May 18, 2014
We packed up early this morning and drove into the center of the city for a morning walking tour. The weather was crummy again, so we all bundled up and drew our hoods before heading off into this rainy Vienna morning.
Jon Snow led us around some of the main sights in Vienna before turning us loose for a bit of free time to explore. Shandi, Alex and I ditched the boys and went straight to Hotel Sacher Café, home of the original Sacher torte, a delicious chocolate cake. We wanted to cuddle up with come coffee and cake and enjoy this rainy morning from indoors.
Café Sacher will go down in (my) history as the place where I had the single best cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my life. This mocha coffee came with a shot of cherry brandy on the side, which you could add to your taste. I added the whole thing, because of course I did, and it was the single most delicious coffee in the world…I’m pretty sure.
After this amazing coffee and cake, we rejoined the group on the bus and hit the road. Today, we would head to Prague in the Czech Republic. This would be an interesting stop – we would need to get new currency (switching to the Czech Crown), and switch to yet another new language.
Our first Czech experience was an interesting one. We rolled up to a rest stop that was completely different from the others we’d experienced on tour. This one had dragons and castles and airplanes, and no, I’m not kidding. It felt like a mega version of a miniature golf course. Confused, I grabbed lunch with the girls before jumping back on the bus.
Czech countryside.
Soon, we were rolling into Prague. Our first stop was Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. The hill where these sit also offers an absolutely amazing view of the city.
We caught the cathedral five minutes before it was supposed to close for the day, so we ran in for a few photos. I was mesmerized by the stained glass – some of the most beautiful I’d ever seen.
Never take them inside a church.
We checked into Ibis Praha Mala Strana, our hotel for the next two nights. After getting into our rooms and freshening up, we went downstairs for an included dinner at the hotel. Dinner was pretty good, with a salad bar and buffet spread, featuring meats, pastas and plenty of sides.
After dinner, we walked to a shopping mall next to the hotel, where Jon Snow had booked us for a couple games of 10-pin bowling. We had a blast playing – I forgot how much fun bowling can be!
After bowling, we all jumped on the tram and went into the city to find a club. Pat and I got separated from the group and ended up getting momentarily lost in Prague. We couldn’t get ahold of anyone without having wifi, so we packed it in and took a cab back to the hotel and got to bed early. I was actually thankful for this the next day, since I ended up being plenty awake for a day filled with fun as we explored this unique city.
Next up: Cruises, sex museums and ghost stories
Check out my other Contiki posts:
Introduction: An American Girl in Europe
Day 1: Oh hey, London
Day 2: Bonjour, Paris!
Day 3: Parisian Adventures
Day 4: Lookin’ Good, Switzerland
Day 5: All Things Swiss
Day 6: Switzerland, Italy, France…oh my!
Day 7: Bond. James Bond.
Day 8: Buongiorno Italia!
Day 9: When in Rome
Day 10: That’s Amore
Day 11: Vatican City to Venice
Day 12: The Last Italian Adventure
Day 13: Hop-fer-gerten
Day 14: Soaring Over Austria
Day 15: München
Day 16: Bittersweet Symphonies
Day 17: Vienna to Prague
Day 18: Ahoj, Prague!
Day 19: St. Goar, Rhine Valley
Day 20: Amsterdamage
Day 21: Even more Amsterdamage
Day 22: Back to the Start
Day 23/24: The End of a Great Adventure
Contiki in a Nutshell: Know Before You Go
Contiki: What Should I Pack?