Czechmate

This nine-week trip is winding down now, with just a few days left. Prague is the only city I’ve visited during these weeks where I wish I had more time. Everywhere else I’ve felt sated, and comfortable to move on.

That said, I’m excited to return to Asheville, mainly to be able to see Colleen, family, and friends, but also to get back to the mountains with so much beautiful nature and innumerable hiking opportunities. It will of course also be nice to not have to live out of a suitcase and to be able to stay in one place for weeks or months at a time! Haha. Next week for Thanksgiving I’ll have much for which to be thankful, including a new niece whom I’ve only seen in person twice!

While I very much look forward to many future visits to Prague, hopefully with some side trips to the Croatian coast, I currently feel sated with European travel in general, certainly for the foreseeable future. It’s time to branch out and try new continents! But then again, as Major Meander, who knows what I’ll be motivated to do??

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For those that like superlatives and lists, here are some prizes for the nine cities on this adventure, with me as sole judge:

• Favorite overall city: Prague, but you already knew that!
• Most livable city (by far): Prague (thank you as always for your unparalleled beauty, quiet, comfort, affordability, good food and drink, and English-speaking expat groups, and for so graciously hosting my daughter)
• Most interesting city to visit: Budapest (thanks for keeping my schedule completely filled and for providing an excellent doctor who healed me)
• Quirkiest city: Zagreb (thanks for having me back for the fifth time and for being your weird lovable self)
• Best Nepalese food city (sorry, that’s the best I can do for you, Lisbon): Lisbon (thanks for setting the stage for cherishing the transition back to Prague even more)
• Top day-trip city: Sintra (thanks for welcoming me to experience your natural and man-made beauties)
• Most affordable cities: Wrocław and Krakow (thanks for pleasant stays and for tasty and filling affordable meals)
• Most surprisingly fun city: Bratislava (thanks for offering unique and memorable experiences like the Swedish conversation group and the Devín race)
• Friendliest city: Porto (thanks for being such a unique and memorable place with smiling people and beautiful coastline)
• Recommended cities for best short-term touristic stays, in descending order: Prague, Krakow, Budapest, Sintra, Porto

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Here are some assorted photos from around Prague:

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Bonus side note #1: Restaurants in Europe don’t always offer a restroom. I’m not sure if it’s based on country rules, so it might vary by country. But after a long day exploring a city and then having a meal and a drink or two, it would be reasonable to expect that a restroom break might be in order. But that’s often easier said than done. In Prague, we always stay in a neighborhood that’s not very close to the core of downtown, so it usually isn’t reasonable to try to go back to the apartment. So I’ve learned over time where restrooms are available in various locations around town, albeit not always free. So a tip is to carry around enough change to be able to pay for a restroom trip if needed. In Prague there are malls I can think of where you can even use a credit card to pay for restroom use! I also know of a mall in downtown where the restrooms are free and easily accessible. And Sofia’s school, AAU, has a cafe with free restrooms that are easy to use without having to actually buy anything at the cafe. We’re paying enough, I believe, to justify use of their restrooms once every several months.

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Bonus side note #2: Curtain-sided transfer trucks are quite popular in Europe, and they may be the most popular style based on my observations. I’m not used to seeing these in the US, but I see the practicality of being able to load basically any shape or size from various sides and angles. It’s a very flexible solution. But on the surface it seems like a theft risk, and indeed I found a site that says “curtain slashing [is] the cause of the majority of losses [from cargo truck contents theft]”.

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Today’s dad joke: What happens if I lose the fob to my hotel room in Prague?

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Today’s limerick:

I'll miss you, wonderful city of Prague
Nay, there's no other city analog
Your spires and your bridges
Your valleys and your ridges
This is not goodbye, no, it's a prologue. 

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Today’s travel quote:

It’s a pity that you cannot leave yourself behind before embarking on some journeys. Sometimes I’d prefer a different travel partner.

Scott Hicks