Europhia Chapter 21: Czech Republic - Prague

Took a coach from Vienna to Prague. Didn't realise there was a toilet in the coach, so ended up paying to visit a hotel toilet...zzz. Partly due to communication barriers too. The bus driver didn't know what I was saying when I asked for the toilet.

Czech is the only country, categorized under 'Eastern Europe', that I visited during the trip. Eastern Europe countries like Hungary, Poland, Croatia, are less-visited compared to the western counterparts, and are considered more exotic in Europe.

If not for good recommendations, I wouldn't have visited Czech (or specifically Prague) on my own. Prague is considered as the more developed city within the Eastern region. Prices of goods are more affordable than other cities I've been to so far. The architecture of buildings is prettier than I expected. =)

Prior to the trip, I only knew one thing about this place...

布拉格广场

Listening to pop songs can be quite educational hor?

This church looks like some building from a fairy tale/myth.

Statue at Old Town Square.

Town Hall

Astronomical clock. Try to tell the time!

Powder Tower. Definitely not made of powder.

Some church I guess.

Marketplace!

These witches will give off an evil laugh if you make a clap sound.

Toys galore!

Weird looking chessboards.

Came across a candy-making shop. The candy is hard, yet soft enough to mold, like plasticine.

As the candy rolls into thinner tubes, it still maintains its 'orange' cross-sectional pattern.

Care to torture yourself?

When the clock struck noon, something will happen. But we missed it. =(

Cinnamon roll. There are many food stalls at the Square.

Roast pork.

Potato croquette.

How nostalgic. There used to be lots of such fun fairs in SG.

You can ride a true merry-go-round, with real ponies.

There is someone in the middle to keep the ponies on tracks. (because sometimes they will try to take shortcuts haha)

The traditional fishing game. We spotted some kids trying to cheat by using their hands to connect the hook...

Throughout the trip I didn't bother to buy any bottled water. Just drank tap water all the way, no matter which country I went. Scotland's water tastes normal. London's and Paris' water tastes the most awful. Italy's water had a weird taste. Switzerland has the best water of all (right from the alps!). I didn't fall sick or have any stomachache at all, so this means the tap water in Europe is generally safe to drink haha. Heard even the water from Eastern Europe is relatively safe. A good money-saving tactic for budget travellers. =)

An eerie thing happened though. I was filling up water into my bottle when I realised it was super cloudy. I poured away and filled again, and it became clear...

Europhia Chapter 20: Austria - Vienna II

It's chapter 20 already. When is it going to end? Haha...

In Switzerland we lived on supermarket food. From Vienna onwards, there are more affordable street food to eat, like kebab, hotdog buns etc. Although there are some that are just trying to earn tourists' money.

Best street food? Kebab wins hands down. Delicious and filling. It is often quite large-sized that it can be taken as one full meal. Ok my mouth is watering already...

St Stephens Cathedral, with a pretty roof. This structure is large and tall enough to be observed from the skyline. (see photos in previous chapter)

Can't get a proper full-structure shot of this cathedral. The surrounding area is too small.

Its majestic interior.

You can ride the horse carriage for a city tour. (Where there are horses, there are dungs.)

Crowded, but not as crowded as tourist hot spots like Paris and Rome.

Al fresco dining triumphs here. As well as street artists.

Attracted to golden statues haha.

Schnitzel, or simply pork chop. The serving of one piece is already so large, and they even gave two! Ate until super super full...

Visited the touristy part of Vienna, where there are lots of photo-worthy cathedrals, buildings, statues, etc.

While you're admiring the view in front of you, don't forget to look at the top too.

Musical theater I think.

Parliament building.

That person is not Mozart. Talented people last time had the same hairstyle.

Outdoor concert? Haha.

Church & Girl in Bikini. Doesn't match.

Mozart House. Nothing of interest at the lobby area. Have to pay to get in.

Chinese food comes packed in such boxes. Only seen in Western countries.

Another beautiful sunset.

Travelling to so many cities indeed requires a great deal of planning. Most of the intercity travel was done by budget flights, though I took the train and coach for some. When it comes to budget flights, the greatest worry is flight delays. Fortunately, there wasn't any major delays which affected my tight schedule.

Second worry is checking-in. Budget flights have strict limits on hand-carry luggage, and they charge really expensively for excess baggage. Luckily my backpack is flexible enough to squeeze into their 'size-checking' compartment. Luggage which can't fit inside is considered as oversized. Saw many trunk-type luggage that failed the 'test', due to its protruding handle and wheels. Weight-wise, my backpack actually became quite heavy towards the end. Almost had to check-in if not for a kind counter staff who closed one eye and let me hand-carry. =p Fortunately for budget flights, weight is not a major consideration.

Third worry is getting to the airport. Transport to airport can be quite costly. Some airports can also be quite far from city centre (takes about 1 hour+) Furthermore check-in has to be done few hours before flight departure. Taking all these into consideration, while flight is a speedy option compared to train/bus, it can be rather time consuming too.