PPF in Europe 2018 - Part Eight: The City of a Thousand Spires (and Tourists)

17 October 2018
10:00 p.m.
Prague AirBnb

Entrance (now exit) to Prague Castle

What else can you say about Prague? Three times I've been here and it still takes my breath away every time. Cynical travelers might turn their noses up because of all the tourists--there were LOTS of them today--but I choose to see and feel the magic of this beautiful, enchanting city in spite of the thick mass of humanity that's there with me.

The towering monuments to human genius and creativity; the endless food choices that we scarfed down while walking on the cobblestoned streets; the sometimes-stern, sometimes-friendly, always-interesting people we meet--Prague really has it all. And I can't get enough.

The tourist hordes gazing up at the astronomical clock

We tried these pancake-like treats called trdlniks

Charles Bridge was crawling with tourists, but even then it was still pretty 

Today, as the group's unofficial guide, I retraced the steps I took the first time ever I went to Prague back in 2009. We started at our apartment, which was near the gate to the Old Town; past the rows of restaurants, souvenir shops, museums and massage places; and then on to the Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, Mala Strana (Lesser Town), up the hill into the castle complex and inside St. Vitus's Cathedral.

Tonie tries to capture the perfect angle with a selfie stick just outside St. Vitus Cathedral

The gang did a lot of walking that day

The group seemed thoroughly impressed, which made me glad. What was once my favorite European city now seems to be everybody's favorite European city.

The intricately designed stained glass windows of St. Vitus Cathedral

A "groufie" just outside the Prague Castle compound

Next: Eating Ham and Drinking Beer in Front of a Pissing Horse

PPF in Europe 2018 - Part Seven: Back to an Old Favorite

16 October 2018

11:37 p.m.

Prague AirBnB - Old Town

I can never get enough of this view 

You know that feeling when you go to a place and you think, 'Wow I wish my family and friends could be here and see this with me?' I finally got to share Prague with some of my closest friends (Pedi doesn't count because he's been to Prague way before I did). Seeing the looks of wonder and amazement on their faces as we walked into the Old Town Square was priceless.

Almost immediately most of them proclaimed it as their top European city, and that was just after the first night. Tomorrow I get to show them Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. I can't wait to hear more of their squeals of joy and excitement.

View of the street from our AirBnB apartment

The monument to Jan Hus at the Old Town Square still gazes over countless tourists 

The astronomical clock and old Tynsky Chram at the Town Square

It's doubly funny because we were all huffing and puffing just a few hours earlier today, when we had to lug our gigantic suitcases on cobblestoned paths from the train station to the AirBnB office and then all the way to the actual apartment. Google Maps said it was a six-minute walk and then it became 10 minutes, but with all the heavy lifting it took us well over 30 minutes.

But the place turned out to be worth it as it's right inside the city center, just a few minutes' walk to the Old Town square.

I'm still feeling a bit giddy inside. I can't believe I'm back here in Prague.

Mark was on the lookout for a genuine marionette which he wanted to take home as a souvenir

I know there's plenty of time for sightseeing, but I had to pause our walk with our luggage to the apartment to take this pic

.Next: The City of a Thousand Spires (and Tourists)

PPF in Europe 2018 - Part Six: Two Cities in One Day

15 October 2018
10:34 p.m.
Vienna AirBnB

Dusk in Vienna

I was gazing out at the Opera House from the balcony of the Albertina when Branden asked if I was sad that we're leaving Vienna tomorrow. I didn't realize that I was giving off the impression that I was unhappy, but maybe I am. Perhaps it's not really unhappiness but more nostalgia; that bittersweet feeling of longing, regret and satisfaction all mixed together.

I explained that where I was standing was the exact same spot where Jesse and Celine also stood on one of their stops in their night-long walk around the city in Before Sunrise. Maybe I was just imagining myself in the movie. It's tough not to get carried away by your emotions when you're in a city as gorgeous as Vienna. To see it in a movie--in one of the great film romances of our time--and then experience it in real life just makes it all the more special.

Love took this photo of us from the balcony of Schonbrunn Palace

Even the streets and alleyways look graceful and charming

The inside of St. Stephen's Cathedral

Salzburg was intimate, charming and familiar. Vienna, meanwhile, is intimidating, beautiful and grand. It's tough to choose IF I had to choose, but while Salzburg has its strengths, Vienna will always have my heart because of Before Sunrise.

We also made a quick daytrip to Bratislava today, which was exactly what I did all those years ago. Most of the group liked the city, even though I downplayed it to manage their expectations.

Bratislava for the day. This was a performance arts place, if I'm not mistaken

This is Cumil the Sewer Worker, one of the most photographed attractions of Bratislava

Autumn in Bratislava ain't so bad

Tomorrow we go on to Prague, which is probably my favorite European city. I told everyone that but I'm still hoping I didn't hype it up too much.

Our farewell to Vienna

Next: Back to an Old Favorite

PPF in Europe 2018 - Part Five: Coffee and Apfel Strudel in a Beautiful City

14 October 2018
11:04 p.m.
Vienna AirBnB (near Schonbrunn Palace)

St. Stephen's Cathedral is still a sight to behold

The days are starting to bleed into each other that I hardly remember what happened yesterday, let alone two days ago. After Salzburg, we caught a train to Vienna, but there was some kind of mishap and we got stuck in the station in Linz for about an hour. Eventually we made it to our place here in the Austrian capital. It's the nicest so far.

The lighting at the Vienna Opera House is stunning

We did the touristy things today: Schonbrunn Palace (just one train stop away from our place) and a walk in the city center, which included stops in the Albertina, Stephansplatz, the Opera House and the shopping district.

Some of us walked around the evening we arrived in the city. We had coffee at a place right in front of the Albertina

Scratching my forehead in front of Palace Schonbrunn

Some of the guys didn't like the walking tour we booked and chose to hang back and just take pictures of the interesting sights. An old friend who lives here--Charmaine--was kind enough to meet me for lunch and she got to meet some of my friends.

Under an unusually strong mid-October sun, we had coffee and apfel strudel at a cafe just across the Albertina while horse-drawn carriages and an endless parade of tourists whizzed past.

Coffee with Charmaine (right) was a blast. We taught her some updated Pinoy slang. Enebenemenyen!

I was thrilled to see this little cafe again, where Jesse and Celine stopped in the movie Before Sunrise

In the evening, a new friend--Jonie--very kindly invited us to dinner at her house at the edge of the city. This day reminded me why I love Vienna so much.

Posing in front of Schönbrunn Palace

Next: two Cities in One Day

PPF in Europe 2018 - Part Four: There's a First Time for Everything

12 October 2018
11:56 p.m.
Salzburg AirBnB (Sishaus)

Our home in Salzburg was also the birthplace of mathematician and physicist Christian Doppler

I ended up in a police station in Slovenia today. I wish I could say it was a funny story (then again, what funny story begins in a police station?). You have this idea in your head about how things are going to go when you're traveling so when things veer off course and head towards the unpleasant, it's like a punch to the gut.

I was in Bled this time last year and was really looking forward to taking my friends around and showing them the sights, but after the incident, we skipped the hike up the castle and had to drive back to Salzburg. My memories of the town will forever be tainted. It's quite sad really, but I take comfort in the cliche: things could have been a lot worse.

Bled was exactly how I remembered it

I wish things would have turned out better for us there

On the upside, I got to drive my friends to Bled and back to Salzburg and that was a thrill. Exhausting, but definitely an experience I won't soon forget.

The drive to Bled was tiring but fun

The day had its highlights but I should also mention that my first time in Salzburg was not a disappointment. The city has its charms that gradually unravels the longer you stay here. It's just too bad that we're leaving tomorrow. Salzburg is one of those places that deserves repeat visits, for sure.

A statue in the Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg

Toni chats with our AirBnb hostess Jasmin, who took Willy with us for a leisurely walk around town. In the background is Hohensalzburg Fortress

This was supposedly one of the locations for The Sound of Music

Evan, our guide, chats with Mark in front of St. Peter, a restaurant that has been in existence since 803 AD

Here we all are with our super cool American guide Evan

Next: Coffe and Apfel Strudel in a Beautiful City

PPF in Europe 2018 - Part Three: A City, a Castle and a Camp

10 October 2018

4:45pm

Munich central bus station

Neuschwanstein Castle near the village of Schwangau

Three days in Munich have gone by so fast. It's my third time in the Bavarian capital, but this time, I got to do new things--visit Neuschwanstein Castle, eat and have a beer at the famed Höfbrauhaus and visit the concentration camp in Dachau. 

The concentration camp experience was particularly powerful and memorable. I've been to one before--Neuengamme in the north, near Hamburg--but Dachau was like visiting one for the first time. Despite the gloomy nature of that trip, I was happy my friends were able to appreciate something so serious and sobering (actually, it was their idea to go on it). 

The town was less than 30 minutes away from the center of Munich

The chills were genuine as soon as we stepped foot inside the gated compound of the Dachau concentration camp--and it wasn't because of the near-freezing weather

We were allowed to step inside the actual gas chamber where thousands of inmates were killed

Our tour guide Tim, pointing out all of the major and smaller concentration camps opened and active during World War 2

So far, things on this trip have been great. The fun and lighthearted spirit of this group is pretty much consistent and each moment is just one laugh trip after another. Even when we had to lug our heavy suitcases on a short stretch of road from our hotel to the bus station, there were hardly any complaints. 

A view of the Schwangau valley from the hill near Neauschwanstein Castle

A first glimpse of the castle, built by King Ludwig II in the 19th (!) century

A quick pose at the Munich Hauptbahnhof, just before the day trip to Dachau

Trying out Munich's best at Höfbrauhaus

And now we're huddled in one corner of the station waiting for the bus to take us to Salzburg. Alex is singing show tunes, Love is editing videos she took on her phone, Toni is giving Mark a shoulder massage, Susan is watching Netflix and the rest are keeping busy on their phones (thank god there's free Wi-Fi). Now and again, somebody will make a funny comment and we'd all start laughing, loudly. I couldn't ask for a better situation with these guys.



Next: There's a First time for Everything

PPF in Europe 2018 - Part Two: To Europe and Back Again

8 October 2018
5:12 p.m.
In train from Zurich to Munich

Portia checking out the Swiss/German countryside

We've been traveling for more than 24 hours and we're still about 30 minutes away from our main destination city--Munich. Funny how I was just there around this time last year. In fact, I'll be visiting many of the same places I've been to before on this trip.

A gentleman that had the misfortune of sitting near our noisy group on the train from Zurich to Munich

Some would think it bizarre to keep coming back to the same cities in Europe when there are so many new places to see and discover. But to go back, this time with friends who are seeing them for the first time must count as a completely different experience. There's something fresh and exciting when you're showing off the shop that you like or the coffee place that you think they might enjoy. It's a chance to retrace your steps, this time with a bunch of other people.

Besides, I think I've officially lost count of how many times I've been to Germany (six? seven?), but what I know for sure is that each time is as different and as exciting as the last.

Munich's Neues Rathaus in Marienplatz

And another view with Love and Mark's beautiful faces

Next: A City, a Castle and a Camp