Czech Republic [Part 2]
- Laura_in_Amsterdam
- Aug 8, 2024
- 2 min read
I had heard the architecture in Prague was impressive, but it beat my expectations by a large amount. After spending time in other countries that had been occupied by the Russians (and seeing all of the Soviet-era architecture), I was impressed by the beautiful buildings that are still all over the city.
We stayed in the Old Town, but the 20+ minute walk to the castle was filled with amazing sites.
We did another food walking tour and had an interesting conversation with our guide. He said some of the older generation miss the time of the Russian occupation. According to our guide, during the occupation jobs were plentiful and blue collar jobs were seen as some of the most important jobs which made people feel proud of their work. Between the fall of the Soviet Union and when the Czech Republic joined the EU, it was hard to find work and there was a lot of chaos. Once the Czech Republic joined the EU things started to get better.
It was strange to hear this viewpoint given it was the opposite of what the guide in Brno had told us. Granted, this was one person's viewpoint, but it was interesting to hear the opposite view from what we had heard in another part of the Czech Republic.
Speaking of food tours, we really enjoyed the food in the Czech Republic. We thought the pork ribs, rabbit stew, braised beef, lots of linden berries, potato dumplings, etc. were all amazing. It was all really delicious. They also had an interesting dessert called a Trdelnick. Imagine a freshly baked cinnamon roll baked around a pool cue so there is a hole in the middle. Put it in a cup, fill it with fruit (I had apples and cinnamon), then top it with soft serve ice cream. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
The roads in the Czech Republic were also pretty great - four lane highways, reasonable speed limits (not 80kph). Mike says the drivers in the Czech Republic were the most aggressive in Europe, though. Imagine - someone wanted to drive faster than Mike!
After the Czech Republic we had one more night in Germany and then home!
The Trdelnick looks yummy. You’ll have to try making it when you guys come back to the states. Now that Mike has mastered Moms bubble bread this should be a good challenge. The architecture in Europe is way beyond what we’ve come up with here in the US. Safe travels kids.
I would love to see that architecture. Have also heard how amazing it is. Glad that it is mostly still standing and not destroyed by wars.
The love/hate relationship with many of those countries and the people with Russia is interesting. Perhaps similar to our own dichotomy here in the US. Different views of the same history lead to different desires for the future.