Well, here we are...
We've been here in Germany now for about 2 months, and have officially started our travel marathon. We decided to try out a time-honored tradition here in Germany, the overnight bus tour, this past weekend.
With 2 small kids, your time is never your own. Not that you can't do the things you did before kids, you just have to do it on their timeschedule now. We really want to make the most of the opportunities here in Germany and Europe, and decided that the bus tours do make some sense. 1) they give you a quick, thorough overview of an area; 2) they are escorted by people who know the locations, including parking, etc and who also handle those things; and 3) the prices and timing make them do-able. So. Our first foray was this weekend: Prague, in the Czech Republic.
First, let's talk about the itinerary - you leave Germany around midnight, and drive through the night, sleeping on the bus. Once you arrive, you immediately begin a sightseeing/walking tour, which in our case lasted about 3 hrs. Then, you check into your hotel and are on your own for a few hrs until the evening plans. You can choose to participate in the evening plans or not; our tour offered a "Medieval Thieves Dinner," which we decided to check out. Then, the final day, you awake to more sightseeing in the morning, free time in the afternoon and then begin the long bus ride back around 3 pm, arriving back in Germany at about midnight. If this sounds challenging with a 5 yr old and a 2 yr old, well, it is.
OK, now on the comments about Prague: one word, WOW. This is an amazing city; one of the few that wasn't bombed during WWII. The buildings are a mix of beautiful architectural styles, and the setting is breathtaking. There were a lot of things to attempt to see; the tours gave a great introduction to the areas and we were able to see so much. The castle district alone could have taken up a weekend. There is a fabulous Old Town as well, interesting Jewish Quarter, etc. The only drawback: everyone else has discovered it, too. The place is like most all big European sightseeing cities - lousy with tours and their guides. :) So, mix in some uncharacteristically hot (95 degrees) weather and it was a bit hectic.
With 2 small kids, your time is never your own. Not that you can't do the things you did before kids, you just have to do it on their timeschedule now. We really want to make the most of the opportunities here in Germany and Europe, and decided that the bus tours do make some sense. 1) they give you a quick, thorough overview of an area; 2) they are escorted by people who know the locations, including parking, etc and who also handle those things; and 3) the prices and timing make them do-able. So. Our first foray was this weekend: Prague, in the Czech Republic.
First, let's talk about the itinerary - you leave Germany around midnight, and drive through the night, sleeping on the bus. Once you arrive, you immediately begin a sightseeing/walking tour, which in our case lasted about 3 hrs. Then, you check into your hotel and are on your own for a few hrs until the evening plans. You can choose to participate in the evening plans or not; our tour offered a "Medieval Thieves Dinner," which we decided to check out. Then, the final day, you awake to more sightseeing in the morning, free time in the afternoon and then begin the long bus ride back around 3 pm, arriving back in Germany at about midnight. If this sounds challenging with a 5 yr old and a 2 yr old, well, it is.
OK, now on the comments about Prague: one word, WOW. This is an amazing city; one of the few that wasn't bombed during WWII. The buildings are a mix of beautiful architectural styles, and the setting is breathtaking. There were a lot of things to attempt to see; the tours gave a great introduction to the areas and we were able to see so much. The castle district alone could have taken up a weekend. There is a fabulous Old Town as well, interesting Jewish Quarter, etc. The only drawback: everyone else has discovered it, too. The place is like most all big European sightseeing cities - lousy with tours and their guides. :) So, mix in some uncharacteristically hot (95 degrees) weather and it was a bit hectic.
posted by The Davenports at 11:42 AM
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