| Prague reminds me of Bratislava, unsurprisingly as they were once part of the same country. Even those who speak Czech and Slavic can mostly understand each other. As with most of the cities I've been to since Barcelona, the Old Town is once again the main tourist attraction. I tried biking through it, but the cobblestone pathways made that quite cumbersome. I also had a huge blister from playing capoeira in Munich and Vienna, so walking was not much easier at the time. On the first night, I went to a Reggae bar with some people from the hostel, and while that itself is not noteworthy, the atmosphere of a bar that felt like a small cave is definitely pretty cool. The Czech Republic's most defining piece of recent history is being controlled by the Soviets as Czechoslovakia. The museum of communism isn't quite in the city square, but it's worth checking out. Compiled by an American historian, the museum includes a lot of documentation of post-WW2 Soviet Union as well as some aspects of other communist regimes, i.e. North Korea. |
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I just checked into the airport to fly to Geneva with Easyjet, which was the cheapest flight to Switzerland. I've specifically been carrying around a backpack and carry-on bag. So naturally I say I'm not checking luggage in.
They tell me at the gate I need to pay 40€ for not declaring I'm checking luggage. I'm sorry, what? No, this is a carry-on. We only allow one item on board. Well, this backpack is a personal item. Only one. It was all over the website. So, exactly what year is it that there are still airlines which don't allow a personal item, and charge you extra when there's confusion? Seriously, travel through Europe is absolutely an inconvenience at best. Update: The overhead bins are nowhere near capacity and my backpack fits under the seat. This was definitely just for getting more money, but for any safety reasons.
You know how in the movies, there's the scene where the character is sitting in train, looking out the window? It have you heard countless stories about saving money on hostels by taking an overnight train? What they don't show is how much our character pays.
Maybe if you're under 26, this is a possibility, but the euro rail pass, I determined, would hardly be worth it on my trip. So, I'm taking it step by step. As it turns it, transportation in Europe I'd REALLY extensive. A train ride lasting a few hours can easily cost $150. My euro star trip did, and since then I haven't taken any major trip by train. Crazy enough, even flying is cheaper sometimes. My host in Edinburgh even said she's planning on taking a plane to London instead of a train. Remember, this is a domestic trip, what exactly causes a train to be so much more expensive? I'm already looking into bus trips to Munich. Most other bus trips would take over 6 hours, but this one should be only 30€ and three hours. Ride sharing through blablacar has been pretty popular here too. After checking my bank account today, I'm definitely in need of more affordable options. The way if the spontaneous budget traveler is, sadly, a thing of the past.
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September 2015
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