Prague, Czech Republic

If anywhere else in Europe wanted to rival Paris as a "city museum," it might well be Prague. The central area of the city was almost something out of a Disney fairytale at times with its cobblestone streets and castle and cathedral up top the hill.

I visited Prague while traveling around Europe with friends in 2012, and we arrived by train from Berlin. 

Figuring out transportation was immediately challenging due to a lack of English explaining the train system and the sudden switch to Czech crowns from euros. We managed to figure it out, settling into our room at the Central Prague Hotel, an affordable hotel in walking distance to most of the popular sight-seeing spots. 

Unfortunately our first meal didn't please us.

We tried out Lokál Dlouhááá, an alluring beer hall type of place. We probably just ordered the wrong dishes as this place is quite popular, but dishes like the Talián sausage and beer cheese (hey, it sounded intriguing!) didn't exactly go with our palates. The beer itself though was impressively cheap, about $1.00USD which made it even cheaper than water! 

Old Town Square with the Church of Our Lady before Týn

We started the next day grabbing a bite at one of the food stands in Old Town Square, which were in the same area as the famous Church of Our Lady before Týn [CZ].

We picked up some ham, bread and sauerkraut potatoes, but struggled to order and ended up with a huge chunk of ham and paid way more than we expected to. 0-2 on food at this point, but our quest to find good food ended up with a win with our last meal (bottom)!

Walking from the Square to the castle, we passed by other notable attractions like the 600 year old Prague Astronomical Clock (Pražský orloj) and Colloredo-Mansfeldský palác, an old palace that had funky art installations in the courtyard right before the Charles Bridge (Karlův most). There were a variety of artists and street performers on bridge, and the views from it are amazing, especially at sunset (pic at top).

Another view from the Charles Bridge at sunset

There are some hills to walk up, but it's worth it.

St. Vitus Cathedral

Guard at Prague Castle

Deciding to explore the town below after hanging out in gardens watching a robotic lawnmower keep the grass immaculate, we walked the streets and checked out a small festival. I'm not sure if it's an every day event, but there were folk singing groups, metal sculptors and trdelník doughnut cake stands amongst others in an area near the Charles Bridge.

Locks and a troll next to a watermill wheel on the Devil's Channel (Čertovka)

In the evening, we went on a segway tour with Prague Segway Tours.

The cobblestone streets and hills take some getting used to especially if it's your first time riding one (it was mine). Our guide was friendly and took us up the hill and back down, explaining buildings, sculptures like the Crawling Babies, the Lennon Wall and the country's history, focusing particularly its former relationship with the old Soviet Union.

Lesser Town Bridge Tower

At the end of the tour, we asked our guide for a recommendation on some authentic Czech beer. He said a restaurant back at the top of the hill with a beer called Matuška would not disappoint, so we booked it back up before they took their last seating.

Getting to the restaurant wasn't so smooth, however.

We mistakenly sat at Bellavista, an outdoor restaurant overlooking the city. Amazing, or so we thought. After realizing our mistake when they told us they didn't serve the beer, we got up and left before we ordered to some less than thrilled servers.

After searching the nearby area, we found the restaurant but walked into what seemed like a private banquet party - we felt the stares of about a hundred people. Walking through to the other room, we found some empty seats, sat down and had the best last dinner in Prague that we could've asked for.

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Velká klášterní

Without a doubt the best food we had in Prague. Located in a converted 17th century monastery, next to the Strahov Monastery Brewery, the ambiance is like a casual beer hall with bench seats. We ordered 2 appetizers: Piquant pickled Heremelin cheese and the Prague butcher platter. Each of us got different main dishes but they were all excellent. And of course the Matuška beer - I'm no beer sommelier but it was extremely smooth and one of my favorite beers I've ever had. Period.

http://klasternirestaurace.cz

Matuška beer: http://www.pivovarmatuska.cz

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Berlin, Germany

Berliner Dome on Museum Island

Berlin, to me, had an interesting mix of high efficiency and order that you'd find in a place like Japan, mixed with that wild and free vibe that you could feel in the States. 

Germany, particularly Berlin, always seemed intimidating to me at some level due to the history, as dumb as that may be. I quickly found a lot of things about the city that I liked however, like the balance I mentioned, and I was able to have a really good stay.

I visited the city with a couple of friends while on a trip around Europe together in 2012.

We arrived at Berlin Central station by ICE train in the evening, coming in from Brussels. From there, we caught a train to Senefelderplatz station where we had rented an apartment to stay at through Pfefferbett, a hostel that also rents out properties that they own in the area.

Despite having some key problems, the apartment was located conveniently near two stations, was quiet, and nicely decorated. There was remote window blinds in the master bedroom, and the apartment had large glass doors that either opened up to a fairly large balcony or could be vented slightly as windows. 

The Walking Tour

On our first full day, we joined a free Sandemans New Europe walking tour that started at Brandenburg gate (it seems that many do).

Our guide was actually a British expat who fell in love with the city and never returned home, learning a lot of interesting facts during her stay so that she could provide us with some amazing information about the things we saw.

Some of the sights we visited were the Holocaust Memorial (below), the last Nazi building which became a tax office, Checkpoint Charlie (which is quite touristy), Bebelplatz memorial, the purposely regular parking lot where Hitler's bunker used to be, and finally ended up at Museum Island. Even though it was a free tour, most of us gave a tip because of how informative she was.

The Holocaust Memorial, beautifully designed and very impactful.

The Berlin Wall at the Topography of Terror.

Fall leaves on Museum Island.

Berlin was relatively easy to get around on our own once we finished the tour.

A lot of the main tourist spots are within walking distance or easily accessible by train. The city is big but not overcrowded, and it's quite clean. Even the public restrooms are clean, really clean actually, although you do have to pay a small fee to use most of them (makes sense).

We decided to check out the iconic TV Tower one evening.

Before heading up, we ventured around the neighboring Alexanderplatz station, where there was a small open market with shops and food stalls selling local eats like deep fried potatoes with applesauce.

Berlin TV Tower

To end our day, we went to grab a bite of currywurst (a German fast food dish - sausage with ketchup and curry powder) at CurryKultur, a random outdoor eatery nearby our apartment before heading to Qum Bar, a hookah/shisha bar right down the street from it. 

The next day, we roamed the city on our own to sights such as the Reichstag government building and the Berlin Wall at the Topography of Terror where you can learn everything about the Nazis and what they did.

We later headed out to the Friedrichshain area, a more hippie/bar type of neighborhood, to see the Oberbaumbrücke Bridge and the East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall.

Oberbaumbrücke Bridge and artwork from the nearby Eastside Gallery below.

We went to a REWE - a supermarket near our apartment. It's always interesting to check out a local supermarket to compare with your own. It was pretty big, and it resembled an American market pretty closely - brightly lit, spacious, well air-conditioned. Prices seemed to be quite cheap as well.

After picking up a few supplies, we went to catch the last few minutes of an outdoor street fair near Brandenburg Gate that happened to be the celebration of the Berlin Wall's takedown. Big bratwursts, beer and Jäger on tap.

I wish we had at least another day or two in the city. There was definitely a lot more to see and experience. I'll just have to put it on the list of places to go back.

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Hasir

A Turkish restaurant that we randomly sat down for a late lunch at. It's off the main street, so it's quiet with a little bit of outdoor seating. The food was tasty, nicely presented and the service was decent. 

TripAdvisor

Maison Courage

Nice hearty German food that was nearby our apartment. Sausage, pork, chicken, some green beans and a baked potato. The atmosphere of the restaurant was almost like a dimly lit home.

(I found out that this place closed down)

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Brussels, Belgium

Brussels, particularly the central area near Grand Place, is really beautiful. I visited the city on a trip around Europe with a couple of friends, between stays in Antwerp and Berlin.

We stayed at the Floris Hotel Arlequin Grand Place, a short walk from Brussels Central station and conveniently located near Grand Place. It was a three-person room in a renovated building with an upstairs loft and windows overlooking the alley below.

While wandering around, we came across Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. It's the area's central shopping mall, and had a bunch of luxury shops and random boutiques under a beautiful, enclosed, glass ceiling.

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

While there were a lot of tourists exploring the city, it was never overwhelming. The only time that there was an over-abundance of tourists crowding in an area was on our walk to check out the Manneken PIs, the famous Brussels statues of little boys peeing. Odd when you think about it, but if you're in town, it's just one of those things that you have to check out.

Manneken PI

Brussels overall was gorgeous and a great stop, but we did have an issue at a restaurant a block away from Grand Place. We went to get some mussels, famous in the country, and weren't exactly given an honest price. The bill was a bit of a shock. When we were getting seated, we noticed a pissed off group of tourists getting ready to leave - they were probably mad about the same thing. I don't remember what the name of the place was, unfortunately, but just make sure you're extra clear on the prices you'll be paying.

Walk the alleys, grab a seat at an outdoor cafe, eat some waffles (try Waffle Factory), and find some good chocolate. And last but not least, if you're lucky enough to be in the city on a clear night, do spend some time in Grand Place (photo at the top).

It would've been nice to have more time to really explore the city, of course, but given that we had a limited amount of time to split between each European destination on our itinerary, 1.5 days in Brussels seemed to be about right.

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Pierre Marcolini

It's already internationally famous, but Pierre Marcolini was started right here in Brussels. Their shop here is a lot bigger than the others that I've seen - 2 full floors of chocolates of all types. I went with some assorted packs and a chocolate-covered marshmallow. There's a bunch of other good chocolate shops nearby but you can't go wrong with this one.

https://eu.marcolini.com/

Delirium Cafe

Delirium is a popular bar near Grand Place. The basement is really lively, sometimes with live music, and they serve a few thousand different types of beer. No joke - they apparently set a world record. There are a few tables in the alley outside, which we opted for, if you want to sit down and be able to hear the conversation you're having. Definitely a good spot to try out some Belgian beers. Follow their pink elephant logo.

http://www.deliriumcafe.be

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Antwerp, Belgium

Antwerp Central station

The main area of Antwerp has a quaint feel and is very walkable. I stopped here for a day while traveling through Europe with a couple of friends, arriving at Antwerp Central station after catching a train from Amsterdam.

The station's architecture (pictured at the top) is impressive and is probably one of the nicest stations I've been to. It's organized, isn't chaotic and is clean. In fact, Antwerp as a whole was a pretty clean city.

We stayed the night at Leonardo Hotel Antwerpen, right outside the station. After putting our things down and getting settled in, we made our way to a few sights. 

Our first stop was the Cathedral of Our Lady. It's a gorgeous church with an area in the back where you can quietly take photos and watch the ongoing processions. During our time in Antwerp, this was the most memorable sight.

Cathedral of Our Lady

Het Steen castle is a small castle on the Scheldt riverside and was the final sightseeing spot on our list. We didn't walk inside, choosing to roam the area instead.

Het Steen castle with the Lange Wapper statue outside

View of the Cathedral of Our Lady from the Het Steen castle area

Antwerp Central station

Our stay in Antwerp was brief and I wish we could have explored more. We even skipped dinner...but not before getting our fill of some good treats. 

Fritkot Max

You have to get some Belgian fries when you get into Belgium, right? We hit up Fritkot Max, a pretty popular spot for fries at Groenplaats, a square near the Catheral of Our Lady. The amazing thing about this place is the variety of sauces that you can serve yourself. Curry, andalouse, tartar, samurai and a bunch more. 

http://www.fritkotmax.be

Australian Home Made Ice Cream

Ok, it's weird getting "Australian" ice cream as the name says in Belgium. This was some amazing ice cream, though, and we had to go back again for a second time. Perfectly creamy, and as you can see in the second photo, there was a crowd. We got addicted to their Speculaas (Speculoos) flavor, made after the cookies that originated in the area.

http://www.australianice.be

Quetzal

This place came as a recommendation from a friend, Kristi (if you're looking for yoga in Hawaii, check her out!), who lived in Belgium. It's located in the central area and provides some excellent sweets to take a break with as you're exploring the area. Go with anything chocolate!

http://www.quetzal.be

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

Buildings in Amsterdam - [BUY GLASS PRINT]

Amsterdam just may be my favorite city in Europe that I've visited. Beyond the image that many of us have in our minds as it being a nightlife city full of unenforced taboos, Amsterdam is just flat out gorgeous.

I've traveled to Amsterdam a couple of times - once with Contiki, a tour company for people under 35, and a second time with a couple of friends traveling around Europe on our own. After getting a taste of Amsterdam the first time, one of my friends and I knew that we just had to make it a point to go back. And so we did.

Forgoing a typical hotel, we decided to rent a boathouse from a kind, accommodating local couple for a few days with House-Boat Hotel, basically an Airbnb for Amsterdam houseboats. Fantastic choice and I recommend anyone traveling to the city to do the same. There's just something about waking up and having a cup of coffee right on the canal. Literally.

Our houseboat, the first one on the right.

Bicycle culture

You'll see very few cars around as Amsterdam is centered around bicycling, walking and public transportation. In fact, we were told that the citizens of Amsterdam were actually the ones that pushed for this. Admirable. Do know and keep in mind, however, that because bicycles are essentially their cars, they take them very seriously. Bicycle lanes are expected to be clear of pedestrians at all times, so pay full attention whenever you're walking. Bicyclists will fly by at full speed and they will get angry at you if you're standing in their "highway."

We wanted to join in on the bicycling-around-town fun so we went on a tour with MacBike, a bike shop with a location right at Amsterdam Central station. It's a nice activity if you're looking to get a little tour of the area. If you go with the organized tour, though, the pace is somewhat fast because everyone is biking fast here!

If you're not biking and want to get to destinations that are a little far for walking, there is an above and below ground metro system. The tickets are a little different from most cities as it doesn't charge by destination but by time; from when you need it first to when you need it last. It runs to Amsterdam Central station so you can conveniently catch it after riding the train in from Schiphol Airport.

The night scene?

Admittedly, we didn't "go hard" on the night scene, but we did get a glimpse. The city is pretty lively at night, nothing crazy for the most part, but people are out and about and having a good time.

If you venture into the Red Light district, you'll know. No photography is allowed while in the area and it's definitely an adults-only place. There are shops with neon-illuminated windows with girls in skimpy, scandalous outfits in them either behaving provocatively or just sitting or standing there. No nudity or anything like that, but you could guess that all that happens on the inside. There are police officers patrolling the area and they will take no nonsense. A group of guys near us seemed to be engaging in suspicious dealings and we watched a female officer - one who'd take all of us down with one hand tied behind her back with relative ease - carefully studying them with the most piercing of eyes. It was like a lion stalking its prey. Chills. She then walked right up like a boss and interrogated them without any hesitation at all. It was impressive to say the least.

Coffee shops

Coffee shops, while not a "night" thing, are scattered all around the city. There's nothing conspicuous about them, and they don't ask for ID's or passports to check if you're a local or not. It's simply a coffee shop. But with weed. Half the menu for coffee, the other half for weed. Half the people in there drinking coffee, the other half smoking. It's an extremely surreal experience.

If you find yourself looking for a bite late at night, check out a Febo (my Yelp review). It's a local fast food shop that only sells food in slots that individually open up after you pay. Fried food heaven from croquets to chicken to fries.

While there are popular tourist attractions to check out like the Anne Frank Museum or the famous local brewery's Heineken Experience, we didn't do either. We spent most of our time walking the streets, wandering into the many random shops and boutiques around the city, and hanging out at our boathouse. And while I wouldn't call myself a big Heineken fan, I drank some of the local beer on tap and will say it tastes quite a lot better than the version we get overseas.

Put on some walking shoes and just roam the streets and alleys. Amsterdam is a gorgeous city, especially when I experienced it in the fall. It's vibrant in one spot and silent and peaceful right around the corner. Its architecture and cityscape are worthy of admiration on every block, and there is no shortage of nature around. If I ever considered moving to Europe for a bit, Amsterdam would be right near the top of places I'd consider. 

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Stubbe's Haring

I had been a fan of raw fish for a long time, but mostly in sushi or sashimi form. Having it in a sandwich made me a bit nervous but I was pleasantly surprised by its lightly pickled flavor. Stubbe's Haring is already popular, and because it's located near Amsterdam Central, making it convenient to grab a bite.

TripAdvisor

 

Szmulewicz

Randomly stumbling into this restaurant one night, we ate kangaroo for dinner. The menu was quite exotic to us and a couple of us ordered the least "risky" dishes listed, only to unanimously agree that the skewered kangaroo in mango sauce was the best. Feel at ease to try something new here as you won't be disappointed.

https://www.restaurant-szmulewicz.nl

TripAdvisor

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Venice, Italy

The Grand Canal, taken from the Rialto Bridge

Venice is one of the most interesting cities because it's so different. Take a walk around and get lost, you probably will if you start to really explore. Venice, unfortunately, has become quite a tourist place and all of the main areas are geared towards their business. The backstreets and alleys is where you'll find more authentic sights.

The streets are extremely narrow and you'll find yourself surrounded by buildings making it difficult to get your bearings. But enjoy it, there's always a shop to peep into, and you'll find a lot to see and take photos of.

Gondolas in Venice with Murano in the back

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Innsbruck, Austria

I got to check out Innsbruck for half a day while on a tour around Europe with some friends through Contiki in 2010.

At that time, Austria wasn't really on my radar of places I wanted to see, but it definitely got my attention on this stop.

The central part of Innsbruck is very quaint and walkable. We were blessed with some really good weather, so we headed to the Inn river.

Inn River

At that time, I had already been to Switzerland (in 2004) and was blown away by its nature. The view from this river rivaled some of the Swiss sights. Absolute gorgeous light blue water and amazing mountains around it. 

Inn river, taken from the Innbrücke bridge.

Maria-Theresien-Straße

We walked through the town and checked out some shop along the central, Maria-Theresien-Straße street.

The most notable one was Swarovski, the Austrian crystal jewelry brand. They had a big location here, one that might tempt jewelry lovers a bit too much.

Maria-Theresien-Straße in Innsbruck, Austria

As we left the city and drove through the alps and made our way to our next stop in Venice, Italy, all I could think of how I’d love to visit Austria again.

It’s gorgeous.

Altstadt Magic Kebab

Huge pizzas and kebabs. While it wasn't exactly what I expected to eat on a trip to Innsbruck, but these didn't disappoint. There are seats in a courtyard inside as well as outside of the shop, near the Inn river.

http://magic-kebap.stadtausstellung.at
My Yelp review

McDonalds

Eating at McDonalds in every country I visit is a religious thing that I do when I travel, and I can honestly say that the McDonalds here is one of the best that I've had. There's a lot of variety and special menus galore, to the point where it was hard to choose what exactly to order. Definitely try their round fries (similar to curly fries) with sour cream dip, I haven't come across another McDonalds with that anywhere..

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Munich, Germany

The photogenic Marienplatz U-Bahn station

I got to visit Munich with some friends while on a Europe tour with Contiki in 2010. We stopped in the city for a night, coincidentally during Oktoberfest.

We spent the afternoon checking out sights around the city. We decided to catch the U-Bahn to Marienplatz, one of the main areas, then took a walk around.

Marienplatz had a lot of well known buildings. After exiting the U-Bahn around the Square, we roamed around and came across buildings like the Frauenkirche as well as a bunch of interesting shops and delis.

Frauenkirche in Munich, Germany

Keep in mind that there is not much English anywhere, so it may slow you down like it did us.

The biggest issue that we had was figuring out the U-Bahn subway system because there was no ticket gate, meaning you can technically ride the subway for free - as long as you don't get caught. It's a sort of honor system, and if you are found without a ticket when randomly checked, there are steep fines.

The same goes for other cities like Berlin. You're supposed to buy a ticket, put it in your pocket and ride.

Oktoberfest

In the evening, we headed to Oktoberfest. We were incredibly fortunate that it happened to be the 200th anniversary of the festival, meaning it was a pretty big deal.

Oktoberfest lives up to the hype; it's a full on carnival slash circus-type of affair, full of huge tents packed to the brim with people drinking beer, singing and having fun with everyone around them.

We peeped into a few different tents to take a look and compare, but realized that if we could find a seat at any one of them, we might be better off just staying put. Each of them holds at least few thousand people and were all packed.

Our third tent was the Munich-native Hofbräuhaus, one of the largest there. It took us a while to get seated, and there was only room in the standing area. Beer women came by every now and then taking orders, but you might have to be a bit aggressive to get their attention as it's crowded and everyone is talking and having a good time with the band also playing on stage. Those beer women come back with an armful, quite an impressive armful, of glasses for you.

One of the best things about Oktoberfest though? So much beer and fun and did not even see one scuffle or fight. If you can time a trip to Munich during Oktoberfest, I highly recommend it, it's a good experience.

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London

The London Eye and Big Ben, taken from the Golden Jubilee Bridges

I got to visit London for a few days with some friends while traveling on a European tour with Contiki in 2010.

I found just walking around the city to be amazing.

As an American, I really could see and feel the connection between the two countries. The influence was very visible. London is a gorgeous city though, and it also had a quaint type of feeling that I hadn't expected.

Getting Around

We split our transportation between The Tube subway and taxis. If you have more than a few people, taking a taxi may be the better deal as The Tube can be quite expensive.

The system itself is old - the train cars are rather small, and you'll find some stations with uneven floors and winding tunnels. There was even one where we had to wait for cargo-sized elevators to take everyone up.

They make for great "I'm in London" pics and will get you to where you want to go, but it wasn't exactly my favorite part of the city.

While we mostly stayed with stereotypically foods like fish and chips and lamb, the city is pretty diverse both food-wise and culturally.

And while I've heard stories of discrimination, I didn't come across anything like that and found everyone to be well-mannered.

The British Museum

An escalator down to The Tube in London - Barrettish

A street performer entertaining crowds

Stonehenge

We spend a day to check out The Stonehenge. It's worth seeing such a historical relic but do keep in mind that it takes a few hours to get to by tour bus, so it'll likely take up a huge portion of the day.

The Stonehenge

More than anything, the simple feeling of just being in London was great because like I said, there's such a connection to my own home country.

I definitely wouldn't mind a few more days at least to spend there, and hopefully I make it back sometime.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

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Paris, France

Paris is basically one big city museum. Even on my second trip to the city in 2010 (once before in 2004), I felt the same. Everything, even the random building on a side street corner, could pass as a stylish masterpiece.

Looking at the Arc de Triomphe from Champs Elysées

View of Champs Elysées from the top of the Arc de Triomphe

The Louvre is probably in the top three of everyone's itineraries. Unless you're really into historical art, it's probably way bigger than you'd expect or like. We decided to just check out the Denon Wing of the museum, as it had the famous Mona Lisa painting.

Looking up at the pyramid from inside The Louvre

At night, we checked out the sparkling Eiffel Tower, going up to the top deck. It wasn't too crowded at the time, and it gave spectacular views of the city and the Seine river running through it.

View from the Eiffel Tower

There are also boat cruise tours down below that will take you on the Seine river around a lot of the city's landmarks, like the Notre Dame cathedral.

After the boat tour, we were able to go the well known Moulin Rouge. It was a great experience, very entertaining with a little bit of cheesiness. I actually found the acts during intermissions to be equally as entertaining as the show itself. (My Yelp review).

Paris is a unique city and it's easy to see why it's one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Even having been there twice, I'd love to go back and experience more.

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