Voted the most beautiful city in the world, Prague is one of those cities that just takes your breath away as you can see from the picture above.  It’s one thing to see a place from pictures and a completely other thing to experience it in person.  Although there was intermittent rain the first full day I was there that did not stop me from enjoying the castles, bridges and history this city had to offer.

With an early flight to Prague, I had a few hours to kill before my hostel was ready.  I decided to visit a nearby café to do some work (side gig) as well as edit the Amsterdam + Brussels video.  After checking into my hostel, I decided to check out a beer tour that night.  This was coming off of a beer tour the previous night in Brussels so I had something to compare it to.  I must say, I had a lot more fun (and beer) in Prague.  We went to 3 different places and finished the night at a restaurant that had the best pulled pork sandwich I’ve had (and not because I was drunk or anything, I swear).  It was a great way to start my time in Prague.

My first full day in Prague, I signed up for the free walking tour.  Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative as there were bouts of heavy rainfall in the early afternoon.  After the walking tour, I decided to sign up for their castle tour (paid) that showed you where the current President of the Czech Republic resides.  The next (last full day) day I made the trek up the hill to the Petrin tower which is the Prague version of the Eiffel Tower.  Climbing the 299 steps up to the top was quite the workout but totally worth the view, don’t you think?

View from the Petrin Tower (Prague's version of the Eiffel Tower)

From Prague, my travels took me to Vienna, Austria.  It was a 4.5-hour bus ride that got me into the city around 7 pm.  The next day, I jumped on the free walking tour (see a theme here?)  to check out the city.  Unfortunately mother nature did not cooperate as it rained off and on throughout the day.  With the weather and lack of sleep from the previous night, it was probably the most frustrating day of my travels so far.  I tried to make the best of it but a big part of me wanted to just move onto the next country.  The next day, the weather cleared up and it was perfect, mid-70s with no humidity.  I didn’t have the highest expectations going into the day as I had signed up for a kickbike tour that took you around the city.  To my surprise, it turned out to be really fun as my group was a guy from SF and 3 girls visiting from Switzerland.  We stopped by the supermarket to pick up some beers and just hung out by the park midway through the tour.  After the tour finished, we all went to happy hour together and learned more about each other’s culture through sign language and basic English.  It was a great way to finish my stay in Vienna before heading to the islands of Greece.

Kickbike tour group selfie (with photobomber front and center)

Since my previous travel posts have mostly been about what I’ve done, I thought I’d talk about my feelings about my travels so far.  Coming up on 3 weeks since starting this journey, I can surprisingly say I haven’t felt very homesick at all.  Although I did feel a bit burnt out a few days ago from the lack of sleep I’ve been getting, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time abroad.  As silly as it sounds, I’ve felt less lonely traveling these past few weeks than I have living back home.  Maybe it’s the camaraderie you have with fellow travelers and hearing their journeys or having someone that knows what you’re going through.  If I had to put a number on it, I would say 80% of the time I am content traveling solo with the other 20% wanting someone I know to be there with me.  Most of the 20% comes from wanting someone I trust to be there with me when I go out and have a few drinks OR if I’m seeing something extraordinary (magnificent waterfall, historic museum, etc.), someone to share it with.  The freedom to make my own itinerary and schedule though is the best.  My usual routine is to do to a free walking tour of the city the first day then see what other activities or attractions there are to see for the remainder of the trip.  With 3 weeks down and 9 more to go, I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

Hope you enjoy the Prague to Vienna video.

QOTP: “As you travel solo, being totally responsible for yourself, it’s inevitable that you will discover just how capable you are.” -unknown