Post Prague delightfulness in Vienna

Our second day in Prague was an improvement. We did a great tour,  the best we've experienced so far, and saw all of the beautiful sights.

However, no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't let myself love Prague. It's beautiful don't get me wrong(especially in the old historic town protected by UNESCO) but if it wasn't for the heritage city centre, I don't think Prague offers a great deal.

Other people on our tour also experienced some horrible crimes (well, minor offences according to Czech Policie). One man was pushed to the ground and his passport stolen. Another woman had her handbag taken whilst she tried on shoes.

I felt unsafe in Prague almost all the time. 

Walking around the train station, shady characters eyed us off and would walk so close it was a complete invasion of personal space. 

I'm sure there are a plethora (BOOM WORD OF THE DAY) of people who have been to Prague and had no problems at all but after trying hard to give it a chance to impress me… I was disappointed. 

Vienna on the other hand was an absolute breath of fresh air. Personally, I think architecturally it's equally as impressive as Prague. Vienna is calm compared to the other European cities we've visited. It's amazing at night, all lit up with fairy lights, awakening my christmas spirit with all the winter markets.

Today we wound our way through the Swiss Alps to Zurich. The journey here alone has sold me already. It took over nine hours on the train but it was worth it for the views. Tomorrow we shall investigate the city and play in the snow.

Bianca

xxxoxox

PRAGUE SERIES

St Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle

Church of Our Lady Before Týn AND SOME LIGHTS

St Nicholas Church

We ate lunch in a dark medieval cellar

Charles Bridge and Prague Castle up on the hill

Stairs to Charles Bridge

How to get scammed in Prague...

Off to an annoying start in Prague. This trip had been going suspiciously smoothly so it's only expected that something would go wrong eventually.

Today we were off to a late start after a nice long sleep in. First port of call was a cash point to get some Koruna in our wallets.

After withdrawing some money, a man approached me and asked if I could change some bills for him. So I gave him 2 X 1000 bills in exchange for 4 X 500 bills.  He was very appreciative and went on his way.

It wasn't until I was in HnM trying to buy something that the cashier told me what I thought was 500 Kourno was not accepted currency in the Czech Republic.

A quick dash to the closest currency exchange confirmed that I'd been given a bunch of worthless Belarusian Ruble. This scam artist clearly identified me as an ignorant tourist and preyed on my inexperience with Czech currency.

We spent two and a half hours at the police station making a statement and getting a police report. In the scheme of things, I know it's not a lot of money (about AU$105, £61) but it's the bloody principal! I was so nice and polite to this man… I even told the bastard to have a nice day. Well I take it back. I hope he has a horrible day.

Let's all take a moment to send some bad juju his way.

I know the next three days I'll be walking around Prague like a character in Law and Order seeing if I recognise him. I'm pretty good with faces and was able to remember a few key details (short, medium build, pale, green checked shirt, dark jeans… keep an eye out). I suggested to the police that they check the cameras at the cash point, at which point I was told to only speak when spoken to.

Tomorrow we've booked a six hour tour that covers all the key sights around Prague and surrounding areas. It will be a great way to see to city (widen my search area).

More fool me anyway. That will teach me to be nice. I'll never give anyone change again.

You live, you learn, what can I say.

Prague 1, Bianca 0

xxoxox

NOT KORUNA.  next stop Belarus??