Scubophilus Thistler

Ash and I spent the first day in Prague exploring the older parts of town - crossing the statue and souvenir stall lined Charles Bridge to the castle. Perched high above the rest of Prague, the castle offered magnificent views of the city as we walked around the impressive cathedral and other buildings on cobble-stone paths. In the evening we took in the old town square by night, where a UEFA Euro 2008 game was being played and enjoyed views of the castle across the river.

We started off the next day at the Communist Museum, which gave an insight into life in Eastern Europe post-WWII and the eventual (and rather recent) downfall of communism in those countries. The afternoon was spent in the newer part of town, as well as some royal gardens - which boasted a couple of albino peacocks and a huge fake-stalactite wall.

While we’d been planning on heading through some smaller Czech towns before Slovakia, accommodation in Vienna towards the end of the month was almost non-existent - thanks to the UEFA finals. A change of plans was needed or else we’d miss out on Vienna altogether, so a bus was booked and we set off early the next morning. We caught up on some much missed Australian food and beer at a friendly Aussie pub on the first day, and headed to get our bearings - the city itself wasn’t too overbearing, and staying a fair way out meant making extensive use of the U-bahn (metro). We spent a good part of the first full day wandering around the gardens at Schloss Schönnbrum, the Hasburgs’ summer palace.

That evening we got a taste for culture with a combined orchestra, opera and waltz event held in a palace in central Vienna. Tailored towards tourists and not hugely accurate as a whole, it still gave an insight into 3 separate parts of Austrian culture in one go. As a host nation to the UEFA games, it seemed that almost every business was cashing in on it. This was also true for the museum we visited, which had a special 45-minute, rushed tour of the main items (indicated with footballs) on show. Not huge football fans, we took things a bit slower and after a few hours browsing the great collection we headed out. We headed to the UEFA FanZone that night, where a few streets were pedestrianised to allow around 70,000 fans to catch the game together.

It was Czech vs. Turkey, and thousands of Turks hit the streets in the hours leading up to it. Inside it was a sea of red flags, with the Czechs only making themselves known when their two goals were scored. The rest of the time the Turks showed their support, and despite their goalie being red carded they came through 3-2. Many celebrations in the streets and on the metro that night.

Having now seen Vienna, we got back on the intended track and got a quick train to Bratislava. We were shocked by the size, easily the smallest EU capital we’ve seen, but it certainly grew on us. Over the couple of days we ventured around the old town, and eventually up to the castle with its wonderful views of town. Probably the most interesting sight up there was the distinct split between medieval streets and communist-era housing.

Tonight is the last night in Budapest, but I’ll add a separate post for Hungary after our last destination here, Sopron, in a few days. It’s all coming to an end quickly - Ash and I are pretty excited to be coming home soon. Looking forward to seeing everyone!