased to see the return of our stroller, over the next several days, our two year old repeatedly asked me, "Daddy, why did you leave the stroller on the train?" My explanations were unsatisfactory.
On about our second day at the hotel (which all, but overlooked the Octoberfest grounds), DS plugged in a 110 volt surge protector into the wall socket. There was a loud pop and flash, and our room lights went out. We too, were thinking of the Ashton Kutcher movie. We looked in the hall, but it looked like the rest of the lights in the hotel were on. Fortunately, our bathroom lights still worked. Since it was late, we waited until morning to tell the reception. The lights were fixed when we returned that evening.
I'm glad to read that we are in good company with some of our exploits!
On about our second day at the hotel (which all, but overlooked the Octoberfest grounds), DS plugged in a 110 volt surge protector into the wall socket. There was a loud pop and flash, and our room lights went out. We too, were thinking of the Ashton Kutcher movie. We looked in the hall, but it looked like the rest of the lights in the hotel were on. Fortunately, our bathroom lights still worked. Since it was late, we waited until morning to tell the reception. The lights were fixed when we returned that evening.
I'm glad to read that we are in good company with some of our exploits!
