Stockholm and Prague!!

Wow, trying to write this now after 3 weeks is definitely a challenge. So much has happened that this trip seems like a distant memory now. But I will try to remember as much as I can. So here it goes!!!!

The Friday that I was due to go to Stockholm with Valerie also happened to be the day that I had to give my presentation of my picture book to my Children's Literature class. So after spending a rather relaxing morning listening to everyone's stories I rushed to the station to be in time to catch my train that would take me to Stockholm. It was a long train ride (being 5 and a half hours) and it was rather depressing to watch the sunny weather in Malmö turn cloudier and colder as we headed north. The worst part was when we saw it snowing out the window!!! However, there was no snow falling when we arrived in Stockholm, however there was slushy snow all over the streets.

After working out how to buy our train tickets and work out which station we needed to head to we boarded the train and made our way to our hostel for the night. The walk from the station was one I will not forget quickly! After watching Valerie clear the snow from the footpath with her case, she was then very unfortunate when it came to crossing the road. Just like you see in movies, Valerie was standing at the edge of the road waiting to cross when a car drove past quite fast. Unfortunately there happened to be a puddle of water in front of Valerie and in the path of the car. And yes, most of the water managed to find its way onto Valerie. However, this was not the last of her bad luck. After crossing the road, she was just not fast enough in climbing the fence and another car drove past for take two. By the time we actually reached the hostel, Valerie's pants were quite wet and she was rather cold!

Our first hostel was a new experience. We were in a shared room with 10 other people. However it was not any normal room. Instead, it was a room on a boat. This meant very little room to move, not much room above the beds and one very crowded room. Our nights sleep was also an experience, with about 8 French people waltzing in at about 3.30am and making as much noise as they possibly could for about an hour. Let's just say that Valerie and I were not very impressed. Valerie even felt the need to make a speech to them all the next morning as we were leaving telling them how embarrassed she was by them, being a French person herself!

So after our night on the boat, we left our bags in the locker room and headed out to explore the city. As I had been to Stockholm previously, I became the tour guide. Valerie and I headed out to Gamla Stan where we walked around for a little while and after finding out that the castle didn't open to the public until 11am, we decided to go and visit the national gallery before making it back in time to see the changing of the guards at 12pm.

The exhibition at the gallery was very interesting. It was a whole lot of furniture and bits and pieces that you would find in a house. Rather cool if you ask me. Anyway we managed to see most of the museum before we had to leave so we could make it back across to the castle for the changing of the guards. As it was last time, the process of changing over the guards takes about 30 minutes. So it's not exactly a quick process. And for those who have seen the changing of the guards in London, it's very, very similar.

Next on the list of things to do was to actually go and see the castle. We managed to make it to the treasury and see the Royal and guest apartments before the castle closed at 3pm. They were basically unchanged since I last saw them in 2007. But it was still fun to walk around and see everything again.

As we had about an hour before we needed to head back to the hotel to collect our bags before heading out to Nyköpping where we were to spend the night, we decided to have a coffee and cake at one of the restaurants in stortorget. It was nice to have the chance to sit down and relax a little after all the running round we'd done that morning.

After collecting our bags and heading back to the central station where we were to catch the airport bus out tot the airport where our hotel was, we had to run through the station in order to make our bus. But we did make it, though we were rather hot a sweaty by the time we got on the bus, so it was good to have an hour and a half of doing nothing on the bus. I caught a few winks of sleep and Valerie did some work on her dissitation.

The hotel we stayed at that night was very luxurious. It even had a gym and sauna that its guests could use!!! So after having something to eat down at the restaurant, Valerie and I hit the sauna for some rest and relaxation before heading to bed. Luckily for me, I remembered that we had to change our clocks forward an hour due to daylight saving, so we did not miss our flight at 10.30am the next morning.

Being right next to the airport was great. We got up about 8am, had breakfast and then strolled over to the airport. Once we'd checked in we then had to make it through the security checkpoint. Unfortunately, it was not as simple as just walking through. Thanks to the fantastic airline company, Ryanair, they would not allow Valerie through with her backpack and computer because they were two items of hand luggage and Ryanair only allows one. So we had to go back to the check in counter and buy a large, white plastic bag for Valerie to put both her back pack and computer bag into, because this was considered one item of hand luggage!!! So after that slight drama we made through to the gate where we sat down and relaxed for about an hour while we waited to board our plane. Valerie was most amused by the fact that there were men sitting at the bar having a beer ... and yes this was at 9AM!!!!

The flight to Prague was fine and when we landed it was cloudy but not too cold. So OK weather! After managing to find the ATM and buy a ticket for the train we made the 30 minute journey into the city to find out hostel. The accommodation was quite nice and after choosing our beds and dumping our bags, we headed into the city centre to have a look around and try and find a tourist information centre to get some information about what to do with the next couple of days we had there.

Finding the city centre was not difficult, however it took us over an hour and a half to find. However, when we got to the main square, there was a festival going on, I think to celebrate the beginning of spring. So there were stalls selling typical Czech food and drink, souvenir stalls and a stage where there was traditional Czech performances going. Valerie and I spent some time walking around having a look at the performances and tryings some of the food. I bought a Trdelnik which is just some bread rapped around a log and cooked over coals. The bread is then dipped in sugar and is really quite tasty. We also came across a rock candy store where you could watch them making the candy. We stayed there for about 20 minutes, watching them and as a result, got to sample the final result, which was a mango flavour. It was fun to watch them making the candy and see how they get the pictures inside the candy. This is done by make the candy as a cylinder about 30cm wide and then rolling it out to get the final product. I even took some movies of the process which you can have a look at to see what I'm talking about. We were also in time to see the Astronomical clock give it's performance, which it does on the hour every hour...though it isn't as cool as our clock in Melbourne Central.

When we finally found the tourist information, we went in and raided their brochure section, grabbing lots of maps and booklets with information on what to see. Afterwards, we finished strolling around the shopping streets before deciding it was time to head back, find a supermarket on the way so we could grab something to cook for dinner. The supermarkets were basically the same as they are in many countries but the plus was that this one sold all kinds of alcohol...a luxury I've been missing while in Sweden. So we grabbed some beers along with some pasta and salad and made our way back to our hostel. We had a nice dinner, sitting and gazing out our hostel window. Afterwards, Valerie and I took advantage of the free internet before calling it a night.

The next day it was up early and off to go exploring. We first made our way, by train, out to Malostranska station. From there, it was about a 15 minute walk, up countless steps, to get to the Royal Palace which is situated on the top of hill. Unfortunately, it appeared as though there was something going on at the palace as there were lots of guards walking around and the palace and it's gates were closed off to the public. Still not too sure what was going on but it may have been that the president or someone important was there at the palace. It was quite a nice looking palace and we were disappointed that we couldn't go inside and have a look around, so we had to make do with have a look at the buildings around the square in front of the palace.

Next it was back down the hill and back to St Nicholas Cathedral which we had passed on our way to the palace. The inside of the cathedral was just amazing. Next stop was the the Charles Bridge. We took our time walking across, stopping to look at all the little stalls set up on the bridge. There was also two panels on one of the stuatues where, so we were told, if you rubbed the dog and the and the lady, you would be brought good luck. The view from the bridge was quite spectacular, as you can see from the photos. Then it was on to the National Theatre, just to have a look at the building before continuing on to the National Museum. Here we went inside and had a look around at all the different exhibitions. They had a special exhibition about World War Two and it's effects on the Czech Republic which was very interesting. They also had some different sections in this exhibition that were set up to replicate different aspects of life back in those days, so they had some shops, rooms inside a house and a classroom.

We then made our way to Henry's Bell Tower and on the way, passed the new Town Hall, which we stopped at and took some photos but were unable to get inside as it was closed. At the Bell Tower we were able to go up to the top and have a look at the view back over Prague. It was great as you were able to get a 360 degree view back over the city centre of Prague. They also had the bells there on display and a display of photos take from the top of the tower. The final stop for the day was then the Jerusalem Synagogue. This place was amazing. We were just in time to get inside and have a look around. There were so many colours that it was really quite beautiful to look at.

Then it was back to the train station and back to the hostel. We made a quick trip out to the supermarket again to get some more salad for dinner before spending the rest of the night at the hostel. We did head down to the bar after dinner for a drink then it was off to bed as we were both so tired and had one last day to spend sight seeing so we need to be awake and energetic as a lot of walking was to be expected.

Tuesday morning we got up about 9am and headed down for breakfast. Then, before heading out, I had to take a shower. I am glad I waited until after breakfast as the shower as a completely new experience for me. Not only were the showers all in one larger shower area, no curtains or walls to separate the showers, but I managed to misread the signs for the showers and ended up taking a shower in the boys showers. Luckily for me no one came in while I was showering otherwise it could have been rather embarrassing!!!! And I don't think I've ever showered so much in my life. Good practice for when I go back home!

After the mornings fun, we headed out for our first stop of the day...the Old Jewish Town. I didn't realise how large it actually was until we started walking around visiting the different synagogues. The first place we visited was the Jewish Cemetry. This was very similar to the other cemetries I had seen previously, though I did learn why there were stones placed on top of the grave stones...it was a sign that someone had visited the grave. Right next to the cemetry was the Ceremonial Hall, which was where they prepared the bodies for burial, and the Klausen Synagogue. Inside the Synagogue they had all the different prayer books, the Torrah and different objects of religious significance. For example, they had Hannuka candle holders, Torrah pointers and Torrah crowns. After that we walked past and had a browse at the flea market that was set up in the street next to the Klausen Synagogue. Then it was on to the Old New Synagogue. Here there were also displays which told of the history of the Jewish people in Prague. We then went on to see the Spanish Synagogue, which was also quite impressive and very colourful and had more displays dipicting important people in the history of the Jewish poeple, before then taking a slight detour to go and see the Prague Metronome! The metronome was also at the top of a hill and so the climbing of steps was required. I think Valerie and I become expert stair climbers by the time we left Prague! The view from up at the metronome was rather spectacular. However, it was slightly hazy and so we could see as far as we would have been able to on a clear day. It was still worth seeing though!

We decided to then grab some lunch before tackling the climb up to the viewing tower. Although it was a very tough climb, very steep and seemed to go on for ages, the view from the top of the hill where the tower was situated was amazing. Prague is definitely a very beautiful city! Unfortunately our bad luck was continuing. When we reached to tower, we found a sign saying that the tower was only open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays!!!! But we sat at the top for a while, enjoying the sun and the view before making our way back down the hill. As we had been on our feet for most of the day, we made the decision to head back to our hostel, eat and then have an early night. We made a quick stop off again at the supermarket to stock up on supplies for dinner and I also took advantage of the cheaper prices of vodka and brought a couple of bottles to take home with me. When we got back to the hostel, we both decided to take advantage of the fact that it was pretty quiet in the dorms and so once again had one of the fastest showers in my life. This time I even managed to use the right showers. However, I think the boys showers were better as the entrance to the showers was around the corner to where the door into the showers was. In the girls though this entrance was just near the door into the showers, so if someone came in as you were climbing in or out of the showers, anyone walking past the door at that time would have a great view of EVERYTHING!!!

Wednesday morning we got up at about 9am and had breakfast before packing our bags and making our way back out to the airport. We managed to check in just fine, however I also had to check in my case as I could not carry through the vodka in my hand luggage and my bag was a little too heavy! So after paying about $45 to check in my bag we walked through the security check, not problems with bags this time around, and went and did some browsing in the duty free shops. We were planning on going and sitting for a coffee before boarding the plane, however when we checked the schedule, we noticed that our plane had started boarding an hour before it was due to leave, so we had to forget about the coffee and make our way directly to the gate. The flight home was fine and I even managed to grab some 40 winks.

When we arrived in Stockholm, we grabbed our luggage and went to join the huge queue to get onto the buses that would transport us back to T-Centralen in Stockholm city centre. Luckily enough, Valerie managed to get on the second bus and was able to get me onto the bus, despite the fact we'd gotten separated in the line and me being further back in the line. We made it to T-Centralen just fine and met our friend Anna at the station. As we'd not had lunch and by that stage (it being about 4pm) we were ratehr hungry, we sat at one of the cafes at the station and had something to eat. We then had to go and buy more train tickets so we could get out to Arlanda airport (about 1 hour from the city centre) which was where our hostel for the night was situated.

We arrived at the airport at about 8pm and found the free bus that would take us to the Jumbo Hostel, our destination for the evening. It was definitely one of the coolest hostels I've ever stayed in. For those who don't know, the Jumbo Hostel is an old jumbo jet that they have done up into a hostel. Anna, Valerie and I all had a room to ourselves which was very nice. We even had our own flat screen TV which we watched Fast and the Furious: Toyko Drift. Definitely not one of my favourite movies ever made! We just relaxed that evening. We drank some wine and Anna and Valerie planned their road trip around Stockholm that they'd be leaving for the next morning while I just sat and watched the TV.

The next morning we got up and checked out. Then I said goodbye to Anna and Valerie who left to go and collect their hire car while I headed to the airport so I could catch my flight home.

I have to say that I really liked Prague and think it was a beautiful city. However, tourists have taken over. You really can't go anywhere without seeing countless tour groups wandering around, seeing the sights. We'd have taken one of thsoe except for the fact that even the FREE walking tours expected you to tip at he end of the tour. So we settled for doing our own tours.

Also, if ever you need a place to stay in Stockholm, don't forget the Jumbo. It's about the same price as any other hostels but is much nicer!!! If you have the money, you can even book the cockpit!!

Anyway, that is all for this post. Next up...ICE HOCKEY!!!!!!

Puss och kram,
Alice
xo

Stockholm and Prague Pictures!!!

At last...here are the pictures from my trip to Stockholm and Prague.

Enjoy!

Puss och kram,
Alice
xo

The view out the boat window that was right next to my bed

Our hostel room


There was not a lot of space between the bed and the roof.



Valerie and I planning what to do the next day


The view out the window at breakfast

Valerie looking very awake at breakfast!

Me eating my toast with cheese!

Our boat hostel was the big white one





The monument in Stortorget


Valerie pretending to be a statue



Just to show how narrow the streets are!!



Typical Swedes!!!


This was a really cute palace guard!

A supermarket in the middle of Gamla Stan (it really does look out of place!!!)

The Royal Palace

Opening times of the national museum

Actual time!! (10:40am)

Valerie sitting and waiting patiently for the museum to open

The Royal Palace

The changing of the guards

Valerie with on of the Palace Guards

Where the changing of the guards takes place

Monument in Stortorget

My two favourite buildings in Stockholm!!! They look so cool!

PRAGUE

The Powder Tower

How to make rock candy!!

The final product!

The spring festival that was being held. There were many stalls selling food and souvenirs.

Traditional Czech dance

Valerie's hot wine

Trdelnik - a Czech food which is sort of like a donut

The Astronomical Tower and Old Town Hall

The tourist information centre which took us over and hour to find!!!

The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn

Tyn Cathedral with the Spring Festival in the square in front of the building

The monument found in the square

A viewing platform so people could see the stage

An eagle who was used to entertain the crowd

The spring festival!

All the trees were decorated with colourful balls and ribbons

The fake flowers that had been wrapped around the branches of the tree

A cool puppet shop which even had a life size Pinocchio puppet at the entrance to the shop

A fancy hotel

Our hostel room

This was taken just outside one of the train stations near the Royal Palace

St Nicholas Cathedral from behind

A tram!

The Parliament building

The side of the Royal Palace

The view from up the top of the hill where the Royal Palace is situated

The Royal Palace



Me in the guard's box


The main gates to the palace



The main gate into the Royal Palace


Palace Guards



The dreaded steps that lead up to the Royal Palace




St Nicholas Cathedral


Valerie in front of the monument in front of St Nicholas Cathedral


Inside St Nicholas Cathedral













The tower at the entrance to Charles Bridge



On Charles Bridge


The view from Charles Bridge





Me on the bridge with the city behind me


The Royal Palace


Apparently if you rubbed these two carvings it is supposed to bring you good luck. (The gold part has been kept that colour by everyone rubbing the picture!)




Guy playing the violin


More pictures of the view from Charles Bridge




The view of the Royal Palace from Charles Bridge

The front of St Nicholas' Church

Can't remember what this was....I think it was just a cool looking monument!

The National Theatre

The back of the National Theatre

A very nice looking hotel!

Typical Czech Alcohol

ABSINTH!!!!

The Alcoholic Shop Windows

The National Museum

Another church!

The Town Hall

Cool picture on the wall

Some church in Prague

Henry's Bell Tower

A cool painting on the wall of a building!

The view from the top of Henry's Bell Tower

The view from the top of Henry's Bell Tower

The bells in Henry's Bell Tower

One of the old bells from the bell tower

Some old machine!!

The outside of the Jerusalem Synagogue

Inside the Jerusalem Synagogue

The entrance to the Jewish Museum. The white building with the red roof is the Pinkas Synagogue!

The Old Jewish Cemetery

The Ceremonial Hall

The Klausen Synagogue

The white building is the Klausen Synagogue, the brown building with the red roof is the Ceremonial Hall and in between them lies the Jewish Cemetery.

The flea market just next to the Klausen Synagogue

The Old New Synagogue

A really nice looking building that was a restaurant/bar!

The church next door to the Spanish Synagogue

The front of the Spanish Synagogue

Inside the Spanish Synagogue

The Giant Metronome!

The stairs that take you up to the Giant Metronome

The view from up the top of the hill, next to the Giant Metronome!

The viewing tower which is situated on top of a really large hill!!! From the top of the tower you get an awesome view back across Prague!

Our bad luck continued...we made it to the top on a Tuesday only to find it was only open Saturday and Sunday!!

The gateway that lead to a garden just opposite the tower

Valerie and I in front of the viewing tower

The view from somewhere near the top of the hill!!!

Some fancy hotel in a very nice building!

STOCKHOLM

Inside the Jumbo Hostel out at Arlanda Airport, Stockholm

The Jumbo Hostel from the outside!

Here are the pictures of my Stockholm and Prague trip. Enjoy!

Puss och kram,
Alice
xo