Let me start by saying, this is a REALLY picturesque place. With the famous Charles Bridge going across the Vltava River and Prague Castle in the background, you really do feel like you’ve stepped back in time. From what I’ve learned, Prague was one of the European cities least damaged by the bombs during WWII, which is one of the reason so many beautiful old buildings still stand. It is also a very walkable city, and we sure have hiked around! In addition, they have a very nice above ground tram system as well as an underground metro. It has been interesting to see how differently people here (and in Berlin, for that matter) interact compared to the Spaniards and I’m guessing the Italians will be. They are much more reserved here, not a lot of small talk or smiling when they interact with you, most notably wait staff in restaurants and shop clerks. Of course, I don’t mean that to be a blanket statement, since we have encountered some really nice folks as well! The weather has been actually colder than Germany and I don’t think the high temperature has gotten above the mid 20’s the whole time we’ve been here.
Probably the biggest adjustment for me has been getting used to the smoking. It appears that the general tendency towards making public places non-smoking around much of Europe has not really been embraced here. Consequently, when you duck into a coffee shop to warm up or a restaurant for a bite to eat, you’re more than likely going to encounter a room full of smoke. So in the winter especially you have to make a choice - do you deal with the cold outside or the often heavy smoke inside? Of course, I don’t fault people for choosing to smoke and I’ve certainly met very considerate smokers, but it does make it a bit challenging for a non-smoker to enjoy a meal under those conditions. I actually think that explains the scratchy throat I’ve had the last couple of days. Nuff said……….
We leave tomorrow morning for Rome and have been enjoying planning our time in Italy. We splurged here and purchased a travel book for Italy since it looks like we’re going to spend about three weeks there. It’s looking like we’re going to spend the first five days in Rome - we found a great deal on a VRBO apartment - and then about a week or so in the Naples area and then about the same time in the Florence and Tuscany regions. Man, are we looking forward to warmer weather!
Probably the biggest adjustment for me has been getting used to the smoking. It appears that the general tendency towards making public places non-smoking around much of Europe has not really been embraced here. Consequently, when you duck into a coffee shop to warm up or a restaurant for a bite to eat, you’re more than likely going to encounter a room full of smoke. So in the winter especially you have to make a choice - do you deal with the cold outside or the often heavy smoke inside? Of course, I don’t fault people for choosing to smoke and I’ve certainly met very considerate smokers, but it does make it a bit challenging for a non-smoker to enjoy a meal under those conditions. I actually think that explains the scratchy throat I’ve had the last couple of days. Nuff said……….
We leave tomorrow morning for Rome and have been enjoying planning our time in Italy. We splurged here and purchased a travel book for Italy since it looks like we’re going to spend about three weeks there. It’s looking like we’re going to spend the first five days in Rome - we found a great deal on a VRBO apartment - and then about a week or so in the Naples area and then about the same time in the Florence and Tuscany regions. Man, are we looking forward to warmer weather!
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