From Innsbruck, Austria, we traveled by coach bus on to Prague, Czech Republic, with a few stops on the way. That travel day involved breakfast in Austria, lunch in Germany and dinner in the Czech Republic. Talk about an international adventure!

Prague is a very beautiful city. The city boasts medieval architecture (Prague Castle), many charming public gardens (all bursting with lush rose bushes in mid-June), and cobblestone streets. There’s a great tram system (just be sure to pay attention to the time stamp on your ticket or there is a very high chance of receiving a fine!). The Vitava River is very lovely.

And yet, I had a rather bad attitude for much of our stay in the city. It is as expensive as larger European hubs like London and Paris, which I just don’t understand (we had to pay for tap water at every restaurant and most meals seemed to average 20 euros). It was also rather dirty and felt grittier than many of its counterparts. There was graffiti everywhere and lots of strung-out street people.

But beyond all that, I think my own circumstances were the biggest factors in my dislike of our stay in Prague. For one thing, we were in the city longer than any other location, and it was probably my least favorite. Also, we passed the halfway point of the 8-week trip in Prague, which meant that EVERYONE was a bit tired of the hustle of travel, tired of our suitcases (and by now, not-so-fresh clothing options) and just physically tired from walking miles every day, eating non-familiar foods every day, and being mentally overstimulated every day. And, compared with my magical experience in Innsbruck, Prague was a bit of a letdown.

I did some solo touring, but largely used time in our comfortable hotel (The Hermitage) to do freelance work and just rest. Despite my struggle to “love” the travel experience in the Czech Republic, I still look back on photos with joy and find lots of inspiration from what I chose to capture on camera—a good reminder that good can come even when you can’t fully appreciate it in the moment.

The Highlights

City walking tour with an excellent local guide, Elena (fun fact: she was the same tour guide who gave the group a tour when I visited Prague in 2011!). Goulash. Lemon-mint Birell. Hermitage Hotel (one of the best on the trip, and definitely had the best breakfast spread). Rose gardens everywhere. Taking the tram (and not getting lost). Corporate visits of škoda, Steiner & Kovarik, and IKEA. Chamber music concert in the Mirror Chapel of the Klementinum. Live piano music at Café Adastra. Honey cake. Tour of Prague Castle (which included the Old Royal Palace, St. Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane, St. George’s Basilica). Reading Franz Kafka’s “A Country Doctor” (which he wrote while living in Prague). Multiple versions of Trdelník (Chimney cakes).

The Remarkable

After our quick stop for lunch in Germany on our way to Prague, we spent the afternoon visiting Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. I had previously visited and remembered being overcome with emotion when walking through the buildings. This time, I spent most of our visit in the former maintenance building, which features a permanent exhibit that traces the “path of the prisoners.” The exhibit was larger than I remembered and very well done, with audio guides available in multiple languages, posters, videos, display cases and other media to allow people to acknowledge the experiences that prisoners were subjected to before and during World War II. On this trip, I also walked briefly through the crematorium, but had to walk out almost immediately. I’m not meaning to sensationalize my passive experience, but I really was overcome with emotions and felt very nauseous as I started to cry. I spent the remainder of my time walking slowly through the fields where rows of barracks once stood; trying to somehow wrap my mind around how humans can be so terrible to each other. There is no good answer. I only hope we can collectively seek to be better and leave more positive legacies for the generations to come.

SDG

p.s. Wondering the context of this visit to Innsbruck, Austria? This was one of the nine countries visited on the 2023 International Business Institute, for which I was the program assistant. Interested in learning more? Read about my own undergraduate experience on the trip when I participated in 2011.

LMB #10